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Cooper glanced at Morgan and saw her surprise

“Oh,” Morgan replied “I… We thought you ned at the bottom of each entry So this isn’t your journal?”

Again, Veronique shook her head “No” Her voice was a soft whisper as she took the book and ran her fingers over the spine She opened the book and turned several pages, her bottoed to”

For several long moments, Veronique was silent, and then she set the journal on the table between theed to my sister, Valerie”

“Oh” Morgan leaned forward “Where can we find Valerie?”

Veronique shook her head, putting down her glass of tea “My dear sister passed ahen she was thirty-two”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cooper replied

“Yes It was a tragedy, you know She was just getting her life back on track after…” Veronique looked pained “Well, to be frank, after Thoh and dry with a baby girl, no money, and a ruined reputation The McLarens never claimed Thomas’s child as their own He left for the Korean War and never came back”

Cooper could see this wasn’t the happy story Morgan had been expecting “Where is their child?”

Veronique sighed “Her daughter was beautiful Blonde, blue eyes, and the sweetest selique, but we all called her Angel She an, John Blackwell He was froand had three boys, and then…” Veronique reached for her iced tea and took another sip

“She was killed the night of her thirty-second birthday A drunk driver went through an intersection, and Angel left three young boys behind”

Morgan’s face hite, and Cooper slid his arm around her “We’re sorry to hear that,” he murmured

“Thank you” Veronique sighed “Life wasn’t kind to Valerie or her offspring I often wonder what happened to those boys After the accident, John didn’t want much to do with anyone, let alone a family he barely knew I tried to keep in touch, but I think I reminded him too much of the woman he loved” She paused, her eyes misted “Those boys would be in their late twenties to mid-thirties now”

She suddenly got to her feet “Will you look at the tiet to church”

“Of course” Cooper got to his feet Morgan took a few seconds, her concern genuine