Harbour Falls Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Why don’t you take a look inside the zippered compartment there in the front of that suitcase?” He gestured to a bag we’d not unpacked.
    I reached over, unzipped the front pocket, and pulled out a thick folder stuffed with pages and pages of official-looking documents. A big “Classified” sticker was affixed to the front. “The case files,” I murmured.
    “They’re just copies, but keep them in a safe place, Maddy,” he warned. “By safe I mean hidden .”
    I placed the folder on the coffee table and threw my arms around my father. “Thank you, Dad. These are going to help so much. And everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
    My dad tightened his arms around me. Guilt tugged at my conscience as I sensed the tension in his hold. “I love you, sweetheart. I just pray you know what you’re doing.”
    I hoped so too, but I didn’t say it out loud. Instead I said, “I love you, Dad,” and clung to the one person I could always count on.

Chapter 3
    After I drove my dad back to the dock—and watched the ferry disappear in the distance—a feeling of loneliness washed over me. I drove down Main Street and slowed at the café storefront. Should I go in? A woman with blonde hair flowing down her back was seated at a table on the other side of the picture window in front. She glanced up as I drove the Lexus by at a snail’s pace, and a look of recognition crossed her face. I was certain the blonde woman was Helena, but I wasn’t sure if it was me—or the car—that she recognized, so I drove on.
    Even though it was fast approaching late afternoon, the air remained warm, and the island was still bathed in sunshine. My loneliness was rapidly turning to restlessness, so I hit the gas and headed back to the cottage. The surrounding landscape went by in a blur, until, at last, I reached my new home and eased into the driveway.
    After dropping the car keys into a wicker bowl on the coffee table, I paced around the living room, undecided as to what I felt like doing next. I kicked off my flats and picked up the thick case file folder from the coffee table, but I was feeling much too agitated to delve into its contents. Instead I looked around the room for a good place to hide the folder.
    Bookcases, packed tight with numerous volumes of hardcover books, covered most of one wall of the room. I tucked the folder between two heavy tomes and stood back.
    Perfect! The folder was indistinguishable mixed in among the books. Satisfied with the hiding spot I’d chosen, I went upstairs and slipped out of the slacks and blouse I was wearing, and then stepped into a cedar closet that was big enough to serve as a small guest room.
    Thankful my dad had helped me unpack some clothing before leaving, I grabbed a white cotton tank top and a pair of navy yoga pants from one of the shelves. I slipped the clothes on and then proceeded to rummage through a still-packed satchel. I mouthed a victorious “yes” when I finally located a pair of running shoes near the bottom. A hair tie had somehow ended up in one of the shoes, so I grabbed it, too, and secured my hair into a high ponytail.
    I hurried back down the stairs, locked up, and went out the back door. The small lawn in the back, perched high above the sea, offered a sweeping view of the ocean below. It was magnificent, if not a little daunting when nearing the edge. Several maple saplings lined the south end of the yard, their fiery red, orange, and yellow leaves made more vivid by a palette of violet hues in the early evening sky.
    I turned toward the north end of the lawn where the forest trees were no less vibrant—but much taller and imposing—than their younger counterparts across the property. There was a break in the tree line where a dirt path winded its way through the forest. It appeared to head north along the high cliffs above the sea.
    I rocked back and forth on my heels, contemplating my next move. No time like the present for a little exploring, right?
    I