Page 48 of Alchemy of Secrets

What do you want to do?” Adam asked, his voice low.

“I don’t think we have many options,” she said. They could wait and waste more time, or they could go inside.

Holland had a sudden image of her friendship with Chance catching on fire and Vic VanVleet calling henchmen to throw them out of the studio.

Holland doubted that Vic VanVleet actually had henchmen.

But then she thought of Cat’s reaction when Holland had mentioned wanting to visit this bungalow, and the idea didn’t seem that far-fetched.

“Maybe we just wait a few—” Holland stopped mid-sentence as she saw Chance stand up and shake Vic VanVleet’s hand.

And suddenly Holland had a third terrible idea. But it seemed a little less terrible than the two ideas that had come before.

“Come on,” Holland whispered to Adam. Then she was pulling him to the side of the building.

Chance rounded the corner with a swagger to his step.

Holland’s palms were sweating, and her voice came out a little high as she said, “Hey.”

Chance stopped abruptly. He looked at her, then at Adam, then back at her, and his expression went from stunned, to happy, to what-the-hell-is-going-on. “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t explain right now,” Holland said. “But I really need you to do me a favor.”

Chance laughed, a bitter sound she’d never heard him make. He looked at her as if he didn’t even know who she was anymore.

“I know in the last twenty-four hours I’ve seemed like a different person. But I swear, there is a good explanation for everything.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you right now.”

“Of course you can’t.” Chance started shaking his head. “I’ve gotta go.”

Adam stepped forward, took his hands from his pockets and reached for Chance’s arm.

Chance immediately jumped back. “Don’t touch me, man!”

“Sorry,” Adam said, but he looked ready to try again.

Holland put a hand on his arm, stopping him. She couldn’t let Chance leave. Holland needed his help. But letting Adam erase his memories wasn’t the way to do this.

Holland took the deepest breath she’d ever taken in her life.

She had been living under the delusion that if she made it through today, her life would just go back to what it had been, but that was never going to happen.

And maybe that was for the best. She didn’t love running for her life, but she did love being able to talk about her dad, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to hiding that part of herself.

“Chance, wait,” she called. “This has to do with my father.”

Chance immediately stopped and turned. Holland could see all the questions in his eyes.

Is she manipulating me? Is she finally about to talk about the parents she never mentions? Can I even believe a word she says?

“My last name isn’t actually St. James,” she said.

“I was born Holland Tierney. My mother is Isla Saint, and my father is Benjamin J. Tierney. I’m sorry I never told you.

I never tell anyone. My sister and I changed our last names when we went to college.

The reason I’m telling you this now is because yesterday, I found out my father left me something, and I believe it’s in his old bungalow. Number 17.”

“I don’t know that I believe you.” Chance said. Once again, he looked ready to walk away.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Holland said. “But you know me. My father is the whole reason I’ve been so obsessed with finding the devil.

I think he made a deal with him, and that’s why he died.

I would think you, of all people, would understand why I wouldn’t ever want to talk about it.

And if that’s not enough for you, you can search it online.

Ben and Isla had twin daughters. I don’t have my phone, or I’d pull up an old family picture. ”

Chance ran a hand through his hair. He looked torn, as if he actually did believe her but wanted to stay mad. “Does this have anything to do with what happened last night?”

“Yes.” Holland wished she could leave it at that, but she could see Chance wanted more. “The person I was with last night was a mistake. He was only after the same thing I’m looking for right now.”

“What about you?” Chance tilted his chin toward Adam.

“I’m just trying to keep her alive,” Adam said.

Chance continued to eye him warily, his dislike for Adam nearly palpable. But when he looked back at Holland, his anger had faded. “What do you want me to do?”

“I just need you to get Vic VanVleet out of her bungalow and distract her for half an hour while we search.”

“Have you ever met Vic VanVleet?” he asked.

Holland shook her head.

“I can probably get her out of there, but only for fifteen minutes, tops.”

It took Chance less than a minute to step into the bungalow and then step outside with Vic VanVleet.

Whatever he said was enough of a distraction that she didn’t even lock the door. Although maybe she just planned on returning very soon.

“We need to move quickly,” Holland said to Adam.

The bungalow was clearly decorated in Vic VanVleet’s personal style. Everything was bright pop art. Even the movie posters on the walls were versions that Holland had never seen, all neon and oversaturated color.

Vic VanVleet was the sort of director that Holland always felt she should have loved.

Her production company VX3 was most well-known for rich mystery films that combined smart dialogue with slick storytelling and painfully bittersweet romances.

They were the kind of films that were always a little too commercial for the critics to praise, which made them just the right kind of entertaining for the public.

Her newest film with Chance was getting a lot of buzz. And yet, there was always something about the movies that struck the wrong chord for Holland.

Adam started at the desk, while Holland went over to the bookshelves.

Vic’s bookshelves were full of Funko Pops, ball caps from films, and other miscellanea, along with an old photograph of a glowing couple. Holland bent closer. One of the people in the picture was Vic VanVleet, and the other was Holland’s father.

“My dad knew Vic VanVleet,” Holland said, stunned.

Adam looked up from the desk, which he’d turned into an absolute shambles. “What did you find?”

“It’s a picture of my dad and Vic, and it looks like they were a couple.” Ben looked so young, and Vic looked absolutely radiant. Her hair was longer, and she was smiling as Ben kissed her on the cheek.

“Did you know about this?” Adam asked.

“No. I don’t know. Maybe.” Ben and Isla’s love story had eclipsed everything else. But Holland knew there had been another woman in his life. “Before my mom, my dad had been dating Jericho Monroe’s great-granddaughter, Victoria Monroe.”

It was a name most people probably didn’t know. Victoria Monroe was a footnote on Ben Tierney’s Wonderpage—but it was a page Holland knew by heart.

“Isn’t Vic a nickname for Victoria?” Adam asked.

It was. And Holland also knew VanVleet wasn’t Vic’s maiden name.

When Chance had first started working with her, she was all he’d talked about for a full month.

Holland remembered him telling the story of how Vic had been married for only forty-seven days to Simon VanVleet, lead singer of the Poisonberries.

It was one of those sensational stories that made Vic VanVleet famous for nothing.

Holland had been unimpressed, but Chance had been awed.

He’d thought it was a gutsy move, something she’d done so she could have the triple V ’s for her production company. And maybe it was.

Or maybe the wedding was the reckless response of a jilted woman who’d been madly in love and publicly humiliated.

Holland couldn’t know for sure. But she did feel as if she knew one thing.

This picture hadn’t originally been Vic’s.

The photo frame was dark and masculine, the one thing in the office that wasn’t in Vic’s pop art style, which made Holland wonder if the photo had been her father’s.

Something he had left on purpose, because he’d known Vic wouldn’t have been able to get rid of it, even after all this time.

“I think this is the clue.” Holland flipped the frame around. It was so old it didn’t want to open, but after almost a full minute of prying, she managed to pull the backing off.

A slip of paper fell out.

Hold

JME: Property Department

Show Name: Alchemy of Secrets

Set:

Contact: Ben Tierney

Phone:

Date: 2/2011

Special Instructions: Someone who needs it but doesn’t want it. Someone who will only use it once for their need and then never use it again.

“What is that?” asked Adam.

“It looks like a hold slip. They use them in the props department,” Holland explained. “I think they’re for renting out items.”

Adam came out from behind the desk to take a closer look. “What do you make of the special instructions? Do you think your dad is saying that whoever finds the Alchemical Heart can only use it once?”

“We can worry about that later,” said Holland. “But I think you’re right that this slip is our clue. We need to go to the props department.”

“I hope you’re not running off because of me?” said a high, melodious voice.