Page 97 of Head Room

The box was big.The box was bulky.The attic was accessed by a ladder.

Something she hadn’t mentioned.The ladder was outside Vidalia’s door.

I climbed up first, so Hannah could check if my noise woke the baby.

The kid had to sleep like a rock, because I was not quiet, even with my best efforts.

Neither was Hannah when she followed me up.

The quilts were varied and beautiful.We took them out carefully and looked at them, thanks to an attic dormer window and our phone flashlights.

Nothing else in the box.

So much for hoping for a spelled-out explanation.

I considered asking if I could take the box of quilts, though I doubted I could get it down.

While Hannah repeatedly glanced at the time on her phone, I took photos of quilts.

We had returned the last of nine to the box when Vidalia’s I’m-awake-announcement blared through the baby monitor.

The quilts sure didn’t scream any answers to me.

Though I did have the information that Frank Jardos had acted to secure what was most precious to him before the fire.

As if he knew it was coming.

****

After picking uplunch at Hamburger Heaven — salad, no fries, thanks to the demands of my wedding dress — I arrived at the gravel parking lot of KWMT-TV well before the time to meet Orson.

I’d already received two texts from Audrey asking when I was coming, because Orson’s questions were driving her crazy, along with every other staffer who passed through the bullpen.

I pulled in between two pickup trucks.Even with a good-sized SUV, they obscured my presence, so Audrey wouldn’t pull me into duty distracting Orson and disrupt my scheduled video call with Jennifer, Mike, and Diana.

“My report’s short,” Diana said from an assignment location that had a much more alluring landscape behind her than KWMT’s parking lot.“I have feelers out, but no nibbles yet.”

Mike raised his hand.“Mine’s shorter.No word of trouble with the vets from anybody.Also, I safely delivered that manuscript to Jennifer.After getting a lot of strange — at best — looks from fellow travelers.That thing stinks of smoke.”

“Tell me about it,” I said without much sympathy.

Though I did feel sympathy for him.He’d flown back to Chicago late yesterday making for a long day and he had more of those ahead.

Jennifer said, “I’ve started on the manuscript.Can send digital files to you shortly.Should be easier to read than Dale’s photos.Stabilizing the physical manuscript will take longer.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait.There’s more.Sergeant Jardos was talking online about concerns.I found a group he messaged with.Seems like mostly military, with the kind of civilians they would have interacted with.”

“Jennifer, this isn’t a government site, is it?Tell me you’re not trying to hack a government site,” I said.

“Trying.Like it would be that hard.”Then she hurriedly added, possibly because of audible intakes of breath from me and Diana, “Nah.Looks like all or mostly retired.Not official.Their security is actually better than, uh, what I hear about government sites.”

She didn’t allow Diana or me a chance to respond.

“Can’t see any discussions in their entirety.What we can see—”

Weno doubt included her online cohorts, whose skills matched hers, each with a niche area of expertise, complementing the others.Scary.Truly scary.