But I was not deterred, I had contacted an employee at the newspaper office a few days later—a girl with a nasally voice who’d sounded less than cheerful. Ironic, since her name was Joy. Joy told me, flippantly, that I’d have to come to Cambridge in person if I wished to peruse the old articles. Nobody there had the time—or the inclination—to help, so I was on my own. Fine, I’d thought, I have it all planned out anyway. And here’s how it would go…
New Year’s Eve fell on a Friday. Adam and I planned to fly down early that day to allow for ample opportunity to get ready for the party. We were staying at a hotel in downtown Boston and not leaving ’til late the next day. Somehow, I convinced Joy to meet me at the newspaper headquarters Saturday morning. Not that there was much of a headquarters; she told me the whole operation was housed on the second floor of a single building. Joy balked at first, not thrilled with the idea of getting up early on a Saturday morning, but she finally relented. I was to meet her at the building around eight. She agreed to give me access to the back rooms where the old newspapers were kept.
Adam had already told me he’d be meeting Nate at around seven that morning, probably to talk business, so I figured that gave me plenty of time to take a cab over to Cambridge and do what I had to do. I’d look through the old articles, find out what I needed to know, and be back at the hotel before Adam returned. It’d be a snap. Nevertheless, it seemed prudent to come up with some sort of cover story, just in case. I couldn’t allow Adam to discover I was snooping around behind his back…again.
A wave of guilt washed over me. Was I doing the right thing? I needed to know if Ami was playing games. Hopefully, I’d go to the newspaper headquarters, find the article, and see for myself that the one hidden in Adam’s locked drawer had indeed been authentic.
A little voice whispered, And if it isn’t, then what?
Well, then I’d have to face the fact that Adam was lying, that there was an apparently more damning secret out there than the one he was sharing. And this one wasn’t his alone. No. Ami, and possibly Helena—and God knew who else—were in on it, too.
I sat with Helena a while longer, talking, faking a smile, trying to discern if she did, in fact, share some sort of terrible secret with Adam and Ami. And if so, how had they kept it so well hidden? Did Nate know? Was he in on it, too? Good God, another potential mess.
Tick Tock. Hurry, Madeleine, Ami had written. What was that supposed to mean? Did Ami know something more than just the secret? What if a clock really was ticking? What if Adam’s future really did depend on me uncovering something? I’d thought mysteries were behind me for now, but apparently they weren’t. Maybe—with Adam in my life—they might always haunt me.
Suddenly, the peppermint-flavored drink I was sipping tasted bitter; the festive decorations didn’t feel so lighthearted and fun. Once again my world was being turned upside down. I could feel it. I imagined a giant hourglass being turned with me in it. I just hoped I didn’t end up buried.
Chapter Two
The next morning the snow subsided, and though the sun came out, the island still lay blanketed in stark and blinding white. Everything stood silent—a world held hostage by winter’s wrath, until Nate and Max made the rounds with the plows, of course.
With the roads mostly cleared, Adam and I struck out on our little adventure. As we rounded a bend, hitting the east side of the island, the recently risen sun pounded through the Range Rover windshield. The Rover was Adam’s winter vehicle on the island. The Porsche, like the Lexus, was garaged over on Adam’s vast property until spring. I reached for a pair of sunglasses that were lodged in the console, and Adam glanced my way, smiling one of his stunning smiles. My heart warmed. Oh, how I loved this guy.
Sure, we were messed up in many ways, our relationship far from perfect. I sometimes even feared I cared too deeply. I knew my feelings often clouded my judgment. But I think they clouded Adam’s as well, that was why he put up with my many antics. I knew I pushed the envelope on some issues, but it was who I was. And if he was okay with it, then that was his decision. In a weird way, it was how we worked, and how we loved. We’d come through a lot in three months time, and some days I couldn’t believe he was really mine. But he was, and I was his. Yeah, even if he was lying, Adam Ward still had my heart and my soul.
His hand closed over mine. “What are you thinking about, Maddy? You look like you’re really lost in thought over there.”
“I’m just thinking about you,” I admitted, lacing my fingers with his. “And how very, very much I love you.” It sounded corny, but it was the truth.
Adam squeezed my hand, said softly, “I love you, too, Madeleine.”
Reluctantly, I slipped my hand from under his, lifted the sunglasses, and slid them onto my face. Rejoining my hand with Adam’s, I sighed contentedly. Adam was quiet, concentrating on maneuvering the vehicle down the first hundred yards or
