Dangerous Desires

Twenty-Six

The hotel refused to give us any information even though Tavin told them who he was and all though we intended to stake the place out we still got nowhere and found ourselves at some other hotel where I watched Tavin pace and worry in a way only a father can...

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie as I stood on the shoreline staring at the bay. As I turned to walk back to the hotel my phone started to ring in the pocket of my jeans and I pulled it out to see my father's name on the screen. "Hey dad," I sighed when I answered and massaged the bridge of my nose.

"Dwyer," was all he said causing my brow to furrow.

"What's Dwyer?"

"That's the surname of your mother's family when they came over around the same time as the Mayflower. There's a family crypt somewhere near Plymouth, I think, on the original farm property. It may not help but thought I'd tell you."

"Anything helps, thanks Dad."

"Of course, I love you."

"Love you too."

I hung up and looked at the time- fifteen after eight- then searched the number of the local library which I called to inquire if their historical documents were online or in-house. They were the latter which wasn't ideal but I would make it work so I sent texts to Gal and Tavin before walking to the library.

Being seated at a large, scarred table with books of yellowing pages, old maps and documents with fraying edges spread out before me made me feel back in my element. Even when I was young and growing up in New England I knew so little about my mother's family, she had been orphaned by some accident when she was a pre-teen and whatever family had had left never came around.

According to records it was around the turned of the turn of the eighteenth century when the family dropped the 'w' and added an 's' to the end of the name in an effort for a fresh start in the New World but not before a family crypt was erected on some secluded section of the family farm.

"Since when did you start having a habit of sneaking off?" a voice asked and I glanced over my shoulder as Galveston approached, his laptop bag hanging from one shoulder.

"Tavin had just fallen asleep so I didn't wanna risk waking him up. I needed to take a walk."

He slid into a chair across from me placing his hand on an empty spot on the table, eyes scanning over the material before me. "What is all of this?"

"Dad called me while I was out waling."

"And?"

Gently I pushed one of the Dwyer family records toward him. "He called to tell me to check into the Dwyer family."

"Who are the Dwyers?"

"Dwyer was my mother's family name when they first came to the states before changing it to Dyers."

He pulled the documents closer so he would examine them for himself. "Does any of this hand to do with your mom and Estella?"

I pursed my lips together as my eyes swept over the materials before me. "I really don't know Gal."

The longer I poured over the aged ink the more my tired eyes started to ache. "It looks like what used to be the Dwyer family farm is all grown over," Galveston informed looking from his laptop screen to the map of original homesteads.

I stood from my seat rubbing my eyes before rounding the table so I could look at his screen over his shoulder. "Can you see anything that was built there?" I asked eyes scanning over the satellite image that filled the screen.

He gave a small shake of the head moving the image around so I could see the way the tree cover blocked everything except for a slight glimpse of the farmhouse's ruins. "No way to tell if someone is on the property."

I heaved a sighed and slumped into the chair next to him raking a hand through my hair. "So it's just a dead end," I mumbled and scowled a little when my phone vibrated on the table. I grabbed my cell to see a photo message from a car rental company billed to the firm the way the hotel room had been. "Gal," I began turning to face him, eyes still on the phone screen, "If a rental car had low jack software can you view the location?"

His gaze turned to me and raised his brow. "Do you know the VIN?"

I nodded and sat back after placing the phone on the table beside the laptop. He glances at my phone then pulled up another program putting in information causing a GPS map to fill the screen. My eyes followed the brightly colored line as it cut a path through Plymouth town proper and out into the forested area until it ended in a pulsating dot amongst a mass of trees. "Is that the old Dwyer property?"

He glanced at the yellowed map again then back at the laptop, nodded. "We need to go get Tavin."