Sounds Like Deception (Sounds Like 2)

My throat clamped shut. I couldn’t swallow.

Scrawled on the back were the words: Penny Neworth.

He looked at me. “Syd?”

I covered my mouth with my hand.

“Oh my God. AJ, it’s my mom.”

Chapter Nine

That answered the question of whether we were supposed to find the pictures or not. They were planted, just like the other items. AJ peered at the photos, not saying anything. I tried to read his silence the same way he was reading the pictures.

“This is her house. Or was her house. It’s something,” I argued. “You see that, right?” There was a slight giddiness in my belly. I knew I needed to be cautious, but I couldn’t stop it from surfacing.

“Syd,” He stopped to turn toward me. “These are black and white copies on paper. There’s absolutely no way to verify them. Anyone could have made these. Photoshopping and picture distortion are easier than ever. You don’t know if that woman is your mother.”

“No.” I shook my head. “These were taken here. It’s her. I feel it.”

There was a mixture of sympathy and concern in his eyes.

“Ok, but what about the name on the mailbox. It says Harper by the main road.”

I pulled my shoulders back. “That’s her new name, sort of. Her married name. Neworth was her maiden name.”

“Did you know that before this trip?” he asked.

“No. It’s new information.”

“Information you got from this guy Ethan in Texas?” His eyebrows rose. I still worried about the stitches over his eye when he did that.

“Yes. From Ethan.” I wanted to study the pictures more. I wanted to memorize them. God, I’d jump into them if I could. Like that scene in Mary Poppins when the kids spent the day in the cartoon chalk drawings.

AJ collected the pages and folded them together. I had to keep myself from yanking them away from him. “I think we need to split that damn protein bar and figure this out.”

I huffed. “So you are hungry?” I eyed the stack in his hands.

“A little.”

I ripped through the wrapper and tore the chewy bar in half and handed him one end.

“Thanks.” He popped the whole thing in his mouth.

“You’re starving.” I looked at him.

“I’m fine.”

“But you have broken ribs and you’re recovering. This isn’t good.”

“Syd, stop worrying about me.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe the FBI would send you after me like this. You shouldn’t even be back on duty. How irresponsible is your boss?”

He looked toward the window.

“Wait. You aren’t back on duty?”

He shook his head. “No. But it was either me, or the entire Bureau trying to haul you in. I thought this was the better option. They need your statement about the hijacking. Jelly Bean Jack is now at the top of their wanted list. You have to talk to them. You know more than anyone about what was in the dark web marketplace.”