With another husky laugh, Mike went to the shelf and pulled with all his might. I heard a crack, and then another, louder one, and my heart plummeted.
I was wrong about the bookcase.
Mike shook his head. “Shit, what are the odds?”
“What?”
Mike stepped away to reveal a handful of papers tied together with twine.
“Mike, this is… we found…”
On the front page, the initials QS were written in an elegant script. On the next page it read, The Diary of Quinn.
I gasped. “Mike, what are the chances? Q! That’s Q!”
“I don’t know. This is amazing. Truly amazing.”
I grabbed his hand and led him back to the couch. Maggie Maye jumped on the couch next to him, and I began to read.
July 8, 1883
I cannot seem to shake the feeling of unrest that has shadowed me for the past month. My father is due to arrive home from his trip abroad today. His coldness to me before he left still haunts my dreams. His eyes looked upon me with what I can only describe as hate. Now I know why, for I learned the truth last night.
After receiving a letter from James Hathorne during my mother’s dinner party, I requested Timothy Hues escort me outside so that I might take in some fresh air. I implored him to accompany me on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. James Hathorne immediately. Once we arrived, we found Mr. Hathorne in the company of Jonathon Young, a man to whom I must confess I am very much attracted. It was then that Mr. Hathorne forewarned me that he had news that would change my life and perhaps could lead me to danger. His words piqued my interest greatly while leaving me shaken. He told me that for nearly eighteen years, he kept his silence and he could no longer allow himself to do it. His daughter was in danger. You see, this was a great surprise to me, as Mr. Hathorne has but two sons. Or so I thought. He also has a daughter.
I am that daughter.
This should have come as a shock to me, but strangely, it did not. His announcement answered many questions that I had been asking myself. It explains my mother’s longing gazes toward James Hathorne. My father’s hatred toward me. And the unease I have been feeling the last few days.
Mr. Hathorne believes the man assumed to be my father, Captain Robert Soloman, has somehow discovered that my mother and James, my true father, have been having a secret love affair since before my birth. Mr. Hathorne believes his entire family is in grave danger, for he has stumbled upon something so disturbing, he called for Jonathon’s father to come to Salem at once in an effort to help him. Sadly, Jonathon’s mother has turned ill and his father is aiding her. Therefore, Jonathon has agreed to help protect me. They will not tell me what it is they are protecting me from. I only know it has something to do with the trials and a secret society.
Sydney
I flipped over the page, but there was nothing else. The desperation to know what happened was tangible.
Quinn was in trouble. But where was the danger coming from? Were the Alchemists trying to kill her? Or was it something else? I assumed it had something to do with them because of the coin. But maybe it was a rival group? Questions, questions, and more questions. This was the part of the scavenger hunts I loved. Unraveling the mystery.
I wondered if Grandpa had thought I could find the journal when he’d come across the letter.
The thrill of the chase hummed through my body. I jumped around, unable to contain it. “Mike, do you know what this means?”
“You have a lot of research on your hands.”
I grabbed his arm and squeezed while bouncing like a maniac. “Yes! I have names! Lots and lots of names! I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I have names!”
A deep rumble of laughter resonated from him. He laid his hand on top of mine, causing the opposite bicep to bulge, straining the T-shirt that clung to it. If I’d had a genie in a bottle, I’d wish to be his shirt.
Hello, sexiness.