“Hi, sorry to bother you,” Luke said. I couldn’t see his face but it sounded like he was keeping things cheery. “I tried to call earlier but I didn’t get an answer so I came to check. You’re Mr. Sorenson?”

  His mouth popped open briefly and his eyebrows lifted. “You were worried about me?”

  “Someone said you would be home,” he said. “When I didn’t get an answer, I did worry a little. I’m sorry to wake you.”

  “Wouldn’t know why you’d care,” he said and with a shrewd twist to his lips. “Who sent you?”

  “Your son is going through a divorce, and I was asked to talk to you. I’m from the lawyer’s office.”

  This seemed to catch him off guard. “I haven’t heard from my son in years.”

  Luke shifted so the camera was no longer pointing at his face, and instead looking past his shoulder into the house. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I was just sent to ask a couple of questions. But I can come back later if you’d like? My boss was just on my case this morning about establishing contact.”

  He backed up a step. “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind a few questions.”

  “Absolutely feel free to not answer any you don’t feel comfortable with,” Luke said as he inched his way into the house.

  The front room was narrow, with a piano on one end and a television on as small pedestal stand on the other. There was a paisley couch at one wall and a red leather recliner under the wide front window.

  Luke was directed to sit on the couch while Grandfather Sorenson sat on the recliner, picking his feet up.

  There were photos on the piano of both my grandmother and him, and a few of my father. My father looked a lot like his mother. It was the face mostly, the dark eyes, the large tip of the nose. My father got his height from his father.

  “Let me make sure, can you give me your full name?”

  “Linus Sorenson.”

  “I understand your wife passed? Sangrida Sorenson?” he asked. “Is that true?”

  “She died a while ago,” he said. He scratched at his big toe with his other foot, seeming a little distant.

  “I’m sorry to hear,” Luke said. “It was a note but wanted to be sure. They’ve been very picky about me double-checking everything lately.”

  Victor whispered to me during the conversation. “You knew that right?”

  I nodded, aware he could see me, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the screen. For some reason, it didn’t faze me at all to know for sure she was dead. My parents had told me, though after what they revealed about my mother, I had questioned it. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because we never went to a funeral. I didn’t even remember my father going to one. Although he could have, he went off on business trips a lot.

  Prior to that, I assumed for years they all were dead. And that’s why we never went to see them.

  It was finding they were still alive that was surprising. Even from what I remembered in the past, my dad’s parents were much older when they finally had him. When we hadn’t heard about them at all in so long, I thought perhaps they’d passed away and maybe I just didn’t remember the news. My dad never talked about his family much, and my stepmother barely ever spoke of any family at all.

  “Yeah, she died,” he continued. “I’m living on social security. Did you know that they take your house if you ask to be placed in assisted living? I didn’t know that. How am I supposed to leave anything to anyone? The government doesn’t need more of my money.”

  Luke motioned with his hands, and adjusted the camera again, letting it peer down a hallway. “You wish to leave this house to your son?”

  “Who else is there?” he asked.

  The camera gave a clear view of the hallway with four closed doors. I imagined at least one was a bathroom. There was a cat crouched and peering at Luke at the far-left corner of the hall, waiting in the low light and watching.

  Linus continued, “Frankly, I’m happy to hear about the divorce. That woman stopped allowing us to come see my granddaughter.”

  Luke was quick to ask. “That’s your son’s only child? Marie?”

  He seemed to hesitate and then nodded. “The only one that belongs to me.”

  That forced an awkward pause. Did he know?

  He continued, “They were so secretive about the other one, we just knew that wife of his must have cheated on him and got pregnant with another man’s child.” He licked his lips once as he paused. “Maybe my son was trying to do the right thing by it all. It’s about time he corrected the situation.”

  “Sang,” Victor breathed. “Easy.”

  I hadn’t realized I’d been pressing a fingertip firmly to both lips, up against my teeth hard enough that when I released, my inner lip split a little. The blood taste was small, but I licked at the injury, focusing on Luke and my grandfather.

  How little he knew. But how long had he suspected?

  It was likely for the best. How likely was he to talk to about it with anyone else? He certainly hadn’t been looking for me.

  The conversation continued. Luke went through more official questions, just verifying he was the only existing relative on his side and that there were no other connections anywhere that we didn’t know. He mentioned his younger brother being Grandfather Brian, and it was him that inherited the farm because he wasn’t interested in farming. Linus Sorenson moved to Lexington for a short time to work in horse breeding for wealthy family farms.

  It was only of interest finally when Luke got up to leave and said, “Oh just one more thing. Did you want to get in contact with your real granddaughter? Marie?”

  I hadn’t even considered if any family might want to see Marie. It warmed my heart Luke thought to ask even when I hadn’t.

  Linus Sorenson blinked at him. “Heaven’s no. She’s probably a lot like her mother since we weren’t there to raise her. Spoiled. That woman was really spoiled when she was younger. They gave her everything she wanted.”

  This was sad to hear for Marie. A defensive prickling edged up my spine. Marie might be a little spoiled. But had gotten everything she wanted? Hardly. Was treated well? Very much no. Ignored. Neglected. Only she didn’t get the punishments I did. I couldn’t blame her for desiring things she didn’t have.

  Despite the reasons for not keeping in touch with his parents, I finally agreed with my father for getting away and not being in contact with them. If they’d been as critical as he was now, Marie and I had lucked out.

  When Luke left and was on the way back, Victor was writing down a few things on a sheet of paper. He spoke to me as he did so.

  “We just need to know if he talks to anyone,” he said. “Does he even talk to his brother? Because it’s pretty clear he had no idea about your mother birthing you.” He looked up shortly at me in the camera. “He might call his son after this. So there’s some slight risk, but we’ll listen to see if there’s anything we need to worry about. Is there anything you want to do for him?”

  “He doesn’t want anything to do with anyone, it seems,” I said. I wasn’t heartless. He seemed pretty lonely here. “He doesn’t seem to need anything. Unless a lack of companionship after his wife died... is that something that can be helped?”

  He smiled a little. “We can sign him up for a local volunteer program. They send visitors to check in. The volunteer will just come by and have a chat, bring him a meal, see how he’s doing. He seems talkative enough. We’ll be able to monitor if he ever talks about you. It doesn’t seem like it but just in case.”

  I nodded slowly. That seemed like the best solution. “So not really adoption?”

  “He seems pretty settled on his own. He was talking about the house going to your father, not his brother. I wonder if they had a falling out. But there’s nothing left to do except provide some companionship, and that’s a locally run program. Anyone can sign up for it.”

  He could have just as easily had visits with Marie... or even me if he’d really been friendly enough and wanted to. In a way, it did hurt. This man, who I didn’t remember treating me any differently when I was younger... suddenly hearing they’d been suspicious and didn’t like me at all.

  And under the completely wrong assumption. They thought I didn’t belong to their son at all. Maybe it was better that way.

  At least I could stop wondering.

  Too Much to Find

  I was a little emotionally drained, and Luke declared we needed a break. He and I met up with Dr. Green and Gabriel, and we had lunch out at a local restaurant downtown named Loma’s while we went over what happened that morning. We didn’t want to take too long, but we definitely needed refueling.

  After we’d filled up on chicken sandwiches and burgers, we got a notification. North and Silas had just arrived at the RV. Nathan was still out at the Sorenson farm and likely very hungry after walking the trails in the woods.

  It was decided that Gabriel and I should convince grandfather to allow North and Silas in as contractors to fix the bee problem in the bedrooms and maybe shore up the chimneys that were falling apart. We wanted someone there all the time if Gabriel and I needed to go do other things. It was the easiest way to do it, at least until we could figure out a better and more permanent solution.

  Gabriel and I needed to return to the Sorenson farm to relieve Nathan anyway, so Luke and Dr. Green took the Tahoe and Gabriel and I took the blue sedan back to the house.

  I checked for Nathan once I stepped out of the car. He likely could see us, if he was nearby. He’d know to head to the main road, where the Tahoe was waiting for him.

  To our surprise, Gabriel and I walked into the farmhouse and found Nathan on the couch, joined by the dog, while my grandfather sat in a kitchen chair that had been placed across from the couch.

  The moment we came in, my mouth popped open in surprise. I couldn’t help it. It wasn’t expected this at all. The dog bounded over to greet us, before rushing back to the couch, licking at Nathan’s leg and rubbing her head against him to ask for more attention.

  “Well, you’re another son?” Gabriel asked Nathan quickly, pretending not to know him. “Or some cousin? Did we interrupt?”

  “No, no,” my grandfather said, waving just a hand before heavily plopping it down on his leg again. “This here’s just the neighbor’s kid. He thought he found Chica lost in the woods. Pretty sure it was the other way around.”

  Nathan grinned. He was still bundled in a thick coat and his cheeks were red. It must have just happened. “Asked if I could come in to warm up. I was taking a hike, found the dog, led the dog home. Didn’t know I was this far off the family property. I didn’t mean to be trespassing.”

  “Naw,” Grandfather said. “Don’t worry about that. Hike around in those woods if you want. It’s the hunters I don’t like. They get too close to the house. And Chica is the same color as a deer. I also don’t want any bullets flying around when people are walking around, you know?”

  Gabriel quickly turned to Grandfather Brian. “Oh, before I forget. You mentioned the bees in the chimneys upstairs?”

  Grandfather hesitated but nodded. “Yeah. Too many. Pretty sure it’s a hive inside.”

  “I’ve got a friend who does chimneys and he happens to know a thing or two about bees. I asked if he could come over and talk to you. Is that okay? He’s a good guy. And I’d be happy to pay for the work in exchange for letting us stay here. He’s my friend so he’d give me a good rate.”

  The old man nodded enthusiastically. “Chimney work? That’s good work. Masonry is fine work. You should look into it if he’s hiring.”

  Gabriel beamed. “You think so?”

  “Sure,” he said. “Everyone with a chimney needs someone to work on it once in a while. Never a lack of need.” He turned to Nathan. “What do you think? Want to learn some chimney work?”

  “I want to be a vet tech,” he said casually. “I think. I’m still in college.”

  Was that true? Nathan never mentioned it before. Sometimes the guys made up stuff on the fly for the occasion. Gabriel thought he might check in with Nathan later. He’d be an awesome vet tech.

  “College, huh? You seem kind of young.”

  Gabriel drowned a snickering with a cough. “Sorry, excuse me.”

  Nathan shot him an evil eye quickly while Grandfather wasn’t looking. “Graduated early,” he said. “Top of my class. Thought about becoming a doctor, too. But I don’t know about cutting into bodies.”

  “Naw,” he said and waved his hand. “No, don’t be a doctor. I don’t trust those doctors. Every time I used to have to go in, they want me to do a bunch of stuff. It’s none of their business, I tell them. I never go there anymore.”

  I grimaced. He was okay with a vet for dogs but not a doctor for humans? Paranoia?

  “Anyway,” Gabriel said, “I’ll text my friend. He should be close by and can come to talk to you. No cost, you see? And you get the ultimate decision for him to work here if you’d like. It’s a special favor since he’s my friend and you’re taking me in and everything.”

  “Oh you didn’t have to do that,” my grandfather said. “It doesn’t cost me anything to have you stay here.”

  “I’m just returning the favor,” Gabriel said. “Have to keep the karma up, you know?”

  Grandfather appeared like he wanted to deny it again but paused, considering what Gabriel said. “Doesn’t hurt if he wanted to take a look.”

  “Where are these bees?” Nathan asked curiously. He pointed to the fireplace across the room. “The bees are coming out of there?”

  “Maybe during the summer, yes,” Grandfather said. He stood up and motioned for the rest of us to follow. “I don’t go upstairs these days, but you can take a look. The bees are dead now because it’s winter, but there’s a whole lot of them dead in the room from what I hear. The housekeeper just kept the door closed. Too many to take care of. The heaters aren’t on upstairs so it might be cold.”

  He hobbled as he walked. Was he doing that last night? I couldn’t remember. His mobility being difficult, I was glad now maybe North and Silas could stick closer by if we were going to be gone.

  When we got to the staircase, he leaned heavily at the railing and motioned up to the second floor. “You go ahead. It’s the room toward the... left when you get up the stairs.”

  The stairs came to a landing and turned before continuing up. I followed Gabriel, with Chica padding her way up curiously behind us. Nathan waited downstairs with my grandfather.

  “I love these old houses,” he said.

  “Oldest one on this road,” my grandfather said proudly. “Dating back over two hundred years.” He started reiterating things he’d told us about the house.

  Nathan continued to talk to him, I imagined he was getting on his good side so he could pop by when he liked.

  I thought it was dangerous. Wouldn’t my grandfather talk to the neighbors and find out they don’t have a son?

  The second floor consisted of a narrow hallway. Directly across from the stairs was a bathroom between the two closed doors of the bedrooms.

  The bathroom was small, with a bathtub and sink and toilet surrounded by all white tile all the way up to the ceiling. There was one window that had a nice view of the field and the barn. The bathroom had been completely emptied except for a small bar of soap on the sink.

  The door to the right, unfortunately, was locked like my grandfather said. Gabriel finagled it as silently as he could but Chica nudged his knee and he stopped. We’d have to get in, but another time. There was no way we could get in quietly with Chica making noise and with Grandfather Brian downstairs. He didn’t seem to want us in this room.

  There was no telling when we’d be able to get in there. Grandfather slept in the parlor below it, so he’d hear us if we tried. We didn’t want to risk getting kicked out for snooping.

  The other bedroom’s door was unlocked and we opened it.

  The moment I saw the room, I recognized it.

  It was the same white painted fireplace and wallpaper from the photo of my mother. My mother, who had been holding me.

  I had been in this room.

  The fireplace was still white. Soft pink carpet stretched wall to wall, although some areas had faded over the years, the spots that lined up with the windows.

  There was a white bedframe made of metal, but no mattress. A small closet sat open on the far side of the room, close to the fireplace, and there were built in wardrobes on either side of the doorway as we entered. There were windows on either side of the room, and one window on either side of the fireplace at the far end. Views of nearly the entire property could be seen from here. The room was so big, it could have been its own little apartment.

  And the carpet, especially the space surrounding the fireplace, was covered in dead bees.

  Chica entered first, eager to get in and sniff.

  Gabriel snapped his fingers at the dog. “Come back.”

  The dog ignored him, and started to lick at a dead bee.

  “Come back, Chica,” I said in an effort.

  At this, she picked her head up, and started to plod back to us.

  “Hey!” Gabriel called down the stairs. “Call the dog. I don’t want her to get stung or eat one of the bees.”

  “Here Chica!” Grandfather called.

  Chica rushed down, giving us a chance to go in.

  The air was cold, stale, and thick with dust. No one had been up here in a while. There were small collections of papers scattered around. The closets were closed.

  Gabriel carefully navigated around the dead bees.

  “Are any left alive?” I asked him, afraid to move too far beyond the doorway for now.

  “Don’t think so,” he said, his usual voice suddenly a little deeper, slower, grainier, like his throat was irritated. “He’s probably right they came out of the chimney. Which means they’re still in there for the winter, just huddled together.” He tilted his head, as he’d only gotten halfway before he stopped, unable to go further without stepping on bees. He gazed across the room at the fireplace, as if he could see inside the bricks. “Which might be good. Maybe the hive can be moved. We’d have to ask North.”