Chapter 75
SEVENTY-FIVE
Daisy cried out in delight when Max threw himself into her arms and kissed her face. She hugged him fiercely and kissed him on both cheeks before finally setting him down.
“I’m so happy to see you,” she said. “You’ve grown.”
“Really?” Max asked, clearly pleased.
“Definitely. At least two inches. And look what I got you.”
She held out a gift bag. Inside was a box wrapped in blue-and-white paper and tied with a blue ribbon. There was a huge silver bow at the center.
“It’s not my birthday,” Max said as he pulled out the box and shook it experimentally.
“Do I need a reason to give my favorite cousin a gift?”
“No,” Max cried. He looked happy for the first time in days, and Quinn could have kicked herself for not thinking to ring Daisy before. She could always make him smile, even when he was sad.
Max carried the box into the lounge, tore off the wrapping paper, and pulled out a remote-controlled helicopter.
“This is next level,” he exclaimed, and Quinn’s eyes pricked with tears because he sounded so like Logan. “Can we fly it right now?”
Daisy looked at Quinn, but it was Jude who came to the rescue. “How about we take it to the park,” he suggested. “There isn’t enough room indoors, and if we fly it out back and it lands in someone else’s garden, we might have a problem getting it back.”
“OK,” Max said.
“Get your trainers on, mate,” Jude said and turned to Daisy. “I hope you got batteries.”
“Of course I did.”
She took a pack of batteries from her satchel and handed it to Jude, who popped open the remote control and installed them before moving on to the helicopter. Max came running back. He had on his shoes and cagoule, and was wearing a red cap.
“Ready?” Jude asked as he handed the helicopter to Max and grabbed the remote. “Ladies, we’ll be back in an hour.”
“Can we watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when I get back?” Max asked Daisy.
“Of course. Love Harry Potter.”
As soon as Jude and Max were gone, Quinn turned to Daisy. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
Daisy smiled sadly, her eyes warm with sympathy. “Of course I don’t want to, but I owe it to Max. And to you. You’ll never be at peace until you find out what happened to Logan. So let’s just do it quickly. Like tearing a plaster off.”
Quinn nodded. Daisy was right. They’d know as soon as Daisy picked up something of Logan’s if he was alive or dead. Then they could decide how to proceed.
Daisy settled on the sofa while Quinn walked into the kitchen.
She pulled on a rubber glove, then opened a side drawer and took out a pair of aviator sunglasses.
Logan had forgotten them when he came by a few weeks ago, and she had forgotten to return them to him when he’d next come round.
She carried the glasses through to the lounge and handed them to Daisy.
Then she yanked off the glove and tossed it on the coffee table.
Quinn watched intently as Daisy shut her eyes and leaned back against the cushions.
Her hands were clenched, her shoulders hunched, and her eyes moved rapidly beneath the lids.
Realizing she was holding her breath, Quinn sucked in some air.
Her chest felt tight and her hands were trembling.
Daisy had been holding the glasses for only a few seconds, but it felt like much longer—eons.
She wished Daisy would say something, or that Quinn could glean the truth from her expression, but her niece was perfectly still, her breathing coming in shallow gasps.
Quinn was just thinking she couldn’t wait a second longer when Daisy dropped the glasses into her lap and opened her eyes.
The two women looked at each other, each searching the other’s face.
And then Daisy smiled.