up, an expensive, heavy-linen envelope that had the name of a law firm in Boston in the upper-left corner. I opened it.
They were divorce papers. From my father. Against my mother.
My heart slammed against my rib cage. I had told myself that, different though they were, they had some kind of amazing love story, a love story I would understand when I got older. But here were papers that proved otherwise.
I looked at the date through blurry tears of disbelief. He had sued her for divorce as she was dying.
I shoved the papers back in the envelope, pushed the envelope into the box, put the box back in the cabinet, and slammed the cabinet doors shut. Now I had even more reason to hate my dad. How could he do that to her? She had been diagnosed with cancer. What kind of man abandons a woman when she is sick?
I waited for Harry. When the apartment door opened, he smiled at me. “Hey . . . are you and August coming to dinner with me?”
I shook my head. “Not tonight.” I wiped at tears that had pushed their way to the brims of my eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
First I told him about the break-in.
“I’ll call the Sokolovs right away. He has an alarm system, but my guess is he didn’t have it on. And until we know for sure why someone broke in, August and his dad should be careful. And so should you, for that matter. I should let security at the auction house know, just in case.” He reached for his cell. “Callie, maybe I was wrong to send you on this chase with August. You’re just kids, and there’s real danger here. The stakes are higher than I thought.”
“No. I’m not stopping.”
“Callie—”
I shook my head and held up my hand. “I can’t explain it, Harry, but I have to prove the book belonged to Astrolabe.”
Harry smiled. “Ah. You’ve been bitten by the history bug.”
“Maybe.”
“Fine. But from now on, you can stick to books and research. I can only imagine what your father would do to me if you came face-to-face with a major thief like the Tome Raider or something worse.”
“Yeah. Dad. That’s the other reason I’m upset.”
“What about him?”
“I found something today. A box . . . ” I let my voice trail off, and Harry’s eyes darted to the cabinet.
“The box with my name on it, Harry. I found the divorce papers.”
Harry sat down in the plush chair opposite me. “You’re going to have to ask your father, Callie.”
“That’s bull, Harry. No. You’re the one I’m close to. You tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.”
“No, I can’t. Do you even realize the negotiations I had to go through with your father to get this summer thing worked out? To just be able to see you? It would kill me to lose contact with you, Callie.”
“I’m sixteen. What is he going to do? Take away my cell phone? My computer? Not let me talk to you? And what about when he travels? I mean, come on, Harry.”
“I don’t want to cross him. You have no idea how he can be.”
“Hello? I’m his daughter, remember? I totally know what he can be like.”
“Callie, I have to keep the peace with him. Grandma’s coming to see you this summer . . . We’ve already lost so much. So for the sake of your grandmother and Gabe and me, there are some things I avoid talking about.”
“So you’ve been lying to me all these years?”
“No, not lying, exactly.”
“What then, exactly ?”
“I just promised your father I wouldn’t talk about it.”
“Well, you’re going to have to now. Come on, Harry. What happened? How could he divorce her when she was sick, when she was dying in the hospital? Who does that!? And for that matter, I saw those pictures from then, after she had lost her hair. Why isn’t Dad there? Who’s that guy in the hospital room with all of you?”
Harry stared at me, saying nothing. But I didn’t back down. “You loved my mother, Harry. She was your sister and your best friend. You owe it to her. To me. I deserve to know about her life. I
They were divorce papers. From my father. Against my mother.
My heart slammed against my rib cage. I had told myself that, different though they were, they had some kind of amazing love story, a love story I would understand when I got older. But here were papers that proved otherwise.
I looked at the date through blurry tears of disbelief. He had sued her for divorce as she was dying.
I shoved the papers back in the envelope, pushed the envelope into the box, put the box back in the cabinet, and slammed the cabinet doors shut. Now I had even more reason to hate my dad. How could he do that to her? She had been diagnosed with cancer. What kind of man abandons a woman when she is sick?
I waited for Harry. When the apartment door opened, he smiled at me. “Hey . . . are you and August coming to dinner with me?”
I shook my head. “Not tonight.” I wiped at tears that had pushed their way to the brims of my eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
First I told him about the break-in.
“I’ll call the Sokolovs right away. He has an alarm system, but my guess is he didn’t have it on. And until we know for sure why someone broke in, August and his dad should be careful. And so should you, for that matter. I should let security at the auction house know, just in case.” He reached for his cell. “Callie, maybe I was wrong to send you on this chase with August. You’re just kids, and there’s real danger here. The stakes are higher than I thought.”
“No. I’m not stopping.”
“Callie—”
I shook my head and held up my hand. “I can’t explain it, Harry, but I have to prove the book belonged to Astrolabe.”
Harry smiled. “Ah. You’ve been bitten by the history bug.”
“Maybe.”
“Fine. But from now on, you can stick to books and research. I can only imagine what your father would do to me if you came face-to-face with a major thief like the Tome Raider or something worse.”
“Yeah. Dad. That’s the other reason I’m upset.”
“What about him?”
“I found something today. A box . . . ” I let my voice trail off, and Harry’s eyes darted to the cabinet.
“The box with my name on it, Harry. I found the divorce papers.”
Harry sat down in the plush chair opposite me. “You’re going to have to ask your father, Callie.”
“That’s bull, Harry. No. You’re the one I’m close to. You tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.”
“No, I can’t. Do you even realize the negotiations I had to go through with your father to get this summer thing worked out? To just be able to see you? It would kill me to lose contact with you, Callie.”
“I’m sixteen. What is he going to do? Take away my cell phone? My computer? Not let me talk to you? And what about when he travels? I mean, come on, Harry.”
“I don’t want to cross him. You have no idea how he can be.”
“Hello? I’m his daughter, remember? I totally know what he can be like.”
“Callie, I have to keep the peace with him. Grandma’s coming to see you this summer . . . We’ve already lost so much. So for the sake of your grandmother and Gabe and me, there are some things I avoid talking about.”
“So you’ve been lying to me all these years?”
“No, not lying, exactly.”
“What then, exactly ?”
“I just promised your father I wouldn’t talk about it.”
“Well, you’re going to have to now. Come on, Harry. What happened? How could he divorce her when she was sick, when she was dying in the hospital? Who does that!? And for that matter, I saw those pictures from then, after she had lost her hair. Why isn’t Dad there? Who’s that guy in the hospital room with all of you?”
Harry stared at me, saying nothing. But I didn’t back down. “You loved my mother, Harry. She was your sister and your best friend. You owe it to her. To me. I deserve to know about her life. I
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