Finding Forever (48 page)

“Uncle Don!” she said.

“Hey, Brookie. I take it you got my email.”

“Yes. Thank you.” She flicked on speakerphone.

“Look, sweetie.” Uncle Don's voice turned more serious. “I don't know what purpose you had in having me trace that vehicle, or what you want to know about this Peter Kensington guy. But I've spent my life dealing with criminals, and I just want to make sure you're aware of some things before you do anything more. Mainly, this fellow Kensington's history. See that offense from 1999?”

She scanned the report until she found it. “Yeah. What's Penal Code 288?”

“That's the thing. P.C. 288 is a felony. It means he was charged with committing lewd acts on a minor under age fourteen.”

“‘Lewd'?”

“Child molestation. Reading between the lines, looks like this Kensington guy might be a pedophile.”

Brooklyn and Holden locked eyes across the front seat.

“Keep in mind,” Uncle Don continued, “the report says his case was dismissed, which means there's a chance they could have been false charges, or maybe the D.A. found a lack of evidence to prosecute the case. Sadly, this happens a lot. These kinds of allegations can be too hard to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, especially if it comes down to a kid's word versus the adult. But again, with this Kensington guy, it's hard to say either way. And since it involves a minor, those court records are sealed. We have no way of gaining access to the evidence or knowing who the victim was.”

“What about the civil court case?” Brooklyn asked.

“He was sued for negligence. But the case was dismissed. Usually this means the parties settled it privately. The details would be in the lawsuit.”

“That's public record, right?”

“Sure is,” he said. “But to see it, you have to actually go the courthouse and pull the case file, which my firm can do for you. But honestly, if I am going to do any more work on this I would have to tell your mom. Tracing the owner of a car is one thing, but investigating an accused pedophile doctor, now that's—”

“Oh no, don't worry,” Brooklyn said. “I don't need you to do anything more. You have helped enough. I was just curious.”

“You sure?”

“Positive. Hundred percent.”

“I'm always here if you need me.”

“I know you are.”

“Just do me a favor, Brookie.”

“Okay.”

“Just be careful.”

When she hung up, Holden exploded, “Why didn't you have him help you?”

“Because my mom will just freak out and get in the way.”

“Your mom's a lawyer, Brooklyn. She could get that lawsuit for you.”

“That lawsuit is more just background—far from the most important thing here. And I can do this on my own anyway. I want to show my mom that
Deadline Diaries
is more than just a gossip site.”

“That's fine,” Holden said. “But I still think the police are better at this kind of thing.”

“Oh, really?” Brooklyn glared at Holden. “If the police were so good at finding people, why didn't they ever find my father's body?”

Brooklyn's question hung in the silence between them. Minutes later, she muttered, “Just drop me off.”

Shortly before nine o'clock, Holden pulled up to the curb in front of her house.

“Thanks for the ride,” Brooklyn said. “I appreciate it.”

Holden pushed the gearshift into park. “That's what
just-friends
are for, right?”

“I've got a lot of work to do tonight.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Really?”

“No.” He laughed. “Unless you need me to do some research.”

“You've already helped so much.” She grabbed hold of the door handle. “I'll text you tomorrow.”

As she stepped out, Holden said, “Hey, Brooklyn.”

“Yeah?”

“You looked beautiful tonight.”

“You too.”

A few steps up her driveway, Brooklyn turned back. He hadn't pulled away. She kissed her palm and blew it to him. After Holden smiled and drove off, Brooklyn tiptoed around the side yard and went in through the back door.

“Real yummy.”

Taylor chewed on the succulent square of green fruit, sucking its sweet, natural juices across her taste buds.

“This new crop is the most delicious we've ever harvested,” Peter enthused. “We've perfected the farming process. It's taken years, but we finally got it right.”