great grandfather. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know. Gen's small hand was rubbing along her back to soothe her. She looked around the table and saw a fly land on the diary page and stay there, taking off and landing again on different parts of the page.
"That's weird." Jules picked up the journal and smelled the paper. She broke out in a grin, remembering a game she used to play with Auntie Julianna when she was a kid. She jumped up and turned to Gen, "I'll be right back."
She ran up the stairs before Gen could ask. She burst into her bedroom and then to her bathroom, grabbed what she needed and ran back downstairs.
As she walked back in the room Gen looked at what was in her hands and arched an eyebrow. "Styling emergency?"
Jules plugged in the hair dryer. "It's for the journal. Auntie Julianna used to play a game with me. We would make invisible ink out of lemon juice. The citric acid weakens the paper, so when you heat it, it burns. Then, you can see the message in brown. The fly kept going after the journal, smell it."
Gen picked up the book and sniffed the page. "Lemon."
"Exactly."
Jules folded the journal so the top page was exposed and the rest of the pages were bent the other way. She turned on the hair dryer and started moving it over the paper. Slowly, brown lines began to appear. She continued and saw her aunt's cursive take shape on the paper.
July 22, 2006
My dearest Niece,
If you are reading this, you found the safe with some of the things about Evie. I have no doubt that you will be the one to find it. What is here is not the whole story. You can find the whole story but you need to look for it. Find Evie, she will tell you what else you need to know.
All my love,
Auntie Julianna
"Did she find Evie?" Gen asked.
"I don't know, I mean, I would think that if she had, I would have met her."
"Why wouldn't she have found her after her father died? I mean, he was the obstacle, right?"
"I guess so."
Gen bit her lip in thought. "Maybe she kept Evie a secret because she didn't want you to know she was gay."
"She knew I was."
"There is that."
Jules looked down at the table and was peeling the label off her beer bottle. "She knew before I really admitted it to myself, I think."
"So, if it wasn't shame, Evie is either dead, or left her."
"Gen, maybe Evie never showed up."
"Maybe, but if that were the case, then the letter never got to her, because you have it."
Jules tilted her head to the side then nodded in concession. "Maybe her father intercepted the letter and confronted her about it in the quarter," Jules said, not really thinking it was likely.
"And your auntie shot him?"
Jules dropped her head in her hands. "God, I hope not."
"Let's go over all these newspaper articles. Your aunt must've saved them for a reason."
Jules split the stack into two piles and began skimming the articles in her stack.
After about ten minutes, Gen gasped.
"What?"
"I think I found Evie." She put down the article so Jules could read too. "'Negro Woman Hanged for Death of Local Businessman.'"
Jules' eyes ran across the article and she shook her head. "Marie Evelyn Baker killed John Delacroix … that doesn't make sense."
"Doesn't it?"
"No, if that were all that happened, why would Auntie have apologized to who she thought was Evie."
"For putting her in a position to have to kill him? For her taking the fall for it?"
"Maybe."
"You don't seem convinced."
Jules yawned. "Sorry, it's not you, or the story, it's the hours."
"I get it, I'll head home."
"Sorry."
"No, don't be. Besides, I want you to be well rested for Saturday."
Jules' eyes widened. "Really, now?"
"Wait, I don't think I quite meant it the way you're taking it."
Jules smirked. "Well, I will make sure to bring my A-game, such as it is."
Gen clipped Belle's leash to her collar, and Jules walked her and her dog out the door. Gen got Belle settled in the backseat of her red Honda Civic and turned to look at Jules who was standing
"That's weird." Jules picked up the journal and smelled the paper. She broke out in a grin, remembering a game she used to play with Auntie Julianna when she was a kid. She jumped up and turned to Gen, "I'll be right back."
She ran up the stairs before Gen could ask. She burst into her bedroom and then to her bathroom, grabbed what she needed and ran back downstairs.
As she walked back in the room Gen looked at what was in her hands and arched an eyebrow. "Styling emergency?"
Jules plugged in the hair dryer. "It's for the journal. Auntie Julianna used to play a game with me. We would make invisible ink out of lemon juice. The citric acid weakens the paper, so when you heat it, it burns. Then, you can see the message in brown. The fly kept going after the journal, smell it."
Gen picked up the book and sniffed the page. "Lemon."
"Exactly."
Jules folded the journal so the top page was exposed and the rest of the pages were bent the other way. She turned on the hair dryer and started moving it over the paper. Slowly, brown lines began to appear. She continued and saw her aunt's cursive take shape on the paper.
July 22, 2006
My dearest Niece,
If you are reading this, you found the safe with some of the things about Evie. I have no doubt that you will be the one to find it. What is here is not the whole story. You can find the whole story but you need to look for it. Find Evie, she will tell you what else you need to know.
All my love,
Auntie Julianna
"Did she find Evie?" Gen asked.
"I don't know, I mean, I would think that if she had, I would have met her."
"Why wouldn't she have found her after her father died? I mean, he was the obstacle, right?"
"I guess so."
Gen bit her lip in thought. "Maybe she kept Evie a secret because she didn't want you to know she was gay."
"She knew I was."
"There is that."
Jules looked down at the table and was peeling the label off her beer bottle. "She knew before I really admitted it to myself, I think."
"So, if it wasn't shame, Evie is either dead, or left her."
"Gen, maybe Evie never showed up."
"Maybe, but if that were the case, then the letter never got to her, because you have it."
Jules tilted her head to the side then nodded in concession. "Maybe her father intercepted the letter and confronted her about it in the quarter," Jules said, not really thinking it was likely.
"And your auntie shot him?"
Jules dropped her head in her hands. "God, I hope not."
"Let's go over all these newspaper articles. Your aunt must've saved them for a reason."
Jules split the stack into two piles and began skimming the articles in her stack.
After about ten minutes, Gen gasped.
"What?"
"I think I found Evie." She put down the article so Jules could read too. "'Negro Woman Hanged for Death of Local Businessman.'"
Jules' eyes ran across the article and she shook her head. "Marie Evelyn Baker killed John Delacroix … that doesn't make sense."
"Doesn't it?"
"No, if that were all that happened, why would Auntie have apologized to who she thought was Evie."
"For putting her in a position to have to kill him? For her taking the fall for it?"
"Maybe."
"You don't seem convinced."
Jules yawned. "Sorry, it's not you, or the story, it's the hours."
"I get it, I'll head home."
"Sorry."
"No, don't be. Besides, I want you to be well rested for Saturday."
Jules' eyes widened. "Really, now?"
"Wait, I don't think I quite meant it the way you're taking it."
Jules smirked. "Well, I will make sure to bring my A-game, such as it is."
Gen clipped Belle's leash to her collar, and Jules walked her and her dog out the door. Gen got Belle settled in the backseat of her red Honda Civic and turned to look at Jules who was standing
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