Page 73 of See Me After Class

My breath hitched. An image flickered in my mind's eye—a young Oswald, eyes mirroring the forest's depth, laughing beside a woman, a child clinging to her hand. Happiness, fleeting and fragile, painted in shades of green and gold.

Letitia's voice broke the spell. "But it all unraveled, child. Like a spider's web, torn apart by unseen forces. The woman vanished, the child… lost. Oswald was left with silence and a hunger that no acclaim, no fame, could ever sate. Of course, he was a clever man. He'd never let this tarnish what was otherwise a celebrated image.

"He wrote off the woman from his will, blotted her very existence out of his life. But now that you believe the men at the institute may have nothing to do with his death, I'm forced to wonder if this ex-wife of his has re-emerged and is seeking her version of justice."

A cold truth gripped me. "You're saying that she had something to do with his death?"

Ms. Wainwright's shoulders drooped. "I'm saying he was a powerful man who had his fair share of enemies. And like you pointed out, sometimes, the most dangerous predators are the ones closest to us."

"Do you know anything about the woman?"

"Nothing." She sighed. "But I imagine there may be pictures in the old house. Perhaps an album or something similar."

That settled it.

My mind reeled. A tangible lead, finally. "I'll go," I declared, voice firm despite how I was unraveling. "Tonight."

Letitia gave me a sad smile. "Be careful, child. The past has a way of biting back."

I nodded briefly. "I'll get going, Ms. Wainwright."

Her face fell. She looked like she'd hoped I'd spend some more time with her. It hit me, how lonely and little she looked, although she had so many years on her. "I promise, you and I will sit down to a mountain of gossip once this is done and dusted." I smiled gently.

She returned the smile briefly. "Go on, then. You were never one to leave things half-done."

I turned to walk back to the Institute, knowing full well that I would need a formal leave to visit Oswald's house. I expected this to take at least tonight and all of tomorrow.

Taking the leave meant facing John.

I cursed under my breath as I headed straight toward his office. There was no point in delaying this.

My steps clicked against the polished marble floor. John's office door loomed ahead, a polished oak barrier between him and me. I steeled myself and knocked.

"Who is it?"

"Dessie, sir."

There was a brief pause that lingered in the air.

"Come in."

John lounged behind his desk, his face remote.

"Dessie," he murmured, the name rolling off his tongue like silk. "To what do we owe this… pleasure?"

I didn't hold back. "I need a leave of absence."

His brows shot up, amusement battling genuine surprise. "Leave? Where to?"

My voice, when I spoke, was devoid of the fire that usually danced in my throat. "To see family."

His eyes, pools of bottomless blue, narrowed. "Family? What family?"

I frowned. "Where I'm going is honestly none of your business, Dr. Galbraith."

"So you admit you're lying. Once again."

I had nothing to say to that.