"Ms. Landry? This is Nurse Miller from St. Mary's. I have good news. Your mother is awake, and she's asking for you."

My heart flipped over. "That is good news, because I really want to see her, too. I'll be down there as soon as I can."

I ended the call, then took the pouch and the metal box into the house. I debated where to put them. I couldn't just leave the box on the table, so I took everything upstairs and buried the box under a pile of clothing. I went back into the bedroom to grab a jacket.

As I put it on, I had second thoughts about the stones. I went back into the closet and removed the velvet pouch from the box. I took out the emerald ring and slipped it into the inside zippered pocket of my jacket. I wanted something to put in front of my mother to force her to tell me the truth. I was about to put the pouch back into the box when I thought it might be smarter to separate the items.

Debating for another moment, I took the pouch into the bedroom and looked for a better hiding place. There were several holes still in the walls. I'd covered some with the pictures that had originally hung in those spots. It seemed doubtful that someone would look where they'd already looked, so I took down the painting over the bed and tucked the pouch into the broken wall, then replaced the painting.

As I stepped back, I thought I should probably just take everything to the police station on my way to the hospital, but I wanted to talk to my mother before the police took over, and I probably only had a short window of time in which to do that.

I grabbed my bag and jogged down the stairs. When I headed outside, there was no sign of Kade's motorcycle. Who knew where he was now? He could be anywhere. He had a lot of anger to ride off. I sent him a quick text that my mother was awake, and I was heading to the hospital. He didn't answer by the time I'd gotten in the car and started the engine. He was probably still on the road. I wanted to tell him what I'd found, but I didn't want to leave it in a text, so I set down my phone and headed to St. Mary's. I felt more optimistic on this drive to the hospital than any other.

I couldn't wait to talk to my mother about what I'd found. She wouldn't be able to lie to me, not with the proof in my pocket. I was finally going to get the truth. I just hoped she wouldn't get so agitated that the doctor would kick me out again. I'd have to approach things as calmly as I could, which wouldn't be easy, because adrenaline was racing through my body.