“Wow,” Mattie says, barely a whisper.

“Yeah,” I whisper back.

We stare at the door to our father’s office. There are no sticky notes, but there are two postcards taped next to the plaque with his name.

“Look,” she says, pointing to the postcard of a green mountain beside a turquoise blue sea.

“Looks like Mexico. Mom took us on vacation in Cancún.” I flip the edge of the postcard over. It says Santa Marta in swirly letters. “This must be in Colombia.”

“I’ve never been out of the country,” Mattie says, awe in her voice.

I stare at her. “For real? But your mom was married to Frank Gómez. I would think she’d love to travel or whatever.”

Mattie shakes her head. “Too expensive, I guess. When I grow up, I’m going to travel around the world.” The other postcard is a picture of two people dressed in feathers and skirt-type things. It looks like it’s from one of those old National Geographic magazines that the school librarian is always trying to get us to look at. “I want to see people like this in person.” Mattie reaches out and touches the face of the woman in the picture.

“Can I help you?”

This time the adult standing behind us is a guy with dreadlocks and a gray plaid sports coat.

“Um,” I say. Why can’t I seem to get any words out?

“Are you looking for Professor Gómez?” We watch the young man slide a piece of paper under the closed office door. He stands up and looks at us. “Are you two related to him?”

I don’t even have to look at Mattie to know she’s turning as red as I am.

“We’re just visiting because, um, our uncle is, um, waiting for us in the car in the, um…” I look at Mattie. “In the parking lot. And we have to just check something—”

The man looks at his phone and then back at us. He’s not listening to me. “I think he was headed to the library.”

CHAPTER 25 Mattie

According to the campus map, the library is past the science building, across a field, through the Quad. “Come on,” I say, and pull her into the sunshine. “This way.”

We retrace our steps. The track is empty now. We slip through the trees and round the corner of the science building toward the Quad.

“There you are.” It’s Mrs. Ellingham. I just about jump out of my skin.