“This was the stuff that was in the box from the trunk. And guess what?” Luna was overjoyed to share her news. “I tracked down the carnival company and they were able to narrow down the time from 2000 to 2002.”

Ellie moved to where Luna was standing. “Let me see. I vaguely remember now. Wild Bill Harper rings a bell. He brought a bit of rodeo with him. Richard and I went one year.”

Luna’s eyes lit up. “So that almost confirms that the diary was written around that time. And check this out.” Luna showed her the note and the first page of the diary. “Do any of the letters resemble each other?”

Ellie squinted and pulled up the reading glasses she wore on a handmade crystal chain. She had a set for almost every outfit. “It’s hard to tell. The diary is in longhand, but the note is printed.” Ellie knew Luna was hoping for some kind of confirmation. “Where did the note come from?”

Luna recounted the brief meeting she had with a woman named Tori.

“How about this?” Luna unrolled the two drawings. “This one is from my first impression of the trunk.” She pointed to the other one. “This is from when I was speaking with her.”

Ellie gasped. “That’s a little eerie, don’t you think?”

“Creepy, too.” Luna stared down at her primitive artwork. “You know what else is odd? There is very little in this diary. Even the author admits there isn’t much in there except for the last entry. She sure sounded desperate. And young.”

“Let me look at that note again.” Ellie peered at the note, then at the diary entry. She frowned.

“What?” Luna asked.

“The diary is signed with a V. The note is from a woman named Tori.”

“Dang.” Luna twisted her mouth to the side. “I still think there is a connection here.” Luna chewed on her lip. “I’m going to bring these with me when I see Christopher. Maybe he can recommend a handwriting expert.”

“That’s not a bad idea. If you really want to go through all that trouble,” Ellie said.

Luna gave Ellie a look. “This is me, remember?”

“Right. Dog with a sock in his mouth refusing to let go.” Ellie chuckled.

“Bowwow,” Luna replied. Both women laughed.

“Are you getting excited about the weekend?” Ellie knew that was a rhetorical question, but she wanted to engage Luna in more conversation.

“I’m a wreck,” Luna admitted. “On the one hand, I’m really looking forward to spending some alone time with Chris, but I don’t know how much he is looking forward to it.”

“Oh please, don’t start that again,” Ellie huffed. “Truth be told, if it were up to me I would lock both of you in a room and not let you out until you had at least a heavy make-out session.”