I take the passport out of the book I hid it in. Tatyana Petrov. I text the name to Max.

I change out of my riding clothes and grab some of the albums. I need to at least try to talk to her. I don’t want to make her emotional and cause a “tired” episode, but I can’t help thinking about Olivia’s idea of Gram being a spy. I need to find out more about Gram’s past. Even if that means I risk making Gram mad at me.

The aroma of dinner leads me to the kitchen. Gram flashes me a smile and hands me a knife. “Just in time to chop the celery.”

I pick up the celery and place it on the cutting board. “Gram, can I hear more about your friend Jacob?”

I start chopping while she stirs the meat she’s browning. “Ah, Jacob. Last time I told you about our chess games, yes?”

I smile. Her remembering was a good sign. “Yes, Gram. You said you used to always beat him at chess.”

She snorts in a very un-Gram-like fashion. “Unless he cheated. One time when we were playing, I beat him and he tried to convince me he was the one who should have won.” Her laugh fades along with her smile.

I stop chopping and lean closer.

“That’s the afternoon his papa came home early.” She pauses, still stirring the meat. Her mouth takes on a thin, grim line. I almost tell her she doesn’t need to go on, but before I can say anything, her voice changes, going up like she’s out of breath.

It’s the voice of a little girl.

“Jacob’s papa could be most charming, but there were also times when he was very scary, yes?” Her accent gets thicker as she continues. “That night Jacob’s papa flung the front door open so hard, it hit the wall. Pictures fell off and broke. He sounded like a monster on a rampage. Jacob and I hid in the closet, and he held my hand tight until the yelling and crying stopped. He told me his papa turned into another person when he had too much vodka. I thought I’d be happy when I could no longer hear his papa yelling… but the silence was almost worse.

“When his mama came to let us out of the closet, one of her eyes was black and sealed shut. She told me to go home, but I didn’t want to leave Jacob there. He told me they would be all right, that his papa had passed out and he wouldn’t wake up again until morning. When I got home, my mama hugged me tight. She sang to me until I fell asleep. I wished she could have done the same for Jacob.”