"It can't be gone." Levi pours himself a glass of water as I empty my purse for the hundredth time in forty-eight hours. "You said you had it at dinner, right?"

"Yep."

"Did it fall out?"

"I scoured the whole house. It's not there."

He bites his bottom lip. "Maybe it accidentally ended up outside or something?"

"I don't know, Levi! It was in my purse, and now it's missing." I discard my bag onto the floor and kick it across the kitchen. "It doesn't make sense. I've had that thing for months, and I've never lost it, yet the day Carla shows up, I just so happen to misplace it? I want to chalk it up to a coincidence, but—"

"But it seems like there was foul play involved. I see what you're getting at," Levi finishes. "After Carla barged into the house, what did she say?"

"Just that she wanted Evangeline. She said they belonged together because they were family."

"Did she say anything else? Anything that would link her to the videos on the drive?"

"Actually, yeah. She and Raelyn reconnected via skype, and I guess Raelyn would sometimes send her 'adorable' video updates about her life."

"Maybe some of those updates weren't so adorable," he suggests. "Maybe Raelyn said something that Carla wouldn't want anyone else to hear."

"Yeah, except how would she know I had the flash drive?" I inquire. "And how would she be able to break into my parent's house, snatch it from my purse, and then leave without anyone noticing?"

"Maybe she had some inside help," he says.

I frown. "Are you implying that someone in my family might have stolen the drive?"

"Or Alyx. You told me you got weird vibes from her."

"Alyx is harmless. The only weird thing about her is her uncanny resemblance to Raelyn."

"Then what about Bowie?"

My jaw drops. "Bowie? He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I know, but he had a meltdown at Raelyn's funeral, and then he dropped out of college, like, two weeks after she died," he reminds me. "Even you didn't see that coming."

"No one did," I reply. "Look, I see the weirdness, but that doesn't make him a thief."

He smirks. "Then what? Was Golden Boy Benson rifling through your purse? Perhaps your parents have developed a case of kleptomania!"

I roll my eyes. "Very funny."

"Talk to Bowie." His face is vacant of all humor. "I'm not trying to accuse him of anything, but out of everyone in your family, you spend the most time with him. Maybe he saw the flash drive and took it without thinking."

"Even if he took it, I doubt it's because he's in cahoots with Carla," I respond, bending over to grab my empty purse off the floor. I refill it with the essentials and place it over my shoulder. "I'm going to head over there now. I promised Evangeline I'd stop by, anyway."

Levi smiles. "I think it's cute how you're bonding with her. I mean, it took you long enough, but it's still cute."

"I should have made an effort to be a part of Evangeline's life when Raelyn was alive," I admit. "What is it they say about hindsight?"

"That it's a bitch?"

"No, I think that's karma."

"Well, hindsight's a bitch, too," he says, glancing at his phone. "Shoot! I'm gonna be late for work." He downs the rest of his water, grabs his coat off the back of a kitchen chair, and runs for the door. "Love you! See you later!"

I let out a sigh. He's cut down on the booze, but he's still scatterbrained. Some things never change, I guess.

I drive to my parent's house. My dad's gone—he's in New York for the weekend to visit his brother—and my mom is at a writer's retreat in Woodstock. The only people home are Bowie and Evangeline.

I let myself in without knocking. I find them in the front room watching TV, a bowl of popcorn positioned between them on the couch. Bowie looks like he's about to fall asleep. Evangeline, on the other hand, is wide-eyed and on the edge of her seat.

"Hey, guys," I greet them.

Bowie sits up too fast, nearly knocking the popcorn over. "Gemma, what are you doing here?" he asks.

"She's here for me." Evangeline pauses the movie and jumps to her feet. "Ready to get to work?"

"Yup." I hand her my laptop. "I just have to talk to Bowie for a sec. Want to wait for me in the kitchen?"

"Sure." She prances away. I hear her place my computer down on the counter and plug in the charging cord.

"Is everything alright?" Bowie inquires, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Not really," I tell him. "See, when I was here for Dad's birthday, I misplaced something, and I haven't been able to find it."

I watch my brother's face, waiting for him to grin fretfully, or for his cheeks to go pale. Bowie's good at a lot of things, but lying isn't one of them. He's never been able to hold a poker face. When we were kids, Mom knew he was being dishonest simply by looking at him. It got to the point where he would just fess up to whatever he did—sneaking out past his curfew, borrowing our dad's BMW without asking, eating the last piece of pie that my mom had already called dibs on—instead of humiliating himself by trying to lie.

Now, however, his mouth is a straight line. His cheeks are no rosier or more ashen than usual. He looks fatigued but otherwise unbothered.

I don't believe he's hiding anything.

"Well, what did you lose? Is it replaceable?" he questions me.

I shake my head. "No, it isn't. That's why I'm so upset about it."

"What was it?" he asks again.

"A flash drive," I answer.

"For work?"

"Not exactly."

He nods his head. "Well, I'm assuming whatever's on there is pretty important, so I hope it turns up."

"Thanks," I whisper, biting what's left of my thumbnail. "Um, I should go find Evangeline. I'll catch ya later."

"Gemma," he stops me, "is there a reason you told me about your missing flash drive?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Just wondering if you've seen it."

He furrows his brow. "Seen it or stole it?"

"I know you, Bowie. You're not a thief," I say, more for myself than for him. "Besides, if you had taken it, I would have caught you by now."

He purses his lips. "Why? Because I can't lie?"

"Exactly."

"Well, I didn't steal your flash drive... although now I am curious what's on it."

"Just some... videos."

"It's not porn, is it?"

"God, I hope not," I mutter under my breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," I say quickly. "Listen, thanks for your help, but I really should check on Vange. If you see a black flash drive around, will you let me know?"

"Sure," he replies.

"And, Bowie?" I smile, praying he can't sense how nervous I am. "If you do find it, you can't watch it."

He chuckles. "Because it's porn, right? It's totally porn."

"It's not porn!" I exclaim. "Just... just promise me you won't watch it, okay?"

He folds his arms over his chest and nods his head, a solemn expression on his face. "Yeah, I won't watch it."

"Thank you, and I'm sorry for snapping," I relent. "I'm so stressed out from work and everything else going on. You're not mad, are you?"

"I'm not mad, just like I'm not a thief." He stands up, bumps my shoulder, and saunters past me.

Guess that answers my question.

"Hold on, Bowie!" I call out. "I said I was sorry!"

"You know, I bet I'm the only person you asked about the stupid drive," he tosses back. "You never even thought to ask Mom or Dad or Benson, did you?"

"Bowie, I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything. I—"

"I get it. I'm the weird one. I'm the college dropout who washes dishes for a living. I don't work for a fancy tech company or drive a Mercedes. Hell, I can't even afford a car. But I'm not a god damn klepto."

"I'm sorry I brought it up," I say. "But fancy tech company? Mercedes? Why are you comparing yourself to Benson right now?"

He lets out an audible sigh. "All I'm saying is that he's not—I mean, he can't be as perfect as everyone thinks he is. Maybe you should ask him if he's seen your flash drive."

He storms upstairs before I can get another word out. I exit the front room and join Evangeline in the kitchen. As I help her type, I can't stop thinking about Bowie. He's mad. He has every right to be mad. I shouldn't have cornered him like that. Bowie isn't just my little brother; he's one of my best friends. He wouldn't steal from me. I should have known better.

I just wish he elaborated more on Benson. Why was Bowie so quick to throw him under the bus? What's going on between the two of them?

Whatever it is, I'm determined to get to the bottom of it, which is why as soon as I finish helping Evangeline type the most recent chapter of her story, I'm paying my older brother a visit.

Bowie wasn't able to provide me any insight, but maybe Benson can.