Pirate Black

Chapter 10

A whole week went by, and Jessica stayed in the house. The press finally gave up, not finding out anything about her adventures, and her father had given in and given her back her credit cards, not that she cared. She ended up throwing them into the bottom of a drawer, not in the mood to shop.

As for Jonathan, he stopped by or called every day, but she made up some excuse not to talk to him. She just wanted to avoid him for a while longer. She couldn't handle him at the moment, or possibly ever.

At the end of the week, seeing that his daughter was doing well, her father left again, not caring to spend any more time with her, no surprise. Jessica just hoped he wasn't after Damien. Her father had doubled her guard and told them to make sure she didn't leave town.

So, feeling trapped, Jessica decided to do some work in her father's office the morning after he left.

After eating lunch, she headed into his office and wanting to be left alone, locked the door behind her.

She sat down behind his desk and looked around. The room spoke so much of her father.
She just wished she knew him better. She wished she could go back in time when they were poor and he was always home with her. She missed that, a lot.
So what should she do now? She was bored. Then an idea struck her. If what the doc had said was true, her father had some documents that she needed to find.
If they existed. She kind of hoped they didn't, just because she knew what trouble her father would be in. But then again, if they did exist, Damien would get the money he was owed because he deserved it.
She started in his files, knowing they wouldn't be in such an obvious place, but looking anyway. The only things there were files from clients. No surprise. Especially since she went through those files all the time to bill those people.
She then looked on the bookshelves, searching between them and behind them. Still nothing.
So she searched the desk. The drawers were always locked but she knew her father kept a spare key under the lip of the desk. She found it and began her search and finding nothing. She should have figured as much. He wouldn't leave something like that out in plain view if it existed.
Locking the drawers up again, Jessica replaced the key, and in doing so hit her knuckles underneath the desk. Oddly, it made a hollow sound. She thought all desks were solid.
Pushing the chair away, she crawled under the desk, looking up underneath it. She knocked on the wood. It was hollow. She then pushed on it and heard a click. Part of the underside of the desk had come open. She pulled on the wood to reveal a small hidden cupboard inside.
She reached her hand up inside, hoping no creatures would crawl out, and feeling around with her fingers, felt some paper. She grasped them and pulled them out, then closed the compartment again, and standing pulled the chair back over and sat down at the desk.
The papers were yellowed with age, but still in good shape.
Deciding the office wasn't a good place to look at the documents, she stuck them in her shirt and unlocking the door, headed to her room.
Just as she was closing her bedroom door behind her one of the guards spotted her.

"Miss Preston, are you all right?"

She peeked out the door, holding the papers against her.

"I am just feeling tired. Will you have my dinner sent up to me? Have it left outside my door."

"Do I need to call the doctor?"

"No. I just need some rest."

He nodded and walked away. She locked her door behind her, drew her curtains closed, turned on the light, and sat down on her bed, making herself comfortable.

She pulled out the papers. Maybe they were something, maybe they were nothing. But why had they been hidden? She would soon find out.

The papers were folded in half, so she unfolded them and began to read the first page.