Vera studied the sunset and pondered the situation. She had a collection of clues that all hinted at a connection, but she didn’t have solid proof of anything. “Just a lot of stories,” she muttered. That was the problem. All she had were anecdotes—tales of Julia’s unhappiness, stories of Octavia’s family history, Lefty’s account of fake jewels, and more. She needed evidence, something to prove those stories true or false.
