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T u e s d a y, 9/4/19

Dear Diary,

"Jo! Jo! Get up! Quick! Get up!"

Grunting in protest, I rolled over to face a panic-stricken Luna. "Luna?" I mumbled sleepily. "What's going on?"

"It's Andrea and Tiffany!" she blurted desperately. "They're pulling into the driveway as I speak!"

"What?" I sat up, wide awake by this time. "What the hell are they doing here?"

Luna shrugged. "I'm stuffed if I'm know. Quick. I'll help you pick out something to wear."

As a harsh knock sounded downstairs, Luna and I, our clothes crinkled and sloppy and our hair frazzled and on end, tumbled down the stairs to meet our unwelcome guests.

"Miss Melcox," Luna nodded at Andrea as she opened the door. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Completely ignoring her, Andrea swept past her as if she didn't exist and sharply addressed me, "Josephine! Your father said that he was called away on business. Is this true?"

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Why would he lie?"

Andrea's hardened features melted into a warm smile. "Oh goody. We can talk about wedding plans without him overhearing!" Clicking her fingers, she beckoned for Luna to come over. "Go fetch the three of us breakfast, dearie, we're famished."

I exchanged a look of annoyance and disgust with Luna before she tied on an apron and slipped into the kitchen. Tiffany, giggling like an immature school kid, grabbed my arm and steered me towards the dining room.

I huffed.

This was going to be torture.

Grouchily, I spooned Luna's fabulous apple-crusted pie into my mouth, glaring at Andrea and Tiffany as they looked through a thick binder filled with flower designs and gown patterns.

As Luna offered some iced tea around, I excused myself and scurried from the room. Sighing in relief, I sagged against the wall, revelling in the cold stone seeping through my hot, sweaty skin.

As my eyes bounced across the hall, I caught a glimpse of my father's office. Slowly, I pushed myself off the wall and tip-toed across the creaky wooden floorboards. I stopped right in front of the gleaming oak crested with a gold plaque bearing my father's name.

A slight furrow crinkled my brow as I glanced down towards the ivory polished door-knob.

Should I?

The answer was clear.

Yes.

Looking both ways to make sure no one was watching me, I hurriedly pushed down on the handle and slipped into the study. Wonderingly and aimlessly, I let my fingers dance over the dusty book-covers in the cabinets along the walls. I let my eyes rove around the room and drink up the pleasant, colour-coordinated style. I let my nose breathe in the wispy scent of crinkled pages, worn-out leather and freshly-cut wood.

It was a perfect little alcove for some 'alone time'.

Suddenly, I caught sight of a metal box glinting out from behind the curtain which was casting a spot of sunlight right in my eye.

Squinting against the bright light being thrown at me, I walked over and pushed the thick bundle of maroon curtains off the wall.

I gasped.

It was a safe!

A spark of excitement became alight within me. Maybe, just maybe, I could find something useful concerning our case against Andrea within it?

However, the further I examined it, the more I noted and the less my chances of getting into it became. It was a very secure safe, locked with a code key from the outside and sealed with a thick rubber band from the inside. It was a digital alternative which had a string of eight-digit numbers across one end of it.

Pouting in disappointment, I stepped back, knowing that trying to break into it would simply be a waste of time.

As I turned to leave, though, I double-tracked and glanced at the safe once more. Only then, at that perfect angle and in that perfect light, did I notice the scratch marks that grazed across the bulky lock securing the safe.

Trying to retain my panic, I hastily retreated from the room. As I closed the office door behind me, I was hit with a realisation.

Andrea had tried to break into the safe too!

Which meant that Dad had something in there, something important, something that she wanted.

Not bothering to bid either Andrea or Tiffany 'goodbye', I grabbed my headphones and my mobile before dashing outside.

After shooting an apologetic message to Luna, I shoved my head-phones into my ears and took off down the long stretch of sand leading to the clefts bordering the far side of the beach.

Upon arriving, I found Rick, Spencer and Daisy already huddled there, awaiting my arrival.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed upon approaching them. "I had a surprise visit from the lovely Barbies and couldn't get away until just now." Of course, that wasn't the whole story, but now was not the time to delve into such things. "So, how did the sale go?"

Spencer discreetly motioned for Rick to pull Daisy away before shuffling closer to me and whispering, "The guy never turned up."

"Wha...?"

"But I found something else...something that might interest you," and, so saying, Spencer stuck her phone in front of my face and clicked on a video that was sitting in her camera roll.

Although the quality wasn't great and the light was pretty dodgy, I could tell exactly who she had been filming.

Andrea Melcox. Kissing. Another man.

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