the room. He’d gone outside for some fresh air with Flora after getting shakily to his feet.
“I do.” He closed his eyes. “I can remember his face. I remember the apartment where we were found.” He tilted his head to one side as he plucked the memory out and examined it closely. “I can see the inside. I can remember a phone call the guy had.”
“And how does this help?” Elise asked. “You know where you were found. The police have that information. As for the face and the phone call, it only helps if the police can match it to someone in their database.”
“The phone call is key. But there’s something else.” Caleb turned to Aiden. “We went through the file together. There was an item of evidence mentioned. A small toy they found that didn’t belong to either of us.”
“Yes. The police assumed it belonged to another child that might have been taken before us.”
“It wasn’t. At least I don’t think it was.” Caleb inhaled deeply. “I think it belonged to Murray’s daughter.”
“Murray? Who is Murray?” Aiden slumped down on the sofa next to Caleb.
“I… The name just came to me.” He tapped the side of his head. “Just like that.”
“That is a side effect of dream walking,” Grandma Hannah told them. “New memories might slip in. As you go over the events, you’ll suddenly recall a small detail that wasn’t there before. Our minds are miraculous things.”
“So, Murray. He had a child?” Elise prompted.
“He did. And the toy belonged to her.” Caleb frowned. “He had a conversation with someone on the phone. About the child. Someone was angry with him. He’d promised to do something…” He groaned. “I don’t remember.”
“Don’t worry.” Aiden reached for his brother and pulled him close, patting him on the back. “This might be enough.”
“Do the police have the toy?” Flora asked. “If so, we can do a location spell.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Caleb reached for a cup of tea from the tray. “That’s why I want to go straight to Oscar’s house now.”
“Wait.” Elise put her hands up. “Why not just call Oscar? If he hasn’t already got the evidence, there’s no point in you going over there right now. It’s late and he won’t be able to do anything about it tonight.”
“But he might be able to figure out who this Murray is. If he’s connected to the guy he thinks murdered our parents then it should be easy to track him.” Aiden drank some of the tea, too.
“And none of this can be done by phone?” Flora stood in front of the twins with her hands on her hips. “Seriously. Think about it.”
“You can call Oscar, get a good night’s sleep, and then we can go home tomorrow. You’ll be much more useful if you’re well-rested.” Elise chewed the inside of her cheek as she stared up at Caleb. “Please.”
She placed her hand on his knee, her eyes imploring him to be sensible, to do as she asked.
We should rest, his bear said. This has been a great shock. There’s so much to process. Not just about Murray, but our parents, too. And Zara. We can remember her as a baby. You and Aiden sat on the edge of the bed cradling her when she was born. Our mom and dad, they were so proud of us all.
I need to do this now, Caleb insisted. I need to do it before I give in to the memories of our family. Because those are the memories I want to dwell on. Those are the memories I want to relive over and over again. Instead, I keep going over the other memories on repeat because we need to figure this out, so he doesn’t tear our family apart again.
His bear bowed his head. Then we should go.
“I have to do this now,” he said quietly as he set his teacup down on the tray. “Until we figure this out, Zara and Karros could be in danger.”
“I agree.” Aiden drained his cup and pushed himself to his feet. “Even if we don’t go see Oscar, we should get back to Zara.”
“Bear shifters sure are hardheaded.” Grandma Sylvie stood before the two bear shifters. Despite her short stature compared to the bears, she wasn’t daunted as she wagged her finger at them. “Now, since you are insisting on leaving, I want Flora or Elise to drive. You two need to rest. You’ll be no good protecting those you love if you’re tired.”
“I’ll drive,”