A little after three, I knocked on the door to the house, my Jeep in the driveway with my tent and sleeping bag inside, and the goblin artifact stuffed into my backpack.
Mom, her luggage already packed and outside, was sitting in the sun on the dock with Amber’s friend while Boogie sniffed around on the bank. Mom lifted a hand but was reading a book and didn’t come over. Apparently, we’d done our bonding for the month.
Thad answered the door. “Come in. Shauna and Amber are finishing packing. We have about a half hour until our ride gets here.” He waved toward the lake.
“It’s a good thing you’re leaving from here instead of from the marina in town.” I stepped into a two-story foyer with a chandelier hanging above us. A couple of suitcases were stacked by the door, including a pink, hard-
