The Virgin’s Bucket List – Episode 23
Mike drove them home in tense silence. Wayne sat beside Lindsay in the back seat, turning the silver pendant between his fingers. Its broken edge formed half of a small compass, suggesting the missing piece would complete both the design and whatever clue their mothers had created.
At the house, Mike unlocked his office and showed them the empty compartment beneath his desk. He had checked the keepsake only after seeing Catherine’s hidden page. The lock was intact, and nothing else had been disturbed.
Lindsay asked who knew about the compartment. Mike listed Julie, himself, and Catherine. Wayne pointed out that someone else must have known if the pendant had been taken before they opened the blue box.
Security footage from the front porch showed no stranger entering the house. During the relevant days, the only visitors had been Kyle, Phoebe, several football players, and a repair technician. The list offered too many possibilities and no obvious motive.
Julie examined the photograph while Mike explained what Catherine had told him. Years ago, Evelyn fled an abusive relationship with James’s father. Catherine helped place the baby with Evelyn’s cousin until legal protection could be secured.
The plan was supposed to last only months. Then Catherine became ill, Evelyn moved again, and communication broke down. Mike knew James existed but never learned his new surname or location.
Wayne asked why Mike had not told him when he arrived at Maple Hill. Mike admitted Catherine had insisted the secret belonged to Evelyn. He feared revealing half the story would send Wayne searching without enough information to remain safe.
“So you decided I was safer not knowing I had a brother?” Wayne asked. The accusation echoed Lindsay’s complaints about Mike. Once again, he had confused control with protection.
Mike accepted the criticism without defending himself. He gave Wayne Catherine’s keepsake chest and permission to search every item. Lindsay noticed how difficult the surrender was for him and recognized it as an apology expressed through action.
Beneath old programs, hospital bracelets, and family photographs, Julie discovered an envelope of legal correspondence. One letter mentioned a confidential guardian named Mara Bennett and a town called Cedar Ridge.
Wayne searched the name on his phone. Several results appeared, including a youth counselor at Cedar Ridge Community Center. The profile photograph showed a woman with features similar to Evelyn’s.
Before he could call, Lindsay noticed a date on the latest archived letter. It was written eleven years earlier. Contacting Mara without understanding the danger might expose James or warn whoever had stolen the pendant.
They decided to send a cautious email asking about Catherine Johnson without mentioning Wayne or James. Within minutes, an automatic reply said the address was no longer active. A forwarding number appeared beneath it.
Wayne dialed with Lindsay beside him. The call rang four times before a young man answered. When Wayne asked for Mara Bennett, the stranger said she had died two years earlier.
Wayne nearly ended the call, but Lindsay asked whether Mara had family. The young man hesitated, then said he was her son, Jamie Bennett. The childhood name from the hidden page passed between Lindsay and Wayne without a word.
Wayne asked Jamie’s age. “Seventeen,” came the guarded reply. Wayne gripped the phone hard enough to whiten his knuckles. The timeline, nickname, and guardian all aligned.
He introduced himself as Wayne Adams and mentioned Evelyn. Silence followed. Then Jamie demanded to know how Wayne had obtained the number and whether Evelyn had sent him.
Before Wayne could explain, Jamie’s fear turned to anger. He said Evelyn Adams had destroyed his family once and would not be allowed to do it again. The call ended, leaving Wayne staring at the dark screen as the possibility of a brother became a rejection.
