(Amaryllis's POV)

I laid in bed trying to think of where it could be. I was racking my brain trying to think of everything he ever said to me that might give me a clue.

I came up with nothing and never went to sleep. I was up when the sun came up.

I called Vick as soon as I got ready for the day.

"Hello?"

"I want to go back."

"To the house?"

"There had to be something we missed. We had to have overlooked something. Anything."

"I'll be there in twenty. I'll call Harvey on my way."

Harvey was waiting for us with the door open when we arrived.

"Maybe if we didn't split up this time. We search every room together. Maybe of us will see something the other missed."

"Great idea. Let's get started."

We went room to room for hours, but still found nothing. Harvey fixed us lunch again and we all sat at the kitchen island to eat it. They talked about where else we could search while I kept repeating what the text said.

That's when it hit me.

"Sub rosa." I said out loud.

"What?"

"The text message."

"Didn't you tell Lincoln it meant in secret or whatever?"

"But what if it doesn't?"

"You lost me." Vick said.

"I taught Lachlan sub rosa. I taught him what it meant. I taught him the Latin version of it."

"Right......"

"What he didn't send it as the Latin version?"

"What other version is there?"

"English."

"I'm still not following." Vick said, scratching his head.

"Sub as a prefix means 'under' or 'beneath'. Rosa as a verb means a large genus of climbing prickly shrubs like roses. Combine those and you get something like under roses." I explained and Harvey's face lit up.

"He spent hours outside in the garden reading or working when he was tired of being in his office. He would also take Lincoln out there to eat lunch sometimes. Did it to get out the house and get some sun." Harvey said.

"You have roses out there?"

"Only in one spot."

Vick and I followed Harvey outside, making a pitstop by the gardening shed for some gloves and little shovels before we continued on to the roses.

There was a little table nestled between two large rose bushes.

"Vick and I will take one while you get the other." I told Harvey.

We got down on the ground and started digging around the base of the bush. Our gloves protected our hands, but nothing protected our arms from occasionally catching a thorn or two.

"Got it!" Harvey exclaimed, hitting something that sounded like metal.

We scrambled over to him and helped him pull out a medium sized box. It was wrapped in a plastic bag to protect it and the contents inside.

"See if the key fits." Vick said as Harvey took it out of the bag.

The key slipped right into the keyhole and the two of them cheered in excitement. I slipped the key back out and stuck it in my pocket.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

I shook my head. "I'm going to wait for Lincoln. It's his father's so he should be here to open it."

"Well let's get all this dirt back in place and clean up. Don't need anyone to know someone was out here digging." Harvey said.

Vick was so excited to have a....successful treasure hunt, as he called it, that he decided to take us out for dinner. I laid the box in the back seat and put my jacket on top of it when we arrived at the restaurant.

It was much later when I was home that I broke. I had spent an hour staring at the box and couldn't take it anymore. I opened it.

I sorted through it and put things into two piles. One pile was what I thought Lincoln should look at and open first. The other pile contained things that I saw no harm in me opening or looking at first.

There was one thing that I especially saw no harm in me looking at first. Why?

It had my name on it.

I opened it up to reveal a letter.

Five minutes later I was a crying mess. I wiped my face, put the letter aside, and went through the rest of the items in....my pile.

They were mostly pictures and what looked like little keepsake items. The thing that almost instantly gave me a headache?

Another key.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Lincoln's POV)

I woke up to someone pounding on the door. I thought it was Pricilla and was going to flip shit, but it was Julie.

"Get dressed."

"What? Why?"

"Because I volunteered to run to the main island for some things we need. They have working phones and internet there."

She didn't have to say anything else. I ran outside without putting my shoes or shirt on, I'd do that on the boat.

"You go so whatever you gotta do and I'll get what we need. Meet me here or at the store when you're done. Got it."

I grabbed her face and kissed her head. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go."

They phone they had was a pay phone, but I wasn't complaining. I almost screamed when she picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Linc?"

"It's me."

"I thought you didn't have service."

"I'll explain when I see you. How did the search go?"

"I'll explain when I see you."

I could practically hear her smiling.

"At least tell me if you found something or not?"

"We found it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Did you open it?"

"Maybe."

"What's inside?"

She explained to me about the two piles and told me all she'd seen so far was pictures and some keepsake things.

"I'm going to put everything back inside and then hide the box. It'll give me piece of mind until you get back and have the contents."

"Keep the key with you though."

"I will."

The voice told me I was almost out of time and I sighed.

"I gotta give Vick a call while I can. I'm glad I got to talk to you though."

"Me too. I....I miss you."

"I miss you too. I'll call you again if I get the chance."

"Alright. Try to enjoy the trip even if it's a little bit."

"I'll try." I chuckled.

I hung up, put the reaming change I had in, and called Vick.

"Who is this?"

"Me."

"Lincoln? Are calling from an island jail? Did you murder someone?" He asked, whispering the last part.

"No, I didn't kill anyone. I've been tempted though."

"Not loving the quality family time?"

"Considering I'm trapped here with Priscilla and her family too? Not hardly."

"Tell me you're joking."

"Afraid not. This whole trip is just another one of my mother's attempts to marry me off to the bitch. I'm pretty she even tried to drug me through the means of alcohol."

"Trap you into a pregnancy scandal?"

"What else?"

"They're f*cking ridiculous." He scoffed.

"My sister is the only reason I'm still sane and haven't killed anyone."

"Well the trip wasn't for nothing. We got in and found the box."

"I know. I called Amaryllis before you. How's my company doing?"

"Good. I'm taking care of everything while channeling your mindset. One of the last things I'd do to you is f*ck it up."

"I know and I appreciate it. I gotta go. I'll call again if possible."

"Okay. And don't worry, I got your girl's back and the company while you're gone. I'll look for both."

"Thanks."

I rushed back to the boat to see Julie waiting.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "You get what we need?"

"And then some." She grinned.

For the rest of that day all I could think was Amaryllis and the box. I was dying to get home so I could see what was inside.

To my father, what was worth hiding in a box? What was worth hiding the box for?

~~~~~~~~
A/N:

They found it!!!!

What do you think is in the pile she saved for Linc to look at?

What do you think the letter to her said?

Till next time,

B.