The Inheritance Games, #4
The Brothers Hawthorne
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
CHAPTER 37: GRAYSON
Overview
Grayson reacts to the discovery that Eve has someone watching the Grayson family by tightening security, manipulating Gigi’s access to Trowbridge’s passwords, and tasking Zabrowski with identifying the spy. His careful control begins to fracture when an unidentified girl calls and reveals that her father blamed a Hawthorne before killing himself.
The caller’s memory links Tobias Hawthorne to another possible ruined life and introduces a riddle tied to the man’s final words. Grayson’s decision to involve Xander and search Tobias’s old List shifts the investigation from the Grayson family’s secrets toward another mystery in Tobias’s past.
Summary
Grayson returns to his hotel convinced that Eve has arranged for someone dangerous to watch the Grayson family, and possibly Grayson himself. The realization triggers a memory of meeting Eve, whose resemblance to Emily and visible injury made Grayson feel both unsettled and protective. Back in the suite, Grayson checks for surveillance before allowing himself to focus.
Grayson sees that Gigi has sent many messages demanding the photo of Trowbridge’s passwords. Though Grayson feels affection for Gigi, Grayson deliberately alters the image before sending it, ensuring that Gigi will fail if she tries to use the passwords. Grayson also prints two designed keys, one matching Gigi’s and one decoy, and arranges for Zabrowski to pick them up.
Grayson then instructs Zabrowski to report progress and identify the blond, tattooed young man who had been spying on the family. Afterward, Grayson examines the strange not-a-USB drive and the notched index card, wondering whether the notches matter or are accidental. His guilt over deceiving Gigi and his thoughts about Savannah, Eve, the spy, and the party build until Grayson forces his mind quiet through physical strain and a scalding shower.
A blocked-number call comes in, but the caller is not Eve. The unidentified girl explains that when the girl was four, the girl’s father gave the girl a nearly eaten candy necklace and a calla lily, blamed a Hawthorne for what had happened, then walked upstairs with a gun and killed himself. The girl says news about the Hawthorne inheritance caused the memory to return in dreams, and the girl asks what Tobias Hawthorne did. Grayson can only say Tobias probably ruined the girl’s father financially, but when the girl shares her father’s final riddle-like words, Grayson recognizes that Tobias’s love of riddles may matter.
After the caller hangs up, Grayson remains shaken by the story and the riddle. Grayson texts Xander to ask whether Xander is back at Hawthorne House, and when Xander says no but offers help through connections, Grayson asks for someone to look through Tobias Hawthorne’s old List.
Who Appears
- Grayson HawthorneInvestigates Eve’s surveillance, deceives Gigi, and pursues a riddle tied to Tobias.
- Unnamed callerRecounts her father’s suicide and asks what Tobias Hawthorne did to him.
- Gigi GraysonPresses Grayson for Trowbridge’s passwords, unaware he sends an altered photo.
- EveOffscreen instigator whose suspected spy puts the Grayson family at risk.
- ZabrowskiReceives Grayson’s printed keys and assignment to identify the spy.
- Xander HawthorneResponds to Grayson’s text and offers connections to search Tobias’s List.
- Tobias HawthorneDead patriarch whose past actions may connect to the caller’s father and riddle.
- Unidentified spyTattooed young man watching the Grayson family and now targeted for identification.