Page 47 of Jay Bird

Derek noticed her glancing over and, rather than saying anything, he shifted his chair a little to the side, giving Willow a clearer, wider view of the living room. It was another small gesture that she appreciated.

Before they had gotten down to the reason for their visit, Derek had surprised her by thanking her.

Not for agreeing to speak with Tink, but for helping Riley.

“I know you’ve probably heard it already,” he had said, “but what you did for Riley was very brave. You gave her the opportunity our people needed to get her back. You took one hell of a risk helping her. Thank you.”

Willow hadn’t known what to say, and she still didn’t. She hadn’t helped Riley because she expected anyone to thank her. She had helped because she had seen an opportunity to get one woman away from Chen and couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t take it.

Now, nearly twenty minutes into the conversation, a folder sat open in front of Tink along with his laptop.

“So,” he said, turning the computer slightly, “the good news is your identity isn’t nearly as complicated to restore as you probably think it is.”

Willow looked between him and the screen. “Seriously?”

Tink nodded.

She had been bracing herself for endless forms to fill out, court hearings she would have to sit through, and the very real possibility that she would need to prove through DNA or something that she was actually Willow Beckett, the woman who had vanished three years ago.

Tink leaned back. “Your birth certificate is easy. I can help you request a certified copy. Social Security is going to require a little more documentation because of the circumstances surrounding your disappearance, but you’ve already spoken with the FBI, which helps considerably.”

“What about Lily?”

“Birth certificate first. After that, Social Security number.”

Willow hesitated. “She was born in China.”

“I know.”

Of course he did. Tink apparently knew everything.

“And I don’t have anything official for her,” Willow admitted. “Honestly, I don’t even know if anything was even filed when she was born. All I have is the fake birth certificate from when we were on the run.”

“That’s no problem. Again, I’ll help you with all of this.” Tink said. “In fact, it’ll be better if I handle everything. I have ways to get documents without alerting anyone if someone is monitoring your name in any system.”

Willow slowly nodded. “Okay. Whatever you think is best, I agree with.”

Beside her, Jay Bird remained quiet. He had been mostly silent since the conversation started, allowing Tink to explain things without interruption.

“What about my bank account?” she asked. “I had one before I disappeared.”

“That one’s a little more complicated.”

Willow’s stomach sank.

Tink must have seen her expression because he immediately added, “Not bad complicated. The account was eventually closed because of prolonged inactivity. The remaining funds were turned over to New York’s unclaimed-property division.”

Willow frowned. “So it’s gone?”

“No. It’s still yours. Once your identification is straightened out, you’ll submit a claim proving you’re the account owner. Given the circumstances, there might be a few additional verification steps, but you’ll get it back.”

“Do you know how much it is?”

Tink glanced at his notes. “Just over three thousand.”

Willow sat back. Three thousand dollars wasn’t a fortune by any stretch, but right now it felt like one.

“There’s something else,” Tink said. “Did you know your father had a life insurance policy?”