Forever Hers Walters, Ednah (best novels for teenagers .TXT) 📖

know. There were things that needed to be said and we said them. Other than that, we’ll see how things go.” He turned his attention on Raelynn. “Did you tour the plane, short stack?”

Raelynn nodded.  “Where’s everyone, Uncle Eddie? No one is coming inside the plane.”

“That’s because we are the only ones flying.” Eddie squatted beside her seat and showed her the button. “This turns on the TV.” He pushed another. “This moves the chair.”

For a brief moment, Raelynn played with the button and giggled when the chair reclined and lifted up. “Can I play with my dollhouse?”

Eddie nodded. “Of course, after we take off, but you can have something to drink before lunch. Want to see what they have in the kitchen?”

Raelynn nodded and hopped off the chair.

Eddie glanced at Amy. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Iced tea, if you have some,” she said. “Sweetened, please.”

He took Raelynn’s hand. Amy watched them walk toward the galley and smiled. It was like he had the magic touch. Too bad that touch hadn’t stopped him from acting like a jerk.

An hour later, they were in the air and Raelynn was on the floor with her dollhouse while Amy and Eddie relaxed with their drinks. Lori hadn’t reappeared since they boarded the plane and lunch was being prepared by the attendant.

Amy turned her attention on Eddie. “Okay, what’s going on? You seem tense. Is everything okay with the plan?”

“The plan is airtight.” He pulled out his laptop from a bag.

Amy heard him, but her gaze was on the yellow folder she’d put her manuscript in at the lake house. She’d completely forgotten about it. “You brought my work with you?”

“I promised to read it.” He opened the laptop and booted it up.

“But with everything that’s been happening—”

“I’m a man of my word, Amy,” he said firmly. “I don’t say things I don’t mean and I keep my promises.”

Did that mean he’d meant what he said last night?

“Your book gave me something to enjoy last night. You’re a gifted writer.”

Warmth spread through her at the compliment. “Thank you. What chapter are you on?”

“Thirteen. It’s surprisingly good.” The smile on his lips said he was teasing.

At least he hadn’t reached chapter fourteen, the first love scene. She often lived vicariously through her heroines, until last night. “Surprisingly. I’m not sure whether to be insulted. How many romances books have you read?”

“None, but I like yours. The guy is a control freak and anal, but he has his reasons, which makes perfect sense.”

Amy laughed. Of course it made sense to him. Amy had borrowed a few traits from the old Eddie. Funny he didn’t see himself in her hero. “And the heroine?”

“A certifiable whack job.”

Her jaw dropped. “Oh, come on.”

He grinned. “She is. She spies on him, throws a slushy in his face just because she thought he was flirting with another woman then acts like it’s his fault and stops returning his calls.”

Amy made a face. “So you think I should downplay her response?”

“Oh no. He was flirting with another woman and deserved what he got. I hope he kidnaps her and locks her in his,” he glanced at Raelynn to make sure the child wasn’t listening then lowered his voice to add, “bedroom and teach her not to play games.”

Amy made a face. “Actually that’s exactly what she does to him.”

Eddie laughed. Happy to see tension gone from his face, Amy smiled.

“Now I’m definitely looking forward to finishing the book.” He started his Internet browser and logged into his e-mail account. “Are you ready for this?”

Amy nodded and scooted closer.

“Before I show you this, I want to explain a few things. Back in Sandpoint, I told Sally they should try the name Penelope as a password on Burgess’ computer. They got in and hacked into his e-mail account. We now have e-mail correspondence between him and Nolan. In the last week, Nolan sent him ten e-mails demanding to know if “it was done.” We assumed ‘it’ had something to do with you. So, I came up with a plan.”

He opened a page from his Favorites bar —Sandpointonline.com. It showed news headlines. One, dated today caught Amy’s attention.

Burglary Gone Wrong: The body of a woman and her child discovered at a lake home near Lake Pend Oreille. Suspects still at large.

Amy’s heart started to pound before he clicked on it. The first thing she noticed was the picture accompanying the article. It showed the police and an ambulance outside the Fitzgeralds’ lake house. The article was short and to the point.

A neighbor heard a scream and called the police late last night. Inside the house, the police found the body of a young woman and her five-year old daughter dead from gunshot wounds to the head. The police believe the woman interrupted the burglars and was attacked. This tourist destination has been besieged by well-orchestrated burglaries the last couple of months. Most of the time, the perpetrators left no clues behind. This time, they weren’t so lucky. A crowbar with a partial print was found at the scene, along with one disposable glove and cigarette filters. The police believe they have what they need to identify the perpetrators.

“An hour ago, Briggs’s tech people sent an e-mail to Nolan with the link,” Eddie explained. “It didn’t take long for him to react. I spoke with Rod before we took off. Nolan is on the move. He left work early, went to his bank and came out with a box. Then he went to a storage facility and removed more boxes. We hope that one of them contains the mementos Blackwell mentioned.”

“Blackwell?”

“That’s Burgess’ real name. Jeremy Blackwell. Sly dug through high school records and found him and Penelope. He’s trying to find a yearbook, so we have photographs to go with the names. As for Nolan, we have no idea what he plans to do with the boxes. That’s where you come in.”

Amy nodded. “Me?”

“You’re going to be our bait. Remember you