Hot shot, p.25
Hot Shot, page 25
“I can see that, but you know I like you better without it,” he added, with a twinkle in his eye. “Now, go on and finish your story. I’m not going anywhere.”
Sophie reached for his hand, giving him a quick, reassuring squeeze. “I’ll hunt you down if you do.”
“Never. I love you too much.”
“Ditto, sweet man. Keep talking to me that way, and I’ll never get the words out.”
“And you’re stalling,” Goebel said, leaning forward to place a light kiss on her nose.
“As I was telling you, I could feel what the woman felt, see through her eyes, but nothing more. I can’t identify her, I haven’t held any items belonging to her, or at least any that I know of. But as she went tumbling down the stairs, she called out the name Theodore. That’s an old name, not that common now. I feel as though there is something I’m missing, like this woman, whoever she is, wants me to know . . . that’s just it, I don’t know what it is she wants me to know. When you went inside a few minutes ago, the words the attic came to me. I think this woman wants me to look in those trunks. Sounds crazy, but it is what it is. Tell me, Mr. Detective, does this make any sense at all?”
“It’s not too far off from the messages you get during a séance. Maybe you should have the girls over tonight, hold a séance, see if this woman, whoever she is, will try to make contact with you. It’s worked in the past, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work now.”
Sophie pondered the idea. In the past, séances had always been held at Toots’s place. Since she and Goebel had moved into the house, she’d kept one small room, located at the top of the stairs and around the corner, for that express purpose. Nothing had been touched. The walls were still covered in wallpaper, a faded pattern that neither she nor Toots had been able to identify. It didn’t matter to her, but there was something about that particular room that said leave it alone. In her mind, it had already become her séance room, though she had yet to hold a single séance there. She and Goebel had had several psychic investigating jobs, but they all took place in other people’s old homes and buildings. Old haunting grounds, she liked to think of them.
“Yes, I think you’re right. I’ll call Toots and see if I can drag her away from Jonathan and Amy for a few hours.” Toots’s daughter Abby and her husband Chris were now the proud parents of one-year-old twins. Toots rarely let a day go by without seeing her grandson and granddaughter. Of course, Sophie, Mavis, and Ida all used any and every excuse under the sun to see the precious pair as well. After all, they were all Abby’s godmothers and had been friends for decades. The twins had brought even more joy and light into all of their lives. The poor kids were going to be so spoiled by the time they reached school age that poor Abby would have to homeschool the pair of them. Sophie thought this a good idea, and would mention it to Abby the next time she saw her. She couldn’t bear the thought of those two spending hours and hours away at school.
Sophie downed the last of her coffee, grabbed the tray, and tossed her smokes and lighter into her pocket. “Come inside, Goebel. You have papers to search through, and I have to make a phone call.”
Goebel shook his head, a goofy grin on his face. Hot damn, he’d never been this happy ever. And it just kept getting better and better.
Photo by M2IFOTO ©2006
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New
York Times bestselling author of the
Sisterhood, Men of the Sisterhood, and
Godmothers series, and dozens of other
novels and novellas. There are over ninety-five
million copies of her books in print. Fern
Michaels has built and funded several large
day-care centers in her hometown, and is a
passionate animal lover who has outfitted
police dogs across the country with special
bulletproof vests. She shares her home in
South Carolina with her four dogs and a
resident ghost named Mary Margaret.
Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.
SWEET VENGEANCE
The Truth Will Rise
Tessa Jamison couldn’t have imagined anything worse than losing her beloved twin girls and husband—until she was convicted of their murder. For years she has counted off the days in Florida’s Correctional Center for Women. Proving her innocence holds little appeal now that her family’s gone. But on one extraordinary day, her lawyers announce that Tessa’s conviction has been overturned due to a technicality, and she’s released on bail to await a new trial.
Tessa retreats to the small tropical island owned by her late husband’s pharmaceutical company. There, she begins to gather knowledge about her case. For the first time since her nightmare began, Tessa feels a sense of purpose in working to finally expose the truth and avenge her lost family. One by one, the guilty will be led to justice, and Tessa can gain closure. But will she be able to learn the whole truth at last . . . and reclaim her freedom and her future?
“Will keep readers on the edge of their seat with the perfect amount of fear and surprises . . . New revelations about the plot and its characters are around each corner.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
DEEP HARBOR
In this stirring new novel, acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels delves into the remarkable ways in which moments of crises can lead to our greatest acts of courage . . .
When Carol Ann “CJ” Jansen lost her beloved older brother, Kick, in a boating accident, she came adrift. Kick had taken on the role of caring for his little sister after their parents were killed in a car crash. Inheriting half his fortune has left CJ financially secure—yet needing a purpose. As administrative assistant to powerful congressman Snapper Lewis, she’s immersed herself in the exciting and often tumultuous world of politics.
But suddenly, the career that anchors her life is threatened. CJ stumbles upon information that could implicate her boss in corruption. When the congressman goes missing, the closer CJ gets to uncovering the truth, exposing one shocking secret after another, the more she wonders if she’s also in jeopardy.
Moving to a small New England town for her own protection, CJ gradually begins to engage with her new surroundings. Her blossoming friendship with the owner of a charter fishing boat offers the promise of much more. But before she can claim happiness, CJ must navigate a course through all her doubts and fears, and trust that this time, the water that took so much from her might just lead her safely home . . .
SAFE AND SOUND
The Sisterhood: a group of women from all walks of life bound by friendship and a quest for justice. Armed with vast resources, top-notch expertise, and a loyal network of allies around the globe, the Sisterhood will not rest until every wrong is made right.
Isabelle Flanders Tookus isn’t expecting to involve the Sisterhood in a new mission when she strikes up a friendship with a curly-haired boy in her local park. Ben Ryan is an eight-year-old child genius, the grandson of millionaire Eleanor Lymen, who hired Izzy years ago to design an institute for gifted children. Ben’s mother passed away and Ben now lives with his stepfather, Connor, and Connor’s wife, Natalie. They’ve been using Ben’s trust fund to support their lavish lifestyle while shamefully neglecting Ben. And with Natalie getting greedy, Ben’s safety is now in jeopardy.
Izzy’s first step: call in the Sisterhood. The second: track down Eleanor, who has mysteriously vanished on a secret mission of her own. Izzy, Annie, Myra, and the rest of the Sisters come together at Pinewood, thrilled to be united once more. Together they’ll lay a trap for Natalie and Connor, one that will protect Eleanor’s beloved grandson, get him into the happy home he deserves, and provide the kind of creative, satisfying payback the Sisters dish out so well . . .
Fern Michaels, Hot Shot
