Book of Days_ A Novel - James L. Rubart [60]
He fished it off the floor, breathing in rapid little puffs. Hello, Mr. Death. How are you today? I was just thinking about coming to visit you. "Ann, you still there?"
"Are you all right?"
"Other than coming within inches of meeting another Three Peaker head-on, I'm dandy."
"Those horns were for you?"
"Yep. I was driving with my legs and the wheel slipped. Then I dropped my phone."
"Driving with your . . . You're insane. Don't you use a Bluetooth?"
Heat burned his cheeks. "When I remember to bring it with me."
"You're breaking the law."
"Sorry."
"Buy another one for your car. I don't want anything—"
No. He couldn't let her say she didn't want anything happening to him. He didn't need those emotions stirred up. "Can we get back on track?"
"Sure."
"I'll bet the places with the legend are the Middle East, South America, China, Scotland, Turkey, and Egypt."
"How did you know that?"
"Geology." Cameron pulled over to the side of the road and yanked out his notebook. "There's a seventh location, Ann."
"I know."
"And that seventh location is—"
In unison they said, "—Three Peaks, Oregon."
"Where's your interest meter pegging now?" Cameron asked.
"On a scale of one to ten, probably a twelve. This is getting entertaining."
"I'm headed to talk to Susan Hillman about a rock she gave me, then grab a bite and do some serious Google searches on those spots. Wanna meet me at the Ski Inn restaurant—?"
"Absolutely, say around seven?"
"You're perfect."
"I am?"
Cameron heard a smile in her voice.
Wow, where did that foray in the land of Freud come from? "What I meant is, that time is perfect."
"Hello, Cameron, have you prepared yourself to pepper me with all kinds of questions?" Susan looked up for a moment, then continued watering the baskets of rock penstemon flowers hanging in baskets above the four corners of her massive cedar porch.
"Maybe." He strolled up her steps and stopped at the top. "You weren't surprised to hear from me."
"No, I wasn't." She turned from her watering and tapped her head. "You're a smart young man. But I will admit I was surprised to hear from you as quickly as I did."
"You thought it would take me longer to discover the significance of the rock I chose?"
Susan nodded and set down her watering can. "I could suggest you keep delving deeper into the mystery of the stone, but you've already found out what you needed to discover in that arena. And I suppose I should confirm that Taylor Stone is one of the more significant keys to your quest. But again, you've figured that out by now."
Susan clapped her hands together. "So since you're already doing all the right things, I'm not sure what help I can be, but I'm certainly willing to try."
Two white wicker chairs sat at forty-five-degree angles to each other and Susan motioned for Cameron to sit. After asking him to hold his first question, she went into the house and returned a few minutes later with two Arnold Palmers.
"Here's how you can help immensely," he said after taking a sip of the iced tea-lemonade mixture. "While I'm enjoying my scavenger hunt, picking up one clue here, another there, I would not mind in the least if you simply told me the exact location of where the book sits." He cocked his head.
"Would you mind if we played a little game together?"
Cameron shrugged.
"The rules are simple. You ask me a question, I answer as honestly as I can. I ask you a question and you extend the same courtesy toward me."
"All right."
"You start." Susan brushed a strand of brown hair off her face.
"You just implied that the stone you gave me is connected to the Book of Days. Is it?"
"Of course."
"How?"
Susan shook her head and smiled. "My turn. What do you hope to gain by finding this book?"
Life. He wanted life instead of the agony of losing Jessie. He wanted answers, meaning, purpose. He wanted there to be a reason his dad left this world too soon. He wanted peace to replace his frustration .