Page 36 of Amnesty

“I have to do it,” I said, going to her side and touching her arm. “Please understand.”

She was silent while moving the flapjacks onto a platter. When it was done, she flipped off the burner and set aside the spatula.

I glanced at Eddie. He winked.

Clearly, he wasn’t as bothered by this as I was.

“Take these to the table,” she said, handing me the platter loaded down with pancakes.

“This could feed an army,” I told her.

She shrugged. “Eddie’s here.”

We loaded our plates in silence, and I gazed out through the room made of windows into the trees, which were rapidly offering their foliage to the grass around them. Everything was in beautiful tones of brown, orange, and yellow. There were pops of vibrant red and even a few plum-colored explosions among it all. A fall breeze ruffled the branches, and I watched leaves drift down lazily.

It was beautiful and peaceful.

Maggie cleared her throat. “You really feel like you have to do this.”

Yanking my eyes from the view, I turned to her. “I truly do. Me. Not anyone else either. I have to see that place. I have to feel it.” That part scared me most. The feeling.

“You’ll take your phones? Call for help the second you see anything remotely dangerous?”

“I swear it,” Eddie put in. At the rate he was consuming carbs, I honestly was shocked he’d been listening.

Maggie’s eyes were still concerned, but she nodded. “Do you have a boat?”

Well, crap. Why didn’t I think of that? Had I planned on swimming?

“Figured I’d borrow Tom’s,” Eddie answered.

Well, at least he’d thought it through.

Maggie got up and left the room. I took the opportunity to slip some bacon under the table to Elmo. A moment later, she returned with a simple silver ring with a key attached.

“No more bacon,” she said, giving me the evil eye.

Eddie laughed. “She totally caught you.”

“What’s that?” I asked, adeptly changing the subject.

“It’s the key to Chris’s boat.”

Eddie looked up from his plate. “You still have Chris’s boat?”

She nodded. “He loved that thing, and I’ve never been able to part with it.”

“It was a great boat.” Eddie agreed.

“You’re welcome to use it today. It’s a bit larger, maybe a bit nicer than Tom’s old fishing boat.”

Eddie made a soft sound. “It definitely is.”

“But are you sure you want us to use it? It must mean so much to you,” I asked.

“Oh yes. It hasn’t been run in months. I usually have someone give it a few tune-ups each year, and once in a while, the mechanic takes it out on the water. But it just sits there. Chris would love to know someone is enjoying it.”

“I don’t know how enjoyable this trip will be,” Eddie intoned.

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