Page 18 of Cold Threat

River grunted. “Don’t you?”

Tony hadn’t thought about it that way. Life was life. You handled whatever came your way, knowing God was with you. That you’d get through it because He’d make certain you did. But the truth was, he really did feel weary. He was still trying to recover from that night along the riverbank—and now he had to thinkabout death again just because it had started to snow? He could remember being a kid—him and Aimee—bundled up and outside playing in the snow. His mother would make hot chocolate and cookies for them to enjoy when they came inside, their faces red and frozen, yet they were so happy. Did it bother him that some guy who couldn’t handle life was trying to take that away from him? That, as River had said, another human being might be smiling out at the snow, not knowing this would be their last day on earth?

“You know what, you’re right,” he said finally. “Maybe this spring we could go on a vacation. Mrs. Weyland can watch your mom.” He gave her a smile. “Where would we go?”

River laughed lightly. “Wow. I don’t know. I need to think about that. I’ve always wanted to take a cruise to Alaska. And I’ve never been to Hawaii.”

“I have. We went with our parents when we were teenagers. It was awesome. Stayed in a hotel on the beach. We left the sliding glass door to the patio open at night. You could hear the waves crashing on the shore. Doves would fly onto the patio to be fed. It was so great.”

“Sounds incredible. We used to go camping when I was a kid—before my dad left. But that was it. And after he left, we never went on vacation. My mom had to work—had to support us. After I moved out, I focused on finishing college, joining the police force, and then the FBI. Moving to Virginia was the biggest trip I’d ever taken.”

“I’m sorry, River. You deserved more as a kid.”

She shrugged. “It is what it is. Hey, I’m in Iowa. Things are looking up!”

Tony laughed. “Another reason for me to show you how cool Burlington is. By the time I’m through, you’ll feel like you finally got to experience somewhere really special.”

“I’m counting on it.”

RIVER WAS IMPRESSEDwith Burlington. She could see why Tony’s father felt this would be a better place for his family rather than Des Moines. She listened as Tony regaled her with the town’s qualities. It was situated on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. She felt a connection between St. Louis and the much smaller town since the same river ran through both places.

“Burlington has lots of museums and entertainment venues,” he was saying. “And although I don’t want you to think I’m just trying to impress you, believe it or not, this is the birthplace of the backhoe. In fact, it’s the Backhoe Capital of the World.”

“Oh my,” River said, laughing. “How could any other place compete with that?”

“You’re right, of course. But there’s something else you definitely need to see.”

“And what would that be?”

“It’s called Snake Alley. Ripley’s Believe It or Not called it ‘Unbelievably Crooked.’ It’s number one on their ‘Odd Spots Across America’ list.”

“Now, that’s something I absolutely can’t miss.”

Tony drove them to the top of a bluff so they could look down at an incredibly curvy road. It really did look like a snake.

“It was built by German immigrants in the 1800s who were trying to replicate vineyard paths in France and Germany. We could drive it, but since it’s snowing, I’m concerned it might be slippery. As you can see, there’s not much room for error.”

As Tony talked about Burlington, River began to realize that he loved the small town too. Is this where he really wanted to be? Was he only in St. Louis because of her? She felt a little sick to her stomach. She didn’t want him to sacrifice himself for her. She’d never wanted that. He’d already almost lost his life trying to protect her from the Salt River Strangler.

After sharing a few other things about the town, Tony said, “Just one other thing I want you to see. Then we’ll head back to the house.”

She was quiet while he drove. Did his parents know he wanted to be here? With them? Did they resent her for keeping him away?

Finally, he pulled into a parking lot. “This is Mosquito Park.”

“Yikes.”

Tony laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s too cold for mosquitos today.” He pointed toward a viewer next to a railing that surrounded the overlook. “Even though it’s freezing outside, if we’re lucky, you’ll see something wonderful. Are you game?”

River shrugged. “Why not. Let’s do it.”

They got out of the car and walked over to the railing. The view was breathtaking. Tony pointed out the Great River Bridge that connected Burlington to Gulfport, Illinois. Then he grabbed her arm.

“Look up,” he said, a tinge of excitement in his voice.

River cast her eyes toward the sky and gasped. Bald eagles. Four of them swooping across the sky.

“Oh, Tony,” she said. “They’re beautiful.”

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