Page 60 of Fire and Rain
After supper, she did the dishes, and they played for a while. Then it was time for Maverick’s bath and stories. They snuggled together on the sofa as she read his favorite books—one about an orca searching for his pod, the other about the animals of Alaska, and one about the Aurora Borealis.
“You’re good at naming all the animals now, aren’t you?”
Maverick nodded, bottle in his mouth, his favorite blankie clutched close to his chest.
She held him on her lap and sang to him, songs her mother had sung to her. “Cikmia, cikmia, Agyangcuk…”
Twinkle, twinkle little star…
Eden didn’t speak her Alutiiq ancestors’ tongue well. For that matter, she didn’t speak Russian, either, apart fromgrandmaandgrandpa. Still, she wanted to pass on what she knew to Maverick, who soaked it all up like a sponge.
When he was asleep, she carried him to his crib. She was about to slip into her pajamas and settle down with a glass of wine and a new novel when her phone buzzed with a new text message. It was Natasha.
You make it through the storm okay?
We did. How are you?
Everyone’s fine. Mom had lost power for a while.
Is it back on?
Yes, just a few minutes ago.
Good! Stay safe!
Eden was about to undress and put on her sleep shirt when her phone buzzed again. Thinking it was Natasha, she picked it up, tapped the message—and stared.
Call off the police, or more members of your family will get hurt.
She didn’t recognize the number and replied, more than a little irritated.
Who are you? What are you talking about? You’ve got the wrong number.
Not that it would be okay for them to threaten someone else, whoever they were.
Another message.
I’m talking to you, Eden. Unless you’re stupid, you’ll do as I say. Tell the cops to stop the investigation.
Chills skittered down her spine at the use of her name, her mind racing. The investigation? What investigation?
The investigation into the explosion that killed Justin.
The realization knocked the breath from her lungs, and Eden sank to the bed. She typed a quick reply.
Who are you? I have no control over the cops. I haven’t talked to them.
The reply was immediate.
Bullshit. Tell them to back off, or what happens next will be on YOU!
Eden wanted to tell this person to go to hell, but what if he was serious?
She blocked the number, went to her closet, and took down her shot gun. Next, she grabbed a box of shells and loaded five. She’d learned to shoot as a child on hunting trips with her father and grandfather and knew how to use firearms.
With the shotgun loaded, she checked her doors to make sure they were locked, closed all of the blinds, and called the base police. The voice on the other end of the phone promised to send someone right away. And so, Eden waited, fear simmering into rage.
How dare some son of a bitch threaten her and Maverick? How dare they intrude into her life and try to scare her? And what was going on with the investigation that someone thought they needed to come after her?
