Hush Hush by Erik Carter (best short novels of all time .TXT) 📗

What does “ascertain” mean?

Do you think O’Malley will make it?

He sighed.

The story had steamrolled to an exciting end. With O’Malley captured and with the new understanding that Police Chief Warren was the one behind the evildoings in Summerford, Kara had struggled to find her courage.

She had a choice before her: summon her bravery, disobey an adult’s command, take a risk; or play it safe, follow the rules, and leave her new friend to his peril.

For a while, fearful paralysis ensnared Kara, her decision-making teetering between action and inaction, tossed about by opposing gusts of uncertainty and hesitant resolve.

Then she remembered what Grandmother had told her after they left the play the night before: And what did we learn from that story, Kara? A lady must make a noble decision even when there are more convenient options.

Grandmother’s words emboldened her. She searched the marina outside the port until she found a rowboat among all the sailboats, yachts, and fishing boats. Kara didn’t know how to operate a motor, let alone any of the other components of a powered boat, but Father had taught her how to row, and she was darn good at it, much stronger than she looked, Father had told her.

She stealthily rowed the boat back to the port, approaching from the quiet side, unnoticed by O’Malley and his men, who were still unloading the crates from Whitehead Incorporated. With some experimentation, she figured out how to use O’Malley’s fancy camera and used it to take a series of photos that, when developed, would reveal weapons being pulled out of Whitehead crates with Summerford officers and Chief Warren supervising.

After taking the photos, she slipped into the building, found O’Malley, created a diversion to distract the men guarding him, and in the few brief moments of relative safety, she untied him from the chair to which he was bound. While he was disappointed in her for disobeying him, he was also very grateful.

And impressed.

The next morning, Kim was back at Carlito’s Café with Grandmother. But it wasn’t just the two of them this time. O’Malley was there too—cleaned up, fake scar removed from his face, and being very gentlemanly to Grandmother. On the black wrought-iron table was the copy of the Summerford Herald newspaper they’d all been reading together a few moments earlier. The shocking top headline read, Anonymous Photos Lead to Arrest of Police Chief and Six Officers.

They’d finished their pastries, and their coffee mugs were running low. Brunch had almost reached an end.

And for Gavin, there were only a few paragraphs left in the book.

O’Malley took another sip from his mug, peeked inside and gave an almost disappointed look before putting it on the table next to the empty saucer that had held his cruller. He put his arms behind his head and looked out over the street, smiling his casual, effortless grin, the sun playing off the edges of his dark sunglasses.

“Cute town. Real cute. I’ll have to come back again someday.” He turned to Grandmother. “I want you to know that the Bureau would never have been able to crack this case without your granddaughter. You have quite the little sleuth on your hands.”

They both turned to Kara then. Her cheeks warmed. She glanced down, twisting her cloth napkin between her hands.

“Don’t be bashful, darling,” Grandmother said.

It wasn’t bashfulness, necessarily, that made Kara look away. She simply didn’t enjoy being in the limelight, even if only two sets of eyes powered that light. She didn’t do her detective work for recognition; she did it because it was the right thing to do.

O’Malley crossed his forearms on the table and leaned closer to her. “Kara, I want to ask you: what made you decide to keep going with your investigation? There were so many opportunities for you to give up, so many dangerous situations. What kept you moving forward?”

Kara untwisted the napkin, flattened it over her lap, and pressed the wrinkles away as she considered what he’d asked.

She looked up and smiled. “I’m a detective. What choice did I have?”

O’Malley and Grandmother laughed.

Kara laughed too.

The sun was pleasant. The air tasted of the sea. Her belly was full of fine food. And she was surrounded by friendly faces and warm laughter.

Yes, this was a wonderful visit to Summerford.

                                     END

Gavin closed the little book.

And with one hand, he brought it to his face, rubbed the edge over his cheek, whiskers scratching on the surface.

The EKG beeped.

The Secret of Summerford Point had been one of many Kara, Kid Detective books he’d read to Amber, and while this fresh reading had shown him a storyline not so very different from the rest of the series, the book had clearly stuck in Amber’s mind all these years, so much so that she remembered it when she conducted her investigation.

He couldn’t recall much about the time he’d spent reading this particular title to young Amber, but a memory had arisen moments earlier when he’d read the last words: he remembered when they’d finished the story, leaving Kara, Grandmother, and O’Malley at the café and shutting the little paperback. Amber had asked him if he’d take her to Summerford. He’d told her it wasn’t an actual place; it was fictitious. She’d contended that there were surely real-life Maine towns similar to Summerford. This had made him smile, and he’d agreed that, yes, there surely were. She’d asked if he’d take her to one of these towns. Maybe some day, he’d told her. Maybe some day.

He brought the book to his chest. Pressed it tight. Closed his eyes and tried not to cry.

He said her name.

“Amber.”

And he smiled.

Chapter Fifty

Jonah continued to stare up at the ceiling, its popcorn texture faintly illuminated by orange-ish streetlight sifting in through the closed blinds.

There was one other source of lighting in the otherwise darkened apartment.

The television. A few feet away from him. The light it cast onto his right cheek, his right eye—as he kept his face turned away from it—came from the image he knew it was