Joyce & Jim Lavene - Taxi for the Dead 02 - Dead Girl Blues (28 page)

Besides, it was the last day of school. I was going to pick Kate up to celebrate. I hoped Lucas would join us on our boat trip around the lake.

I got Kate and headed toward Apple Betty’s Inn. She was out of the van and in the house before I could even get my door open. I smiled as I took her book bag and posters with me.

Lucas and Addie greeted me at the back door, wanting to know what was going on. I filled them in with the basic details as Kate bounced around the kitchen, eager to go.

It wasn’t difficult to convince Lucas to come with us. It seemed he had as many questions about what had happened as I did. Between Kate’s excited comments about her school day, we spoke is short whispers about my meeting with Artemis

We drove to the marina and bought tickets for the ride around the lake. We’d be stopping for lunch during the trip and wouldn’t be back until dinner.

Kate was in the pilot house with a group of other children, listening to the captain tell them everything about the boat and the lake. Lucas and I stood near the front of the boat, staring at the water, trying to get out the last of the details about Artemis and Abe.

“I can’t explain what happened today.” He wrapped his arms around me. “But I’m glad you came back safely. I told you that you have magic.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I admitted. “Can a person have magic and not know it?”

“I would say Artemis found that to be true today.”

My phone rang again. I looked at the number. It wasn’t Abe, so I answered it.

“Hello? Is this Skye Mertz?” A pleasant female voice asked.

Probably wanted to sell me something. “Yes. But whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested.”

I was about to hang up when the pleasant voice continued. “I’m so glad I can finally speak to you. This is your mother, Skye. We have so much to discuss.”

About the Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, best-selling mystery and urban fantasy fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Penguin, Amazon, and Simon and Schuster along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family, their rescue animals, Quincy - cat, Stan Lee – cat, and Rudi - dog.

Visit them at:

www.joyceandjimlavene.com

www.Facebook.com/JoyceandJimLavene

Twitter:
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Amazon Author Central Page:
http://amazon.com/author/jlavene

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