BooksBarbecue
Back Illuminated
Chapters (34)
  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Prologue
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-one
  28. Twenty-two
  29. Twenty-three
  30. Twenty-four
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Epilogue
  33. Further Mysteries
  34. Acknowledgments

“Oh, boy!” Clayton said. “Is it from Santa?” he asked his father, giving a wink.

“Actually, I don’t know who it’s from,” Dalton said. He turned to Wilson with a puzzled expression on his face.

Wilson looked at his digital board. “It’s from a Mr. Adams . . . a Mr. August Adams.”

Dalton was still confused. “I don’t think I know of anyone by that name. Do you, Clayton?”

The boy tapped his head, Pooh Bear-style. “I can’t remember,” he said.

“Where do I sign?” Dalton asked. “No point in sending someone away with a gift on Christmas Day. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“Maybe it’s from Santa after all,” Clayton said.

Dalton scribbled his name on the digital signature pad. “Maybe you’re right!” He handed the board back to Wilson. “So where is this mysterious package?”

“That’s the weird part,” Wilson said.

“It’s not with you?”

“No. It’s at the zoo.”

“The zoo?” Dalton laughed. “Why did you leave a package for my son at the zoo?”

“This might be presumptuous of me to say,” Wilson said. “But I don’t think you would have had enough room for it here at your house.”

“I beg your pardon?” Dalton said.

Wilson looked at Clayton. “In two weeks, go to the zoo. Look for the signs pointing to a new display. When you find it, you’ll see your name on a little bronze plaque next to the glass.”

“Listen, I’m sorry,” Dalton said, escorting Wilson toward the door. “We’ve got guests coming in only a few minutes, and I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Suit yourself,” Wilson said, stepping out into the cold. He called back into the house at Clayton. “Merry Christmas!”

Dalton shut the door. “What was all that about?” he asked Clayton before scurrying off to join his wife in the last-minute Christmas cleanup.

Clayton grinned. He knew exactly what was going on.

His tiger shark had arrived.

Further Mysteries

further mysteries

This book is a journey we experienced together. With the characters as your guides, you unraveled the secrets the same way I did—piece by piece, puzzle by puzzle. And now you have the opportunity to engage the story in a whole new way, because this is only the beginning of the mystery.

But before we move forward, I need to share with you the roots of this book. I wish I could say that I dreamed it all up. That would certainly be less alarming, to tell you that none of it was true.