Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
“Guys?” Ben said a bit loud to ensure Kayla was listening. “I talked with a travel agency and we’re set. When I’m done, you two can join me in Winnipeg. School should be done by that time. Then we’ll take the train west through the Rockies to Vancouver. We can fly home from there.”
“Sounds nice,” Emma said.
“Fabulous, Dad,” Kayla said.
“It’ll be therapeutic for all of us,” Ben said. “Then, when we get back, I’ll knuckle down on writing the first draft.”
Ben glanced at Emma, then patted her leg. She smiled at him but he felt her thoughts were elsewhere.
Airport traffic was controlled confusion as he navigated to the upper departures level to find a spot at the curbside, where he got out and unloaded his bags. Taking stock of his family, Ben said: “The time will fly by.”
“Ha-ha, nice pun.” Kayla hugged Ben. “I’ll miss you, Dad.”
Emma was touching the corners of her eyes.
“Everything, okay?” Ben asked.
“Yes. Good luck in Eternity and have a safe flight.”
Ben looked at her for a long moment then at Kayla. “You guys are going to be fine. Think of our trip through the Rockies.”
Tug barked a goodbye. Ben hugged him and Tug licked his face. “You take care of them, Tug.”
“Folks,” an airport security guy said, “got to move it along.”
After their final kisses, Ben grabbed his bags, entered the terminal, turning for a last anxious look as Emma, Kayla and Tug got into the SUV and pulled away.
Some two hours later, Ben was buckled in his aisle seat.
The jetliner’s doors were closed. The doors to the overhead storage bins had been snapped shut. Attendants moved along the plane ensuring all was in order as they prepared to taxi to the runway. Then Ben got a message from Emma.
I want you to know that whatever happens I love you and Kayla with all my heart.
Staring at Emma’s words Ben couldn’t understand their intensity.
He wrote:
What’s up? You sound ominous.
Feeling a little shaky right now. I’ll miss you. I love you.
I love you too, hang in there. All will be fine.
Before Ben could resume trying to decipher Emma’s cryptic message his phone vibrated with another text—this time from Cecil May.
The owner of that tag is not Del Brockway. It comes back to Leo Wicks.
Who’s that? Ben asked.
Want me to dig a little deeper?
Ben felt a hand gently on his shoulder.
“Sir.” The attendant smiled down at him. “The captain has asked that all devices be switched off.”
Ben nodded. But before shutting down his phone he typed one word to Cecil: Yes.
Sixty
Toronto, Ontario
Present day
“Tullock AgriCorp has seen another exceptional fiscal year.”
Colorful graph lines and pie charts filled Torrie Tullock’s laptop as the woman in the video conference continued.