Page 92 of The Summer Inn on Plum Island
“Yes,” Dawn said, nodding. “Fifteen years ago.”
“Let’s check what changes he made,” Liam suggested, switching on his laptop and taking the thumbdrive. “Do you mind?”
The cat was already out the bag about her book so she shook her head. Liam put the thumb drive into the laptop and turned it toward her. Dawn opened the file and scanned through the document, her heart pounding as she saw the suggestions, corrections, and comments—it was like looking at something her father had gone over for her. A shiver skittered down her spine.
“Well?” Scott asked, scooting toward her and looking at the screen. “What is there?”
“Just the usual kind of corrections,” Dawn answered Scott as she perused the document. “I can’t see anything malicious or sinister. Just corrections, suggestions, and comments.” She frowned, and her eyes widened when she came to the end of the manuscript. Her breath caught in her throat when she got to the end. “There are three different suggestions for the ending, but again, nothing sinister. It’s like YNOF knew which I was leaning for. I can’t see anything to suggest whoever this is was behind the things happening at the hotel.” She swallowed. “And then there’s this.”
Dawn read aloud:Definitely go with the HEA ending while leaving a thread for any future books you may want to publish in this series. As always, great work, blue eyes—YNOF.
Dawn’s eyes misted over, and she swallowed. Her voice had become gravelly near the end and drifted off as she’d read blue eyes. Her head shot up, and she saw that Scott was just as stunned as she was.
“Whoever this is,” Scott told her, “while they may not come across as sinister with your manuscript, they’re being very cruel.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. His eyes blazed with anger.
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
“Could your father still be alive?” Liam asked.
“No!” Scott and Dawn said in unison.
“How sure are you, though?” Liam asked.
“Our Aunt Faith identified his body,” Scott told Liam, and looked at her brother in surprise when she saw a look of doubt in his eyes.
“I saw the car,” Dawn told them. “While Aunt Faith wouldn’t let me get near it. I saw it.” She swallowed as the memory hit her. “I got there as they were extinguishing the flames. Luckily someone was able to pull my father from the car before it burst into flames. But I saw his body on the side of the road.”
“It was covered, Dawn,” Scott reminded her softly. “You didn’t actually see Dad’s body.”
“By you’ve just said, Aunt Faith identified Dad,” Dawn pointed out. “No! You’re right. This is someone’s cruel idea of a joke.”
“Unless it’s Dads other half?” Scott’s eyes widened.
“Uncle Forsythe?” Dawn looked at her brother in confusion. “I thought he was dead or in witness protection or something somewhere.” She shook her head. “We haven’t heard from him since…” She tried to remember.
“Mom died,” Scott added.
“Yes, that’s what… twenty-four years?” Dawn looked at her brother in disbelief. “I doubt it’s him. But I know why you’d think that.” She smiled and looked at Liam. “Uncle Forsythe and my father, Wallice, used to joke over who mine and Scott’s biggest fan was.”
“Who is Uncle Forsythe?” Liam asked.
“My father’s twin brother,” Scott replied. “He worked for some government agency, we’re not sure which as he’d never say but he was always on some top secret mission somewhere in the world.”
“Oh!” Liam nodded.
“Dawn, you realize that none of us saw Dad’s body, did we?” Scott pointed out.
“So what?” Dawn said, looking at Scott in disbelief. “You think Dad’s now a zombie who’s trying to look out for us?”
“I don’t know little sister,” Scott said with a shake of his head. “There’s been so much that’s happened and as we’re at the brink of something bad, it’s like everything miraculously rights itself.”
“Like we have a guardian angel?” Dawn looked at her brother with raised brows. After everything that had happened in the past few days, she was inclined to believe him. But it wasn’t their father. “It could be Uncle Forsythe. I’m sure Aunt Faith would know.”
“I’ve made a note on my phone to ask her when she’s back in the States,” Scott said typing on his phone.
“Can we get back to the mystery on hand?” Dawn asked. “I don’t think YNOF is the threat.”
“But I’ll jot him down as a suspect,” Liam said, taking a pen and notepad from his desk. “Here’s another question, how did YNOF get your manuscript? And I’ll mark this for another time, but who is YNOF?”
