Page 68 of Colton in the Wild
“Copper River salmon,” Spence said. Hetty knew the species well, and that it was the backbone of the economy over there, the incredible-tasting fish selling in limited batches for very high prices.
“Probably,” Eli agreed.
“How did she end up here?” Spence asked. “Cordova is an eighty-mile, twelve-hour ferry ride with that stop in Whittier, even though it’s only forty miles away as the eagle—” he glanced at Hetty “—or floatplane flies.”
That got him a small smile, despite the subject.
“Came for a job,” Eli said. “And rented a room near Roaster’s. But when she vanished after a couple of weeks, they assumed she hadn’t liked the work there and quit without notice.”
“But how did it happen? Who here would do such an awful thing?”
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Eli said. “And, of course, that’s assuming it was someone from here and not some sick-headed tourist who happened to be here. And don’t even ask me about motive, because right now we don’t have a clue.”
“Except that she was set up with that ring,” Spence said.
She saw his cousin give Spence an appreciative look and a nod. “Yes. Except for that.”
Hetty hated to think that there were people like that in the world, let alone here in little Shelby. She loved this town and the idea of some killer roaming around loose made her queasy. She hoped they caught him before her mother came back home; she was already worried enough about her.
Eli promised to keep them updated—he felt they’d earned that, having found the body. But before he left, he gave Hetty a steady, clearly approving look.
“Welcome aboard,” he said.
When he’d gone, she looked at Spence. “Welcome aboard?”
“Yeah,” Spence said but didn’t explain. She was about to push when he derailed her. “Why don’t we go take a look at your baby? Maybe a little test run, if it’s ready?”
Her heart leapt at the idea of getting airborne again, so she filed Eli’s comment away for future questioning. She was so excited at the chance to get back in the sky, she barely noticed the slight ache in her leg.
But that Spence knew and understood was the biggest thrill of all.
Chapter 36
Hetty didn’t even need his help climbing aboard. He knew the leg still bothered her by the way she massaged it now and then, but she clearly wasn’t going to let it keep her down. In fact, she was just about flying on her own, sans plane, she was so excited. It made him smile. He wanted to see her this way again and again and again. He wanted fifty years of seeing her like this. Hell, sixty or seventy, as long as he was dreaming big.
“Where are we going?” he asked. He had his own goal in mind but didn’t want to push her.
“I don’t care. Somewhere. Anywhere, as long as I’m flying,” she said as she settled into the pilot’s seat.
Chuck had done a stellar job; you never would have known the plane had had a couple of bullet holes in it and every wire of the instrument panel hanging loose. Which was why she’d thrown her arms around the startled mechanic when he’d come to see them off.
And not for anything would Spence have missed the look on her face when the entire Colton/RTA crew showed up to see them off.
She didn’t say anything about that until they were up. She didn’t have to, because what she was feeling was all over her face. For a while, he just watched her, feeling a warmth inside at how happy she was.
You’re going to stay that way,he vowed silently.
“I didn’t expect everybody to show up like that,” she said when they were leveled off at altitude.
“That,” he said with no small amount of satisfaction, “is what Eli meant by ‘welcome aboard.’ You’ve always been part of the foundation of RTA, Hetty, but you’re part of the family, too.”
He almost dived right in then, but made himself wait. The time would be right in just a few minutes. So, for those minutes, he just let her fly and soak up the joy of it. She banked here, dropped and climbed there, did all kinds of maneuvers as if she couldn’t quite believe her baby was truly fixed. And the smile on her face widened with every perfect response to the controls.
At the same time, she was as alert as ever, watching for other aircraft in the area. And he realized he’d forgotten to tell her something important.
“It’s all yours, Hetty,” he said.
She gave him a curious look. “What is?”
