A Quarter for a Kiss Read Free Page B

flew through the nighttime sky, we were left to wonder why Eli had asked for us—and if the violence perpetrated against him had been random or deliberate.
    I opened my eyes and glanced at Tom’s computer screen. He was composing an e-mail to his office staff, telling them he wouldn’t be flying home tonight as planned. Not wanting to be nosy, I caught the words “unexpected emergency” and “will be in touch” before turning my head away. I realized I didn’t know much about Tom’s relationship with Eli or how or when they first met. I knew only that they were friends and that they shared a great mutual respect for each other. Eli was the original connection between me and Tom, the person who first recognized the fact that a man who wanted to give away some of his millions could do worse than employ a woman who held a private investigator’s license and a law degree with a specialty in the nonprofit sector. Eli had coordinated the entire employment process, putting Tom in touch with me so that he could offer me the job of director of research for the new J.O.S.H.U.A. Foundation and then convincing me to take the job Tom was offering.
    I owed Eli everything, not only for introducing me to Tom and for my wonderful job, but also for the years he spent training me to be a detective and for his continued guidance and friendship now that he was retired and married and living in Cocoa Beach. It made me physically sick to think of the sniper in Florida who had positioned himself in some secluded spot so that he could shoot our beloved Eli.
    “Callie, you’re trembling,” Tom said, his arm pressed against mine.
    I shook my head in denial, but he closed his laptop, put it away, and turned toward me.
    “You might not want to talk,” he said in a soft voice, “but why don't we take a moment to pray?”
    Gathering my hands in his, he bowed his head and whispered a long, soothing prayer, asking for protection and peace and healing. About halfway through, I began to calm down, and by the end I knew that whatever happened, the Lord had His hand on Eli—and on us as well.
    “Please don’t shut me out,” he said, handing me a clean handkerchief from his pocket. “Talk to me, Callie.”
    “It’s just hard,” I admitted. “I’m scared. I don’t want someone else I love to die.”
    “He’ll be out of surgery by the time we get there,” he said. “You’ll be able to talk to him yourself and see that he’s going to be okay.”
    “I hope so, Tom.” Tears threatened to fill my eyes again, but I blinked them away and sat up straight when I saw the flight attendant approaching.
    She asked if we would like anything to drink and we both asked for coffee, knowing we would probably be up the rest of the night. Thinking of what this sudden trip did to my own schedule, I took out my laptop, signed up for in-flight internet, and e-mailed Harriet to let her know what was going on. Then I e-mailed Lindsey, my dog-sitter. This was the third extension in three weeks with her, and I was hoping she would be flexible again, as she usually was. I thought of my little Maltese, Sal, and felt a twinge of guilt. One of these days I was going to come home and Sal wasn’t even going to remember me.
    The rest of the flight was uneventful. Looking around, I realized that the first-class cabin was empty except for one woman who sat in the front row. I could see only the side of her carefully coifed hair and her left hand, which sat on the arm rest, a diamond ring the size of a small country on her fourth finger. I glanced down at my own hand, at my wedding ring, the simple gold band Bryan had slipped onto my finger the day we were married. I had promised to love him until death, and then I had been forced to fulfill that promise far too quickly.
    Eli had never made any promises to me like that, except that he would always be there for me. Now it was my turn to be there for him. I could only hope that whatever he needed me to do, I was up to