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Just as she started to turn the page, something caught Dean’s eye. He put his hand out and stopped the page from turning. “Mack, look. Read this.”
April 19, 1947
Today the Coast Guard called off the search for the missing girl, who fell to her death, over the cliffs on the evening of the 14th. Clothes have come ashore on the beach, but as of yet, there is still no sign of a body.
If anyone has any information about the identity of the missing girl, please contact . . .
“Could this be Rose?” She lifted her face up to look at Dean, excitement filling her eyes.
He pulled her out of the chair and onto his lap. “I don’t know. It sounds like it. But why isn’t her name in the article? It’s as though no one knows it’s Rose.”
She snuggled into him. “I’m going to have to ask Thomas. It just doesn’t make sense. Her family obviously had money. If her father was trying to marry her off to a wealthy guy, her drowning should have been bigger news.”
“Come on, let’s go and get something to eat, then head back and see if there’s anything out there on the internet about Rose. There should at least be a death certificate we can view.”
Chapter 27
“Are you enjoying your lunch?” Thomas wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled at Lucas, who was arranging his remaining fries into a row of soldiers on his plate.
“Yeah, that was really awesome.” He shoveled more ketchup-covered fries into his mouth. “Hey, look! It’s Auntie Mack and Dean,” Lucas shouted. He shot up out of his chair, ran out of the door and into Mack’s arms.
“Are you okay, Lucas?” she asked as Dean walked around his bike and started to ruffle his hair.
“Great, I can play poker,” Lucas added with great pride.
“Oh, you can, can you?” She grinned at Dean.
Dean took Mack by the hand and led the way inside to be introduced to Levi. Walt had already left before they had got there.
Mack looked stunned. “You’re Levi. I mean, Levi?” She laughed. “Sorry, I’m not usually an idiot. I mean Levi as in the childhood friend of Thomas?” She found it unbelieva
ble that Levi and Thomas were still best friends after all these years.
Dean handed her an ice-cold Pepsi and put his down on the table. He carried a couple of chairs over for himself and Mack. Placing both chairs close together, he eased Mack down into hers. He needed to touch her and put his arm around her. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and whispered in her ear, “What’s wrong?”
Mack turned to reply and stopped when she realized just how close to Dean’s face she was. Looking into his eyes, she leaned forward slightly. “It’s okay.” Then she kissed him. “Just making sure the ladies over there know that you’re mine. Plus, I couldn’t resist.”
She moved slightly away and noticed a twinkle in Thomas’s eye. He probably has us married already, she thought. After she’d taken a long drink of her Pepsi, she looked over at Thomas. “How long have you known Levi?”
“Seventy-seven years, or thereabouts.”
Dean put his drink down rather abruptly. “Damn, that’s a hell of a long time.”
Mack looked just as shocked. “In Rose’s diary, she mentioned you a couple of times. In fact, the description that really made me laugh was about you and Thomas absconding with an apple pie, and that you both got caught returning the plate.”
“I remember that as though it was yesterday,” Levi replied, laughing.
Dean could see the wheels turning in Mack’s head and wondered how long it would take her to start questioning Levi.
Dean was seated close with his hand caressing her thigh, her hip, or anywhere else he could reach. Right now, his hand was caressing the back of her neck. Mack had her hand on his thigh and was sliding it up and down. He wasn’t sure she knew what she was doing. Boy, another couple of inches, and she would know just how much she affected him.
“Levi, can I ask you something?”
He paused and took a drink, and then he quickly glanced at Thomas. “Yes, I guess. As long as it isn’t going to get me into trouble.”
Dean reached down and removed her hand from his thigh. She was playing hell with his libido. He laced their fingers together while she decided what to ask Levi.
“Do you remember Rose? What she was like?”
