Chapter 62

RILEY

"Is this my favorite son's room?"

I opened my eyes and tried not to smile. "Mom? I thought you weren't arriving for another hour."

"The flight landed ahead of time." Kathleen walked across the room and gave me a hug. "How are you feeling?"

Tears stung my eyes. "Not too good at the moment."

She kissed me gently on my unbruised cheek, then sat on the edge of the bed. "Eric said you were very brave."

"If Granddad's hideout wasn't there, I don't know what would have happened."

"He was keeping you safe. I've been so worried about you."

We sat in silence, holding each other's hands. All I could think about was how lucky I was to have so many people who loved me.

Mom rubbed my arm. "Have you talked to the police about what happened?"

"They left a little while ago."

Someone knocked on the door. "Is it all right if I come in?"

As soon as I saw Eric, my heart squeezed tight. Each time I woke during the night, he was beside me. He held my hand when I couldn't get Chapman's evil face out of my dreams. When my arm throbbed, he told me stories about his family and, when I was thirsty, he brought ice cubes for me to suck.

"Did you find a parking space?" Mom asked.

"I did. As it turned out, there was one fairly close to the hospital's entrance." He smiled at me. "I like your shirt."

I tried to smile but gave up. "Jonathan bought me some clothes. It makes me feel almost normal."

"Has the doctor said anything about discharging you?"

"Not yet," I sighed. "The nurses don't think he'll see me until later in the day."

Mom frowned. "Are you tired?"

I shook my head. "I had some sleep before the police came to see me." I studied Eric's exhausted face. "Did you get some sleep this morning?"

"A few hours. I'll sleep better tonight knowing you're okay. Do you mind if I come back in an hour? I need to call my agent and then check that Sherlock's okay."

"Of course, I don't mind," I said quickly. "You've been amazing. I don't know what I would have done without you."

A sad smile settled on Eric's face. "We make a good team. I'll see you later."

Mom gave Eric a hug.

After he left the room, she frowned. "Is he okay?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm worried about him, too."

"Maybe he's still processing everything. It was bad enough when I heard what happened over the phone. But to be there,"—tears filled Mom's eyes—"I don't know how Eric did it."

Neither did I.

Mom wiped her eyes and found a smile from somewhere. "I brought you a gift." She opened her suitcase and pulled out a book bound in dark red leather. "I've been thinking about Sunrise Bay. Your granddad and grandma had so many wonderful photos and stories about what it used to be like. I wanted to keep those stories alive, so I made you a book." She handed me the album. "What do you think?"

I opened the album to the first page. "Oh, Mom." I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. Sitting in the middle of the page was a photo of me with my mom, dad, and grandparents. The caption under the photograph read, ‘Forever in our hearts. With love always to Riley, our beautiful son and grandson.'

I turned to the next page. A picture of Granddad standing in front of a steamboat made me sigh. He would have been about twenty years old, single, and from what Grandma said, the most handsome man in all of Colorado.

"Thank you for making this for me."

Mom kissed my cheek. "I thought you'd appreciate seeing it now. So many good things have happened in Sunrise Bay. You've had a horrible experience. This might help to put everything into perspective."

I studied the photo of my grandfather. Even in his early twenties, he had the kind of smile that made you feel as if you were the most important person in the world. My eyes widened when I saw the logo on the boat. "It's the Hummingbird."

Mom nodded. "He used to help maintain the engine. When I was little, he told me it was his dream job."

"The branch in the forest, the one shaped like a bird. Did Granddad make that?"

Mom moved closer to the album. "He did. When the boat owner was searching for a picture to go on the logo, your granddad showed him a drawing of the sculpture. The owner liked it so much that he used it. Somewhere on the next few pages is a photo of your granddad carving the wood. I'm not sure why, but it was the only sculpture he ever made."

I found the picture and fresh tears filled my eyes. "When I was running through the forest, I didn't know where to go. As soon as I saw Granddad's sculpture, I knew the safest place was his hideout."

Tears welled in Mom's eyes. "He really was keeping you safe."

I touched the photo of Granddad. He proudly stood beside the half-finished sculpture, smiling into the camera as if he knew something no one else did.

And perhaps he did.