Cades Cove 01 - Cades Cove: A Novel of Terror by Aiden James Read Free Book Online Page A

for another time, son. There’s Jarrod and Smitty.”
    He pointed to Tyler’s two best friends, and he watched his son walk with them toward the school’s main entrance, so proud of the boy becoming a young man. Just like Miriam prophesied, several girls came up to Tyler and admired his new jacket, while Jarrod and Smitty looked on in envy.
     
    ***
     
    Norm Sowell leaned over David’s desk at Johnson, Simms & Perrault, the accounting firm they both worked for. Deeply tanned and strikingly handsome with piercing blue eyes, thick dark brown hair, and a disarming smile, Norman Sowell III fit the perfect image of corporate success in an Armani suit. David’s best friend outside of Miriam, he built an impressive resume from his tireless drive as the firm’s top attorney. Pals for nearly twenty years, shortly after they met as incoming freshmen football players at the University of Colorado, their mutual love of sports and the great outdoors attracted them both to Boulder. Like David, Norm hailed from the southern part of the country, in his case, Tupelo, Mississippi.
    “ So, how was your trip, bro?”
    “ Great,” said David. “Honestly, I’d have to say it was one of the best times Miriam and I’ve shared in the past ten years.”
    “ Good for you, David,” said Norm, his tone envious. “You seem happier than before you left, so if that’s what adds the spice back into your love life, then more power to you.” He smiled and stood up straight, adjusting his tie. “If lunch is still on for today, how about we shoot for twelve-thirty?”
    “ Sure,” said David, briefly wondering whether his buddy coveted the vacation or the intimacy with his wife. “I’ll meet you out front. I brought the Z, so I’m driving today. That way, we’ll be sure to get back on time before Ned sends a posse looking for me.”
    He lowered his eyeglasses, which he only wore when working, smiling slyly in reference to Norm’s penchant for long lunches to take care of ‘personal business’ errands.
    “‘ Sounds good,” said Norm after he started to move down the hall toward the legal department. “I’ll see you then!”
    A very busy morning, the lack of sleep on top of such an enjoyable, and yet strange, weekend made it hard for him to focus. Nonetheless, by noon David managed to make a serious dent in the mound of paperwork stacked on his desk. His boss, Ned Badgett, came by just before he planned to meet Norm for lunch.
    “ It’s good to have you back, David!” he said, squeezing his shoulder. “Did you find the place we talked about?”
    “ Yeah, I did,” said David. He smiled, and for an instant thought about Allie Mae’s Treasures and the lonely ‘Allie +’ carved into the oak in the ravine. “The spot was as special as you said it’d be, Ned,” he added, unaware his smile had faded slightly. “Thanks again for the advice.”
    “ No problem at all,” said Ned. He studied David’s face as if trying to define the subtle change in demeanor. Still, he seemed pleased by his report.
    Significantly older than all of his subordinates, Ned did little to minimize that fact. His gray thinning hair and drooping jowls clearly announced he had passed the short end of sixty. A driven perfectionist, he took an instant liking to David when he joined the firm after Norm successfully recruited him away from Blakely & Jones, a much smaller accounting firm, four years earlier. Ned planned to retire soon and groomed David to step into his role as manager of the mortgage services department. Like him, Ned grew up in rural Tennessee and then went to college in Colorado, in his case the University of Denver. Their common heritage helped create a bond of mutual kinship.
    “ I’ll take it easy on you today, and let you get through the rest of the King’s Inc. reports Nancy brought up here earlier.” Ned glanced at the shrinking pile on David’s desk. “We’ve got the Applewood Associates audit coming up Thursday, so we’ll