Demon Wind by Kay wilde Read Free Book Online Page B

a "beats-the-hell-out-of-me" shake of his head.
    "Assuming everything you said is true, Emma, how can you be so sure that it is Rachel and Nicolo?"
    Jayden asked.
    Emma’s response was an almost girlish chuckle. "We asked ourselves that same question. Robert and I were sitting in the living room discussing it, when we heard his typewriter in the den. Robert used an old electric typewriter when he wrote, said he was too old to learn computers. Anyway, when we went in the den to investigate, typed at the bottom of the page Robert had left in the typewriter was: RACHEL
    LOVES NICOLO. They do have a unique way of making their point."
    Having first hand experience with a similar occurrence, Jayden couldn’t dispute Emma’s words. "What about the book? Did your husband ever finish it?"
    In response to Jayden’s question, Emma rose to her feet and walked to the counter where she picked up a box, and returned to the table. "He finished it, but we decided it shouldn’t be published. We didn’t want people swarming the beach trying to prove or disprove Robert’s findings, or worse yet, lonely people hoping Rachel and Nicolo would help them find their soulmate. We decided it was best to leave the Demon Wind legend as is, and leave Rachel and Nicolo with what ever peace they’ve been able to find."
    Emma placed the box on the table in front of Jayden. "I’m giving the book to you for safe keeping. It might help you explain, when someone comes to you for answers, as you have to me."

    * * * *

    The ride home was a silent one, yet it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. They both had so much to absorb, so much to think about. Tyce put in a Norah Jones CD, and when he took Jayden’s hand and held it while driving with the other hand on the wheel, it felt so natural, so right. Jayden put her head back against the headrest, closed her eyes and listened to the music, relaxing for the first time since she awoke to find sand in her bed.
    "You awake?" Tyce asked as he brought the vehicle to a stop.
    "Yeah, just thinking. Where are we?"
    "My place. After what happened earlier, I was afraid you’d have trouble sleeping in the cottage tonight,"
    Tyce responded, then suggested. "I have a guest room, several in fact. You can take your pick." Jayden hesitated so long that Tyce was beginning to think he’d over stepped his bounds.
    "What if I don’t want to sleep in a guest room?" was what she was thinking. What she said was, "I’d appreciate that. So much has happened today that I didn’t even consider how I’d feel in the cottage tonight."
    "I don’t know about you, but except for Emma’s cookies, I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.
    Are you hungry?" he asked.
    Until Tyce mentioned food, Jayden hadn’t given it much thought. She was surprised to realize that she was indeed hungry. "Starving."
    As a frequent visitor to the beach house before Kathy and Ben Clarkson were forced to relocate in Seattle, Jayden was familiar with the layout of the kitchen. Working together as if it were a regular evening routine, Jayden chopped red peppers, sausage links, and grated cheese for omelets, while Tyce got out the dishes, broke eggs into a bowl and used a whisk to beat them. They talked about everything, except Emma’s story and the Demon Wind.
    "You and your grandmother are so close, I’m surprised you didn’t move in with her after her heart attack," Tyce said. His statement wasn’t meant as a criticism and Jayden didn’t take it as such.
    Putting the knife aside, Jayden reached for the cheese grater as she answered. "I wanted to, believe me, but Grams is a proud lady. She’s terrified of losing her independence, so I didn’t press the issue. She has Helen, her live-in housekeeper, whom I trust totally. They’re more like best friends than employer and employee. If I use the path from the cottage to the main house, I can get to her almost as fast as I can
    drive the distance; faster if I run."
    "Wise decision," Tyce agreed.