“Do you want me to pick up Ed and Tess tomorrow?” Arthur asked. “I can bring them out so you can finish cleaning up here.”
“That would be great,” Amy said. “Do you know Ed?”
“He visited after I was discharged the first time.” Arthur shifted uncomfortably. He probably hadn’t been receptive to the visit.
They walked out to the car and said their goodbyes. It wasn’t long before they were heading back to town, with Penelope in the front with Sam.
Jordan sat quietly next to Gretchen. “Are you all right?” she asked.
He shrugged, looking out the window, taking a bite of the sandwich Amy had sent him home with.
“It’s pretty exciting, isn’t it?”
Another shrug.
Gretchen sighed. “We couldn’t have stayed there longer.”
“It’s not that. I’m just thinking,” Jordan said.
“What about?”
“Stuff.”
Right. She let him be and turned her thoughts towards what to do about Kurt. She needed to get rid of him for good.
Could the Lee they’d mentioned be any help? Perhaps he could get information which would lead to Kurt’s arrest. But she had no idea where to find him and if he was dangerous, she didn’t want to risk getting herself into more trouble.
The rivers across the road had lowered, and it wasn’t difficult to get back into town. Most of the debris had been cleared from the roads, but there were still power lines down, and piles of branches and rubbish on the sides of the road. Tarps covered a lot of houses and there were signs pointing to the recreation centre if people needed food or shelter. Many of the streets were dark because power hadn’t been restored, but the town was bouncing back. Gretchen felt a pinch of guilt for not helping here.
“I’ll tell you what Dot and Nhiari say,” Sam said as he pulled up in front of Gretchen’s place.
“Thanks, mate,” Arthur said.
Inside, Gretchen did a loop through the house to make sure they hadn’t missed anything this morning, but it all seemed to be in good condition. Lucky. One street they’d driven down looked as if it had caught the brunt of the storm, with roofs missing and trees down all the way along it.
“Shower and then bed, Jordan,” Gretchen said, gently nudging her sleepy-eyed son towards the bathroom. He went without complaint, and it wasn’t long before she tucked him in and turned off the light. She returned to the kitchen, where Arthur had made them both a cup of tea and had chopped some cheese and fruit for dinner. Gretchen popped a piece of cheese into her mouth and savoured the taste. She settled on the couch next to Arthur and curled into him. “What a day.”
He rubbed her arm. “I can’t believe we found buried treasure.”
She grinned. “I felt like a kid again.”
“Me too.”
She lifted her head and kissed him. “Good sleuthing, Sherlock.”
He chuckled. “Thanks.”
She closed her eyes, enjoying the way his laugh reverberated through her chest. “Will you spend the night in my bed?”
She felt his intake of breath. “You don’t think Jordan will mind?”
“I doubt he’ll be up before us, but no, I don’t think he will.”
“Then I’d love to.”
She smiled and snuggled into his embrace.
Chapter 19
