Book of Days: A Novel Read Online Free PDF

a book he'd seen that he wanted Cameron to find. It was a nightmare version of déjà vu. It couldn't be the same book, could it?
"Jessie, are you talking about a book with all days in it?"
"No time." She coughed again. "You have the stone, yes?"
"What stone?" He stared into her eyes, as if he could do it with enough intensity to climb inside her mind.
"I gave you . . . before I left . . . this afternoon." She sucked in a stilted breath. "You must not lose it. It's the key."
"Yes, I have the stone, but a key to what?"
She closed her eyes and her head slipped back.
"Jessie!"
Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped for air.
"Use it to find the book, okay?" She blinked and drew another breath.
"What book? My dad's book?"
"He saw it too? You never told me." She coughed out a barely audible laugh. "That's God. He loves you so much, Cameron."
"I thought Dad was crazy."
"Promise you'll find it." Her eyes closed. "It's okay."
Tears fought their way onto his cheeks.
"No. No tears, Aragorn." The most precious name she had for him.
"You can't leave me, Jessie."
"I have to. It's going to be all right, I promise." Her grip on his hand faded. "Someday you'll know that it's okay."
Jessie drew one more breath and locked her eyes on his. "I love you, Cameron. Always and forever."
    He blinked back tears as he shook his head.
    Unbelievable.
    Jessie and his dad both saw this book, whatever it was, or at least they believed they saw something.
    Cameron stood and wiped his moist palms on his shorts as he paced back and forth on the top of the cliff near his tent. Was the book real?
    He had to find out.
    Now.
    And he needed help.
    But from whom?
    Someone who wouldn't think he was nuts when he told his dad's and Jessie's story. Someone he could trust. Someone who knew Jessie almost as well as he did.
    He sighed and slumped forward.
    No, he wouldn't call her.
    But he had no choice. He picked up his iPhone and scrolled through his contacts. If she was still in Portland, her number would be in there.
    "Hello?"
    "Hi, Ann, it's Cameron Vaux."
    "Yeah, I saw that on caller ID."
    "It's been a long time. How are you?"
    "Fine."
    Cold as ever. What was he doing? He could hang up right now and Ann wouldn't call back. He needed another option. If only there was one.
    "Cameron?"
    "Yeah, I'm here. Are you still doing investigative reporting?"
    "No, I'm hosting Adventure Northwest. For almost two years now."
    "That's right, I'd heard that." He rubbed his forehead. "Today's the anniversary of Jessie's—."
    "What do you need, Cameron?"
    "I thought maybe you would want to talk about—"
    "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but we haven't had a conversation in two years, and it seems a little strange that you want to talk about Jessie all of a sudden."
    Cameron massaged the back of his neck and walked to the edge of the cliff. No choice. He had to tell her. "I have to talk to you about something important."
    "Okay."
    "When my dad was forty-two, forty-three, his mind started slipping."
    "I remember Jessie mentioning something about that, but I never knew the details."
    Did he really want to get into this with Ann? Cameron glanced at the river below surging with the spring runoff. No choice.
    "Are you there, Cameron?"
    "I'm not sure I want to talk about this."
    "So why'd you call?"
    "I don't know." A red-tailed hawk soared above him screaming kee-eeee-ar as he tried to make a decision.
    "Do you want to call me back?"
    "I . . ."
    "Look, Cameron, I know we've clashed in the past, but if you want to talk I'm willing."
    He pressed his lips together and drew a deep breath. "I need to tell you the last thing my dad said to me."
    "Okay."
    "It was bizarre at the time, but now I'm not so sure." Cameron paused. This he needed to remember with as much accuracy as possible. "He said I would get the same disease he had. Not if, but when. "
    "I'm sorry."
    "I went to my fifteen-year reunion a few weeks ago and didn't remember people."
    "I'm going to mine next year. I'm sure I'll