River's End Read Online Free PDF

legs Indian style. His hair was a beautiful mix of gold and silver around a narrow face that was tanned and handsome. The eyes of deep amber he’d passed to his younger daughter, and to her daughter, were fanned with lines and widely set under dark brows.
    His hand, long and wide-palmed, reached out to lie on Olivia’s shoulder in an instinctive gesture of protection as he studied the men behind Jamie.
    “Dad.” Jamie forced her lips into a smile. “This is Detective Brady and Detective Harmon. My father, Rob MacBride.”
    Rob rose, and though he offered his hand to each detective in turn, he kept himself between them and his granddaughter. “What’s this about, Jamie?”
    “They need to talk to Livvy.” She pitched her voice low and gripped his hand before he could protest. “They need to,” she repeated, squeezing. “Please, Dad, Mom’s upset. She’s lying down in your room. I’m going to stay here. I’ll be right here with Livvy the whole time. Go talk to Mom. Please . . .” Because her voice threatened to break, she took a moment. “Please, we have to get through this. For Julie.”
    He bent, rested his brow against hers. Just stood that way for a moment, his body bowed, his hand in hers. “I’ll talk to your mother.”
    “Where are you going, Grandpop? We haven’t finished the puzzle.”
    He glanced back, fighting the tears that wanted to swim into his eyes. “I’ll be back, Livvy love. Don’t grow up while I’m gone.”
    She giggled at that, but her thumb had found its way into her mouth as she stared up at Frank.
    She knew who he was—the policeman with long arms and green eyes. His face looked tired and sad. But she remembered he had a nice voice and gentle hands.
    “Hi, Livvy.” Frank crouched down. “Do you remember me?”
    She nodded and spoke around her thumb. “You’re Frank the policeman. You chased the monster away. Is it coming back?”
    “No.”
    “Can you find my mama? She had to go to heaven and she must be lost. Can you go find her?”
    “I wish I could.” Frank sat on the floor, folded his legs as her grandfather had.
    Tears welled into her eyes, trembled on her lashes and cut at Frank’s heart like tiny blades. “Is it because she’s a star? Stars have to be in heaven.”
    He heard Jamie’s low sound of despair behind him, quickly controlled as she stepped forward. But he needed the child’s trust now, so he laid a hand on her cheek and went with instinct. “Sometimes, when we’re really lucky, very special stars get to stay with us for a while. When they have to go back, it makes us sad. It’s all right to be sad. Did you know the stars are there, even in the daytime?”
    “You can’t see them.”
    “No, but they’re there, and they can see us. Your mother’s always going to be there, looking out for you.”
    “I want her to come home. We’re going to have a party in the garden with my dolls.”
    “Do your dolls like parties?”
    “Everybody likes parties.” She picked up the Kermit she’d brought with her from home. “He eats bugs.”
    “That’s a frog for you. Does he like them plain or with chocolate syrup?”
    Her eyes brightened at that. “I like everything with chocolate syrup. Do you have a little girl?”
    “No, but I have a little boy, and he used to eat bugs.”
    Now she laughed and her thumb popped back out of her mouth. “He did not.”
    “Oh yes. I was afraid he’d turn green and start hopping.” Idly, Frank picked up a puzzle piece, fit it into place. “I like puzzles. That’s why I became a policeman. We work on puzzles all the time.”
    “This is Cinderella at the ball. She has a bea-u-tiful dress and a pumpkin.”
    “Sometimes I work on puzzles in my head, but I need helpwith the pieces to make the picture in there. Do you think you can help me, Livvy, by telling me about the night I met you?”
    “You came to my closet. I thought you were the monster, but you weren’t.”
    “That’s right. Can you tell me what