The Pact (A Sarah Roberts Thriller Book 17) Read Online Free PDF Page B

admitted.
     
    “It was,” Amelia said. “I’ve lived with guilt ever since that day.”
     
    “I’m sorry.” Sarah wanted to go to her mother, hold her. Amelia sat hunched up, her shoulders curled over the top of her chest, bottom lip quivering.
     
    “Vivian unselfishly did it for others, for strangers,” her father continued. “She gave up not just a piece of herself or some time, she gave up her life. A chance to grow up, to grow old. To get married. It really hit us hard when we read everything.” The dark circles under Caleb’s eyes led to tears as his eyes glazed over. “We can’t lose you, too. That’s why we called you right away and couriered that letter to Aaron, or Aarow as Vivian called him. She was bad with names. On Parkman’s letter she separated his name to say, Park Man. Vivian must’ve thought the message was for a man who managed or took care of the local park.”
     
    Parkman laughed quietly for a brief moment. The tension in the room eased. It gave her father a chance to wipe his eyes.
     
    “Excuse me,” Amelia said as she got up.
     
    They watched her head to the guest bathroom.
     
    “When’s my flight, Dad?”
     
    “Tomorrow morning at eight.” He grabbed a couple of papers on the table to his left. “It’s all right here. In Toronto at five-thirty after a quick layover.” He handed her the itinerary. “Then off to Denmark. You’re to land in Copenhagen, transfer planes and fly to a small city called Billund. There you’re to find transportation to a city called Skanderborg. That’s all I was told. I did my part. Now you have to do yours and get on those planes.”
     
    She took the rest of the papers from him. “Any idea why I’m to fly to Skanderborg?”
     
    Caleb shook his head. “None. Sorry.”
     
    “Parkman? Anything from you on this?”
     
    “Nothing.” He shook his head too, truth in his eyes.
     
    She gathered the sheets and folded them, taking note of the time. It was almost ten in the evening. She would want to shower and get to the guest room within the hour.
     
    “I need one more shot of whiskey before bed.”
     
    Caleb got the bottle and filled her glass.
     
    “What I can’t figure out is the part about Vivian’s pact with me. Isn’t that what we already have?”
     
    “I tried to figure it out as well, but couldn’t.” Caleb set the whiskey bottle back on the table. “And how is Aaron to be murdered by time? And how can pain be behind everything?”
     
    Something clicked for Sarah. It occurred to her that they were looking at it all wrong. She jumped up from the couch nearly spilling her whiskey.
     
    “I think I’ve got something.”
     
    “Got what?” Parkman asked.
     
    Sarah ran for the guest room, passing her mother on the way. Once she’d gathered the letter from Vivian, she went back out to the living room.
     
    Amelia sat beside her husband, looking refreshed.
     
    Sarah scanned the letter, rereading the parts she had misunderstood earlier.
     
    “Sarah, you have us all in knots here,” her mother said. “What have you figured out?”
     
    She looked up from the letter. “They are names. People’s names, or nicknames. Aaron will be murdered by the clock. Vivian means someone known as The Clock. A nickname. Someone known for being on time.” Sarah scanned the letter. “Pain is behind everything, Vivian says here.” She looked up. “Whoever Pain is, another nickname, he’s the one causing the problem. Find Pain, end this.”
     
    Parkman sat forward on the couch. He was nodding. “That makes a lot of sense. Any idea who Oaf and son is yet? Or the Danish blonde?”
     
    “No, but something tells me I’ll find out soon enough. I’m going to Toronto, right. As soon as we figure out who Pain and The Clock are, it’ll lead us to figure out the rest.” She drank back the rest of the whiskey. “Now, I need a computer and I need sleep. I need to see if someone named Pain or The Clock are known in Toronto.