Chapter 17
Seventeen
They’d just finished lunch when Kaely turned the conversation to Shannon. “Erin, why don’t you let Shannon tell you about the book she’s writing,” she said. “It sounds really interesting.”
“Kaely,” Shannon said. “Please. I don’t want . . .”
“Shannon, it’s okay.” Erin tried hard to make it sound as if she truly meant it.
“Just give me a brief summary. I’d really like to hear about it.
” Although she wasn’t a Christian, she’d been thinking a lot about God lately.
She was fairly certain that lying was one of the big sins.
But in this situation, she was simply trying to spare someone’s feelings.
Would that cover her fib? She wasn’t so certain.
Shannon offered her a tremulous smile and took a deep breath. She rattled off a description of her book. It was romantic suspense, and the premise wasn’t bad. Erin nodded at her when she stopped talking.
“I think you’ve got a great idea,” Erin said, which she meant. “How far along are you?”
“I’m almost done,” Shannon said. “I’m just having problems with the ending.”
Please don’t ask me to read it. Please don’t ask me to read it.
“I have to ask. Have you studied writing methods? There are several important techniques writers need to know that can help their book get noticed. I studied writing in college, but I still had more to learn before I started Dark Matters. Writing fiction is tricky, and to be honest, a lot of what I was taught in school wasn’t beneficial. ”
“I’ve studied quite a bit. Hopefully, it will be enough.”
Erin mentioned several books that had been helpful to her as Shannon took notes.
“Also, I’d recommend you have your book edited before you start sending it to agents,” she added.
Shannon frowned. “I need an agent?”
“For the larger publishers you do. Trust me, a good agent is worth the fifteen percent they charge. If you’ll finish your novel and have it edited, I’ll give you the names of some agents I trust. I’d advise you not to search for one on your own. There are a lot of scammers out there.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Unfortunately, there are quite a few minefields out there for writers,” Erin said. “I only avoided them because I did some research before I sent out queries.”
“And that’s how you landed the agent you have now?” Shannon asked.
Erin smiled. “No, I drove my first agent nuts. The one I have now is much more patient with me.”
“Okay,” Shannon said. “Thank you, Erin. Now I just have one other favor to ask you.” She got up and grabbed the satchel she’d carried in with her.
Erin prayed it wasn’t her manuscript. Thankfully, she pulled out a copy of Dark Matters.
She blushed as she handed it to Erin. “Would you sign this for me?”
Erin still wasn’t used to the way people treated her because she was an author.
She’d spent several years as a cop, putting her life on the line, saving lives and defending the populace.
Yet most of the response in the neighborhood where she was assigned was negative.
Sometimes hateful. She’d been spit on and called names more than once.
Sure, some of the people who lived there appreciated the police and counted on their protection, but a lot of them were afraid to admit it.
Powerful gangs kept families and older people locked inside their homes or apartments, afraid to leave because of the violence.
Erin had been able to keep going because of the residents she knew needed her help.
At least until . . . She caught herself thinking about that night again and forced her mind to concentrate on Shannon and signing her book.
When would that night stop haunting her?
She wrote “Good luck with your writing, Shannon. Someday I hope to ask you to sign your book for me!” Then she added her name. When she handed the book back to Shannon, her smile told Erin that she’d written the right thing.
“Thank you,” Shannon said. “I really appreciate everything you shared with me. I better get going. I know you both have somewhere to go.”
She got up from the table and put the book back in her satchel. Kaely came over and hugged her. “I’ll try to make it for coffee next week,” she said. “If I have to reschedule, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Kaely,” Shannon said, her brown eyes tearing up. “And thank you, Erin. I can’t tell you what this has meant to me.”
“You’re welcome. Hope things work out for you. And like I said, when you’re ready for an agent, contact me. Kaely can give you my email address, or you can send me a message through my website.”
Shannon nodded and scurried for the front door. After she left, Kaely grinned at her. “You mean the website you hate?”
“I don’t hate it. In fact, it’s wonderful.
It wasn’t something I initially wanted, but I guess authors are supposed to have them.
” Her first agent had insisted she have a website and recommended someone to set it up and maintain it.
So, after a lot of work on his part, and very little from her, was born.
She ended up really liking it, especially since she didn’t have to spend much time on it.
“My webmaster has been incredible. I really don’t know what I’d do without him. ”
Kaely grinned. “Sometimes I wonder why your agent and publisher even put up with you.”
“I guess it’s because I’m so incredibly talented,” Erin said, raising her nose in the air.
“Now I’m thinking about dumping that cup of cappuccino on your head.”
“The joke’s on you,” Erin said, laughing. “I drank every last drop. It was delicious.”
Kaely picked up some of the dirty dishes on the table and carried them to the sink. Erin grabbed the rest. “Thanks for what you said about this lawsuit. I feel better, but Brandon really did seem concerned. He has a lot of experience in the industry.”
“You haven’t been with him long. Maybe he’s just stressed. Having you for a client might cause that.”
Erin shook her head. Kaely’s lighthearted banter wasn’t fooling her.
She was trying to keep her from worrying.
And it was working . . . somewhat. But for now, she had to concentrate on talking to the lead investigator at the command center.
Although her agoraphobia was better, the idea of being in a large building full of people she didn’t know made her heart race.
And being questioned by someone who might think she had something to do with the deaths made it worse.
God, still not sure I believe everything that Kaely does, but if You’re listening, I could really use some help.
“I really think you should stay in the hospital overnight,” the ER doctor said. “Just to make sure you’re okay.”
“You said you don’t believe I have a concussion,” Adrian said. “And you’ve stitched up the gash in my head. Except for a blinding headache, I’m fine. I need to get back to work.”
The doctor, who according to his name tag was named J.
S. Dunkin, sighed, and pulled a pad out of the pocket of his white coat.
“I’m writing a prescription for something a little stronger than over-the-counter medicine.
At least go home, take one of these, and get some rest.” He wrote out something on the pad, tore off a sheet, and then handed it to Adrian.
“Thanks, Doc.” He put the prescription in his pocket but had no plans to have it filled. He needed to find out who had attacked him at Erin’s cabin. And why.
After the doctor left, Lisa said, “You have no intention of obeying the doctor’s orders, do you?” She pushed back a strand of her strawberry blonde hair off her face. “You know, there are other people in our department who could follow up on what happened.”
“You’re right,” Adrian said, struggling to smile even though it felt as if his head was getting ready to explode.
“About the first part. We’re going back to Erin’s.
I want to see if we can find anything helpful.
I also want to make sure her automatic lights come on when they’re supposed to this evening. ”
“We can do that. Please go home and rest.”
He shook his head, even though it hurt. “I need to find out who hit me. I want him.”
Lisa sighed loudly. “Okay, boss. Whatever you say. But only if you stop by the pharmacy and get that filled. I want to know that you’ll have it tonight if you need it.”
Adrian started to protest, but she raised her hand.
“No. And I mean this. I’ll tell everyone at the station to ignore you.
And you know they’ll listen to me if I convince them it’s the best thing for you.
You also need to follow up with Doc Gibson.
I’m sure the emergency room doctor is good, but Doc Gibson is your doctor.
He needs to take a look at you. You call him, or I will. ”
“You call him, and I’ll fire you.”
She didn’t react, she just stared at him. He had no doubt she would do everything she’d just threatened to do. “Okay. This evening I’ll stop on the way home and have the prescription filled. But no Doc Gibson. I mean it. He’s too bossy.”
Lisa didn’t acknowledge what he’d said. “You’ve also got to call Erin, you know.”
“I will. But I’m just going to tell her that I think someone may have been hanging around the cabin.
I don’t want to alarm her. She needs to stay where she is.
Especially after this. I have no idea why I was attacked.
It could have been Erin instead of me. We need to find this guy before she comes home. ”
“I think you should tell her the truth,” Lisa said. “But whatever you decide, we’ll all back you.”
Adrian got up from the exam table. He had to hold onto the side of the table because the room started to spin.
He smiled at Lisa as if everything was okay.
He was determined to find out what was going on at Erin’s cabin.
He had to make certain she was safe. That was more important to him than the pain in his head.
He would do everything he could to protect her.