Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
M itch had joined Kyle and Ruthie for lunch but then gone straight back to his office, because Joyce and Beryl had commandeered the kitchen for their big dinner. Much better to be secluded, away from all that female energy. It was nice, but a little exhausting.
But also, he was nearly at the end of Kyle’s book and was eager to find out who the killer was.
Kyle was leaving to take Ruthie to the Mommy and Me class at the community center, anyway, so there was no reason for Mitch not to work. Except he wasn’t working, he was reading.
He’d taken his tablet to the couch and stopped pretending he was the slightest bit interested in his own story at the moment. All he wanted to do was read. Mitch dove back into the pages. He was soon lost in the story again, oblivious to the time.
So far, the end of Kyle’s book was definitely holding up to the beginning. And the middle. How had Kyle learned to write like this? Mitch didn’t think it had anything to do with him. He’d never actively taught Kyle about writing, although Kyle had asked some questions now and then.
He stopped trying to figure out where his son’s talent had come from and went back to reading. When the killer was finally revealed, he gasped.
Actually gasped.
Suddenly, the title Cold Blue Killer made sense. The police officer who’d been first on the scene in the book’s opening was also the murderer. And Mitch had never seen it coming. How? Mitch shook his head as he read on, marveling that his son had pulled off such a feat. In hindsight, he could see the clues that had been set up, but it had all been done so cleverly they’d escaped him.
And Mitch was no casual reader. He was well-read. He often read books before they were published because his publisher hoped he’d like the book enough to give it a cover quote. He’d never read one that had kept his attention like this. Or kept him in the dark this long.
A new thought came into his head.
His son might actually be a better writer than he was. Mitch smiled as pride filled him. Kyle might want to publish under a different name, which was fine, but Mitch was going to use his contacts to get his son noticed.
The book deserved the attention. It might even sell at auction. It was that good. His gut said Harper would agree. The book was something special.
He looked at the time. He’d been reading for a while. Kyle might be back already. As soon as Mitch hit the end, he was going to tell Kyle his plan.
He went back to the book, reading as fast as he could while still maintaining comprehension. When he reached the last page, he was sad it was over but thrilled that his son had turned out such an impressively good read.
He left the tablet on the couch and got up to find Kyle. Joyce and Beryl were at the kitchen counter having a cup of tea. “Did Kyle come back yet?”
Joyce nodded. “He did, but then he put Ruthie in a swim nappy and took her down to the pool.”
“We have swim nappy—um, diapers?”
Joyce lifted her cup, her brows rising simultaneously as she gave him a look. “You bought them.”
“How about that.” Probably because he hadn’t realized what he was buying, but clearly that had worked out.
He jogged down the steps, through the bonus room that led out to the pool, and outside. Kyle was in the pool with Ruthie, who was in the swim diaper, a T-shirt, and a sunhat. Ruthie was splashing the water with her hands and kicking her legs, all while making happy little noises. “You two look like you’re having fun.”
Kyle grinned. “We are. She seems to really like the water. One of the moms at the group today said she started her son in swimming lessons when he was six months old, so it made me wonder what Ruthie would think of the pool.”
“Can babies swim at that age?”
“I don’t think they can really swim, but no harm in starting young, I guess. Right, Ruthie?”
Ruthie shrieked with excitement, her happy little laugh bringing joy to Mitch’s heart. “I’m glad she likes it. Living here means she’ll be around the water a lot. She definitely needs to know how to swim.”
“I agree,” Kyle said.
Mitch sat at the edge of the pool, letting his feet dangle in the water. He watched Ruthie for a few minutes, smiling at her antics. When Kyle inched closer to him, he finally spoke. “I wanted to talk to you about your book.”
Kyle’s face took on a much more serious expression. “Is it good or bad?”
Mitch grinned and shook his head. “It’s good. It’s really good. The book was so much more than I expected. That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. There are a few sections that could use some tightening up. But overall, the story is…I’m really impressed. I don’t know how you learned to write like that, but well done, son.”
Kyle just stared for a moment. “You mean that?”
“I could not mean it more. It’s hard to believe it’s your first book.”
“Thanks. I did a lot of reading and studying.” Kyle grinned and swished Ruthie through the water, which made her squeal with delight. “What did you think of the killer? Who he was, I mean.”
“Incredibly clever. And the clues were so well-handled that I didn’t pick up on them. But when I did get it, I saw the clues. It was— Okay, I shouldn’t say this about your first book, because it sets a high bar, but it was masterful. How on Earth did you learn to write like that?”
Kyle looked at him like he wasn’t being serious. “Well, from you.”
“I never taught you to write. I might have mentioned a few things over the years, but I don’t remember ever giving you the kinds of tools you clearly put to use.”
“It wasn’t anything you deliberately did, although I feel like I know tons about the publishing business just from hearing you talk to Mom about it. But I’ve read a lot. Everything you’ve ever written, for starters.”
“Everything?”
Kyle nodded.
“Does that mean you got the signed books I sent you?”
“Yeah. I did. Addison thought acknowledging them would be a ‘win for the patriarchy,’ so I never responded, as you know, but I’m glad you sent them.”
“I don’t remember seeing them in your stuff.”
Kyle looked away. “Yeah, um…”
“I don’t care if you left them behind. All that matters is that you and Ruthie are here now.”
“I didn’t leave them behind.” Kyle’s shoulders tensed up. “I sold them to a local bookstore. I used that money to get here.”
Mitch blinked. Obviously, Kyle wasn’t proud of what he’d done. Mitch didn’t want his son to feel bad about that. In fact, it had been a good move. “That was really smart. I can get you all the signed books you want.”
“Thanks.” Kyle exhaled and the tension left his body. “Anyway, I’ve studied your books. And I read tons of thrillers, dissecting them for what worked and what didn’t. I made a lot of notes. I took all of that and used it as a guideline. I also gave my book a great deal of thought and tried to come up with a story that would embody the kind of reading experience I thought readers were after.”
“I’m blown away. You did an amazing job. You might end up being a better writer than I am.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
“I’m serious. I’ve asked Harper to read the book, too. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s a little frightening, but she seems nice.”
“She is, but more than that, she’s got a true reader’s perspective. I want to see what she says. I have a strong feeling she’s going to agree with my assessment, though. What I’d really like to do after that is talk to my agent about it.”
Kyle focused on Ruthie, who was patting her hands on the water’s surface. “She knows I’m your son.”
“Yes, and I know you don’t want to use the Ripley name. I get that. In fact, the more I think about it, the smarter I think it is not to be associated with me.”
Kyle looked up. “You do?”
Mitch nodded. “Critics can be brutal. Going out as a debut author who also happens to be my son might put the book under some fairly harsh scrutiny. But I still think you should take full advantage of my connections. Let me help you with this, Kyle.”
Kyle went quiet, twirling Ruthie around and letting her splash. Finally, he glanced at his dad again. “This is a lot to think about.”
“I know.” Mitch got to his feet. Water trickled down his legs and puddled on the deck. “Why don’t you process it all and we can talk about it again tonight after dinner. Or whenever you’re ready. Timeline is up to you.”
“Okay. Sounds good.” Kyle quickly added, “I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate all of this. I do. I just…I guess I wasn’t prepared for you to like the book so much. I thought, I don’t know, that you’d think it was contrived or something.”
Mitch smiled. “What I think is that you wrote a breakout first book, and I could not be prouder of you.”
Kyle swallowed. “That means a lot, Dad. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now, I’m going back upstairs to get some of my own writing done. Don’t let that granddaughter of mine get too waterlogged.”
“I won’t.” Kyle smiled and went back to playing with Ruthie.
Mitch wiped his feet on the mat before going in, then jogged up the steps. Dinner was only a few hours away. Until then, he was going to write as much as he possibly could. Something that shouldn’t be all that hard. Except he had the stunning example of his son’s work in his head. Talk about giving him some motivation.
Joyce and Beryl were setting the table for tonight’s dinner as he went past. “Looking good, ladies.”
He smiled to himself. Jeanie would be thrilled to know what her son had done. She’d be his biggest champion. His greatest advocate.
But she wasn’t here. Which meant Mitch would have to take on those roles. He was fine with that. Kyle’s book deserved to be published.
Mitch pushed open his office door, closed it behind him, and went to his desk. He sat down at his computer. “Don’t worry, Jeanie. I’ll make it happen.”