Ben from the gift tag might be on the same shore excursion as Sadie’s family seemed far-fetched, but she could feel her investigative mind clicking into place all the same. She wondered if Shawn was experiencing the same thing.
“I wonder how Lorraina got their wine,” Shawn said.
“Or when,” Sadie added. “I saw her just a couple of hours before Pete and I found her on deck. Even then she hadn’t drunk much of the wine after she got it.”
“But it was enough,” Shawn said quietly, sadly.
Sadie looked at the man still standing on the shore, talking with Pete and the guide. Was that Ben? The guide left, and Pete led the man over to a fallen tree where they both sat down. Sadie could tell, even from a distance, that Pete was working his magic; he was a master at calming people down in intense situations. Heaven knew he’d calmed Sadie down more than once.
“Ten more minutes,” Jackpot Jessie, one of the guides, called out to the tourists. Some were still bent over the river, others were standing around the rickety tables placed here and there, picking the gold out of their pans with tiny eyedroppers. “When you’re finished, please return the pans to the equipment box. I hope prospecting helped you work up an appetite ’cause we’ll be taking you to the salmon bake just as soon as we finish up.”
Sadie looked at the gold and dirt still in her pan, then at Shawn who was watching an eagle circling in the sky above them. He seemed deep in thought.
Sadie finished swirling her pan, ending up with four more flecks of gold. She was one of the last to get her gold into her little container, but Shawn and Breanna waited for her. Pete had walked back to the shuttles with the man Tanice had pushed into the river, but then sat next to Sadie when they got on the bus. Tanice was sitting in the very back row of seats fiddling with her iPhone, making the most of having cell service. Her companion sat at the front, behind the driver, Nugget Nick, with a garbage sack spread over the seat to protect it from his muddy pants.
Sadie let Pete get comfortable before asking him, in a whisper, what he’d talked to the man about. Pete kept his voice low as he explained that apparently the couple’s marriage had been rocky for a few years and this trip was supposed to help repair their relationship.
“I don’t think it’s working,” Pete said when he finished.
Sadie nodded in agreement. “Um, did you happen to catch the man’s name?” she asked, not sure if she’d told Pete about the wine bottle gift tag either.
“Kirby,” Pete said. “Kirby Tucker.”
Sadie slumped slightly.
“Why?” Pete asked.
Sadie opened her mouth to answer just as Nugget Nick got back on the loudspeaker and began touting more facts about Juneau. It was home to the second-oldest surviving totem in all of Alaska, which he would take them past in a few minutes.
Before Sadie knew it, they’d arrived, along with several other shuttles from other excursions, at an outdoor restaurant where a full-fledged salmon bake was on. It had started raining, but each table was covered by a large umbrella and outfitted with heaters at the top. The buffet was set up under a covered pavilion. The four of them filled up their plates with salad and side dishes—the salmon was still cooking—and made their way through the crowds, eventually finding an empty table.
The rain pattered on the canvas over their heads, and Sadie felt herself slowly unwinding thanks to the soothing atmosphere, good food, and even better company. She knew what Shawn had been hiding, and they had had a good discussion about it. The mood was feeling better, and Pete began telling them about an actual gold panning trip he’d taken several years ago. He was a great storyteller and the more he talked, the more relaxed everyone became.
After a few minutes, Sadie’s phone dinged with a text message, and she reluctantly put down her fork—the Salmon Caesar Salad was delicious—in
“I wonder how Lorraina got their wine,” Shawn said.
“Or when,” Sadie added. “I saw her just a couple of hours before Pete and I found her on deck. Even then she hadn’t drunk much of the wine after she got it.”
“But it was enough,” Shawn said quietly, sadly.
Sadie looked at the man still standing on the shore, talking with Pete and the guide. Was that Ben? The guide left, and Pete led the man over to a fallen tree where they both sat down. Sadie could tell, even from a distance, that Pete was working his magic; he was a master at calming people down in intense situations. Heaven knew he’d calmed Sadie down more than once.
“Ten more minutes,” Jackpot Jessie, one of the guides, called out to the tourists. Some were still bent over the river, others were standing around the rickety tables placed here and there, picking the gold out of their pans with tiny eyedroppers. “When you’re finished, please return the pans to the equipment box. I hope prospecting helped you work up an appetite ’cause we’ll be taking you to the salmon bake just as soon as we finish up.”
Sadie looked at the gold and dirt still in her pan, then at Shawn who was watching an eagle circling in the sky above them. He seemed deep in thought.
Sadie finished swirling her pan, ending up with four more flecks of gold. She was one of the last to get her gold into her little container, but Shawn and Breanna waited for her. Pete had walked back to the shuttles with the man Tanice had pushed into the river, but then sat next to Sadie when they got on the bus. Tanice was sitting in the very back row of seats fiddling with her iPhone, making the most of having cell service. Her companion sat at the front, behind the driver, Nugget Nick, with a garbage sack spread over the seat to protect it from his muddy pants.
Sadie let Pete get comfortable before asking him, in a whisper, what he’d talked to the man about. Pete kept his voice low as he explained that apparently the couple’s marriage had been rocky for a few years and this trip was supposed to help repair their relationship.
“I don’t think it’s working,” Pete said when he finished.
Sadie nodded in agreement. “Um, did you happen to catch the man’s name?” she asked, not sure if she’d told Pete about the wine bottle gift tag either.
“Kirby,” Pete said. “Kirby Tucker.”
Sadie slumped slightly.
“Why?” Pete asked.
Sadie opened her mouth to answer just as Nugget Nick got back on the loudspeaker and began touting more facts about Juneau. It was home to the second-oldest surviving totem in all of Alaska, which he would take them past in a few minutes.
Before Sadie knew it, they’d arrived, along with several other shuttles from other excursions, at an outdoor restaurant where a full-fledged salmon bake was on. It had started raining, but each table was covered by a large umbrella and outfitted with heaters at the top. The buffet was set up under a covered pavilion. The four of them filled up their plates with salad and side dishes—the salmon was still cooking—and made their way through the crowds, eventually finding an empty table.
The rain pattered on the canvas over their heads, and Sadie felt herself slowly unwinding thanks to the soothing atmosphere, good food, and even better company. She knew what Shawn had been hiding, and they had had a good discussion about it. The mood was feeling better, and Pete began telling them about an actual gold panning trip he’d taken several years ago. He was a great storyteller and the more he talked, the more relaxed everyone became.
After a few minutes, Sadie’s phone dinged with a text message, and she reluctantly put down her fork—the Salmon Caesar Salad was delicious—in
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