Forget to Remember

Massachusetts.”
    “Surprise, surprise. Did you have a funeral for Michael?”
    “He was cremated. We had a memorial service. Grandma and I were about the only ones who attended. Katherine, the woman at the foundation, didn’t even show up. Of course, she’s been indicted for all kinds of fraud.”
    “What about Paul?”
    “He’s in trouble up to his eyeballs. In addition to facing a charge of attempted murder, he’ll probably get disbarred.”
    “He always sounded like a sleazebag to me. I’m glad you’re rid of him.”
    “Me, too.” She would never tell Rigo the whole story about their relationship.
    “All that must have generated a lot of publicity in your area.”
    “You wouldn’t believe it. With Michael coming back from the dead and then really getting killed, with Paul’s shenanigans—yeah, the reporters have been hounding me. I’ve been on TV and everything. They call me the forgetful heiress.” She changed the subject. “I forgot to tell you that Tim, the security guard Michael stuffed in the well, is going to be okay.”
    “I hope he doesn’t have claustrophobia.”
    “It wasn’t easy getting him out. The firemen had to come in with all their equipment. He said he was glad he was able to protect us. His groan at the right time probably saved my life. How’s your job going?”
    “Which one? I’m working more and more for my parents’ business. I may have to curtail my dishwashing hours.”
    “That would be a shame. You’re so good at it. Oh, more big news. I’ve been appointed executor of my parents’ estate, with Grandma’s help.”
    “Terrific. I guess the DNA tests helped.”
    “Frances got the DNA tests expedited. We have the same mitochondrial DNA and the matches in our autosomal DNA show we’re closely related. I thanked Frances for her help. I want to visit her when I’m in California. We don’t even have to get a court-ordered retest.”
    “When are you coming?”
    “Next week. I’ll finally be able to get away for a few days. Thank your parents for inviting me to stay with you. I owe them more than I can repay.”
    “We’re just glad to know you’ve discovered who you are.”
    “I put my parents’ house on the market. I’m going to live on the farm with Grandma. I love it here.”
    “Oh.”
    Did she hear disappointment in Rigo’s voice? “But I like California, too. I suspect I’m going to become bi-coastal.”
    “You’ll have to buy yourself an airplane.”
    “Who knows? The sky’s the limit—joke intended.”
    They chuckled. Rigo tried to hide his feelings for her by keeping his tone of voice light, but Carol was sure they went deep. Her feelings for him did, too. Now that she was a real person she would finally have a chance to show them.
    ***
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Run into Trouble , winner of several awards, chronicles a race along the California Coast in 1969 during the Cold War. As participants and former undercover agents Drake and Melody encounter deaths and other obstacles, they fear that the Cold War is about to heat up.

    After spending more than a quarter of a century as a pioneer in the computer industry, Alan Cook is well into his second career as a writer.

    The Hayloft: a 1950s mystery and prize-winning Honeymoon for Three feature Gary Blanchard, first as a high school senior who has to solve the murder of his cousin, and ten years later as a bridegroom who gets more than he bargained for on his honeymoon.

    Hotline to Murder takes place at a crisis hotline in Bonita Beach, California. When a listener is murdered, Tony and Shahla team up to uncover the strange worlds of their callers and find the killer.

    His Lillian Morgan mysteries, Catch a Falling Knife and Thirteen Diamonds , explore the secrets of retirement communities. Lillian, a retired mathematics professor from North Carolina, is smart, opinionated, and loves to solve puzzles, even when they involve murder.
    Alan splits his time between writing and walking, another passion. His inspirational, prize-winning book, Walking the World: Memories and Adventures , has information and adventure in equal parts. He is also the author of Walking to Denver , a light-hearted, fictional account of a walk he did.

    Freedom’s Light: Quotations from History’s Champions of Freedom , contains quotations from some of our favorite historical figures about personal freedom. The Saga of Bill the Hermit is a narrative poem about a hermit who decides that the single life isn’t all it’s