Part 19 (2/2)
”No, I wasn't.” She turned from her watering and tapped her head. ”You're a smart young man. But I will admit I was surprised to hear from you as quickly as I did.”
”You thought it would take me longer to discover the significance of the rock I chose?”
Susan nodded and set down her watering can. ”I could suggest you keep delving deeper into the mystery of the stone, but you've already found out what you needed to discover in that arena. And I suppose I should confirm that Taylor Stone is one of the more significant keys to your quest. But again, you've figured that out by now.”
Susan clapped her hands together. ”So since you're already doing all the right things, I'm not sure what help I can be, but I'm certainly willing to try.”
Two white wicker chairs sat at forty-five-degree angles to each other and Susan motioned for Cameron to sit. After asking him to hold his first question, she went into the house and returned a few minutes later with two Arnold Palmers.
”Here's how you can help immensely,” he said after taking a sip of the iced tea-lemonade mixture. ”While I'm enjoying my scavenger hunt, picking up one clue here, another there, I would not mind in the least if you simply told me the exact location of where the book sits.” He c.o.c.ked his head.
”Would you mind if we played a little game together?”
Cameron shrugged.
”The rules are simple. You ask me a question, I answer as honestly as I can. I ask you a question and you extend the same courtesy toward me.”
”All right.”
”You start.” Susan brushed a strand of brown hair off her face.
”You just implied that the stone you gave me is connected to the Book of Days. Is it?”
”Of course.”
”How?”
Susan shook her head and smiled. ”My turn. What do you hope to gain by finding this book?”
Life. He wanted life instead of the agony of losing Jessie. He wanted answers, meaning, purpose. He wanted there to be a reason his dad left this world too soon. He wanted peace to replace his frustration ... He wanted to relive the days and years Jessie and he had shared together ... He wanted his mind to be restored-all the emotions converged into one.
”I want hope.”
Susan's eyes misted over as she nodded. ”What do you hope for?”
”Unh-uh.” He wagged his finger. ”My turn again.”
Susan bowed her head slightly and opened her palms.
”Is the book real, or just some New Age dream, or some pseudo-scientific concoction like the Oregon Vortex?”
”I suppose many things are possible that we're tempted to say aren't.” Susan held his gaze for a few seconds before looking down. ”But I do believe there is a book in heaven-G.o.d's book-in which He has recorded each man and woman's life.”
”What do you mean-?” Cameron cut himself off. ”It's your turn.”
”Go on. Ask. The question game is a silly one, only fun for the first few minutes, don't you think?”
”Jason said the Book of Days exists on a spiritual plane that he claims he's tapped into. Is that what you mean?”
”No.”
A quiet confidence played in Susan's eyes.
”You think there is a G.o.d, and you think that He records every moment of every life? Even future events?”
She didn't hesitate. ”Without question.”
”You're saying you know it absolutely to be true?”
”People who claim to know there is a G.o.d and those who claim to know there isn't a G.o.d are more similar than either side would like to admit. I believe, yes, but do I know? For certain?” Susan shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. ”No one can with 100-percent certainty, Cameron. Not till our days on earth end. So while I will be surprised if that book isn't in heaven, I won't know definitively till I get there.”
A hummingbird hovered near Susan's feeder full of sugar water, flitting back and forth as if wondering if Cameron could be trusted. Finally it began to drink, but only for a few moments before streaking away again.
”That bird is the only species that can stay in one spot as it flies. The speed with which it moves its wings is mind boggling, up to ninety times per second. Some would say that ability came after millions of years of adaptation; others would unequivocally state the hummingbird is proof of intelligent design.”
Cameron s.h.i.+fted and crossed his legs. ”Which is it?”
”Man has longed to touch the infinite-or explain Him away-ever since Adam and Eve left the garden. In the end, as I suggested earlier, it comes down to what you choose to believe.”
”Susan...” Cameron paused. The look on her face was not one of pity, but of longing. For what he couldn't tell. But it wasn't for herself. It was for him. ”Thank you, once again, for your time and your wisdom.”
She leaned forward and took both his hands in hers. ”Let me say, for me, the critical question is not whether G.o.d's Book of Days is here on earth or in heaven, but if it does exist, what kind of lives are we recording in it?”
As he stood and contemplated Susan's musings, the hummingbird returned, not hesitating to drink more of the nectar, even though Cameron had leaned closer to the feeder.
”I have always celebrated men and women with pa.s.sion, and I see you have pa.s.sion.” Susan smiled and her head fell back. ”The path life takes us down isn't always where we would choose to go, but in the end, it is possible to wind up where we wanted to be anyway.”
He wanted his brain back. Was that possible?
CHAPTER 23.
He set the seven bullets on the mantel above his fireplace three inches apart and watched the light from his candles dance on their copper tips. Seven was the number of perfection. But he wouldn't need that many.
One for Cameron.
One for Stone.
Banister? Maybe. He grinned and set her picture next to ones of Taylor and Cameron already on the mantel. Probably.
He slid his knife out of its sheath and licked the blade. Nothing like the taste of steel. Unless it had a bit of flavoring. He smiled again. Maybe he'd do it that way. Time would enlighten as to the best method.
After placing the knife to the right of the bullets, he settled onto his leather couch, closed his eyes, and opened himself to the universe.
Soon, it told him, and he believed. it told him, and he believed.
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