Haunted Waters by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry Page A

night, and when we all came to the table, Mom had us hold hands. She asked who wanted to say grace.
    “Dear God,” I prayed, “thanks for getting us out of the water and helping us the way you did. And thank you that Sam was there. Help the police catch those guys so they can’t hurt anybody else. Help them find the gold.” I took a breath. “And thanks for giving us this food and for making us a family.”
    Mom squeezed my hand.
    Sam coughed and went back to the kitchen.

Chapter 56

    I was helping Mom with the dishes when the phone rang. I had wanted to call Hayley and some of my other friends to tell them what had happened, but Mom asked me not to tell them yet.
    Sam got the phone, snapped his fingers, and motioned all of us over. He hit the Speakerphone button and said, “Go ahead, sir.”
    “I thought you’d like to know we caught the guy who ran you off the road,” the officer said. “We have him in custody so he’s not going to bother you anymore.”
    The officer told us the man was Gavin Winkler, and they had caught him at the airport in Denver. “He was on his way to Las Vegas.” The officer said he hadn’t confessed to anything, and they hadn’t retrieved the nugget, but there were big scrapes on the right side of his rental car that matched the paint on Sam’s SUV. He also said they were going to try and charge him with attempted murder. They weren’t sure who had been driving the pickup.
    I wondered if they’d catch the second man. Who was the guy with his back turned in the picture? And where was the gold?
    That night I lit my candle and started a new diary. I didn’t want to wait to get my old one from the cabin. I remembered the situation with Hayley and felt guilty again.
    Someone knocked lightly on my door.

Chapter 57

    I helped Dylan get ready for bed, then read him his favorite book. Sam tucked him in and said good night, and Dylan kissed his cheek. I didn’t remember that happening before.
    Sam followed me to my room and sat on my bed as I got under the covers. He sat there a long time, just looking at me. “I was proud of you in the SUV, Bryce,” he said finally. “You kept your head.”
    “None of us would have gotten out if it hadn’t been for you,” I said. I felt the corners of my mouth giving way like a riverbank about to fall into the rushing water.
    Sam looked at the floor and put his hands together. “A lot of adults wouldn’t have been able to do what you and Ashley did.”
    “Thanks,” I said. It seemed like Sam wanted to say more, but maybe he couldn’t find the words.
    He scratched at an eye and leaned back. “About tomorrow. I know this Boo kid is on your tail and could cause problems.”
    I nodded and sighed.
    “I have a trip planned in the morning, but I could get another pilot to take my place. With all that’s happened, it might be good. Plus, if you needed a little backup, I could be here.”
    Sam was doing what my dad would have done. Dad used to sit on my bed, talking about stuff before I went to sleep. He never seemed too busy. Sam seemed a little nervous, but at least he was trying.
    “Don’t cancel your trip,” I said. “I have to face Boo sooner or later by myself. I’m scared, but I’ll be okay.”
    He patted my shoulder. “One more thing. Keep this weekend to yourself for a couple of days. It’ll be hard not telling your friends, but your mom and I think it’s best.”
    “I can’t tell anybody?”
    There was something he wasn’t telling me. “Trust me,” he said, “like you trusted me in the SUV.”
    I fell asleep imagining the school might have a special assembly where Ashley and I told our stories. We would be bold and not hold back about the way God had kept us calm, and kids would flock to the front and ask us where we went to church. Boo might ask for my autograph instead of pounding me into the pavement.
    How could I keep quiet about something like this?

Chapter 58

    It was Mom at my door. I closed my diary and told her the