Read Online Haunted Waters by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry - Free Book Online

men at the right of the picture. One had his back turned to the camera. He was talking with another man wearing a hat.
    “Is there a way to zoom in on that guy’s face?” Bryce said.
    Sam clicked the mouse and moved the cursor around. I didn’t know being a pilot made you good at computers, but he really had skill.
    The man’s face filled the screen. Blondish red hair stuck out of a red hat with a C on it.
    “Cincinnati,” Bryce said.
    “How do you know?” I said. “Could be Chicago or Cleveland, couldn’t it?”
    He shook his head. “Wrong color. Wrong shape C . It’s Cincinnati all right.”
    “Could they have been looking for this picture?” I said.
    “How would they even know it existed?” Sam said. “Seems strange, unless . . .”
    “Unless what?” Bryce said.
    Something banged downstairs.

Chapter 38

    My heart raced as I followed Sam downstairs, Ashley right behind me. The pinball machine was going wild. Dylan was flipping flippers and smiling from ear to ear. I was sure relieved. We watched him awhile, then left him to have his fun.
    Back upstairs Sam studied the picture again. “We’d better take this to the police.”
    “They’re probably too busy,” Ashley said.
    I felt really important. To think that we might help solve a gold heist with a picture . . .
    “Know how to copy the pictures to my computer?” Sam said.
    “No problem,” I said.
    Sam went downstairs to pry Dylan from the pinball machine, and Ashley went to her room. I copied the pictures, then logged on to our family Web site. I typed in Mom’s e-mail address and attached the pictures so she could see the cabin.
    Ashley came back just as the power went out and the house went dark. The only thing that gave any light was Sam’s laptop computer, which was running on the battery.
    Dylan cried out, but I couldn’t tell if he was scared or just mad that the pinball machine didn’t work anymore. I heard Sam shush him. “I’m here, big guy,” he said.
    The front door flew open, and a thin man hurried in. From the light outside I could see that he wore camouflage pants and a tan jacket. He had a C on his hat. Ashley screamed, and the man cursed at her.
    Before I could do anything, he rushed me and I slid off the chair without thinking. Ashley ran to the stairs, calling for Sam. But the man wasn’t after us. He seized the computer and made for the door.
    I scrambled to my feet. From the top of the stairs something shot like a cannon and hit the man, sending him sprawling. He dropped the computer.
    Sam had sprung through the air like a cat and overpowered the man. He scooped up the computer and memory stick, grabbed Ashley who was holding Dylan, and shouted, “Get to the SUV, quick!”
    We raced outside, expecting the man to come flying out any second.
    “Give me the keys!” Sam said, gripping a door handle.
    I patted my pockets. “I don’t have them!”
    “You brought them out to get the memory stick!”
    I looked inside the Land Cruiser and my stomach fell. There were the keys, on the backseat.

Chapter 39

    Dylan was pale and shaking in my arms as he buried his head in my neck. I held him tight, keeping an eye on the cabin, ready to run into the woods if the intruder came out.
    “Got to break the window,” Sam said.
    “Call the police!” Bryce said.
    Sam looked at the cabin. “My cell phone’s inside.”
    “You can’t go back in,” I said.
    Sam put the computer on the hood of the Land Cruiser and jammed the memory stick in his pocket. “Listen, if that guy gets past me, let him have the computer. Run that way. Promise?”
    “Promise,” Bryce said. “Hurry!”
    I wanted to go with him, to tell him to be careful, to tell him I loved him. But he was through the door and gone. I held Dylan tighter, closed my eyes, and prayed.

Chapter 40

    I wondered if we were losing our second dad . I couldn’t believe I’d left the keys in the SUV.
    Ashley said, “We’re going to be okay.”
    “That guy could kill