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Book: Pumpkins in Paradise (Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Book 1) by Kathi Daley
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Authors: Kathi Daley
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about the whole thing with the mirror. Neither worked. “Maybe the answer is in the word itself.”
Tj took out a piece of paper and wrote down the alphabet from A to Z, then corresponding numbers from 1 to 26 . She added the numbers corresponding to the letters in the word PERFECT; P-16, E-5, R-18, F-6, E-5, C-3, T-20. The question was what to do with the numbers now that she had them. In a previous game the answer had had to do with finding the sum of the numbers. Tj got out her calculator and added them together: 16+5+18+6+5+3+20=73.
Tj stared at the notepad in front of her . Seventy-three was really more of a favorite number than an actual perfect one. Maybe Zachary was playing on her knowledge of 73 being his favorite number in order to lead her to an actual perfect number, like 6. Tj got up and walked over to her bookshelf, where she kept a paperback of logic puzzles she sometimes tried to solve when she couldn’t sleep. At the back of the book was a list of certain types of numbers used to create logic puzzles, such as prime and perfect numbers.
“8128,” she said aloud . “The only four-digit perfect number is 8128.”
She turned the sections of the box to the corresponding numbers and it popped open . Inside the box was a piece of paper with a riddle on it: the next clue in the puzzle. The phrase written on the small piece of parchment read:
From the ashes of the past
springs new Life as truths reveal
the penance of A sinner
and the Gift put forth to heal
Tj frowned. She doubted the game Zachary planned for her had anything to do with his death. Still, the theme of the riddle seemed oddly prophetic. The riddle held no meaning for her, but she noticed that one word from each sentence was capitalized: From Life A Gift. From life a gift? What in the heck could that mean?
What she needed, she realized, was a good night’s sleep and the fresh perspective each new day provides . Taking the last sip of her wine, she checked the fire, turned off all the lights, picked up Cuervo, called to Echo, who had been napping by the fire, and crept up the stairs to the sanctuary of her own bed. Tomorrow would be another day. Perhaps she’d find her answers then.
Tj turned off her light and climbed under her heavy down comforter . Cuervo curled into a ball next to her and rested his head on her pillow as she ran her hands through his long, thick fur. The cantankerous old cat started to purr, something he rarely ever did. Maybe, like Zachary, there was a warm heart beneath the rough exterior after all.
Chapter 7
Tj woke the next morning to hot breath on her face and a heavy object across her feet. It wasn’t the first time she’d been awakened by Echo’s warm doggy breath as he rested his head on the pillow next to hers, but the soft but heavy weight across her feet was new. And then she remembered Cuervo. The cat yawned and then screeched when he noticed Echo’s head near hers. Hissing and burrowing even further under the safety of the covers, he curled up in a tight ball and growled his displeasure.
“Come on out and we’ll get some breakfast. ” Tj slid out of bed, pulled her old wool robe on over the thermals she wore, slipped her feet into a pair of knee-high slippers, picked up the grouchy cat, and headed down the stairs. By the smell of bacon wafting its way up the stairs, it appeared that someone, probably Grandpa, was making breakfast.
“Pancakes? ” Ben asked as she opened the back door to let Echo out, then settled Cuervo in the laundry room with his breakfast. His six-foot four-inch frame looked especially charming today in denim jeans and a dark brown cable knit sweater.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with coffee . Couldn’t sleep.” Adding cream to her coffee, she wrapped both her hands around the large mug, decorated with moose antlers, that her dad had brought back from his trip to Maine the previous year. Even with the fire crackling in the old brick fireplace located between
Tj took out a piece of paper and wrote down the alphabet from A to Z, then corresponding numbers from 1 to 26 . She added the numbers corresponding to the letters in the word PERFECT; P-16, E-5, R-18, F-6, E-5, C-3, T-20. The question was what to do with the numbers now that she had them. In a previous game the answer had had to do with finding the sum of the numbers. Tj got out her calculator and added them together: 16+5+18+6+5+3+20=73.
Tj stared at the notepad in front of her . Seventy-three was really more of a favorite number than an actual perfect one. Maybe Zachary was playing on her knowledge of 73 being his favorite number in order to lead her to an actual perfect number, like 6. Tj got up and walked over to her bookshelf, where she kept a paperback of logic puzzles she sometimes tried to solve when she couldn’t sleep. At the back of the book was a list of certain types of numbers used to create logic puzzles, such as prime and perfect numbers.
“8128,” she said aloud . “The only four-digit perfect number is 8128.”
She turned the sections of the box to the corresponding numbers and it popped open . Inside the box was a piece of paper with a riddle on it: the next clue in the puzzle. The phrase written on the small piece of parchment read:
From the ashes of the past
springs new Life as truths reveal
the penance of A sinner
and the Gift put forth to heal
Tj frowned. She doubted the game Zachary planned for her had anything to do with his death. Still, the theme of the riddle seemed oddly prophetic. The riddle held no meaning for her, but she noticed that one word from each sentence was capitalized: From Life A Gift. From life a gift? What in the heck could that mean?
What she needed, she realized, was a good night’s sleep and the fresh perspective each new day provides . Taking the last sip of her wine, she checked the fire, turned off all the lights, picked up Cuervo, called to Echo, who had been napping by the fire, and crept up the stairs to the sanctuary of her own bed. Tomorrow would be another day. Perhaps she’d find her answers then.
Tj turned off her light and climbed under her heavy down comforter . Cuervo curled into a ball next to her and rested his head on her pillow as she ran her hands through his long, thick fur. The cantankerous old cat started to purr, something he rarely ever did. Maybe, like Zachary, there was a warm heart beneath the rough exterior after all.
Chapter 7
Tj woke the next morning to hot breath on her face and a heavy object across her feet. It wasn’t the first time she’d been awakened by Echo’s warm doggy breath as he rested his head on the pillow next to hers, but the soft but heavy weight across her feet was new. And then she remembered Cuervo. The cat yawned and then screeched when he noticed Echo’s head near hers. Hissing and burrowing even further under the safety of the covers, he curled up in a tight ball and growled his displeasure.
“Come on out and we’ll get some breakfast. ” Tj slid out of bed, pulled her old wool robe on over the thermals she wore, slipped her feet into a pair of knee-high slippers, picked up the grouchy cat, and headed down the stairs. By the smell of bacon wafting its way up the stairs, it appeared that someone, probably Grandpa, was making breakfast.
“Pancakes? ” Ben asked as she opened the back door to let Echo out, then settled Cuervo in the laundry room with his breakfast. His six-foot four-inch frame looked especially charming today in denim jeans and a dark brown cable knit sweater.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with coffee . Couldn’t sleep.” Adding cream to her coffee, she wrapped both her hands around the large mug, decorated with moose antlers, that her dad had brought back from his trip to Maine the previous year. Even with the fire crackling in the old brick fireplace located between
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