Read Online The Journal: Crimson Skies: (The Journal Book 3) by Deborah D. Moore - Free Book Online

it
is.”
     
    ~~~
     
    That night as we snuggled under the covers,
Mark said, “You continue to amaze me, Allex. We have this golden
opportunity to get things, and you think of everyone else except
yourself. Isn’t there anything you want?”
    “Yes. I want to see smiles on everyone’s
faces! I want the satisfaction of knowing the animals are going to
make it through the next winter. And I want to spend all the money
I have before it’s not worth anything.”

CHAPTER 8
     
     
    August 12
    I dropped all the bundles of cash on the
kitchen table in front of a very surprised Mark.
    “Where did you get all of this?” he asked in
awe.
    “John gave it to me when he left. I haven’t
bothered to count it. It’s been sitting in my drawer since I found
it along with that note that said he was leaving. I think we should
take stock of what we have, don’t you?”
    Since the cash was still bundled neatly in
groups of fifty-dollar bills, twenty bills to a bundle, the
counting went quickly. John had left behind $28,000.
    “Where did he get that much cash, Allex?”
    “Remember the mining accident? He got hazard
pay, and that fractured wrist doubled the benefit. I remember him
saying that he requested half of it in cash, the other half going
into his account,” I looked at the stacks on the table. “I never
asked him how much he was given as it wasn’t any of my business,
and considering that we spent some of it, and how much is left
over, and that he took some with him, I’m going to guess it was one
hundred thousand dollars, with fifty thousand in cash,” I
ventured.
    Mark leaned back in his chair and let out a
deep breath.
    “Even with the hyperinflation, this is still
a great deal of money, Allex!”
    “Yes it is. There’s something else I need to
share with you.” I slid the envelope with Sven’s check in it toward
him. “Before you open that, I want you to know that I’m still not
comfortable with having received this. Even after Simon explained
the reasons, I’m still in shock by it.”
    Mark looked at me as he opened the envelope
and pulled out the check. He looked back at me sharply, then back
at the check.
    “A million dollars?” he gasped. Inside was
also a short note from Sven that I hadn’t seen. He unfolded the
piece of paper.
    “I haven’t read that yet, Mark. What does it
say?”
     
    Allexa,
    If you’re reading this, then I’m dead. Thank
you for being a true friend to me while I was alive. . I know this
must be a shock to you, but other than my teammates, you’re the
only person I really know here.
    Sven
     
    “For being his friend he left you a million
dollars?” Mark asked, still disbelieving.
    “It’s the life insurance they all had. Simon
explained when he gave that to me, that Sven wanted someone to
benefit from his death, and since he had no family, I guess that
was me.” I stood and reached for the coffee pot.
    “I remember how hard you took his death,
Allex,” Mark said gently. “You really liked him, didn’t you?”
    “Yes I did. He was a good person, kind and
gentle, and he had an odd sense of humor that always made me laugh.
“I’m not going to cash it, Mark. No matter how much we need it, it
just doesn’t feel right to me. I only wanted you to know about it.”
I poured us a refill. “So, let’s start making a shopping list! I
doubt we will be spending all of this cash, but if we do, we
do.”
     
    ~~~
     
    With the power restored, TV and Internet were
available too. How much we have missed what’s been going on is
frightening.
    The earthquakes in Yellowstone and the new
volcano not only haven’t subsided, they’ve spread out, creating a
longer and more dangerous breach along the Continental Divide. The
Great Divide begins in Alaska and crosses into the Yukon, zigzags
south through Canada, and continues into northwestern Montana. From
there, it snakes across Wyoming into Colorado and crosses New
Mexico into South America. It hasn’t affected the entire Divide,