The Things That Keep Us Here (33 page)
Read The Things That Keep Us Here Online
Authors: Carla Buckley
Tags: #Fiction, #Thrillers, #Suspense, #Sagas, #Psychological
It would have taken him a day to confirm his suspicions. Now all it took was one drop and a shake and Frank and I could know instantly what we’d found. Dad would be amazed. Would he be surprised, too, to learn that I’d taken up where he left off?
Switching off the ignition, I reached for the box I’d set on the bow and raised the lid. The breeze stirred the contents. I leaned over the gunwale and upended the box. The ashes flew out, caught by the wind and carried.
I thought I’d say yes to Frank. People changed. They grew up. They took chances.
In the distance, the hawk spun in languid circles above the tree tips. Fall was settling in. The days were growing cooler, and the trees were turning the colors of flame. In a week or two, the ducks would start their annual migration.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
. Dad used to say that. Like the things that keep us here.
Soon, it would be flu season again.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
T HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY. I AM MOST GRATEFUL TO
those who hiked alongside me. My agent, Pam Ahearn, whose step never faltered, despite 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and everything in between. Thank you for finding my path. My sister, Liese, who nudged me back on course whenever I sat down to rub my feet and complain that I was going home. You could not have been more generous with your time, energy, and talent. My editor, Kate Miciak, who welcomed me at the end of the road, handed me a cool drink, and threw open the doors to dreams. Thank you for the many ways in which you breathed life into this novel. And those writers I am fortunate enough to consider friends: Nancy Gotter Gates, Loree Lough, and Robert Broomall. Thank you for believing in me.
As I climbed the steep banks of research, I stumbled across some boulders. Thanks to those who lifted aside these obstacles and cleared my way: Armando Hoet, DVM, PhD, who described the science behind an avian influenza pandemic and showed me how the virus would be handled in the lab; Richard Slemons, DVM, PhD, who explained why we should be watching the migratory bird population so closely; Frank Holtzhauer, PhD, who helped me understand how communities are preparing for a pandemic; Jay Schwarz, who gave me a glimpse into how the food industry is gearing up; and William Buckley, who took me on a virtual duck-hunting trip.
And whenever I stopped to check my bearings, my husband and children were right there to hold the compass and point to the stars. Tim, Jillian, Jonathon, and Jocelyn—without you, I would never have dared to dream.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C
ARLA BUCKLEY
was born in Washington, DC, and has called many places home since then. She currently resides in Ohio with her husband and three children.
The Things That Keep Us Here
is her first novel.
Visit the author’s website at
www.CarlaBuckley.com
.
The Things That Keep Us Here
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Carla Buckley
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
B
ANTAM
B
OOKS
and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Buckley, Carla (Carla S.).
The Things That Keep Us Here / Carla Buckley.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-440-33915-1
I. Title.
PS3602.U2645F56 2009
813’.6—dc22
2008051837
v3.0
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two