HIGHWATER: a suspense thriller you won't be able to put down (38 page)

Caleb was silent for a moment. Again the breeze wafted in, and Tom could smell the sea air riding on it.

“So,” he said, “How’s my theory?”

Caleb smiled. “There is a holy man called Padre Pio. Padre Pio said that without God’s mercy we would see demons blocking out the sun. That this world we live in, that the beauty of it, is given to us. But that there is, yes, evil we are spared seeing.”

Tom felt he knew what Caleb was going to say next.

“Wagerers, and defectives, too, they’re people who can see those demons, whose sun is often blocked. Defectives are overcome, taken. This can happen even after they’ve been returned to provide succor to those in need.”

Tom thought of the burning man outside his old home in the Acres. He could hear the faint ringing in the air, the pop and hiss of the nuclear reaction. He took a deep breath, and listened as Caleb finished.

“Wagerers choose life anyway. Knowing what they know, they still move forward, they still work towards good. They’re imperfect, like we’re all imperfect. We’re fragments, approximations always seeking completion, seeking the ultimate form, the ultimate answer. And we can find it, even in the face of our nightmares, we can find it. And so the wagerer places his bet that, in the end, life is still worth living, and still worth fighting for.”

“And this is somehow what Judas, or some entity, wants?”

“The story of Judas doesn’t need to be taken literally. The world is a very big place. I like to think that God transcends the limitations we impose. There are stories that better suit one occasion or another; I’d say yours is apt.”

Tom frowned. “There are people who would say that it’s only through strict interpretation, rigorous discipline, that we get the most value from the stories.”

“What I’m saying, Tom, is that what you think about what happened, what happened in your life, what your life is, is right. It’s right, period. The clarity you felt then, and sometimes still do, that comes from your openness. Sometimes through that rigid interpretation, a person can distance themselves from true meaning. Reality is emergent. We’re learning and growing and changing constantly. We’re works in progress.”

Caleb smiled again, and Tom saw pure peace in his face, no condemnation or judgment. Caleb sat back against the padded wicker. He looked out at the rustling palm trees.

After some time he said, “It’s nice here.”

“It is,” said Tom.

Caleb stood up. A look had come over him that suggested he had to be going. Tom got up.

“Will you be seeing your father today?”

“I will. We have a lot to do.”

“I’ll bet. Please pass him my regards.”

“I will. He’s always liked you, Tom.”

“And I liked him,” said Tom. He added, “You look like him.”

Caleb smiled. He held out his hand and Tom took it. Then Caleb brought Tom closer, and hugged him. Tom could smell that same scent on the young man — the fragrance of the fresh mountain air, the pine and the mineral-rich streams. Tom pulled back from the embrace, and his heart felt full and light.

Caleb’s eyebrows knitted together, and he smiled again. In that moment he looked like his mother, too.

THE END

May 9, 2014

Elizabethtown, NY

TJB

Follow T.J. Brearton on twitter @BreartonTJ

Further novels by Brearton are scheduled for release in 2014/2105 by Joffe Books

OTHER NOVELS AVAILABLE NOW BY T.J. BREARTON

HABIT
a #1 best-selling thriller that you won’t be able to put down

A young woman, Rebecca Heilshorn, lies stabbed to death in her bed in a remote farmhouse. Rookie detective Brendan Healy is called in to investigate. All hell breaks loose when her brother bursts onto the scene. Rebecca turns out to have many secrets and connections to a sordid network mixing power, wealth, and sex. Detective Brendan Healy, trying to put a tragic past behind him, pursues a dangerous investigation that will risk both his life and his sanity. Habit is a compelling thriller which will appeal to all fans of crime fiction. T.J. Brearton amps up the tension at every step, until the shocking and gripping conclusion. This is the first book in the Titan Trilogy.

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SURVIVORS
the second novel in the Titan Trilogy

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http://www.amazon.com/SURVIVORS-crime-thriller-books-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00LF4U578/

Acknowledgments

This book has been a long time in the making. Thanks to Tom Gnagey, for helping me to ruthlessly hunt for the truth in the story. Thanks to early readers for their support and encouragement – Jennifer Bulkley, Mary Buzzell, Jennifer Person Beiring, Adam Gardam, Joseph Hardy, and Gail Brill.

Many thanks go to Jasper Joffe and Joffe Books. Jasper’s expert counsel and guidance have helped define the tone of this book and shine the details. With Jasper, I know the work is in safe hands. I couldn’t ask for more from a publisher and editor.

I’ve saved Dava Clement for last, because she was the one to champion this book all along, to cheer me on when I wavered. To borrow a phrase from author Robert Ellis, “It takes a special kind of woman to live with a writer.” Imagine marrying one. Your support has made all the difference, Dee.

You were right.

Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it please leave feedback on Amazon, and if there is anything we missed or you have a question about then please get in touch. The author and publishing team appreciate your feedback and time reading this book.

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EYESHOT: A suspenseful thriller that you won’t be able to put down
James and Elle Eversman are a young couple travelling through the Mojave desert on their way to a new life. When their car mysteriously breaks down they are stranded in the middle of nowhere without much water and no cell-phone reception.
A mile away a deadly sniper has them in his cross-hairs. They are pinned down behind their broken-down car, surrounded by open ground in all directions. There’s nowhere to run and no one to help them. How can they possibly survive? And if they do, can they save their marriage too?

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