The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Author:Meg Shaffer [Shaffer, Meg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HUGO DEPARTED JACK’S HOUSE through the back door, which took him through the garden and down a path to his cottage. He was dead on his feet when he spotted Lucy walking alone toward the abandoned Clock Island park.

Not a good idea in the middle of the night. There were railroad tracks to trip over, and the stupid buildings in the park were probably about to implode. He told himself she was allowed to walk around the island if she wanted to, and she did have her lantern. But halfway back to his cottage, he turned around and headed into the woods to find her and make sure she was all right.

He jogged past the library, the post office, and the hotel until he saw the lights were on in the Storm Seller. As he reached the door, it opened and Lucy stepped out. She searched the surrounding darkness with the light of her lantern, her eyes frantic.

“Lucy?”

“Hugo,” she said breathlessly, “did you see him?”

“Who?”

She turned in a circle, ran a few steps toward the woods.

“What’s wrong?” Hugo demanded.

“There was a man here,” she said. “Now he’s gone. He was just here.”

“What man? Lucy?” He took her gently by the arm.

She exhaled. In the cold night air, it looked like she was breathing clouds. She handed him a business card, then told him a wild story about someone knocking on her door, a card inviting her to the park, a man who claimed to be a lawyer but talked like a television Mafia hit man.

“I thought it might be part of the game,” she said. “Some challenge or something.”

Hugo read the business card by the light of Lucy’s lantern.

“I know this name,” Hugo said. “Offered you a ton of money for Jack’s book, right?”

“Yeah, he did. Eight figures.”

“Bastard. He only offered me seven.”

He was joking, hoping to make her feel better. Must have been terrifying for her, being lured out of her bed in the middle of the night, not knowing why.

“I’ll have to tell Jack, get some extra security on the island maybe. I’d bet he has a boat waiting for him at the Nine.”

“The Nine? Wait. The Nine O’Clock Dock?”

He nodded, impressed with her memory. No wonder she was winning. As smart as she was pretty.

“Is he really a lawyer?” Lucy asked. She kept turning her head, looking around as if afraid he’d come back. “He was creepy.”

“Real lawyer. Works for that Silicon Valley billionaire who wants to program AI to write novels. He ought to be flogged and forced into a three-year MFA program.”

“Brutal,” Lucy said with a little laugh. She took another deep breath, blew out another cloud. “All right. Note to self—don’t trust every single piece of paper someone slips under my door.”

“Good plan. Come on. Let’s get you back to the house.”

They found the path and started down it. Lucy wrapped herself up tighter in the coat he’d lent her. Hugo wondered if it would smell like her when she returned it to him.

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