“That was nice of you,” Twyla answered, seriously considering going back to sleep.
“You have to be hungry by now.”
Turning just enough to see the clock on the table beside her bed, Twyla closed her eyes again to let the numbers sink in and make sense. “Does that say three in the afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” She huffed out a breath. Some adventurer she was—one day and she was completely worn out. “That swim exhausted me.”
“I’d say. You slept for over a day. Gloria said you would.”
Twyla opened one eye to peer up at Norma Rose. She was tired and sore, but being treated by the resident doctor seemed a bit unnecessary. “I’ve been asleep since Forrest built the fire on the island yesterday?”
“Yes and no.”
Confused, Twyla frowned.
“Today’s Thursday,” Norma Rose explained.
“Thurs— What happened to Wednesday?”
“You slept through it.”
Despite the pain, Twyla pushed herself up and closed her eyes as the room spun. The mint-green walls, a color she loved, didn’t look so wonderful when zipping by. “Slept through it?” Flashes of memory assaulted her mind, before she was able to cry, “We have to call Sheriff Withers, and Father, and—”
“Hush,” Norma Rose said, with both hands on Twyla’s shoulders. “Sheriff Withers has already arrested Nick Ludwig and his three accomplices. Although they’ll never get the car out of the lake, divers did get the suitcase out. Ludwig and his cronies were still trying to do that when the sheriff arrived at the scene. And Father is on his way home.”
“How’s Forrest?” Twyla asked. “Is he still sleeping, too? Is he here? At the resort?”
Norma Rose rubbed her shoulders gently. “Forrest is fine. But, no, he’s not here.”
“He’s at the Plantation?” Twyla asked, with a distinct gut feeling she was wrong.
“No,” Norma Rose said. “He’s not at the Plantation. He left for California yesterday.”
“California?” Twyla’s mouth tasted rotten all of a sudden. It had happened again. Just as she’d known it would. “Without even saying goodbye.”
“He said goodbye,” Norma Rose assured her. “You slept through it. He had to get there before tomorrow. That’s when Galen’s hearing is. He wanted to deliver the evidence himself.”
“The printing plates?”
“Yes,” Norma Rose answered. “Are you ready for something to eat?”
Twyla didn’t think her stomach could manage that right now. “No, thank you. Did Forrest say how long he’d be gone?”
“No.”
“I’d have gone with him,” Twyla said, mainly to herself, “if he’d asked.”
“I’m sure you would have,” Norma Rose answered.
Twyla glanced at her sister as Norma Rose sat down on the edge of the bed, but said no more.
“I do have some other news for you,” Norma Rose said.
“What?”
“Father is on his way home, but Ginger isn’t.”
“She’s not?”
Norma Rose grinned. “Nope. She and Brock got married.”
At least someone was happy. Twyla pulled up a smile. It was weak, but heartfelt. “I knew that would happen. Good for her.”
“I have some other news, too.”
“Great, does everything happen while I’m sleeping?” Twyla asked jokingly. She was attempting not to think about Forrest. That he’d left again. “What is it?”
“Josie was arrested.”
“What?”
Norma Rose nodded.
“For what?”
“I don’t know. She’s being tight-lipped about it. So is Scooter.”
“Scooter?” Twyla shook her head. “You know what, yester—Tuesday, when I went to get my car filled with gas, Scooter’s station was closed.”
“So you drove out to Forrest’s hangar instead?”
“Yeah,” she said. Even worn out, her mind attempted to cover her tracks. “Scooter fills a barrel of gas out there for Forrest and I thought maybe Scooter was there.”
“He had been,” Norma Rose said. “Forrest had flown him to Duluth. Scooter had called him, told him Josie had got arrested and he had to go and bail her out.”
“Why’d she call Scooter instead of one of us?” Twyla asked. “At least I’m assuming that’s how Scooter knew she’d been arrested.”
“It is,” Norma Rose said, “but that’s all I know.”
Twyla let out a whistle. “Ginger’s married, Josie was arrested, I was almost kidnapped—but I’m fine.” Shaking her head, she finished her thought. “Daddy’s not going to be happy.”