Under the Alaskan Ice
Page 28
Suze had decided it was best not to take him on over that, not now at least. Didn’t he realize that anyone who worked for the government as he and Bryce did was going to have his life controlled? And hadn’t the Big Man’s wife controlled even her husband in a way?
Meg was disappointed there was tension between Rafe and Suze when Alex was happily married and Meg herself engaged. Compare to that, Suze and Rafe were still trying to find their way, and who knew what would happen?
But now, snow was falling outside, silent and beautiful. No longer were they nervous about the dark woods beyond, for the two sawmill men who had worked for Lloyd but had been recruited by Rina and Todd had been arrested and were being questioned, as were that dynamic—and criminal—duo from Ohio. Even Meg might have to testify against them later, but, as far as she and Bryce could tell, it would be in the Big Man’s best interest to bury some of what had gone on so it didn’t appear he had worked hard to target a political opponent’s son.
“A toast to all of us and to the new year and new lives to come!” Bryce announced and took a glass of champagne from the tray Suze had just brought out and placed on the coffee table. Meg saw there was 7Up for Chip, but in a goblet too. What would she ever do without her thoughtful, dear sister? But then the turnabout of that was true too.
“And to a new school for me in Juneau next year,” Chip added. “I heard when I get to seventh grade, they have an indoor winter soccer team and a regular outdoors one too.”
“Go, Chip! Go, Chip!” Bryce began a cheer the others echoed.
After they drank their toasts, Bryce sat back down next to Meg on the couch. She tipped into him on the soft leather and settled there against him with his arm around her shoulders. Tears blurred her vision as she looked around at the faces lit by firelight while the cold winds howled outside. How happy the newlyweds looked and how far they had all come. Only Rafe and Suze seemed a bit tenuous, but surely any problems would be settled soon, now that they were all Alaskans at heart. And all safe, at least for now.
* * *
AUTHOR’S NOTE
My husband and I loved our trip to Alaska, partly because it was not in the dead of winter! When we returned, I was so inspired by the stunning scenery and the can-do people that I wrote a novel set there, Down River. Several years later, I’m happy to return to the “last frontier” and “Great Alone” state in this story.
I have been published since 1982 and have written many novels. I’m grateful to have a supportive editor—thanks, Emily Ohanjanians—who lets me give her a general idea of where the story will go, because, unlike earlier books when I mapped most things out, I now write differently. I have a bare bones idea of plot, but I let the characters and situation guide me more as the plot evolves. I am sometimes surprised by the storyline, and I hope my readers are too.
For example, in this novel, I had no idea at first that what Lloyd Witlow was carrying in his plane that crashed was going to be tied to an actual lost historical treasure. I stumbled on the fact that the American Civil War Confederate president fled final defeat with a fortune in gold, women’s donated jewelry and important papers. When he was captured, most of it was missing. So I stopped and researched that—and the plot thickened.
I did know about Victorian mourning jewelry and had found that fascinating, so I stopped to look into that too. If this interests you also, I would recommend In Death Lamented by Sarah Nehama (2012, Schiffer Art Books.) Perhaps if you have antique jewelry, you possess some of that.
There are several books about the flight of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, his wife, Varina, and family. I especially enjoyed William Rawlings’s 2017 book The Strange Journey of the Confederate Constitution (Google Books.) Numerous articles have been written about this treasure—with, of course, searches and claims concerning where it ended up. One group insists it is still on a sunken ship at the bottom of Lake Michigan. If any of this interests you, you can take a look at www.history.com/news/confederate-gold-jefferson-davis. Also, Wikipedia has articles on Confederate gold.
I read several articles about the effects of global warming in Alaska. I knew about melting glaciers harming polar bears and warming waters displacing seals, but I was interested to read that the precious yellow cedars, some hundreds of years old with their valuable, strong wood and cultural importance to Alaskan Indigenous people, are dying by the hundreds. Scientists are looking for a solution to this cedar tree problem.
As ever, I want to thank others besides my support team of editor Emily and literary agent Annelise Robey. My cousin Barbara Baldwin, who lives in Sylvania, Ohio, where the fictional Galsworths live, was helpful. And thanks to neuro nurse Nancy Armstrong for information on head injuries.
I hope you enjoyed the story.
Best wishes,
Karen Harper
ISBN-13: 9781488056468
Under the Alaskan Ice
Copyright © 2020 by Karen Harper
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