Goodbye is Forever: Lynne Garrett Series, #3

By Mary Jean Kelso

While visiting her aunt in Virginia City, Nevada, Lynne Garrett tries to adjust to life altering effects of a deadly car accident and finds herself embroiled in a mystery that threatens her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wings ePress, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781590885116

Book preview

What They Are Saying About

Goodbye Is Forever

Nancy Drew has competition , Lynne Garrett is in town. In a well constructed tale, a young woman learns how to deal with her amputation and how to rely on herself. On a vacation she becomes involved in a mystery that, in fact, is related to her. Mary Jean reveals the mystery layer by layer. The author has created a role model for young women everywhere. I enjoyed this story and found it easy to identify with the heroine. I look forward to other books from this talented author.

—A.Dee Carey

Fox in the Mist 2004

Mark of the Fox 2005

Ms. Kelso has written a very intense story. She weaves action with a great plot leaving the reader mesmerized until the dramatic conclusion. This story keeps one guessing until the last page. Ms. Kelso made the characters very believable all the way down to their expressions as well as the whole setting of the story.

—Linda L. Lattimer

Wings-Press.com Author

Skeletons Too Close To Home

This book contains a lot of interesting characters and unforeseen plot twists. The bad guys really gave me goose bumps. It also gives the reader a little bit of Virginia City history, but it is written so well into the story that you don‘t even realize your learning until you put the book down. Lynne Garrett is an excellent role model, she doesn’t let her disability stop her from pursuing whatever it is she feels needs to be done. When you have finished reading this book you can find more of Lynne’s adventures in Abducted and Sierra Summer.

—Terri

Fallen Angel Reviews

Goodbye Is Forever

Mary Jean Kelso

A Wings ePress, Inc.

Young Adult Novel

Edited by: Leslie Hodges

Copy Edited by: Robbin Major

Senior Editor: Robbin Major

Executive Editor: Lorraine Stephens

Cover Artist: Richard Stroud

All rights reserved

NAMES, CHARACTERS AND incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Wings ePress Books

Copyright © 2006 by Mary Jean Kelso

ISBN:  978-1-59088-511-6

Published by Wings ePress, Inc.

Published In the United States Of America

Wings ePress Inc.

3000 N. Rock Road

Newton, KS  67114

Dedication

To my friend,

Alice Elaine Farrell,

who introduced me to the term writer many years ago.

To my mother,

Eula Ethel Warren Williams,

the only truly selfless person I have ever known.

And to my daughter,

Wendy Lynne Kelso,

because she is.

One

Lynne Garrett’s smile wavered as a member of the flight crew greeted her outside the doorway of the shiny metal jet.

I’m Lisa, one of your flight attendants for this trip, she introduced herself. Please give your ticket to Marcy, and she’ll show you where to sit, Lisa added, pointing out a second flight crew member.

Lynne looked hesitantly at the plane once more before she entered. The image of a TV commercial advertising the airline flashed teasingly through her mind.

Inside, fingers of sunlight filtered through the plane’s small windows and fanned across the seating area. Lynne walked, unevenly, down the narrow aisle toward Marcy.

First flight? the young woman, not much older than she, asked as Lynne surrendered her ticket folder.

Lynne nodded. And a solo one, she thought, as she sat down where Marcy indicated next to a window. From there, she could see her parents and younger sister, Amy, standing near the departure gate. Amy bounced up and down excitedly and a breeze puffed the skirt of her dress into a tiny parachute.

Suddenly Lynne felt very young herself, like a robin shoved from its nest—apprehensive of its freedom. As she moved her feet beneath the forward chair, she heard the now familiar squeak of her artificial leg as it adjusted against her thigh.

A slight welling of remorse turned in her stomach. She fought back the hard lump in her throat and the burning tears that threatened her eyes.

Through blurred eyes, Lynne watched Amy tug at their father’s light jacket. She knew Amy was anxious to start the trip to Disneyland their parents had promised as soon as Lynne’s plane departed.

Disneyland! Lynne had exclaimed when she and her mother had discussed the family’s summer vacation plans. That’s for kids.

Not really, Lynne, her mother had said patiently. There’ll be a lot of teenagers there, too. Besides, Amy starts kindergarten this fall and, well, we thought it would be a good experience for both of you.

Lynne had mulled over the idea. She really didn’t want to mingle with a bunch of little kids and Mickey Mouse in the heat of Anaheim or walk all day long trying to keep up with Amy. To her a wheelchair was definitely out of the question!

Her mother had seemed to read her thoughts. It wouldn’t be all that bad, Lynne. We’ll take three days to drive down, three to come back, spend a couple of days at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. Maybe we’ll even go to the beach, you love the beach. We should be home in a week or ten days.

But Lynne had persisted. No, thanks, she had said. I’d rather do something else.

So, here she was, on her way to visit her Aunt Pat in the famed old Nevada mining town of Virginia City. She waved against the double surfaced window at her family before she tightened her seatbelt.

The plane’s brakes held the plane to the runway against the force of its large engines, whose whine roared to a crescendo at takeoff.

The pilot released the brakes and the passenger jet climbed sharply, then circled slowly above the familiar streets and landmarks of her hometown. Even the television station atop Blanton Heights seemed to be wishing her a happy journey as the sun glinted a farewell from the station’s expansive windows.

When the plane leveled off, Lisa, the older appearing of the two flight attendants, moved among the passengers, while Lynne unhooked her seatbelt and began to observe her fellow travelers.

The seat immediately next to her was vacant so she moved over, next to the aisle, to get a better look at a tiny baby whose asthmatic sniffling, as it fought for breath, piqued her senses.

Three seats in front of her an overweight middle-aged man divided his attention between watching four men play poker in the forward area and letting a dainty gold chain slither through the fingers of his right hand like a budding magician weaving a coin for practice. He concentrated on the dazzling bauble attached to the chain as it sparkled in the sunlight.

When he didn’t look at the necklace in his hand, he shot quick nervous glances in her direction.  Each time he looked her way, she became more and more uneasy. She couldn’t help but feel, somehow, she was connected with his actions.

The prisms of light flashing from the pendant-type necklace drew Lynne’s attention.

In the next instant, the color splashes were gone as the man dropped the piece of jewelry into his other hand and stood up.

Lynne noticed he was dressed like a grotesque model for a magazine’s four-color fashion plate. He moved laboriously down the aisle toward her as if the effort sapped his energy. As he reached the seat in front of her, he steadied himself with his left hand and turned to scowl impatiently at the fussing infant.

The jewel-encrusted pendant, its chain entwined in his fingers, now dangled right in front of her! No larger than a small dinner ring, it flashed laser-like beams from tiny diamonds which surrounded a raised onyx scarab. Lynne had never seen anything like it! It held her attention intently as a chill raced down her spine.

The man took another step, and she felt the weight of his heavy palm slam down on the back of her own chair. She suppressed the urge to turn around toward him for another glimpse of the necklace. At last, he moved on.

Shortly, the man with the pendant came back toward his seat, carrying a plastic cup full of liquor. Lumbering slowly along, he had to edge around Lisa, who was sitting on her heels in the aisle helping with the baby. Just then, one of the card players jolted past both of them. The two men collided, splashing the drink across Lisa’s uniform.

Oh, I am sorry, the card player apologized as he caught his balance and clutched the other man’s arm.

Lisa brushed quickly at her skirt, then turned to wipe the liquor beads from the fat man’s coat.

Let me rinse the spots with cold water, Mr. York, she offered.

The man called York grunted an indiscernible reply and waved her aside. He dropped into the seat the card player had vacated. There he gulped the remainder of his drink and stared sullenly out the window.

Lynne studied him curiously. An impatient man, she thought, turning quickly to avoid his checking gaze.

Another member of the flight crew, a stocky man with a pockmarked face, brought another drink forward. Lynne watched as he leaned over to whisper something in Mr. York’s ear.

York turned, dropping one arm over the side of the chair. As his other hand grasped the offered tumbler, Lynne noticed that the beautiful piece of jewelry was gone. Where was the necklace? York must have put it in his pocket, she decided.

Lynne caught York’s glance as he