Grave Shadows Read Online Free

and finds us?” Hayley said.
    “How could he find us in all this?” I said, looking through mail stacked on a small desk. I searched for any kind of clue—a doctor’s report that he had some incurable disease, medicine that would knock him out, signs of a struggle—but I came up empty. Talking with Gunnar’s high school pal might be a start.

Chapter 15

    Sam took off and my stomach fell. It’s that first rush of lifting off the ground that’s strange. Jeff was staring out the window. “5,281, 82, 83 . . . ,” he said, pretending to announce our altitude after taking off from the Mile High City.
    “You’re not going to do that the whole trip, are you?” I said, smiling.
    We headed west toward the mountains with Sam pointing out the stadiums where the Rockies and Broncos play. As we rose, Denver took on the look of a lot of cities. A haze shrouded the buildings. Cars looked like they were going in slow motion, and the roads looked like a Mattel racetrack.
    “Where are we going, Mr. Timberline?” Jeff said.
    “Your route,” Sam said.
    Jeff conked himself on the forehead with the heel of a hand. “What a great idea.”
    We followed Interstate 70 into the mountains and were soon over the starting place for our bike trip. Jeff was going to spend a night at a camp where people with cancer relax and have fun. I would join him the next day.
    The camp sat in the middle of a big forest surrounded by ski runs.
    Sam said in his growly voice, “The bike trail runs along that stream—”
    “I see it!” Jeff shouted. “Looks just like I thought.”
    Sam banked left and followed the roads and paths we would take through the first leg of our journey. It didn’t look difficult from the air, but sometimes looks can fool you.
    Sam flew low along the mountains, and every glance at the rocks and trees looked like a different page from a nature calendar. Huge slabs of rock rose out of the earth like castles, and I wondered what it would look like from the ground.
    Sam pointed out a town where we would stop. Then we headed south toward Buena Vista. We flew over a campground—another planned stop—and soared through a valley that stretched for miles.
    “I admire you guys for even attempting this,” Sam said.
    “You should see all the sponsors I’m getting,” Jeff said. “With all the pledges so far, I’ll make $25,000 for the research fund if we finish.”
    “Put me down for a dollar a mile,” Sam said.
    Jeff smiled and scribbled on a pad of paper.
    Sam dipped lower, and the ground came rushing up at us.
    “Buffalo!” Jeff yelled.
    A herd grazed in an open field. They must have been used to low-flying planes because we didn’t seem to bother them.
    A yellow car pulled into a gas station on a lonely stretch of road, and I thought about Hayley’s cousin. Was he out here somewhere, lost and alone? Had he been banged on the head and forgotten his name?
    Sam flew over Wilkerson Pass, one of my favorite places in the whole state. He showed us where we’d ride, winding through Woodland Park. We flew over the Garden of the Gods, where we’d finish. My legs were tired just looking at the route.
    Jeff beamed. “Think of crossing the finish line. It’s going to be the best thing I’ll ever do in my life.”
    Fear washed over me. What if I was the one who couldn’t finish? What if I let Jeff down?

Chapter 16
    Jeff’s Diary
    by Jeff Alexander
    I’d like to welcome Colorado Springs readers to my column. My name is Jeff Alexander, and I’m like any 13-year-old kid, except I have cancer. This weekend is the biggest of my life because I’m riding 200 miles in a bike hike with my friend Bryce. A store donated a special bike we can ride together, and we’re really looking forward to it.
    By the time you read this, I’ll be on the road, pedaling my feet off and breathing the fresh Colorado air. You can’t begin to understand how excited I am. I’ve been waiting and hoping for this for months, and now it’s finally