Mosquitoes of Summer (16 page)

“So if you can prove your claim now that you have the papers, you will become the new Lord of Loch Moreland,” reasoned Hannah. “Wow. We’ll know someone of royal blood. Cool!”

“And you’ll be rich too,” said Jack. “And can afford to give us a nice reward for helping you find the final clues.”

Mackenzie laughed. “I’m not sure about the money. A lot of it has gone towards taxes and maintaining the castle. You know, it’s expensive to keep it from falling apart. I might end up quite poor. But at least the estate is now back where it belongs; with a direct descendant of Lady Dorchester. Me! And if any of you kids decide to fly over to Scotland, I’ll let you hang out at the castle for free!”

Suddenly Emily jumped to her feet and loudly proclaimed “I’m hungry!”

“What else is new?” muttered her sister. “I guess we should be heading back. Mom and Dad will be worried sick –”

“Not to mention KILL US!” And with that said Emily dragged her sister and friends to the pickup, impatiently tapping her tiny foot and urging the others into quicker, Emily-like action. “What are you waiting for … summer to end?”

Hannah laughed. Summer was still stretching ahead of them, and with the mystery solved, a well-earned break was not such a bad idea after all, she thought. Nodding to the others, the kids filed into Mackenzie’s pickup and headed home. Tomorrow’s forecast was promising mega waves!

Acknowledgements

Many thanks go out to everyone. First and foremost, to my daughters Kira and Emmalyn, who were the inspirations for
Mosquitoes of Summer
. Their zany antics, as well as those of my husband Daniel, and parrot Mr. Bean, had to be immortalized in print. I’ve been told that memory tends to go after the age of 40, so I had no choice but to write it all down. Little did they suspect that their escapades would become publicized. Their equally quirky friend, Jenevra Wetmore, along with her wonderful parents Tom and Heidi, and sister Ada, make up the crucial Vermont element in the novel. Thank you for deciding to talk to us on the beach. To my parents, Zoltan and Margit, for always believing in me and desperately waiting for that first book. Thank you also to my sister Catherine, brother-in-law Patrick, and niece and nephew Andrea and Max. Thank you to Stephanie Cur for being the first to read the initial chapters when I was still doubtful. Your positive reaction meant full-speed ahead. And finally a thank you to my colleagues at LTM High School: Kim White, who took my supermodel photo for the back cover, and Alison Hurst, a no-nonsense proofreader (back cover). Because of your enthusiastic input, your names have now been immortalized in print!