Ghostly Graveyard (Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Book 17) (6 page)

It was totally quiet up here on the mountain except for the sound of the wind whistling through the valley. I knew the larger forest animals preferred the isolation of the higher elevations and wouldn’t be at all surprised to find I was being watched. Charlie stood next to me, his ears tipped forward, always on alert yet unmoving.

“What do you think?” I asked my furry friend. “If you wanted to hide something where would you put it?”

Charlie took off at a run, traveling into the thick brush as the foot of the steep trail that led to the mine shaft. I ran after him, hoping all the while that there wasn’t a predator lurking nearby. Charlie was a smart and brave, but he was a little dog and therefore not able to defend himself from the coyotes and cougars I knew lived in the crevices of the rocks above.

When I caught up with Charlie he was frantically digging at a piece of plywood that had been buried under a layer of dirt. The plywood turned out to be a door, under which I found a small but deep hole. At the bottom of the hole was a metal box. I reached in to grab it but found it much too heavy to lift. I’d need leverage. I looked around for something to use as an aide. I had a rope in the car that I tied to the box and then found tree branches with which to create a sort of pulley system. It took some work, but I managed to leverage the box to the surface. Of course the box was locked, but with a little effort I managed to get it into the car.

“Let’s go home,” I said to Charlie, who was growling at something in the distance. “I’m almost sure I saw a pair of eyes watching from the crevice just above that ledge. I’m not sure I want to find out who they belong to.”

Charlie barked once and jumped into the passenger seat.

By the time Charlie and I finished up at the mine it was time to pick Scooter up from school. Both Alex and Pi attended Zimmerman Academy in the afternoons, so they came home with Zak at the end of the day. I found I really enjoyed the two hours Scooter and I had for just the two of us each day.

“I got an A on my math test,” Scooter announced as he climbed into the passenger side of the car.

“Awesome.” I put my hand up for a high-five.

“That’s the third A I got in the past two weeks.”

“I know. I’m so proud of how well you’re doing. You’re working hard and it shows.”

“Do you think if I keep getting As I can go to Zimmerman Academy with Alex and Pi?”

I hesitated. We’d discussed the matter with all the kids and I’d thought Scooter understood why he wasn’t participating in the Academy, but apparently I was wrong on that front.

“I didn’t think you wanted to go to the Academy. In fact, I specifically remember you saying you wanted to be in Tucker’s class.”

“I do want to be in Tucker’s class, but he got an A on his test too. We both want to go to the Academy.”

“Why don’t we see how things go this year and then we can take another look at it in a year or two?” I suggested. “I know Miss Maxwell is very excited to have you in her class, and she depends on me to be class mom. I don’t think we want to let her down.”

“Can’t I do both? Pi and Alex do both.”

Scooter had a point. Both Pi and Alex went to public school for half a day and then to the Academy in the afternoon.

“Yes, but Alex is in middle school and Pi is in high school. I don’t think it would work to do the half-day thing in elementary school. Maybe when you get into middle school we can work something out.”

Scooter frowned, but he let it drop.

“Did Miss Maxwell give you the spelling list we needed?”

“Yup.”

“And did you find out about the field trip?”

“She said she was going to e-mail you the information. I think it’s in a week. Maybe two.”

“And did she give you a list of what we need to bring for the class party on Friday?” I asked.

“It’s in my backpack. She said punch and cupcakes would be fine, but I want to do goodie bags too.”

“Goodie bags?”

“Little bags like we had for my birthday, only with something scary on the front and things like candy and rubber spiders inside. Everyone does cupcakes, but I want us to have the best party.”

“I think we can do goodie bags,” I agreed. “We can stop off at the costume shop if you want. I noticed they had a whole area with stuff for Halloween parties.”

Scooter smiled. “Okay.”

I made a left and headed back into town.

“What’s in the box?” Scooter asked, as he noticed the box on the backseat for the first time.

“I’m not sure. Charlie and I dug it up at the old mine. We’re going to take it home and open it. Want to help?”

“Okay. After we get the spiders and stuff.”

We bought a whole bag of candy, spiders, plastic teeth, and other trinkets, then headed home. I gave Scooter a snack and went in search of tools to open the box. It had a sturdy lock on it, but I knew Zak had something in the shed that would cut through the lock. Zak actually had a lot of tools, which he used mainly for his holiday decorating obsession. When Scooter and I had pulled up we’d noticed the work he’d started on the yard that morning. Zak not only wanted the inside of the house to have a Halloween feel but the outside as well. It had actually been Zak’s decorations and my destruction of said decorations that had led to my identifying a killer the previous Halloween. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein would work their magic again.

Just looking at the Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein figures gave me the chills. Sometimes you think you know someone and then you realize you never really did at all. I didn’t want to think that Duncan’s killer was known to me, but experience had shown that most victims of violent crime were attacked by someone they knew well.

“Did you find it?” Scooter asked when I returned to the house.

“I did.” I held up the bolt cutters.

It took a little elbow grease, but I managed to get the box open.

“Wow, look at all that stuff,” Scooter exclaimed.

The first item at the top was a large manila envelope, which was filled with photos of maps, blueprints, and documents. If I had to guess, taking photos of the archives in the county offices was what Duncan had been doing when Willa left the room to answer the phone. Fortunate coincidence or did Duncan have a partner? 

Below the first envelope was another one with old photos. I wondered if these came from the albums Hazel kept in the library or if Duncan had another source. First thing tomorrow I’d head to the library and find out.

Below the photos was a one-way ticket to Rio. It was in Duncan’s name and the flight was scheduled to depart the following week.

Below the ticket was a letter, written in a language other than English, that looked like it was at least a century old. I’d have to ask Alex about it when she got home. She was familiar with a wide range of languages thanks to the fact that she was both brilliant and had traveled extensively.

“Do you think the letter is really a treasure map?” Scooter asked. “Because that would be awesome.”

“I suppose it could be. I guess we’ll see if Alex can read it when she gets home.”

“What’s for dinner?” he asked, apparently growing bored with the contents of the box.

“I’m not sure. I know Zak was going to do something with those leftover chicken breasts. We can try to figure out what he made and see if we can make something to go with it.”

I put the cheesy casserole I found in the refrigerator in the oven and then started on a salad while Scooter buttered the loaves of sourdough bread. While Zak did most of the cooking in our house, on school nights he tended to prepare something ahead of time that just needed to be heated, so Scooter and I had taken to getting things started while we waited for the others to get home.

“Can Tucker come to the Halloween party on Saturday?” Scooter asked.

“I already sent an invitation to his mom.”

“Can he spend the night?”

“I guess that would be fine, as long as you promise to go to sleep and not play around all night like you did the last time Tucker stayed over.”

“We want to watch scary movies on my TV. Tucker says it’s a tradition in his house to watch scary movies on Halloween.”

“Okay, but not too scary. I don’t want the two of you waking up with nightmares.”

“We won’t.”

I looked out the kitchen window. “Zak just pulled up. Why don’t you go wash up and then set the table?”

“It’s Latin,” Alex said later that evening after we’d finished eating and I shared the contents of the box with the others. “Basically, it’s the last will and testament of a man named Alvin, written to a man named Isaac. The document is dated July 12, 1915, and it appears that this Alvin wanted Isaac to travel to a specific location to retrieve ‘that which he left behind.’ The instructions are vague. Probably intentionally so,” Alex added.

“Vague how?” I asked.

“For example, the man who wrote the letter states that Isaac should look for the first clue in the spot where Aunt Matilda had afternoon tea.”

I frowned. “So the clues were personal and could only be followed by the recipient of the letter.”

“Probably.” Alex nodded.

“So no treasure?” Scooter was obviously disappointed.

“I guess not, buddy.” Zak patted him on the back.

“Do you think this Isaac could be Isaac Wainwright from the legend?” I asked.

Alex looked at me. “The dates line up. The legend states that Isaac died on October 23, 1915, while looking for a stone. Maybe this Alvin was a relative and Isaac came to Devil’s Den to find what he’d been left, only to be murdered for his trouble.”

“It seems like a long shot,” Zak contributed.

“Yeah, but even long shots are possibilities,” I reminded him. “And most legends have an element of truth behind them. It might not have happened exactly like the story, but I’m betting something significant happened to cause the legend to come into being in the first place.”

“Okay, say it is true. Say Isaac was a real person who really did come to Devil’s Den to find a treasure. How did Duncan get hold of Isaac’s letter?” Zak asked.

“Duncan’s last name is Wright,” I realized. “What if Wright is a shortened version of Wainwright? I suppose it’s possible Isaac didn’t actually bring the original copy of the letter with him when he came. Or if he did, maybe he realized he was in danger and mailed it to another relative. Perhaps Duncan’s grandfather?”

“Okay, then let’s assume Duncan came to Ashton Falls to pick up where Isaac left off. Why all the subterfuge?” Zak asked. “He had the letter, which would have given him a plausible reason to simply ask Willa, Hazel, and whoever else he may have talked to for access to the old records. Why would he come to the area, set up camp near the old mine, and get involved with the events committee? It makes no sense.”

“Yeah, and who killed him?” Scooter added.

Later that evening, after the kids were settled in their rooms, we went into the sitting area of our own room with a glass of wine. I really enjoyed this time we spent together most evenings. Life seemed to have become so hectic that we rarely had time to relax. Charlie was asleep at my feet, Bella was lying by the fire, and Marlow and Spade were curled up in the bed. It was times like these, when it was just us, that I found the link to who we were before the kids and the Academy and our wonderful but hectic new life.

“It looks like we’re going to be totally deserted for Thanksgiving.” I brought up the subject that had been on my mind since I’d talked to Scooter that morning.

“I take it you spoke to the kids.”

“I talked to Scooter. He told me that he’s going to his grandparents and Alex is going with him. He also told me that Pi is going to a music event. Jeremy confirmed that he’d been invited. How come you knew all this and I didn’t?”

Zak set his glass down on the coffee table, then turned so he was facing me. He took my hand in his before he began to speak.

“The thing with Pi wasn’t a for-sure thing until today,” Zak began. “I spoke to a couple of the guys in the band and we worked out the details. I think the weekend will be good for Pi. It will give him something to think about besides the fact that his mom isn’t with him this year.”

“Yeah. I guess I can see that,” I acknowledged. Pi’s mother had passed away during the past year.

“And as far as Scooter and Alex, I planned to talk to you about it this evening. Originally, I was going to talk to you about it yesterday, but you seemed so upset that your parents weren’t going to be here that I decided to let you get used to that idea first before I brought up the situation with the kids.”

I leaned back into the sofa. I didn’t say anything, but I was sure Zak could see the unhappiness on my face.

“I know you’re disappointed that everyone is going to be gone. I am too. But it did occur to me that we might be able to use the fact that we’ll be alone to our advantage. As much as I love our new big noisy life, we have very little time for just the two of us.”

I frowned. “Advantage how?”

Zak handed me a brochure for a gorgeous resort that promised world-class skiing, spa facilities, luxury cabins with river-rock fireplaces, and full kitchens.

I looked at him. “You want to go on vacation?”

“The place is in the Colorado Rockies. It’s a world-class resort with first-class skiing, dining, and accommodations. We never really did have much of a honeymoon, so I thought we could drop Scooter and Alex at Scooter’s grandparents and then spend a week with no interruptions. No work, no Academy, no kids, and no murder.”

I looked down at the brochure. The resort had sleigh rides, ice skating, and snowmobiling in addition to skiing. The cabins were situated right on a lake that was frozen over in the winter but still beautiful.

“Just the two of us?” I confirmed.

“Just the two of us. And Charlie.”

“It does sound nice.”

Zak pulled me into his arms and kissed my neck.

“It would be fun to ski on runs that are new to us,” I commented. “Are you sure they allow dogs?”

Zak paused and looked at me. “They do in the cabins. I already checked.”

“The spa does sound nice,” I added as Zak returned his lips to my neck.

“Hmm.”

“And the food looks delicious.”

Zak moved his mouth lower.

“And the cabin seems cozy.”

Zak ran his hand up my leg.

“And the bed looks…”

Zak captured my lips and that was the end of the conversation.