Hoaley Ill-Manored (5 page)

Adam was on his feet before he even thought
about it. Walter jumped up too and barked twice, obviously reacting
to Adam’s fear. Adam moved to the window and looked down, trying to
read the shadows swaying across the yard for anything that looked
out of place.

The wind howled again and, in it, Adam could
have sworn he heard the call of a spectral voice, musty with age
and disuse. Behind him, Walter started barking again and the
bedroom door slammed shut. Adam spun around, gooseflesh lifting on
his arms.

Walter stared at the door, a low growl
vibrating in his throat.

The night was black. Only the light of a
full, fat moon shone through the window to give Adam some sense of
the room around him. The moonlight cast a weak trail across the
floor, culminating just beyond Walter, whose fur was standing up in
an alarmed ruff all along his shoulders. The big dog’s tail drooped
and his long ears were tucked back on his head. The growl vibrated
in the silent room, tightening Adam’s chest with fear.

In the space before the closed door, the
shadows took a terrifying form. Shaped like a man in tattered
clothing, the shadowy figure stood in silence, appearing to stare
at Adam as the wind howled past the window, providing an eerie
lament.

Adam blinked and the shadows seemed to merge
again. Moving slowly, carefully, he stepped toward the cot and
reached for his tablet. He pressed the button and a bright
rectangle of light shone forth. He held it up, illuminating the
spot where he’d seen the shadow.

There was nothing.

Walter yawned and circled three times,
settling back onto his bed with a groan.

Just like that, everything Adam thought he’d
experienced was gone. He sat in front of the window for a while,
just listening, and then finally went back to bed, though he was
pretty sure he wouldn’t sleep.

DS

“We need a new well.”

Adam stared across the yard, his mind stuck
in events from the night before. He’d gotten very little sleep
after he and Walter had been spooked by their mutual, overactive
imaginations. It had all been nothing. Except it really hadn’t felt
like nothing.

“Adam?”

He blinked, realized what Bud had said, and
frowned. “Shit.”

“Yeah. And it gets worse. The updated survey
was lost in a fire at the title office in town years ago. We can’t
do anything until we get a new survey done.”

Adam dropped his head into his hands and
expelled a frustrated breath. “How long?”

“The surveyor says he can’t survey it for
two weeks. It will take him another couple of weeks to get the plan
drawn up.”

Maddy crunched down on a carrot stick and
shook her head. “We can’t wait that long. We’re way behind schedule
as it is.”

“We don’t have a choice, Mads. We can’t
start digging a well until we get that plot plan.”

“Will the original do?”

Everyone turned to Edgar. Adam said, “I
thought the original records were lost in the early 1900s.

The old man nodded. “It’s true that the deed
and most of the paperwork was destroyed in that fire at the records
office, but Lolly never trusted anyone to keep track of her
important papers. Before she died, I know she kept a locked steel
box with her papers and buried it under her barn. I’d be willing to
bet there’s a copy of the deed from Matthew Bilsworth in that box.
There might be a plot plan with that.”

Maddy and Adam shared a smile. Maddy wrapped
her arms around the elderly man. “Edgar, you’ve already earned this
week’s salary.”

Edgar shook his head. I told you I don’t
want any money.”

She hugged him tighter, “We’ll see.” Looking
at Adam, Maddy grinned. “I guess we’re going back to see the cranky
guy with the gun.

“This time let’s go in the front way. Maybe
he won’t shoot us.”

“Good plan,” Bud agreed.

DS

The Worth cabin was set well back from the
road, bounded by trees. Only a small area of grass surrounded the
tidy cabin with the long, deep porch.

Overflowing half barrels filled with
petunias and daisies bracketed the wide, wooden steps climbing to
the porch. Rustic looking twig rockers were ranged along the length
of the porch. A huge, black and brown Rottweiler ran toward the
truck as Adam pulled in, showing massive, white teeth in a
snarl.

In the backseat, Walter held all four points
of contact but gave a low growl in response, his big brown eyes
locked on the four footed aggressor.

The dog jumped up and slammed its massive
paws against the window beside Walter and Walter yelped, abandoning
his four points of contact to scurry back away from the window. Dog
spit bathed the outside of the window.

“Crap! I don’t know what’s worse,” Adam
said, “the gun or the dog with the really big teeth.”

“We could let Walter out first.”

Adam fixed Maddy with a look of pure horror.
“You want me to send Walter against that monster? It would be a
blood bath, and all of it would be Walter’s.”

Eyeing the big dog quivering in the
backseat, Maddy nodded. “You’re right. What was I thinking? We
probably couldn’t even get Walter out of the truck.”

“He’s not stupid.” Adam turned the truck off
and watched the cabin, hoping the door would open and spit Teddy
Worth out. Then he realized they were in a bad way if the angry man
with the gun was the better option.

“Okay. What’s plan B?”

Maddy chewed her bottom lip. “You got any
food in here?”

“Chips. But I don’t think dogs like
chips.”

“Where are they?”

Adam unbuckled his seat belt and reached
over the seat, grabbing the unopened bag of salt and vinegar chips
he was saving for later. “I was really looking forward to eating
these so don’t give him all of them.

“Maddy took the bag, ripped it open, and
sniffed. “Yum.” She reached inside and took a handful, dropping
them onto the dashboard.

“Hey! Grease spots, Mads!”

“You’re such a girl, Adam.” She opened the
window a couple of inches and nothing happened. The Rottie stepped
back from the car and watched it slide open, cocking his big head.
Maddy opened the window another couple of inches and held the bag
out, dangling it. “Look what I have, big boy. Yum…these look gr…”
The dog surged toward the bag of chips and snatched it.

Maddy squealed and yanked her hand back
inside. “Yeesh! Land shark!”

Adam fixed her with a look and she had the
good grace to look sheepish. “Sorry. I’ll get you another bag.”

“Hey! Who said you could feed my dog junk
food?”

Adam’s gaze whipped around and landed on
Teddy Worth. He was standing on the porch, the usual shotgun
gripped tightly in his hands. “Yeah, sharks. And I’m starting to
feel like you and I are chum for the water, Mads.”

Adam rolled his window down an inch and
nodded toward Teddy, trying a smile. “Sorry. We only meant to
distract him a little so we could come knock on the door.”

Teddy didn’t move any closer. He could glare
just fine from where he was. Instead he whistled and the big dog
loped over to him, still licking his lips from his snack. “You
didn’t really think that one through did you?”

Adam gave a weak laugh. “No. We really
didn’t. Could we talk to you for a minute?”

“What about?”

“It would be easier if we could come up
there.”

Teddy leaned against a post and crossed his
arms, nestling the shotgun over them like a baby. “Not easier for
me.”

“Just spit it out, Adam.” Maddy swiped a
hand across her forehead. It’s getting hot in here.”

Adam sighed, rolling the window down far
enough to stick his head out. “I need a plot plan for the manor and
Edgar Reeves told me he thought you might have one.”

Teddy frowned. “Can’t you just get the place
surveyed?”

“I can, but it will take nearly a month to
get the results. I was hoping you’d help me.”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

That was a damn good question. Adam didn’t
have an answer. Finally he tried another smile, though that hadn’t
gotten him very far up to that point. “Because I’m a nice guy.”

Teddy Worth stared at them for a long moment
and then straightened. For a brief second, Adam thought he was
going to help them. But then the shotgun found its way into his big
hands again and the muzzle slid in their direction. “You have about
ten seconds to get the hell off my property, Hoale.”

Adam briefly considered continuing to argue,
but Worth cocked the shotgun and put an end to that thought. He
turned the key, and put the truck in reverse.

“Well, I guess that’s that.” Maddy mumbled
around a potato chip. “We might as well forget the well for a few
weeks.”

Adam backed out of the narrow, gravel drive
and put the truck into forward. “Not a chance. It’s just time for
plan B.” He slowed as he pulled past a large, red building with
white trim nestled into the trees on the side of the road. “You see
that?”

Maddy scrunched down so she could look
through his window. “That barn?”

“What do you want to bet that’s Worth’s
barn?”

The crunching stopped and Maddy swallowed
hard. “Please tell me you’re not thinking of doing what I think
you’re thinking of doing?”

“Mads…I’m thinking of doing what you think
I’m thinking of doing. And worse, I’m thinking you should do it
with me.”

“Shit! I thought that’s what you were
thinking.”

CHAPTER SIX

They argued all the way back to the manor
about the intelligence of breaking into the barn of an angry man
with a shotgun and digging up his floor to find that metal box
Edgar had mentioned. By the time they pulled into the long, winding
drive to Bilsworth Manor, Maddy’s chips were gone, Walter was a
quivering mess in the backseat, and Adam was cranky.

Seeing the red BMW coupe parked in the
circular drive didn’t do much to improve his mood. “Oh crap! I
don’t need this shit right now.”

Maddy threw him a look and Adam could feel
her pity from all the way across the truck. She reached over and
squeezed his shoulder and said the only thing that was guaranteed
to piss Adam off even more. “Well, at least now that he’s here he
can talk you out of this suicide mission.”

Adam swore loudly, Walter whined, and Maddy
gave a long-suffering sigh.

Dirk didn’t come out to greet them when Adam
slammed to a stop in front of the big house. He wasn’t in the
massive, three story foyer, the living room, the library, or the
kitchen, Adam finally found him standing in the middle of the huge,
marble-floored ballroom getting a lesson in the house’s colorful
history from Edgar Reeves.

Dirk’s sexy green gaze slipped to Adam when
he stalked into the room, a cautious smile playing across his lips.
Edgar didn’t even notice Adam’s arrival, he was busy recounting a
ball he’d experienced in that impressive room when he’d been a
child.

In deference to the old gentleman, Adam
stopped just inside the door and shoved his hands in his pockets,
silently glaring at Dirk as Edgar finished his story.

While his ex-lover’s attention was on Edgar,
Adam couldn’t help checking Dirk out. He looked wonderful as usual.
Maybe a bit leaner and more deeply tanned than before. Adam’s
stomach twisted as he thought of all the accounts he’d read of Dirk
spending time with the attractive, gay producer. On a sailing boat,
golfing, playing racquetball at the man’s multi-million dollar
estate.

Dirk’s piercing green gaze slipped around
the room as Edgar talked, flitting occasionally toward Adam. He had
a strong nose and a full, perfectly sculpted mouth that was almost
too pretty for a man, but somehow it worked with his other
features. Dirk’s mahogany toned hair was shorter than it had been
the last time Adam had seen him, but it still had its trademark
tousled look that made him look like he’d just rolled out of
bed.

Adam still found it hard to breathe when he
looked at Dirk. Nothing had changed.

A couple of minutes later, despite his
anger, Adam got pulled into Edgar’s story himself. As he stood
there, he looked around and suddenly saw the room as it must have
once been—elegant and impressive, with its now-faded ceiling
covered in bright gold-leaf frescos and new crystal chandeliers.
The tiny bulbs in the chandeliers would have been candles then, and
the seemingly endless expanse of marble on the floors would have
gleamed with newly polished brilliance. The gilding on the paneled
walls would have glistened against a creamy paint and elegant
sconces would have sent a soft, wavering light across the room,
painting a room full of dancers in tender, golden tones.

Edgar described the orchestra, placed on a
raised platform in the farthest corner of the room, and the wide
doors that opened onto a long veranda decorated in flowering vines.
Adam could almost smell the flowers that pulled lovers outside to
enjoy their perfume.

He looked at the chipped paint on the
veranda’s heavy, circular pillars and the dried vines clasping the
faded, red brick and felt a deep sadness. Time…and man’s uncaring
touch…had taken a truly beautiful old gentlewoman and turned her
into a penniless hag. His passion to return the hag back to her
former glory blossomed anew in his breast. Adam’s mind raced with
the vision Edgar had created in his mind and he suddenly realized
what a treasure Edgar Reeves was going to be. He couldn’t possibly
pay the man enough.

Adam was so caught up in his plans he didn’t
realize at first that Dirk had walked over and was talking to
him.

“Adam?”

Adam blinked and focused on Dirk. Edgar was
standing next to Dirk, his eyes glazed with reminiscence. “Thank
you for sharing your memories, Edgar. For a couple of minutes I was
right there with you. It must have been a beautiful sight.”

“It was, yes. I’m sure I’ve made it larger
than life in my mind, but those were wonderful times in this old
manor. I’d like to see them come again.”