Forbidden Ground (Cold Creek #2)(35)

She stared; the deer stared, then bolted away, bounding out of sight, far beyond to the shade of a tall, distant tree.

Still on wobbly legs, Kate hurried to her car, got in, locked the doors and just sat there, breathing hard. She supposed she’d have to tell Grant about the deer. At this distance, safe inside her car, she studied the garage and the large tree she could see beside it as if it stuck out from the roof. Tess had told her that Grant’s friend Todd had actually climbed that tree—scaled it, Tess had said, like someone who challenged tall mountains. No doubt, from those heights he could look over this whole area, even hunt from there, like some local men used to shoot deer from platforms hidden in the foliage of the nearby hills.

She shuddered at her scrambled thoughts. But the worst of them was that, not only in her dreams but in her waking moments, her desires were luring her to Grant and Mason Mound.

*

Grant was in a big hurry. He hated to leave the mill off schedule, but Todd was overseeing everyone, including Brad, so he had to take this time to recheck that his Adena mask was still untouched when no one else was in the house. He didn’t bother to lock his car door but did lock himself into the house. It was silent as—yeah, as a tomb.

He hustled downstairs. This was Tuesday, and Paul’s funeral was scheduled for Thursday morning, so he’d put up a notice that the mill would be closed for a half day so staff could attend. He wondered if Nadine would keep her house. Probably not, as isolated as it was. And when she sold it, if she didn’t know about Paul’s valuable eagle pendant and it was hidden in the house, would the next owner stumble on it?

As boys that day in the death chamber of the tomb, when Todd had dared to joke that Indiana Jones had nothing on them, they hadn’t thought about what would happen if one of them died. Maybe they should have told each other where they’d hidden their artifacts, but of course, they thought then they were going to live forever. If he could help Nadine relocate, maybe he could search the house for the pendant—if it was in their house. If he were Paul, he’d have hidden it within one of those tree-trunk carvings, one he’d never sell but keep for his own. He could ask Nadine if one was special to Paul, pay a big price for it as if it were only a keepsake from his friend.

As Grant hurried past the washing machine, he saw a pile of Brad’s dirty clothes. Of course, he’d been down here. He’d even played pool by himself the other night after he came back from wherever he spent the late hours uptown. Grant didn’t think he’d hooked up with a woman but was much too hooked up with booze. He should check to see if any of his bottles left over from the party for Gabe and Tess had disappeared.

He clicked on the light, got on his back on the floor and felt under the furnace for the metal box with the key. Not there! Feeling around some more, he finally found it. He’d been in such a hurry the other day, he’d evidently put it back slightly off position, that was all.

He thought he heard a noise upstairs and froze, listening. If Kate came back—he’d texted her and she’d said she wouldn’t be back before noon—what would he tell her? He swore sometimes that woman could read his mind, which was bad news. But no, the house was just creaking in the wind.

He slid the hutch out of the way and lifted the oak panels. He pulled the cement blocks out with the old ice hook then slid the box out. So far everything looked fine. It was just that Kate had been so certain that she’d seen not a stag head but the Beastmaster mask. And with Brad here in the house, though he’d never told him where he’d put his relic, he had to know this hadn’t been disturbed.

Disturbed...like he and his friends had done to that elaborate, ritual burial chamber.... Disturbed, like the way Kate got to him when he should keep her away.

He opened the box and exhaled in relief. Yes, it was here, obviously untouched. And yet, had he put the tissue paper back this way, neatly tucked in instead of crumpled? He couldn’t recall.

The ancient, eyeless mask stared up at him as if to say, No answers here. I keep my secrets. But never betray me.

Grant closed the box fast and slid it back in, then fumbled in his shirt pocket to take out Kate’s business card. He leaned it against the box. She’d given it to him because her cell number was on it. He had that memorized, her website and Facebook page, too. But if anything happened to him, and this was ever found—he did have an explanation of it with his will—maybe she’d at least have a chance to see it, study it.

Then, too, if her card was moved, he’d know someone had found the box.

*

Still sitting in her car in the driveway of Tess’s house, Kate was just getting ready to phone Carson to let him know she was temporarily living right next to the Mason Mound, when a black van pulled in behind her, blocking her in. She punched off Carson’s number after two rings. She’d just put Grant on speed dial this morning and was going to call him if this van meant trouble. Her usual poise and pluck had taken a beating since she’d found those stars and seen that deer head. Bright Star and Grace had come here in a black vehicle the day they’d told her and Tess that the wedding was pagan, so could it be them?

A woman got out of the van. It was Nadine Kettering. Oh, and wasn’t that Grant’s ex with her, driving the van? Kate put her cell phone in her purse and got out of her car.

“Nadine,” she said, walking toward them. They exchanged light hugs. “I heard the funeral service is Thursday. I haven’t really had a chance to tell you how sorry I am. Paul was a great talent, and I’m sure a wonderful man.”