Forbidden Ground (Cold Creek #2)(49)

Kate nodded but she was hardly listening. Grant’s grandfather had entered the mound. That meant Grant was either ignorant of that or lying to her. Talk about going to war... If the latter were true, that made Grant her enemy. And that changed all the rules.

*

“Hi, Carson,” Kate said into her phone the minute she got his voice mail. She didn’t bother to identify herself. She was sitting in Grant’s driveway, hadn’t even gone into the house, as if it might have ears.

“I need a favor—for our cause,” she said, talking fast. “I know you’re teaching a class, but when you get a chance, can you send a grad student to research something for me in the university library archives? In the stacks on Kenny Road last year, when I was home from England for Christmas, I found some mid-twentieth-century reports from this area about mound entries and finds, which were recorded by hand, of course, and filed under Falls County reports about crops, no less. I copied some stuff about the Cold Creek Mound, but maybe I missed something in there about Mason Mound. I’ve heard a rumor—even have a fairly reliable secondary witness—who says the mound might have been entered in the late thirties. So if you can—”

His recording beeped. Out of time, but she’d said what she’d needed to. She knew how much Grant had loved his grandfather, that the lost tree house had revived many memories and how much he’d love to have him back. Now Kate wished his grandfather was back, too, because she had a lot of questions.

*

Late that afternoon, not having heard from Carson, Kate drove to Todd and Amber’s place to see Todd demonstrate his climbing techniques.

“Brad and Grant are coming, too,” Amber told her as she let her in. “The boys and I will go along with you all. It’s good for them to hear their father’s lectures about safety now and then, but they’re much too young to go up with him. I don’t even want them standing under the tree just looking up. If something gets dropped from that height, it’s going fast and hard when it hits the ground.”

“I see they like to draw pictures of Todd up in a tree.”

“Sure do. I suppose it’s inevitable, but I’d like to think they won’t follow in his footsteps that way. I still worry about him.”

While the boys played out back, the two of them sat over coffee and peanut-butter cookies until the men arrived. Grant and Brad came together in Grant’s truck, as if he still wasn’t letting Brad drive. Amber evidently loved to have company and served everyone with a smile on her face. It made Kate wish she was better at hospitality, a real gift, but her mother had seldom entertained because money was so tight, once again, thanks to her good man father.

In the living room, Todd produced a sample harness and proceeded to show the safety features and explain how he climbed. He was so knowledgeable and interesting he reminded Kate of some of the better lecturers she’d heard over the years of entirely too much schooling.

“If you’ve got an extra rig for me, I’d like to go up with you today,” Brad said. “I know Grant prefers to be earthbound, and he’ll never let Kate climb without any practice, but I’m ready. You got an extra harness and gear around here?”

“You bet. I was showing Keith Simons how to climb the other day. He’s a big guy, probably too big to try it again, but if this harness can hold him, it can sure hold you.”

Kate could tell Grant didn’t like Brad showing off today. She could almost hear his thoughts. Brad’s sober right now. I can’t keep trying to control him even if I am his big brother. He’s had a hard time, losing his company. I may be mad at him about hanging out with Lacey, but I’ve got to keep my mouth shut, especially since we had that big argument night before last.

They all trooped outside and through the woods toward what Todd called his favorite tree. Amber got a call on her cell and dropped back a bit to talk, so Kate took the hand of Aaron, the middle boy, while Grant carried the toddler, Andy. Their oldest, Jason, kept right up with his dad.

As they got deeper in, Kate saw deadwood had fallen and sprawled over living growth. As if he’d read her mind, Grant explained. “A lot of downed trees from a straight-line wind here two years ago. When nature does it, I don’t mind, but I’m still going to find out who cut down my maple. It’s just that losing Paul took precedence.”

“I understand,” she said, but she couldn’t really understand why he fought her so hard on further examining Mason Mound. Or did she actually have his long-gone grandfather to blame? Had he made his son and grandson vow never to let someone tamper with their mound? What could have scairt him bad, as Sam had said, inside it? She doubted he’d been scared by a cave-in since the exterior seemed intact. Could he have seen decayed corpses inside—even a horrible mask?

“Todd can ID types of trees by the texture of their bark and the smell of their leaves.” Grant’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “If it wasn’t for him, Mason Mill probably wouldn’t have branched out—excuse the pun.”

“Oh, yeah,” Brad said, turning back to get into the conversation. “Here we go with the environment, diversity talk. Okay, you told me to do it, too, with the paper mill and I didn’t listen. Save this green goal stuff to get Lacey to back off.”

“She’s backed off me. How about you?” Grant shot back.

Before this escalated again, Kate interrupted them. “What side products does the mill sell wood for besides furniture?”