Forbidden Ground (Cold Creek #2)(76)
“Kate, like I said,” Carson went on, pointing a finger nearly in her face, “either get in that mound or out of town—out of Cold Creek and out of Columbus. Back to English digs, where you evidently belong.”
She glared at him, speechless. He was right. Wasn’t this man always right? She hated that. But he was a master manipulator, just like Bright Star Monson, who held such sway over Lee and Grace. And even if she couldn’t quite trust Kaitlyn Blake, she wanted to rescue her from Carson, so it wouldn’t take the young woman ten years and a lot of sharing of resources, as he used to call it, to figure that out.
“You have one last chance,” Carson said. “Either pull this off now or give it up, and I’ll take over. I’m having a lawyer draft a deposition I can use to gain access to the mound by extending the definition of eminent domain. Just think, with a dig team from here, you could be in that death chamber in hours. Or else I will be, without you.”
She grabbed her purse, got up and headed for the door. She pulled the old-fashioned key out of the lock and tossed it onto his desk. “Just so Kaitlyn doesn’t accidentally lock herself in.” She walked out, and since he was probably expecting her to slam the door, she closed it quietly.
As she went down four flights of stairs, she realized she had closed a door on Carson—his power over her, at least. If he stopped the dig team from coming back on Saturday, so be it. For the first time in years, she felt she was on her own in her career and private life. But she wasn’t sure she had the strength to either defy or leave Grant.
*
Kate picked up food at a favorite Chinese restaurant in Columbus and drove back to Cold Creek. She figured she’d get home just before Grant if he was on time. It might be the last day she was there playing dutiful wife with food on the table, worrying if he was late. Once she challenged him on what Jason had said, he might ask her to leave. She wouldn’t like going back to her childhood home, but she could handle it for a couple of days until Tess returned. Maybe she’d see if Nadine was still interested in buying the house when she stopped this evening to purchase the Adena tree-trunk sculpture. At least she’d have a modern piece of art to remember her time here in Cold Creek if Grant asked her to leave.
When she arrived she saw his car was already in the driveway. She grabbed the food and hurried into the house. “Grant?” She put the food and her purse down, then walked into the living room. What if he wasn’t all right? What if, like Paul and Todd, something had happened to Grant?
She could see through the picture window that he was out by the mound. At least he was safe, looked all right, although she could tell he was furious. Another tree cut down while he was away?
She ran out the back door. When he saw her, he started shouting. “I didn’t give you permission for this!”
“For what?” she cried as she approached the mound and looked where he was pointing.
The dead hawthorn trees were missing, exposing the mound area she was sure held the entry shaft. Despite some ground cover, she could clearly see a section was indented with the telltale signs of old digging, which had caved in the curve of the mound just slightly, probably from Hiram Mason’s time.
“I didn’t do that,” she protested, hands on her hips. “And what if I did? They needed to be cut and hauled away. So you think I’m going to dig into the mound while you’re gone, even though it’s clear you don’t want me in there? I’ve been gone all day, Grant. I wouldn’t do that, because you didn’t give me permission. Don’t you get that much by now?”
“I— Okay. I jumped to conclusions. But then who?”
Her anger evaporated when she saw the forlorn look on his face. For a moment, she glimpsed the little boy in him, like Jason, devastated at losses he mourned.
“How long have you been gone?” he asked, his voice more quiet. “This wouldn’t take long to cut it and have it hauled out. You didn’t hear or see anything? It can’t be the tree thieves trying to threaten or hurt me again.”
“I was here awhile this morning then visited Todd and Amber’s kids—Todd had surgery to remove his spleen today.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair so some of it stood on end.
“And I drove to Columbus to see Carson.”
“Isn’t that cozy?”
“No, it wasn’t. You know, you don’t trust me, so I’ll just move back to Tess’s old house. This isn’t going anywhere, we aren’t going anywhere, and—”
“Hey, you two.” Brad’s voice interrupted from the backyard as he strode toward them. “Grant, I wanted to get here before you did, but Keith said you left early. Oh, I see they hauled the dead stuff away but haven’t delivered the new saplings yet. I figured you’d want the same thing Grandpa put in—hawthorn. So, Professor Kate, I read up on hawthorn before I ordered it. Latin name, crataegus monogyna. Impressive, huh? I suppose you know its Celtic symbolism? Gotta admit I didn’t, but the woman at the nursery I ordered from did.”
For a moment, Kate almost felt she was back in Carson’s paleobotany class years ago. “Yes, but I’m sure your grandfather didn’t have Celtic symbolism in mind when he planted hawthorn trees,” she told him, aware that Grant was hanging on everything they said.
“I just thought it was so ironic,” Brad said, coming closer. “Grant, you’re upset. I really meant to be here before you. Sorry for the surprise. I’m just grateful you let me take the foreman job—even temporarily—and wanted to help out around here. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind.”