by Krista Wolf
“We have to tell the others!” she said excitedly. “We have to let them—”
“Right now?”
My words brought her slowly back down to earth. She turned to look at me, and I seized the moment and kissed her.
I stole her breath away, breathing her into my lungs. Her body went limp in my arms again, as she swooned into me.
“Tomorrow,” I said, with a loving smile. “First thing in the morning, okay?”
Madison actually shuddered now, against the chill. Her body was coming down from the adrenaline, the excitement.
“You’re cold,” I said taking her by the hand. “Come. Sleep with me.”
She nodded eagerly, following me back toward the door. Looking every bit the yellow-tressed goddess she actually was.
“I’m going to wrap myself all around you and warm you up.”
Sixty-Two
MADISON
“So he knows about it?” said Chase, pouring his coffee. “He’s looking for it? In the ground?”
“YES.”
“And that’s who we saw that night?” asked Julian. “Some guy running a metal detector out in the field?”
“I’m positive,” I replied. “One-hundred percent.”
Julian and Chase looked at each other. Noah was busy forking eggs into his mouth.
“How and when did you figure this all out?” asked Julian.
“Well I couldn’t sleep last night,” I explained. “I was hot. Restless. And then I was up on the roof, and Noah was there. And we were just looking out over the field together…”
“Just looking out over the field together,” Chase laughed. “Riiiight.”
I shrugged off the comment as Noah and I exchanged a quick, knowing glance. “Yeah, so anyway, I was thinking about that thing we saw. About how it moved. And then suddenly I remembered that guy with the metal detector—”
“Edgar.”
My brows crossed for a second. “Who?”
“Edgar,” Chase said simply. “That’s his name.”
“That’s the name he gave you, anyway,” muttered Julian.
“Yeah, that’s right — Edgar.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “I remember him sweeping back and forth with his machine, and I realized I’d seen those same movement before. Only far off, in the distance. At night.”
Julian looked lost in thought, the wheels in his head turning. Chase had already put enough sugar in his coffee to explode a rhino heart. He extended one hand, and I slid him the milk.
“That explains why he’s out there at night,” said Julian. “He’s sneaking around. Looking while we sleep.”
“And during the day he’s searching further out,” said Chase. “Near the stables, where he works. Where no one cares, and nobody’s watching.”
“Which means he knows about the treasure horde,” said Noah. “But he doesn’t know where it is.”
“He thinks its in the ground, though,” said Chase. “And he might have the area narrowed down a little.”
“He could also be wrong entirely,” I pointed out. “My uncle had better info. He seemed to think it was here, in the walls of the keep.”
“Or,” said Julian, finishing his toast, “maybe it’s your uncle who was wrong.”
I wasn’t sure why, but that part I didn’t believe. My uncle was always on point. I trusted his judgment.
Noah pushed back from the table and began pulling on his work gloves. “Either way, none of this matters if we don’t finish our work.”
They rose as they always did, and exited together. I admired their dedication. By this point they’d been working as a trio for so long, they were a well-oiled machine.
Chase stopped by me on the way out, snapping the plastic top over his coffee. He put a consoling hand on my shoulder.
“You feel better at least?”
“About what?”
“Well the ‘thing’ outside isn’t a thing at all, it’s a man. And if he’s looking for a treasure horde…”
“Then he’s trespassing,” I snapped.
“True,” said Chase. “But it also means he’s not after you.” His face spread into his usual warm-but-gorgeous smile. “And that makes me feel better, at least.”
They filed out, leaving me in the foyer. I wasn’t dressed. I wasn’t showered. I should already be out there, helping them every way I could.
But my next move was more than obvious:
Edgar.
Sixty-Three
MADISON
“Sure you can have a word with him Lassie,” said Nolan, scratching his head. “But you’re gonna have to find him first.”
The stables were messier than last time, and smellier too. The horses seemed restless. The normally peaceful surroundings had an air of neglect to them, that made me sad.
“Edgar disappeared last week,” the stable-owner said. “Kind of left me in a bind, in more ways than one.”
“And how’s that?”
“Well for one he just stopped showing up,” said Nolan. “Didn’t give me notice, didn’t give me a chance to hire anyone else. And I… well…” He winced mightily as he straightened his back.
“You’re having a hard time keeping up,” I finished.
The old man nodded slowly. “Dunno if you noticed, but I’m not exactly as young as I used to be.”
I could see the suppressed pain behind his stoic expression, the lack of sleep in the bags under his eyes. The poor guy was trying to do everything himself. I started searching my schedule for a time I could come over. Maybe help him myself.
But until the inspection…
“The other thing,” Nolan went on, “is that he asked for an advance on his next paycheck. I gave him two weeks’ salary.” He laughed bitterly. “May as well have fed that money to the horses!”
“So he ditched you and robbed you…”
“Ayup.”
“Shit,” I said. “Sorry you’re in a bind.”
“We’re all in a bind, lassie,” the man smiled weakly through yellowed teeth. “Just some of us more than others.”
I sighed, placing my hands on my hips. I couldn’t get Edgar out of my head. I needed to know who he was, how he arrived here. What he knew about the horde my uncle was chasing. How long he might’ve been looking for it.
“Did he say anything before he left?” I asked.
“Nah. Went home one day, never came back.”
I approached my next question with an uncomfortable tightness in my stomach.
“Think he… found anything?” I asked in trepidation. “You know, with that metal detector he was always swinging around?”
“Besides the rusted-out junk he was always collectin’?”
“Yeah.”
Nolan tugged at his chin and shrugged. “Couple a’ old coins now and then,” he grunted. “Pennies mostly. A few silver shillings. Nothin’ to write home about. Nothin’ good.”
Nothing he showed you, anyway, I thought to myself.
“He was a good worker, when he actually worked,” said Nolan. “Toward the end, he was swinging that thing half his shift. The animals seemed to get along with him well enough, though. Not as much as they love Chase,” he added quickly, “but well enough.”
My mind wandered back to Chase, coming here periodically to feed and water the horses. He did it for Nolan, maybe. But he did it also because he loved it. And the animals loved him.
It was one of the cutest things in the world.
“This guy Edgar…” I said, shaking my head clear. “Any idea where I can find him?”
“Probably at his flat,” said Nolan. “Over in Tranent.”
“And would you be willing to part with that address?”
The old man’s eyes glowed with an inner mischief. “Not supposed to,” he said matter-of-factly. “But after what the bastard did?” He let out a chuckle with a cough attached to the end. “Come back into my office and I’ll dig it up for you.”
Sixty-Four
MADISON
> “Is that him?”
The man practically flew out the door of his apartment complex, and went straight into a running walk. He had long legs attached to a spindly body. His movements reminded me more of a bird than a human.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “That’s the guy.”
Julian turned the key and started his truck. The engine roaring to life was a bit noisy, but our quarry didn’t turn his head.
“You sure?”
“Definitely.”
The address Nolan provided was at the ass end of Tranent. All the way to the southeast, at the edge of the residential district.
We pulled away from the curb, rolling slowly along. Julian and Noah were in the front, with me laying lower, on the back bench seat. I felt like we were in one of those detective shows. The ones where you always see the perpetrator glance back over his shoulder, and take off running.
“Don’t go too fast,” I said.
Noah chuckled. “Yes, boss.”
“I mean it. If he takes off…”
“You don’t think we can chase him down?”
I swung my gaze from Edgar to the guys, then back to Edgar again. “Actually, no.”
Noah laughed and shook his head. “You’re probably right.”
We followed him for three city blocks, then five, then seven. It was a good thing it was getting late. Not too many other cars on the road, because anyone behind us would be beeping at us already.
“Damn,” swore Julian. “He’s walking like he has a stick of dynamite up his ass.”
“Where do you think he’s going?”
The stonemason shrugged. “Assholes anonymous meeting?”
“They have those?” asked Noah.
Now it was Julian’s turn to laugh. “As if you haven’t been to one.”
It was generally a lot of fun, the banter they’d developed between them. But right now I was tense. We needed answers from this guy, which meant we needed to know where he was going. The last thing I wanted was to spook him.
“He’s ducking into that building,” Julian pointed. “Right there.”
Noah nodded. “I think it’s a restaurant.”
“Find a spot then,” I said. “And let’s park.”
The guys had come because neither one of them would let me go alone. Also, there was a good chance Edgar hadn’t seen Julian or Noah up close. That left Chase at home, to guard the keep. He joked it was the first time the keep had been guarded in centuries.
“Give him a little while, to get settled,” said Julian. “Then we go.”
Five minutes dragged by like five hours. I was worried that we’d lose him. That’s somehow our target had seen us, and he’d slip out a back door or something.
Eventually we entered the restaurant, which was half bar, half seating area. I hung back while Julian and Noah traversed the length of the bar. They came back to report Edgar was on the other side of the place, sitting at a table.
“He’s with someone,” said Noah.
Together we waved off the hostess and moved into the restaurant. Noah circled around, to come in from behind, while Julian and I walked straight up on him.
“Hey Edgar,” I said, tapping him on the shoulder. “Imagine running into you—”
I stopped mid-sentence as I realized who his guest was. My mouth dropped open.
“Holy shit!”
Sixty-Five
MADISON
Julian squinted down at the other man and then looked at me. “You know this guy?”
I nodded numbly. The man seated across from Edgar was the same one who’d shown up on my doorstep, trying to buy the property.
“He’s the guy who came to buy the place,” I said. “While the rest of you were out.”
Edgar’s whole face went white, especially as Noah rolled in behind him. He looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary, but his wispy-haired guest only smiled and extended a hand.
“Jonathan Campbell,” he said politely. “At your service.”
Julian stared down at the man with an icy scowl. After an uncomfortable few seconds, the man lowered his arm.
“What are the two of you doing here?” I asked, accusingly. “And why the hell are you together?”
Noah pulled up an empty chair and sat down in it backwards. He folded his two huge forearms casually across the back.
“Yeah Edgar,” he said, drawing the name out. “What are the two of you doing together?”
Edgar, looking petrified, said nothing. Jonathan opened his mouth to speak, but Julian clamped a hand over his shoulder, menacingly.
“We’re asking him. Not you.”
A waitress arrived, happily depositing two full pints in front of the two men. Julian took one, and Noah took the other. The wounded look on Jonathan’s face was extremely satisfying.
“Well?” asked Noah, bringing the glass to his lips. “Go on, then.”
The two men looked at each other, and for a moment I thought we’d get nothing. Eventually Jonathan nodded, and Edgar’s expression changed from worry to resignation.
“Alright,” the man said, tugging his ear nervously. “Your property… well, your property is rumored…”
“To hide a treasure horde,” I finished for him. “Yeah. Go on.”
Edgar blinked in surprise. Jonathan only shrugged. He called for the waitress again and ordered another two pints.
“So yeah, I was out looking for it,” admitted Edgar. “With my metal detector, and—”
“We,” Jonathan corrected him. “We were looking for it.”
“Fine. We.”
“And that was you, right?” asked Julian. “Out in the field that night?”
Edgar looked into his lap and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“You’re fast,” Julian admitted. “I’ll give you that.”
The man blushed. “I tossed my detector into the woods and ran. You almost had me.”
“So did you find anything?” asked Noah. “Not that you’d admit it if you did, but I figured I’d—”
“No,” Edgar cut him off. “Nothing yet. I mean, the place is huge. And the horde was initially buried out near the edge of that field, so I started there, and—”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Research. Two specific books at the Edinburgh library, plus a collection of old maps I found online, that show where the original farm fields were in relation to the castle.”
“You said buried the first time,” said Julian. “What do you mean by that?”
“Well the castle was burned twice,” said Jonathan. “And both times, anything of value would’ve been hidden.” He shrugged as all eyes turned on him. “But you knew that, right?”
“No,” I admitted. “I didn’t.”
The man was impeccably dressed again, for some reason. I saw him pull at his tie, to loosen it.
“What exactly do you do, Jonathan?” I asked.
“I deal in antiquities,” the man answered. “All types, really. And I’ve been chasing rumors of this horde for half my life. Edgar here is a friend of a friend, who I heard was good with a metal detector.”
“And so you got him a job working the stables,” I reasoned. “And told him where to start looking.”
“Very astute,” he nodded.
“If you’re trying to buy the property, you must be getting close,” said Noah. “You wouldn’t make offers like that unless you knew something.”
“And you also mentioned you had a friend at the county offices,” I insinuated. “Which means you’re in league with someone else.”
The men looked at each other again, and this time neither one looked comfortable.
Julian set his pint back on the table, half-empty. Then he leaned forward, way down, getting right into Jonathan’s face.
“Listen to me,” he said evenly. “You’re never getting this property. And you’re never getting back on the grounds either,” he growled. “So now might be a good time to tell us everything.”
The man loosened his tie again, uncomfortably. But that’s all he did. That’s all he said.
“Tell them,” said Edgar, abruptly.
Everyone swung their attention to the other side of the table. Edgar folded his hands together nervously.
“Might as well,” he said. “If… well…” he shrugged again. “They need to know.”
“Know what?” I demanded.
The two men held each other’s gaze for a very long moment. I wanted to ask again — to scream at them in frustration — but Noah held me gently back with one big arm.
“Fine,” Jonathan sighed. “But first… a proposition?”
I stood there arms folded in reserved silence, nearly vibrating in anticipation. Both Julian and Noah were staring daggers at the antiquities-dealer.
“Twenty-five percent,” said Jonathan simply. “We share all available information, maps, books, etc… and in return you cut us in for—”
“NO.”
The word came loudly in stereo, from both Noah and Julian together.
The man jumped in his chair, a little shell-shocked. He recomposed himself quickly though. “Fifteen percent?”
“Five percent,” I said, chiming in. “And that’s only if your information is any good.” I whirled on Edgar. “And that’s conditional on you paying back Mr. Nolan the two weeks ‘severance’ you stole from the man.”
Edgar nodded sullenly, but now it was Jonathan who crossed his arms defensively. “Ten—”
“Don’t,” warned Julian. “You should be getting nothing. She’s being extra generous, here. If you open your mouth again, there’d better be a ‘yes’ involved.”
Noah slammed the rest of his pint while the men communicated silently from across the table. Eventually, after several tense moments, Jonathan nodded his head.
“Yes,” he said finally. “Of course.”
Their pints arrived. This time I took Jonathan’s. I also took the chair Julian offered me, having just pulled two from an adjoining empty table.