by Laurel Veil
“Maybe we should’ve waited until winter, when the leaves have fallen. It’s so dark.” I shivered.
“I know. I’m not sure what we’re going to be able to find.”
It wasn’t long before we were out of the trees and in open space. I could feel the breeze coming off the ocean and saw faint lights of the town up ahead.
“I don’t think the cave is anywhere out here,” said Toni. She took the flashlight from me and shined it all around. “Look at this place. It’s so flat and everything is out in the open. There’s nowhere to hide. If we keep going, we’re eventually going to wind up back in town.”
We stood there for a moment, weighing our options and feeling let down. “Let’s go back,” said Toni.
Disappointed, we turned around and began the long walk back to the Jeep. We were quiet for a while, and I felt like I knew what Toni was thinking. “You know,” I said, “just because we didn’t find it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, or that it didn’t happen.”
“I know. But you know you would feel better if we had found it. Don’t get me wrong, you know I like Miss Betty. I don’t think she would lie or mislead us on purpose, but we both know there’s something wrong with her mentally.”
“What are you saying, Toni? You think she made everything up?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, look at all the attention we’ve been giving her.” She paused. “Or maybe she committed the murders and she’s framing Thor—”
“What was that?” I gasped.
“It came from over there.” Toni pointed. “I’m too scared to shine the light.”
“It’s probably just a racoon.”
I took the light from Toni and froze when I saw what had made the noise.
“Are. You. Kidding me?” said Toni.
There before us, looking down from a branch, was a blood-red cardinal in the black of night.
“Aren’t those things supposed to be asleep right now?” whispered Toni.
I nodded. “Do you think—” Before I could finish asking if she thought this red bird was like the one that first showed Miss Betty the way to the cave, it fluttered its wings and then sang a few haunting notes before flying away.
“Yes,” Toni said, knowing what I’d meant to ask. “No way this can be blown off as just a coincidence.”
I shined the light all around where the bird had just been. “Look. We didn’t notice it coming from the other direction, but the trees open up a bit right there.”
Toni stepped closer to investigate and then turned around. “It’s a bit overgrown, but it looks like there could’ve been a path here. I think this is it!”
Carefully, we made our way through the tall grass. When the ground became rockier, we walked even slower to keep from twisting our ankles. We finally stopped when it appeared we had come to a dead end. Numerous trees stood in our way.
“I don’t think there’s any getting around this.” Toni sounded disappointed.
I stepped back and took in our surroundings quietly. “There may be no getting around it—it is pretty wide, but I bet we can go through it.”
“You’re not serious, are you? There’s no path. There’s no telling how long it could take us. It’s so dark we could get lost, and there’s no telling what lives in there.”
I knelt and shined the light through the trees. “I don’t think it’s going to take us long at all.”
Toni’s brows furrowed and she kneeled next to me to see what I was looking at. She gasped when she saw the cave in the side of the small hill that was standing just behind the trees.
We made our way through the trees and weeds, and stopped when we got to the entrance. We carefully moved away the limbs and brush that looked like they had been deliberately placed there to camouflage the entrance. I moved the light around the cave. “Well, no bears. You ready to go in?”
“Let’s do this,” said Toni, “before I chicken out.”
We had to bend over in order to enter, then stood up straight once we were inside.
I gasped. “There they are.” The beam of light illuminated a stack of antique suitcases. I felt goosebumps prickle my arms. Part of me wanted to open them out of curiosity. But it would have been too much like raising the lid on a coffin, so I didn’t. However, I did muster the courage to shake each one. They were empty. Their contents had been removed and now lay buried in Miss Betty’s rose garden.
Toni tapped my shoulder and pointed. I turned to see three long mounds of rock. I swallowed and then looked at Toni. Her eyes were huge as she stared at the graves.
I stepped over to them and gently disturbed a few rocks, just enough to know there was in fact someone buried under each mound—Katy, Emily and Mr. Thorton.
***
I think Toni was in shock as we made our way back to the Jeep, because she never said a word. When we were almost back to the beach house, she finally spoke. “It’s not that I thought Miss Betty was lying to us, it’s just I really didn’t think we were going to find anything.”
“It’s hard to wrap your brain around,” I said. “I mean—it’s crazy we just saw with our own eyes what Betty said had happened like eighty years ago.” I sighed at the levity of it all and let the Jeep coast into the driveway.
We closed the doors quietly so we wouldn’t wake Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill if they were sleeping. We’d just made it to the bottom of the stairs when we heard something move behind us.
23.
Sneaking Around
“Sneaking home?” whispered a male voice.
I grabbed Toni’s hand and frantically pulled her up the steps.
“Wait, it’s just us.”
Toni had to tug at my arm before I finally registered it was Jimmy speaking. Jimmy and Toni laughed at how I’d panicked and then went past me up the stairs and into the beach house.
“Why so jumpy?”
I was truly relieved when I saw Dane looking up at me from the bottom of the stairs. I walked down, just far enough that we were almost eye to eye. I was still shorter than him, even from one step up.
“Why shouldn’t I be jumpy? We heard a disembodied voice coming from the darkness.”
“Where were you two anyway?” he asked. My heart raced. Was that concern in his voice—jealousy?
“We worked and then just rode around for a while afterwards. What’ve you and Jimmy been up to tonight?” I asked, hoping to change the subject. I didn’t like lying to him.
“We shot some pool.” He came closer, his mouth only inches from mine now. “I kinda like you up on this step.” He grinned. “It makes it easier,” he whispered, leaning in and pressing his mouth to mine. He seemed even hungrier than he had the other night as he took another step and towered over me.
We looked over when a light at Uncle Bill’s came on.
Dane must have seen the concern in my eyes. He motioned with a nod of his head. “We parked down the street.” He grinned slyly. I took his hand and led him up the stairs.
I was surprised to smell something cooking when I opened the door. Jimmy sat at the bar and Toni stood at the stove.
“Grilled cheese sandwich, anyone?” She smiled.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Dane. He patted his stomach and slid out a stool.
I retrieved some water bottles from the fridge. “Champagne, anyone?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Jimmy reached for a bottle. “Thank you, Madame.”
I lit the mason jar candle Aunt Pam had placed near the sink and set it in the middle of the bar.
“Candlelight?” said Dane. “What kinda swanky place is this?” He grinned.
“Seriously?” said Jimmy. “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to afford this meal.”
We joked and laughed more than I had in quite some time, and for a while I forgot about ghosts and orphans and skeletal remains.
Jimmy and Toni ended up cuddling on the futon while Dane and I cleaned up.
When we were just about finished, Dane stuck his hands in the soap
y water where I was trying to wash the last dish and pretended to help. He wound up taking hold of my hands. “What’s this?” he said playfully, pulling my hands above the surface of the water. He drew them to his lips and kissed them. I stopped giggling when he tilted my chin up, pressed me into the counter and pushed his mouth against mine.
A loud tapping at the window made us flinch.
“What was that?” Panic coming through my voice.
Dane had already pulled away from me so he could investigate.
“Do you know what that was?” Jimmy asked as he and Toni stepped into the kitchen.
“Something hit this window.” Dane leaned across the sink and tried to see out into the darkness. He looked back at me. “It’s not a jealous ex-boyfriend throwing rocks at the window, is it?”
“What would he have to be jealous of?” said Toni, raising her brows suggestively. “What exactly were you two doing in here?”
I laughed. “Very fun—”
We all jerked our heads in the direction of the window when the sound came again.
Dane pointed to the bottom left corner of the window pane. “What the—it’s a cardinal, tapping on the glass.”
Toni and I looked at one another in horror.
“What’s a red bird doing out at night?” said Jimmy. He looked at me and Toni and obviously noticed our fear, because he decided to capitalize on it. “I hope it’s not some sort of bad omen.”
Toni jerked her eyes in his direction. “What’s that’s supposed to mean?”
“You know what they say about red birds that come out at night, don’t you?” Jimmy said in low whisper. We stared at him and waited for his response. “They’re warning you something bad is about to happen.”
I screamed when Dane grabbed me around the waist.
“Very funny.” I elbowed him in the stomach.
“Come on, let’s go out back on the deck,” he said.
“You two go ahead,” said Toni. “I’ll just help Ronnie finish up and we’ll be out in a sec.”
The moment they were out of sight, Toni started, “Oh my gosh!”
“I know!”
“What does it want? What does this mean?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it right now.”
“You’re right.” Toni took a deep breath and exhaled. “I just need to calm down.” She reached for my hand. “Come on, let’s try to enjoy the rest of our night.”
When we stepped outside, Jimmy and Dane stopped talking. The way they looked at us, I felt like they were guilty of something—like we had just caught them. Was I being overly sensitive? Paranoid?
I stopped thinking so when Toni asked, “What’s going on?” I could tell she thought they were up to something as well.
“Nothing,” said Jimmy. “But it is getting late. We’re going to have to go soon, so come over here and tell me bye.”
Toni went to him and I sat down next to Dane. “I hate that you guys have to go.”
“Yeah, me too.” Dane’s phone dinged with a text. He typed something quickly and tucked his phone in his pocket. “We better get going.”
His eyes traveled all over my face.
“What?” I asked nervously.
His eyes locked with mine. “It’s just—you’re so pretty.”
My cheeks warmed, and I looked down. Before I knew what was happening, his mouth was pressed to mine.
“See you tomorrow,” he said before kissing my forehead and releasing me. He gave Jimmy an upward nod and quickly went down the stairs.
Once Jimmy was gone, I said, “Did they seem like they were in a hurry to you?”
Toni didn’t answer, but she had a peculiar expression.
“What?” I demanded.
“Did Dane say why he had to leave?”
My stomach twisted like a wringed mop. “Not really. Jimmy said it was late, and they needed to go home.”
“It may be nothing. But I caught a glimpse of Jimmy’s phone.”
“And?”
“Jade was looking for Dane. She sounded like it was an emergency.”
“Of course, she did. She’s a drama queen.”
“She was at Dane’s house.”
“So, even if he is just going home—she’s there waiting on him.” I tried to clear my head of four letter words so I could think. “I can’t know for sure this is the case. But if it is, he just chose her over me again.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I can what?”
“You can know for sure.”
“How?”
“Get your stuff. I know where he lives.”
***
“Easy with your door,” said Toni.
“I don’t care.” I was so angry at that point, I didn’t care if my uncle heard us leaving. In fact, I think I kind of wanted him to, just so I could yell at someone. I mean, who did he think he was anyway? He wasn’t my dad and I was sick of being treated like a child. If he hadn’t told Dane to stay away from me, Dane probably would’ve felt more comfortable coming over, and he wouldn’t be with Jade now.
“Trust me. You do care.”
I instantly calmed down.
“I’ve known plenty of A-holes. Your uncle is a good guy, and waking him up is only going to make things worse.”
We slipped out the driveway as quietly as possible, and Toni gave me directions until we reached Dane’s house.
“Stop here, and we’ll walk the rest of the way,” she said.
I looked at her like she’d just sprouted another head. “What do you mean we’ll walk?”
“What did you think we were going to do, drive by?”
“I don’t know. Yes, I guess.” I was too upset to think.
“We can’t see anything from just a drive-by. They’ll be inside, so we’ll have to look through a window to know for sure.”
She was right. And I really wanted to know if he was with Jade or not. We got out of the Jeep and jogged to the side of the house.
“Do you recognize any of the other vehicles besides Dane’s truck?” I asked.
Toni shook her head.
Dane’s house was cute and I guessed what I had expected; it looked like all the other homes around here. But I had imagined that the first time I laid eyes on it, he would’ve been bringing me over to meet his family. A bit of guilt began to eat at me.
It was late, so some of the windows were dark. We couldn’t tell if we were looking into the den or a bedroom.
“This is a bad idea,” I whispered. “Someone could be lying awake in bed and see us.”
“What was that?” said Toni.
I stared at her with wide eyes. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“There were voices.” She paused. “Come on. They’re coming from the backyard.”
With every step, my heart beat faster. I was scared to death of what we might see. We stopped when we got to the end of the house, and leaned our heads just enough around the corner so we could see.
A small fire pit was burning on the deck. Its flames lit up two faces, Dane’s and Jade’s. He had his arm around her and she was leaning against his chest. It only took me a moment to figure out the two silhouettes with their backs to us belonged to Jimmy and another girl.
I grabbed Toni’s arm just before she stepped out from behind the house. I knew she was upset since her breathing was erratic.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I snapped, as quietly as I could.
“I’m confronting his cheating ass!” she growled.
“He’s not even sitting that close to her. Dane’s the one with his arm around that witch!”
“Well, what are we waiting for then? Come on, let’s go kick their asses!”
“I’m not going to tell you what to do, Toni. But I’m leaving. At this point, I don’t care what Dane’s reason—excuse—is. Whatever it is, it’s not good enough. He’s done this to me twice now.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m do
ne.” I meant it, and it felt good to say it. But I knew if I didn’t leave at that moment, my tears were going to give me away.
“Let’s go,” Toni said.
We didn’t talk on the way home, or out on the deck either. I was exhausted. It had been a long day, but I couldn’t sleep for crying.