by Ruby Loren
He took a deep breath. His mouth quirked up when he thought of something. “I know I said I wouldn’t jump around, but we need to go back in time again. I was twelve when I first found the book that introduced me to the one piece of buried treasure that I would dedicate my life to finding. I’m not even sure what that book was doing in the local library, but it was great. It was super old. It didn’t even have a publisher’s mark, but it had so much stuff on archaeological curiosities.” He paused for a moment, shooting Holly a surreptitious look. “I sort of… permanently borrowed it,” he admitted. “The book talked about all things Roman, Iron Age, Bronze Age… you name it. Any legend of treasure in Britain from the past, it was in this book, but so was something else. There was one legend that talked about Midastophians. They were described as being the so-called golden race because they’d managed to accrue so much wealth - namely, gold. There was no mention of whether they mined it, or stole it, but I was intrigued. I’d never heard of the Midastophians before and the more I read, the more I wanted to know. The book I’d found said that their society was only legendary, much like Atlantis. And, just like Atlantis, they'd disappeared without a trace, leaving no proof of their existence.” He looked at Holly with the light of adventure shining in his eyes. “If anyone ever managed to find the missing proof, they would turn the history of the world upside down. The Midastophians were said to be an incredibly advanced society, perhaps even more advanced than we are now. Yet they were theoretically wiped out without a trace. That’s the biggest mystery of all, and the one I’ve always dreamed of solving. Right after finding proof of their existence, of course.”
Holly tilted her head and ruffled Watson’s floppy ears.
“What makes you so sure they existed?” she asked, as carefully as she could. Rob smirked and she sensed he’d been asked that question many times before.
“I did do further research and found mention of the Midastophians in journals and so on. Just to double-check that the book I had wasn’t some spectacular work of fiction. Aside from that, I think I just know in my heart and in my gut.” He turned his dark eyes on Holly. “You know the feeling, don’t you?”
She slowly nodded. She’d always thought that gut feelings were one of the most reliable ways of making the right decision.
“So, various publications speculated as to where the society might have once existed. Some even speculated that, much like Atlantis, the society was a floating one. My feeling has always been that if they lived on the land and somewhere in this country, I would find them.” He paused for a second. “I think I finally might have done it. Two days ago, there was an article in The Daily Mail…” He took a second to shake his head at that. “The article claimed that a man had dug up a piece of alien technology near the South Downs. The writer was basically mocking the poor man, and I’m sure no one took it seriously. I contacted the archaeologist and asked to look at his find, the way I have done for years with cases like that - just on the off chance that it’s a lead. This one was different.” He pulled the string around his neck and a tiny piece of gold swung out on top of his shirt.
Holly stood up and moved closer to look.
At first, it looked like the interior of a watch with many cogs and pieces miraculously melded together, but the closer she looked, the stranger it got. She could see tiny, clear vials of unrecognisable substances and realised that the design was more complex than she’d ever seen before. She couldn’t even fathom what this odd piece of technology may have been used for, or even if it was of human design.
“I looked at it under a microscope and some of the workings have been microscopically engineered,” Rob said. Holly started to chew her lip as she thought it all through. “Before you ask, I carbon-dated it. It’s not modern. In fact, it’s at least five thousand years old.” He paused again. “The Midastophians really did exist, and I’m so close to finally finding the evidence that will prove it.” Rob rubbed a hand through his hair, making it even messier. “Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who read the article in The Mail, or perhaps I’ve been followed. I’m not sure which, but two things I know for sure. I’m not the only one digging, and someone tried to kill me yesterday.”
The Deadly Dig
“What happened? How did you survive?” Holly asked, feeling as though she’d been dropped straight into the plot of an Indiana Jones film. Rob shifted his weight and stood up, walking over to the grimy window to look out across the car park.
“I’ve been digging at night, so as not to draw attention to myself. The Midastophian artefact was found in a small patch of woods, next to an official dig site. A farmer owns it and lets amateurs do what they like there, but the woods next to it are technically off limits. You’re not allowed to dig there, as it’s part of the South Downs National Park. Even though it’s not as if anyone ever goes to that bit. It’s just weeds.”
Holly tried not to roll her eyes. It was typical of Rob to disregard anything that wasn’t to do with digging. His ‘weeds’ were probably a patch of incredibly rare orchids.
“So I went out to dig and had just got started on a good hole when I heard something buzzing.” He made eye contact with Holly. “It’s January and freezing at night, so I was immediately suspicious. No way are there any hornets floating around. So,” he continued, “I stuck my head up above the hole and nearly lost it when this drone swooped down. It happened so fast, it took me a few seconds to realise what the stuff falling into my face was. I realised it was hair - my hair. The drone had been equipped with rotating blades - that was what made the buzzing noise. It had got close enough to take a little off the top.” He shook his head. “It was lucky I’d dug deep enough, or it would have taken a whole lot more off the top.”
Holly’s hands had gripped the sides of the armchair when Rob had begun his near-death experience tale, but now she relaxed, patting Watson while she thought about all that Rob had said.
“What are we thinking… are the council trying a more unorthodox approach to weed control, or is some big, bad, unknown trying to stop anyone from digging there?” she said.
Rob frowned at her. “Hey, I’m the only one allowed to make tasteless jokes!” He shook his head in mock disbelief. “It was totally a bad guy. I kept my head down… literally… after that. Once the drone was gone, I decided to do a little reconnaissance. I crawled out of my hole and hid behind a bush. A minute later, a couple of guys dressed in black walked through the woods and started checking out the pit I’d dug. I could tell they were up to no good because they were wearing black. At the time, I was also wearing black… see? It all makes sense,” he said, diverting himself. “Anyway, they seemed pretty disappointed that I wasn’t headless in the hole I’d dug, after their deadly drone had done its work. It didn’t stop them for long, though. They were soon digging their own holes, which is when I left.”
“Who do you think they are?” Holly asked, but Rob just shook his head.
“I don’t know, and I don’t know why they’d want to kill me to stop me from looking. If I were paranoid, I’d say it was a secret government force who are tasked with covering up any evidence from the past which conflicts with our current widely accepted version of history.” He raised an eyebrow at Holly to show he wasn’t serious. “That, or someone knows more than I do about exactly what it is that’s buried somewhere around here.” He rubbed his head and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I wish I knew more, but I don’t. All I’m good at is digging holes and finding things, but I don’t think that’s enough this time. I know I’m viewed as a detective, but beyond historical research, I’m fairly useless. The other detectives were annoyingly correct when they hinted that a few times. That’s why I need your help.” He looked at Holly imploringly.
“What do you want me to do? Should I try to find out who it is that’s also looking for the treasure? And what about the treasure itself? If someone has a clue about what it really is, I should find that out, too, right?” she said, speaking her thoughts aloud.
; Rob nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, and while you’re at it, if you could find the exact location, too, that would be great,” he joked. Holly shot him a sideways look.
He grinned at her. “Come on, Hols, I know we can crack this together! You do all of the detective stuff. I’ll figure out where to dig using my super secret, tried and tested method.” There was a pause while Holly waited for him to share the method. Rob clammed up.
Holly narrowed her eyes. “You just guess and get lucky, don’t you?”
Rob spluttered indignantly. “There’s a lot more to it than that, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” he said, airily. Holly tried not to roll her eyes again.
“Sure,” she said, deciding to leave it there. “I think we should start by going to back to the place where you were attacked by the drone from Robot Wars,” she said and smirked at her own joke. “Also, Watson needs a walk, so it makes perfect sense to start there.”
“Cool, well, I’ll see you later then,” Rob said, lifting his feet onto the bed and picking up a magazine.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the bed. He opened his mouth to protest but she gave him a look.
“You said you only dig at night, Rob, so you’ve got some free time. Also, you’ll have to help me find where you were digging.”
Rob snorted. “It’s not exactly difficult. Keep walking until you fall into the really big hole.” Holly gave him another look. He put on his shoes, grumbling under his breath.
Holly found she was forced to agree with Rob’s description of this corner of the South Downs National Park being particularly weed-ridden. Resilient, neck-high stinging nettles had refused to die down, despite the icy cold, and brambles tore at Holly’s jeans. The only unusual thing was the tops of the nettles, which had been sheared off in a straight line.
“Rob, I believe you,” she said when they passed a sapling - which was now little more than a stick with roots. Behind her, Rob muttered something about a lack of faith. Holly pressed onwards through the wild weeds and soon reached the clearing that Rob had spoken about.
She frowned when her eyes fell on the holes and she counted one, two, three…. four. In Rob's story, there had only been three holes dug. Had the men come back the next night and dug again? She walked forwards, immediately picking Rob’s perfectly circular hole out from its jagged companions. The first two holes she looked into were empty. The third had a body in it.
Holly looked down at the decapitated corpse.
“Rob… would I be right to assume that you didn’t report the attempt on your life to the police?” she said, already knowing the answer.
Rob joined her at the lip of the hole and shook his head. “No, the police are probably working with the government.” Holly readjusted her view on Rob’s paranoia levels.
“Then we have a problem,” she observed.
Books in the Series
Snowed in with Death
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A Fatal Frost
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Murder Beneath the Mistletoe
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Winter’s Last Victim
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Ruby Loren
Also by Ruby Loren
MADIGAN AMOS ZOO MYSTERIES
Penguins and Mortal Peril
The Silence of the Snakes
Murder is a Monkey’s Game
The Peacock’s Poison
A Memory for Murder
Whales and a Watery Grave
Chameleons and a Corpse
Foxes and Fatal Attraction
Monday’s Murderer
Prequel: Parrots and Payback
* * *
EMILY HAVERSSON OLD HOUSE MYSTERIES
The Lavender of Larch Hall
The Leaves of Llewellyn Keep
The Snow of Severly Castle
The Frost of Friston Manor
The Heart of Heathley House
* * *
JANUARY CHEVALIER SUPERNATURAL MYSTERIES
Death’s Dark Horse
Death’s Hexed Hobnobs
Death’s Endless Enchanter
Death’s Ethereal Enemy
Death’s Last Laugh
Prequel: Death’s Reckless Reaper
* * *
HAYLEY ARGENT HORSE MYSTERIES
The Swallow’s Storm
The Starling’s Summer
The Falcon’s Frost
The Waxwing’s Winter
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BLOOMING SERIES
Blooming
Abscission
Frost-Bitten
Blossoming
Flowering
Fruition