Eastover Treasures

by Dawn Brotherton

  Standing, she stretched, then bent at the waist like she made the quilters do. Sitting in one spot too long wasn’t good for her body or mind. As she twisted and turned to release tense muscles, she marveled over how quickly things can change.

  Three days ago, her biggest concern was which random pieces of fabric looked best together. Now she was following a century-old treasure hunt. While she loved seeing the final composition when a quilt came together, this quest was more exciting because she had no idea how it would end.

  Glancing at her watch, Aury decided she had time for a walk to clear her head.

  The sounds of buzzing chainsaws replaced the usual chirping of birds in her neighborhood. It was good to see things returning to normal. The electricity was on in most developments, and city trucks had been driving around picking up debris.

  After spending so much time at Eastover, the houses on half-acre lots made her feel claustrophobic. She already missed the smell of the river and the physical labor that came with the outdoors.

  How else would you stay out of the heat? Her mind kept reverting to the puzzle. They didn’t have air conditioning or electric fans. Staying in shaded areas was the only thing she could think of.

  A horn honked, causing her to jump. She looked over her shoulder to see Gran behind the wheel, a smile on her face.

  Aury waited until she pulled alongside and rolled down the window.

  “You scared me half to death,” Aury said.

  “You were daydreaming and not paying attention to your surroundings. Get in and tell me where your mind was.”

  Aury got into the car, and Gran drove toward Aury’s house.

  “I’ve been thinking about your clue,” Gran said. “If you were trying to stay out of the heat, where would you go?”

  “Somewhere out of the sun where there’s a breeze.”

  “Eastover is on the James River, right?”

  “Right. The manor house sits on a cliff above the water.”

  “Water is cool. What if she is pointing them toward the water?”

  “But the clue says stay on dry land.”

  “If we rule out the dry land being a bridge, what else has water running under your feet?”

  “You got me,” Aury said.

  “Before refrigeration, the only way to keep food cool was in a springhouse. In the eighteen-hundreds, they built sheds near the river. A trench of river water flowed through the dirt floor of the springhouse, keeping the room cool year ‘round. Old-fashioned refrigeration of sorts.”

  Aury looked at her grandmother in awed appreciation. “That’s amazing. How did you think of that?”

  “I was thinking about all the food you had to throw away when the electricity went out. Then I remembered my grandmother setting a bucket of our picnic food in the river to keep it cool when we were going to be out all day.” Gran pulled into the driveway.

  “It fits.” Aury was excited as she hopped out of the car. “You would plan to build a springhouse. I wonder if it is on any of the maps.”

  Gran followed her into the house, and Aury sorted through the papers on her kitchen table until she found what she was looking for.

  Running a finger along the river, she found a small square on the map.

  “What do you think? Could this be it?” she asked Gran.

  Gran squinted at the paper. “Show me where the main house was.”

  Aury indicated a larger rectangle only inches away.

  “Is the building on the river still there?”

  “I don’t remember seeing it, but we can ask Scott.” Aury placed the call.

  He answered on the fourth ring. Aury filled him in on their speculations.

  “There’s no building along the river that I know of. I’ve walked that beach many times, and I think I would have remembered.”

  “When will you be at Eastover again?” Aury asked him.

  “I’m already here. I took a few more days off because I have to meet with some contractors.

  “Do you have time for more treasure hunting?”

  She heard him chuckle at his end of the line. “Who could resist a treasure hunt?”

  Chapter 29

  Scott followed the squiggle of the river on the map, matching it with the landscape in front of him. “Over that way is where we found the tree,” he said, as he gestured to the right, shovel in hand. “So we still need to move off more in that direction.”

  As they rounded the bend, Aury saw the cascade of vines she’d encountered on her first walk, prior to the storm. “Doesn’t it seem unnatural in the way it grew?”

  Scott used his shovel to poke through the mess of kudzu. “It’s not rock or tree behind it. Too soft.”

  “Dirt?”

  “No.” He plunged the shovel in, and it stuck. This time he twisted. They heard a cracking sound.

  “Wood?” Aury asked.

  “I think so.” He used the shovel blade like a scythe, pushing and pulling the kudzu apart.

  Aury put on her gloves and tugged at the loosened weeds. Eventually, they made out the dim outline of steps.

  “That makes sense!” Aury backed up to get a wider view. “The house sits on the top of this cliff. They’d need an easy way to get to the springhouse.”

  “Wooden steps built in the 1860s wouldn’t still be here,” Scott said.

  “Not the original steps, but they may have been replaced over time.”

  He pulled out the map again, trying to place the exact location of the square on the beach. “It should be around here.” He gestured with open arms.

  Aury slipped headphones over her ears.

  “Tell me again how you happened to have a metal detector laying around your house?” Scott was amused.

  She pulled the headphones down. “It was a gift from Gran when I was in high school. I told you she liked the idea of finding treasure. Williamsburg is filled with stuff buried in the woods from the many battles fought in this area. We searched for old bullets.”

  “Did you ever find any?”

  “Please. I have the largest bottle cap collection this side of the Mississippi. If Mary hid the next clue in a tin, this should pick up on it.” She put the headphones in place and switched on the device. Sweeping back and forth in front of her, she walked the area from the foot of the steps toward the water.

  “Here!” she called out.

  Scott dug where she directed. Seconds later, he reached down and picked something up. “Another cap for your collection.” He tossed it at her.

  She caught it and placed it in her pocket with a grin, then continued her sweeping motion. This time when she stopped, she held her excitement.

  Again, the hole wasn’t very deep when Scott unearthed a tin can. They repeated the process.

  At the fourth hole, Scott came to an abrupt halt. “Aury, I think we need to stop.”

  “Why? Are you tired already? I can dig for a while.”

  He pulled the shovel out of her reach.

  “What?”

  “Aury, look.” Scott signaled to where he had been working. Several small, tan, stick-like bones showed through the dirt he had overturned.

  She leaned in to get a closer look. “Are those fingers?”

  “Could be. Or they could be something from a small animal. I just think we need to have it checked out before we keep digging.”

  “We’ll have to ride out to the road to get a signal,” Aury said, still peering into the hole.

  “Should we cover them up?”

  “Probably. We don’t want an animal to drag them off. Do you have a tarp or anything?”

  “I didn’t bring one. Let’s just put the dirt back.” Scott gently scooped up the dirt and replaced it in the hole.

  Aury pushed more of the pile on top and lightly pressed it down. “Feels kind of sacrilegious to leave it here.”

  “It would be worse to leave the bones lying around.”

  “What if they’re human?” Aury shuddered. “You have a dead body on your property.
”

  Scott laughed at her. “I think you’d be surprised at how many properties have someone buried on them.”

  “Yes, but I don’t know about them so it doesn’t creep me out.”

  “Look on the bright side; it’s not a fresh body.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Let’s go. I want to find out who this is.”

  Scott placed both shovels in the cart, and they rode to where the road had caved in. They were relieved to see workers with “U.S. Army Corps of Engineers” stenciled on their work vests.

  “Glad to see you,” Scott said, extending a hand. “I’m Scott Bell. Thanks for taking care of this.”

  “No problem. I’m Frank and this is Barry. We’re checking the area around the hole to see how big a temporary bridge needs to be to span it safely.”

  “Well, hopefully you have the right size bridge handy. I have a feeling we are going to get a lot of use out of it.” Scott gestured to Aury. “This is Aury St. Clair. She’s helping me with some work out here.”

  “You’ll never believe what we found! Old bones!” she told them.

  “Are you kidding?” Barry said. “Were they uprooted during the storm?”

  “No, we were digging and came across them,” Scott explained.

  “We should call the police,” Aury said.

  “We have radio links set up. Hold on a minute.” Frank pulled the small brick off his belt and pressed the button.

  “This is Frank at Eastover. Can you send a patrolman up here to talk to the owner?”

  A beep sounded when he released the talk button. Seconds later, a crackling voice answered. “What’s the problem?”

  “Owner found some old bones on the property.” Again the beep.

  “Roger. I’ll make the call.”

  “Thanks,” Scott said. “That will save us a trip into town.”

  “We’re about done here,” Frank said. “We’ll head to the office and see if we can’t put a priority on your bridge.”

  “Appreciate it. We’ll wait by the cabin.”

  Scott and Aury rode silently to the picnic table. Scott went inside the cabin, then emerged with two bottles of cold water, dripping from the melted ice of the cooler. He handed one to Aury.

  “Thanks.” Aury held the cool bottle to her forehead. “It could be an old grave, I suppose.”

  “Wouldn’t there have been some type of marker if it was a grave?”

  “If the marker was made from wood, it would be gone by now.”

  They lapsed into their own thoughts again.

  “We still don’t know what happened to them . . . Mary’s family, that is,” Aury said. “Sarah left her brother a note in his book because she was worried about something. What if something happened to her?”

  “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We have no idea how old the bones are or even if they’re human.”

  “But what if they are?” Aury persisted.

  “What are the chances anyone would be buried in a location the clues led us to? Besides, Sarah was still alive when her mother wrote the clues, and it sounds like Mary was still alive when Sarah wrote the note.”

  “Good point, so what are the chances anyone would be buried where the clues led us? Mary wouldn’t have her kids digging up an old grave.”

  “Then it’s a good guess the person—”

  “If it’s a person,” Aury interjected.

  “If it’s a person, they were put in the ground after the clues.”

  Aury stood. “I can’t just sit here. What can we work on?”

  Scott lifted his chin in the direction of a nearby pile of logs. “Have you ever used a wood splitter?”

  Several hours later, Aury heard the voices of men before she saw them round the bend in the road. She and Scott removed their work gloves and walked out to meet them.

  “You Scott Bell?” one officer asked.

  “I am.” Scott offered his hand. “This is Aury St. Clair.”

  “I’m Detective Hanson. This is Detective Bristine. We’re from the Surry County Police Department. Heard you found something interesting.”

  Scott relayed what they found. “We can walk, but it’s quicker if we hop into the maintenance cart.” He removed some buckets, leaving a shovel and adding a tarp.

  Aury climbed into the back and allowed the officers to sit in the seats where they wouldn’t make a mess of their suits.

  “Why were you digging around?” Hanson asked.

  Scott appeared a little sheepish. “We’re sort of on a treasure hunt.”

  “A treasure hunt?” That got Bristine’s attention.

  “We found an old diary in the manor,” Aury explained. “We were following the clues Mary Townsend left for her children.”

  “To a treasure?” Hanson said.

  “We don’t know what’s at the end of the hunt,” Scott said. “We were just following it for fun. Until we found the bones.”

  “It may be nothing,” Aury added. “We don’t know what human bones look like.”

  They pulled up to the tree line. “We need to walk from here.” Scott got out of the truck and picked up the shovel. “This way.”

  They walked single file through the path to the area along the riverbank where they had been digging. Scott started to insert the shovel and thought better of it.

  “Let me.” Aury got down and removed the loose dirt with her hands. When it was deep enough to reveal the small bones, she sat on her haunches. “What do you think?”

  Bristine braced his hands on his knees as he bent down to examine the find. Standing upright, he turned to Hanson. “Go ahead and call in the techs. They look way too old for this to be an active crime scene, but we better let them collect as much evidence as possible. Maybe we can figure out who this was.”

  Scott covered the hole with the tarp, and they all pitched in to find rocks and branches heavy enough to weigh down the edges.

  Chapter 30

  May 6, 1862

  Sarah, tell Frederick I don’t have to clean the chicken coop,” Thomas said as he stormed into the kitchen.

  Sarah, elbow-deep in kneading the dough for a vegetable pie she had planned for dinner, continued her work until Frederick appeared. Pausing, she addressed her brother. “Cleaning the coop is your chore. Why are you trying to get Thomas to do it?”

  Frederick puffed out his chest. “I’m busy taking inventory and planning where we should put the beehives.”

  “You said I could help with that!” Thomas complained.

  “You will. But I have to figure out the best place first, then gather the wood. I’ve been tracking the bees to find their queen. We’ll need her to start our honey production.”

  “I still don’t know how you plan on doing this without getting stung,” Sarah said.

  “Father showed me. Smoke from a burning branch will put them to sleep.”

  “Great. You’ll undoubtedly catch the woods on fire. Then where will we be?”

  “I can hold the fire,” Thomas offered.

  Sarah smiled at him. “You help him, Thomas. But for now, go feed the chickens. Frederick, it’s your job to clean the coop. No more bee chasing until that’s done.”

  Frederick stomped out of the kitchen with Thomas happily following on his heels.

  Sarah turned to the pie crust, taking out her frustrations on the helpless dough. She didn’t know how her mother put up with this every day. No, every hour! The boys were constantly squabbling, and Emily required more attention than Sarah thought possible. The only time she got a chance to read was when tucking them all in at night. And then she had to read the stories they wanted, not the books Father had given her.

  As the familiar sounds of the baby stirring from her nap made their way into the kitchen, Sarah put the last touches on the dough, draping it over the pie tin as her mother had taught her. She rinsed her hands and went to get Emily out of bed.

  Chapter 31

  Present Day

  Approaching Eastover, Aury pulled up to the new br
idge that had been constructed where the road caved in. As she contemplated whether it was safe to drive across, another sedan drove over the bridge on the way out.

  The driver waved to Aury as he passed. She waved back and held her breath as she started over the temporary structure.

  Safely on the other side, she exhaled.

  Scott was outside the cabin talking to the investigator when she pulled up.

  “Afternoon, Aury. You’re just in time. Detective Hanson was getting ready to tell me what they found.” Scott motioned her to join them.

  The lanky man nodded at her. “As I was saying, you were right. They’re very old bones. It will take a while for the lab to finish the tests, but I’d guess over one hundred years. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact age. Female. That’s all we can tell for now. A forensic anthropologist from the College of William and Mary is studying them for more detail now.”

  “Did you find any other remains?” Jackie asked.

  “No. We dug a wide hole around the area, then explored outward using ground-penetrating radar. We only found one skeleton, and it wasn’t buried very deep.”

  Aury looked at Scott. “Do you think it could be Mary?”

  “Who’s Mary?” Hanson asked.

  “She’s the writer of the diary we’ve been reading. For some reason, her diary just stops in 1862, and we don’t know why,” Scott explained.

  “It would be helpful if we could see the diary. When the identity is suspected, we may be able to do a DNA analysis on a living relative.”

  Aury was excited. “Scott, you could be related. This property has been in your family for generations.”

  He shrugged. “Sure, you can look at the diary, but I’d like to get it returned eventually. Aury has convinced me of its importance.”

  “We can make copies and give you the original.” Hanson pulled out his notebook. “We also found two slugs. That’s one of the reasons we think the skeleton’s so old. The researchers at the college call it a Minié ball. It was made from soft lead in the mid-1800s. Used by both sides in the Civil War. But the most interesting find was an old photograph.”

  “Photograph?”