Paranormal Mystery Boxset Books 1-3: Legends of Treasure

by Lois D. Brown

  As Maria stepped out of her office and into the hall, music coming from the radio in the front entrance of the station echoed throughout the building, reminding her she was all alone. It wasn’t that she was scared. It was the inability for her to “fix” the situation with Justin that made her jittery. Good thing the copy machine was only thirty seconds down the hall. It was so old, the racket it would make copying the notes for the FBI would dispel the heavy quietness.

  On her way down the hall, as she passed the room they used as the detaining cell, something caught her eye. Maria took several steps back toward the doorway and peered inside. The light was off, yet she could easily make out the shape of the bed in the left-hand corner of the room as well as the garbage can next to it. As her gaze drifted to the rest of the empty room, she paused a moment on the folding chair that was typically on the opposite wall as the bed. Something was on the chair.

  At first it appeared to be a large dark garbage sack. As Maria’s eyes adjusted to the dark room, however, she noticed the sack was moving. Not back-and-forth. No, that wasn’t it at all.

  One moment the garbage sack was round and full, and the next moment it had morphed into a tall, lean object. Taking a few more steps forward, she saw the black shape continue to expand and shrink. She wished she’d thought to turn on the light before getting too far into the room.

  Maria squinted to see if maybe some sort of an animal covered in a blanket might be the cause for the odd phenomenon. Visually, she couldn’t tell. She clapped her hands to see if whatever it was might jump from the chair and scurry away.

  Nothing moved.

  Maria took another step forward, thought better of it, and then stepped backward. She needed some light.

  Reaching behind her to find the light switch, Maria’s fingers crawled over the wall. She found what she was looking for and flipped it on. Light filled the room. In front of her, Maria could now see a grayish silhouette of a man.

  The more Maria stared at the figure, the more she realized there was a fogginess to its edges. That reminded her of how the ghost Acalan looked, but Acalan had had a solid form and stable shape. Not this. It was more like the echo of a body.

  The figure was of average height, moderately broad shoulders, and had shaggy hair. Definitely masculine. Maria couldn’t make out any details—including any features on the man’s face. It was as blank as a shadow on the pavement. The outline was obvious, but there was nothing inside of it.

  “What are you?” Maria asked out loud, voice shaking.

  The shadow raised his hand, beckoning Maria to him.

  “This is just like one of those horrible movies where the idiot actor walks right into a trap,” Maria mumbled to herself. Despite knowing better, she approached the figure. Its features remained just as dark as before. No eyes. No cheekbones. No mouth. A blackened slate that could be written on with a piece of chalk.

  Again Maria asked, “What are you?”

  It waved her closer still.

  Maria shook her head. “Nope. Before I act like a stupid imbecile and voluntarily walk straight into some paranormal black hole from which I can never escape, you need to answer a few of my questions.”

  The silhouette was silent.

  If Maria hadn’t been so used to seeing ghosts, and if she hadn’t just experienced seeing a man turn into a bird in Arizona, she might have thought the situation was odder than she did.

  As it was, the shadow didn’t seem all that evil. Then again, that might be because she couldn’t see his face. But at least it was different than her PTSD hallucinations. The last thing she wanted was for those to come back.

  “Who are you?” Maria questioned.

  Nothing.

  Clearly, a friendly conversation was not going to happen.

  “Am I going to have to … I don’t know … call the police?”

  Okay, that was stupid. I am the police.

  Nothing.

  Maria wished that Jim hadn’t left. She really could use some help knowing what to do in situations like these. Behind her, the hinges to the door creaked. She jumped and spun around.

  “M-Maria?” Rod asked hesitantly.

  “Rod! What are you doing here?” Maria tried to not act guilty. And why should she be? It wasn’t her fault her brain went around seeing these things. If only the Sight could be a little more predictable.

  “What’s in here?” The bags under Rod’s eyes were as noticeable as her discomfort at having been caught by him talking to an empty room.

  Maria turned back around and looked at the now empty folding chair. “Nothing. I was checking for mice.” She made an attempt to resituate the chair and then looked at her ex-boyfriend of two days, ignoring the fact that her heart beat in double time. It wouldn’t be like this forever. She would adjust to not having him as part of her life.

  “Sorry, I thought I heard you talking to someone.” Rod kept the door to the room open. “I wanted to check in with you or Pete before I head down to Phoenix. Search and Rescue is running smoothly. The FBI wants us to continue the community searches—like in the park and in the mountains around town—but that’s all they need. I figure they know a lot more about these sorts of things than we do.”

  “Oh, absolutely. You guys were amazing to come on a moment’s notice. I’m so grateful. Pete and I aren’t staffed to run a kidnapping investigation.”

  Rod nodded. The two of them looked at each other without speaking for several seconds. These moments of awkward silence were getting more and more common.

  It was Rod who finally broke the silence. “Listen, I’m so sorry about Justin. I’m sure you’re worried sick. We all are, but I know you guys were … are … good friends.”

  Maria clenched her fists and then let them go. “We’re going to get him back. It’s going to turn out okay. I just can’t think anything different.”

  “I agree. We’ve got the best here working on it. And Justin has you. You have something special when it comes to this kind of stuff.” Rod kicked at the ground at an imaginary piece of dirt.

  Maria smiled, grateful for at least his confidence in her. Changing the subject, she asked, “You said you were headed to Phoenix. Is it for Dakota’s trial?”

  “Yes. I got a call from my lawyer. The trial took a sour turn and he really needs me there.”

  “A sour turn? What happened?” Maria’s unease was real. She wanted to see Dakota behind bars just like Rod did. A woman with her level of vindictiveness and disregard for justice needed to be out of society.

  “Brian must have bribed, or lied, or connived his way to a plea of insanity,” answered Rod.

  “No!” Maria’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Nope. I have to go to Phoenix, along with several other people, to add to our original deposition.”

  “Who else is being questioned?” Maria asked.

  Rod squirmed a second before answering. “Everyone. Every witness is going to be questioned again.”

  “I wasn’t contacted about it.” Maria looked confused.

  “Well …” Rod faltered.

  “What did you do, Rod?” Maria folded her arms.

  “You were asked to come as well, but I told my lawyer there was no way you could go down right now. You have way too much going on.”

  “But is that going to be a problem with the case? I mean, do they not need my testimony?” Maria took a couple of steps toward him.

  “The state attorney told me that because you were in the middle of investigating a kidnapping they wouldn’t subpoena you, even though your testimony might help. I agreed. Justin’s life is more important than the trial.”

  Rod’s sincerity made Maria want to wrap her arms around him, but she forced herself to not move a muscle. “I would be sick if the state lost the trial to Brian and his slimy attorney.” Maria gnawed on her bottom lip. “Would it help if I were there? Be honest.”

  “I don’t know. You—”

  “Rod,” Maria interrupted. “I’ve
just come out of a meeting with the FBI where they told me I was to stay out of the investigation. Not that I’m giving up, but they are the professionals at this kind of a case.”

  What Maria didn’t mention to Rod, because it wasn’t public knowledge, was that the FBI analyst had told her to go places and pretend like she was looking for the Veil treasure. A trip to Arizona would do exactly that.

  “Are you sure you can go?” Rod asked.

  “Yes. Remind me how long it takes to get to Phoenix from here?”

  “Depends,” Rod answered.

  “On what?” asked Maria.

  “Whether you’re driving or flying.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  After receiving a terminal diagnosis of cancer in the 80s, Fenn told KOAT he began collecting gold and several valuable antiques in a little treasure box, and after fifteen years of gathering items he hopes his treasure makes a difference in someone’s life, even … after he is gone.

  “MILLIONAIRE LEAVES POETIC CLUES FOR TREASURE HUNTERS” ABC 13, TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015. HTTP://ABC13.COM/NEWS/MILLIONAIRE-LEAVES-POETIC-CLUES-FOR-TREASURE-HUNTERS/685344/

  Two hours later Maria sat in the front passenger seat of an airplane. Rod was seated to her left … in the pilot’s seat.

  With an all-leather interior, the plane was beautiful inside. On the outside it was painted a stunning patriotic red, white, and blue. It was as long as a semi-truck and about as wide, if you counted the wingspan. The thing could carry twelve people, which was overkill since there were only four of them in it—Rod, Maria, Grant, and Natalie. Grant and Natalie had stationed themselves at the back of the plane in two passengers’ seats—passenger seat, actually, since Natalie was sitting so close to Grant it appeared they took up only one chair.

  After Rod had told Maria the kind of plane it was—a Pilatus PC-12—she’d Googled it. Relieved, she saw it was considered one of the safest single-engine airplanes. However, she about choked when she saw the price tag—five million dollars.

  “You promise you’ve flown this thing?” Maria wasn’t trying to be insulting. It was just that Rod had never mentioned he was a pilot before.

  “Yes, Maria. A lot. I flew it last week—it’s how I’m able to get to my clients who don’t live in Kanab, which is about all of them.”

  “But you’ve never mentioned it before.”

  Rod turned his face back to the dashboard. “You never asked. I don’t go around telling people everything my parents own.”

  “Oh, so your parents own this?” That fact made Maria feel a little less like a pauper.

  “Yes. My plane is a much smaller Cessna. It doesn’t go nearly as fast as the Pilatus.”

  Pauper status reinstated.

  “In this plane, we’ll be in Phoenix in less than two hours,” said Rod. “I figured speed was important on this trip so I could get you back sooner. Just in case.”

  Rod seemed to know what he was talking about. Maria was feeling badly she’d questioned his ability earlier. He’d never shown himself to be anything but competent in anything he did. Why would flying an airplane be any different?

  “It’s nice of your parents to let us use it. Please let them know I appreciate it.”

  “I will. They’re really worried about Beth’s little boy. They know her family.”

  Everyone who knew Kanab knew Beth. She was a pinnacle presence in town and an amazing woman. The way she’d been handling Justin’s kidnapping was remarkable. Maria had talked to her less than ten minutes ago, right before getting on the plane. Beth had been very supportive of Maria going to help Rod with the trial in Phoenix. Maria had assured her no less than ten times that the FBI were pros at kidnapping investigations—much more than she was.

  “I know they are,” Beth had said. “We’re all doing what we can.”

  Maria had hugged her. “I truly believe Justin is okay. And I’ll be back tonight—probably after midnight—but first thing in the morning I’ll debrief with the FBI again.” She’d held her best friend and tried to share the feeling of calm she had about Justin. When the embrace ended, Beth had seemed a little less shaky with a little more color in her face.

  Maria had then taken Beth’s hands and stared into her eyes. “May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house.”

  A tear had formed in Beth’s eye. “That’s beautiful. What’s that from?”

  “It’s a Cherokee prayer blessing,” Maria had answered and offered a tender smile.

  “Thank you,” Beth had whispered. “Thank you so much.”

  Rod’s takeoff was seamless. The plane gained altitude easily and was surprisingly quiet, compared to what Maria imagined a private plane would sound like. Of course, this particular model was top of the line.

  The conversation between Rod and Maria was jerky and sporadic in the beginning. It didn’t help that Grant and Natalie were continuously whispering, giggling, and making kissing noises from behind. Maria wondered why the couple had come along. When she quietly asked Rod, he explained that the lawyer had wanted Grant to testify to Brian’s character as well. Grant had known Brian for as many years as Rod had.

  “And Natalie? Why did she come?”

  Rod rolled his eyes and said, “Grant’s a showoff. He likes to wow his women and he thinks a good make out session at high altitude does that.”

  Maria’s face reddened. “Gotcha.”

  After Rod and Maria’s first hour in the cockpit together, things began to smooth out between them. Maria did her best not to notice the way Rod’s strong, man-sized hands confidently flew the plane. His profile, with his Roman nose, was simply magnificent to sneak an occasional peak at. He looked like he could have stepped straight out of Caesar’s army. Short hair. Broad shoulders. Firm jawline.

  Sure, he’d dropped her cold, making Maria want to string him up by his fingernails that night on “K Hill.” But ever since Justin’s kidnapping, she hadn’t had the energy to hate him. Life was too precious. Too unpredictable. Things changed and she just had to learn to go with it.

  This whole ordeal had made her realize one very disturbing fact. She was a danger to those around her. As much as it hurt her to think about it, Kanab wasn’t ready for her brand of bad luck. Once they got Justin back, she would let Pete know the department should start looking for a different police chief. So the fact that she and Rod weren’t together anymore was a good thing.

  “I hear that riddle in the ransom letter is from off the internet. Is that right?” asked Rod, interrupting Maria’s thoughts.

  Surprised, Maria turned to look at him. “Who told you that?”

  “Everyone is talking about it. I guess some of the FBI agents went for lunch at Houston’s. A tall, geeky agent was talking about the riddle in a really loud voice. Several of the waitresses overheard. Anyhow, they Googled the riddle and put a copy of it on their Instagram and then, well, you know how news travels in Kanab.”

  “Technically I’m not supposed to talk about the case, but it sounds like you know more about it than I do.”

  “Well, the whole thing is awful. I swear, Kanab isn’t the town it used to be. I’ve gotta get out of there for good once we find Justin.” The gloom-and-doom Rod from “K Hill” was back.

  “Hey guys,” he announced to the lip-smacking couple in the back, “we’re landing in about fifteen minutes. Everyone in their own seat. And Grant, are you okay to oversee the airport check-in so Maria and I can get to the courthouse as fast as possible?”

  “Sure thing.” Grant moved up a few chairs and sat right behind Rod. “Natalie and I are going to get cleaned up a little bit and then hit that amazing Thai restaurant you and I love in Phoenix. You and Maria want to come?”

  Rod flipped a few switches as he answered Grant. “Don’t plan on us. The attorney said Maria and I will probably not have time to do much else but get there and testify. Maybe you could pick us up some—”

  Below them, from under the flooring and in the general area Maria assumed was the engine, came a strange so
und. More accurately, there was a loud clanking and then a disturbing lack of noise.

  “What’s that?” Natalie asked from the back of the plane. “Is everything okay?”

  Maria hadn’t had to ask. She knew from the clenched muscles in Rod’s jaw that everything was not right.

  Grant leaned forward, putting his head in between their seats. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  Rod’s eyes scanned the panel in front of him. Maria wished she knew more about airplanes, but as it was, they could be about to explode mid-air and she would have no clue.

  Rod’s breathing was controlled, while Grant’s was speeding up by the second.

  “Dude, what does your barometer—” Grant began.

  “Engine failure.” Rod’s voice was tight but steady. “I’m undoing the—”

  A sudden jerk stopped Rod mid-sentence.

  “Hang on. Going through the restart procedure. Grant, double-check me. I want to make sure I don’t forget something.”

  Rod turned a lever. “Applying carburetor heat.”

  “Check,” said Grant.

  “Opening alternate air.”

  “Check.”

  “Switching tanks and turning on fuel pump again.”

  “Check.” Grant’s voice waivered.

  Rod flipped several switches and cocked an ear to listen. Still no noise from the engine.

  “Okay, I’m going to try checking the primer pump.” Rod quickly flipped another switch.

  Nothing.

  Grant swore.

  Natalie began to cry.

  Maria gripped the arm rests of her chair, but stayed silent. Rod needed to think. The last thing she wanted to do was distract him.