Riddles that Kill: a gripping paranormal mystery

by Lois D. Brown

  “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 ch
ief. 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 checkin 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 sound. 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.

  Without taking his concentration from the dashboard and the view out the front window, Rod rattled off the engine restart protocol as he carried out the actions one more time.

  Again, nothing.

  “Grant, get your seatbelt on. Everyone, look out the windows. Tell me if you see anything like a golf course, large parking lot, or a field with a hard surface. We’re landing.”

  “You’re going to ride the wind in?” Grant asked.

  “Yes,” Rod answered. “Calculating glide speed now.”

  “Maria?”

  “Yes?”

  “I need you to get on the radio and tell ground control exactly what I’m going to tell you.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Maria repeated everything word for word as Rod rattled off the specifics of the plane’s engine failure and their position. At the same time, he gently pulled back on the control wheel, keeping the airplane’s nose up.

  Typically Maria reacted well to the rush of adrenaline, but this was not the kind of emergency she did well in. She had absolutely no control over the situation.

  Helplessness was not a good feeling.

  She glanced over at Rod and felt a surge of relief. They were in good hands. He had no sign of panic on his face. Just fierce determination.

  Below them, the landscape had transformed from random brown, gray, and green shapes to a system of roads and fields and farmland.

  Grant was practically breathing down Rod’s neck from the seat behind him. “All these fields look too soft. They’ve been too recently plowed.”

  Rod nodded.

  Grant continued, “It looks like a two-lane highway at nine o’clock. What do you think?”

  “Already heading for it. The wind is blowing that direction and I’m going to use it to slow the landing down. And Grant?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Get your seatbelt on, now!” Rod barked the order.

  Click.

  Maria interlaced her fingers and set her hands in her lap. Her palms were sweaty and moist. Rod hadn’t had to tell her to put her belt on. She tried to slow her breathing and send out positive vibes his way. This was it. She had never been in an emergency landing before.

  With no engine function, Rod rode the current best he could. “Just a few minutes, guys. Hold on.” Rod flipped a switch, causing a noise beneath them—the landing gear.

  Natalie whimpered.

  In Maria’s mind she repeated the words to the Cherokee prayer Jim had taught her. Grant hummed an old Def Leppard tune. Rod inhaled and exhaled slowly.

  The asphalt road raced toward them. It grew larger and larger. Maria focused on the white line that separated the two lanes of traffic. Please, nobody drive into us. Stay as far away as possible.

  The control wheel slightly vibrated beneath Rod’s grip. He eased it gently one way, then the other, keeping the plane on a direct course with the highway beneath them.

  “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” Rod’s voice rang through the cabin.

  Maria held her breath, ready for impact.

  The wheels connected with the ground, choppy at first and then turning into a smooth glide. Rod seemed completely under control. All seemed well until….

  A telephone pole appeared on the horizon. “Uh, Rod?” Maria pointed ahead.

  “I see it.” He cheated as much as he could to the left and still stay on the road. “Hold on. This is going to bite!”

  Maria watched out her window as the right wing of the plane sliced the pole in half. But the pole got its revenge by taking the tip of the wing completely off.

  The plane wobbled, and for a moment Maria thought they might veer off the road, but Rod didn’t let it happen. Somehow he kept it steady and applied the brakes.

  Pad screeched against wheels like an animal facing its death. Maria counted backward from a hundred, waiting for the plane to stop. She was rewarded at number thirty-two. The plane was absolutely still. Everything around them had quit moving.

  “Everybody out,” barked Rod, “and get as far from the plane as possible. Now!”

  Even Grant followed orders exactly. Maria undid her seatbelt, opened the door, caught a whiff of air that smelled like burned rubber, and jumped out of her seat onto the asphalt. The moment her feet hit the ground she took off running into the green field that was to the side of the highway. She beat everyone else there. Grant and Natalie arrived next, holding hands and Grant talking non-stop about his brother’s “boss job” of landing the plane.

  But where was Rod? A twang of concern shot through Maria’s insides.

  At last Rod appeared from around the oth
er side of the plane. He was on his phone, reporting the location of where they’d landed. He didn’t mention the telephone pole, but requested fire engines ASAP in case there had been any kind of a fuel leak.

  When he got to the group, Grant high fived him and slugged his arm a few times. “Dude, I can’t believe how you rocked that. You looked like you were surfboarding the whole time. Totally chill.”

  Rod smiled at Grant, but his eyes were elsewhere. He stepped closer to Maria. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I think so. I’ve never done that before.” She gave a weak laugh.

  “Me neither.” Then, without another word, Rod’s strong arms pulled her into his chest and closed around her tightly. He buried his face in her hair.

  Maria’s stomach did a flip-flop. She sensed his slow exhale. The man was stressed. His actions didn’t precisely represent his true feelings. Unfortunately, they reflected Maria’s. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was in love with every last bit of him.

  Maria savored his touch, sliding her own arms around his torso and holding him as if her life depended on it.

  Even if it was only for a minute.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Around 2010, an aging Fenn decided it was time to cement his legacy. He left his home, drove somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and hid the chest. In a subsequent memoir, The Thrill of the Chase, he revealed the treasure to the public and offered a 24-line poem containing ambiguous clues leading to its precise location.

  “Fenn’s treasure: Our 5-day quest for $2 million hidden in the Rockies” by Zachary Crockett, updated on June 30, 2017, https://www.vox.com/a/fenn-treasure-hunt-map

  Leaving the Phoenix courtroom late in the evening, Maria took one look at Rod and knew they weren’t heading home. Bags hung low under his bloodshot eyes. Maria didn’t know whether it was the stress of the emergency plane landing, seeing his ex-wife again, or both. Regardless, Rod needed some sleep and Maria was pretty hammered herself.

  “Listen,” said Maria, “we don’t have to get home tonight. There’s no reason to kill ourselves. Let’s get some sleep and head to Kanab in the morning. Grant and Natalie are taking care of the plane, right?”