“Okay, Miranda, whatever you want to call it.” Ridge flashed a grin in Lee’s direction.
She wrapped her arm around Ridges guiding him into the living room.
“Come in and sit down, Ridge. Can I get you something to drink or eat? And what are you doing in this part of the world?”
“You know me, I’m still hung up on diet cola.”
“I know what you mean, Ridge. That has been my vice since you introduced me to it way back when,” Miranda said.
“As to what I’m doing here, I’m sure you heard that Chuck Darrell passed away a couple of months ago. I couldn’t make it for the funeral, so on my way to Maine to investigate a dig site, I decided I’d stop and spend a few hours visiting with his family.” Ridge shrugged.
“I did read in the paper that he’d passed away. He was six years ahead of me in school. I didn’t know him; I just knew of him. He was a big shot in the local government, wasn’t he? I thought you were friends with him, but I wasn’t sure,” Miranda said as she put a hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, we were friends in school, but after graduation we went our separate ways and lost contact with each other. He was one of the comptrollers for the city before he died.”
“I wasn’t aware of that. But I’m glad you’re here,” Miranda said.
“While leaving the Darrell’s today I thought I’d just pop in and say hello to you. Sorry I didn’t ring you up first, but I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“My door is always open to you, Ridge. Don’t feel you ever need to phone ahead. I know—I’ve been in those situations myself, I’ll get your diet for you.” Miranda hurried into the kitchen.
“Ridgeway,” Lee said. “That’s an unusual name, was it passed down to you from a member of your family?”
“It’s my father’s name, he pinned it on me, saying it would make more of a man out of me. I don’t know what he meant by that statement, but it is what it is.” Ridge shrugged as he looked eye to eye with Lee.
Miranda entered the room carrying the soda.
“Here you are, Ridge, just the way you like it—no ice.”
“Thanks Miranda, you’re the best.”
“Ridge, I heard you retired from the FBI a few years ago?”
“Retirement for me is wonderful, now I can immerse myself deep into my passion, archaeology.”
Lee was half listening as he watched Ridge talk and interact with them. Ridge’s eyes gleamed with an inner light of confidence. He was still good looking for a guy a couple of years older than Lee, his eyes light up his tanned, rugged face. Lee was questioning the jealousy he was feeling for this tall, good-looking guy interacting with Miranda.
Lee watched her melt at every word he said, leading him to believe she had it bad for this guy. He wondered if Ridge was the reason she made it clear to Lee that she’s not interested in him in a romantic way, but Lee decided he wasn’t ready to give up on her yet.
She must be madly in love with this guy and he isn’t aware of her feelings for him. She’s secretive about certain aspects of her life, but isn’t everybody? Do we ever completely reveal ourselves to people? Lee shook his head to bring his attention back around to what Ridge was saying.
“The FBI job would provide money and security for the future, which by the way, Lee, that’s how I met Miranda and our mutual friend, Cassie.” Ridge turned his head toward Lee and smiled.
He nodded in acknowledgement to what Ridge said.
“Miranda was a great partner, I trusted her with my life for the couple of years we were together in the field then she took a promotion breaking up our team.” He smile at Miranda.
Lee thought it was amazing watching her dissolve into her chair. Lee knew his suspicions were right—she did have a strong desire for this guy.
Ridge finished his diet and stood to leave.
“Wait, Ridge,” Miranda said. “Before you go, we’d like you to take a look at this and tell us what you think it means.”
Miranda handed him Lilly’s last letter. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he studied it.
“If this Bert’s grave is around here, I’d say dig around the headstone. It sounds to me like she buried the key there, if it was me that’s where I would look first.” Miranda looked at Lee. He glanced back with raised eyebrows.
“My thoughts were leaning in that direction, Ridge,” Lee said. “Thanks for confirming what I was thinking.” Lee looked at Miranda with a grin, she glared back at him while nodding her head.
“Sure you were, Lee.” Then she turned back to Ridge. “Thank you. It seems you arrived at the right time. It doesn’t matter what Lee said we weren’t sure how to go forward with this information.”
“Hey, glad I could help you, Miranda, anytime I can assist you, please call me. Would you let me know if you find anything around the grave? I would like to know if my thoughts panned out.”
“Sure, Ridge, I’d be glad to. I’ll call as soon as we find out anything.” Ridge smiled at Miranda and looked over at Lee.
“I must be going now if I expect to be in Maine by tonight. Thank you for your hospitality, Miranda. Lee, it was nice to meet you. I hope our paths cross again in the future now that we have a mutual friend. Miranda, it’s always good to see you. I’ll keep in touch.”
“I would like that, Ridge,” Miranda said. “I’ll call you.” Ridge shifted his stance and winked at Miranda. It looked like he was flirting with her.
“Call me. You have my number.” Ridge bent down kissing Miranda on the cheek. “Bye for now. Keep in touch,” he said softly to Miranda. He turned and walked out the door, crossed the porch, went down the stone steps, and got into his waiting Hummer.
They stood in the open doorway watching the car weave down the driveway passing the tall trees then turn north onto the main road.
“So Miranda, you worked with Ridge at the FBI?”
She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped short, raised her eyebrows giving him a glassy stare.
“Don’t be so clingy. Ridge and I worked together. Of course, we were close. Ridge watched my back and I had his.”
“I’ll bet he was watching more than your back.”
“Oh Lee, you’re hopeless, you sound like a jealous lover, as long as you remember we’re working together on this research project and that’s as far is it is going to go if or when it goes beyond that, I’ll let you know.”
“Why are you so defensive? What is it with you? You tease me and pull me close, then when I move toward you, you push me away.”
She turned toward Lee with her hands on her hips, her face muscles tightened.
“You may have perceived that I was drawing close to you when in reality I was just being a kind person, so get over yourself, you’re not all that much and more.”
“Okay, okay, Kid, just forget about it let’s go back to finding the key.” Lee took a seat on the sofa.
“Good, that’s what you’re here for, Lee, nothing else. Just a researcher. Get it?”
He rolled his eyes, shrugged, and offered her a smile.
“You know, it’s scary that you can find out so much information about people from the Internet and they have no idea that you’re doing it. I can see now why you think you’re a real detective. A real-life detective wouldn’t have the money to own all this expensive equipment. Or live in this big house or travel at will,” Lee said as he threw his arm in a sweeping motion around the room. “This roomy office with its expensive furnishings and up-to-date computer and other equipment.”
“You sound jealous. What good is money if you can’t spend and enjoy what it can buy? My parents left me well off when they passed. My dad made a lot of good investments in the stock market. I made some wise investments with my dad’s money while I was working, so now I intend to enjoy the rest of my life doing what I want, when I want, and the way I want.”
“Okay, okay, don’t get your panties all twisted. I was kidding you.”
Miranda plopped in her seat in fron
t of the computer. He watched her as she briefly closed her eyes taking a deep breath, then exhaling. Her fingers were working the computer keys. She looked up then shoved the other chair at Lee he grabbed the back of it.
“Pull up a chair, Lee,” she said, looking in his direction.
He pulled the chair over beside her.
“What are you looking for?” Lee asked.
“I was hoping to find out what banks did with abandoned deposit boxes. It says here that banks are required to keep the safe deposit boxes for years even after the person stops paying for it. After repeated efforts to contact the owner of the box without success, they can then empty the contents and, by law, they have to send the items in it to the state. The state holds them until they are claimed, but the length of time the banks can hold the box isn’t listed, so I guess they could hold the box for any length of time.” Miranda paused.
“That looks like a link to check for abandoned boxes,” Lee said, pointing to the screen.
Miranda clicked on it and a site box came on the screen to put in the state and the name of the person who might have had a box at a bank. Miranda typed in Lillian Grace, Florida. Luck was with them when an abandoned box in her name appeared in Osprey, Florida at the East Tampa Bank. It even gave the account number 574109. Miranda turned to Lee.
“Can you believe that?”
“No, I can’t,” Lee said. “It might be another Lillian Grace we have to consider that point, but the bigger challenge would be finding the key, and if we do find the key, you have to be the owner or a relative it says here.”
“Well, Lee, if we find the key and go to Florida, I could be a relative. Who would know? I could say I was her niece.”
CHAPTER 23
Present Day
Lee’s busy morning faded into afternoon. Miranda was riding shotgun singing along to “Big Girls Don’t Cry” on the radio. They were on their way to Benson, five miles down the road. He was going over the murder in his head, along with the investigation and how much he had learned about Bert’s life. He intended to stop at the cemetery on the way and dig around Bert’s tombstone or maybe Hap’s looking for the key that Lilly may or may not have buried there.
He pulled onto the grassy, gravel rutted road stopping the car next to Bert’s grave, popped the trunk lid before getting out. Miranda took the shovel out of the trunk and went right to the headstone.
Closing the door, he paused leaning on the side of the car. The air was cool and crisp, the sky was growing darker by the minute, in the far distance he could hear mighty peals of snow thunder echoing off the mountains. Lee was hoping it wasn’t going to snow. He pointed his face up to the sky enjoying the few rays of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds.
He turned in the direction of the water rippling in the shallow river that ran behind the cemetery. The water was low in some spots it was dried up, exposing a dry path to the other side, across rocks held into place with a black muck.
On the other side of the river was a wide field, squinting, he focused in on a lone deer feeding on winter grass at the edge. A flock of wild turkeys were scratching and eating what they could find. White mist formed small clouds rolling up the mountainside disappearing into the sky. The mountain range encircled the wide valley, standing like sentinels guarding the land and the secrets it held. This was truly a place that stood still in time. The land hadn’t changed since the first day he set foot on Joan’s doorstep over thirty years ago, but the people living in the valley were now a second generation of secret keepers.
Big black crows were squawking and landing in the distance then flying off again. Lee looked around. Shaking his head, while thinking: in a few more years this place will be so over grown no one will be able to see it from the road.
He glanced in Miranda’s direction, she was standing with her legs crossed leaning on the shovel handle. She followed him with her eyes, as he ambled over stopping at her side. Without speaking, Lee studied Bert’s tombstone, while ignoring Miranda.
“Oh, are you ready to do some work, now that you’re done daydreaming?” she said with a smirk.
Lee continued to ignore her thinking she could be sharp-tongued at times.
“Well, Kid, should we dig here?”
Lee knelt in the thick grass and started to pull it from the ground on his side of the stone, large clumps of dirt clinging to each handful he piled it up to his right.
“If anyone drove by the cemetery, and happened to look in our direction, they would probably think we were cleaning up an over-grown tombstone of a loved one.”
“Good thought, Lee. I agree.”
“I can feel someone watching us.”
“Oh, not that again. Come on, Lee, enough is enough.”
“No, Miranda, the hair on the back of my neck is standing up.”
He stood and did a three-sixty. “Nothing. That’s so strange. Why do I keep having that feeling?” Then Lee spotted someone in the parking lot behind the chain link fence of the factory across the street.
“Look quick.” Miranda stood. HIT THE GROUND, KID!” The sound of gunfire echoed through the mountain valley. Miranda’s body crumbled under the weight of Lee’s as he fell on her, shielding her from a bullet. He looked up in time to see someone jump into a waiting car, speeding north on the highway.
“Lee, get off me, I can’t breathe.” She was pushing and shoving him. He didn’t realize just how tiny Miranda was until now.
“I’m enjoying this it might be the only time I get to be on top of you.” She was still pushing him away. Lee jumped up. He was breathing hard, trying to catch his breath he walked around Bert’s stone, brushing off his pants and jacket. He grabbed Miranda’s hand pulling her to her feet. His breathing was beginning to slow down and his heart wasn’t beating as fast.
Lee could see Miranda was still shaking when she put her arm through his, all the while darting her head from side to side. He didn’t know what she was looking for.
“That was too close, Lee. This little research project has taken a dangerous turn. I think I’ll start carrying my gun.”
“Do you think so, Miranda?” Lee could breathe normal enough to talk now. “I have a gun in the trunk of my car, I’m getting it out and strapping it on.”
“What are you doing carrying a gun in the trunk of your car?” She said, still holding onto his arm as they walked back to the car.
“Some of the places I would visit for research weren’t always the safest, so I bought a gun and was licensed to carry. At times like this I’m glad I took the time to do it.”
“Thanks, Lee, for trying to protect me. That was close. Your instincts and quick actions saved one of us from a bullet.”
“I guess you believe me now.” Lee opened the trunk, leaned in, unlatched a compartment on the side and pulled out a holster with straps. He unwrapped it to reveal a .45 magnum.
“That’s a lot of gun. Do you know how to shoot it?” She asked, wide-eyed. A strong, gust of cold wind nearly blew her off her feet, pelting her with snowflakes. He steadied her with one hand.
“You bet I do.” Lee took off his jacket and strapped on the gun, then put his coat back on. He patted the part of his jacket hiding the gun. “Now let’s get into a real gun battle. I’ll be ready the next time.”
“Wait a minute, Lee. We should only use a gun if there’s no other way to solve the problem.” She closed the trunk lid.
He was glad his heart had stopped racing and he could breathe normal again. “I got a quick glance at the shooter,” he said. “I couldn’t make out who it was. All I could tell was it looked like a man. One thing is for sure, Kid, someone wants us dead, or they are trying to scare us off.”
He looked at Miranda. “Are you okay? Do you want me to take you home?”
He was still a little shook up. Miranda’s breathing was almost back to normal. He supposed it was because she had had experience being shot at, that she recovered so quickly.
“I’ll be fine. It’s been awhile since I wa
s last shot at by someone. I had almost forgotten how scary it was.”
“Do you still think I’m paranoid?”
Lee said as he started to pull the weeds and grass again.
“No, at least not this time. They could have killed one of us. I think it was a warning to back off our investigation. We must be getting close to whatever or whoever they don’t want us to find. But I still think you’re a paranoid narcissist.” She smirked.
“Kid, you’re hopeless, do you know that? You can’t admit when you’re wrong. It isn’t in you, is it?”
“Let’s get back to digging around the stone,” she said.
They worked together clearing grass and weeds again.
“Can you still see the deer standing at the edge of the field or did the shot scare it off?” Miranda asked after a while.
They stood gazing toward the distant field.
“I don’t see anything there now. Maybe they were shooting at the deer,” Miranda said.
Lee looked at her, ‘I can’t believe you said that.”
Miranda was pulling weeds and piling them up as fast as Lee, ignoring his remark.
“I wish I would have thought to bring gloves,” he said. She stopped working, he looked at her as she put her hand in her jacket pocket.
“Here, I forgot I brought you some.” She pulled out a pair of gloves and handed them to him.
“Hum, nice, blue sticky on the palms. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Have you spotted anything yet?”
“Nope, not on this side. How about you? I’m about ready to move over to Hap’s tombstone and start looking there.”
“Well, not so fast Mr. Impatient. I’m not sure, but it looks like there’s something here right up against the stone, but I can’t seem to get it loose.”
He grabbed the shovel and made his way around to her side of the stone.
“Let me try to wedge it loose with the shovel,” he poked and prodded at what looked like a small rusted metal box inside a dirty plastic bag.
“It won’t budge I guess we’ll have to dig a hole around it.” He shoveled, being careful not to hit it, then the box dropped into the hole. They exchanged glances, Lee brushed the dirt off the top of the box.
Secret Keepers and Skinny Shadows: Lee and Miranda Page 10