Midnight at the Mansion (The Virginia Mysteries Book 5)

by Steven K. Smith

  The bear stood still, like it was considering what this strange creature was saying. For a moment, Sam worried that it would charge right at Mr. Murphy and devour him, whistle and all. But then, all at once, it turned and lumbered in the opposite direction. It stopped at Sam's sandwich, picked it up in its mouth with one big bite, and then disappeared into the bushes moving south down the side of the mountain.

  For a long time, they all just stood there, staring at the place where the bear had entered the bushes. Sam kept thinking that the sandwich could have been his head.

  Finally, after it seemed sure that the bear wasn't coming back, Mr. Murphy turned around and walked over to them. He put his arms around Caitlin and hugged her. “You guys okay?”

  Sam nodded slowly.

  “That was awesome!” exclaimed Derek. “The guys are not going to believe that I saw a bear. One on one, in the middle of the trail. It was him or me, and he blinked first.”

  “Is he gone?” asked Caitlin. Sam thought he saw a tear in her eye.

  “I think so.” Mr. Murphy hugged her tight. “You're okay. That was quite an encounter.”

  Sam finally exhaled. He'd been holding his breath without realizing it. He turned to his brother and snapped out of his trance. “One on one? There are four of us here, Derek.”

  Derek laughed, holding up the camera. “Yeah, well I have the pictures to prove it.”

  “Maybe we should just skip looking for Swannanoa,” Caitlin said to Derek when they were out of earshot from her dad. Her voice sounded shaky, which was understandable. They were both rattled by the encounter with the bear. Sam had felt pretty rattled even before the bear.

  “Finally!” Sam threw his hands in the air. “That's the smartest thing you've said all day.”

  Caitlin frowned, but kept talking to Derek. “I mean, maybe Sam's right, maybe this really is too dangerous.”

  Before Derek could answer, the sharp cry of a bird pierced the sky overhead. They all looked up to see huge wings circling in the clear blue sky.

  Sam could just make out the unmistakable white feathers on its head. “Wow, it's a bald eagle.” Could it be one of the Maymont eagles? No, the thieves wouldn’t let them fly free like that. They’d have them in cages somewhere. These were wild eagles. But still, it seemed like a sign.

  “Save the eagles,” said Derek. “They need us.”

  They stood, watching the majestic bird circle above them. Mr. Murphy stepped up slowly behind them, the shutter on his camera whirring quietly.

  Caitlin's face turned serious. She looked over at Sam. “Derek's right.”

  Sam shook his head. “Caitlin...”

  But she kept talking. “They do need us. And we have to try to save them.”

  “Who needs you?” asked Mr. Murphy.

  “The eagles, Daddy. They have to be protected. We can't let them go extinct.” She turned back and smiled sheepishly at the boys.

  Mr. Murphy nodded. “You're right, sweetie. We owe it to them to live responsibly and take care of the planet.”

  Sam put his hand over his eyes and shook his head. He’d come so close to convincing them to leave.

  Caitlin's enthusiasm for the mission quickly bounced back as if she'd never even seen the bear. She pulled the map out of her backpack. “I was looking at the map, Daddy, and this is the other trail I was talking about.” She pointed toward the path that led up the ridge to their right. “It says there's a scenic overlook that is perfect for sunset pictures. You don't want to miss that, do you?”

  Her dad's eyes lit up and he glanced at his watch. “I don't know, it's getting late...we don't want to be out here after dark.”

  Caitlin nodded in agreement. “We won't be. It's only a short walk from there back to our car.”

  Mr. Murphy thought for a moment, glancing off at the horizon. Then he turned back to Caitlin and the boys. “Okay, but once we get the pictures, we're going straight to the parking lot.”

  Caitlin smiled. “Perfect. It will be worth it. I promise.”

  Caitlin's new trail wasn't nearly as wide or as well maintained as the Appalachian Trail. Sam wondered if it was even a trail at all. It seemed more like a spot where the deer, or maybe bears, had worn down a path to get up and down the mountain.

  Derek had a pretty good sense of direction, so combined with Caitlin's map, there wasn't too much of a chance that they'd get lost. Of course, neither of those things would do much good if they ran into trouble with the killers, or another bear, but Sam tried not to think about that. He couldn't exactly run home by himself now.

  He knew the only reason they were taking this route was to get up to Swannanoa. He was tempted to blurt out the whole crazy plan to Mr. Murphy right then and there, but he held back. As much as he always hated the half-brained plans that Derek came up with, there was still a part of him that hated to be left behind. A small part, but even with the terrifying situations Derek managed to get them into, they did usually end up solving some pretty epic mysteries. And he found some comfort in the fact that Caitlin was on board. She wasn't as reckless as his brother, at least not usually. Leave it to Sam to pick the worst time to listen to her.

  After a few minutes of pretty steep climbing, they reached the road, just around the bend from where they'd stopped at the overlook that morning. Caitlin's dad warned them to be careful when they crossed over to the north side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Even though it was called a Parkway, it was just a two-lane road that cut through the mountains. While it was a main passage for tourists, there wasn't much traffic today.

  Mr. Murphy said that in the winter months, parts of the Parkway were closed down due to the snow and icy conditions up on the top of the mountain. He said that in some spots, the highway department even put runway lights, like they use at the airport, on the sides of the roads to keep people from driving over the edge during fog and other bad weather.

  Any road that needed those kinds of lights to keep you on it couldn’t be a very safe road to begin with, but Sam didn't say anything about that either as they crossed. Before long, the wooded trail began to widen, opening to a clearing and a gravel road.

  “Are you sure you know where we're headed, Caitlin?” Mr. Murphy said, eyeing the trees for a trail marker. “This looks like someone's driveway, maybe.”

  Caitlin smiled and pointed up ahead. “It's just around this corner. We're almost there.”

  Sam wondered if his dad would have gone along with such a reckless plan. Probably not, he decided, and he bet that Derek knew it as well. It was likely part of the reason they'd recruited Mr. Murphy to drive. He seemed a lot more relaxed, taking things as they came. Plus, he was used to trusting Caitlin, so he hadn't grown as suspicious of possible secret plans. Sam wondered how many more adventures Caitlin would have to go on with him and Derek before her parents started being as cautious as Mom and Dad. Not many, he thought, as a white marble railing came into view up ahead.

  “Holy cow!” exclaimed Derek.

  Sam squinted as the low afternoon sunshine glinted through the branches. A massive building hid behind a row of tall spruce trees past the railings.

  Swannanoa.

  As they walked closer, Sam could see that it was much bigger than the mansion at Maymont. It had a totally different look, with a light-colored stone exterior and orangish-red roof tiles, reminding him of buildings he'd seen in pictures from his parents’ trip to Europe. Most of the structure was two stories high, but as they moved alongside, he saw a pair of rectangular towers on both sides of the front, adding two more floors above the roofline. There were dozens of windows and doors, each with fancy arches, pillars, and engravings built into them. A railed marble patio ran along the front, with a small set of stairs leading down to the grass.

  “It really is a palace,” marveled Caitlin.

  “Did you know this was back here?” asked Mr. Murphy, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Is this where you meant to take us?”

  “Um, well...” mumbled Caitlin, nervously tuggi
ng on a strand of her long hair.

  Sam hadn't seen her at a loss for words very often. Clearly they couldn't keep her dad in the dark forever.

  Sam couldn't stand it one more minute. “Something bad might be happening here!”

  There. He'd said it.

  10

  After Sam’s outburst, a silent pause followed. He glanced at Derek who was shaking his head. Caitlin was looking at her feet.

  “Well,” said Sam, “somebody had to tell him!”

  Mr. Murphy raised his eyebrows even more. “I think you guys need to tell me exactly what's going on. Don’t tell me that we just stumbled upon this mansion out here in the woods by accident.”

  Caitlin let out a long breath and frowned at Sam, although he thought he noticed a hint of relief on her face. She probably didn't like misleading her dad either.

  Derek spoke up first. “It's my fault. I convinced them it was a good idea.”

  Caitlin shook her head. “No, that's not true. It was my idea too.”

  Mr. Murphy looked confused. “What was your idea?”

  “The eagles,” said Sam. “The ones that were stolen from Maymont.”

  “The eagles?”

  “We think they're being sold here,” explained Caitlin. “Tonight. At midnight.” She told him about seeing the man at Maymont, how he had crashed into Sam while being chased by the two other men, how they found his phone and the message, and finally how Sam received the threatening pictures and the warning not to tell anyone.

  “So you see, Daddy, we couldn't tell you. We were afraid something would happen.”

  Mr. Murphy had sat down on an old fallen log. His elbows were perched on his knees and he rested his chin on his hand. He looked like one of those ancient sculptures of someone thinking, which was what he seemed to be doing. For a minute he didn't say anything.

  “I'm sorry, Daddy.”

  “Yeah,” said Derek. “I guess we shouldn't have lied to you.”

  Mr. Murphy raised his head and looked at them. “So despite all this, you really don't know if anything is going on here at all? The message could just as well have been about Maymont?”

  They all stared at the ground.

  “Maybe,” admitted Caitlin.

  “But you do know that someone sent you a threatening message. Which you should have turned into the police, or at the very least your parents.”

  “Or the FBI,” added Sam.

  Caitlin shushed him to be quiet. “I guess you're right.”

  “By rushing off on this secret trip without telling me the truth, you might have put us all in more danger instead of less.” He stood up, staring toward Swannanoa. “I think you've let your imaginations get the best of you with this old place. It looks pretty abandoned to me.”

  He pulled out his cell phone and grimaced. “No service.”

  “So what should we do now?” asked Derek.

  “Go home,” said Sam. “That's what I've been trying to say all along.” He didn't want to say I told you so, but he had told them so.

  Mr. Murphy nodded. “That's a good idea, Sam. I'm sure this is private property. We shouldn't even be up here.”

  Caitlin held the map up to her face, and then pointed down the hill. “If we follow the driveway, it will take us to the road with the gas station and back to the car in the parking lot.”

  “Let's go,” encouraged Sam, stepping forward. They walked across the grass to the driveway, pausing in front of the building. There didn't seem to be anyone around at all. No cars, no people. It was just as Mr. Haskins had said the other day. It was abandoned.

  Another distant cry from a hawk or an eagle sounded from some high tree out of sight. There was a long view to the valley, the sky showing just a hint of color. The sun was dropping faster, its golden beams streaming over the treetops, reflecting off the red tile roof of the building.

  It was as if everyone had the same idea at once, but Caitlin spoke first. “Why don't we just stay for the sunset, Daddy? You could get some amazing pictures up here. We owe that to you. It's the least we can do.”

  “Yeah, look at these views!” Derek shouted.

  Mr. Murphy looked over at him. “Sam, I know you were anxious to go...”

  Sam sighed, hesitant to give in when they were so close to going home, but everyone seemed to have given up the thought of finding the eagles, and it was a beautiful spot. He rolled his eyes and nodded.

  “Well,” said Mr. Murphy, staring off at the colorful horizon, “Maybe just a few minutes...” He pulled his tripod from his backpack.

  “Great,” said Caitlin. “I'll help you.”

  “While you guys take pictures, we're going to walk around,” said Derek.

  Mr. Murphy gave them a cautious glance.

  Derek held up his hand like he was taking an oath. “Not far, honest. We'll stay right around the palace here.”

  “Stay where I can see you, Derek. I'm serious. It's going to be dark soon, and I don't want to have to come looking for you two.” Mr. Murphy pointed to the sky, which by now was bursting with color. “We’ve had enough adventure for one day, I think.”

  “Great. Come on, Sam.” Derek bounded off, heading toward some old fountains they’d passed.

  Sam was tired of exploring, but he didn't want to leave Derek by himself, so he trailed a little distance behind, gazing at the mansion. Tucked behind the tall evergreens, it seemed almost like it was hiding. How many people even knew it was up here? He tried to imagine what it must have been like to live in such a place, set majestically way up on top of a mountain.

  He ran and caught up with Derek. “Can you believe that the Dooleys owned this place and Maymont?”

  “Yeah, quite a summer house, huh?” Derek answered. “What's that over there?” He pointed to another building that was covered in ivy and mostly hidden behind another tall evergreen tree.

  “Hey,” Sam called out. “We’re supposed to stay close enough to see Mr. Murphy.”

  Derek turned and shaded his eyes with one hand. “I can still see him.”

  Sam humphed. “Barely.”

  Derek walked farther from Caitlin and her dad, but Sam stayed put.

  “It's a tower!” Derek shouted.

  Sam took a few more steps, just to see what Derek was yelling about. The tower was just like you'd see on the corner of a castle or read about in a fairy tale where a princess is locked up in the top or an evil wizard is working on his spells. It had a rounded, sloping roof with the same tiles as the mansion, and several long narrow windows decorated the top all around. It had to be part of Swannanoa. No one would build a tower out in the middle of the woods unless it was part of this place.

  The sound of a motor came rumbling up through the trees. “Somebody’s coming! Sam, get down!”

  Sam sprinted toward Derek and together they crawled behind a rock. They were far beyond Mr. Murphy’s view by now, but that seemed less important than the silver pickup that came into view. It rolled to a stop next to a small cottage they hadn’t noticed in the woods. It looked like an old caretaker’s house or servants’ quarters made out of rough stones.

  A man stepped out and walked up to the cottage. Sam couldn't see his face, but noticed he was wearing heavy-duty work gloves.

  “What's he doing?” Sam whispered as the man opened the door with a key and went inside.

  “I don't know, stay down,” said Derek.

  A minute later, the man emerged carrying a large wire cage. When he set it down on the ground to open the tailgate of the truck, Sam could see that there was an animal inside. “The eagles!” he almost shouted out.

  “Shh!” Derek hissed. “Be quiet or he'll hear us.”

  The man lifted the large cage, sliding it into the back of the pickup. As he did, he raised his face in plain view of the boys.

  Sam gasped. It was one of the men who had been chasing the marshal at Maymont. Sam's heartbeat was pounding in his ears. He'd almost stopped worrying about anything dangerous happening, but now his f
ears came rushing back.

  “I knew it,” said Derek. “It's them.”

  They watched the man go back into the building, returning with two more cages, filled with creatures of different shapes and sizes. When the cages were all in the truck bed, he locked the door to the cottage, pulling a radio from his belt.

  “Everything's secured. I'm coming back.”

  He started up the truck and drove off toward the palace, barely missing where they were hiding. Sam wondered how many men there were. The man in the truck was talking to someone on the radio. The second guy was probably at the palace. Was it just the two of them from Maymont, or were there more?

  Sam looked in the direction of the mansion where Caitlin and her dad were taking pictures. He couldn’t see them any longer, but the man was headed straight for them. Then he remembered something. “The picture,” Sam muttered.

  “What picture?”

  “The one that they sent to me on the marshal's phone. It was of us. They know who we are. They'll recognize Caitlin! We have to do something!”

  11

  Derek nodded and they scurried along the tree line, moving quickly toward the house but staying out of view. Sam didn't know what he would do, but he couldn't let them just take Caitlin and her dad. He remembered the scared look on the marshal's face in the Japanese Gardens. They hadn't been able to save him, but there was still time to save Caitlin and her dad. They just had to hurry.

  They reached the side of the mansion and tried to catch their breaths. Sam crept up to the front of the mansion and peered around the corner. He was relieved when he saw Caitlin and Mr. Murphy standing near the patio. There was still time.

  He stepped forward into the yard to wave to Caitlin but stopped short when she looked at him with a cold stare. He backed up cautiously to the edge of the wall, just as a man appeared behind her.

  He was holding a gun.

  Sam watched from around the corner as the man marched Caitlin and her dad up the stone patio steps and into the mansion, the gun pointed at them menacingly. Sam inched backwards, his shoulders pressed against the marble of the building, then slid down into the grass.