When the spark fell dim, they stood still a moment longer reflecting on the journey that had brought them to this exact moment before turning as one and walking purposefully toward the library. If this had been a movie, the moment would have been immortalized by one of those slow-motion, wind-in-the-hair scenes.
Then, Gustavia broke the spell of solemnity by letting loose a war cry that had Kat jolting in surprise and jabbing an elbow into her friend’s ribcage.
“Warn a person before you shriek like that; you scared me half to death.”
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just—this is amazing. Right? I mean, we’re going to find something; I just know it.”
Just before they entered the library, Kat sensed Estelle nearby. When the spirit whispered in her ear, “Do you want to see it?” she breathed, “Yes,” and opened herself up. Estelle slid inside her like a diver entering the water with barely a ripple. It was a much different experience than before: rather than taking over her body, the spirit shared it. With that thought, her vision cleared. Julius stood behind the desk waiting for them.
Julie didn’t even blink at the sight of him. “Where’s Grams?” She asked.
“Right here,” the answer came from Kat. Then, in her own voice, Kat said, “I’m here, too.” It was eerie. Julie looked at her great-grandfather, who remained silent but waved her on. Julie grasped Tyler’s hand. Together they inspected the area indicated by the painting and saw—nothing.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding,” Julie could not believe her eyes. She reached out a finger running it over the edge of the molding. Totally smooth. There was nothing there. She pinned Julius with a narrow-eyed stare. “Is this your idea of a joke? Some kind of ghostly prank?”
Julius didn’t answer, couldn’t. Estelle spoke softly. “Julie,” was all she said; but there was disappointment in her tone.
“Wait.” Tyler turned and strode out of the room; Gustavia followed him while Julie took several deep breaths to try and regain control of her emotions. Tyler made his way straight back to where the painting was still attached to the brackets. For a long moment he just stood there looking at it; then he reached out and swung the portrait slightly on the hinged brackets. Frowning, he swung the painting back to its original position, and then he called Gustavia over.
“Look, here’s the spot where the light was shining before. Put your finger right there, pointing to that spot.” She did and he gently swung the painting again. Now Gustavia’s finger was pointing at a different location, the scrolled trim on the center support brace between the shelves.
“Ah, I see,” she said. “I’ll get the others.” And she left the room only to return shortly with her friends in tow. “Watch,” she instructed. Then she and Tyler repeated their previous actions.
“Oh.” And with not another word, the group returned to the library where Julius was still standing. This time, when Julie reached out and tentative finger, she felt a small indent in the carved trim. A gentle prod, a soft click, and what looked like a decorative panel below the shelves slid back to reveal a small recess.
As one, Tyler and Julie dropped to their knees to peer inside. They both took a look then leaned back to look at each other with identical expressions on their faces. Gustavia couldn’t take it anymore. “What is it? Are you trying to kill me with suspense?”
“It’s empty.” Julie began to laugh, "After all this, the thing is empty.”
“No; no, it isn’t,” Amethyst spoke in her husky voice. It wasn’t precisely an aura she could see, only people and animals carried those; but items they handled with great intent sometimes carried a residual energy field that appeared to her as a faint, glowing light. And the panel was emanating that light now.
Grinning like a toddler with a cookie, Tyler pulled out his keys and, turning on the small, attached penlight, handed it to Julie who shined it into the compartment. Gustavia, leaning over her in excitement, was the first to see the shape of a tiny, tarnished silver spoon lying on the floor. Tyler reached in and pulled it out, holding it up for Kat to take it from him.
“Is that all?” Gustavia burst out.
“No.” And Julie leaned into the compartment far enough to twist and look above the opening. There, hanging on a hook, was an old burlap bag, bulging at the seams. Julie slithered back out and gestured for Tyler to take her place. He reached up and lifted the heavy bag from its hidden hook, struggled to guide it carefully down to the floor, then dragged it out of its hiding place.
The contents of the bag clanged softly as Julie, with shaking hands, untied the string holding the neck of the bag closed and slowly opened it to reveal more tarnished silver inside. Her heart strained in her chest, pounding a frantic beat. She couldn’t believe they’d finally found it; this whole ordeal was finally over. Throwing her head back, Julie shrieked Woohoo! loud enough that everyone jumped and began laughing and talking all at once.
Amethyst cleared off the desk as Gustavia shoved Tyler out of the way so she could help Julie pull the pieces from the large, rough textured bag. Teapots, gravy boats, platters, footed bowls, and cups appeared and were stacked on the desk, along with several pairs of heavy candlesticks.
Strangely enough, after finding the single spoon on the floor, there were no others in the bag. Gustavia noticed it first, and took it upon herself to grab the penlight and crawl into the opening. Twisting her lithe body, she shined the light up into the cavity.
“Um, guys,” her voice was muffled by the closeness of the space. “Here, grab this,” and she dragged another bag from the small shelf that ran around the inside of the compartment and handed it out to Amethyst. Kat was there to grab the next item: a squarish packet wrapped in what looked like old tea towels and tied with string. By the time she was done, Gustavia had handed out several more bundles from inside the hiding place.
All this time, Julius stood silently next to the desk amid the faint blue glow Julie had seen the first night, the one that had begun this search. His eyes were shining and he looked like he was about to burst; but, still, he said not a word.
Slowly, the tension in the room built as everyone realized Julius wanted to say something; but was being prevented from speaking, the frustration evident on his face. Kat, with a quiet exclamation, sank down on one of the leather chairs. Her head dropped forward as Estelle gently pulled her consciousness away and moved to stand with Julius. Gustavia perched on the arm of Kat’s chair, reaching out to rub a reassuring hand across her friend’s softly trembling shoulders.
“So, what happens next? Are the two of you leaving? Do you see the light?” Julie wasn’t sure if she was ready to say goodbye just yet. There was not a sound in the room as Estelle gazed at her beloved granddaughter before both spirits simply faded away.
* * *
Finally alone, Tyler grabbed Julie and swung her around the kitchen several times before setting her on her feet.
“I only had time for a quick bit of research while everyone was leaving, but it looks like there’s more than enough money in what we found to repair the roof and put in a security system.”
Julie felt a huge sense of relief. At times during the past few weeks, she had been scared to let herself hope they would find anything and, at other times, she was afraid of what would happen when they did. She knew Tyler cared for her and she loved him, but what if it was the treasure hunt that had him interested? He was used to a certain amount of excitement in his job; and, normally, her life was pretty quiet. It wasn’t like she found a lost family fortune every day of the week.
Tyler watched the play of emotions track across Julie’s face, and was afraid she might be having second thoughts about their relationship. It had only been a matter of weeks, but he had known she was the one for him almost since the beginning. There was no doubt on his part; he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman. Whether she’d found her fortune or not, whether her dead relatives never went away, whether her crazy ex came back or not, he didn’t care. He loved her—everything about he
r—and he intended to show her just how much.
“Julie…”
“Tyler…”
They both spoke at once. “No, let me go first.” Tyler took Julie’s hands in his and gazed intently into her eyes until Julie felt as though she was lost in a sea of blue. After a moment, he shook his head to break the spell of silence then he spoke.
“These past few weeks have been amazing; I can’t tell you how much this time has meant to me.”
Oh, God, he’s about to tell me it’s over. Her heart sank all the way into her shoes.
He went on. “I mean, words are what I’m about; and, yet, I’m stumbling over my own tongue. I’m trying to say I love you, Julie. I know you probably think it’s too soon, but I knew. Almost from the first day, I knew.”
Mouth open, Julie just stared at him. He wasn’t breaking up with her; he loved her. She started to laugh; it just bubbled up from so deep inside she couldn’t help herself. Then she saw the look on his face and knew he was trying to figure out why she found his revelation so amusing.
“No, no. It’s good, it’s just I’ve always prided myself on not being impetuous, not being a romantic. And look where it got me. I was engaged to a cold-hearted criminal. Then I met you, and it was just… I couldn’t help myself. I fell for you, right from the start. And I thought I shouldn’t be sure, not this sure, not this soon. It’s not normal; but, you know what, I don’t care. I love you. Now and always.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her so tightly she could feel the pounding of his heart against hers—or was it hers against his? As he bent his head to kiss her, they heard a faint bell-like bonging sound followed by a clicking noise.
“Old house noises?”
“Angel getting her wings?” They both spoke at once with identical smiles on their faces.
“Now, where were we?” Tyler pulled Julie close and they murmured words of love between soul bonding kisses until the intensity was too much to ignore and they led each other upstairs.
Epilogue
One Month Later
Tyler manned the new barbecue grill. It was the first time he had ever tried cooking veggie burgers but he thought they looked okay. He was only a little bit nervous as he thought about the ring in his pocket, the one he planned to slip onto Julie’s finger after they’d finished eating. It seemed right that all of their friends be together for the occasion. After all, they were her family.
He’d come up with any number of scenarios for proposing: just the two of them having a picnic in the gazebo, or maybe he should make a public spectacle at Wednesday night Karaoke. But, instead, he’d settled on this simple gathering that would mean the most to Julie. Once they finished eating, it would be time; and, as the meal progressed, so did the nervous feeling.
Halfway through the meal, Kat lifted her head and spoke, “It’s not over.”
What’s not over? Julie wondered.
“We have to go to the library, now.” Tyler’s heart sank; maybe this wasn’t the time for his proposal.
A look was passed between the group, one that plainly said, “Now what?”
But, they went inside and walked up the stairs to find out what Kat was talking about. There, standing behind the desk, were both Julius and Estelle.
Time stretched. Everyone just stared, then Julie held up both hands. “We found the magic garden; we found the key; and we found the hiding place. What more is there?”
At that, Julius eyes widened and he held up both hands in a gesture of futility before pointedly looking at the panel that hid the secret area.
This time, Tyler pressed the hidden switch to open the panel.
“There must be something else to find. Gustavia, are you sure the shelf was empty?”
“I think so.”
“I’m the smallest. Let me in there.” Amethyst scooted past Gustavia and into the opening, then reached out a hand gesturing impatiently for Tyler to pull out his keys with the penlight. The space was about two and a half feet deep by four feet high, and cleverly built into the wall between the library and one of the bedrooms. Shelving in both rooms with decorative lower panels hid the discrepancy well enough that even Tyler’s keen eyes had not noticed it when he looked at the building plans.
“I can’t feel anything, and I don’t see anything on the shelf.” Amethyst called out, as she shifted her body in order to get a better look around. “Wait, there is something. Hey, someone give me a cell phone, one with a camera.”
There was a scramble as they all reached for theirs at once. Julie got to hers and handed it over. Ammie twisted around to get a better angle and loosed a few choice words at the awkwardness of the movement. Before long, they all saw the flash as the camera recorded whatever she had found. After a bit more shuffling and several more flashes, she emerged from the compartment with a few cobwebs in her hair and a streak of dust across her cheek. Her eyes were glittering, though, as Tyler and Gustavia both reached down to help her up.
“You got that laptop handy?” she asked Tyler, and while he went to get it, hit the keys needed to send the images to his email. It only took a few moments for him to boot up the laptop and download the message. When the photos popped up on the screen, everyone stared for a second or two; then, as one, they all looked at Julius who gazed back at them, then shrugged his shoulders with chagrin.
“There are four keys, and we’ve only found the first one.” Julie looked up at her grandfather who now carried the look of someone who had just been released from bondage.
“Yes, there are…” and before he could say more, Julie finished for him, “and you can’t tell me anything else—don’t bother, I know the drill.” She crossed her arms and pinned him with a steely glare before relenting with an affectionate grin. which he returned. “You and your friends did a fine job the first time. I know you are up to the task. You’ve proved that already.”
Estelle chimed in, “And besides, there’s Logan to consider. I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of him.”
Tyler spoke up, “Well, after everything, this might seem a bit anti-climactic; but since you two are here, the time feels right after all,” and, turning to Julie, he took a knee.
Julie knew exactly what was about to happen; her heart raced with excitement and love as he pulled the ring from his pocket and took her hand in his.
“Julie, I love you with everything that I am or ever will be. Will you let me spend the rest of my life showing you? Will you marry me?”
Eyes shining, Julie pulled him to his feet, saying over and over, “Yes, yes, yes,” as she leapt into his arms. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Laughing and crying at once, Amethyst pulled a ten out of her pocket and passed it across to Kat saying, “I’ll never learn.”
* * *
The house was finally empty. After an evening of celebration and the making of plans to start figuring out the next set of clues, everyone had finally gone home leaving Julie and Tyler alone to bask in their newly engaged bliss.
Tyler had just pulled Julie into a kiss when they both heard a soft sob. With a rueful smile, Tyler rested his forehead against Julie’s and whispered, “Estelle.” Julie sighed. She loved her grandmother, but it was time to set some boundaries. She took a deep breath, readying herself to speak, when Tyler whispered again, “No, let me,” and turned to pin Estelle with an unrelenting stare.
The seconds stretched out as Estelle began to squirm under his steady gaze. He didn’t have to say a word. She finally held up both hands in surrender. “Okay, I get it. You need privacy, and I forgot to ring the doorbell. It won’t happen again,” her voice dropped at the end.
Tyler relented, “Thank you for being so considerate, Estelle.”
Now it was her turn to stare with narrowed eyes. “It’s Grams to you, my boy, and don’t forget it. Welcome to the family. Now, I’ll leave you two alone. I promise, I won’t peek ever again,” and with that, she was gone, for now.
The End
* * *
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Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery Series
Co-authored by Erin Lynn
Cat Killed A Rat
Crafting Disorder
Caught in the Frame
Rings on Her Fingers
Bells on Her Toes
She Shall Have Music
Wherever She goes
Keep reading for an Excerpt from Cat Killed A Rat
Chapter One
Douchebag.
The word scrawled across Chloe’s notebook made Emmalina Valentina Torrence—EV to her friends snort out loud. Mostly because, while inelegant and downright crass, it perfectly described the annoying man currently speaking to the sizable group of citizens attending the Ponderosa Pines quarterly town meeting.
A typical New England town meeting takes place once a year but in Ponderosa Pines, anything worth doing once, was worth doing four times. Hence, the quarterly town meeting. Once a year, the town voted in a new set of officials: three Selectmen to oversee the group and handle day to day tasks, a new treasurer to handle financial issues, a secretary to keep everyone organized and record the goings on for posterity, a sexton, a dog catcher, and committee members and leaders for various undertakings were all either appointed or elected in the spring. The other three meetings were less well-attended and most often no more than a formality.
Tonight, however, the mere formality had already ended and a three ring circus was about to begin. EV could tell because they’d already brought in the clown.
After fifteen minutes of fidgeting in his seat and clearing his throat repeatedly before the First Selectman opened the floor for new business, local handyman, Luther Plunkett now held court at the front of the room. Still in his work clothes with an attempt at an earnest expression pasted on his round, freckled face and a liberal sprinkling of sawdust in his curly, mouse-brown hair he stalked back and forth while he made his plea.
Rings On Her Fingers (Psychic Seasons Page 18