Fatal Fortune (Blackmoore Sisters Mystery Book 8)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “Hey, wait a minute. Give me my phone back. We should call the others first. We can’t just go in there,” Jolene said.

  Celeste hopped down to the bare dirt. A dank, wet smell came from the tunnel. She ducked inside the opening illuminating the rock walls of the tunnel with the light, the beam flashing off a thick vein of white quartz.

  “This is it! We found the quartz line that Mirabella told us about.”

  “Great. I’ll just call Luke.” Jolene held her hand out for the phone, and Celeste handed it over, pulling the small flashlight out of her pocket and aiming it down the tunnel.

  “They’re not answering.” Jolene hung up.

  “Send him a text, or leave a message and let them know where we are. I’m going in. The relic could be just inside here, and we can’t take the chance of Bly’s guys finding it. If they came in on a parallel tunnel, they might be making their way to it right now, and I have no intention of screwing up and losing this thing a second time.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The dampness oozed into Celeste’s bones, and the smell of dank earth permeated her nostrils as she proceeded down the tunnel, her flashlight aimed on the quartz line. She brushed a silky spiderweb from her face. Good news—apparently, no one had passed this way in a while. Or at least long enough for a spider to spin a web. From up ahead, she could hear the chirp of crickets and the light rustling of some small animal. She didn’t want to think about what animal that might be.

  “Hey, wait up.” Jolene trotted up beside her. “I texted a message to Luke to let him know where we were. He’s not going to like it.”

  “I know, but I just want to see if we can find the relic and then grab it and get out quickly. I don’t plan to stay long, but it would take over an hour for them to stop the dive and get cleaned up then trek back up here. Bly’s guys could be right behind us, and that hour could cause us to lose the relic.”

  She heard something back toward the entrance, like the sound of boots scraping on metal.

  Jolene spun around to look behind them. “Did you hear something?”

  Celeste nodded and snapped off the light. They both stood in silence, their ears straining, but no more noise came.

  Celeste snapped the light on again and started forward. “Let’s hurry. We may not have a lot of time.”

  The tunnel was wide enough for them to walk side by side, and they did, flashing their lights on the side every so often just to make sure the vein of quartz was still there. Every so often, the light would catch a spider that would quickly scurry away, the shadow from the flashlight making the insect appear much larger and almost giving Celeste heart failure.

  Five minutes later, they came to a junction of three tunnels. “This is exactly as Mirabella described. I guess we take the one on the right.”

  Fifty feet in, a cave-like area opened up on the right side of the tunnel. It protruded out about six feet, with a low, sloping ceiling. Celeste flashed her light inside to see that the layers of rocks were shifted vertically. The quartz line they had been following veered straight up to the top of the cave. A thick spiderweb covered part of the entrance, and Celeste brushed the sticky threads away with her fingers.

  “Just like Mirabella said.” Jolene echoed Celeste’s earlier words.

  Celeste flashed her light around the bottom of the cave. While the sides were rock, the bottom was dark earth. She illuminated several spots where the dirt had been disturbed. “Looks like someone has been digging.”

  “Bly’s men?” Jolene asked. “Do you think they’ve already been here and taken the relic?”

  “I don’t know. This doesn’t look like fresh digging, and there was a web in the tunnel and on the entrance. I know spiders can spin them quickly, but no one has been here today, and if it was them, why would they fill the holes back in?” Celeste didn’t want to think the relic had already been taken. This was her chance to be useful, and she hated the thought that Bly’s men had beaten her to it.

  “Right. We should still look, but where exactly is it? Did Mirabella give you any clues?”

  “She just said where the line shoots straight up.” Celeste pointed at Jolene’s phone. “What about the coordinates?”

  Jolene looked down at the phone. “They only led to where we found the entrance. They aren’t that precise, and they couldn’t judge latitude accurately back in Constantine’s day. I’m afraid this is as close as we can get.”

  “Then it could be anywhere.” Celeste looked around the cave.

  “Yeah, but the quartz vein is in here, and it goes straight up, so I say we start here.” Jolene crouched directly under the spot where the quartz line veered upward. She pulled the pickax out of her belt. “Good thing I brought this.” She plunged the sharp end into the dirt then used the side to scrape it away.

  “Maybe we should’ve brought Fiona. She might have been able to ferret it out by using her special gifts.” Celeste hadn’t brought any kind of digging tool, so she poked her fingers into one of the already dug-up holes and scooped out a handful of dirt. A cool breeze raised goose bumps on her arm. Celeste jerked her attention toward the cave opening. Was something swirling out there? A ghost? “What was that? Do you feel a breeze?” she asked.

  “No.” Jolene squinted into the darkness behind Celeste. “I don’t see any energy trails or anything, but then again, ghosts don’t usually leave them. If Dubonnet is behind us, then I guess you’ll have to keep an eye out. I won’t be able to see him.“

  “Right. What can he do, anyway? We’re not afraid of him unless he’s able to move physical objects.” Celeste paused. Normally, ghosts couldn’t interact with physical objects. Sure, they could push something off a table once in a while or mess with electricity if they concentrated really hard, but they didn’t usually even do those things. It took a lot of energy, and in her experience, ghosts were mostly lazy. But hadn’t Fiona said something about the energy of certain rocks being able to give ghosts different powers over the physical realm? Celeste glanced uneasily at the granite rock on the sides and ceiling of the tunnel. Was granite one of those rocks?

  “What’s that?” Jolene had stopped digging. A frown creased her face as she gazed out of the cave toward the tunnel they’d come in through.

  Celeste stilled to listen. Was that some sort of scratching sound? “I heard something, too. Maybe we should go back and—”

  “Meow.”

  “Belladonna!” The tension eased out of Celeste’s shoulders as the cat trotted over to sniff at the hole where she was digging. “I should have known she would have followed us.”

  “Yeah. Now if she could just help us dig,” Jolene said.

  As if understanding Jolene’s words, Belladonna lazily walked to a spot just under the quartz vein and started digging.

  “I knew you were a smart kitty.” Celeste scratched the cat behind the ears as Belladonna’s front paws worked to soften the earth. Brown chunks of dirt spewed out, the smell of fresh earth wafting up. Dirt, small rocks, a seashell—and then her heart skipped when she caught a glimpse of magenta and gold.

  “Stop!”

  Belladonna stopped, sat back on her haunches, licked one paw, and blinked at Celeste lazily.

  Celeste brushed her fingers across the silky fabric. It was frayed and worn, but there was no mistaking what it was. Mirabella’s sash. She poked her fingers gently into the hole, wedging the sash and its contents out.

  “What is it?” Jolene asked.

  “If I’m not mistaken, this is Mirabella’s sash. The one she hid the gem in.” Celeste carefully unwrapped the sash to reveal a large oval stone. The sash had kept it from getting dirty, and it blinked up at them with rainbow luminescence.

  “That’s it!” Jolene stared at the gem. “I recognize it from the picture online. You found the relic.”

  Celeste’s heart swelled with pride. She really had found it. She was useful after all. “Let’s get it out of here quickly before Bly’s guys get here.”

  Celeste carefull
y wrapped the relic back up in the sash, and the girls stood. When she turned toward the cave exit, Celeste’s heart jerked in her chest. A dark figure barred their exit.

  “Thanks for doing all the dirty work for me. Now hand over the treasure.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The ghost was dressed in swashbuckler clothing. He had a long beard and was wearing a flowing white shirt and held a giant sword that gleamed in the light as he waved it in the air. He pointed the sword toward Celeste and raised a bushy black brow.

  “Dubonnet?” Celeste asked.

  “Aye. Now hand over the gem, or I’ll cut you to pieces.”

  “Is that Mirabella’s enemy?” Jolene asked.

  Celeste moved between her sister and Dubonnet. Jolene couldn’t see ghosts, which made her vulnerable. She wouldn’t be able to avoid him if he came at her, and while ghosts couldn’t do much harm unless they managed to envelop a human entirely in their misty aura, Celeste didn’t want to take any chances. “Yes, it is.”

  “Really? Then why can I see him?”

  Celeste flashed a look over her shoulder at Jolene. “You can see him?”

  Her eyes fell on the quartz line. It was as she’d feared. The proximity of the rocks and the centuries he’d been down here had given Dubonnet the powers of manifesting in the physical realm, just as Fiona had said. That was why Jolene could see him, and unfortunately, that meant the menacing sword he was waving around could actually hurt them.

  “He’s manifested in the physical realm because of the rocks,” Celeste said.

  “Never mind that.” Dubonnet took a step closer, thrusting out his hand. The hairs on the back of Celeste’s neck stood on end. Something was vaguely familiar about the pirate. “Hand it over.”

  Celeste clenched the relic tighter in her fist. She tensed her body for a karate kick, her only means of defense. She didn’t know how good the ghost’s reflexes were, but if she lashed out at him and he was quick, that sword could do some real damage. Would a karate kick even damage him, though? Her leg would normally pass through most ghosts, but Dubonnet seemed almost solid. He wasn’t swirling with mist like all the others she’d encountered. If the effects of the energy from the rocks made him able to manifest in the physical realm, then it stood to reason that he could be felled by a well-placed karate kick the same as a human.

  She glanced at Jolene, who was rubbing her palms together, getting ready to hit Dubonnet with some energy. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Celeste said out of the corner of her mouth. “If he’s a ghost, he’s probably amped up with energy. I don’t know what will happen if you hit him with more.”

  “Well, what else can we do?” Jolene asked as they backed into the cave and farther away from Dubonnet, who was advancing on them.

  “Never mind that. I’ve got you cornered, so just hand it over, and no one will get hurt,” Dubonnet said.

  Jolene snorted. “Right. Like you didn’t hurt that guy up in the treasure pit who succumbed to the gas.”

  Dubonnet’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer. “No one can steal my treasure. Have you not heard the rumors? Many have tried, and many have died. The treasure in these tunnels is mine.”

  “So you are behind all those deaths of treasure hunters that came to the island?” Celeste wanted to keep him talking, buying time until she could figure out how to overpower him.

  “Aye. They were trespassers and thieves.”

  “I think you are the thief. You stole the treasure from Mirabella.” Jolene kept rubbing her hands together, and Celeste could see the purple glow of energy building in between her cupped palms, the light shining out between her fingers.

  “’Tis the way of pirates. I won fair and square. Now just hand that treasure over, and be gone. I will let you run as I have let others run.” Dubonnet waved the sword again.

  “You let others go?” Celeste asked.

  “Yes. If not, then no one would be left to tell the tales. To warn the others away.”

  “Seems like that worked, but what in the world are you going to do with treasure anyway?” Jolene asked.

  “That’s none of your concern.” Dubonnet lurched forward, waving the shiny sword near Jolene’s face. “Now tell your sister to hand it over, or your fate will be unpleasant indeed.”

  “Meow.”

  All heads jerked toward Belladonna.

  “Go home, Belladonna. You don’t want to get hurt.” Celeste’s stomach twisted. That sword could do some real damage to Belladonna, and the cat was known for putting herself in harm’s way. But would Dubonnet hurt an innocent cat?

  Thankfully, the ghost wasn’t paying any attention to Belladonna. His gaze was fixed on the relic as he slowly backed them up against the far end of the cave. Celeste shifted to the left, trying to force their movements so that he wouldn’t be blocking the exit. But even if she could manipulate it so that she could get out past him, could she outrun him?

  Maybe his powers didn’t work outside the tunnels. That was probably why he’d stayed down here. Fiona had said his superpowers of manifesting in the physical realm had something to do with the energy from the rocks that surrounded them in the tunnel, so it was a good bet he would lose that ability outside. But ghosts were fast. She doubted she could outrun him, but maybe if she could distract him, Jolene could make a run for safety.

  “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t even try it,” he said. “I’m faster than you think.” He jabbed the sword at her, catching the edge of her hoodie and slicing a tear in it. Yep, that thing was real, and it was sharp.

  “Okay, that’s it!” Jolene flung out her fist, and a stream of purple energy sparked from it, hitting the sides of the cave and ricocheting around. They ducked the ping-ponging stream, Dubonnet’s eyes growing wide as the energy fizzled out and dissipated into the ground.

  “What the heck—”

  “Meow!”

  Belladonna launched herself at Dubonnet. Her claws caught on his beard, the weight of the cat pulling it away from his face. The fake beard fell to the ground, and Celeste’s eyes widened at what was underneath.

  “Jason?”

  Celeste couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t Dubonnet’s ghost standing in front of them—it was Jason, the man who had driven them to the island in his boat.

  “Yes, it’s me. I’m not a ghost. The ghost disguise usually works pretty well to scare people off. I figured you people would be trouble, but I wanted to get the treasure the easy way.” He glared down at Belladonna, who was standing at Celeste’s feet, her back arched and fur on end. “Now it looks like things might have to get messy.”

  “But how did you know we were here in this tunnel?” Now that she knew their attacker was a mere human, Celeste felt a little better about her ability to help defend them. She saw Jolene inching toward the cave exit and readied herself, tensing her muscles to do battle with Jason. A few well-placed kicks could easily disable him, and unless he was a black belt himself, she had a good chance of succeeding. Hopefully, she’d be able to avoid the menacing sword he still held in his hand.

  “I didn’t. Not exactly. But when Luke called for me to come pick you up from the island, I figured that meant you’d found something.” He looked around the cavern. “All my years of research have indicated there’s treasure in this cavern.”

  “So you’ve been coming to the island looking for treasure for years?” Celeste asked.

  “Yep. Luckily, no one comes here anymore. Too many rumors of it being haunted and booby-trapped. So I get to take my time and come when I can. Usually.”

  “You mean you killed people and arranged accidents to get others to stay away?” Jolene asked.

  Jason’s jaw twitched. “I never killed anyone. That was before my time. But I took advantage of the old legends to help dissuade people from coming. And those that did… well… I did what I had to do to scare them off.”

  “So you could have the treasure for yourself,” Celeste said. “But you didn’t scare us off because we
were simply doing a documentary.”

  Jason scoffed. “You guys don’t think I fell for that made-up story about you being out here to do a documentary, do you? I planned to scare you off but couldn’t come out sooner. Christian was ill. I knew you were coming for treasure, just like Stanford McMillan.”

  “Stanford McMillan?”

  “The last guy that came here a few years ago.”

  Celeste had been under the impression no one had been to the island seeking treasure in decades. Jason snorted at the quizzical look the girls exchanged. “Yeah, you probably didn’t hear about him in the news or find out about him in your research, right? That’s because plenty of people come here looking for treasure, and they don’t exactly announce it. You wouldn’t believe how many people have been here digging around. I usually end up being able to scare them off pretty quickly, but Stanford was persistent.”

  “And you and all these other people have been digging in the tunnels all these years and never found any treasure?”

  “I never said no one found treasure.” Anger flashed in Jason’s eyes. “But I found out long ago that when it comes to treasure, it’s every man for himself. And I’m not going to let you take advantage of all my hard work.” He gestured toward all the dig marks in the ground. “I’ve been digging here for treasure for years. I need it more than anyone.”

  Jason’s face softened, and Celeste’s heart melted as the look of anger in his eyes turned to sadness. That desperate look told her he wasn’t seeking the treasure for greed or monetary gain. He needed it for his son’s medical treatment.

  Then his face turned dark again, and he lunged for the relic.

  Celeste sidestepped then blocked him with a karate kick to the forearm.

  “Ouch!” Jason whirled around, landing his own kick and dislodging the relic from Celeste’s grasp. It landed upside down in the dirt, but Celeste didn’t have a chance to retrieve it before Jason kicked again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jolene gearing up for another energy blast.