A weird mix of excitement and apprehension churned deep inside her belly as she got off the plane. She didn’t know if she’d pass out or throw up. The feeling increased as she climbed into the vehicle with her tall, handsome cousins. With their tanned faces, deep blue eyes, and dark blond hair, she didn’t find it any wonder the ladies flocked to them in droves.
She strapped herself into her seatbelt and leaned back against the backseat cushion. “Should we get a flat tire along the way, you will stop and fix it this time, won’t you? I mean, we’re not in that big of a hurry.”
The twins gazed at each other with mouths agape before Jared shifted his attention back to her. He cleared his throat. “Care to explain that offhand remark?”
“What’s to explain? Did you or did you not tell me that during your last trip to see me you made silly spectacles out of yourselves while bumping along on the rim to the airport?”
Justin turned his head to the side as he narrowed his eyes. “What airport?”
“I don’t know. That one in the podunk town you told me about while spouting your ridiculous story. What?”
Justin gazed at her as if she had suddenly sprouted two heads. “You actually heard us?”
Katie huffed out a breath. “I’m not deaf. Why wouldn’t I have—” She stopped short. Now she thought on it, she had been in a coma the last time they visited New Mexico.
Justin bobbed his head as he stomped on the clutch and turned the key. At once the tricked out king-cab, Dodge Ram pickup rumbled to life. “Interesting. Very. Interesting.”
“I’ll say,” Jared agreed. “I’ve always heard people in a coma hear what’s going on around them. Now we know they do.”
“Therefore, I believe we can—and will—take full credit for her recovery,” Justin added with his usual arrogant nonchalance.
Jared scratched at the stubble on his chin. “That all depends on whether or not we said something we shouldn’t have. Did we?”
Even now her cousins could make her laugh, and laugh they did. All the way to West Columbia.
“Where to first?” Justin decreased his speed as they entered the city limits. “Creepy cemetery or creepy mansion?”
“How ’bout we get something to eat first,” Jared said. “I’m starving.”
“So what’s new?” she asked. “You’re always starving.”
“True, but this time I really am starving,” Jared replied. “I haven’t eaten a thing since breakfast—well, not counting the two cinnamon rolls and a bag of chips. Oh, and the strawberry shake and bag of trail mix. But that’s not even worth mentioning.”
“Okay then,” said Justin. “Pulling into the local diner.”
Once they were seated, the waitress gave them plenty of time to look over the menu. All the while the shapely brunette eyed the twins with blatant appreciation. At last she sauntered over to their table. “What can I get for you today?”
Jared slid his menu off to the side. “I want the double-beef bacon burger and don’t be stingy with the fries. I’ll also have a Coke to drink. For dessert, I’ll take a piece of that apple pie à la mode your poster claims you’re so famous for. I want to see for myself if it’s as good as you say. If it isn’t, I just might take my temper tantrum, caused by my high expectations, out on your tip.”
“Make that two with double the tip threat,” Justin said. “However, if you give us extra cheese, that might make up for any tantrums we may or may not have.”
She laughed as she gathered the menus from off the table. “And you, miss?”
“I’ll take the BLT, strawberry lemonade, and I’ll try a piece of the apple pie as well—minus the tantrum. If necessary, I’ll have mine in private so as not to smear my mascara in public.”
The waitress gave the boys a flirtatious smile while ignoring her altogether. “All right, I’ll be back in a few minutes with your order. My name is Gina, so if you need something, just yell.”
Throughout the meal, her cousins yelled for her often. Gina didn’t mind though. After all, it gave her ample opportunity to strut her stuff. Once they finished their dessert, Gina took their bill from out of her apron pocket. “Can I get you anything else before you leave?”
Jared tossed his napkin onto his plate and smiled. “Not unless you can tell us where we can find Rachel Jameson.”
She laughed. “Dreaming of fame and fortune are we?”
“Hey, if it’s on the table, I’ll take either one. If not, a very large loan on the no repayment plan will do just as well.”
She shook her head as she brought her laughter under control. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t help you there. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone speak her name, much less know someone who could tell you where she is.”
“That’s all right, darlin’. I promise we won’t take that one out on your tip.” Justin winked as he tossed some bills on the table.
“Well here—” She grabbed a napkin and scribbled a number across it. “I’ll ask some of the older locals for you. Later this evening you can give me a call if you’d like. Maybe someone around here knows something. I’m, uh, off at eight.”
As they left the restaurant, Katie shook her head and tsked. “She may as well have asked you to meet her parents and set a wedding date.”
Justin grinned. “I always did have a way with the ladies. Unfortunately, the older I get the more pronounced the trait becomes. Probably why I haven’t married yet. There are so many of them out there, why choose one?”
Jared rolled his eyes. “Oh pul-eeze.”
Justin turned toward his brother. “Hey, I didn’t see her handing her phone number off to you, did you?”
“You weren’t the one she ‘accidently’ brushed up against when we left either. Now isn’t that right?”
Their back and forth banter lasted until they parked at the cemetery and exited the pickup.
“Now what?” Jared asked. “Sun’s going to set pretty soon, so unless you want to dance in the dark we better get down to business.”
Katie looked past the boys and settled her gaze on the immaculate lawn and rows of stones. “First, find the grave of Donald Martin. Second, see if we can find a caretaker. Oh, and if you want to take pictures of ghosts, now’s your chance. I think they’re supposed to show up as floating orbs, squiggly lights, or something stupid like that.”
“Okay, I’ll bite—who’s Donald Martin?” asked Justin.
“A young man who died during the Vietnam War.”
Jared propped his foot on the retaining wall, leaned over, and rested his arms on his leg. All the while he kept his gaze fastened to hers. “All right, Katie, I’ll go ahead and ask the obvious. What does a dead Vietnam soldier and Rachel Jameson have in common?”
“At one time they were friends. I thought perhaps she might visit him here on occasion. If she does, perhaps a proprietor or caretaker knows where we can find her.”
“Sound enough idea. But tell me, what are you going to do if you actually find her?” Jared asked. “What is the purpose of your visit really?”
“To ask her one very important question.”
Jared stared at her. “One question. You’ve come all this way so you can ask one question.”
“Yep. That should do it. Of course the answer could lead to other questions as well.”
“Uh-huh—” Justin folded his arms against his chest and waited for her to speak.
She scrunched her shoulders together. “I’m sorry, guys, but that’s all I can tell you. At least for now.”
Jared raised a brow. “Really, Katie? I think your partners in crime should get the entire story, don’t you, Justin?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “How can we cause our usual uproar in the good ol’ town of cahoots if we don’t even know why we’re here in the first place?”
Katie bit down on her lip as she gazed back and forth between them. “Do you remember the last summer you spent in New Mexico before you moved to Texas? I think we were about eleven, m
aybe twelve years old or so?”
Jared grinned as he nudged an equally amused Justin. “How could we forget that? We had the time of our life.”
“Then you’ll surely recall that in the foolish and mischievous behavior of youth—especially yours—you hot-wired the Millers’ brand-spanking-new four-wheel-drive pickup. You and Justin took turns driving me all over town like you were competing in the Indy 500. To this day I count it a miracle neither of you got caught nor killed.”
Her cousins laughed and with a nod, agreed with her.
“The way I recall it, you were so short back then that you peeked through the steering wheel, rather than above it while you drove. As a result when you coasted back into their driveway—on an almost empty gas tank I might add—you caught the side of their block wall fence. In so doing, you scraped off the paint on the passenger side of the vehicle. I think you may’ve even left a dent or two.”
Jared pointed a finger at Justin. “He’s the incompetent fool who did that.”
“That part doesn’t matter,” she said. “What does matter is that as we stealthily crawled out of the cab and crept into the bushes, we swore each other to secrecy. Do you remember our little pact?”
They looked at each other and nodded. “On pain of death,” Justin said.
“As you can see, I’m still alive. No matter how many times the story of the stolen, wrecked truck comes up in conversation, I still haven’t told a soul that I know anything about it. Now if I can keep that secret under wraps after all this time, I think I can keep this secret as well.”
“You know, she does have a point,” Jared said.
Justin rubbed his hands together as he flashed a smile. “I love secrets. Especially my own. Now, where do we start? Should we split up or what?”
Katie’s gaze fell on the tall monument to the left and center of the graveyard. “No, I think I know where I’m going. Well, at least the vicinity.”
She led them across the grass. If not mistaken, that headstone, blurry at best in the photograph, sat somewhere behind Donnie’s marker. She slowed her steps and as she approached it, she glanced at her cousins and drew a circle with her hand. “I think we’ll find it somewhere in this area.”
Mere seconds later, Jared dipped his head to his left. “Rachel Jameson’s boyfriend is right here, Katie.”
She did a double take. “I never said Donald was her boyfriend.”
An annoying smirk emerged on his face. “You didn’t have to—you had it written all over your face.”
Justin chuckled as she dismissed them both with a wave of her hand. “Whatever. You can think whatever you want.”
As she arrived at her cousin’s side, Katie took in a deep breath. She knelt down in front of the stone and swept away the leaves that had fallen on top of it. Not a single flower graced his grave today. She wished now she would’ve thought to bring some. She traced the worn lettering of his name and the dates for birth and death. Did Rachel ever do that? Did she cry over his loss?
“Relative of yours?”
All three of them turned toward the owner of the gruff voice behind them. Katie stood up and as she brushed her hands off, she smiled. “Are you the caretaker here?”
He wagged his head from side to side. “One of a handful anyway, and for about forty years now. As you might guess, I can tell you where everyone is buried if you need to find someone.”
“After forty years, I suppose you could.” For a moment, Katie dropped her gaze to the stone. “We’re here for Donald Martin, though. He is a good friend of a friend of mine. We stopped by to pay our respects.”
“That’s nice. So many of the young men who died in Vietnam have been forgotten. Until you showed up he was one of them.”
Her heart sank. “No one visits his grave? Ever?”
He shrugged. “Not unless you count the local veterans’ association. They’ll come and decorate the graves of all military personnel on appropriate holidays.”
“No one else has ever come?”
“Excluding his parents when they were alive? Not that I’ve seen, ma’am. Of course, I’m not here twenty-four seven, so—” he let the rest of his sentence lead them wherever it might.
She swallowed her disappointment. “Then I’m glad we made the trip.”
The caretaker gazed at the setting sun. “I’m sorry to cut your visit short, but unless you want your vehicle locked in overnight you’ll have to move it.”
“That’s okay.” Jared glanced at his watch. “We’ve got to get going anyway.”
Once they were back in the truck, Katie sighed. “That didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped.”
Justin put the gear-shift in reverse and rolled backward. “Maybe we’ll have better luck at the spooky old mansion.”
“If nothing else, it’ll give us bragging rights around the campfire,” Jared said.
Katie held her phone aloft. “Do you know where you’re going or do you need me to give you directions?”
“Nah, we’ve been by the place a time or two.” Justin turned right as they left the cemetery. “By way of a secret entrance—which therefore everyone knows about—we also know how to get you onto the property without a whole lot of notice.”
She gave him a sideways glance. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on, Katie,” Jared said. “Surely you know we can’t just go waltzing up to the front door by way of the front entrance. The iron gates are locked up tight. That means an alternative method is required.”
“How would you know that? Earlier today you said you wanted an up close and personal look at the house. I took that to mean you’d never been there before.”
“What the comment meant is that we didn’t hop over the fence that separated the orchard from the main estate.”
Justin snickered. “Let’s just say the opportunity for that particular adventure escaped us at the time.”
Katie sucked in a breath. “So you’re telling me you trespassed on private property without a single concern as to whether or not you’d be arrested or shot?”
“Now that’s harsh, Katie. Really harsh,” Justin said. “We value our lives a little more than that. Allow me to put your mind at rest. We have some friends from this neck of the woods. Several years ago they invited us along while they—with permission—picked some fresh, luscious peaches from the Jameson orchard.”
“Yeah, a lot of the locals do that. I mean, it’s either that or let them rot on the trees,” Jared added. “I also might add the peach cobbler we had later that night made tramping through the weeds all worthwhile. You can trust me on that one.”
“Who gave them permission?” she asked.
Jared shrugged. “I don’t know. We didn’t ask, nor did we care.”
“Okay. Let’s assume for a moment that someone connected to the estate gave them this permission. Would it be possible he or she, by way of your friends, could get us in touch with Rachel if we find she’s not at the estate?”
“Nah, I didn’t get that impression,” he said. “I think it’s more of an ‘understanding’ known by all of the locals if you get my drift.”
“Oh brother. Let’s hope that understanding extends to us then,” she muttered underneath her breath.
Within minutes the magnificent red brick structure loomed ahead of them. Even in the dusk of early evening, she could see the pictures on the internet didn’t do the place justice. No less than ten white, ornate pillars extended up to the second story gingerbread gables that surrounded the home. Lush ivy crawled up and around the four pillars in the middle. Wrap around porches graced both floors. She counted eight floor-to-ceiling windows on each story that faced the front of the property. One could assume that for decade upon decade those inside could’ve looked out over the immense lawn. From their vantage point they could enjoy the trees and flower-filled bushes which beautified the mansion. As she gazed at the arched double doors in the center, she imagined the happy Rachel in the yearbook inviting her king into her home.
“That’s a possibility, I suppose. But that happened last time we were here as well. I think they’re on an automatic timer.” Justin didn’t stop in front of the place. Instead, he drove around the corner and to the end of the deserted street. Once the pavement ended, he made a u-turn and parked on the gravel off the side of the road. “There’s a space big enough to squeeze through just beyond the hedge. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Katie’s heart doubled its pace as they climbed out of the truck and entered the back portion of the property. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “How do we get to the house?”
Jared burst out laughing as he tugged on a lock of her hair. “Why are you whispering, little Katie? As you can see, there isn’t a soul around.”
She leaned in close, put a hand on his chest, and smiled. “Maybe there are more souls here than you think there are.”
He grimaced. “Now that thought put a cold shiver down my spine.”
“Oh, don’t be such a pansy,” Justin said. “There’s no such thing as ghosts. Now come on, let’s go see if we can find dear Rachel—or an acceptable substitute—at home. This is why we’re here, after all.”
No one said a word as they cut across the orchard behind the mansion. The lack of conversation called attention to the chorus of crickets, toads, nighthawks, and every other nocturnal creature that called this area home. All the while the stench of stagnant water permeated all around them. On top of that, a host of overgrown weeds grappled with Katie’s jeans as they cut a trail to the gated fence.
Jared gave her a boost as she climbed up and over it. Seconds later the twins joined her. Together they gazed at the back of the house and the vast well-manicured lawn beyond it. The lavish courtyard off to the left must’ve played host to countless gatherings in the past. On the right hand side she could see the barn where Quinn surely met his death, and what looked like a fancy garden house of some kind.
Love Letters from Heaven Page 12