The “granny flat”, as we call it, has a little sitting room and a shared bedroom area, it has a kitchenette that is set aside with a breakfast bar and a bathroom in the back. The kitchen is functional, it has a gas stove, a small oven and microwave and a fridge freezer. Right now though, the best feature is that it is connected to the main house’s Wi Fi and offers me complete privacy. Apparently it doesn’t matter how old you are, if you visit from the city you need instant access to the internet because its installation was a special request from Gramps.
This means I’ll be able to spread out my research work, be self sufficient and shut off from the outside world but stay connected on my terms with access to both email and the Paralegal reference library. Result!
I call their house phone and dad answers, dad always answers because he hates a ringing phone, it’s a trait that still lingers from working in a city bank where a “ringing phone must always be answered.”
“Hello Prince residence,” he says all proper, he has caller ID so he can tell it’s me.
“Nice butler impression dad.”
“What’s wrong? Has something happened Aneelia? We don’t normally hear from you this late on?” Christ, I never thought about that, I hate hearing him worried and knowing that my lack of consideration has caused it.
“Nothing is wrong, sorry I should have called earlier. I just need some space to concentrate on this case and thought I’d come and stay at the granny flat for a few days.”
“Sure, sounds important. Same case we spoke about the other day?” he asks me.
“Yeah, one and the same. I’m thinking if I can lock myself in a room I can nail it down and deal with anything I come across with a rational mind and clear perspective. If that doesn’t work you're across the driveway if I need someone to help me find my rational mind and clear perspective.”
“Well it’s clean and ready, I’ll let your mom know, she’ll look forward to having you at meal times...”
“Dad...” I attempt to interrupt him because mom will distract me during the day with coffee and cake breaks and then expect me to attend a family dinner sitting.
“That’s the deal Neely, you can take the quiet in the day with the family bit at night. Come on it’s your mom, you know you won’t refuse her cakes either.” His voice is final with an edge of love and compassion to it.
“Yeah, yeah. No worries, see you tomorrow, love you Dad.”
“Love you too Aneelia,” he says and hangs up.
I then turn my attention to throwing a suitcase of clothes together. I won’t need much but I don’t want to be running home every five minutes so I tell my brain to pack for an actual vacation and because it’s me, I also include a dress, heels and accessories because you just never know. In no time at all I’ve got everything I need and am feeling peckish. I don’t want a full meal so I grab a bag of cheese flavor Doritos and then grate some different bits of cheese on the top. I pop them in the microwave and grab some sour cream, guacamole and salsa to go with them. When the microwave dings I place them all on a tray with a bottle of beer and head for the living room. Turning on the TV is fruitless, I don’t feel like concentrating but I do want some background noise. I come across an old episode of Grey’s Anatomy and decide losing some time in Doctor McDreamy is perfect.
Half way through my meal my cell phone beeps a few times telling me I have some text messages. I grab the phone and it flip it open with one hand while licking guac off the fingers of my other hand. I have five messages:-
Dolly: Love you sister, take a couple of days but anymore than that and I’ll hunt you down.
Steven: Stay safe. Stay alert. Relax and forget all of the other stuff. I’ll be in touch in a couple of days.
Lottie: Ride ‘em cowgirl. Outdoor loving I hear, I want details.
Flo: I’m worried about you, call me.
And lastly,
Chris: Sorry.
My good mood evaporates until I take a heavy slug of beer. Same old text, same old Chris. His actions are speaking louder than his words again and as fucking usual they’re the wrong actions and inadequate words.
I cart myself off to bed after I’ve loaded my plates and bowls into the dishwasher.
Today is over. Tomorrow is a new day and it’s one that comes with a plan.
My plan, do some secret investigation work and focus on that.
Chapter Eleven
The sun is out and the sky is blue on the drive to my mom and dad’s. I am looking forward to slobbing out and getting deeper into the mystery that surrounds the Vans defection from law abiding to criminal undertakings. I’ll also admit that even though I kicked up a fuss about it, I am also looking forward to some home cooking and cake treats because my mom’s a kitchen goddess. I am also a naughty girl who can’t resist a practical joke so I stopped off and brought a box of donuts. My mom will go mental, she hates the devil that mass produces baked goods, but dad will salivate over his flash back to his city days breakfast staple.
“Mom, Dad,” I shout as I head through the door, “I come bearing gifts.” Dad appears first, any mention of gifts and he is like a child at Christmas. It’s an understood law that the closer we get to family holidays and birthdays, he becomes like an unbearable five year old we have to put up with. In this respect I take after him, I believe birthdays start the minute you open your eyes in the morning and you should celebrate it for a full day, which means having all gifts as early as possible so you can enjoy them.
“Gifts, what gifts?” he says rushing to the kitchen, “Oh no, Neely, seriously, you can’t want to put your mom in that kind of mood this early in the day?” he whispers at me in a panic when he spots the box of shop purchased nasty donuts. I waggle my eyebrows at him and head for the kitchen where mom is at the countertop mixing a batch of something that I need to dip my fingers into.
“You can’t fool me, I know you and I know you’ve brought the enemy into my house. You know how I know this?” she asks.
“You have eyes in the back of your head Mom?”
“Nope. You mentioned “gifts” and your dad isn’t squealing like a school boy, he’s somewhere behind me panicking because he wants the offending items but doesn’t want to be seen to be excited about them.”
“Damn, you're good,” I say smiling at her with total appreciation for her ability to read me and my sense of humor.
“Yes. I am,” she laughs, “I can also see the huge box you’re holding reflected in the kitchen window I’m facing, so better luck trying to catch me out next time baby girl.”
“Right, well I wanted to pop over and let you know I was officially in residence. Catch you guys later.”
“OK sweetheart, I’ll bring you some coffee in an hour and lunch will be ready at one,” and there it is, my first instruction to attend a family meal.
I kiss my dad on the way past and whisper, “I’ll leave these in your art studio,” the smile he gives me makes me happy. I know he’ll be pigging out in there, running the risk of getting busted by mom but will love every minute of his self-inflicted danger.
The clean state of the granny flat confirms that mom has been in and done some housekeeping. She’s dusted, made up the bed and put fresh supplies in the fridge including beer. Excellent!
I drag my case in and dump it on the side, opening it out flat. I’m just going to live out of it rather than physically unpack everything, apart from my toiletries, I grab them and put them in the bathroom.
Next out of the car is my laptop, which I put on the desk and switch on, I want to ensure it connects to the Wi Fi router. In order to have a complete working area I decide to drag the little kitchen table over and leave it next to the desk, this means I can spread out all the photocopied stuff. Feeling happy with my achievements, I grab a bottle of beer from the fridge, open it and then start to sift through all the paper work. It needs to be put in some semblance of order and reason rather than the collection of chaos it’s currently in.
My mind turns to Steven, there is no point i
n both of us covering the same ground. I guarantee he will start by trying to ascertain what materials the tunnels may have been used to mine. His brain will think gold because it’s a logical and money making reason for wanting total ownership and access. For that reason I’m going to move a few jumps down the line in the research. I want to know tunnel specifics like how big it is, did trains used to run through it and more importantly where are the access points if they still exist and where in relation to either the Hales or Vans property.
One thing I can’t get my head around is that in all the years we’ve been hanging around Chris’s ranch, no has ever mentioned the word “tunnels.” I decide to run two specific research queries at once, first, I send an email to the land registry and ask for all maps and documents containing details of old mining tunnels in the area. Using Chris’s ranch as a centre point, I ask them for a one hundred mile radius around his property. Those maps and details could be vast and many so I imagine they will take someone at the County Offices a few days to pull together.
My second idea is a little more risky. Risky for my heart and sanity that is. I know Chris will be out on his land this morning, he has a fairly standard schedule and that gives me sometime to go searching the outskirts of his property line. Getting caught on his land will take some explaining and also goes against my plan to avoid him.
I spend ten minutes studying the land map I have and I think I can interpret where the tunnel may lie, but the map is old, so after calculating for a margin of error, I then cross reference that position on a town highway map. I look for the nearest place to park on the road side legally and decide that’s where to start my search. I pack a small back pack with a bottle of water, my maps, cell phone and head out to begin. I’ve got three hours before I have to report back for family meal time.
I arrive at the place where I’ve planned to leave my car, I’m about half a mile from the edge of the Hales property line. It’s a quiet road and my car is the only one in sight which means there is less chance I’ll be discovered nosing around. It’s also the furthest point from the Vans ranch so I figure it makes sense to start here, away from danger and drama central. I’m also attacking this logically, start at one end and cross all points off as I go along, I’m bound to be able to marry the maps up that way.
The sun was making intermittent appearances through the clouds in the sky, they weren’t heavy clouds. As I moved further from the road, deeper into the tree line and forest that separates the highway from Chris’s land, it gets noticeable cooler and darker. I start to shiver a bit and know I should have worn a heavier sweater, the long sleeved t-shirt I’m wearing just isn’t cutting it. I see less and less of the sun as I progress through the forest, I had no idea that forests were this dense around here and my silly girl brain begins to make up stuff that is not helping keep me thinking rationally.
Shit, stop it Neely. Get a grip, they’re just trees.
After a while I calm down and begin to take in the silence and solitude. If you don’t over think it, the place and surroundings become peaceful rather than scary once you get used it. This is what my mom loves about the outdoors, this was what she always tried to get me to understand about the rural way of life and having the best of both worlds. She wanted me to use my city law brain and embrace the natural elements of the community that I grew up in. It hits me in this moment why the country helped my dad slow down.
No matter where the world takes me, this is where I truly belong. This is where my heart lies. I now feel I understand why Chris turned down the pro-football opportunity and stayed true to his roots. Happiness is more than what you achieve in life, it’s a combination of that and being with those you love and doing what’s important for the people in your heart. It’s about being able to end the day with a smile and go to sleep every night knowing you’re giving back to the earth and world around you.
That’s real karma.
Making my way through the trees I come to the edge of Chris’s property line, it’s a simple fence that I need to climb, but first I have to decide whether to walk left or right from the spot I’m stood in. Taking out the map, I mark where I think my location is so I don’t cover the same ground twice. After a quick scan of the vista I confirm that nothing comes into view that screams tunnel entrance. If it’s in my immediate eye line it’s well hidden.
I make my choice and head left, after about sixty feet I hit some scrub land and plant bushes that I have to work around, as I start to do this a glint of metal catches a rare bit of sunlight peeking through the clouds and it spikes my attention.
Why would a shiny bit of metal be under scrub and bushes?
I’m far too nosy to leave it alone so I kick my way through the three feet high bushes, smiling to myself when my footsteps return an echo and hollow sound beneath me.
I’ve just hit some hidden wooden planks.
My story telling brain was looking for a traditional “gold rush” mine shaft entrance, like the cartoon types that are cut into rock and surrounded by wooden planks. This is more like a door that is on a hurricane shelter, it’s flat and cut into the earth. I can see an old rusty door handle on what appears to be a set of double doors and locking them together is the shiny metal that attracted my magpie eyes. It’s a brand spanking new padlock and it’s just sent my curiosity to a crazy new level.
Even though they’re locked, which stops me from further investigations, it’s a big win that I’ve managed to find the tunnel. I take my map out again and mark the location of the doors. Irrationally I wonder if I should head back to my folks and see if I can get some bolt cutters, but then rational thinking kicks in and reminds me that someone would notice if I hacked off their new lock.
As I begin to stow my map away I start to hear something, it’s disturbing the quiet all around me and interrupts the silence I’ve become used to.
Horse hooves. Galloping horse hooves are approaching and it sounds like more than one horse.
I can’t be caught here, so I turn quickly and head for the cover of the trees. I just make it the safety of the tree line when I’m approached by two people on horseback.
Polly Vans and Ross.
Polly’s face looks pissed off but nowhere near as bad as Ross’s. He is not happy at all, his jaw is set, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why I’m here.
I am in trouble.
“Neely what are you doing out here?” he asks.
“Nothing just enjoying my vacation, I promised my mom I’d check out some mushrooms growing in the forest.” It is a really shit excuse, but it’s the best I can come up with.
“Neely,” Polly says, “I thought I told you to stay away from my ranch?”
“You did Polly, maybe you’re confused, I’m not on anyone’s ranch. I’m in a forest of the edge of the highway.” I tell her whilst Ross watches the exchange with interest.
“You’re close enough to my ranch that I’m going to repeat myself and ask you to stay off my land, I’d hate anything to happen to you if someone mistook you for a trespasser.”
I don’t actually believe she has just threatened to shoot me. “Thank you for the reminder Polly, I am also aware of the trespassing laws, but I’m sure you don’t need me to point out that neither this forest or the land behind you is yours. The forest is state property and the land behind you is the Hales ranch.” Her eyes narrow in annoyance at being caught out, so I may as well throw more out there and really push some buttons, “I also seem to remember him telling you that he was ‘none of your concern’, so maybe I should be asking you why you’re on his land? Seeing as he’s ‘none of your concern’ and you don’t work for him either.” I finish my statement looking at her, but then glance in Ross’ direction. I want him to be ready for any fit or rage I may have just provoked.
“You bitch,” she shouts. I’ve finally got a reaction from her and she goes to dismount off her horse.
“Polly,” Ross stops her, “She’s right, let’s just all go our separate ways.”
> “You are one uppity bitch Neely Prince. You’ll get what’s coming to you and you won’t always have your boyfriend around to protect you.” She sneers at me and then glares at Ross before whipping the horse reins and galloping in the opposite direction.
Leaving me facing a very unhappy ATF agent.
“Are you fucking stupid? I thought we had an agreement?”
“We do, I’m just out for a walk on my vacation,” I throw back with a smile.
“Shit. Neely, leave it alone. I don’t have time to keep an eye on you. What part of this is dangerous don't you get? I’ve got to go but this conversation isn’t finished.” He mimics Polly’s earlier actions, by clicking his tongue and snapping on the reins to turn the horse around. He gallops off following her direction, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
Deciding I’ve had enough excitement for one day, I head back to my car and drive home to my folks place. My mind is churning with thoughts, clearly I am on to something because Polly wants me out of the way and us all ending up in the same place, by the tunnels, cannot be coincidence. The new lock means they’re keeping it locked for a reason and if Ross is nervous about me nosing around then I am definitely on the right track. I think I’ll spend my time this afternoon studying maps, I will also put in a call to Steven because going radio silent will only peek his curiosity about what I’m really doing. He knows me well enough to be suspicious about what I’m up to.
I arrive back at the granny flat and head through the door. Waiting for me is a very confused looking Chris. His confusion is because he’s looking through all the paperwork on my table.
“What the fuck Neely? Why have you got information on my land? And how did you get copies of the deeds to my ranch?. You’d best start talking. Now.”
Chapter Twelve
“Chris, what part of we’ll go back to avoiding each other is unclear to you?” I moan at him, “And put that stuff down, it’s confidential work stuff.” I start trying to take the papers off him.
Forgiving Love (The Soul Sisters Series Book 2) Page 10