Eddy countered her move. “Only in New York.”
“Guys,” Carlie Beth called. “Find an expensive looking vase.”
“It’ll probably be blue and white,” Evie added.
“Why?” Deke asked.
“It contains our next clue,” Evie said.
Everyone fanned out to inspect crowded shelves, hard-to-reach alcoves, and ornate end tables.
A few minutes later, Deke said, “I’ve got something.”
On both sides of the fireplace, knickknack cubbies were carved into the wall. At the center of them all stood a six-inch-tall vase; elaborate patterns of blue and white covered the surface.
Deke pulled it off the shelf and something clanked inside.
“The key,” she said, excitement fluttering in her chest.
Britt leaned a shoulder against the mantel. “That was fast.”
Deke upended the vase, but nothing slid out. He angled it this way and that. Still no key emerged.
“Check for a secret compartment,” Reid said.
“In a porcelain vase?” Grif asked in his you’re-a-dumbass voice. He reached for the vase.
“Hey, just trying to think outside the vase here.“
Brynne raised an eyebrow at her husband’s lame joke.
The tinkle of a dinner bell filled the room.
“The screen,” Deke said, directing their attention.
Evie glanced at the countdown clock. Ten minutes had already elapsed and they hadn’t found a combination for a single lock yet.
One by one, consonants and vowels drilled across the screen as somebody in the secret control booth typed them in real time.
Don’t be afraid to do what must be done. It wouldn’t be the first time you destroyed an heirloom.
Grif frowned at the screen before eyeing the vase again.
“Are they actually referring to one of us?” Carlie Beth asked. “Or are they using the royal you?”
* * *
“Remember that time when Grif used my mother’s crystal bird vases as target practice for his new slingshot?” Joan asked Eddy as she captured three black checkers. “King me.”
Eddy grinned, stacking a red checker. “You were madder than a firecracker.”
“Not for long. Not after he solemnly told me he would glue them back together.”
Carlie Beth couldn’t quite contain her smile. “How old was he?”
“Four, maybe five.” Remembrance softened the corners of her eyes. “I managed to save one of the vases.”
Reid snapped his fingers in rapid succession. “Let’s focus, people.”
Jaw set, Grif upended the vase one more time before dropping it onto the brick hearth.
Shards of porcelain skittered in every direction. Eyes wide, Brynne whispered, “I can’t believe we shattered a Ming vase.”
“We?” Britt said.
Grif kneeled, picked up the bottom of the vase, and showed it to Brynne.
“Made in China,” she read. “Thank God. I nearly had a heart attack.”
In the pile of broken porcelain, Grif fished out a small wooden box. He flipped open the lid and retrieved a shiny metal object.
“Your key,” he said, handing it to Evie.
“Over here,” Deke called from the other side of the room.
He stood before a table housing a music box, pointing at an age-tarnished lock mechanism. “Give this a try.”
The key slid in with ease and a second later the box lid popped open.
Evie’s gaze shot to Deke. His stunned expression no doubt matched her own. As one, they turned to Britt.
“You need to see this,” Deke said to his friend.
She lifted the two-inch red-brown stone carved in the shape of a bear from the music box and held up for everyone’s inspection.
“What a beautiful figurine,” Brynne said.
“Fetish,” Britt corrected, an odd note in his voice.
“Tiger’s eye gemstone,” Evie added.
“Look at that,” Mom said. “We picked up a fetish just like it for Britt years ago when we visited the Cherokee Indian reservation. With five children running about, we really couldn’t afford it.”
“But Britt promised to hand over his earnings for an entire month to pay for it,” Dad said.
“And he did.” Mom favored her eldest child with a proud smile.
“What kind of job could such a young boy have?” Randi asked.
Everyone looked to Britt, who stared at the fetish with unmasked longing.
“Helping our neighbor,” replied Joan. “Donnie Bell owned a farm. Britt fed the animals, pulled weeds in the garden, repaired fences, and a host of other things.”
Randi wrapped an arm around her fiancé’s waist. “Do you still have the fetish?”
He shook his head, and Evie watched the glaze of nostalgia leave her brother’s eyes. “When I moved into my own place, I somehow lost it in transit.”
Emotion clutched her throat. The fetish had been a talisman to her big brother. He carried it in his pocket, always. She recalled the moment he realized it had gone missing. He’d torn apart two homes searching for the bear. When he failed to locate the fetish, it seemed like a vital piece of him had been ripped away.
Palm out, she offered the look-alike to him. “Why don’t you hang on to this?”
Britt lifted the stone from her outstretched hand and slid a callused thumb over the smooth surface before handing it back.
“I’ve got everything I need right here.” He kissed Randi’s temple and strode away with the love of his life tucked into his side.
Joan swiped a hand over her cheek and turned back to her game. Eddy studied his eldest son with an unreadable expression.
When Evie lifted her gaze to Deke, she saw that he, too, followed his best friend’s movements. She peered down at the reflective striations in the stone, marveling at the likeness. When she turned it upside down, she noticed two initials carved into the bear’s belly—BS.
Eyes wide, she said, “Britt—”
“Got anything useful in that box,” Reid interrupted, his voice rougher than normal.
Brynne smacked her husband’s hard stomach with the back of her hand.
“What?” Reid indicated the music box. “We need the next clue.”
Sure enough, a strip of paper rested inside the velvet-lined box.
Deke unfolded it and read, “Time will help you uncover that which you seek.”
“I hate riddles,” Brynne murmured.
“The clocks,” Evie said.
“I counted five,” Carlie Beth said.
Randi glanced around. “But each combination lock only has four numbers.”
“It’ll take us forever to figure out the right sequence,” Carlie Beth said.
Evie checked the countdown timer on the screen again. “We need to condense forever into twenty-five minutes.”
3
Twenty-five minutes.
Deke’s analytical mind zipped through several scenarios, discarding them as fast as they surfaced. In the end, he went with his gut. “Check the clocks for a secret compartment, unusual marking, anything that might point us to the right lock.”
As the group dispersed, he headed for the closest timepiece, but a small hand held him back.
Evie peered up at him with troubled eyes.
“What’s the matter?”
She held up the fetish. “Something isn’t right about this place.”
He bit back his told-you-so quip. “In what way?”
“I find it too coincidental that these clues tie in with elements of our lives.”
“You didn’t feed Nora the information when you registered?” It was the one possibility that had kept his let’s-get-everyone-the-hell-out-of-here instincts in check.
She shook her head. “All I gave her was a count of how many people would be here and their names for the rooms.”
Without thought, his elbow searched for the comforting hardness of his sidearm but found onl
y air. Given the nature of this weekend’s activities, he’d left his service weapon locked up in his gun safe at home.
“What do you think we should do?” she asked.
“Play the game.”
“Really? That's your solution?”
“Our game master is odd, but that doesn’t make her a murderer or psychopath.”
“Deke!”
“Nora and Georgie are probably playing parts to create a mysterious atmosphere.”
“What about the clues and their links to my family?”
Those he couldn’t explain away. One coincidence he could buy, but two? No-go. But he was trying to abide by her wishes and keep his law enforcement training in balance with her family’s desire for fun. The practice might kill him, but he would do anything to make Evie happy. Even a bit of misdirection to calm her fears. “Maybe the gamers did a search on social media and found a mention about the vase and fetish.”
“If it was anyone but Britt, I would agree with you. But he only set up an account a few years ago, when he opened his research center. And I can tell you there’s nothing personal posted on his account.”
“Maybe someone from your family posted about his bear fetish, at some point. That’s how social engineering works. Scammers troll your or your family’s social media, pick up an interesting fact, and then call or e-mail you in an attempt to get you to divulge personal information or click on a link that will infect your computer with malicious malware.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“And, unfortunately, effective.”
A dinner bell chimed, and they all swiveled toward the TV screen.
The black light will show you time’s secret.
“Search for something that looks like a flashlight,” Reid said.
“Got it.” Deke scooped up a small Maglite and aimed it at the furniture near him, then the ceiling, and finally the wall. A blue-black hue haloed against the white-and-gold damask wallpaper.
“Sweep the light over the clocks,” Evie suggested.
The moment the beam hit the clock face, a luminous dot appeared next to the number five. He moved to each clock and found dots on four of them.
5 - 2 - 7 - 1
As he called out the numbers, the four blank lines on the screen appeared in the correct sequence—7125.
Whoever was close to a lock, grabbed it and started spinning the metal dial until they had the right combination of numbers. Three of the locks held tight. Reid’s snapped open.
Within seconds, he had the lock off and the desk drawer open. A big grin split across Reid’s face. “No way!”
He drew out a metal box with four bipedal turtles wearing different colored ninja suits printed on the lid. “I loved these guys growing up.” He held up the lunchbox like a trophy.
Evie elbowed Deke in the ribs. The physical reminder wasn’t necessary. The fine hairs along his spine stood erect the moment he recognized the cartoon characters.
He caught Britt’s eye and saw the same what-the-hell-is-going-on look in his best friend’s eyes.
“For four Halloweens straight,” Joan said, “I had to make Reid a different turtle costume.” She wore an exacerbated yet loving expression that only moms could pull off.
Reid’s awe didn’t falter. “I wanted to be a ninja turtle.”
Brynne’s arm stole around her husband’s waist. “I would’ve loved to have seen you in one of those costumes.”
“No you wouldn’t,” Grif said. “He wore them for weeks afterward.”
“He stank so bad,” Britt said, “that we finally had to hold him down and strip them off.”
“Don’t worry, Brynne,” said Joan. “I have pictures.”
“You’ll love them,” Evie said. “He was such a cute boy.”
“Some things never change,” Reid said.
“You had to go there,” Brynne said with a sigh.
“Evie,” Randi said, “I don’t know how you pulled together all of these nostalgic clues, but the touch was pure genius.”
“I didn’t.” Evie rubbed her fingers together in a telltale sign of her anxiety level.
Deke wrapped a comforting hand around them, reminding her that she was safe. That he would always keep her safe. She leaned into him.
“What do you mean?” Randi continued. “You didn’t give these items to Nora?”
“No. All I gave her were your names.”
“It’s time for our game master to answer a few questions.” Britt waved his arms at one of the cameras. “Nora—”
“Wait.” Randi caught his wrists and drew down his arms. “Let’s think about this before making fools of ourselves.”
“Deke believes the innkeeper trolled our social media and pulled personal information off of our feeds,” said Evie.
Grif said, “It’s possible. The city’s IT department is constantly sending out warnings to employees about spear phishing scams.”
“Y’all are seeing monsters where none exist.” Reid smoothed a reverent thumb over the lunchbox. “Weird shit”—he glanced up—“sorry, Mama. Weird stuff happens all the time.”
“You just want to see what’s inside that box,” Evie accused. “You’re not thinking—”
He reached for the latch. “Time to open up this bad boy.”
Brynne said, “Reid, maybe you shouldn’t—”
The headstrong Steele unbuckled the lid and flipped it open.
Everyone held their collective breaths.
Reid’s excited tension drained away, as he stared inside the lunchbox. Reaching in, he picked up a slip of paper with his thumb and forefinger as if it reeked of something foul.
Brynne ripped it from his fingers and read, “All will be revealed in the Cabinet of Curiosities.”
“Game’s back on.” Deke located a large imposing piece of furniture against the far wall. A chain threaded through the wooden handles, and one of the remaining locks hooked through the links, holding the chain in place and keeping prying eyes at bay. “That looks like a good contender.”
“Are we really going to keep playing?” Carlie Beth asked.
Grif caught her hand and strode toward the cabinet. “Appears so.”
“But we’re at a dead end,” Carlie Beth said.
Evie snapped her fingers at one of the cameras. “We need some help.”
The dinner bell preceded a fill-in-the-blank question.
In this year _____, NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer, the average cost of a car was $12,750, and Canadians elected their first female Prime Minister.
“How are we supposed to figure that out without our phones?” Reid asked.
“I remember the news about Observer,” Britt said. “So it was within the last twenty-five to thirty years.”
“Only $12,750 for a car?” Brynne repeated in amazement.
“The first female PM?” Eddy mused. “I believe that was the same year our sixth child was born.”
Sixth child Evie glared up at Deke. His attempt at calming her fears were failing.
Carlie Beth caught the exchange. “What?”
“Something’s not right here,” Evie said.
“What do you mean?” Randi asked.
“Every clue has had a connection to one of us.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “Grif and the vase, Britt and the fetish, Reid and the turtles, and now a clue with my birth year.”
“Sometimes weird, unexplainable things happen,” Brynne said, though she didn’t sound convinced.
“Four times in”—Evie glanced at the countdown time—-“fifty-two minutes?”
“What’s the alternative?” Carlie Beth asked. “Nora’s been stalking us since you booked the house, so she could creep us out during the game?”
A chill silence descended over the room.
Randi broke through the awkward moment. “I’m with Evie. One or two coincidences can be shrugged off. But this is downright spooky.”
Like any new mother-to-be, Brynne smoothed a hand over her developin
g baby bump. “Do you really believe we’ve been sucked into a slasher nightmare?”
The note of uncertainty in his wife’s voiced knocked Reid out of his turtle stupor. He dropped the lunchbox and strode to his wife’s side, kissing her temple.
Resting a hand on Evie’s lower back, Deke said, “Let’s see where this latest combination leads us and go from there.”
“What if we don’t like where the clues lead?” The earnestness on Evie’s face made his throat ache. He hadn’t seen that expression since her kidnapping.
Cradling one delicate cheek in his palm, he promised, “We’ll deal with it.”
After a moment, resolution stole over her features like a sleek suit of body armor clicking into place. “When I find out who’s behind this, I’m going to rub poison ivy leaves over their sheets.”
“The faster we solve the clues, the faster we find our culprit.”
“You believe me now?”
“I didn’t not believe you.” He traced a finger down her nose. “With your family, anything’s possible.”
“You could have told me.”
“And miss watching your beautiful brain at work?” He gave her a quick kiss. “Not a chance.”
She hrrumphed, but seemed to forgive him as she turned to take on whatever the game threw at her next. Her fearlessness was one of the reasons he could never let her out of his sight for more than a few seconds and why he wanted to spend the rest of his life worrying about what kind of trouble she’d find next.
For the final minutes, their group worked together, checking each code as it revealed itself. Eventually the trail led to a wood-paneled wall.
“Is this some kind of joke?” Reid asked.
“Maybe there’s a hidden mechanism,” Britt said.
“But there’s nothing around,” Randi said. “No sconce, no picture frame, no handle of any kind.”
“There has to be something,” Grif said.
“We got our final clue on that last one,” Britt said.
Deke stared at the panels, knowing the answer was right in front of them. The game had been fun and challenging and eerie, but it was designed for the average person to succeed. So the answer was here, somewhere.
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