As she started to reach into the dark space, she was suddenly startled by a rustling noise at the cave’s entrance. Her heart rising into her throat, she quickly pressed herself against the side wall, just out of sight of the opening of the cave. A dark, shadow was thrown against the back wall, cast by the sunlight beyond the ledge. Her heart pounding fiercely inside her chest, she closed her eyes tightly and held her breath. Finally, hearing no sound, she opened them slowly and looked around.
The shadow was still there, motionless and silent. She contemplated the shape of its outline, tall and round, thinning out quickly at the bottom. It narrowed at the top, though it was not quite as slender as below. She remained frozen until suddenly the width of the shadow expanded, accompanied by a flapping sound from the front of the cave. Her panic suddenly easing, she peered around the corner to see the silhouette of a large crow standing in the shade of the cave’s entrance. Aggravated and breathless from the scare, she quickly shooed the bird away and resumed her search.
It took digging through several additional layers of rocks, each stacked in front of the next, to reach the open space behind it. When she finally did, Paige sat back in nervous anticipation. All of her efforts could have been for nothing. It was possible that there simply was nothing to be found, that she was a victim of an overactive imagination. Cyrus might have hidden it somewhere else. Or there might not have been anything to hide to begin with. Still, she had come this far. It only made sense to follow through.
Tentatively, she crouched down, reaching slowly into the small opening. Patting the surface of the compartment, she felt nothing, other than the foolishness of having gone to such extremes to follow what could easily have been a false hunch. A second search led to the same empty-handed result, as did several additional tries. In one last attempt before giving up, she flattened herself on the cave’s floor and inched her way up to the wall. Dust filled her nostrils and gravel scratched across her face as she pressed her shoulder so tightly against the opening that she feared it would become stuck. With her arm stretched as far back as possible, the tips of her fingers finally brushed against the texture of coarse cloth. She attempted to pull the cloth forward, but a substantial weight fought back against her efforts.
Determined, she grasped repeatedly at the cloth with her fingers, finally inching it close enough to grab solidly with her hand. Pulling her body slowly away from the wall, she was able to dislodge the cloth and pull it forward, dragging a bulky object just behind it. Though it didn’t feel wide, the entirety of the object was heavy and cumbersome. She fought to pull it toward the small entrance, finding it impossible to bring forward more than an inch at a time. At one point it became lodged just inside the cavity entrance, but after some maneuvering, she was finally able to pull it out and drag it into the light just inside the cave’s opening.
Paige sat silent and still for what felt like a long time, though by this point the entire concept of time had ceased to feel reliable. She regarded the sack objectively, figuring it measured a good foot wide, more than a foot long and only a slightly shorter distance in height. Finally gathering her courage, she pulled the cloth sack open, dumping its contents on the dusty floor of the cave.
The sunlight had grown more intense as it had continued to rise in the sky while Paige was inside the cave. It now cast a brilliant glow across the large chunks of golden rock and surrounding flakes of gold dust. There were dozens of nuggets, some measuring three or four inches in diameter. Even in the darkness of the cave, they glittered in the rays of light that filtered through the entrance. Paige sat quietly, listening only to the silence and staring with disbelief at the gold. Moving the sack of gold dust and nuggets to the back of the cave, she returned to the entrance, where she stepped out and leaned back against the cliff wall, looking out across the valley.
She had been right. This alone seemed amazing to her. But being right also posed a problem. Now that she’d found the gold, she had to figure out what to do with it. Moving it to another spot might protect it from being moved again by Cyrus, but there was no reason to think he would move it now. Though his intentions had originally been to share the hiding place with Jeremiah, she knew that, in later years, Jeremiah would pass down the legend of the gold without enough information about its location.
She could take it, but take it where? Provided she was able to find the skeleton key again – she dared not entertain the idea that she wouldn’t – how did she know the gold would stay with her as she crossed whatever threshold it was that had brought her to where she was now? Though it seemed incredulous to leave it where it was, now that she had found it, it seemed wrong to alter what she knew to be the future. The only thing to do was to replace the gold where she had found it.
She moved back inside the cave and sat next to the golden rocks, lifting each one up with care and placing it back in the sack. When the treasure was safely tucked inside the cloth, she tied the sack shut and once again stretched out on the floor of the cave, pushing it as far back into the compartment as it would go. She then painstakingly replaced each rock, building layer after layer of wall, until the chamber was identical to the way she had found it.
Climbing down from the ledge slowly, she held tightly to the jagged rocks sticking out along the way. Reaching the trail below, she paused to rest before starting down the mountainside, both fatigued from the physical test of her endurance and feeling dazed from her discovery. But thinking ahead to everything she needed to do, she pushed herself to start heading back to Jackson, a trip which would take a good two hours.
She arrived back in town by mid-afternoon and headed straight to the livery barn. With the sun still high in the sky, rays of light flowed through the barn’s rafters and landed directly on the hay covered ground. One wagon was gone, which Paige knew was a sign that Chester was out giving local townsfolk a ride. The barn, however, was not empty. Across the sunlit interior, Paige saw Jeremiah working in one of the stalls, hay flying over his head each time he pushed a pitchfork forward and then pulled it up and back. Paige approached slowly, unsure what she would say when she caught his attention. Several minutes passed as she watched his strong, lean back at work before he became aware of her presence and turned around.
“Can I help you with something?” Jeremiah said, his eyes squinting slightly to see who the visitor was.
“I just…I just…” Paige started to speak, but then found herself at a loss for words. What would she say, anyway? That she just wanted to see him? That she knew where the gold was that Cyrus had hidden from him? That someday he would have a wonderful great-grandson who would be able to carry out the legend that he would pass down to his son, who would in turn pass it on? None of this would make any sense.
Hearing the soft voice that came from what appeared to be a young man, Jeremiah put the pitchfork down and took a few steps closer. He saw that the person who had spoken was wearing dirt-covered overalls and that the accompanying hat was equally scuffed and covered with dust. The face below the brim of the hat, however, was soft and delicate. A few smudges of dirt stretched across the person’s forehead and the eyes appeared dazed. Stepping forward, he reached gently for the hat and slowly pulled it off.
Paige’s hair fell in waves around her shoulders as Jeremiah’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I know you,” he said slowly, stepping backwards a couple feet to take in Paige’s attire. “I saw you at the saloon, though you certainly looked…” Jeremiah paused, choosing his words carefully, “a little different then.” He began to relax from the initial shock of seeing the clearly feminine hair cascade down. A gentle smile crossed his face.
“Yes,” Paige said cautiously. ‘I’ve been out hiking this morning,” she added, not sure what other explanation she could give.
“Ah,” Jeremiah responded, as if this made sense. “Well I guess you certainly couldn’t do that in the elegant dress you had on before,” he said.
“No, I don’t think so,” Paige agreed. She looked at Jeremi
ah, noticing how strong his features were, how rich the brown of his hair was and how attractive she found his eyes. As she had come to suspect, all these things looked familiar. She had seen the same face in Jake. The resemblance was almost astonishing.
“I guess I’m a little scuffed up myself,” Jeremiah admitted, noticing the attention his appearance was getting. He looked down at his hay-covered clothing and brushed a few strands to the floor.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Paige apologized quickly, realizing she had been staring longer than would normally be polite. “I didn’t mean to be rude, it’s just…well, you know, you remind me of someone I know.” She wished she could tell Jeremiah what she saw when she looked at him, but knew it wasn’t possible.
“Anyway, I just came by to…” her voice trailed off, unable to find a way to finish the statement. She just came by to what? Just to make sure she understood how the pieces of the past and future fit together? None of it would make sense to him. She wasn’t even sure it made sense to her. Finding no suitable explanation to give him, she glanced around the barn, anxiously seeking a way to change the subject.
“What are these?” Paige asked quickly, stepping over to a post studded with iron hooks. She reached out and gathered several hanging straps of leather into her hand.
Jeremiah followed her to the barn post and leaned against it with one arm, clearly amused.
“Now, I think you’re just joking around with me, ma’am,” he said, not even trying to hide his amusement.
“Really,” Paige pushed on, avoiding his eyes while inspecting the riding gear closely. “I didn’t ride in New…I mean, I didn’t do much riding in Denver.”
“Chester was surely right about you,” Jeremiah said, running the back of his hand across his forehead. “You’re an odd one, you are.” He paused briefly before adding, “But a pretty one, I have to admit.”
“Thank you,” Paige said, blushing. “Though I suspect you mean pretty odd, not odd and pretty,” she added, laughing.
“Well, that too,” Jeremiah quipped with mock seriousness, before shaking his head and smiling as he turned away.
Taking slow, ambling steps, he moved across the barn to the back door, putting his hands on his hips and peering up at the sky. He walked with the same shy, yet self-confident manner that characterized Jake’s movements. Paige felt a smile creep across her face, which she attempted unsuccessfully to hide as Jeremiah turned around and walked back over, reaching over her shoulder for one of the halters on the post. He moved close enough for her to catch the smell of his skin, to feel his breath fall softly on her cheek. It seemed he lingered for a few seconds before stepping away and speaking up.
“I imagine you’d probably like a sip of cool water if you’ve been running all over the mountains,” he said politely. Paige didn’t miss seeing the twinkle in his eye.
“That does sound tempting,” she replied, realizing that she did feel thirsty after the morning’s trek up the rocky cliff and back.
“There’s a covered bucket of water out back, in the shed just past that small wagon. Help yourself,” Jeremiah said. “I’ve got these stalls to finish and then these horses need saddling up, but the key’s hanging on the wall over there.” He motioned toward the back door of the barn with his hand as he picked up the pitchfork and leaned against it.
She walked toward the back door of the barn, certain she could feel Jeremiah’s eyes following her. It seemed odd that he hadn’t offered to bring the water to her. But by the time she reached the door, she already suspected what she would find. Hanging on a rusty nail, a ray of sunlight hitting it in a striking contrast to the barn’s dark, wooden walls, was the skeleton key.
She started to reach forward and then hesitated, turning around. Jeremiah still stood there, leaning against the pitchfork and watching her. He was silent, a gentle smile on his face. Paige slowly returned the smile, finding the will to whisper across the space between them.
“Thank you, Jeremiah,” she said softly before turning back towards the wall. Without pausing this time, she reached for the key.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The sudden pounding on the front door startled Jake and caused him to jump. His nerves were already frayed from a long night spent watching the fire and waiting anxiously for any sign of Paige. He stood up quickly and turned away from the fireplace. But he barely had time to take a step forward before the front door flew open and Paige burst in. She looked exhausted and somewhat disheveled, but her face was flushed with excitement and her eyes were wide and animated.
“I know where it’s buried,” Paige exclaimed. She leaned against the wing-backed chair, taking in quick gulps of air, attempting to catch her breath.
“How…” Jake started to ask, but Paige immediately shook her head and brushed the question away.
“Jake, there’s no way I can explain this, not any way that would be believable,” Paige said in a rush of words. “But I’m telling you, I know where it is. You’ve got to trust me on this.”
There was no use arguing. Jake moved the logs in the fire around, so that only embers remained, then doused them with water to make sure they were out. He then grabbed his keys and headed for his truck, with Paige already a good twenty feet ahead.
Jake drove carefully, but couldn’t help pushing a little heavily on the accelerator at times. At Paige’s direction, he headed towards the main highway. As he approached the Gros Ventre junction, he signaled to turn right, but Paige indicated that he needed to turn left, instead.
“Just head toward town,” Paige said anxiously.
“But I’m sure…” Jake started to argue, keeping his foot pressed down on the brake pedal.
“No,” Paige said, cutting him off quickly. “You’ve been looking in the wrong place. Turn left. I’ll show you where we need to go.”
Paige kept her eyes to the north as they headed south along the highway. She surveyed the flat, open land that stretched across to the mountains on the east side of the valley. A few elk grazed in the field, midway between the road and the foothills. As they approached the town, Paige watched the landscape carefully, noting where slabs of rock began rising abruptly and judging the distance between those points and the town.
“That’s where it is,” she said suddenly, pointing across the field at a snow-capped area at the top of the mountains. “That’s the right distance from town. I’m sure that’s the place.”
Jake turned his head to follow Paige’s outstretched arm.
“Sleeping Indian?” he responded, looking at the mountains and then back at Paige.
“What’s Sleeping Indian?” Paige asked.
“Look up at the top of the mountain,” Jake said. “If you look carefully, you’ll see the Indian’s face and headdress to the right and the body across to the left.”
Paige studied the curves of the mountain top until the image Jake was describing registered.
“You’re right,” she said slowly, “I just hadn’t noticed it before. That makes sense, then…” Her voice trailed off as she thought about the phrases she had overheard in Tuttle’s Saloon.
“What makes sense?” Jake asked, more and more confused by Paige’s statements.
“Nothing,” Paige answered quickly. “In fact, I’m not sure anything makes sense anymore. I’ve had to put a lot of things together. Anyway, we’re going to have to hike in there from town. We’ll follow the edge of the mountainside.”
Jake gave her another puzzled look. “We don’t have to hike in from town. I mean, we’ll have to hike up the mountain section, but there’s a road that leads up there, back behind the Elk Refuge.”
“There is?” Paige asked, surprised.
Jake laughed. “You know, for someone so sure of where we’re going, you sure don’t know how we’re getting there.”
Paige motioned impatiently for Jake to keep driving as she drew upon memory and threw directions out along the way. Once in town, they took a left at Broadway and traveled east, taking another left to head
down the dirt road behind the National Elk Refuge. First smooth and flat, it grew increasingly rough as they drove on.
“It’s a good thing we brought your truck,” Paige said, thankful for the distance they’d be able to cover without having to hike, or go on horseback, for that matter.
As the road continued, it became narrow and uneven. The recent rain had left scattered potholes and muddy puddles along the route. Rolling the window down, Paige glanced ahead at the winding turns before them. They still had a good distance to go. The truck followed the road as far as possible, veering to the right at several forks and finally approaching a steep, wooded area, where they pulled over and parked.
“This is as far as we can take the truck,” Jake said, turning off the engine. ‘But there’s a footpath up ahead somewhere on the right.”
Paige climbed out of the truck and headed immediately for the mountainside. Jake grabbed a jacket and backpack from the rear of the truck, hustling to catch up. The untended trail was not difficult to locate. As the incline of the slope increased, the foliage grew thicker. Though the trees were taller and more numerous in some areas, much of the landscape was as she remembered. It was some time before they came to the trio of trees and large boulder, but when they did, there was no question in Paige’s mind that it was the right place.
“They’re so tall now…” Paige muttered absentmindedly, standing in the middle of the three trees and looking up, her neck stretched back.
“You know, Paige, you’re really acting a little strange,” Jake said hesitantly. “Maybe this isn’t the best time to try this.”
“We’re not stopping now,” Paige said firmly, turning towards the upward slope and stepping forward. Jake shook his head, resigning himself to continuing up the trail. Even if she had no idea what she was doing, she was clearly determined. He’d follow along, if only to make sure she made it up and back safely.
Paige MacKenzie Mysteries Box Set Page 18