Hidden in Shadow Pines Read online

  Don’t worry about college. We have the money to pay for a good education for you. My dad had told me this a year before he died. Princeton had accepted my application, and I was ready to study marketing management. If my dad had any gold bars, he’d picked a good hiding spot. In the sixteen years since his death, I’d never come across any gold.

  “You okay?” Thomas walked from behind his desk and sat in the black leather chair next to me.

  All I could think was that this was something else my father had lied about. “Just a lot to take in.” Since I only had twenty dollars in my wallet, I asked, “Would it be possible to get a hundred dollars out of the account?”

  Thomas laughed. “Yes, of course. But, there’s one more thing. A safe deposit box. Would you like to look inside?”

  “Will I be as surprised as I was about the money?”

  Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea what’s inside.”

  I followed Thomas to the basement where he unlocked a metal cage. On the wall was a safe. He dialed a few numbers, opened the safe, and reached in for a key. Then he walked over to the bank of boxes, inserting the key in the third box of the second row.

  Thomas said, “There’s an empty office in the back. You can have your privacy while you open it.”

  I followed Thomas down the hall to a small room, where he turned on a light and set the metal box on a table. I sat in the chair, keeping my eyes peeled on the box.

  “I’ll be waiting at the end of the hall. Bring me the box when you’re finished. Take your time.”

  I didn’t look up, just said, “Okay. Thanks.”

  I heard the door click shut. My hands trembled. Taking a deep breath, I flipped the latch. With both hands I lifted the metal lid then looked inside and found two items—a garnet ring and a folded piece of paper.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Friday, August 9, 2013, 10 a.m.

  (day 4 in Shadow Pines—finding the gated entrance)

  Standing outside the bank, I pulled out the map Jaime had given me on my first day in Shadow Pines. I circled the bank, church, clinic, and Jaime’s house to get my bearings. Since I was finally on my own today, I wanted to explore Shadow Pines. At the top of my list—the gated entrance. I wanted to see for myself if it was as guarded and protected as Jaime claimed it to be.

  Not wanting to distract my focus to reach the gate, I didn’t pay any attention to the few stores I walked past. However, it was hard to miss the red fire engine parked in the fire station’s driveway. A Dalmatian darted around the corner, almost running into me. Upon sighting me, the dog dropped his Frisbee at my feet, then started running across the fire station’s front lawn. I quickly picked up the Frisbee and threw it toward the dog, which to my amazement he caught.

  “Sorry,” said a man standing by the front of the fire engine. I waved and continued my journey.

  The gravel road led me through a grove of trees. The tree limbs formed a canopy overhead, only letting in small pockets of sunshine. The setting was somewhat eerie, yet somewhat relaxing at the same time. Two deer stood on the edge of the tree line, but scampered away as I came closer.

  Now walking through an open field, I wondered what I’d do if I met someone on the gravel road. There was nowhere to hide. I decided I’d have to tell the truth—that I wanted to see the gate. The farther I walked, the more trees appeared along the road, until I was inside a grove of trees again. My calves were telling me the road had a steady incline. At least I was finally getting a good workout.

  A mile, maybe a-mile-and-a-half along the gravel road, the grove of trees ended and I was again in an open field. Up ahead, I spotted the gate. The closer I got to the gate, the more my heart rate increased—part excitement, part exercise. The wrought-iron gate was nothing fancy, not the spectacular creation I’d envisioned in my mind. However, the stone wall made up for the disappointment of the gate.

  I was within 50 feet of the gate, when it started to open slowly. I stopped in the middle of the road, unsure what to do next. A man, dressed in military camouflage, walked through the gate opening and toward me. A second man, dressed the same as the first, stopped in front of the gate holding his rifle before him. These must be two of the four guards that Jaime told me about to keep trespassers away, and keep residents from leaving without proper authorization.

  The guard stopped three feet in front of me, his right hand positioned over the gun in his holster. “Please stop and turn around. You have no authority to pass.”

  “I was curious. I wanted to see the gate,” I said with laughter in my voice even though I was terrified.

  The guard looked directly in my eyes, and without blinking, said, “You’ve seen it. Now, please, turn around and go back to town.”

  “Oh, sure. I didn’t mean to cause a fuss. My apologies.” I glanced once more at the gate then turned and started retracing my steps.

  From this vantage point I could see part of the town below. Not once on my way to the gate had I ever even thought to turn around and look behind me. Now I wished I had a camera or cell phone to take a picture.

  Beyond the grove of trees I could make out the tall church steeple. The few buildings I could see made me think of miniature doll houses. I wanted to stop and enjoy the view, but feared I might be shot in the back by one of the guards if I did. I finally took a breath when I reached the trees and was out of their sight. I wondered if they would report me.

  Instead of following the gravel road back to town, I walked through the grove of trees. Even though I’d gotten a quick glance at the stone wall, I wanted to see it up close. The watch Hudson had given me this morning had a compass. If I continued due south, I should run into the wall eventually.

  I walked twenty minutes before the grove ended. Another twenty feet of pasture and I’d be standing in front of the grand, twelve-foot-high stone wall. Moving within a foot of the wall, I could see moss growing in a few crevasses. The hours, days, weeks, years, it took to build this wall—I couldn’t help but stand in awe. However, I wanted to be on the other side.

  I desperately wanted to touch it, but was afraid I’d damage it somehow. I thought about Rule 9–anyone caught damaging the stone wall would be quarantined for six months.

  Birds chirped. Walking parallel to the wall, I found a group of large rocks and sat. My feet needed a break. I reached inside my purse and pulled out a baggie containing a blueberry muffin left over from this morning’s breakfast.

  The spot was peaceful. Especially since Jaime wasn’t here telling me about the rules.

  Closing my eyes and tilting my head back, I basked in the sun. Moo. Moo. Cows. I hadn’t thought there might be an actual farm in Shadow Pines. I grabbed my purse and started my trek toward the cows.

  Ten minutes later, I came upon a faded white wooden fence. Following it, I saw a herd of cattle—Holsteins. I figured a farmhouse must be nearby. I continued along the fence until it led me to a barn. Walking around the corner, I spotted a woman carrying two metal buckets.

  “Hello!” I shouted.

  The woman turned my way, dropping the buckets. “Oh, goodness. You startled me, Isabella. It’s Gloria Pettit. From the clinic.”

  “You look a little different.” Instead of the perfectly white nursing uniform, Gloria wore a red bandana on her head, a plaid shirt, and jeans tucked inside black rain boots. “Is this your farm?”

  Gloria picked up the two buckets and walked toward me. “It’s the Pettit family farm. My son is the farmer in the family. I come out and help on my days off.”

  “I had a friend in grade school who lived on a farm. Twice a year I’d ride the bus home with her and stay for the weekend. I loved being a farm girl.” I smiled at the memory.

  Gloria put down the buckets full of feed at my feet, then with a hand on her hip stretched to one side. “Easy to say when you’re a city girl. Living on a farm is hard work. Even for a youngster. What are you doing way out here?”

  “Well, I went to look at the gate. Wanted to see the
only way out of Shadow Pines for myself. Then I wanted to see the stone wall up close. Kept walking until I heard the cows.”

  Gloria furrowed her brow. “You aren’t thinking of leaving, are you?”

  Even though I was basing my trust level on an old piece of paper found in the safe deposit box, I decided to take a risk and tell her the truth. “I was brought here without my permission. I want to get back to my life in Darden.”

  Gloria gasped, shaking her head. “No, that can’t be. The town council told everyone that you wanted to join Shadow Pines.”

  Standing tall with conviction, I said, “They lied.”

  Gloria walked around the feed buckets and stood next to me. Before speaking, she looked across the farm as if she was expecting someone else to be there. In a whisper, she said, “Why haven’t you told anyone?”

  It struck me as odd that she would be whispering. We were in an open area on the farm, far enough away from the house, barn, or machine shed that no one could overhear our conversation. But I followed Gloria’s lead and whispered back, “It seems this town knows a lot about what I do. I didn’t know if I could trust anyone.”

  “So why tell me?”

  “I opened the Luster family safe deposit box this morning. Inside was a piece of paper with two names and the word trust. Your name and Thomas Moe’s were written on the paper.” I swallowed hard and a hint of tears welled up in my eyes.

  Gloria smiled. “I spent a lot of time with your grandparents. Your grandmother saved my life when I was a teenager. I got stung by a bee and had a terrible allergic reaction. She knew what to do so I could breathe. She’s the reason I went into medicine.” Gloria took a moment to look me over. “You look just like she did at your age.”

  “Bernice Zaget and Francine Stovall think so too.” I hadn’t met Bernice yet, but she was the devil woman in my mind, the person responsible for my current condition. The person who’d seen me on the streets of Darden. I clenched my fists. Saying her name made me feel frustrated, but while looking in Gloria’s eyes, I released my fingers and relaxed. “I’ve never seen a picture of my grandmother. Do you have any?”

  Gloria patted my arm, just as she had done in the hospital—a warm, friendly touch. “I might. I’ll check when I get home later tonight.”

  This was the first time I’d been excited about anything in the last few days. I blurted out, an octave higher than my normal voice, “Could I stop by tomorrow?”

  Gloria giggled. “I leave for work about seven-fifteen. Would you be able to stop by around seven?”

  Reaching inside my purse, I pulled out the map and a pen. “Where do you live?”

  “I’m less than two blocks from Jaime’s house.” Gloria pointed her finger at the small square on the map marked Pettit.

  I drew a circle around her name, then folded the map and put it back in my purse. Feeling a little embarrassed, but wanting to know the answer, I asked, “What did I say at the clinic while I was sleeping?”

  Gloria grinned. “You mumbled about Jack and a bomb. Escaping the terrorists. Saving a billionaire with a star and a skeleton. It made no sense at all.”

  I chuckled. “Jack is a character in the novel I’m writing. I guess I was trying to come up with a good storyline.”

  “Good luck saving someone with a star and a skeleton.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Friday, August 9, 2013, 4:30 p.m.

  (day 4 in Shadow Pines—late afternoon)

  I returned to Jaime’s house at four-thirty. Exhausted from the long walk, I decided to take a short nap on the couch.

  I jerked awake. In my dream I’d been running from a pack of wolves and one had just leaped on my back, throwing me to the ground. Rolling on my side, I heard hushed voices. I closed my eyes and listened. Jaime was talking to a man whose voice I didn’t recognize.

  Jaime said, “I told you never to come to the house by yourself.”

  “She’s been a busy girl today.”

  “I have to work. She doesn’t. I can’t be her babysitter 24/7.”

  “Maybe she needs to accidentally fall down the stairs. Break a leg. Then she can’t wander all over the place.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Jaime’s voice cracked.

  “Do what I say or you know what happens to you.”

  A door closed. My heart raced. A man wanted to hurt me. I remained still, keeping my eyes closed. Jaime couldn’t know I’d overhead the conversation.

  Jaime let out a high-pitched scream. I sat up and turned to find Jaime standing in the dining room.

  Jaime gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “I feel asleep on the couch. The scream woke me. Everything okay?” I hoped I sounded concerned. I really wanted to hear what kind of response she would come up with.

  Frozen in fear, Jaime slid her hands down over her chin. “Spider. Saw a spider. Hate spiders.”

  “Did you kill it?”

  “I didn’t kill anyone.” Her eyes widened. I pretended not to notice her slip of the tongue.

  Getting to my feet, I said, “Where’d the spider go?”

  “Oh…in the kitchen.” Jaime pointed to the refrigerator.

  I walked in and surveyed the kitchen. “Well, I guess it’s gone now,” I said.

  Jaime still hadn’t moved. “Good.”

  Standing in front of the island, I asked, “You want me to start dinner? I make a mean goulash.”

  “Sure. That’d be great. I’m going to change.” Jaime rushed down the hall and closed her bedroom door.

  I’d have to be very careful what I said or did around Jaime. Someone didn’t want me snooping. And that person wore Stetson cologne.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Saturday, August 10, 2013, 6:45 a.m.

  (day 5 in Shadow Pines—early morning)

  Went for a walk. Be back in an hour. A simple note. A polite gesture on my part. I left it on the dining room table for Jaime. She didn’t need to know I was on my way to Gloria Pettit’s.

  Ten minutes later, I rang Gloria’s doorbell.

  “Thanks for coming so early,” Gloria said.

  “Did you find any pictures of my grandmother?”

  “Yes. I also came across a drawing you might find particularly interesting.” Gloria led me to the kitchen table. “Your grandfather gave it to me a few weeks before his death. Told me he was going through his attic and found it. Your grandfather said he forgot he’d borrowed it from my father.”

  Gloria unrolled a letter-size piece of parchment paper, holding down the corners with two sets of salt and pepper shakers. Half the drawing was an intricate illustration of a fireplace, the other half a map of the town. A red line, highlighted in green, had been drawn from the fireplace with an arrow pointing to the Stovall residence.

  I used green index cards to signify a clue and wanted the green highlighter on the drawing to be a clue, too. Was this a breadcrumb—an indication how to get out of Shadow Pines? Perhaps I was going crazy, but then again, maybe not. Jack Deveraux would check it out—and that’s what I needed to do.

  “I don’t know what all the symbols mean. Here in the corner it reads NAL 1885 May 24. Take it to the library. Ask for Louise. She’ll make a copy for you. Don’t trust anyone else with it. Understand?” Gloria handed me a rubber band and a gallon-size plastic bag.

  “Yes, Gloria. Only Louise.” I rolled the drawing, securing it with the rubber band, and put it in my purse.

  “Here are two pictures I have of your grandmother. The other woman is my mother.”

  I looked at the first picture. It was like staring in a mirror. The year on the back—1973. My grandmother wore a black, short-sleeved dress and Gloria’s mother a white lace dress.

  The second picture was from 1976. Both women held pies and were dressed in red, white, and blue. A banner behind them read Bicentennial Bake-Off. A tear trickled down my check. I’d gotten my love of baking pies from my grandmother.

  “Are you okay, Isabella?
” Gloria rested her hand on my back. “Do you need to sit?”

  I wiped away a tear. “I bake pies. I won blue ribbons in the past five county fairs.”

  “Your grandmother was a wonderful baker. She always said the pie dish made the difference.”

  I thought of Tish, who had called my pie plate my secret weapon. “Do you mind if I take these and make copies, too?”

  “Go ahead and keep them. They mean more to you than they do me.”

  I gave Gloria a big hug, then tucked the photos in my purse.

  Gloria checked her watch. “Oh, I hate to cut this short, but I’ve got to run.” She grabbed a sack lunch and her purse. “I’ll see you tonight at church.”

  “Right. The daily activity.”

  “Hang in there. It’ll all work out.” Gloria smiled.

  I walked out the front door with Gloria just in time to see a white van turn the corner.

  Not trusting Jaime, I put the pictures in the plastic bag with the drawing and buried them behind a group of coleus in the garden.

  I stopped dead in my tracks as soon as I turned the corner and spotted a white van parked in front of the house. For a moment, I couldn’t move, but then shook off my nervousness and walked in the front door. Jaime and Hudson were sitting on the living room couch.

  “Have a nice walk?” Hudson asked, twirling the toothpick in his mouth.

  “Yes. I enjoy morning walks.” I didn’t understand why he was here. The last time I saw Hudson he was getting into a red pickup. Did he also drive a white van? Had he seen me at Gloria’s? I glanced at Jaime, but her head was lowered.

  “I came by to check on things. Jaime here was worried about you. I decided to stick around until you came home.”

  Trying to stay calm, I said, “Jaime, didn’t you see my note?”

  Jaime sat with her head down, twisting strands of her hair. “Yes…but…”

  Hudson interrupted. “Now that everyone is accounted for, I best be going. Stop by the grocery store soon, Isabella. I’ll give you the grand tour. Have a good day, ladies.”