Cornucopia (13 page)

Alex was seething with impatience though he managed to hide the worst of his edginess. Fortunately, no one seemed inclined to make a late night of it and one by one they wandered off to bed until it was just the Blacks, Alex, and I standing by the dying fire.

“I’m betting you didn’t know that you had a secret passage running all through the house and out into the garden,” I said, going to the panel and pressing in the same place that I had used in my bedroom. My fingertips felt the slight stickiness of the wood and I knew I had the right spot. It would have ruined the reveal if I couldn’t get the panel open on the first try.

Though I had told them what to expect, there were still gasps as the door swung open. I knelt down and handed them the box which held the keys to a snowmobile.

“It begins up in our room in the tower and comes all the way down to the old wine cellar.”

“I’ll get a flashlight!” Mr. Black said excitedly.

I was tired of stairs and exploring, but I could see that Alex was fascinated so resigned myself to one more trip into the grubby corridor.

The creepiness was dispelled by the company and the bright flashlight. Mr. and Mrs. Black were delighted and almost at once started making plans for how they could use this passage for their various haunted tours and mystery weekends. I was too tired to sound really enthused but no one minded.

Eventually Alex saw me shivering and took off his smoking jacket.

“Sorry, sweetie,” he said, wrapping it around me. “I was getting carried away.”

“Mrs. Lincoln, I can’t thank you enough. This will be absolutely perfect for the Halloween retreat we are planning,” Mrs. Black said as we started back for the library.

I didn’t correct her about the name.

“My pleasure.
I enjoyed myself very much.” That wasn’t even too much of a lie. “But now I really need a bath. I’m filthy.”

“I’ll show you the best one. It has a giant claw-footed tub and its own heater so there is plenty of hot water!”

That sounded like heaven to me.

“And I’ll go up and get your robe and nightgown,” Alex said, noticing that I was moving slowly on the stairs.

Later that night as we cuddled in bed, I asked Alex if he minded winning the snowmobile by slightly unscrupulous means. In answer he pulled me close and kissed me.

About the Author

Melanie Jackson is the author of over 70 novels. If you enjoyed this story, please visit Melanie’s author web site at
www.melaniejackson.com
.

eBooks
by Melanie Jackson:

The Chloe Boston Mystery Series:

Moving Violation

The Pumpkin Thief

Death in a Turkey Town

Murder on Parade

Cupid’s Revenge

Viva Lost Vegas

Death of a Dumb Bunny

Red, White and a Dog Named Blue

Haunted

The Great Pumpkin Caper

Beast of a Feast

Snow Angel

Lucky Thirteen

The Sham

Murder by the Book

Cornucopia

Primary Suspect (Coming Soon)

The Butterscotch Jones Mystery Series

Due North

Big Bones

Gone South

Home Fires

Points West

The Wedding

Wild East

The Wendover House Mystery Series

The Secret Staircase

Twelfth Night

On Deadly Tides

Pieces of Hate

Miss Henry Mystery Series

Portrait of a Gossip

Landscape in Scarlet

Requiem at Christmas

Impression of Bones (Coming Soon)

Murder in a High Place

Wildside
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Outsiders

Courier

Still Life

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The First Book of Dreams: Metropolis

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Medicine Trilogy

Bad Medicine

Medicine Man

Knave of Hearts

Club Valhalla

Devil of
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Devil of the Highlands

Devil in a Red Coat

Halloween

The Curiosity Shoppe
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Timeless
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Nevermore: The Last Divine Book