Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 02 - Ghostly Hijinks (19 page)

“Not really sure where you’re going here, but I’d like to mosey into the mine shaft now and give you folks a chance to find a gold nugget or two.”

“It’s about time,” Unique sighed.  “I swear I never knew old folks could yap so much.”

“Of course in my days, younger folks were taught to respect their elders,” Big Jake said. “Anyone wanting to know an in-depth history of Silver is okay in my book. It seems like younger folks don’t even care about things like that anymore.”

I smiled as we were each handed a helmet with a light attached, just like you’d see in one of those adventures where tourists get trapped in an abandoned mine or underground cavern. We then headed up a long shaft that came to a fork with one to the right and the other to the left. “Take the one to the left,” Big Jake said.

When I passed the one on the right, I couldn’t help but sneak a peek inside, but it was too dark to see much of anything. I wanted to go down there, if only I had the chance. Small pickaxes were handed out when we were in a different mine shaft and Big Jake demonstrated how we should pick along one area only. We were also told that we could keep what we found, which brought a smile to Eleanor’s face.

Unique and Ramone strode farther ahead until Big Jake said, “Stay right here. I don’t want you getting lost in the mineshaft.”

I took that moment to slip away, tugging Eleanor along with me, unseen by Big Jake, Jo Ellen, and Wendy who were helping the other guests on their technique as they picked, looking for a morsel of gold.

Once we were out of sight, Eleanor asked, “Where are we going?”

“I’d like to check out the other shaft, is all.”

“Th-That doesn’t sound safe at all. You heard what Big Jake said.”

“We’ll be fine, and won’t go in that far. I promise. If we don’t see anything of interest, we’ll just come on back out and re-join the group.”

“Why is it that I feel so uneasy about this?”

“Quit being a worrywart.”

“I can’t help it. Maybe you should call Caroline to join us. I think I’d feel more comfortable having her here. After the way she handled those grave robbers, I have a new appreciation for having her on our team.”

Giggling could be heard from behind Eleanor and she whirled to see Caroline standing behind her. “Thanks, Eleanor. I like you, too.”

There were rocks all along the shaft and the wooden beams didn’t look quite as sturdy as in the other parts of the mine. “I bet this was the shaft that was flooded. We’d better be extra careful.”

“Which will only work if we leave right now,” Eleanor said. “Agnes, it is too dangerous to be in here.”

“I just want to see if the family is lost in here.” I froze when after a few feet, there was a body on the floor in a sitting position against the wall of the mine.

“Oh, oh. I told you this was a bad idea. We just found another body.”

I heard a crunching of stones behind us and Big Jake stepped forward. “You’ll find plenty of bodies if you were to travel the length of the mine, but how about we not add you ladies to the list. Come along now, this area of the mine just isn’t safe.”

I stared at the beam overhead and loose stones were covering us with dust as they trickled from the ceiling. I hurried along with my arm looped through Eleanor’s arm to make sure that she came along with me. Caroline bobbed silently next to us and didn’t disappear until we were back in the main part of the mine.

“So what are you really here for?”

“I just wanted to take a quick look. There’s a missing family I had hoped to locate. Trisha, Aaron and their daughter, Rebecca Jameson, disappeared from the Goldberg Hotel in the middle of the night.”

“I heard that, but I assure you they never came this way. Francine called me and I checked the mine, but there was no sign of them. Maybe those folks went home.”

“Do you believe in strange occurrences or the paranormal?”

“I sure do. This mine is haunted by many spirits, believe me, if that’s what you mean.”

“Actually, no. I had a dream and I just know that the family is in trouble.” I went on to tell him all about my dream and how some of the details had proven to be true—like Francine and Sheriff Wilford, the actor.

“If you think they went after Leister’s gold, they wouldn’t come here. What you folks need to do is look for Peyton’s cabin. It was located on the opposite side of town about a mile away. Peyton never mined here.”

“Have you ever been there?”

“On occasion, but none of my searches ever turned up any gold. My firm belief is that the story has been modified as it was told. There might never have been any gold and I do wish that Peyton’s story wasn’t so glamorized, but it does bring in the tourists.”

“Thanks, Big Jake, we’ll check that out.”

“Just don’t do it alone and be sure you have plenty of water. I’d even tell you to bring the sheriff with you just in case someone is checking out the same area. Especially with the festival going on right now.”

“The thing is that we’re stuck here now, until the group is done.”

“That’s just fine. Come on back and see what you can find. You just might end up with a nugget.”

We passed a small machine and I had to ask, “What’s that for?”

“That’s from the 1876 invention, the wiggle-tail, or widow-maker as it’s been nicknamed, because when that machine runs, it creates quite a bit of dust. Many miners died from being exposed to that dust.”

“That seems like it wouldn’t be such a great thing to use, then.”

“Yes, but they used it for striking into the rock, so it really served a purpose and it was much easier than doing it by hand. There was plenty of ore in this area of the mine.”

“But they did find gold, too, right?”

“Sure did, ma’am, in the area where we’re allowing you to check. Now, let’s get back to the others.”

When we went back to where the rest of the group was picking at the walls, I could see that this was just for entertainment purposes since there was just no way that we’d ever find anything, but Eleanor really got into swinging her pick axe at the wall and with menacing intent, I must say.

“I have to use the bathroom,” Unique said.

“There’s a Porta Potty outside,” Big Jake said. “I’ll show you.”

“No, no need. I can find it. Can’t be too hard to find.”

Ramone went along with her, and when they didn’t come back in what seemed like a long time, I whispered to Eleanor, “I think those two are up to something.”

I walked up the shaft and back down the other juncture. We walked for some time, even passing the body we had seen earlier. We continued into the shaft when we began to hear voices. I rushed forward, hoping that it was the missing family, but it was Unique and Ramone. While Unique held a long bar in her hands, Ramone struck the end of it with a large hammer. Boom ... boom ... boom! The racket was unmistakable.

“Stop it, you two!” I shouted above the noise they were making. “You heard what Big Jake told you about this shaft.”

“Go on back to the group and mind your business, Grandma,” Unique said. “The only reason he don’t want us here is because there’s gold over here, an untapped area.”

I heard a rushing noise; my eyes widened and we backed up as a trickle of water began to seep out of the upper surface of the wall. “You’ve sprung a leak, you fool!” I shouted above the now roaring sound, racing as fast as I could up the mineshaft to alert the others. By the time I made it back into the main corridor, we were ankle deep in water. Eleanor and I met the rest of the group that ran in a panic for the entrance of the mine.

“What have you done?” Big Jake asked.

“It wasn’t us, it was Unique and Ramone.”

The water was getting deeper now, and we were wading toward the entrance, the water now to our knees, but a loud voice stopped us. “Help, Unique’s trapped under a large rock,” Ramone said.

“Get out, everyone. I’ll help her,” Big Jake said.

Ramone went back into the shaft with Big Jake and I followed, with Eleanor shouting, “Don’t you dare, Agnes Barton.”

I didn’t listen, though, and continued to follow Big Jake and Ramone. Unique was struggling to keep her head above the water, and I helped hold her head up as Big Jake and Ramone lifted the large rock that had fallen, pinning Unique’s ankle. It took a few tries before she was released and I helped Unique stand, but Big Jake moved in and picked up Unique like she weighed nothing. Moving up the shaft, the water was now at my thigh level and my hip ached as I waded for the entrance that loomed in the distance. It seemed like it was so far away, miles, but it wasn’t quite as far as it seemed. After a minute or two, we finally made it outside.

“Keep moving,” Big Jake said.

“Where’s the bus?” I shrieked.

“Hopefully, they moved it to higher ground.” Jake led the way to a set of stairs that ascended upward, and I huffed and puffed as I climbed them. Once we were up above the opening of the mine, I wanted to drop from exhaustion, but Big Jake said, “Keep moving.”

When I glanced below, water was pouring out of the mouth of the mine. We walked quite a spell until Jake, exhausted, set Unique down, resting her back against a boulder. I sat down, too, wondering if Eleanor and the others made it to safety.

“Wh-What, now?” I asked.

“Hopefully, they’ve gone for help.”

“So we’re stuck on this mountain until then?”

“We can go down the other side, but the stones are quite loose. It might make a treacherous descent for you, ma’am.”

“How am I going to get down? I can’t even walk,” Unique whined.

“Slide your big ass all the way down.” Big Jake spat. “It told you how dangerous it was in the north shaft, but did you listen? No!”

“Calm down, Big Jake. There’s nothing we can do about that now, but we need to get off this mountain or we’ll bake for sure.”

“True, but greenhorns really make me mad when they don’t listen.”

“Why can’t they send a helicopter to save us?” Unique asked.

“Well, do you see any place they could land her, missy?”

“N-No, I don’t.”

“Okay, then. Let’s move and get down off this mountain,” Big Jake said.

Ramone helped Unique up and she hobbled on one foot until he carried her to the side where Big Jake told us that we’d be going down. Once there, I gave the steep slope a dirty look with all those tiny stones that would, for sure, send us flying to the bottom in a quick hurry if we weren’t careful.

“Go down nose first, and kick your heels into the dirt of the slope to keep yourself from sliding all the way to the bottom. You have one good foot, girl, so you’re gonna have to do the best you can. We’ll keep you between us men so you can’t fall to the bottom.”

Tears streaked Unique’s face and she nodded.

“Should I go first?” I asked.

“Nope, you go last. I don’t want to see you falling to the bottom.”

“That’s great. Grandma is gonna get us all killed,” Unique said.

“No, that would be you, dear.”

Ramone went down first; his fingers clenched into a claw-like grip, his feet striking into the dirt as he slowly went down. I gulped hard, watching the technique and hoped when it was my turn I’d be able to do it. What I wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs, “Go on without me.”
Oh, Caroline. I really need you now.

I went to my hands and knees when it was finally my turn and ground my feet into the dirt and stones, my fingers clawed into the dirt.

“Try to relax, Agnes. You’re the bravest person I know,” Caroline said as she hovered next to me.

I nodded. “I’ll try.”

As I moved down, stones were loosened and fell to the ground below. I heard Ramone holler, “I’m falling.”

“Get a grip, man,” Big Jake said. “Use your feet to catch yourself.”

My muscles ached and I slid a few feet myself, but was able to catch myself. We seemed to all have our times of slipping more than we had intended, but after what seemed like hours, we were all at the bottom safety, lying on the ground in exhaustion.

The sun was in the west now and I dreaded being out here at night, with what would prove to be near freezing conditions. I lifted my head up when I heard a motor race toward us, and we all sat up, crying as we saw a Hummer come into view.

Sheriff Bradley jumped out of the passenger seat and ran toward us. “Are you folks all okay?”

“We are now,” Big Jake said. “But this young lady is injured.”

“H-How did you find us?” I asked.

“I know the area well enough to know if that mine ever flooded where the escape route was and just where Big Jake would come off the mountain.”

Unique was carried by Big Jake and gently set in the Hummer, and once we were all safely inside, the vehicle sped toward town.

“Lucky for us, Jeff’s brother was in town for the festival. You know—the actor. He didn’t even hesitate to help out.”

“So the rest of Jo Ellen’s group made it safely into town?”

“Sure did, and that friend of yours, Eleanor, was quite beside herself. The others forced her to leave you behind since you were trying to help out that young lady there. Mighty brave of you.”

“It sure was,” Unique finally admitted. “You saved my life back there, Grandma. You’re all right in my book.”

“Actually, I think we can all say that Big Jake saved the day.”

Everyone laughed, and when I looked over at Big Jake, he didn’t look a bit smug about the attention everyone was giving. Humble to a fault.

Chapter Fourteen

When we finally got back to town, I asked to be dropped off at the Goldberg Hotel.

“You mean you weren’t really part of Jo Ellen’s group after all?” Big Jake asked.

“Nope. Sorry to deceive you all like that.”

“Never really thought you were. You were a little too interested in the history of Silver and that missing family.”

That didn’t surprise me since I took it that Big Jake was wise beyond his years that looked plentiful from the lines that marred his face, and not in an unattractive way.

The Hummer skidded to a stop, and I got out and wobbled to the door of the hotel, where I heard voices that carried from the saloon. “She’s dead and it’s all my fault,” Eleanor cried. “I shouldn’t have let those people force me outside and onto that bus. We barely escaped with our lives as the water rushed out of the mine.”