Unveiled Treasures (7 page)

“Yes it is. Unfortunately, it’s instant, but it’s hot. Do you think Deputy Logan would like some too?”

“I’m sure he would. You go sit down awhile. I’ll take it out to him.”

Rousing Brutus from his nap, they walked out to the weed covered patio. Rachel sat down on the stone wall and curled her legs up underneath her. Gazing up at the sky, she promised herself she wouldn’t cry. She stared at the half moon as it hung low in the evening sky, casting its pearly glow across the creek. Brutus barked when he heard a vehicle pull in the drive. Untangling her legs, Rachel jumped down from the wall to see Jessica Bradley climbing out of her Jeep.

Jessica’s wide grin was infectious. Rachel smiled back as she called out, “What are you doing here? Let me guess, your brother called you, didn’t he?”

“I wasn’t given any specifics, I was told to get over here and I obeyed. Who is this gorgeous guy? What’s going on? Todd really sounded upset on the phone. Are you okay?”

Rachel reeled from the barrage of questions being fired at her. “This is Brutus and yes, I’m fine. It seems this Canyon Cat Burglar has been using my cabin to hide his loot. I found it in the garage. Your brother and Deputy Logan are in there now.”

“No shit! Oh sorry. Oh my gosh! This guy has been hitting places for weeks. Snagging some pretty high-end stuff from what I hear. Did you say Deputy Logan was here too?” Jessica’s eyes alighted.

“Yeah, they’re both in the garage going over property sheets, taking pictures and cataloging everything. Is there something in the water around here that makes the entire police force drop dead gorgeous?”

Jessica grinned wickedly. “I know what you mean. I don’t get to see nearly enough of Mike. I’d love to sink my teeth into him. Sad to say, he can’t get past the fact that I’m Todd’s little sister.” She resigned herself to a sigh. “I’ll just go say hi to Todd and let him know I’m here. He’s concerned about you, you know.”

Rachel gave a weak laugh, “I am glad you’re here. It’s kind of creepy knowing he is still out there somewhere. Besides my other choice was your brother spending the night.”

“Ew ick. I’d pick me too.” Jessica giggled as she headed in the house. She walked through the house and found her way to the garage. Stepping through the doorway, her stomach did a flip when she saw Mike Logan.
One day
,
you and me buddy.
Smiling brightly, she called out, “Is it safe to come in or am I disturbing the crime scene?”

Todd and Mike looked up at the same time. Todd smiled and Mike looked away.

* * * *

Todd walked over to Jessica and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“You didn’t give me a lot of room to argue, but you’re welcome. How often do I get to hang out with my favorite author? Have you met her dog? Did you guys really find stuff from the break-ins here? Josie told me the insurance claims combined ran up in the high eight figures.”

“Jessica, one question at a time, alright? You didn’t see anything or hear anything about this. This guy is still out there, the less you know, the safer you stay. Got that?” he snapped gruffly. “And no, I haven’t met her dog.”

“Lighten up, Todd, I was born at night but it wasn’t last night. You asked me to come, remember? I can’t stand it when you get so intense. Are you two going to be in here much longer? Never mind, I’m going back out front with Rachel.”

“Let her know we’re just about done. Everything is cataloged and recorded. I’ll need to ask Rachel some questions before I leave, but I want to get this loaded up first,” he replied as he walked back to the piles of goods.

Jessica found Rachel sitting on the stone wall in front of the house with Brutus lying at her feet. His tail began to beat rhythmically as she walked closer. “Todd is just about done in there, he said he has to ask you some stuff and then we’ll get out of your way. Kinda freaky, huh?” Jessica asked, climbing on the wall beside Rachel.

“Yeah, it is. Why did he pick my place?”

“Your place has been empty for years. All the locals thought it was abandoned. There were even some rumors of it being haunted.”

Rachel laughed. “Haunted? You didn’t believe that, did you?”

“A child’s imagination is a very powerful tool. Todd used to scare the dickens out of me with horror stories. He and Mike made up this whole ruse about the ghost of an old miner who lived here long ago. They said he would take small children down into the mine shaft he died in and steal their souls. Now that I’m older and wiser, I realize it was just my evil brother doing his job.” She giggled. “Come on, let’s go inside and get a fire going. It’s getting cold out here. Then you can fill me in on your home improvement plans.”

The three of them walked inside together. Brutus curled up on the couch and looked hopefully at the fireplace. Rachel turned and looked at Jessica. “Thanks for coming out here tonight. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re very welcome. Now let’s get that fire going. It’s cold in here too! I’m dying for a grand tour and for you to show me what you plan to do to this place.”

Once the fire was snapping and popping in the grate, Rachel walked Jessica through the cabin. Rachel pointed out things she planned to do along the way.

“Wow, this place looks great for a haunted house.” Jessica giggled.

Rachel smirked. “It won’t look haunted once I get everything done. And I haven’t once run into an old miner’s ghost.”

* * * *

Brutus jumped up and barked as Todd walked into the living room. Running into a dog half his size was not what he expected. He instinctively froze in place. Brutus cautiously inched closer and sniffed him. Rachel placed her hand on the dog’s head to settle him down. Todd looked from the dog over to her. “Is there any chance I can ask you a few questions now?”

“I don’t know what else I can tell you. I moved in yesterday and saw a bunch of stuff in the garage. I honestly didn’t think too much about it. It’s been a long time since I was up here. I wasn’t sure if my parents had used this place for storage or what. When I spoke with my father this afternoon, I asked him about it. He confirmed they had left the garage empty when we stopped coming up here. I hung up with him and called Deputy Logan, you two arrived and the rest is history.”

“It’s just procedure, Rachel. Did you hear anything or see anything last night?”

“I heard noises coming from the garage. I assumed it was the raccoon.” Her face went pale with horror. “You don’t think he was here last night, do you?”

“We’re not sure. Like I said earlier, maybe you should check in a hotel or come and stay with Jessica and me for the night.”

Rachel folded her arms across her chest, squared her shoulders and looked Todd straight in the eye. “Like I said earlier, no one is running me out of my own house. I appreciate the offer but we’re staying.”

Todd let out an exasperated sigh. “Very well then, here’s our home phone number just in case you have any trouble.”

“Thanks, Sheriff. Thank you too, Jessica. It was very sweet of you to come over and keep me company,” she said to both of them as they walked out of the house.

“No problem Rachel,” Jessica replied smiling. “It was nice to meet you, Brutus. I’ll see you around.”

Todd tried one more time. “Are you sure I can’t get you to change your mind? I’d sleep a lot easier knowing you’re not out here by yourself.”

“I’m not out here alone. We’ll be fine, Sheriff Bradley. I thank you for your concern though.” She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. “Go on, your deputy and sister are out there waiting for you.”

Chapter 5

Edward Roy Templeton stood in the living room of his home drinking a scotch and water. Pacing the floor, he couldn’t believe the change in events. Damn! Why did the bitch have to move in there now? Two more days! He only needed two more days and everything would have been gone, including him. The one-way airline ticket to Australia sat on the table, reminding him the clock was ticking. Pacing the room again, he turned when the phone rang. “Ed Templeton here,” he answered.

“Mr. Templeton, I was beginning to wonder if there was any trouble, I haven’t heard from you in days. Is there going to be any problems with my shipment?” the raspy voice asked from the other end of the receiver.

“No-no, sir. Mr. Vee, sir. N-n-n-no trouble at all,” he stammered. “I was going to phone you in the morning. I didn’t want to disturb you, that’s all.”

“You’re lying to me, Templeton. I don’t know why but you are. I gave you an extremely large retainer fee with the promise of more on delivery. Don’t disappoint me, Edward. I get irritated when things don’t go as planned,” the raspy voice continued. “I expect to hear from you by Friday. It would be in your best interest not to screw this up. Good night, Edward.”

Ed stood there holding the receiver listening to a dial tone. The cold sweat of fear trickled down his back, making it hard to breathe.
Now what am I going to do? I’ve got forty-eight hours to get her out of the way and reclaim the property.
The money was gone. He couldn’t return it if he wanted to. He didn’t think it was an option anyway. He would just have to figure out a way to get back in there again. So far, no one had seen him during the break-ins. If she happened to catch him, she would have to disappear.
No witnesses, no proof. What was that cliché, “dead men tell no tales”?
He laughed at his private joke and downed the rest of his drink. Heading towards the coffee table, he gazed affectionately at the small pile of cocaine and the straw. The snowy white powder beckoned to him like a seductive lover. The world, all his problems, everything just seemed to slip away when he was high.

* * * *

“The man is an idiot. I hate to admit this, but I think I might have made a mistake in hiring him.” Mr. Vee said to his female companion. The voluptuous redhead turned around and walked across the room towards him. She wore a silver slave chain around her waist, red stiletto heels and a seductive smile.

“You don’t make mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. Like me being here naked and waiting for you to feast on my body,” she whispered in his ear as she climbed in his lap and ran her hand across the front of his pants.

He felt his manhood respond to her touch. Looking down at her large breasts just mere inches from his face, he smiled. “You are so right and I am very hungry.”

* * * *

The next morning, Rachel woke with a headache and what felt like a mouth full of cotton. She let Brutus out and bleary-eyed she stumbled into the kitchen. Making her way to the instant coffee and kettle, she yawned. While waiting for her water to heat up, she made a mental recap of events in the last forty-eight hours
. She’d moved in to a rundown, abandoned cabin, met a hunky sheriff, made a new friend, and found a fortune in artwork in her garage.
She gave a humorless little laugh as she poured herself a cup. “I’ve got the makings for a new book on my hands.”

Drinking her coffee, she decided the book could wait for a few weeks. Right now, it was time to get serious on home repairs.

After showering and dressing in faded old jeans and a ratty old work shirt, Rachel decided to move on to the appliances. Under years of dirt and grime, she discovered the stove was still in very good condition. She considered keeping it; it added a nostalgic ambiance to the room. The refrigerator was definitely out of here. It wouldn’t even come on. She vaguely recalled her mother complaining years ago about how temperamental it was. Once the movers arrived, she would have them haul off all the old pieces she didn’t want or need. She could envision how everything would look once it was done. The yellow cabinets needed to be sanded and a fresh coat of white paint applied. She planned on adding glass front doors to them as well. The counters would have to wait a little while, but the pearly gray granite she picked out was going to be perfect.

Crouching down, she inspected the linoleum closer. It was coming loose in the corners, so she pulled. Paydirt! Underneath the grimy linoleum was the same hardwood planked floor that ran throughout the rest of the cabin. Excited by her new find, Rachel began frantically peeling at the kitchen floor. The flooring came up easier than she expected. She finished stripping the floor and sat back on her heels. Her back ached and her manicure was shot. It was hard, tedious work but she could see the results would be well worth it when she was done.

* * * *

Todd and Mike were going over their report in the office. “The stolen merchandise found in Rachel’s garage was boxes of antiques and paintings, but no necklace. The Riley insurance claim lists a very expensive piece we didn’t recover,” Todd said.

“Do you think it could still be there?” asked Mike. “I mean we searched the entire place and surrounding area. We found how he was getting in and out without being seen, pretty smart of whoever to use the abandoned fire trails.”

“Don’t you find it a little odd that all the robberies happened when the cabins were empty? This guy would have been seen casing the houses to know this. So how did he find out? The Hardy cabin was thought to be abandoned, has been for years, until recently. That one caught him off-guard. Or did it? How do we know Ms. Rachel Hardy isn’t involved in this situation? Let’s run a check on the maintenance people, caretakers and rental offices for the properties in question. Then we can cross reference that with some inquiries on Ms. Hardy. Maybe we can find a common thread.”