Kari Lee Townsend - Sunny Meadows 04 - Perish in the Palm (21 page)

“Fatten up,” Jo wailed.

We all started screaming and running as fast as we could, which was probably the worst thing you could do if it really was a bear. Something grabbed me from behind, and I started kicking wildly, thinking this was the end. I had finally messed up so badly, I was going to die. Jo and Zoe turned around, ready to tackle the beast with me.

“I said calm down, Miss Meadows,” Jack Shepard shouted into my ear.

Wait. Bears don’t talk
, I thought. When I stopped thrashing, he set me down. I whirled around and gaped at him, dumbfounded.

“You scared us half to death, Big Guy,” Jo said.

“I’d say that makes us even.” He tried for some humor to lighten the situation, then frowned and cleared his throat when it didn’t work.

“What are you doing out here, Paul Bunyan?” Zoe asked.

“Pierre sent me to catch some fresh fish for dinner,” he said. “These guests are killing us all.” He held up his empty basket. “I haven’t had any luck.” He eyed us curiously. “I might ask you all the same thing. What are you ladies doing out here in the middle of the woods? It can be dangerous, you know.”

“Trying to find the treasure like before,” I answered, not wanting to tell him about Ronald and Pierre. That was official police business that not everyone needed to know about. I looked at the girls, and they picked up on my vibe.

“Any luck?” he asked.

“No more than you,” Zoe said.

“I’ve got some time to kill, and frankly I’m in no hurry to get back to the inn’s guests.” He shrugged. “I could help if you want. You might need some muscle if you find it, and I know the way back.”

“We want,” Zoe said, excited once more.

“That sounds like a win-win situation to me,” Jo said.

That sounded like we were back on track with Detective Grumpy Pants none the wiser. I held out my hand. “You’ve got a deal, Mr. Shepard.”

A
n hour later, we had walked up and down the river with no luck. The wind whipped leaves about, treetops swaying and bending, and the rapids were churning violently, forming foamy white caps.

“Sorry, guys, I’m still not picking anything up,” I grumbled, quickly growing tired of our adventure myself. So much for helping Mitch solve this case.

“So, you’re really psychic?” Jack came to a stop beside me as we stared out over the wild raging water. He had that doubtful yet hopeful yet wary mix of an expression that most people had when they talked to me about what I did for a living.

“Most of the time I’m psychic.” I laughed. “Apparently not much today, though.” Jo and Zoe sat a bit further away, leaning against a couple of trees to rest.

“How does that work, anyway?” He threw a rock out into the water.

I shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. Sometimes things just come through. Images, feelings, visions. And other times I have to work at it. That’s why I use my fortune-telling tools to help tap into my abilities. And yet there are times that if I hold something that belonged to someone, I can pick up a reading of them. That’s been useful in helping the police find missing people, among other things.”

“What happened with Mr. Theodore?” I could feel his genuine interest. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a doubter as I first thought.

“Well, in his case, I used palm reading,” I answered. “I saw things about his past and his future, but I was also transported into a vision. That’s when I saw the old man on the boat and found out about the past being the link to putting the inn on the map. I had a vision again in the root cellar, and that’s when we found the map. And earlier today I had a vision where I saw Mr. Theodore as a child with a friend. That’s how I knew which way to go through the tunnels that brought us here.”

“So what now?” He studied me so intensely, it was unnerving.

“Well, I lost the connection and haven’t been able to pick it up.” I sighed and held my palms up. “I’m afraid finding the treasure is a lost cause. It doesn’t really matter anyway. Just the thought of a treasure has made the inn a success and put it on the map, so to speak. So for all intense purposes, my vision came true.”

“But … what about the map?” He ran a hand over his beard and shook his head, his ponytail swaying in time with his confusion and agitation.

I could see he was interested in finding the treasure, same as half the town, but he had to accept a lost cause when confronted with all the facts, didn’t he?

“It’s gone,” I responded with a firm tone, hoping to get my point across. “It was taken during the break-in at my house. It was missing a crucial piece anyway.” I glanced at the sky and realized it was getting late. “I know you’re disappointed. We are too, but we should probably head back now before it gets dark.”

A long silence filled the space between us.

“We’re not going anywhere,” he finally said. He stared out over the river, a muscle in his jaw pulsing.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You’re wrong, you know. Finding that treasure
is
important.” He stared at me with eyes that looked like they were vacant, if not a little crazy. “It’s everything.”

“Why?” I didn’t understand why this meant so much to him.

“Because I’ve searched for that treasure my entire life,” he growled, sounding so much different form the mild-mannered groundskeeper I had come to know and actually like.

My pulse began to race. “But we only just found out about it.” I took a discreet step back, instinctively knowing I needed some distance between us and that raging river.

“No,
you
only found out about it.” He took a step toward me.

“Okay, but like I said, my map is gone and it was missing a piece anyway. There’s nothing more I can do.”

He pulled out my map and the missing section from his back pocket, holding them up before me. “You mean these?”

“You weren’t out here fishing. You were treasure hunting.” I stared at his bandaged hand and realization dawned. “You’re the one who broke into my house. Morty did that to you, didn’t he? That was
your
blood on his paw when he went to Detective Stone, wasn’t it?”

“Well, well. The little lady really is psychic.” He rubbed his bandaged palm. “That cat of yours is a demon.”

You have no idea
, I thought, but said, “It doesn’t take a psychic to figure that out or to see that you’re crazy if you think I’m going to help you.” I tried to sound brave.

“Oh, I don’t
think
, Miss Meadows.” He pulled out a gun. “I know.”

“Hey, whoa, wait a minute, Big Guy.” Jo stood up slowly and joined us. “What’s going on here?”

“We’ve found our thief,” I said. “Jack is the one who broke into my house and hit me on the head and stole the map.”

Jo and Zoe gasped.

“I don’t like hurting women, but you left me with no choice, and I’m not a thief.” He held his gun steady on the three of us. “That treasure is rightfully mine.”

“I thought you were our savior,” Zoe said with a disappointed tone. “And you’re delusional if you think that treasure is yours. You worked for Mr. Theodore and that treasure belongs to him and now his widow.”

“Wrong. I might have worked for Mr. Theodore, but that was only so I could find what belonged to my ancestors. I’ve heard stories about the treasure from the time I was a boy, and when I was old enough, the remaining piece of the map was entrusted to me. I am the last in the line of Shepards and won’t go to my grave until I make this right.” He held his head high and proud, with his beard tightly trimmed and his hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.

All he needed was an eye patch and an earring, and he’d look the part perfectly. Morty’s eye-patch of a leaf, his digging in the dirt, and his walking with a limp suddenly made sense. He’d known who Jack was all along, but I had been too blind to see it.

“I come from a long line of pirates, believe it or not,” Jack continued. “My ancestor was running from other pirates and sought refuge with the Theodores, creating the map and burying the treasure. But the Theodores betrayed him, killing him and keeping the bounty for themselves. The Theodores are the real thieves here.”

“I hate to break it to you, Captain Jack, but pirates by their very nature are thieves,” Jo pointed out. “Savvy?”

“I’ve waited and searched for decades, only having this one piece of the map,” he went on, ignoring her. “I had thought the rest was lost long ago. When you found the rest of the map,” he gestured to me, “my hope to discover what was rightfully mine was renewed. I had to have the rest. In all honestly, that map belonged to me as well. So it was just and right that I take back what was mine.”

“You really are crazy,” Zoe whispered.

“I am not crazy!” Jack shouted, and we all jumped.

“Okay, okay,” I held my hands, “take it easy. You’re not crazy. Just a little upset, and rightfully so by the sounds of it.” I glanced at the other two, hoping they caught my drift.

“Absolutely, I mean I would be upset, too, if I were you,” Zoe added, thankfully leaving off the arrrgh I knew she wanted to growl. Jo was bad enough to deal with in a tense situation like this.

“So tell me, mate,” Jo said. “If you have the whole map, then you must know where X marks the spot is, and all that jazz. Why do you need us?”

“Because there’s nothing there.” He looked at me. “I was hoping you would have one of your visions, but you haven’t. As I said, I don’t like hurting women, but I don’t need any loose ends either. I’m thinking you three met an unfortunate demise in the rising river. Or maybe the wolves and bears got to you during the night.”

“Honey, if I don’t make it back by happy hour, you’re gonna have to deal with something much scarier than a wolf or a bear,” Jo said.

“Sasquatch,” I seconded, nodding. “Trust me, you don’t want to deal with her husband when he’s all riled up.”

“Then I suggest you don’t
rile
me.” Jack cocked his gun.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked calmly, sensing this teddy bear could turn into a grizzly if provoked.

“Come with me to the cave and see if you can find anything.”

“And what if she can’t?” Jo asked point blank.

He narrowed his eyes, looking scarier by the minute. “You better pray she does.”

“Oh, yeah. He’s beyond crazy. The man’s downright delusional,” Zoe muttered beneath her breath, but I heard her.

Thank God Captain Jack didn’t.

***

Hours later we had searched everywhere in a cave at the base of a hill beside the river. Jack had dug countless holes with no luck. He was happy to be our muscle, so long as it served his purpose.

“Where is it?” he growled, growing more and more impatient as the day wore on, his obsession mounting because this was the closest he had come to realizing a lifelong dream. It wouldn’t take much to push him over the edge.

“I-I’m trying,” I said. “I can’t seem to pick up anything in here.”

“That’s because you’re a fraud.” He thrust his shovel at me, his gun tucked into the back of his jeans within easy grasp.

I knew what Jo was thinking. If only she’d brought her pistol. She’d had her pistol permit for years, and was one of the best marksman at her gun club. I could see her fingers twitch, itching to get her hands on his weapon.

Sasquatch really was going to kill him if anything bad happened to her or their unborn cub.

I had to do something quick. “Maybe I’ve been approaching this all wrong,” I said. “Maybe the person I need to read is you.” I pointed to Jack. “You’re related to the creator of the map, after all.”

He stilled, and I could see his brain working overtime. Finally, he nodded. “You two.” He pointed to Jo and Zoe. “Keep digging.” He tossed his shovel at them and faced me. “This had better work.”

“I’ll try my best,” I responded and then looked around.

The cave was deep and dark and cold. We had left our torch in the tunnel, but Jack was prepared. He had brought along matches and knew his way around starting a fire. He’d lit the fire pit he’d created the last time he’d been here, right after he’d stolen the map from me and had searched for the treasure on his own. Light and warmth had flooded the immediate area. Further out was a bit creepy and chilly, but it would keep my friends safe.

“Over here,” I said, choosing a spot.

He sat where I told him to. “Now what?”

“Well, since I don’t have any of my tools with me,” because you ruined them all, I wanted to say, “I will have to read your palms.”

“Whatever,” he said, “just make sure it works.”

“You’ll have to unbandage your hand.”

He did as I requested, and I bit back a gasp. Morty had done a number on him, even through the gloves he had worn when he’d broken into my house. Red scratches that looked bone deep had sliced across the back of his hand. The same hand that had hit me on the head, I realized. It looked like he needed stitches, but he probably didn’t want to raise any red flags so he obviously hadn’t gone. Morty was my real savior. My heart softened just thinking about him, but I had a job to do now.

Inhaling a deep breath, I told Jack to hold his hands out, and he complied. I took his hands in mine to study his palms, but I didn’t have to. Immediately upon touching his hands, I was transported back in time.

“He’s coming,” I said again, picking up where Peirce’s reading had left off. “I am once again in the body of the old man. I’m at the root cellar and then traveling through the tunnels, dodging bats and swiping away cobwebs, my wooden leg thumping along painfully. Finally I emerge where the girls and I did this morning. I feel frantic and exhausted, looking for a place to hide my bounty.

It feels like I have traveled for hours. I’m thirsty, and tired, and my leg hurts above the wooden peg I’ve been cursed with for many years. This life is harsh. I always knew it would catch up with me one day, but everything I do is for my family and the future Shepards so that they won’t waste their lives searching for more. Searching for something more leads to an unsatisfied life where nothing is ever good enough.

I see the perfect spot. A cave in the side of a hill by the river. I will bury my treasure here and leave a map where my loved ones can find it. I make my way inside the cave and sit my weary body down and pull out parchment paper. Drawing out the treasure map, a sense of peace comes over me. But the peace is short-lived.

He’s here.

I scramble to my feet. No, it’s not fair. I didn’t have enough time to finish my quest. He’s found me. He knocks me to the ground, takes my treasure, and rips the map from my hands. I am so weak. I cannot fight back. With one final blow, I start to lose consciousness and know this is the end. I will die here, and my family will do without. I have failed them all. As the breath leaves my lungs for the last time, I stare at my enemy, my killer …

My brother.”

“No!” Jack yanked his hands from mine.

I jerked back to the present, wiping away the tears that were streaming down my face. Every time I did a reading, I became the person in my vision, experiencing all of their emotions. Frustration, pain, and betrayal of the worst kind had been the last feelings Jack Shepard’s ancestor had felt.

“I’m so sorry,” was all I could say.

“You lie. It’s all a lie.” Jack surged to his feet, pain and anguish showering his face. “My ancestor’s brother could not have stolen the treasure and killed him. It is written that he was so overcome with grief, he moved away and no one ever saw him again.”

“It’s true. He stole the treasure, killed his brother, buried the map and ripped off a piece of it as a clue to give you all as false hope. Then he ran off with the goods, never to be seen or heard from again. The Theodores didn’t wrong your ancestor or you. Your ancestor’s brother did. I felt it all. His pain, his anger, his sadness … in the worst betrayal imaginable, hence the life of a pirate. I really am so sorry.”

“You’re sorry, all right. You’re going to be more than sorry by the time I’m done with you. How could you lie to me like that? You’re no psychic. You’re a sick and twisted fraud who prays on the emotions of the vulnerable. I won’t let you win.” He lunged at me, and I screamed for all I was worth, rolling to the side just in time.