The Treasure Seeker Read online

  “Lewis, I’m not going to warn you again,” her father said as he stepped forward.

  Lewis’s words struck her as if he had used his fist. A cold anger settled over her. When she spoke, her voice low and menacing sounded strange to her own ears. “Let him go,” she commanded.

  Lewis shook loose and took a step toward her. She stepped forward to meet him.

  “First of all, I didn’t choose to be a lesbian.”

  “Of course, none of this is your fault, is it?” he sneered.

  She stared him in the eye. “Well, sure it is, Lewis. I woke up the other morning and decided, oh poor me, I’m just not getting enough attention. What do I need to do to get some attention? Then it hit me. I could go out and piss off a homicidal maniac who’d give me a free lobotomy?” She stepped closer until she was mere inches from his face. She lowered her voice until it was little more than a whisper. “So why don’t you just tell me, what the fuck is wrong with you!”

  “That’s enough from both of you,” her father shouted.

  Ry and Lewis stared at each other. She watched the conflicting emotions rush across his face. When his shoulders finally relaxed, she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  “That’s enough from everyone,” her mom said. “I want all of you to sit down, so we can discuss this rationally.”

  Lewis turned to Annie. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

  “Lewis,” Annie pleaded. “Please do as your mother said. You can’t leave it like this.”

  He looked at his wife. “Why stay? Everyone here will defend what she did. How I feel doesn’t matter.”

  “Lewis, that isn’t true,” her mom said.

  “At least tell me why you’re so pissed off,” Ry demanded.

  He spun back toward her and for one terrifying second she thought he might actually strike her. “I’m pissed off because you pulled my unborn child into your mumbo-jumbo crap.”

  Ry had never wanted to slap Daniel alongside the head as badly as she did at that moment, but she knew she only had herself to blame. Everyone knew Daniel was completely incapable of keeping a secret.

  “You’re right,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.” She looked at Annie. “I’m sorry. I was just so excited that I needed to tell someone.”

  Annie wiped tears from her eyes and nodded slightly before looking away.

  “It’s my fault,” Daniel replied. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”

  Ry had never seen him look so lost and sad. She looked around the room. She had caused this. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut? Her family had always acted as a cohesive unit. They didn’t always agree with each other, but they always respected the other person’s opinion. Not only was this ripping her family apart, it could also destroy their business relationship. Her father and brothers had to work together. She had to do something to stop this.

  “I’m really sorry,” she said. “I thought I could handle this, but obviously it’s going to be a much larger issue than I imagined.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Lewis, you can be as mad as you want at me, but you can’t let it come between you and them.” She motioned to Daniel and James. “They were only doing what you’d have done before tonight. You’re brothers and you need to remember that. Direct your anger where it belongs, at me.” She looked around the room. “I’m sorry, but I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

  She locked her bedroom door, opened the window shade and sat in Granny Jeter’s rocker. Thankfully, there was no more yelling from the kitchen. There were a couple of light knocks at her door, but she ignored them. Later she heard the sound of car engines cranking. When the house grew quiet, she turned on the lamp and packed her meager assortment of clothes into two large shopping bags. She couldn’t continue to live here. She knew Lewis well enough to know he wouldn’t come back as long as she was here. That would break her mother’s heart. Her family needed time to think, and either accept or reject the changes in her life. To do that, they needed distance from her. In the morning she would return to the store and start cleaning it up.

  She didn’t want to think too far beyond that, but the horrible knowledge of what she had to do weighed heavily upon her shoulders.

  It was a little after two when she took her keys from the table by the door. She placed a note to her mother beside the coffeepot and slipped out the back door. Her truck had been parked in the barn to keep it out of the weather. When she climbed into the truck she tossed her phone on the seat and then noticed that the broken side window glass had been replaced. The tears she had been fighting all night blinded her. She brushed them away, but they were quickly replaced. Rather than drive back up to the house to the driveway and risk waking her parents, Ry took the bumpy farm lane that looped around and connected with the main road farther up. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her life would never be the same. Why had she been so careless as to take that blasted box to begin with? That’s what started all this. If only she’d driven past that estate sale sign.

  Jackson City was dark and quiet when she drove down Main Street. When she turned onto the side street, which led to the back of the shop, she saw the new fence and gate her father and brothers had built. The remote control to the automatic door opener was clipped to the visor above her head. She pushed the button and watched as the gate slowly swung inward. Kate would have loved that, she thought with a smile. Thinking of Kate only made her feel worse. As she parked behind the shop, she noticed a new security light lit the area. She sent a silent “thank you” to her dad and brothers as she backed her truck up to the door of the shop. She hadn’t entered the shop since that dreadful night. The thought of doing so now caused a knot of pain to twist in her stomach.

  She found her gloves beneath the seat and then went to retrieve the wheelbarrow from the shed. After she had gathered her tools, it took her a moment to muster the courage to unlock the door, step inside and flip on a light. Even though she knew what to expect, the complete destruction of everything in sight still caused her knees to weaken. She grabbed the wall for support and took several deep breaths. Slowly her determination started to build. With one final deep breath, she squared her shoulders. It was time. She pulled on her gloves, rolled the wheelbarrow inside and picked up the first handful of debris. Each handful got a little easier. As she worked her way down the hallway toward the stairs, she occasionally found some small trinket that hadn’t been destroyed. By the time she heard someone pounding on the front door, she was drenched in sweat and covered with dust.

  She looked toward the front windows and instantly recognized the silhouette of her parents. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted for them to come around back. A moment later, the shadows started toward the side street. Ry went to her truck and used the remote to open the gate. For one small moment she considered sneaking out the front door because she knew she was about to catch hell from her parents.

  “What in the devil are you doing?” her father demanded as soon as he saw her. “Why didn’t you answer your mother’s calls? How could you be so thoughtless with everything that’s been going on?”

  “I’m cleaning,” she said. From the set of his mouth she could tell he was really upset, something he rarely was. Ashamed that she had needlessly worried him, she rushed on. “I’m sorry. I guess my phone is in the truck. I left you a note.”

  “Yes. I found your note.” She patted her husband’s arm. “Rylene, why did you sneak out?” her mother demanded. “What time did you leave anyway?”

  Ry knew there were no right answers to those questions and tried countering with one of her own. “Mom, what would you have said had I waited until you got up?”

  “I would have told you it was too soon for you to be doing this. Dr. Price said you had to take it easy.”

  Ry took a deep breath. “I know you’re worried, and I appreciate your concern, but honestly, I feel fine.”

  “You could have waited until the weekend and your brothers and I woul
d’ve helped you,” her father admonished.

  “No.” She quickly held up a hand to stop what she knew was coming. “I’m not angry with Lewis. He had every right to be upset. I’m not angry at anyone,” she added. “This is something I need to do by myself.” She looked at her father. “I need to make this right, Dad.”

  The three stood staring at each other for a long time.

  Her father finally broke the silence when he scrubbed his hand roughly over his face. “Lord, Doreen, I don’t know why you had to have such stubborn children.”

  “They’re no more stubborn than their father,” she replied as she took his arm. “Come on, let’s go and let her work.”

  He stood for a moment longer staring at Ry. “Promise me you won’t overdo it. And, you’ll get home at a decent hour so your mom won’t worry.”

  Ry prepared herself for the second round. “Actually, I’m moving back in here.” She felt sorry for them as they struggled to find that thin line that allowed her to be her own person and them to be protective parents. “The holidays are almost here and I need to have the store ready.”

  “Seth, she’s right,” her mom said so brightly that both Ry and her father turned to stare at her.

  Her father seemed on the verge of saying something but time had taught him to follow his wife’s lead. He simply nodded and waved to Ry. “Come on,” he said as he took his wife’s hand. “Let’s go see if we can find a decent cup of coffee.”

  Ry went to the truck to get her phone. In truth, so much had been going on that she had barely looked at it since she picked it up from Victor. She was shocked to see her voice mail was full. She sat on the tailgate of her truck and started checking the calls. A few had been from other antique dealers, but the vast majority was from old school friends and people she knew calling to check on her. There were two missed calls from Nicole, one from Kate and seven from her mother. She considered calling Kate, but what would she say. Slowly, she slipped the phone into her pocket.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ry worked through the day until exhaustion forced her to stop. She made the third and final run to the dump so that the truck would be empty for the following day. She considered calling Daniel to see if she could borrow the trailer again, but held off.

  She tried to ignore the fact that the only call she had received that day had been a text from Kate. The text had been to let her know the insurance settlement checks had arrived at her apartment and she had deposited them into the business account and the personal account they had once used for the household. She told her to use however much she needed to have the shop repaired. There hadn’t been a single call from her family. She’d started to call her mom a few times, couldn’t make her mind up as to whether they were giving her space or she had hurt their feelings so badly they weren’t speaking to her. Scared that it might be the latter, she refrained from calling.

  She called a local motel and found a room she could rent for a week, promising herself that before the week was over she would have cleared enough debris out that she could make herself a small living space.

  Despite the early hour, she showered, went to bed and slept straight through the night. At some point a voice had tried to intrude, but she kept it at bay.

  The next morning, Ry’s leg and shoulder muscles were so sore she could barely get herself out of bed. She stopped at a local diner and ordered breakfast. She was enjoying the last of her coffee when Kate came in alone. Kate looked uncertain for a moment, but finally went over to where Ry sat.

  “What are you doing here?” Kate asked.

  “I started cleaning out the shop yesterday,” she said. She was glad to see Kate looked more like her old self in a carefully tailored suit that accentuated her figure and the dark circles were gone from around her eyes.

  “By yourself?” Kate asked, clearly surprised. “You shouldn’t be doing anything that strenuous. Didn’t your doctor tell you not to do anything for the next few weeks?”

  Ry nodded, embarrassed by the tears that stung her eyes.

  Kate stepped closer. “What’s going on?”

  Ry glanced around the diner. There were too many people close by. She didn’t want the entire town to know her business. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to tell Kate what had happened between her brothers.

  Kate took her coat off. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you. I woke up craving pancakes and was too lazy to make them.”

  Ry motioned to the chair across from her.

  They were interrupted as the waitress appeared and took Kate’s order.

  “Are you planning on reopening the store?” Kate asked after the waitress left.

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping I’ll make my mind up by the time I finish cleaning.” She stopped. “I’m sorry. I’m just bumbling along here assuming you wouldn’t want the building. I was thinking that we’d either sell it and split the money, or I could buy your half. Did you want the building?”

  Kate seemed to hesitate before she shook her head. “I don’t have any use for it. Let’s wait until you decide what you want to do and then we can worry about the best way to settle everything.”

  Ry sipped her coffee. “I promise I’ll make a decision in the next couple of weeks. Of course, I’ll keep making the payments until we settle.”

  Kate traced the pattern on the tablecloth with her fingertip. “Please use the insurance money. I know things must be tight for you now.”

  The waitress arrived with Kate’s order of pancakes.

  Ry stared at them. “It’s hard to believe that it was just two and a half weeks ago that I promised to take you out for pancakes.”

  Kate nodded. “A lot’s happened since then.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Ry said sadly. She scooted her cup back. “I should get going. If I sit here much longer, I’ll be too stiff to work.”

  Kate looked concerned. “Is your head bothering you?”

  Ry stood and suppressed a groan. “My head is fine. It’s my butt that’s dragging.”

  Kate chuckled. “If your mom isn’t planning anything special for you, why don’t you come by for dinner and see my new apartment on Friday night. Friday and Saturday are my days off with this new schedule.”

  Ry nodded again. She didn’t bother to tell Kate she was staying at the motel. “What time?”

  “Around seven would be good. I’ll make spaghetti.”

  She left enough cash on the table to cover Kate’s breakfast. “It’s a little late, but I did promise you a pancake breakfast.”

  When she arrived at the shop, she backed her truck up to the door and started working. After she had cleared a path from the back door all the way to the stairs, she started up the stairs intending to start cleaning a living area. Once she was up there, she realized that she would have to find a way to get the debris down. The easiest way would be simply to toss the debris out the window into the truck, but the truck bed was so small most of the stuff would probably end up on the ground and have to be picked up again. That was double work. She would have to think of another way.

  Again, she thought about Daniel’s nice wide trailer with the high wire sides. She took out her phone and stared at his number for a long moment. All she would have to do was ask. She put the phone back into her pocket. It had been her choice to give them time away from her. She needed to stand by her decision.

  In the meantime, there was still plenty of work left to do downstairs to keep her busy for days.

  She moved from the downstairs hallway to her workroom and started clearing things out. The desk she had bought from the estate sale caught her attention. The top was now split in half. As she carried the destroyed desk out to the truck and tossed it in the bed of the truck, she tried not to dwell on the stupidity of the destruction.

  Back inside she began tossing broken strips of wood from what had once been a bookcase into the wheelbarrow. When she came across the cigar box that had held the folk art animal carvings, she picked it up. The animal c
arvings had been dumped out onto the floor and smashed. Only the partially carved rabbit was still intact. She picked it up. Instantly the burst of colors filled her vision and pulled her inward. When she was finally able to see again, she found herself in a familiar location. She was back in the cavern where the young boy had hidden the pistol. The person in the room now was no longer a young boy, but rather a man. Ry moved closer and gasped when she saw the pile of money on the ground before him. He was busy stuffing large rolls of bills into quart canning jars. She recalled seeing the boxes of jars there by the moonshine still. After he filled a jar, he screwed a lid onto it and placed the jar deep into the hole where he had stored the box holding the pistol. She watched him fill jar after jar. Some of the jars contained bills while others held gold coins. He rolled two basketball size stones back in front of the hole. Then he picked up the stick and erased his tracks, tossed the stick back inside, blew out the lantern and left it just inside the entrance, as he had before.

  She followed him outside and instantly found herself back in her workroom kneeling on the floor. The carving had fallen from her hands. Tentatively, she reached out and picked it up, but nothing happened. She pulled herself up and went outside. She was still sitting on the tailgate ten minutes later when Victor parked his squad car beside her truck.

  “You look like you’ve been working hard,” he said as he motioned to her dusty clothes.

  “It’s beginning to feel like a lost cause,” she admitted.

  He sat on the tailgate beside her. “Did you talk to your family the other night?”

  “I guess the better description would be they were waiting to talk to me,” she admitted. A streak of loneliness hit her.

  “That doesn’t sound too good.”

  “It was horrible, but it’s my own fault. I should have handled things differently.”