Page 128 of In the Pursuit of Haven
It was time to get this worm-eaten prisoner out!
“Okay, no more!” Abby ran up the steps. Her voice echoed up to us. “We have to go now!”
“No.” Jessie’s eyes swept over to me. “I amnotgetting forced to work with Brecker and Caitlyn.”
Was he kidding right now? Hunter was coming!
Catching my breath, I searched the surrounding area while we could. The beams on either side of us were also original to the house. I’d also noticed “W’s” half-scratched out there. On top of one of these beams was an old screw pushed into the wood. “Turn that.” I pointed at it, desperate to make anything work! “See if it’s a key.”
Jessie rushed for it.
Abby let out a worried cry, even as her brother grasped the screw and twisted. I heard the snap before the section pushed open like a trapdoor.
Whoa! My lucky guess had panned out. My experience with unearthing treasure was paying off. I could scarcely believe it!
Jessie collected a tiny wooden toy from it, like he’d found a Christmas treat from an advent calendar. It was a miniature Norseman head figurine whittled out of wood.
Catching it in my hands, I barely had time to study the intricate details of its stern countenance before Abby tugged me towards the stairs. “Move. Move!”
I stuffed the figurine into my backpack. There was no time to think about whether there was any connection between that and the crags on the edge of Baker’s Island that had been dubbed the Norseman, only that it had an “S,” scrawled in its side, and we had to get away without someone taking the Relic from us.
We passed an astonished Ruth on our way out. “You don’t want to finish the tour?” she called to us.
“The plumbers,” Jessie rushed to say. “We don’t want to keep them waiting.”
It was so hard to find a good plumber nowadays.
We traveled past lavish bedrooms downstairs to a parlor with a Christmas tree and Victorian decorations before we pushed out studded post-medieval doors onto a sidewalk below. The sunset cast shades of orange and pink over us as we headed for the street.
“How did you know we were being followed, Abby?” I knew this was what Jessie feared. She was holding things back from us. “You keep talking about someone giving you tips,” I said. “Who’s your source?”
Her eyes veered to Jessie’s, and her lips twisted stubbornly.
Down the street, the engine on a black SUV growled to life and sped for us. My hand went to both Jessie and Abby. “Watch out!” I cried.
We scrambled onto the sidewalk and got ready to run just as the SUV flanked us and the doors flew open. Hunter, Divine, Gideon, and the rest of his group of degenerates streamed from the vehicle.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hunter jumped in front of us. “Okay, slow down.” He slanted a grin at us. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
Jessie glared, pushing in front of us. “Yeah? Why are you following us?”
“Hey!” Hunter held up his hands. “Nothing personal. If I got to call the shots, I’d let you chase your tails like dogs, but you got the boss worried. You’re looking all suspicious, like maybe you might try to take off with the treasure and then split. Crazy, huh?”
Not really. That is exactly what we are going to do. Why was that in question?
“Come into my office.” Hunter gestured inside his car. “We need to talk.”
“Forget it!” I said. The last time we “talked,” I’d been thrown in a tomb.
“What’s going on over here?”
Spinning, I saw Bette Ann down the street and steadied myself. She must’ve heard the commotion from her candy shop. We’d better not be putting her in danger too. Hunter ducked like he actually cared if she saw us—or maybe it was that gargantuan German shepherd she was walking. Bette Ann hurried towards us with Harry tugging on his leash.
“Just give them what you have so far,” Abby whispered under her breath. “This isn’t worth it.”
Jessie swung around to face her. “For you or for us?” he asked.
“What are you saying?” Abby stepped back resentfully.
