Page 59 of In the Pursuit of Haven
No one knew where she was!
Did Hunter know something I didn’t?
I stilled, staring down at the tomb. Could this really be the final resting place we’d been looking for?
“Well, you should know who issupposedto be buried here,” Hunter continued. “You are a historian… what’s your expertise?” I didn’t answer as he worked on the edges of the box tomb with his crowbar. “I’m trying to remember—something to do with restoring and uncovering artifacts. Right?”
Two others on his team descended on the cement box with very practiced hands. They’d clearly done this before, though, of course, their expertise didn’t settle my mind in the least.
“Why haven’t you joined us sooner?” Hunter asked. “We could use someone like you.”
Every part of me winced as their tools scraped against the aged exterior. Never mind the sacrilege; this was incurring damage that would cause even the most relaxed museum workers to foam at the mouth.
Luther would have their heads if he ever found out.
“Can you believe that the Hathorne family just came in with their bags of money and bought out the plot in 1789?” Hunter asked in a voice so cheerful, it sounded manic. “Then they just dumped the bodies of your good governor and the ministers into unmarked graves. You’re probably standing on them now. And guess who they put into this place instead? At least five of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ancestors, including his beloved cousin Susanna Ingersoll, same one ofThe House of Seven Gablesfame. So rude, don’t you think? But her coffin has a really cool glass window you should check out when you’re down there.”
I wanted to throw up at the idea.
He got the tabletop open on the tomb and stepped back so that his three thick-headed helpers could move the stone off the cement box. Decrepit stairs disappeared into the crypt below.
My stomach sank as my eyes followed the pit into the darkness. Every part of my skin was crawling.
Hunter turned to me. “You ready?”
“What are you looking for?” Jessie cut in. “Just send me down there and I’ll get it.”
My husband was doing everything he could to shelter me from this. I swung around to him, seeing that the huge hulk of a man they called Gideon was using his muscle to keep Jessie away from me. I’d never seen Jessie so angry.
“You can go together,” Hunter said. “This could really be a great bonding experience for you and your wife—one night in the crypts with the bodies of your fellow grave robbers. Turnabout is fair play, wouldn’t you say?”
I planted my feet. “No! I’m not doing this.”
Two hands fastening to my arms like clamps told me otherwise.
“Who do you think is down there?” I asked quickly.
“Ann Dolliver,” Divine said with a laugh. “We told you… the witch!”
They had to be kidding! I resisted as the brute who held me dragged me forward. “She didn’t die in Salem. She was in Bristol.”
“That’s a good story,” Hunter said. “Have you heard about how the biggest liars in history are the ones telling it? You’re finding her resting place—and Crabb’s and more—but…” His nose wrinkled. “It might not be easy to find her. You might have to go poking around some caskets.”
My stomach lurched. “Who have you been talking to?” I yelled. Someone nearby had to hear my raised voice—at least the ghost tour guides might be out—and hopefully they didn’t dismiss my shrieks as the dead come back to haunt them to their enraptured audiences.
Glancing around, I saw the streets were deserted. This was unbelievable! I could really use tourist season right now. I dug in my heels. “There is not enough room for all those bodies you’re talking about!”And there especially isn’t room for me.
Hunter nodded at his biggest man beside me. “Get her in there.”
“Help!” I shrieked. I wasn’t messing around anymore. I twisted to run, my fingers finding my cellphone in my purse. I wrenched it out so hard that the slick metal flew from my grip. I dove for it as it clattered across the hard dirt. My hands weren’t cooperating, but my lungs sure were. “Somebod—!” The rest of my screams cut off with an “urp.”
A rough hand slapped against my mouth. No, no, this couldn’t be happening!
My cellphone was ripped from the ground. Jessie’s went next, though he’d surrendered his with a bit more dignity, his concern only for me. I twisted to get myself free, but nothing was working.
Jessie tugged the heavy flashlight from Hunter’s grasp. “I’m going in by myself,” he said.
“Sorry, you’re not calling the shots anymore,” Hunter’s sarcastic lilting voice echoed through the dark graveyard. “I’m sure you can understand my new distrust. It’s really sad actually. I used to be such a wide-eyed innocent, thought when people gave their word that it actually meant something.” He made an impatient gesture at the man holding me and I felt my toes scrape through the frozen grass to the tomb.
