Hearts of Grey Read online

  “Yes, I did. A lot, and I’m convinced that I did the right thing,” she told him.

  “So we’re supposed to just sweep everything under the table and pretend it never happened, right?” he asked.

  “I never said that you had to do anything. You can forgive her if you want to, but I did what I thought was right. And I am not going to stand here and get yelled at for doing what I thought was right,” she told him in a very loud and harsh voice.

  “Okay, calm down. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Okay? But If you really did what you thought was right, well, then I guess I’ll just have to accept it. Okay? I just hope this doesn’t blow up in your face, is all,” he said.

  She turned to face him. “So you’re not mad at me then?” she asked.

  “No, I could never be really mad at you for anything, but here’s the deal. If we are to be a couple, most likely a married couple someday, would it not be wise to consult each other on things that could affect us both? You say that you did this because you thought that it was the right thing to do. Okay, I’ll buy that. I might not agree with it, but what is done is done, and we’re stuck with it. But for now on, let’s talk things over before either one of us does anything that we might regret. Okay?” he explained to her.

  “That, my dear sir, is a deal that we both can handle. I guess I should have told you before I did it, but something this morning just told me to do it, and I did. Still love me, don’t ya?” she asked.

  He hugged her and gave her a great big kiss.

  “Of course, I still love—” his voice stopped dead in its tracks as his eyes caught something that he had never seen before. “Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch!” he muttered as his eyes became fixed on what he saw.

  “Mike? What’s wrong?” she asked as she turned to look at what he was staring at. “What are you looking at that has you all messed up?”

  He looked down at her and took his two hands and turned her head upward toward the attic window of the house.

  “Well, do you see it?” he asked.

  “All I see is a window. Are you out of your mind? A window is just another window,” she proclaimed to him.

  “Not when the window has a diamond in the center of it, it isn’t,” he told her softly into her ear.

  At that, her vision became fixed on the upper left-hand attic window. And there, it was a diamond. Her head turned to the other windows of the house. Yet, this was the only one with a diamond in it.

  “Do you think that’s the diamond in the riddle? The key to where the treasure is buried?” she asked.

  “Go get your dad. We’ll let him decide. But, yes, I think it is. Hurry,” he told her, but she was already gone.

  A few minutes later, Katie was half dragging a half-dressed Grady outside.

  “What’s all of this ruckus about a dang burn diamond in the window. Woke me up from a nap to show me a darn window. Damn kids won’t let an old man sleep. Okay now that you’ve dragged me outside, what in the hell are you talking about?” he asked in a very unpleasant tone.

  Katie and Mike pointed the diamond out to Grady. His attitude took on a whole new demeanor. “Well I’ll be damned. Well, what in the hell are we doing out here? Let’s go have a look-see,” he told them as he started running toward the house.

  As Katie and Mike ran after him, Mike yelled, “I didn’t know your dad could run!”

  “Neither did I,” she said as they flew through the front door and up the stairs to the third floor. When they got to the door that lead to the attic, Grady stopped.

  “Hang on there. Got to catch my breath. I ain’t no spring chicken no more, I reckon,” he said in between his loss of breath.

  Mike and Katie were both bent over with their hands on their knees. Their chests were heaving in and out.

  “If he ain’t a spring chicken, then what does that make us?” Katie asked.

  “I’d rather not know to tell ya the truth of the matter,” he answered.

  Grady slowly opened the door that lead to the attic. Several boxes blocked their way to the window. But those were soon moved, and now they stood there, looking out the window.

  “Okay now, let’s see. The riddle says squares turned to diamonds. How do you turn a square into a diamond?” Grady asked.

  “Isn’t a square a diamond that’s been turned sideways?” Katie answered.

  “Right, but how do we turn a whole window. And shouldn’t we be turning a square to be a diamond?” he asked.

  “Wait a minute, look at this house. Every window has squares. But this is the only window that has a diamond in it. So what if you turned your head to look through the diamond?” Mike said as he tried to turn his head. He soon realized that that wasn’t going to work, not at all. Then he had an idea. “Katie, can you find me a metal coat hanger please?” he asked.

  “Okay, I think?” she said as she left the attic.

  “Just what are you thinking? Might I ask?” Grady asked.

  “Hang on one second, and I’ll show you.”

  Katie soon returned and handed him the hanger. Mike went about bending the hanger to match the exact shape of the diamond-shaped piece of glass.

  “If you can’t bend the whole window, we’ll just turn the diamond,” he told them as he turned the wire diamond into the shape of a square.

  “Great, now what?” Katie asked with a hint of disappointment to her voice.

  “Wait a second. Let me see that,” Grady told Mike, and he gave it to him. Grady took the wire square and placed it against the smooth pane of glass that surrounded the diamond. As he slowly slid it across the glass, he soon realized that objects or landmarks in the adjacent hills surrounding Matterson House soon fell in to the diamond. But when the diamond lined up with the grassy knoll that was up on the hill behind the town, it lined up almost perfectly.

  “Well I’ll be! Look at this!” Grady told them.

  Mike and Katie both stared in amazement.

  “Mike, isn’t that the grassy area where we were. Remember I asked you why nothing grew there? The place with all of the—”

  “Gopher holes,” Mike and Katie said at the same time.

  Mike took the wire off of the window and peered through the diamond pane itself. He had to turn his head to line it up, but it fit perfectly.

  “Bingo! X marks the spot,” he said with a smile.

  “You mean we were lying—I mean, sitting on top of the treasure, and it was right beneath us? That’s too weird,” she said.

  “Well, it wasn’t only us. People have been using that spot for necking for years,” Mike stopped and looked at Grady. “Not that we were . . . Katie and I . . . weren’t necking . . . sir,” he told him as he realized his mistake.

  “So you did finally get around to kissing her, did ya? Took ya long enough. Hell, in my day, well, I guess we’ll just be leaving that for another day, shall we?” he said. They all laughed.

  Down below in the driveway, Melissa brought her car to a stop. She had the door opened before the car was completely stopped.

  Grady opened the window and yelled down to her.

  “Hey, Melissa!” he yelled.

  She looked around without looking up.

  “Up here, in the attic!” he yelled. This time, she looked up.

  “Hey, I’ve got some news for ya! Stay there! I’m coming up!” she yelled back to him.

  In the time it took her to climb the stairs, they had all decided not to tell her anything. Not yet anyways.

  When she reached the door of the attic, she was winded too. “Grady, you really need an elevator,” she told him.

  “Yeah, we found that out the same way that you did. So what did you find out at the library?” he asked her.

  “Okay, I was right. This isn’t the original Matterson House. The original house was much smaller. The original house was completely built, but they couldn’t dig the well because it was solid rock. So either they were going to have to carry water to the house on a daily basis, or they could move the ho
use to a better location. And they did just that. Now you’re never going to believe where the original house was located,” she told them.

  Grady just smiled. “Come over to the window,” he told her.

  She threw all of them a dirty look.

  “Go ahead, sis. Go to the window,” Mike told her.

  “Yeah, come on. Just listen to us,” Katie told her.

  “All of you are up to something I can tell,” she said as she slowly approached the window.

  “Now, just turn your head this way and look only through the diamond and tell me what you see,” Grady told her as he stepped out of the way.

  She did as she was asked to do. She took a first look, then a second look. Then she turned a glance toward Grady.

  “This is fantastic, but how did you figure it out?” she asked.

  “Your brother did it,” Grady answered.

  “My brother? He figured it out?” she asked, throwing Michael a very surprised look. “You did this?” she asked.

  “Well, yeah, but it was more like all of us together,” he told her.

  “Well, I have some more information regarding that property. Would you like to guess who owns that very valuable piece of real estate?” she asked them.

  “Please don’t say Barnes,” Mike told her.

  “No, but speaking of Barnes, Katie, you and I need to talk. But the owner of that little piece of grass is none other than you, Grady,” she told him.

  “Me? I never bought that piece of land,” he told her.

  “Oh, but you did. In fact, you actually own a lot more than you might think. Because when you purchased it, I understand that you did through an agent or by mail?” she asked.

  “I contacted the bank by mail. I told them that I was interested in buying the Matterson homestead,” he told her.

  “Exactly. And that’s what’s listed in the county records. However, since you bought the homestead, and not just the house, you actually get the entire homestead which is listed as one thousand acres, three houses including this one, two ponds, two creeks, and that little piece of grass overlooking the city. But would you like to know why you weren’t informed of this little bit of information?” she asked.

  “Okay, I’ll ask,” Katie said.

  “Because under an agreement with the bank, the Barnes get free use of their home until it was sold. And their home is part of the Matterson homestead. Ain’t that icing on the cake?” she told them.

  “Well, we need to tell you something about Susie,” Mike told her.

  “I already know. I was there,” she answered.

  “You were there? But I didn’t—”

  “See me. Nope, I guess you didn’t. I was down the hall in public records when I saw you go into the courtroom,” Melissa told her. “So I snuck in just to watch. I got a whole lot more than I bargained for.”

  “Then you know why I did what I did?” Katie asked.

  “Katie, a lot of people just say what they believe. But they never have the backbone to back it up. You did, and I support you in that. Your convictions are set in stone, my dear. And you refuse to budge from them even a little. I had more respect for you today in court than I have ever had in myself, let alone someone else. And if my brother doesn’t marry you before you slip away, I’m going to physically kick his butt,” she told her as she threw her brother a dirty, demanding look.

  “Thank you, Melissa, that means more to me than you’ll ever know,” she told her as she threw her arms around her neck, and the two of them hugged each other.

  “Okay, I just realized that I’m only half dressed here, and I’m catching a slight chill, so you two can hug away. Mike, could I interest you in a beer?” he asked.

  “Did you say a beer? What happened to the ice tea?” he asked.

  “Hey, I just found out I own a bunch of land. Forget the ice tea for now. Right now, I want a beer,” Grady replied.

  “Okay, I’d love to join you for a beer,” Mike answered back.

  “Just wait a damn second, you two. The treasure, we know where it is! Let’s go get it!” Katie yelled at Grady and Mike who stopped and turned to stare at her.

  “Katie, calm down—” Mike started to say before Katie cut him off.

  “I won’t calm down. We’ve been working on this a hell of a lot longer than you have. I can’t believe that we’re not down there digging it up right now,” she explained.

  “Katie, lower your voice. We’re right here. There’s no need to yell. If you want us to go dig it up right now, we will. Without question. But first, I want you to answer two questions. Okay, just two questions and we’ll all trot our butts out there and dig to your heart’s content. Is that fair?” Grady asked his daughter.

  “Okay fine. What’s the questions?” she asked in a very sarcastic tone.

  “Remember the other night when you told me that both of you thought you were being watched. Remember that?” Grady asked her.

  “Yeah, what about it?” she asked.

  “We’re being watched right now,” Grady told all of them.

  “Where?” Mike was the first to ask.

  “Look across the field. Next to the big oak. See it?” he asked as they all stared out the window at the big oak.

  “I don’t see anything, just something flashing. What is that?” Melissa asked.

  “Well either it’s a squirrel wearing jewelry, or that’s the sun reflecting off of a spy scope or binoculars. I noticed it around the place at different locations about a day or two before Katie told me that the both of you thought that you were being watched,” he told them.

  “So what are you going to do, just leave him out there?” Mike asked.

  “Don’t make one ounce of difference to me if he sits out there all day or all night if he wants to,” Grady replied.

  “And what was the second question?” Katie asked.

  “Oh, yeah, if we were to go out and dig it up, considering it was brought here in at least six wagons, what would you suggest that we do with it then?”

  “Katie, it’s been there that long. No reason to rush into things now, okay? It ain’t going anywhere. Relax. Now about that beer, Michael?” Grady asked.

  “Right behind ya,” Mike said as the two men left the room.

  “Melissa?” asked Katie.

  “Yeah, what’s up, hon?” he asked.

  “Did I just yell at my dad and Mike too?” she asked.

  “Sure did,” Melissa told her.

  “Oh my god! I’ve never yelled at my daddy before, never. And poor Mike, oh, God, I can’t believe I yelled at him too. And all over some stupid treasure,” Katie told her in as very soft subdued voice.

  “Katie, it’s okay. They understand. We’re all excited about the treasure. You just lost it, that’s all. Me, I’m more freaked out knowing someone is out there watching us. That’s creepy,” Melissa explained.

  “Well, if you promise not to tell, we could have a little fun with him. Give him something to look at, if you know what I mean?” Katie asked.

  Melissa took one look out the window then at Katie. “You don’t mean two moons over Savannah, do ya?” she asked.

  “Hell yeah, why not?” Katie replied.

  “You’re on! Bare? Of course, bare! What was I thinking?” she said. Both girls pulled their undergarments down around their ankles and placed themselves in front of the window. When Katie said okay, both ladies pulled their skirts up and flashed their bare asses at the person across the field. They were laughing so hard neither of them heard Mike come back into the room.

  “Is this a private showing?” he asked.

  Both of them suddenly stood up.

  “What? We weren’t doing anything,” Katie said as she tried to keep a straight face. Melissa wasn’t helping as she was giggling as hard as Katie was.

  Mike just smiled as he looked at these two grown ladies with their undergarments still around their ankles. Mike kind of pointed to them, and they both realized it at the same time and stooped to pull
them back up.

  “You won’t tell Daddy, will you? Please I’m sorry that I yelled at you,” Katie pleaded.

  “What? I didn’t see a thing. So would you, ladies, like some ice tea or, better yet, some moonshine?” he asked as he turned and laughed, walking from the attic. “I just kill myself!” he said out loud as he walked down the hallway.

  Golden Double Eagles and Skeletons Too

  Katie didn’t know about the others, but she hadn’t slept a wink last night. Everything, the treasure, the person watching them, those horses, everything, all made it nearly impossible to sleep. And while she had little or no sleep, she was surprised to see how much energy she had.

  Today was the day that they were going to make sure the treasure was really there. They had all talked last night and came up with a plan. Grady was going to the bank. Since it was agreed that the person in the woods was most likely Barnes, Grady would go there and keep him busy for one full hour. One hour should be long enough to break through into the cellar and see what’s there. Melissa and Katie would keep a watchful eye as Mike would go down into whatever you wanted to call it. It was in fact the basement from the original Matterson House, but it was also the resting spot for the treasure for over ninety years, so it was a vault as well. But never in their wildest dreams did they ever consider it a tomb. And a tomb was what it was indeed.

  After locating the weakest spot in the ground with a pole, the dirt was slid aside and the boards covering the hole for the past ninety years were moved over just enough to allow Mike to go down and take a look.

  The flashlight that he held gave off an eerie glow among the darkness. Shadows seemed to cast shadows on shadows. This was by far worse than the cave, he thought to himself. Nearly ninety years of rain that had made its way into the vault had taken its toll. The air was still and quiet, yet there was an overpowering smell of mildew and decay. At several different locations through the vault, several beams of sunlight shone down into the hole. These were where people had stepped onto a weak spot and almost fell through. Everyone thought that they were just gopher holes. But even with the scattered beams of light, the vault was still very dark. What made it worse was the fact that he was alone or at least he was the only person in there that was still alive. At first, Mike was only interested in the many boxes that were so neatly stacked on top of each other. He tried to lift one. It was heavy. As he tried to lift it again, it fell apart in his hands, its contents spilling out onto the floor. At first, he just cussed beneath his breath. But as the light of the flashlight shone down on the contents of the box, his heart started to race. Maybe a hundred or so of the double-eagle gold coins sparkled in the light.