by K P Stafford
As soon as he spotted her, he came around the counter, his arms spread wide. “My dear Miss Lexi. Give this old man a hug. How are you?”
“I’m good. At least I think I’m good. There’s so much going on right now that it’s hard to catch my breath.”
He released her from his embrace and looked into her eyes. “Oh yes, the wedding plans. How is that coming along?”
Emotions welled up inside Lexi. “As much as I’m ready to enjoy our big day, the plans have kinda reached a stand-still. This new investigation is so overwhelming and emotional.”
He reached out and rubbed her arm. “Don’t forget to focus on the good things in life, too. The wedding will happen when it’s the right time.”
“I know. It’s just so hard right now. And we need to figure out who killed Shirley, so we can get back to normal and focus on the good stuff.”
“I understand. What can I help you with?”
“I hate to ask, but it is an investigation and we have to check every possible lead. We’ve talked to Dell Chimay, and he’s been working on a secret project. Can you tell me about the purchases he’s made lately?”
“Yes, I keep all sales records. Since he has an account with us, all of his purchases are logged into his account.”
“That’s great.”
“Are you looking for anything specific?”
She couldn’t tell him they suspected the man could have burned Shirley, or maybe even started fires at the cemetery, but she needed to know if he’d bought stuff to start a fire with. “Well, I can’t really discuss details, but I also need to know if anyone has purchased flammable materials lately. There was some vandalism at the cemetery. It’s probably not related, but since I’m here, I might as well find out what I can on that case, too.”
“There was a kid in here about a week ago. He was asking about liquids that could be burned. I couldn’t sell to him, of course, because of his age. He said it was for a school project, but it did strike me as odd.”
“Who was it?”
“I didn’t recognize him. He talked like he’s from around here, but I’d never seen him before.”
Lexi looked around. “I don’t suppose you have security cameras?”
“There’s a few, but they only cover certain areas of the store. I can give you what footage I have. Maybe he crossed in front of one of them.”
“That’d be great.”
Lexi left the hardware store with a stack of purchase invoices, a few descriptions of people that had bought specific items and no more answers than she had before. Melvin gave her a good description of the kid, so if he was on any of the surveillance footage, he’d be easy to spot. The more she thought about it, the more she decided they needed to find out who this kid was. If he was responsible for the fires and destruction at the cemetery, he could very well be responsible for Shirley’s death. Maybe he’d been trying to rob her, and everything else was a mere coincidence.
Lexi shared her thoughts with John. He agreed that the kid could be a likely suspect.
“Do you think all of this could be about a robbery and not even about that Cryptex or town secrets.”
“That would be a relief.” John said, “But we can’t let our guard down where that thing is concerned. It may not be linked to anything. Unfortunately, it has come to the surface, and we need to solve that mystery, even if it’s not related to the vandalism or Shirley’s death.
Lexi spent the afternoon going through the security video footage that Melvin had turned over to her.
21
Peyton and Lexi got together after work to look over the enhanced pages. Peyton had taken it on herself to study up on runes to find out what they meant and how they could relate to the case.
Peyton poured two cups of tea. “I’ve been looking over that paper,” she said as she set the two cups down on the table. “It seems that one of those symbols, the one shaped like an R, is called Raidho, and it means the journey is the destination.” She pointed to the other one, “This one that looks like a C means the student surpasses the teacher. It’s called Kenaz.”
Lexi took a sip of the tea. “It’s awfully cryptic, isn’t it.”
“It is, but I’m guessing that someone who has more knowledge of these things probably understands the deeper meanings.”
“What about this other shape?” Lexi asked, pointing to the diagram. “I’ve seen it before, on TV shows and stuff.”
“It’s called a triquetra. In some cultures, it symbolizes a triple goddess or something, but it could also indicate the holy trinity.”
“I have a gut feeling that my ancestor used it more for this goddess thing. If he was a good guy, why would the whole town try to hide and bury everything related to him?” Lexi said as she set the cup of tea on the table.
“That’s what I’ve been wondering. Don’t worry though, we’ll find out.”
Lexi stood up and walked over to the patio doors. “I’m not real sure I want to find out. Maybe he wasn’t a very nice man.”
“I can understand your reluctance. I don’t think I’d want to know either.”
“But, on the other hand, people have been killed over whatever secrets are hidden behind those symbols. The sooner we do find out, the sooner we can solve this case and it can’t hurt us anymore. That doesn’t stop my fear though.” She looked out the window. “Who’s that kid out there with Charlie?” She asked, looking down into Peyton’s garden.
Peyton walked over and stood beside Lexi. “Oh, that’s Bobby. He lives up at the old mining community.”
“What’s that? Where is that? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Some of our grandparents worked in a mine. When it collapsed and they couldn’t work it anymore, several people decided to stay there instead of moving back to town. They’ve built this community up there, but it’s more like a ghost town. I think most of the people still live in one room shacks like they did all those years ago.”
“Really? It sounds awful.”
“I think it is. But Charlie goes up there and talks to the people. They don’t really like outsiders, but since he wasn’t actually raised in town either, they trust him.”
Lexi watched Charlie and the kid pull dead flowers and weeds out of the garden. Something about his appearance bothered her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “The kid seems to like flowers.”
“Yes, he’s very good with them. I’m glad Charlie is helping him get used to people and being in town.”
“How long has he been coming into town?”
“A few months, I guess. He helps keep the flowers pruned back. He even likes to take the ones that are still good with him when he leaves.”
“That’s it!” Lexi gasped.
“That’s what?”
“The fresh flowers at the cemetery. They’re from your garden. He’s the one putting them there.”
“You think so?”
“I can’t be sure, but all the plastic flowers had been removed from the graves and burned. Some of the residents called after the vandalism story hit the news and reported that plastic flowers were missing from their loved ones headstones, but that fresh flowers were in their place.” Lexi took in a deep breath. “And this kid may be our little pyro. I have to talk to him.”
Peyton grabbed her arm. “You can’t do that.”
Lexi glared at Peyton, trying to figure out why she was keeping her from talking to the boy. “Why not?”
“Because, he’s still afraid of people. You could scare him off and he’d never want to come back into town.”
“But I have to find out if he’s the one that set those fires and vandalized the mausoleum.”
“We will find out, but we’ll have Charlie question him.”
Lexi looked back at the kid again. “Are you sure? It goes against what I’ve learned about investigating, and we need those answers soon.”
“Trust me, I know a lot about dealing with kids. I will have Charlie talk to him when he takes him back to the mini
ng camp later this evening.”
Lexi smiled, “You definitely know how to handle kids better than I do, so I’m going to trust your gut on this one. I need to let John know, though.” Lexi said as she pulled out her cellphone and punched in John’s speed dial code.
After the phone call she zoomed her camera phone in on the kid and snapped a picture. It didn’t hurt to have a visual so she could show John the following morning. Maybe he even knew the kid since he’d been here all his life.
For such a tiny town, it sure did seem to have a lot of secrets and things people had forgotten about. That was understandable, all communities forget their past history. But Cryptic Cove had gone to great lengths to not only forget, but to hide it as well. She had to keep digging, even though her gut told her she wouldn’t like what she’d discover about the Danforth man. If he was evil, could that same evil be in her blood? Chills ran through her body at the thought. She tried to push it out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it, and figured she was jumping to conclusions and making too many speculations. It was best to focus on Shirley’s death and find out what this kid knew about it and the fires. Her heart sank as she thought about where this case could be going. Surely someone that young couldn’t burn a woman to rob her, but Lexi knew all too well that bad things were sometimes done by young kids. If he was guilty, the news could shake this town to it’s very core. In a lot of ways it was like a fairytale town. The majority of people were kind and loving, the children were pleasant. Even the bratty kids had a sense of caring for others. If a young kid like this could do something so heinous and purposefully, what kind of message would that send to the other kids?
22
Lexi got home a little late that evening and headed straight for her room. Flopping on her bed was a welcome relief. It had been a long, hard day and she needed a few minutes to unwind. She leaned back against the headboard and stared at herself in the mirror across the room. She looked tired. The thought occurred that she even looked old.
She glanced at her mom’s tarot cards. She kept them on the dresser as a reminder. She’d never spent much time with them or even put much stock into them. Grams had said they were like a tool, a bit like affirmations or getting a sign.
She stood up, walked over to the dresser and grabbed the deck. Sitting back on the bed, she pulled them out of the box and kinda shuffled through them, mostly thinking about her mom and how much she missed her, but also about everything that was going on. The stuff Peyton and she were discovering wasn’t much, but it left her feeling like something wasn’t right.
She took a deep breath and pulled one of the cards out of the deck. “Okay card, tell me what I’m missing. I sure can’t figure it out.”
She plopped the card down on the bed. A guy carrying some swords. “Well that doesn’t seem to fit the situation, does it? Unless someone is robbing the local knife shop.” She giggled at how silly it sounded. She dug into the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the book on tarot cards that Grams had given her and quickly flipped to the Seven of Swords page and started reading. Her mouth fell open. The card did fit. This card represented deception, betrayal and secret plans. It didn’t give her any more to go on, but that was definitely what the town seemed to be up against.
It was crazy and left her with even more questions, so she packed the cards back into the box and returned them to the dresser. The closet door was slightly ajar so she walked over to it. Maybe Grams had put some of her laundry away and didn’t close it all the way. She peeked inside to check. Her eyes were drawn to her mom’s old hat box. The one she had discovered right after the death of her parents. She hadn’t pulled it out in a long time. Everything had gotten so busy in her life that she didn’t feel the need to look back at the past. But now, maybe it was time. She pulled it out and settled down on the bed with it.
As she dug through the various papers, at the bottom of the box was an old file folder. Odd, it looked similar to the ones she’d gotten from the library. She pulled it out and opened it. Her heart skipped a few beats. It was a file from Cryptic Cove. Why did my mother have it? How did she even get it? She read through the file. Was this why my father moved us out of Cryptic Cove? She headed downstairs to talk to Grams. It was time Grams finally came clean and told her the truth.
23
Grams decided to hold a special meeting at her home. She invited the locals she’d grown up with whose families had been in the town since its inception. She also insisted that Lexi, Jake, Peyton and Charlie be there as well. With Lexi finding one of the town’s files in her mom’s old hat box, she felt it was necessary that everyone pooled their resources and knowledge.
Grams’ living room was full of familiar faces, Mavis Clark, Ms. Jensen, the Hill family, Mrs. Drake and a few others that kept to themselves on the outskirts of town that Lexi didn’t know all that well. She only knew of them from town events and the gossip train that rang her up every morning.
The town’s people had more or less formed little groups, several of them whispering about what the meeting was about and why the constable wasn’t out looking for Shirley’s killer. Grams finally stopped fussing over getting everyone served refreshments and called the meeting to order.
“I know you’re all wondering why I’ve called this meeting, and maybe it seems pointless when we should be looking for Shirley’s killer. But, I believe we need to pool our knowledge and work together. All of us here,” she said as she looked around the room, “have lived here all of our lives. Our ancestors started this town around the time of the Salem witch trials. As children, we made up stories and whispered about secrecy. I’m sure your parents, like mine, reminded you that we didn’t talk about such things. The past was best left buried.”
Everyone agreed and a few voiced that they’d been told the same thing by their parents or grandparents.
Grams continued, “Well, the time has come that we remember all those old stories. Even the ones we thought were just fairy tales or bedtime stories. We need to find out what this town is hiding that is worth killing over. Buried secrets have a way of coming back to haunt us. I’m sure our parents and grandparents thought it was best, but someone has remembered something, or dug something up, and they are now trying to destroy our small community. Shirley paid a dear price for what she concealed. We can’t let her death be in vain.”
Jasper Hill spoke up, “What are you talking about? What was Shirley hiding?”
Grams reached in her pocket and pulled out a picture to pass around. “She had this in her hand when she died. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of it as a child, or maybe I saw the real thing and don’t remember. But, this is the object that is causing all the trouble. We need to find out what it is and why it’s worth dying for.”
“As the oldest here, Velda, I can tell you I haven’t thought of those old stories since I was a child. How can you expect us to remember?” Gertie Hill asked.
Jasper Hill turned to Gertie, “Mother, I remember you telling me stories as a child. I know it’s been a long time, but maybe you can remember something.”
“You know my memory isn’t what it used to be. That’s why I moved up to Hayden’s Ridge.”
“I know, Mother, but in a lot of ways, you’re still sharp as a tack. Maybe if you can remember some little something, it’ll spark some memories for the rest of us.”
Lexi looked at Gertie and Jasper. “That’s an excellent idea. They teach that in psychology classes. It’s similar to word association. Maybe it would help if you all focused on some event from your childhood, something you experienced together. A county fair or something like that.”
“For goodness sakes, that was over fifty years ago. We were just children.” Mrs. Drake rebuked.
“I know, but the elders told us to remember when we got older. How have we gotten so lax in all these years. Our weekly card game used to include discussions about the things hidden. Now the hidden has become the forgotten.” Grams looked at each one of them.
�
��Apparently someone hasn’t forgotten about the hidden, and they are going to great lengths to make sure this town’s secrets are uncovered.” Agatha added.
“Well, we probably shouldn’t have buried them, but we never expected any of this to come back to haunt us.” Grams said as she looked at her sister.
“I didn’t even think it was real. I thought the elders were just paranoid and had overactive imaginations.” Gertie said after a short silence. “I realize I’m the grandparent here, but my parents were hiding things too.”
“It has come back to haunt us. We know it’s real now, or at least someone believes it is. That’s why it’s so important for us to remember.” Ms. Jensen said as she reached into her bag. “I didn’t want anyone to know, but I have some of the missing files from the library. I’d started removing them, little by little, when I knew it was getting close to my retirement. Shirley had said something to me back then, so I thought it was best if they were kept in a more secure place, considering we didn’t know who would take my place as librarian.”
Mavis Clark pinched her eyebrows together. “Since Decatur Williams took over and made changes on her own without consulting anyone, it's just a mess. She's completely destroyed the system Ms. Jensen had in place."
Everyone glanced over at Ms. Jensen. She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap and then opened her mouth to speak. "I agree her methods are unconventional, but don't we have to be willing to roll with the times and accept some new ways?"
"There's nothing wrong with the old ways," spouted Mavis Clark. "I am a firm believer in 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' and there was nothing broken in the old system. Just because the whole country is going to this digital madness mess doesn't mean we have to." She crossed her arms over her chest, staring a hole into Ms. Jensen. "And you of all people are defending it. You believe in the printed word as much as I do, so what's up with you rolling with the times?"
