Paranormal Mystery Boxset Books 1-3: Legends of Treasure

by Lois D. Brown

  They felt warm. Strong. Amazing. Exhilaration shot through Maria like a bolt of electricity.

  He was holding her hand. He’d done it. He’d reached out to her. He still felt something—even in his pain and confusion he wanted her near.

  She gently rubbed her thumb back and forth a few times on his recently washed and dried hand.

  “I have a trick for headaches that involves no medication whatsoever. Interested?”

  Rod raised an eyebrow. “Does it involve chocolate?”

  Maria laughed. “It most certainly could, but we can do without in a pinch. It would involve me joining you on the bed—I’d need a few inches.”

  “Oh, is that right?” said Rod, keeping his tone light and joking, but his eyes showed reservation.

  “No funny business involved. This is a hospital, and I do have a reputation of police chief to keep up.”

  “You say it will get rid of my headache?”

  “No, but it might get rid of your headache, and it would definitely be better than listening to the news.” Maria pushed the off button on the remote.

  “Okay, I guess,” said Rod, a tired edge to his voice.

  His response was less eager than Maria had hoped, but he hadn’t flat out said “no.” That was progress.

  Rod scooted over on the bed to make a spot for Maria. She gingerly sat next to him but didn’t cozy up as she would have done two weeks ago.

  “First you need to close your eyes.” Maria waited for him to follow her instructions.

  Rod glanced around the room before allowing his head to lean back and his eyelids droop.

  “Breathe deeply, taking in air all the way to your abdomen.”

  Rod opened his mouth and inhaled. A few moments later he exhaled, releasing the air in a long “swoosh.”

  “Feel the mattress below your legs, supporting your back, holding you firm. Recognize the areas where it touches your body. Focus on that sensation.” The more Maria talked, the more relaxed Rod became. Maria watched as his fists unclenched and shoulders slouched inward. His body sunk deeper into the bed, visibly calmer.

  “Picture yourself walking down a pebbled pathway.” Maria reached out and as softly as a dandelion seed ran the very tip of one finger across Rod’s brow, right above the eyebrows.

  Rod breathed in deeply and sighed.

  “As you walk, you hear the crunch of the rocks beneath your feet, and you feel a slight breeze on your arms, causing goosebumps to form on your skin.”

  Maria tenderly stroked down the bridge of his nose, over his lips, and onto his chin. Goosebumps burst onto his forearms.

  Maria continued to lightly touch his face, passing by his temples and hairline. She leaned in closer, dropping the level of her voice to a whisper. “The sun’s rays break free from a cloud and fall directly on you, warming every inch of your body. The top of your head. The back of your neck. Your shoulders. Your arms.”

  His goosebumps disappeared.

  Rod was a quick study in relaxation. His chest rose up and down in a regular rhythm. His jaw had loosened, allowing his mouth to be slightly ajar, freely letting air into his lungs.

  Maria continued to take Rod down the pebbled path, now lined with green bushes that got taller and taller. Ahead of him, he saw an old fashioned wooden door with its brass hinges and skeleton keyhole. It called to him. Softy. A gentle coaxing to come inside and leave the world behind.

  Maria delicately touched the outer edge of his ear, and traced one lobe, then the other. “Take the key hanging around your neck and use it to unlock the weathered door. You hear a click, and the hinges creak softly as it opens. Take another deep breath and …”

  All of a sudden, Rod’s hand was in her hair, pulling her toward him. Her face was next to his, so close that each time he exhaled hot air warmed her skin. He hesitated for a moment.

  Maria’s breath caught. What would he do?

  And then, with his eyes still closed, he found her lips and caressed them gently with his own, as softly as she had been touching his face earlier.

  Maria’s stomach felt like it might tear in two from the pent up desire she’d been keeping down inside of her. She hadn’t wanted to rush him. She still didn’t. But this was all him. And she let him take the lead.

  Rod’s other hand found the middle of Maria’s back. Pulling her to him, he brought her whole body closer. His lips pressed firmly against hers, and a deep kiss followed, one that reminded Maria of what she loved so much about the way he made her feel.

  The room could have been a football stadium full of roaring fans and Maria wouldn’t have noticed. She relished every sensation she felt in Rod’s arms. He kissed her again, just as deeply and this time longer. While it was not nearly as insistent as the kiss the morning of the beautiful sunrise in the Superstitions, it held passion.

  Maria responded eagerly.

  After too short of a time, Rod released her twisted hair from his fingers. His hand dropped to her shoulder where he gave a slight push upward, ending the kiss. Maria reluctantly lifted her face to look Rod in the eyes.

  An impish grin formed on his face. “Thanks,” he said, “my headache is definitely much better.”

  “You’re welcome.” Maria smiled and sat back up.

  Rod closed his eyes again and resumed his rested, tranquil position, keeping one hand on Maria’s leg. Maria didn’t leave the bed but stayed next to his side, watching over him until he fell asleep.

  Yes, Rod had hesitated.

  Yes, he’d held back some.

  Yes, their moment together was shorter than Maria had hoped.

  But at least there had been a moment—one of tenderness. Of wanting. He still had feelings for her. That much she knew.

  For a long while Maria watched as Rod’s chest rose up and down with each breath. His face for the moment was serene. Peaceful.

  Everything she didn’t feel. Something had been building up inside of her with volcanic force. If she didn’t let it out on her own terms, it might explode from within.

  “Rod?” she whispered.

  He didn’t stir.

  “Rod?” she asked again, this time a little louder.

  Nothing.

  Marie moved closer. A sharp pain lanced its way through her insides.

  She could barely swallow around the large mass of fear gathering in her throat.

  Hands shaking. Eye muscles twitching. She might as well have been about to jump off a one hundred foot cliff.

  No. That would be much easier than this.

  “Rod,” she said again, her voice halting and raspy. “I want you to know that I—”

  She stopped, took another deep breath, and squeezed her fists together. By sheer determination she forced the words out of her mouth.

  “Rod, I love you.”

  She didn’t know what to expect. She’d never said those words to anyone except her parents. One worry was that vulnerability would result in an eruption of panic, embarrassment, and weakness. Instead, the dread and anxiety that had been plaguing her lifted. She exhaled slowly and released her fingers which had dug deep imprints of her nails into the soft flesh of her palms.

  Rod didn’t respond. He didn’t even stir. Her words had fallen on exhausted ears.

  But the universe knew.

  More importantly, Maria knew.

  And for today …

  For now …

  It was enough.

  RIDDLES THAT KILL

  LEGENDS OF TREASURE BOOK 3

  Riddles that Kill

  (Legends of Treasure Book 3)

  by Lois D. Brown

  © Lois D. Brown, 2017

  Published by Levanter Publishing, LLC

  ISBN: 978-1-940576-17-6

  www.loisdbrown.com

  Of Special Note: In this book, the quotes at the beginning of each chapter are from actual publications. However, Riddles that Kill is a work of fiction. While most of the areas in this story are actual places, the names, characters, events, and incidents are eith
er the products of the author’s imagination or based on legends. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional.

  FRESH OFF THEIR vacation-turned-disaster, Rod and Maria return to the red hills of southern Utah to discover a kidnapper is on the loose in their small town. After an abrupt falling out with Rod, Maria must bury her raw emotions to focus on saving the son of her best friend—all while solving clues to a modern-day riddle that points to a chest of valuable artifacts somehow connected to the abduction. As she and Rod struggle to regain what they once had, Maria risks her life by trusting her unproven power of Sight in a wilderness haunted by legends of a monster. Will she find the boy still alive or will she die looking?

  For Kenneth, Renae, Ralph, Max, Eldon, and Keith. Thanks for being an important part of my compass.

  PROLOGUE

  The lid was on tightly, as it should be. Even a particle of the powder inside could make a person quite sick. But the whole vial? That was enough to kill someone.

  Which was the plan, after all.

  Murdering someone wasn’t for the weak, especially when the victim was innocent. At least there would be no guns or knives. No blunt objects. Not even one drop of blood.

  Just a quick inhale of the purified ricin powder and the deed would be done.

  One simple whiff.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kanab Creek is one of the many tributaries of the Grand Canyon. It flows through the Kaibab Indian Reservation of the Paiute people before its mouth in the Grand Canyon National Park. The valley of Kanab Creek was settled by … the Anasazi Indians. Ruins of their buildings and artifacts are found along its course.

  “KANAB CREEK,” FROM WIKIPEDIA, HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/KANAB_CREEK

  Pretending to be repulsed, Maria scooped up the wiggly tadpole with its overly large head and flattened tail. “Tell me again why you like these?” she asked eight-year-old Justin Hill, the oldest child of her best friend, Beth.

  The freckled, scrawny-armed boy rolled his eyes. “Cause they’re cool. If you put ‘em in a glass bottle they turn into frogs.”

  “Ahhh. I see your point.” A flashback to her own childhood reminded Maria that anything grown in a jar was pretty awesome—butterflies, sea monkeys, mold . . . hmmm . . . okay, maybe not mold.

  “Hey, look at that one.” Justin pointed to a particularly large pollywog crazily moving back and forth in the rust-colored Kanab creek water. “It’s huge.”

  “Definitely worthy of your collection.” Maria opened up the top of the gallon-size Ziploc bag that held Justin’s efforts for the last twenty minutes. He slipped his latest catch inside.

  While Justin busily increased his tadpole collection, Beth’s other two children, Brenna and Zach, hurled fist-sized rocks into patches of thin mud near the creek’s edge. They squealed hysterically each time the muck swallowed up the rock with a popping bloop.

  With wet sand in between her toes and the warmth of the sun on her face, Maria basked in the realization she had nothing else to do but watch Beth’s kids for the weekend while Beth and her husband were in Salt Lake at a hair show. So far it had been easy. Of course, it was only 11 a.m. Saturday morning. She still had a day and a half left. But the creek had kept the kids busy for two hours. If she’d had the forethought to bring food, they could have stayed all day—barefoot and covered head to toe with red mud that clung to their arms and legs like glops of fresh cement.

  But Maria hadn’t brought food and her stomach growled its disapproval. “Okay, guys,” Maria called out, “time to go.”

  “Noooo!” wailed Zach, who was only six.

  “Don’t you want to get an ice cream cone?” Maria asked.

  Zach’s pudgy cheeks widened into a smile. “Okay!”

  It was all about coercion. It worked in the CIA and apparently child rearing as well.

  “I want some, too,” said four-year-old Brenna, whose thick strawberry blonde hair was identical to Beth’s.

  “Let’s go find the car and get everyone a hamburger and a treat.” Maria handed Justin the Ziploc bag filled with murky water and swimming creatures. “This is yours to carry.”

  “Got it, Chief.”

  Maria grinned. The kid was funny. He’d told Maria he liked calling her that because it made him feel important that the chief of police was taking care of him. Personally, Maria preferred not being called by her title. After botching her final black-ops mission, she wished she never had to be in charge again. Though, to be honest, that would be hard for her micro-managing personality to take.

  Ten minutes later they’d made very little progress toward Maria’s car, parked half a mile north. The kids walked on the edge of the creek where the light-colored quicksand entertained them, enveloping their feet with gurgling, sucking noises. Each step was like wading through plaster.

  “Everybody has to walk in the middle where the ground is harder,” Maria ordered, “or we’re never going to get back.”

  “I don’t want to,” complained Zach. “There are rocks there.”

  “There’s not that many,” argued Maria. “Just step over them.”

  The kids grumbled but obeyed. Justin took the hand of his younger brother and guided him to where Maria waited. As they walked through the shallow water of the creek that curved and twisted with the natural grade of the land, Maria focused her thoughts on an extremely serious matter—should she have bacon and mayo on her hamburger, or just bacon? Really it all hinged on whether or not avocado was an option.

  “Hey, Chief?” Justin tugged on her arm.

  “Yeah?” Maria looked down at the boy’s shocked face.

  “That woman is naked.” He pointed to the right.

  “What?” Maria’s head jerked that direction.

  To the east, near the bank of the creek that ran close to Highway 89, were two figures. While there was a lot of flesh showing, they were not naked.

  A man was stripped down to his skivvies and a woman was in nothing more than a skimpy bra and thong. They smeared each other with mud as they giggled. Instinctively, Maria covered Justin’s eyes.

  He pulled her hand away.

  She shielded his vision again.

  “Come on, I’m eight,” said Justin.

  “Exactly.” Maria pulled Brenna and Zach closer to her. “Turn around, kids, and don’t look.”

  They all continued to stare exactly where she didn’t want them to.

  The man used the red mud to write something on the woman’s back. While Maria couldn’t read it from this distance, she worried the kids might be able to. Horrified, she envisioned Justin using his newfound vocabulary when his mom returned.

  The problem was, because of the tall creek banks and dangerous highway, the only safe way back to Maria’s car was by passing the scandalous couple.

  “The three of you stay here.” Maria spoke sternly to underscore that she meant business. Then, turning around, she walked toward the laughing duo.

  The couple was oblivious to Maria, and their antics escalated. The woman slapped the man on the shoulder and shouted, “You’re it.”

  The quicker Maria resolved this situation, the better.

  Squelch.

  Squerch.

  Maria turned around to see all three kids following her. “What are you doing? I told you to stay put. And Justin, close your mouth. Your jaw is hanging open.”

  “But I’m scared,” said Brenna, her bottom lip quivering.

  Maria rushed to her, squatting down to make eye-to-eye contact. “Bren, sweetie, you’re just fine. Those people are just playing games, but they need to get their clothes. Can you wait right here while I tell them that?”

  “Okay.” The young girl didn’t seem convinced.

  Maria stood back up. “I need all three of you to stay put. Okay?”

  Justin and Zach nodded. Brenna wiped at her nose and smeared more mud on her face.

  “I’ll be right back.” Maria began to turn around but stopped. “Oh, and Justin, quit staring at them. Pretend
they’re not there.”

  Brenna squeezed her eyes shut. Justin mumbled something, but Maria didn’t try to figure out what he said. More pressing matters were at hand. Like finding some much-needed clothing for the woman who was falling out of her Victoria Secret wardrobe.

  “Excuse me,” Maria called out. “I’ve got kids with me.”

  For the first time, the couple stopped frosting each other with mud and noticed Maria.

  “No thanks,” the man called back. “We don’t want any.” He burst out laughing. The woman joined in with a high-pitched staccato—an incredibly unattractive one. The pair weren’t locals. Their accent wasn’t right.

  “Listen.” Maria spoke calmly as she approached the couple. She passed a duffle bag lying on the ground that had toiletries spilling out of it. “I’m the chief of police. You ought to know a lot of kids play around here. You need to keep it G-rated. Maybe a few more clothes?”

  “We’ve got all we need. You need to loosen up, lady. And you ain’t the chief of police. We’re not that dumb. Cops don’t look like you. You’ve got yourself a pair of nice-looking—”

  Maria didn’t hear what the man said. Instead, she strained to hear if Justin, Brenna, and Zach had stayed put. She feared they hadn’t.

  The scantily clad woman swatted the man’s mud caked arm. “Hello? I’m standing right here. Don’t flirt with that lady like I’m some kind of pile of garbage.”

  The man raised his hands in defense. “I wasn’t flirting. I was just statin’ the obvious. She does have a good set of—”

  Maria spun around to find Beth’s children only a few paces behind her. She could hardly blame them. They were scared and wanted to be close. Tears fell onto Brenna’s cheeks as Justin unsuccessfully tried to wipe them off.

  “I don’t care what she does or doesn’t have,” hollered the woman, “you don’t call it out in front of me.”

  Torn between whether to stop the half-naked quarreling tourists or to comfort the scared kids, Maria had to make a decision.