Max & Me Mysteries Set

by Patricia H. Rushford

  I had an idea. “Whoever took the map must have been interested in finding the mine. Charlie told us there was a developer from California who offered $15 million. Maybe he thinks there’s still gold in it. Maybe he read about it, or Charlie told him.”

  “How would he know to look in the attic?” Cooper asked.

  “Logic?” I felt my excitement growing. “Maybe this isn’t the first time he’s been here.”

  “Do you know where the mine is?” Cooper asked Amelia.

  “I used to.” Amelia headed for the stairwell. “I might be able to find it. It’s in the foothills. There’s an old road that would take us there, but it’s probably overgrown. I haven’t been out there in years.”

  “I think we should go,” I said. “Max could have found out about it. We should see if anybody’s been there.”

  “You think Max might be in the mine?” Cooper waited for us at the stairs.

  “It’s possible.” I let Cooper give me a piggyback ride down the stairs. If we were going to look for that mine, I wanted to save my strength.

  Amelia took her keys off the hook by the door and went outside. “I wonder if I should call the sheriff to let him know where we’re going in case something happens.”

  “I have my cell phone,” I said, not wanting to waste any more time.

  “All right, then. We’ll need flashlights and jackets. Jessie, they’re in the closet in the entry. I’ll grab some snacks in case we’re out there longer than we expect. I have an emergency kit in the pickup. A couple of those silver blankets, matches, things like that.”

  “We’re only going to be out there for a couple of hours, aren’t we?” Cooper dug his hands into his pockets.

  “Hopefully we’ll be back before supper,” Amelia told him. “But my father taught me to always be prepared for anything. Living here in the mountains, you can bet I take that advice literally.”

  We got into the front seat of the pickup, with me in the middle. Instead of driving down the driveway, Amelia took us around the barn, through the pasture, and between two big lavender fields. The lavender fields ended at a large outcropping of rocks. I thought the road had ended too, but Amelia maneuvered over rocky ground and then behind the hill. The road wound around several rock-faced cliffs. Except for two narrow tracks for tires, shrubs and grass covered the flat areas.

  “You might be right, Jessie,” Amelia said. “Someone has been out here. See the berry vines? Someone has trimmed them back.”

  I looked to where she pointed, and my stomach lurched. Maybe coming out here wasn’t the best idea. Suppose the guy was here? Branches scraped the side of the truck on both sides. We’d have a hard time turning around if we needed to make a quick getaway. I took a deep breath. We’ll be okay, I told myself. I had the cell so we could call for help.

  We came into a small clearing and Amelia stopped, turned around, and aimed the pickup back the way we’d come. “I think the mine opening is just beyond this outcropping of rocks.”

  “Wow. I can’t believe you have a real mine on your property.” Cooper held the door open while I climbed out.

  “I know it sounds exciting, but I hope I can trust the two of you not to come out here snooping around, and please don’t tell anyone. Mines can be dangerous, and this one is no exception. My brother fell down a steep hole near the back of this one and broke his leg. It was the last time any of us was allowed to come here. My father boarded it up and posted a no-trespassing sign.” Amelia pulled a pack out of the back of the truck and slung it over her arm. She handed each of us a flashlight. “We’ll go in and have a look around, but only in the first chamber. It has a rock surface—like a cave. In the tunnels the wood beams are undoubtedly rotten, so no exploring there.”

  We both agreed and followed her over and around the rocks. If her grandfather had meant to hide the mine, he’d done a good job. The entry was a natural-looking cave with a small offset entrance we couldn’t see until we were a few feet away.

  “Obviously someone has been here.” The barricade she’d mentioned earlier had been dismantled. Amelia ducked in first, telling us to wait while she made sure it was safe. A few minutes later, she told us to come in. “Just watch out for the bats.”

  I motioned for Cooper to go first while I worked up the courage to step inside. Bats were not my favorite species. The entrance to the mine smelled musty and damp. I clicked on my flashlight and waved it around. One of the bats hanging from the ceiling opened its yellow eyes and closed them again. I hoped it stayed put.

  “The actual mine shaft is over here.” Amelia held her flashlight high and illuminated about a four-by-six opening. Again she told us to wait while she went inside. She came out minutes later looking pale and shaken.

  “Someone has been here recently, but I didn’t see any sign of Max.”

  “Could she be back inside somewhere?”

  “I hope not.” She bit her bottom lip. “It’s time to call the sheriff.”

  “Okay. My cell phone is in the pickup in my backpack. I’ll go get it.”

  I hurried back to the truck and climbed inside. I’d put my pack behind the seat and had to practically lie down to get at it. I was just about to dial when I heard a car engine. I backed out of the cab and eased the door shut. Not wanting to be caught in the open until I knew who it was, I ran to an outcropping of brush and crouched down behind it. An older-model dark green truck came into view. The driver was a man—middle-aged, I guessed, brown hair and unshaven. He wore jeans and a long-sleeved cowboy shirt and hat. I’d seen him before, probably in town. I swallowed hard, thinking this could be the guy Max and I had seen getting into the boat that night.

  A deep frown etched his tanned face as he stared at Amelia’s truck and looked around. When he headed for the cave, my heart slammed into overdrive. I wanted to warn Amelia and Cooper, but warning them would alert the cowboy to my presence too, and I decided I’d be better off hiding until I knew for sure what was going on. When I felt like he was out of earshot, I pulled out my cell phone and started to dial 911.I could barely hear the dispatch operator, and after several attempts to tell her I needed the sheriff, I realized she couldn’t hear me at all. I tried again, but the phone was dead. The batteries. How long had it been since someone had recharged the phone?

  Not knowing what else to do, I kept under cover and moved closer to the cave.

  “Mrs. Truesdale?” I heard the cowboy yell. Maybe she and Cooper had heard the truck coming like me, and had taken cover. But he knew Amelia was here because of the pickup.

  “Martin, is that you?” Amelia called back.

  I let myself breathe and relax a little. Martin was the man Amelia had hired to replace Carlos.

  “What are you doing clear out here?” he asked.

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  I moved forward and plastered myself against a rock wall not far from the cave’s entrance, where I could see, but duck out of sight if I had to.

  “Actually, I was looking for you,” Martin said. “When I turned in the driveway, I thought I saw the pickup, so I followed you out here. I just got back into town this morning. I imagine you got a pretty long list of things for me to do.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. First things first though.” Amelia stepped out of the cave and walked several steps to meet Martin. Cooper wasn’t with her. She glanced around, and I had a feeling she was looking for me.

  Martin took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “What are you doing here at the mine?”

  “You know about the mine?”

  He shrugged. “Sure. I ran into it soon after I started working here.”

  “You were hired to work in the lavender fields, not explore caves.”

  He smiled. “Sorry about that, ma’am. I saw the road, and it looked like someone had been out here recently. I wanted to know where the tracks led. Didn’t take me long to find the cave. I realized it was a mine. I checked the records for any mining done in the area, and sure enough. Sa
w that your grandfather had mined it for several years. I was going to ask you about it before I had that family emergency.”

  She smiled back at him, apparently believing his story. I wasn’t that trusting.

  “Quite a lot has happened since you left, Martin.” She told him about the guy breaking into the house and the vandalism.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. Did the cops catch him?”

  “No, but that’s not the half of it.” She told him about Max coming to live with her and the accident. They kept walking and soon reached his truck. I followed as best I could. So far Amelia hadn’t said anything about Cooper or me, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe she didn’t trust him completely either. And speaking of Cooper … I glanced back at the cave but didn’t see any sign of him.

  For a minute, I thought Amelia was going to follow Martin back to the farm and leave Cooper and me stranded. She asked Martin to call the sheriff and have him or one of his deputies come out. He pulled a cell phone off the holder on his belt and handed the phone to her.

  “Thanks.” She dialed 911 and told the operator she needed the sheriff to come out right away and to bring the medical examiner.

  Medical examiner? I sank onto the ground, my knees no longer able to support me. Calling in an ME meant only one thing. She’d found a body. But why hadn’t she said anything to Cooper and me? It’s not Max, I told myself over and over. It can’t be. It just can’t.

  While Amelia and Martin were talking, I went back to the cave to find Cooper. “Cooper?” I whispered in as loud a voice as I dared.

  He stepped out of one of the crevices. “Shh.” He pulled me back into his hiding place and kept his hand on my shoulder.

  “What’s going on?” I whispered.

  “I don’t know. We heard a truck come up, and Mrs. T said I should stay out of sight. When the guy called her name, she told me to stay where I was while she went out to talk to him. Where were you?”

  “He drove up when I went to get the cell phone. All I could think to do was hide. Amelia called the sheriff and said he should bring the medical examiner. Why would she do that unless …?”

  Cooper hesitated. “Mrs. T found a body back there—in the mine.”

  “Not Max.” My stomach hurt. Tears pricked my eyes.

  Cooper shook his head. “I don’t know who it is. That Martin guy showed up before she could tell me.”

  I covered my face with my hands and squeezed my eyes shut. This wasn’t happening. In a minute or two I would wake up and Max would be safe. I hugged myself and leaned against the rock wall.

  “Jessie?” Amelia called my name twice, and then she and Martin stepped back into the cave. “The body is decomposed,” Amelia said to Martin, “but from the clothes, I’m thinking it might be Carlos.” She glanced around. “Cooper? Jessie? Are you in here?”

  Cooper stepped out into the open. “We’re right here.”

  “Oh, Jessie,” Amelia grabbed me as I staggered to my feet and pulled me into a hug. “I was so worried. Where did you go?”

  “I heard Martin’s truck and thought I’d better hide. My cell phone was dead, so I couldn’t call the sheriff.”

  “It’s okay. I used Martin’s phone to call him.”

  “I know.” I was shaking and couldn’t seem to get my legs to work.

  “Martin, would you carry Jessie out to the truck? In fact, why don’t you take her and Cooper back to the house? That way you can meet the sheriff and bring him out with you.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I did not want to go anywhere with Martin. Amelia seemed to trust him, but I didn’t. As it turned out, I didn’t have anything to worry about. He didn’t say much while he drove us back to the house. Martin carried me inside and set me down gently on the couch in the living room, and then he went outside. I’d almost decided I could trust him. Cooper and I watched him from the living room window. The sheriff came in about the same time with a van following—probably the medical examiner. They talked for a minute, and then Martin hopped into the sheriff’s Blazer and they drove off toward the hills.

  I fluffed up the pillows on the couch and stretched out. Cooper kept staring out the window. “I don’t like it,” he said. “Carlos has been missing for over a month, and now they find him in the mine shaft.”

  “I know.” I swallowed hard, tears stinging my eyes again. “And now Max is missing.”

  Cooper glanced at his watch. “I need to call my dad and tell him what’s going on.”

  I nodded, closing my eyes when he left the room. I could hear him telling his dad where he was. I took off my hat and felt it drop to the floor.

  It was dark when I woke up. Amelia was sitting in the rocker with her feet up, and Mom was in the overstuffed chair. Sam sat on the rug petting Molly.

  “Hey.” Mom came over to the couch and ran her hand over my head.

  “What are you doing here? Where’s Cooper and … Max?”

  Mom’s head moved from side to side. “She’s still missing, Jessie. Cooper’s dad came out to get him.”

  She helped me sit up. “You’ve had a rough day. Amelia’s been telling me.”

  “The body you found …” I rubbed my eyes. “Was it Carlos?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Amelia said. “His wallet was still on him.”

  Mom waited for me to sit up, then wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Are you ready to go home?”

  “Not really,” I said. “Couldn’t I stay here? I want to be here if they find Max, and I don’t want Amelia to be alone.”

  Mom pinched her lips together and looked over at Amelia.

  “I’d be happy for the company.” Amelia smiled at me. “If you think she’ll be okay.”

  “I’ll be fine, Mom. I was just tired. I don’t have a fever or anything.”

  “All right. I’ll go home and pack some things for you.”

  I hugged her. “Thanks.”

  While my mother went to get my overnight bag, Amelia fed me dinner. “Nothing fancy,” she said, “just tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.”

  “That’s okay.” I didn’t feel much like eating anyway. “Mrs. Truesdale, I’m sorry about Carlos. He was nice.”

  “Yes, he was.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue and used it to wipe her eyes. “I never did believe he’d gone back to Mexico. I’m more worried about Max than ever. Carlos was murdered. The medical examiner said he’d been stabbed. If there are defense wounds, they’re hoping to get DNA that will lead them to the killer.”

  I’d watched a few crime shows and knew mostly what she was talking about.

  I also knew that with real cops, finding criminals wasn’t that easy. “So you’re sure Max wasn’t in the cave?”

  “Not that anyone could see. The sheriff had his deputies go through the tunnels.” She placed cheese between slices of bread and buttered the top of each sandwich. The buttered bread sizzled when she set the sandwiches into the heated frying pan. I rested my head on my arms thinking I should help set the table or something, but I couldn’t seem to move out of the chair. Max had been missing for eighteen hours, but it felt like days. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay with Amelia now. I felt restless and sick to my stomach. All I wanted to do was find Max, but I wasn’t sure what I could do. She could be anywhere. If the cops couldn’t find her, what made me think I could? Maybe if I could figure out who had killed Carlos …

  “What do you know about Martin?” I asked. “He’s not from around here, is he?”

  “He’s from the Seattle area—has family there. He’s new to Chenoa Lake. There’s no reason to suspect him of killing Carlos. Carlos was gone before Martin moved here. He had only worked for me for a couple of weeks when his father had a heart attack. Most of the past two weeks he’s been in Seattle.”

  I nodded, trying to remember why he looked familiar to me. If what Amelia said was true, then I couldn’t have seen him before I went into the hospital. Which meant I must have seen him after I got out—within the last few
days. Of course, he could just look like someone I know.

  While we were eating, Mom came back with my bag. Amelia asked her to sit and eat with us, but Mom said she had to get back. “Your father got the contract to design the mansion for Mr. Porter, and he’s taking me out to celebrate.”

  “Cool,” I said, remembering the rich John Porter and his black Cadillac.

  When Mom left, I helped Amelia with the dishes. After that we worked on lavender sachets for a while, but it wasn’t the same without Max.

  “Max will be okay,” I told her. “She’s tough.”

  “I hope so. If I’d had any idea that being associated with me would bring her harm, I wouldn’t have asked her to stay. She was far better off at your house.”

  “It isn’t your fault,” I insisted.

  “I know, but I can’t help but wonder. Maybe if I had done as Freddy asked and moved into town, none of this would have happened.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I still thought Freddy might be involved, but didn’t think this was the time to say so. At nine, Amelia locked the doors and we walked up the stairs together. I counted the creaks—five in all—and the last one was in front of Max’s room. Amelia didn’t seem to notice them. I might not have either if not for the burglar from the other night. “Good night,” I said when I went into Max’s room.

  “Good night, Jessie. I think we should pray extra hard tonight that the police find Max and that she’s all right.”

  “I will.”

  I dropped onto the extra bed and sat staring across the room where Max had slept. I don’t know why—maybe I just needed to feel closer to her—but I crossed the room and curled up on her bed. “Where are you, Max?” I closed my eyes tight and tried to make my mind hook up with hers. I’d read about twins who could read each other’s minds. Max and I were close, and sometimes I knew what she was thinking, but as hard as I tried to connect with her, nothing happened.

  I eyed the bag Mom had brought, thinking I should get up and put on my pajamas, but I didn’t move. Instead I lay there thinking about all the things that had happened. I felt almost certain that the driver who tried to run down Max was the same person who had killed Carlos. I thought about Fred again, but how could he hurt his own mother like that? Besides, he didn’t need to break into the house to get the map. I’d ruled Charlie out because of his size. He was much fatter than the man Max and I had seen getting into the boat that first night we’d stayed here. That left Martin or someone we hadn’t met yet.