“What does it say?” asked Angelica.
“The writing is so shaky, I can’t read it very well,” said Lisa. She squinted with concentration, her nose almost touching the paper. “H-E something. It kind of drags across the page. The next word is easier. ‘Dragged.’” She looked up. “What does ‘dragged’ have to do with anything?” she asked with a puzzled expression and then turned back to the writing.
“What is next?” asked Angelica. “Maybe it will help us figure out what the first two words mean.”
“It’s ‘Jimmy,’ said Lisa. “Then it says something I can’t read at all. It’s three words, I think. The last one looks like ‘hole.’”
“May I see?” asked Angelica. “Maybe I can understand.”
Lisa stood and handed the paper to Angelica. She absentmindedly stroked Firefly’s neck as she peered at the paper Angelica held in front of them. “Hey, I know,” Lisa suddenly said in an excited voice. “It says ‘in Priest hole.’ There’s a Priest’s Hole in our house. A long, long time ago when priests were being banned from their homeland, some rich Catholics put secret rooms in their houses to hide them from the army. The rooms had to be like the cubby hole, totally hidden from the outside. Mr. Pickering knew about the one at Evergreen Manor only because I showed him how to get in, but no one else except our family knows about it.”
“Jimmy does not know of it?” asked Angelica.
“Not unless Mr. Pickering told him about it,” said Lisa. “I heard my dad say once that it’s not even on any of the architectural drawings of the house. It’s completely hidden.”
Angelica held the paper up in front of them again. “And that word can not be ‘Dragged.’ It does not make sense. It must be ‘Drugged.’”
“Oh Angelica,” said Lisa, her face suddenly growing pale. “Does that mean Mr. Pickering wasn’t really sick? Jimmy was drugging him? If that’s true, it means I could have saved him. I could have saved Mr. Pickering, if I had just seen what Jimmy was doing.”
“How could you have seen it, Lisa?” asked Angelica firmly, turning to her and looking at her with compassionate eyes. “Do you know what someone looks and acts like when they are drugged? You knew Mr. Pickering was in bed a lot, so you thought he was sick. That is the logical conclusion to make. You must not blame yourself.”
Lisa was silent for a moment as she tried to hold back her tears. Finally she raised her eyes to Angelica and nodded. “I’ll try not to,” she said quietly, though she didn’t know how not to.
Angelica put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder. “It will get easier with time,” she added.
“So when Jimmy left yesterday morning, he didn’t give Mr. Pickering enough of the drug to keep him asleep all day,” said Lisa, forcing herself to get back to the matter at hand.
“And the ‘H-E-something’ word? Could it be ‘help’?” asked Angelica.
“Help! Yes. He was asking for help. He left this note in the cubby hole, because he wanted me to get help for him,” said Lisa. “Jimmy had left him alone all day and the drug must have been wearing off, so he had enough presence of mind to come down to the stable to leave a note while he could.”
“He probably knew he would not be able to escape by himself,” continued Angelica. “He was too weak to drive to safely, and he could not use the phone because Jimmy disconnected it.”
“And when Jimmy came back to murder him…” Lisa began, then her voice faded away. She couldn’t say the rest of the words.
“He found him in the stable instead of in his bed,” continued Angelica softly. “Mr. Pickering must have been too weak to go back to his bedroom.”
“It’s so horrible,” whispered Lisa. “And I still don’t understand why he did it. Why would he want to kill his own uncle? It doesn’t make sense. Jimmy was probably going to inherit the Manor from Mr. Pickering, so he could have lived here for as long as he liked. And Mr. Pickering wasn’t selfish or stingy. He would have given Jimmy whatever he wanted,” she added sadly.
“Maybe Jimmy was in a hurry to get his inheritance,” suggested Angelica.
“But why wouldn’t he just live here and wait? Even if he didn’t care about his uncle, he would still be taking a big chance on being caught.”
Angelica shook her head. “I know,” she said. “Some humans just do not make any sense. He had everything in his hands, and he threw it all away.”
“There’s got to be more to this than just Jimmy getting in a hurry for his inheritance,” said Lisa. “Let’s go check out the Priest’s Hole. We’ve got to find what Mr. Pickering left there for me. We’ve got to find out why he was murdered.”
Chapter 27
Lisa and Angelica quickly left the stable in darkness behind them. They moved around to the front of the Manor keeping in the shadows of the trees and shrubs as much as possible. The moonlight was as bright as ever. Lisa and Angelica peered into the windows of the Manor as they hurried past, but the rooms were deserted.
If only I had stayed and watched through the window for a few extra minutes last night, thought Lisa. I could have seen what was going on and gone for help. This is all my fault. I’ve got to find out why Mr. Pickering was murdered. I owe him that, at least.
“Jimmy was looking for something hidden in the books,” said Angelica. “Probably the same thing we hope to find in the Priest’s Hole. We need to hurry.”
“First, we have to find the keys to one of the secret doors,” Lisa whispered to Angelica. “My great grandfather added locks to the Priest’s Hole because my grandpa kept sneaking in there when he was a little boy. Once he fell down the stairs inside the Priest’s Hole and broke his arm so his dad had a special locksmith come in and make keys for the two doors. The keys look like figurines, horse figurines, one black and the other one white. The black key is for the secret door in the sitting room and the white key is for the upstairs door.”
“Where do you think the figurines will be?”
“I’m not sure. I wish Mr. Pickering had left them in the cubby hole too,” replied Lisa as they approached the front door. “But there’s no reason to hide them because Jimmy could look right at them and not know what they were. I’m guessing they will be in the rooms where the two secret doors are.”
“I hope Jimmy did not break them when he was searching the house,” said Angelica.
“Me too,” agreed Lisa. She paused at the front door and took a deep breath. “Do you think Jimmy could be inside?”
“It is possible,” said Angelica. “But unlikely. We have to risk it.”
Lisa turned the knob and then pulled back as the unlocked door swung open. The entrance hall was pitch black. “I wish we had a flashlight,” Lisa whispered.
“I can see a bit,” said Angelica. “Just stay close to me. You will have to tell me which room to go into however, as I do not know the house.”
“The sitting room is through the second door on your left,” whispered Lisa behind her. Angelica moved forward into the darkness, her hand trailing along the wall, with Lisa close behind her. After a few moments, Lisa’s eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and she was surprised at how much she could see too. The first doorway to their left was closed, but the second was standing open. Lisa felt a rush of fear jolt through her as she followed Angelica into the black room.
“Close the door,” whispered Angelica. Lisa quietly closed the door behind them and then watched Angelica’s dark form move against the moonlit night as she hurried from window to window, closing the heavy draperies. “Now we can turn on a light,” said Angelica.
Lisa moved toward a lamp she remembered Mr. Pickering had put on an end table, tripped over one of the couch cushions lying on the floor and bumped her shin on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She bit back her words as the pain peaked and finally began to fade. That will be a big bruise tomorrow, she thought as she made her way to the lamp. Then she switched on the light. The lamp was tiny and left the edges of the room in shadow.
Quickly, Angelica and Lisa began to sea
rch for the figurine. Some of the ornaments were scattered across the floor, a few of them in pieces. Angelica picked up one of a black horse. “Is this it?” she asked excitedly, her golden hair flowing around her shoulders.
“It could be. Let’s see,” said Lisa as she moved closer and reached out to take the figurine. “That’s it! Good thing it wasn’t broken,” she said, taking it in her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you how it works.” Lisa led Angelica toward the fireplace. “Look at the bottom of the figurine,” she said once they were in position beside the fieldstones that made up the fireplace. She held the figurine out to Angelica.
“It has a hole in the bottom shaped like a celtic cross,” said Angelica.
“And see here beside the fireplace?” asked Lisa, pointing. “There is a double line of crosses carved in the wood all around the stones of the fireplace. Each has been hand carved, so they are all different. The second one over and seventh one down on the right side of the fireplace is a perfect fit for the figurine key.” She placed the bottom of the figurine over the carved cross beside the fireplace. It fit inside the hollow at the base of the little horse perfectly. “Then you turn it in a complete circle, like this,” said Lisa, turning the figurine.
There was a small click, and Lisa pulled the figurine away. The cross looked just as it had before, but this time a sliver of light glowed beside it. Lisa put her fingers into the crack and pulled. Angelica gasped when a door opened in the wall in front of them. Bright light spilled out into the sitting room.
“Mr. Pickering must have left the light on last time he was in here,” said Lisa. “Come on, let’s get inside and shut the door. I don’t feel safe out here.” She stepped inside the tiny room and, when Angelica followed her, Lisa grabbed the handle on the inside of the door and closed it. The door clicked shut, locking from the inside.
“The only way to open it from the outside is with the key, right?” asked Angelica.
“Yes, and we have it with us,” Lisa said, holding the figurine up for Angelica to see. “And we can look into the sitting room if we want, but first let’s turn the light off or it will shine out the peephole.” She put the figurine down on a desk next to the wall and then switched off the light. In the blackness, Lisa reached for the wood covering the peephole and slid it aside.
A pinpoint of pale light opened on the wall and Angelica bent to look out the peephole. “I wonder if we should have turned off the lamp in the sitting room before we came in here,” she said.
“It won’t take long to search the Priest’s Hole,” Lisa said beside her. She snapped on the light again and closed the peephole. “It’s not very big.”
Angelica turned to investigate. Lisa was right. The Priest’s Hole was narrow, though it was quite long. She realized it must stretch the entire length from the fireplace to the outside wall of the sitting room. A desk sat beside them at the fireplace end of the Priest’s Hole and, at the other end, Angelica could see a landing. Her eyes followed the underside of the stairs as the stairway rose steeply from the landing, arching over their heads. Bookshelves, cupboards, and an old-fashioned dry sink lined the length of the Priest’s Hole. “We can start with the desk,” suggested Angelica. “Then if we do not find it, we can search everything else as we move toward the stairs.”
“Good plan,” said Lisa and pulled out one of the drawers.
“I hope there are no more secret compartments or rooms to find,” added Angelica. “It would be nice if everything was obvious for once.”
“Well it looks like you get your wish,” Lisa said and held up a sealed envelope. “It has my name written on it.”
Chapter 28
I know they came into the house, but where did they go? Hey, what’s that? Voices! They are here, close. Very close. They’re in the sitting room. Did I leave that light on? Or did they?
Voices again, too quiet to understand. And they’re coming from behind the wall! A secret room! Finally it makes sense. No wonder I couldn’t find it. Now all I need to do is wait for them. I’ll turn out the lamp so they can’t see me and then I’ll grab them when they come out. Even if there’s another exit to the hidden room, they’ll have to walk right past the sitting room door. Every other exit out of the house is blocked: one of the things I had to do to keep my uncle in. Looks like it will come in handy one more time.
But still I need to be careful. That kid is too smart and quick for her own good. It’ll be easier to catch her if I can get as close as I can before I grab her.
Chapter 29
“What is in it?” asked Angelica, her amber eyes flashing.
Lisa held the envelope tight against her chest for a moment. This is what Mr. Pickering died for, she thought. Whatever is in here, Jimmy wanted it bad enough to murder his uncle. Slowly she opened the envelope and slid out the stapled papers. Angelica looked over her shoulder as she began to read. “It’s his will,” said Lisa quietly. “It’s Mr. Pickering’s will.”
“But why would it be addressed to you?” asked Angelica, skimming down the page. Suddenly she gasped.
“What is it?” said Lisa, who had still only read the first few sentences. Most of the words were long and difficult and she didn’t know what they meant.
“Let me finish reading it to make sure it says what I think it says,” said Angelica. “Then I will tell you.”
Lisa handed her the will and Angelica turned the page and continued to read. She read the next page and then the next. Finally she lowered the will. “You are not going to believe this, Lisa,” she said quietly. “But he left everything to you.”
“What?” said Lisa a little louder than she intended.
“He not only left Evergreen Manor to you, but all his money and the horses and his car and…well, everything,” said Angelica.
“But I thought he would leave everything to Jimmy,” said Lisa. “Jimmy is his family. I don’t understand.”
“Maybe he did leave it to Jimmy at first,” said Angelica, looking back at the top page. “This will is dated just two weeks ago. He could have changed it when he realized what kind of person Jimmy really is.”
Lisa pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down. “And somehow Jimmy knew he had changed it. Maybe Mr. Pickering even told him, hoping Jimmy would become a better person,” she whispered. “But instead of changing, Jimmy decided to murder his uncle. He knew he had to find the new will and destroy it before anyone read it, or he wouldn’t inherit anything.” A stony look crept over Lisa’s face. “I am so angry!” she said, her voice as hard as nails. “At Jimmy and at myself too. I should have figured it out. I am so stupid! Why didn’t I see what was happening? All that time I was just glad that Jimmy was here, thinking my dad was the dangerous one.”
“Lisa, like I have told you, it is not your fault,” said Angelica. “Do not blame yourself because you did not understand the actions of an evil person. Mr. Pickering would not blame you and neither would your dad. And neither do I.”
“But I blame myself,” said Lisa. “I was the only one who could’ve known. The only one who had a chance to save him.”
“But you did not have a chance to figure it out,” said Angelica insistently. “That is my point. Jimmy made sure you were not over here during the day. He knew if you saw Mr. Pickering there was a chance he could signal to you for help. When you had to sneak over in the middle of the night, there was no way you could see what was happening.”
“I saw them in the library last night,” confessed Lisa. “I saw Jimmy searching the books. When Mr. Pickering came into the room, he looked so sick and weak but still I just turned away to go take care of the horses. I didn’t stay to see what would happen.” A sob caught in her throat.
“Lisa, listen to me,” said Angelica firmly. “Jimmy is the one to blame. He is the only one at fault. You had nothing to do with Mr. Pickering’s murder!” Lisa looked down at her hands. She was silent for a full minute before Angelica spoke again. “You must believe me, Lisa,” said Angelica. “You must let go of the guil
t. There was nothing you could do to stop Jimmy’s crime. But there is something you can do now. We can make sure he pays for what he did to Mr. Pickering. We can make sure the will comes to light.”
“We have to give it to someone as soon as we can,” said Lisa, looking up. “I couldn’t bear to have Jimmy live at Evergreen Manor, especially now. And what would happen to the horses if he ever became their owner? It’s just too horrible to think about.”
“Then we have to take the will back to your house, wake up your mom and dad and tell them everything that has happened,” said Angelica. “They can call the police.”
“My dad will be so angry at me when he finds out I’ve been sneaking around,” said Lisa. She stood and reached for the will. “But, you’re right. I’m going to tell them everything.” She slipped the will back into the envelope, then folded the envelope in half and shoved it in her jacket pocket. Then she turned to go.
“Wait,” said Angelica as Lisa reached for the doorknob. “We need to make sure it is safe to leave. I can feel Jimmy is near, but I can not tell where he is.” She turned off the light and reached out in the darkness, feeling for the cover of the peephole. Lisa heard a slight scrape as Angelica pushed the cover aside. When Angelica breathed in sharply, she felt a prickle of fear begin at the back of her neck.
“What is it?” she whispered. She heard Angelica close the peephole and then fumble for the light switch. When light filled the small space, Lisa could see that Angelica’s face had grown paler.
“The light is out,” Angelica whispered. “Someone turned off the sitting room lamp. Jimmy must be out there. Waiting for us.”
Chapter 30
“What are we going to do?” asked Lisa, then clamped her mouth shut, immediately angry at the fear that had crept into her tone. With an effort, she controlled her voice and spoke again. “Maybe he was listening at the wall and knows we’ve found the will.”
“We could go out the other exit,” said Angelica, dropping her voice to a faint whisper. “But if he is listening in the sitting room, he would know when we stopped talking and then go looking for us.”
Dark Fire Page 8
