Emory spotted a red-glowing sign at the top of the emergency exit stairs. “Almost there.”
Puffing behind him, his partner patted his butt. “Keep up the pace. Was there really a box in the floor?”
“No, just the one in my shirt. It was on top of the pedestal. I made up the rest.”
“Nice! Although the gold bars part was a bit over the top.”
“I was afraid it might be. I was just really trying to entice him to go inside the room himself.”
A gunshot crackled through the air, and the bullet chiseled through the wall beside them.
Jeff pushed Emory’s back. “Hurry!”
Emory threw all his momentum onto the push bar, and the exit door flung open. He hurried to the other side of the door and held it until Jeff came through. Emory looked around to gain his bearings. Although close to midnight, the surroundings were revealed through the silver blue filter of the full moon’s radiance. “We’re beside the garage. Let’s get to the house.”
“No. We don’t want to put the others in danger. We’ll take cover in the woods.”
Emory ran across the clearing to the edge of the woods. He hid behind a tree as his partner ran a few steps past him.
Jeff motioned for him to keep running. “What are you doing?”
“How’s he going to know we ran into the woods if he doesn’t see us?”
“Good point.” Jeff crouched with his back against the tree. “Can you see the door?”
“I’m watching it.”
“Okay. I’m texting Virginia.” A few seconds later, Jeff tapped Emory’s arm. “Uh, I think we have a problem.”
“What is it?” Emory followed his partner’s gaze and looked behind him to see lantern lights moving through the trees. “Oh no. The full moon.”
The cloaked and hooded witches emerged from the darkness of the woods into the clearing with arms open to the moon. They spun and danced, gathering in celebration of the night.
Emory saw George Henry plod out from behind the door, gun held before him. “There he is!”
“The witches are entering the line of fire! We have to warn them.”
“Wait. He’s seen them, and he’s pocketed the gun, but he’s heading for the house.”
Jeff stood in plain sight to call attention to their location. “Emory, come on! We have to hide!”
It worked. George heard him and was now running toward them.
The PIs darted into the woods. Before long, Emory could see the vertical posts of the boundary fence ahead of him. He also felt movement in the back of his shirt, followed by a clunking sound. “The Box!” Emory turned around to retrieve it and was about to start running again when splinters of bark erupted from the thin tree next to him.
“Next one’s in you!” George Henry yelled as he closed in on his position.
Emory saw that he was in the small clearing around the historic cedar tree. He had nowhere to seek cover.
“You too!” George aimed the gun at a target behind Emory.
Jeff joined his partner, hands up.
George attempted a smile through a minor coughing fit. “Just so you know, Jeff, this is what I meant by running you under the table.” He nodded at the object in Emory’s hand – a metallic cylindrical container, eighteen inches between its two capped ends. “That the Box?”
Before Emory could answer, a cloaked witch entered the clearing.
George crossed his arms to conceal the gun and nodded toward the house. “Your coven’s that way, lady.”
The witch continued on her way, walking behind him.
George again brandished the gun. “You’ve had your fun. Now give me the Box, or I’ll shoot you both and take it.”
Emory looked at Jeff for any sign of ideas. Seeing none, he tossed the Box to George’s feet.
Instead of picking it up, George kept the gun fixed on the PIs. “Now face the fence.”
Jeff said, “You have what you want. Just take it and go.” Under his breath, he told Emory, “Split up and run.”
Emory was about to carry out Jeff’s plan, when he saw the wayward witch reappear from behind George. She held a large stick over her head and swung it down, thwapping George Henry’s arm.
The gun dropped from his hands, as he screamed and cradled his arm to his body.
The witch grabbed the gun and aimed it at the miner. “Down on the ground! Now!”
George Henry complied.
The witch pulled her hood back, revealing her face.
Jeff grinned at his partner. “Virginia.”
“I’m so happy to see you,” said Emory.
“How did you…”
“I got your text and called the sheriff, but I was afraid he wouldn’t get here soon enough. That’s when I saw the witches from the window and you three running into the woods. I ran outside, told the coven my friends were in danger, and one of them let me borrow her robe.”
Jeff hugged his friend from behind. “Thank you.”
In the driveway twenty minutes later, Emory, Jeff and Virginia gave their statements to Sheriff Flynn as Deputy Nunley arrested George Henry and stuffed him into the backseat of her patrol car. The three PIs hung out beside Emory’s car as the interviews moved to others at the estate.
Once he and Zyus had given their statements, Myles Godfrey asked the sheriff, “Are we free to go now?”
The sheriff gave Zyus a leery look. “You can both go.”
“Come on, Zyus. We have about four hours to find the real Box.”
As Myles and Zyus headed toward the house, Jeff called out to the masked man. “Zyus, could we have a word with you?”
“I’ll meet you in there,” Zyus told Myles before approaching the PIs. “Have you changed your mind about helping me?”
“We have,” answered Emory.
“Great! Come on then.” Zyus waved them toward the house. “We don’t have much time.”
“No,” said Jeff. “He means that we have already helped you.”
Emory opened the back door of his car and retrieved the Box. He smiled as he handed it to Zyus. “I believe this belongs to you.”
Zyus inspected the item. “Is this—”
He was interrupted by Sheriff Flynn. “Investigators, I wanted to thank you personally for all your help.” He shook each PI’s hand. “If you ever need anything, you just call my office.”
“You’re very kind,” said Emory. “Thank you.”
As the sheriff walked away, Virginia tugged at her cloak. “I’m going to return this now.” She left for the witches, one of whom was missing a cloak.
From the backseat of the nearby patrol car, George Henry yelled in the direction of the approaching sheriff, “I never killed anyone! I wasn’t going to kill them!”