Jennifer left her mother’s side to answer the phone, putting it on Speaker so the others could hear. “Hi, Mom. It’s Hannah. We’d like to invite you, Dad, Grammy and Becca to visit our property this morning to see what we’ve accomplished. You were in Florida a month and you won’t believe our progress. In two weeks, we start construction of our new house. ”
“When do you want us?”
“The sooner the better. How about an hour, at ten o’clock? I’ve planned a picnic lunch for us.”
Jennifer glanced out the window. “It’s overcast today. Have you a rain plan?”
“The old house is gone, of course, but we could eat in the barn or the garage if we had to.”
Jennifer looked at the others, eyebrows raised in inquiry. They nodded. “It’s a yes, although I don’t know whether Becca will come since she isn’t awake yet. When we returned, Nathan was over here like a rocket. Almost seems like he lives here. But let’s talk about you, honey. You sound like such a happy girl.”
“Oh, Mom, this is an exciting time in our lives. We want to share our happiness with the people we love.”
“Okay, see you soon. Love you.”
She no sooner hung up than Becca shuffled in, eyes barely open but hand outstretched for a coffee cup, which Jennifer guided into it.
The doorbell rang. Jason answered, returning to the kitchen with Nathan. “Morning everyone…Becca. Good to see you all again.”
Becca winced, “You’re seeing me at my worst—in the morning BC.”
“BC?” Nathan looked puzzled.
“Before coffee.”
He laughed. “I’m from a big family. Hard to scare me.”
“Coffee for you, Nathan?” Jennifer asked.
“Sure.” He kissed Becca’s cheek. “Hey, what’s this you have spread across the table?”
Jennifer described the frame, the riddle and the map, surprised at his interest.
“My dad’s a Civil War buff,” Nathan said. “He has a whole collection of stuff he found in past years with his metal detector.”
This caught Jennifer’s attention. “He has one and knows how to use it?”
“You bet he does. Me, too. I guess it still works. He hasn’t used it for years because he says getting permission from landowners is nearly impossible. And if you’re caught using it on parkland I think the fine is $160,000. But he knows the ropes if you need advice.”
“Hannah invited us all to see progress on their property this morning and…”
Nathan continued her thought. “…and that property hasn’t been disturbed for many years. My Dad says all of northern Virginia was once Civil War territory. If I had the metal detector we might find something interesting.”
Jason munched on a peach. “You’ll have no trouble getting their permission. This could be fun.”
“Then why don’t I see if I can get the detector working and meet you at the Iversons’ property? Did you say about an hour?”
“Good,” Becca mumbled. “That gives me just enough time to get ready.” She walked Nathan to the door. “See you there.” From habit in Florida, she locked the door when he left.
* * * *
An hour later, as their car turned up the long driveway into 3508 Winding Trail, Jennifer fought a tinge of unease. With this property Hannah and Adam’s permanent home, she needed to shake for good the memory of her awful experience here with Ruger Yates. Once the mind connects a location with terror, the warning flag flies. She must put that episode behind her.
Jason nudged Jennifer back to the present. “Did you bring the things we’re taking to the Smithsonian when we finish here?”
She nodded, tight-lipped. “It’s all in the trunk…the frame, the riddle and map. I’ll show them the framed picture, but I’m keeping it.”
At the top of the driveway, Hannah and Adam greeted them. After hugs, Adam explained, “You can get an overview from up here, but the yard is the size of a football field, so the best look requires a walk.”
Nathan drove up, removing the metal detector. “Not working perfectly, but we might find something with it. Do I have your permission to look for metal in your yard?”
“Sure,” Adam agreed. “But if you find something exciting, let’s share the loot.”
“Suits me.”
“I think I’ll look from up here,” Grammy decided. “See, I brought a portable chair.” They settled her. “Did this house burn down?” She gestured toward the charred skeleton of irregular timbers and the blackened roof listing into the basement.”
“Mom, I phoned you about it when it happened,” Jennifer reminded her. “Remember, Hannah and Adam were inside?”
“I remember now. Somehow, I’d forgotten. What an awful scare.” Grammy grimaced. “I’ll hug them even tighter, realizing I almost lost them. I’ll never forget it now that I’ve seen this gutted building.”
Hannah led the way as they started down the sloping yard. “We had the bush-hogger leave all the big trees and most flowering bushes like these lilacs and rhododendrons, but he removed the brambles and thickets.”
“And,” Adam added, “we discovered a creek running down that side. We hadn’t known about it before, but it’s a nature spot where our children can find tadpoles someday. We have at least fifteen kinds of tall trees: maples, elms, three huge oaks, some locust, firs and hawthorns and wait until you see the pines. Really beautiful now that we can enjoy what’s here. Do you think we should put in grass or leave the ground natural?”
“I vote for natural,” Becca said.
“Eliminates mowing,” Nathan observed.
Jason scooped up a stone. “Natural’s ‘in’ now and practical, as Nathan says. How about this rock. Quartz?” Crystals beneath the stone’s rough surface glinted as he rotated it in the sunlight. “Almost looks like it came from another planet.”
Adam picked up on that. “If you want mystique, wait till you see what’s up ahead.”
As they came upon a clearing, Jennifer gasped.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Becca touched her mother’s elbow with concern. Jennifer pointed and they all followed her stare to a circle of pine trees around a large boulder with a smaller one atop.
“This…this is the place.”
“The place?” Jason asked. “What place?”