A Shadow in the Night

The weather is wet, cold, and forecast to get snowy and colder. It is, of course, perfect weather to go to Levi, Oklahoma and see what Darcy and Flora are doing in their current mystery, Grave Heritage. As usual, Darcy is setting out to find a bad guy but this time, she goes alone, in the dead of night with only the moon to guide her. She should have known better!

Tossing and turning that night, I watched the hands of my bedside clock creep to midnight, then one. Finally, I could lie there no longer. Easing from under the sheet so I would not disturb Jethro, I slid from bed and padded to the window. Moonlight lit the herb garden and dark woods beyond. Through the open window came the roar of swollen Lee Creek. Would our new bridge be sturdy enough to withstand the force of the water? July’s unprecedented rains would certainly test the strength of the sturdy timbers.

    My mind would not shut out the images of the past few hours. The excitement of finding the Jenkins’ ghost was not conducive to slumber. Should I go downstairs and brew a cup of tea? Coffee would probably be too much for my agitated nerves.

    My mother and I had not made our planned trip to Ben’s farm after all. What was happening there? Would the intruder return tonight? I would, if I were he; the ground was soft from the rains and the moon was bright, a perfect night for furtive digging. Was Hiram Schuster asleep in the farmhouse or standing guard by the old cellar? Hiram was no spring chicken and we really should look into hiring someone younger to help him.

     My investigative reporter gene would not turn off. I had to know whether someone was continuing to dig into the cellar on the farm. No way would I wake my mother and ask her to go with me, but I could leave a note and pray that I got back home before she awoke and found me gone.

     I stepped into denim jeans, pulled on a red, short-sleeved knit top, and  slipped into a black, long-sleeved cotton shirt. Shod in socks and black boots, I was ready to make the trek to Ben’s farm.

     After scribbling the note, I picked up my purse, eased open the back door, and tip-toed to the garage. My niggling conscience asked me if I was in my right mind, going off half-cocked, no plan except to see if that mystery trespasser was hard at work tonight. I silenced that pesky inner voice by deciding if I found someone digging, I’d merely return to my car and call Grant.

    Bright moonlight lit my way. I turned off the car’s lights until safely across our bridge and  again as the Ventris farm came in sight.  Nothing but the moon guided me into Ben’s driveway. No light shone in the main house and only a dim glow lit the bunk house. I felt sure Hiram left it burning night and day.

     I slid out of the Escape with my flashlight and cell phone, gently pushed the door shut and looked around the yard. If Hiram was awake, he might  already be at the cellar site.

    Slipping from tree to bush, I walked as softly as my boots allowed. It’s funny how weird things look at night, how lonely and hushed as if the familiar landscape were an alien planet with no life on it except me.

      Stopping in the shadow of the farmhouse, I listened; no sound of pickax or shovel disturbed the night. Even the night noises of the surrounding woods seemed stilled. 

     Looking right, left, then behind me, I scurried through the yard, and climbed over the stone wall by the barn. Sinking down behind the wall, I peered over the top at the rounded knoll beneath which rested secrets Mom and I did not want shared with anybody besides those who already knew, which amounted to Grant Hendley and Jasper Harris. It seemed like eons ago that Mom and I fled from that cellar with its contents, barely escaping with our lives.

Bending close to the ground, I crept toward the filled-in cellar, flicking on the flashlight and beaming it downward.

     My toe caught in a freshly-dug ditch. Stumbling, I staggered to my knees as a shadow moved behind me. Pain ricocheted off my head and spread down my neck and shoulders. A thousand lights exploded behind my eyelids. Darkness deeper than any night closed around me.