Below the Surface by Allison Finley

Author:Allison Finley [Finley, Allison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2023-01-31T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Thoughts of silver goblets and jeweled necklaces fill my mind. The image of me digging my fingers into a pile of gold coins is so vivid I can almost see the lockbox in front of me. J.R.’s treasure is out there. I just have to find it. Well, it could be out there, as long as he was able to hide it before the people he feared caught him.

Who in our town could have bothered him like that? Everyone’s so nice—oh. Not everyone. Not the boys who taunt me from the safety of numbers. My excitement shrinks like a balloon losing air. I thought I wouldn’t have to deal with bullies once I was older. No school, no bullies, right? But if they’re always going to be there, then I can’t keep running away. Just the thought of standing up to them makes my stomach clench.

I need a distraction.

Syd’s half of the letters sits in her lap as she types on my phone. She never bothers to ask if she can borrow it. We have an understanding.

“Did you find anything?” I ask.

“Hm? Oh, not much. But I did find this.” She shoves the phone at me.

There’s already a comment on my photo of the grave. User Em_loves_raptors posted, Does that say J. Reid? That was my grandma’s brother’s name! I think he died in the ’60s too.

I glance at Syd and can’t help my frown. “It’s just a coincidence.”

“But what if it isn’t?” Syd sizzles with excitement. She’s usually so steady. It’d be funny how worked up she’s getting if the situation weren’t life and death.

“We’d need to verify her story—”

Syd reaches over and scrolls down. Without bothering to log out of my account, she replies to the comment with What’s your grandma’s name? I grumble at her for this abuse of privilege, but she’s still scrolling. Em_loves_raptors replies, Grace.

Same name as the person who wrote these letters. I shake my head sharply. “Coincidence!”

“Maybe, but the lead is worth pursuing.” Syd sits back with a smug smile. “I invited her to come out tomorrow. She doesn’t live far from here.”

Alarm spikes through my veins. “Syd! She could be an ax murderer!”

“Oh, please. Do you take me for an amateur? I’ve seen my pop run a million background checks. He’s got to make sure he isn’t buying stolen laptops. Em_loves_raptors, real name Emily, let us follow her private feed. It’s legit. She’s a few years older than us and lives up the road in Eagleside. Her granny is named Grace, just like James’s sister! We’ll meet her at my pop’s shop or the café, with plenty of people around.”

“Okay, probably not an ax murderer. But I don’t have anything to show her except these letters and a pocket watch. I don’t know what happened to J.R. or his lockbox. She’s going to be disappointed.”

“If she’s actually related to this guy, she might have answers for you. Isn’t that worth checking out?”

My shoulders sag as I sigh. Syd’s right. A good detective follows all leads.

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