Alvarado Gold (11 page)

On the third ring, Mel picked up. “Can you talk?” I blurted out knowing she’d recognize my voice.

“Addie, what’s wrong? You sound upset.”

“I am. I just received the most frightening message. We were warned again.” I sank into the couch. My head pounded. “No,
threatened
not to come back to Texas. Did we ever tell the lawyer we planned to look for the gold?”

“No, we never talked about it except among ourselves but I’m sure he told Donnie he gave you the tortoiseshell box. Maybe Donnie thought there were clues in it. He had some sort of idea we had something or he wouldn’t have had the private eye on me at Neiman Marcus. Plus he told us to stay away from Barnesville in the letter you read at the airport. He must know we’re coming.”

Mel sounded cool about the whole thing. Maybe I overreacted. I just couldn’t understand why we posed such a threat. “I guess you’re right. He knew we went through the stuff at Grandpa’s house. I’m sure anyone could put two and two together and figure out we’d probably turn up something. We know he has the key.”

“Don’t be so shook up. You’re tougher than that. Besides, there will be the four of us. Clay won’t let anything happen and the guy you met at the BLM is coming, too, isn’t he?”

Mel had a calming affect on me. I felt better just talking to her. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. The voice was just so intimidating. Here, let me play it for you.” I switched on the message and cringed as I played it for Mel.

“I see what you mean. No caller ID, huh?” Mel hesitate a moment before she continued. “Addie, don’t erase that. Maybe you should hang on to it.”

“In case the boogie man gets us in Barnesville?” We both laughed and I changed the subject. “I meant to tell you when I called yesterday; I found this letter written in Spanish in the mountain of papers I brought back with me.” I remembered the pictures of the churches, too, but decided I wouldn’t tell her about them now. “It translates out to tell exactly where the gold is buried.”

“No way! Well, that will make it easier. What more could we need? A map and a letter. We’ll be millionaires in no time.”

She could always make me forget my troubles and that’s exactly what I needed to do. I sat up and reached for the glass of ice tea I’d left on the coffee table the night before, swirled it around in the glass and returned it to its place before I answered her. “Very funny. There’s a reference in the letter to a Mr. Hansen’s property. We’re going to have to get Gary to help us find out where this property was in 1870.”

“Gary?” she chuckled. “You on a first name basis with this guy now?”

“He apologized. I told you about the flowers. We talked again last night. He’s coming out to San Francisco right before we leave for Texas and wants to go to dinner”

“And?”

“I accepted.” I answered truthfully in hopes Mel would change the subject. Thankfully, she picked up on my mental cue. “Good. Did Susan call you?”

“Yeah. Are you coming out to her ‘second’ wedding?”

“I have to, I’m maid of honor. The timing is bad with the trip to Texas the following week but Richard and I will fly out to California for the weekend of the wedding.”

“What’s the deal, anyway? I remember the first time I received an announcement they were married, not a wedding invitation.”

“They went to Vegas which was awful for Susan. I felt so sorry for her. She and Mom had planned the biggest wedding, eight attendants. The flowers were ordered, the invitations printed, everything. Brad’s mom kept saying things to Susan behind Brad’s back. Every gift she accepted there was some remark to make about it. Susan took her pieces of the silver and china patterns to look at and the woman made some comment about how they’d never be able to afford to have anyone over for dinner. Brad finally had enough and they just got in the car and drove off one Saturday afternoon and called that night from Nevada telling Mom they were married. Susan worked for two years to pay back every penny to Mom and Dad.”

“Poor Susan. How awful it must have been for her.” If I remember correctly, it would have been the summer she’d turned twenty. I wondered why Mel, who is extremely protective of Susan, hadn’t torn Brad’s mother’s hair out. She stepped in to mother Susan when Aunt Lyndie died. Susan took their death the hardest. “Is she still speaking to this woman?”

“She’s on decent terms with her because of Brad and the kids. But you can bet she isn’t on the invitation list for this second go-around. Brad knew the big wedding was always Susan’s dream and he wanted to fulfill it for her. Grandma’s wedding dress worked out just right for her plans.”

“I need to call her later. Don’t mention my phone message to her or Clay. I don’t want anyone else to know about it. I want this trip to be fun. Just the four of us getting together, being family. Now, I feel it has turned into something else.” The last thing I wanted was for this to turn into some cloak and dagger thing. Donnie’s behavior really ticked me off but I didn’t know him or what he was capable of. Perhaps he not only had the key from the box but the key to our family’s secrets. His outburst made me feel this secret ran far deeper than any of us imagined.

“Stop worrying about it. He just figures if he threatens us we won’t come. If he’d think about it, we could all work together on this and find the gold. We have more clues than he does.”

“Yeah. You’re right. I’ll be talking to you before we leave. I guess you’ve already gotten your flight to Texas, too?”

“I’m flying into Forth Worth from Virginia but didn’t make any further plans. My flight's on Thursday, August 31. I’ll be getting in around noon.” Nice surprise. Richard must have made her flight plans for her. Mel was pretty cool but organization wasn’t exactly her forte.

“With two flights for you in less than a week,” I questioned, “won’t you have jet lag?”

“I’m used to it,” Mel chuckled. “I’m using my frequent flyer miles for both trips. Richard keeps track of those for me.”

Mel was lucky she had Richard to do the little things she’d forget. Since I didn’t have someone looking after me, I needed to make my own arrangements. “I’ll make some calls tomorrow. Get some motel rooms. Stuff like that. Do you know if Clay and Susan have their plans set yet?”

“She’ll will fly into Arizona and drive the rest of the way with Clay. They’ve made their plans. You need to get on the ball, girl.”

“Guess I do, don’t I? Talk to you soon, then.”

I hung up the phone and realized they were as excited about this as I’d become. We’d only gotten in on Sunday and they were making their plans to go back. I would make my reservation tonight. Mel had made me feel better about the threat but the little voice in my head made my pulse quicken when I thought about it. I hated that little voice.

Chapter Fifteen

My life between mid-June and mid-August moved faster than a Texas whirlwind crossing the dry, dusty land my ancestors once called home. Already August 12, I lazily stayed in bed that Sunday. Where had my summer gone? All my plans were made to leave for Barnesville on August 30, the Wednesday after Susan’s wedding.

Susan would fly to Arizona and make the last leg of her trip with Clay. They’d pull in on Friday. Mel would arrive on Thursday. Since I’d be there first, I’d have time to look at the county records and see if the map and the letter offered any further clues.

I wondered when Gary would leave. He’d needed to come to San Francisco for some meeting. I’d shared my schedule with him and he said he hoped all of his work would be wrapped up in time. I didn’t have to wonder about him too long. The phone rang.

“Hello.” I must have sounded sleepier than I intended.

His smooth voice, with just a touch of Texas twang, made me smile. “Did I wake you?”

“No. I was just being lazy. Mollie and I are lying in bed with the Sunday Chronicle.” I moved my feet to the edge of the mattress so I could truthfully tell him I planned on getting up. What time was it anyway? Ten?

He lowered his voice and the Texas accent drew out slow and rhythmically, “Lying in bed?” He laughed, “I’ve been up since dawn.”

Over the last eight weeks, we’d become friends and I’d come to realize he had a genuine interest in our adventure.

“I have some great news.” I heard the excitement in his voice.

I tried not to have any in mine. “Yes?” I didn’t want him to think he’d swept me off my feet, even though he had. Eight bouquets of flowers in the eight weeks I’d been home. Two boxes of candy and one rather large, brown bear with a cowboy hat and six-shooter, not to mention a phone call every day. Sixty-four of them. I’d also become very interested in the project he was working on for his mother’s church. They were mapping out the old churches and cemeteries in Johnson County. It quickly became obvious why he knew so much about the Barnesville area. For such a small community, it had two churches. The cemetery was behind what the founders called the First Church, the one in my picture. Then the railroad bypassed it and by 1905 it was almost a ghost town. The bustling community, with a bank and the first cotton gin in the area, along with the Barnes family, who raised cattle and prized thoroughbred horses, had moved on.

In the beginning, I thought he reacted with too much interest in our trip and the gold. The way he pounced on the idea right from the start made me think his intent was elsewhere. His excitement about going along showed in our long conversations as he told me about the caves, the Indian sweat lodge and the history of the surrounding area. I began to trust him and felt comfortable with him, longing for the evenings and weekends when we could talk. I had to concede…I was falling in love with Gary Wright. I used to scoff at people who found their true love on the Internet. I wish I could personally thank Alexander Graham Bell.

“And what’s the great news that couldn’t let me be idle another hour or two?”

“I’m coming out on August 24. Need a date for Susan’s wedding?” I could feel my face getting hot. I didn’t plan to share him with my whole family. Not just yet, anyway. I wanted him to myself. My heart’s desire, to get to know him, in person, might be jeopardized by my jumble of relatives.

I tried not to hurt his feelings, “Yeah…I guess.”

“I don’t have to go if you don’t want me to, Addie.”

“No. It’s not that.”

“I was just going to get in early and I’d like to see you.”

“Are you ready to meet this tribe of mine? My cousins and I have just been reacquainting ourselves with each other. We’ve been scattered for so many years.” I wanted to be close to my family. Well, I’d gotten my wish. I just hoped they didn’t give me a bad time about Gary.

“Sure. The more the merrier. However, you’re all mine on Saturday night, right?”

I could see the laugh lines around his mouth and the corner of his eyes. He’d sent me a small picture of himself on some sunlit summer vacation. I kept it on my nightstand and picked it up. “Just promise me you won’t wear that awful yellow Hawaiian shirt you have on in this picture,” I teased.

“Okay. That’s a deal. Oh, yeah. When is your flight to Barnesville?”

“August 30. Why?” I held my breath and wished.

“The San Francisco office is telling me I’ll be done there on Tuesday. Give me your flight number and I’ll see if we can fly back together.” I could hear the smile in his voice as I heard just exactly what I wanted.

“Okay,” I squeaked out. I could handle the wedding and I could handle the dinner but sitting close to him for four hours made my palms sweat.

“Everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine. Mollie’s pulling at my nightgown. I should take her out.”

“And, Addie, I…ah…I…I’ll see you then.”

“Talk to you tomorrow, Gary. Bye.” What was he going to say? I love you? I knew it. Or do I? Is this wishful thinking on my part? Do I want him to say it? Whether I am ready or not, I do think that is where he is going. He’d gotten close before but never as close as today. He never mispronounced a word, never stumbled in his conversation. He always spoke so eloquently.

So that must be it and he’ll probably tell me when he arrives. I’ll probably faint. I needed to get some fresh air. Was I ready for this? On one hand I hardly knew him. I’d mistrusted him and had hung up on him. The little voice in my head was irritatingly silent.

Mollie ran through the living room to the sliding glass door by the patio. I let her out and warmed up a cup of yesterday’s coffee in the microwave.

My brain on overload, a merry-go-round of thoughts traveled my theory-stuffed head. If I grabbed the brass ring, it would bring my family together. I wanted to stay focused on the reason for our trip. I needed to worry about Donnie and whatever his intentions were.

Then again, maybe the brass ring represented Gary. So many thoughts. At the very heart of the matter, I wanted both. Was I being greedy? Just once I wanted everything to be the way I’d planned it. Not the way someone else had planned it for me.

I sat at the patio table and traced the circle my coffee cup made on the white surface. The sunlight through the leaves made lacy patterns on the back of my hand. The morning air was sweet and cool, not yet stagnate as often happened in August. I thought about Gary and how he’d almost told me how he felt. The warmth of love crept into my heart. Was it time to let go? Time to let my feelings be what was important?

He might not want someone who had my adventurous spirit. I wanted a few things in life that up until this point no one could give me. I didn’t want to be an accessory, a bonus point to someone else’s life or career. Would I need to give up part of me to have him? That wouldn’t be fair to him either. But yet, the attraction was there. I couldn’t let go of my dreams. Not again. Then there is also Gary’s faith in God. I’d have to tell him what I’d done. But then what was it Grandpa recited?
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away
.