The Curse (Seacliff High Mystery Book 2) (9 page)

“Makes sense,” Trevor agreed. “But who would be out here? This farm has been deserted for years.”

“Maybe a squatter,” Eli suggested.

“Or a serial killer,” Mac added.

“I doubt it’s a serial killer,” Eli scoffed. “So far no one has tried to kill us, only scare us.”

“Uh, guys,” Alyson interrupted, “what about Spyder and V? What if they didn’t just take off and Mac’s serial-killer hypothesis is right on the money? We did find that puddle of blood. I have to suggest, again, shouldn’t we go to the police?”

“At this point all we have are a few strange phenomena and no real facts or evidence,” Trevor insisted. “Maybe we should check out some of the other buildings to see if we can’t come up with something more concrete than ‘we saw some strange lights, heard a strange noise, and found a dead squirrel.’”

“I agree with Trevor,” Devon said. “So far all attempts to get the police involved have been met with a total lack of interest. We need something concrete to bring to them. Proof that someone is staying in one of the abandoned buildings might do it. I say we check them out.”

“Tonight?” Mac asked. “Wouldn’t this be a better exercise to undertake during the bright light of day?”

“Actually, tonight is perfect. There’s a full moon, so we should be able to see pretty well, and the darkness of the groves will hide our presence should anyone be looking,” Devon answered.

“Let’s not forget about the psycho-killer theory and the missing students. Suppose we find some creepy guy holding Spyder and V hostage in one of the farm buildings. Then what?” Chelsea asked.

“I think if we find something we should call the police,” Devon said. “They’ll have to respond if we make visual contact.”

“Well, let’s hope we get cell-phone reception out here,” Chelsea droned on.

“My phone’s working,” Alyson confirmed. “I called my mom when we got here.”

“Okay, then, let’s load up.” Devon got up from the log he was sitting on and pulled Alyson to her feet. “Everyone should wear the warmest jacket or sweater they have and the sturdiest shoes. Do you have a leash for Tucker?”

“Yeah, it’s in the box with his dog food. I’ll get it.” Alyson went to the barn to fetch the leash.

Once everyone was loaded into the Expedition, Devon started down the dirt road at a snail’s pace. “Is this as fast as we’re going to go?” Alyson asked. “We could probably walk faster.”

“Remember, the whole plan is to sneak up on anyone who might be around.” Devon smiled at her impatience. “If I go barreling down the road in a cloud of dust I think we might lose our stealthy advantage. Besides, I don’t want to use the headlights. The moon is pretty bright, but I need to go slow to watch for obstacles. We have no idea the last time anyone used this road. There could be a tree down across it for all we know.”

“I think the main house is around this bend,” Trevor said a few minutes later. “We should probably walk from here.”

“I’m going to pull up into the trees,” Devon informed them. “If anyone happens to come down this road before we get back I don’t want them to see the car.”

After Devon had found a fairly sheltered spot in which to park, everyone got out and looked around. Alyson put Tucker’s leash on and told him to heel. The grove where the trees were the densest was eerily dark; the thick branches blocked out most of the moonlight. An owl hooted from a nearby tree and an animal scurried by under the thick underbrush.

“Does everyone have a flashlight?” Devon whispered.

Everyone confirmed that they did.

“Remember, we only turn them on if we have to. A light seen from the house would be a dead giveaway that someone is out here. Walk slowly and watch your step. It’s obvious these groves haven’t been maintained for years.” Devon took Alyson by the hand. “Walk behind us and keep quiet.”

Devon moved forward with Alyson at his side and Tucker by hers. The trees rustled as disturbed animals scurried from their perches.

“I’m having a flashback to every werewolf movie I’ve ever seen,” Eli hissed.

“Tell me about it.” Mac clung to his hand as they walked side by side.

“Ouch,” Chelsea screeched as she grabbed for Trevor’s arm to avoid falling. “I think I twisted my ankle,” she added in a quieter voice.

“Let me take a look,” Trevor offered as he dropped to one knee beside her. He gently held her foot in his hand and slowly rotated the ankle.

“Ouch already,” Chelsea complained.

“I think she may have sprained it. At least it doesn’t seem to be broken.” Trevor stood and picked Chelsea up in his arms. “I think I should take her back.”

“I’ll come with you,” Caleb offered. “One of us will have to bring the Expedition back to pick up the others, and we shouldn’t leave Chelsea alone.”

Devon handed Caleb the keys.

“Okay, thanks.” Trevor shifted Chelsea in his arms as she clung to his neck. “One of us will wait for you where we parked before. Be careful.”

“I hope Chelsea’s okay,” Alyson whispered as the foursome continued on their journey. “Sprains can really hurt. I had one a couple of years ago and I think it hurt worse than when I broke my arm when I was ten.”

The group continued, slowly and carefully picking their way through the orchard.

“The only problem with Trevor taking Chelsea back to the barn,” Eli observed, “is that he’s the one who knew where we were going.”

“Good point.” Alyson sighed.

“I was out here once when I was a kid,” Mac said. “We had a class trip to pick apples. I think the main house is at the base of that big hill up ahead. At least I think it’s that hill. Hills all pretty much look the same to me.”

“Well, let’s head over there and see,” Eli suggested.

The group quietly made their way through the dark orchard to the edge of the clearing. The full moon offered adequate light for them to make out shapes in the distance.

“I can see the outlines of the buildings,” Mac whispered, “but everything looks dark. Deserted.”

Devon paused beside Alyson. “Eli and I will sneak up to the buildings to take a look around. You two stay here and keep Tucker quiet.”

“No way.” Alyson grabbed Devon’s arm. “I’m going with you.”

“If there’s someone up there and our stealthy moves haven’t shielded us the way I hoped, we’ll need you to get help. Caleb should be back with the truck soon. If ten minutes go by without one of us coming back, go back to where we originally parked and call the police.”

“But . . .” Alyson began.

Devon placed a finger over her mouth to quiet her. “I love your bravery and independence, but please do as I ask. Okay?”

She nodded reluctantly.

Devon and Eli skirted the edge of the grove until they were behind the house. Alyson felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as a slight breeze caused a rustling in the surrounding trees.

“I can’t see them anymore; should we start timing?” Alyson whispered as she nervously stroked Tucker’s head.

“I guess.”

Alyson looked at her watch. “I really, really hate waiting.”

“How long has it been?”

Alyson looked at her watch again. “Two minutes.”

“Seems longer.”

“I think I can hear my heart beating.” Alyson held her hand over her chest.

“I know what you mean. I didn’t think I’d be this scared. It’s like part of me wants them to find something and part of me doesn’t. I want to find Spyder and V, but I’m not too thrilled with the idea of finding a creepy guy with a gun. It must be ten minutes by now.”

Alyson looked at her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Six.”

“I think I see something.” Mac inched closer. “By the left side of the house. Something’s moving.”

“I think its Devon. And there’s Eli over on the right. It looks like they’re looking in the windows.” Tucker started growling deep in his chest. “It’s okay, boy. It’s just Devon and Eli.” The dog stopped growling, but he inched himself in front of Alyson so he was between her and the house.

“They’re coming around the front.” Mac held her breath. “It looks like the door’s locked.”

Devon and Eli stood at the front door, talking.

“What do you think they’re saying?” Alyson whispered.

“They’re probably trying to decide whether or not to break the door down.”

An owl hooted in the distance as they waited. It seemed loud in the stillness of the night. The face in the moon stared down on them, as if watching their every move. Alyson shivered. The odd appearance of a face in a full moon had always creeped her out, ever since she was a little girl.

“It looks like they’re coming back this way.” Mac shifted her weight beside her. “No, they’re going to check out the other buildings.”

The girls continued to wait while the boys checked out all the buildings before walking back across the clearing toward them.

Alyson and Mac stood up from their squatting positions. Tucker began to wag his tail as he recognized the guys walking toward them.

“I think my leg fell asleep,” Mac complained, jumping around to bring back the circulation.

“We didn’t find anything,” Devon said as he and Eli rejoined the girls at the edge of the clearing. “The house is locked up tight and it doesn’t look like anything has been disturbed. The other buildings weren’t locked, but we found no evidence that anyone has been in the carriage house, barn, and tool shed in years. There was dust covering everything.”

“What now?” Alyson asked.

“Let’s head back to the car and figure it out from there.”

The foursome headed back to where they’d left the car at a careful but still quicker pace than before. Trevor was waiting for them when they reached their hidden parking spot. After filling him in on their findings, the group decided to continue on to the original farmhouse, farther down the road. As before, they traveled slowly by moonlight.

“I’m surprised Chelsea let you come back,” Mac said. “I fully expected to see Caleb waiting for us.”

“She wanted me to stay, but I don’t think Caleb felt comfortable about following my directions to the old farmhouse, so he volunteered to stay behind.”

“Isn’t it just up this road?” Mac asked.

“No, you have to turn a few times. It’s nestled up in the hills. We should be coming up on the first turn any minute. There should be a fork up here. Stay to the left,” Trevor called out to Devon, who turned the SUV left onto a narrow, rocky road.

“The road looks pretty rough. I’d better put it into four-wheel drive,” he said.

“We should walk from here,” Trevor suggested. “The road gets worse than this, and it’s a pretty steep climb. It’d be hard to keep it quiet.”

Devon found a level place to park that was hidden from the road. “There isn’t as dense a tree cover here. We’ll have to stay low.”

They set off slowly along the rocky road. Tucker walked on the leash in front of Alyson, occasionally turning his head to make sure she was still behind him.

“Okay, I thought the grove was creepy, but this is
really
creepy,” Alyson said as she glanced up at the moon staring down at them with no trees to shield them.

“How far is it?” Mac asked Trevor.

“Not far. Maybe a quarter of a mile at the most.”

“I feel so naked out here in the open. Are you sure we can’t be seen from the house?” Alyson asked.

“Pretty sure.”

“Pretty sure! You’re not
totally
sure?”

“Look, it’ll be fine,” Devon assured her.

“We should be getting close,” Trevor said.

“It looks like the road sort of dips down just up ahead,” Devon pointed out. “And there are some trees to provide cover.”

Slowly, they started to make their way up to the road. Devon climbed up first and pulled the girls up behind him. Alyson let Tucker off the leash and he found his own way up the rocky cliff. Eli and Trevor followed from behind, lending a helping hand when needed. Once everyone had reached the top Alyson reattached Tucker’s leash and he sat down beside her.

“I can make out the buildings through the trees. It looks like there’s a light shining from one of the windows,” Trevor whispered.

“We need to get closer so we can get a better view,” Devon instructed. “Everyone stay low, in the trees, and keep quiet.”

They snuck up on the small cluster of buildings, being careful to walk as quietly as possible. When they got close enough Devon held up his hand for them to stop and then crouched down low.

“It looks like there’s a light on in the room closest to the front door,” Devon said softly after everyone had gathered around. “The rest of the house looks dark.”

“What do we do now?” Eli asked.

“I don’t know,” Devon answered. “I’d like to get a better look, but I don’t want to risk tipping off whoever is in the house to our presence.”

“It looks like someone’s moving around in there,” Mac whispered. “I can see shadows crossing in front of the window.”

Suddenly the light went out, and a minute later a man came out of the front door and went into the barn.