“I want to know what happened when we went to Blood Mountain to dig up the treasure,” she said.
In a darkness penetrated by glowing machines, he unwound the events for her. He stopped only to answer her questions.
She could picture herself and Luke, kneeling on either side ofthat hole in the earth, astonished by what they’d uncovered.The missing Confederate gold. She could imagine the fear they must have experienced at the sound of an ATV approaching and the sight of three men standing before them with guns.
It was bizarre to have been an active participant in something so dramatic that she could not remember. She willed herself to recall what Luke was describing. But only emptiness occupied the space where those hours belonged.
“There are things I need to find out,” he said.
“Like?”
“How the Vance brothers knew about the hunt. I also need to know how they got an ATV to such a remote site. I asked Detective Romano if he saw a trailer on the road near where we parked. He said he didn’t.”
“Maybe they followed us and parked the trailer with the ATV on a different road nearby.”
“Maybe. But they wouldn’t have known they needed an ATV until they trailed us to the state park. They live in Toccoa, an hour away. At that point, they wouldn’t have had time to drive home, get an ATV, and drive back.”
She closed her eyes in order to better hear his heart, smell his soap, feel his strength.
“I also need to know,” he said, “where the brothers are keeping the gold. If I can learn that, the police will have the evidence they need to arrest them.”
“Do you think they’ve put the gold in a storage facility somewhere?”
“Probably not, because that would create a paper trail. Bills. A record of payments made.”
“On someone’s property, then?”
“To me, that’s what’s most likely. I wouldn’t expect them to store it on property they own, because that’s where police would look first. But maybe on the property of someone they trust.” His fingers gently wove through the strands of her hair. “I’ll figure it out.”
But what if he didn’t? Could Luke make peace with that outcome? She cared far more about Luke’s well-being than about punishing the Vance brothers. “Answering those questions is important. But not so important to me that it’s worth putting you in danger. The Vance brothers are ruthless.” It was hard to square in her mind that the brothers who held a fundraiser in their sister’s honor were the same brothers who’d tried to kill her and Luke. But they were. “I think we should let the police handle it.”
“I agree. I’m just going to ... help the police along.”
“I’m not as feisty and emphatic as I will be when I’m healthier. But really, Luke. I need you to hear this.” She lifted her head and adjusted his face until their eyes met. “I don’t want you to get hurt, and I don’t want you to do anything that will end up gettingyousent back to jail. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Promise me you won’t risk yourself or break the law.”
He hesitated.
Worry clenched painfully within her. “Luke.”
“I promise.”
She resettled her cheek against his shoulder.
“I had a talk with Robbie while you were unconscious,” he said. “He told me what really happened the day before Carla’s death.”
“I’m listening.”
He provided the details of her dad and uncle’s miraculous find.
“Did Robbie tell you what happened the next day?” she asked. “When Carla died?”
“No. He said he’d speak to you and you alone about that.”
“Will you ask him to come visit me tomorrow?”
