“I have a better idea. I know someone who might be able answer all of your questions,” he said. “I just need to give her a call and make sure that she’s home.”
“You do?” Stephanie asked, her face lighting up. “How? Who is it? How do you know so much about this stuff anyway?”
“Okay, slow down,” he said, shaking his head. “I can only answer one question at a time.”
“Sorry, I’m just excited,” she said. “We’ve hit so many dead ends, and I thought this was another one.”
“I’m not making any promises, but if anyone knows the hidden secrets of the tribes around here, it’s my grandmother,” he said, then paused for a second. “Let’s get out of here so I can give her a call and let her know we’re coming. I’ll explain the rest on the way there.”
Stephanie looked like she wanted to ask him ten more questions, but finally let out a sigh. “Okay, I guess I can wait,”she said. “But I feel like you’ve been hiding something from me, and I don’t like that feeling.”
***Stephanie***
Stephanie was well aware that Cooper hadn’t denied hiding anything from her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. However, he’d promised to explain, and she had to give him a chance to follow through. She’d sensed again that something had changed between them when he’d told her about his grandmother, and she couldn’t have ignored the feeling of warmth that had spread through her just then if she’d wanted to, but she didn’t understand how the two were connected.
Frustrated that she was thinking more about her love life than the mystery of the crypt, she climbed the stone steps, reminding herself why she was there, then watched Cooper close the trap door. They walked in silence through the rest of the houses to the tunnel, both lost in their thoughts, but she felt tension radiating from Cooper and wondered what had unsettled him so.
Before she could ask him, they were in the tunnel, then stepping out into the cool midday sunshine so typical for late fall in New York. “I smell snow,” she said, sniffing the air, noticing the dark clouds building on the horizon. “Looks like we might be about to get the first snow of the year.”
“It’s late this year,” he said, pulling out his phone as they walked toward the gate. “If we’re going to my grandmother’s, I’ll have to borrow my friend’s truck. Your little car won’t make it to her house; she lives way up in the mountains.”
He scrolled through his phone as they walked toward the parking lot, then placed the call and put the speaker on while it rang. “Cooper McFarland, it’s about time you called,” an olderwoman said. “It’s been a month since you called me. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.”
“I could never do that, Grandma,” he said. “Did you get the flowers I sent?”
“Yes, and they’re beautiful, but that still doesn’t get you out of trouble,” she said. “You know how I worry about you when you don’t call.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve just been really busy,” he said, looking over at Stephanie, clearly a little embarrassed. “I’ve been doing my internship and school. It’s been a lot to keep up with, but I was wondering if I could come for a visit.”
“Since when do you have to ask to come home?” his grandmother asked. “This is still your home, Cooper, that will never change.”
“I know, but well…I’d like to bring someone with me,” he said, stammering a little bit. “It’s a long story, but we need your help, and I think you’re the only one we can turn to.”
“Cooper, are you in some kind of trouble?” his grandmother asked, her voice suddenly full of concern. “What did you and those other boys get involved with?”
“I’m not in trouble, Grandma, I promise,” he said. “I’ll explain when Stephanie and I get there.”
There was a slight pause. “Stephanie?” his grandmother asked. “Is she your girlfriend? Did you get her pregnant? We talked about that, Cooper.”
“Grandma, she’s not pregnant, it’s not like that,” he said, clearly horrified. “We’re just friends…well…maybe a little more than friends…but…never mind. When can we come see you?”
“The sooner the better, I should think,” his grandmother said. “Now you have me worried.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, I promise,” he said, “We’ll be there soon.”
When he hung up, she could tell that he was still embarrassed and tried not to let her amusement show. “Sorry about that,” he said, hanging his head just a little. “My grandmother is a wonderful woman, but she worries about me too much.”
“It sounds like she loves you a lot,” she said, smiling at him. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, in fact, I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Then we’d better get moving, it’s a three-hour drive from here. It’s going to be late before we get back as it is,” he said. “I’ll call my friend and see if he’ll drop the truck off for me, then I’ll come pick you up.”
An hour later they were driving out of town as the clouds began to descend on them, but she barely noticed; all she could think about was getting some answers and solving the puzzle of the crypt. As soon as they hit the highway, Cooper reached into the backseat, grabbed a basket, and handed it to her. She sent him a questioning look, but he just turned and looked back at the road, so she pulled back the checkered cloth to see what was inside.
Her mouth instantly began to water when she saw the sandwiches nestled next to a bag of potato chips, some pickles, and a bag of chocolate chip cookies. “Hattie was afraid we’d starve on the way to my grandmother’s,” he said, grinning at her. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. There’s a thermos of coffee back there, too, if you’re interested.”
The sound of her stomach growling filled the cab of the truck, and she laughed. “I guess I am hungry, I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” she said, pulling out a sandwich and handing it over to him, then grabbing one for herself. “And these look fantastic, Hattie is an angel, I’ll have to remember to thank her.”
While they ate, they kept the conversation light, but when the food was gone and she’d poured them both a cup of coffee,she was ready for a few answers. “Okay, tell me about your grandmother,” she said. “You promised, remember?”
