DumbAtHeart.epub (9 page)

something moving within the house. “Or, maybe not. Maybe it’s just a creepy, old

house and you have an active imagination.”

Her attention went back to the trunk. Cass ran her fingers around the pine base

and into the corners and over the joins. There was a small gap that didn’t seem to look

natural. A weird feeling rushed over her. “Could the Throcker gold be in there? Was it

a case of hiding something in plain sight? If so, it wasn’t going to be the legendary

haul people expected. She stood up and looked around the room to find something to

wedge into the gap and pry up the pine. An old shoe horn made of what looked like

actual horn lay discarded on the floor.

Cass picked it up and went back to the trunk. She shoved the shoe horn into the

gap and jiggled it around, trying to pry up the plank. After a couple of minutes and a

lot of sweating, the board popped up with a groan. Cass worked her fingertips underneath and yanked the board up. What she saw made her blink twice. There was

an old folded piece of paper, a compass and a key.

“Holy crap! Is that a map? I don’t believe it!” Cass reached down inside for the

paper. “Is this clue to the Throcker gold?” And then she blacked out.

“Cassie! Can you hear me!” Evan was frantic. He had returned to the house after

an hour to look for Cass. She was nowhere to be seen. The door to the home was open

and there were footsteps in the thick dust on the floor. A cold sense of fear raced

through him. This was a very old house. She could have fallen through the floor and

been crying out for help without anyone to hear. He looked around frantically but all

boards were intact. Phil joined in the search when he heard Evan shouting Cass’s

name. They went from room to room.

“Are you sure she went in here?” Phil asked.

“She said she wanted to look around.” If anything happened to her, Evan knew it

would kill him, such was the hold she had taken on his heart. “Cassie!”

“You love her.” Phil smiled.

“Yeah, I do.”

“That’s nice, man.”

“We have to find her.”

Cass woke up with the mother of all headaches. She tried to sit up but hit her

head on what appeared to be a very low ceiling. “Where the hell am I? She rubbed her

head and squinted above her. It looked like solid oak. It was then she realized where

she was. In the trunk. And the headache? “Someone hit me hard right after I found

what could have been a map and a compass.” She muttered to herself as she scrabbled

her hands around in the confined space. She could feel the map and compass under

her fingers. “And frig, there was a key. A big, old and ornate one.” In the musty,

confined space she couldn’t or feel anything else. The key was gone.

Cass pushed up on the lid. It was firm. She thought of the latch and the padlock

she had seen earlier. “The bastard must have locked me in!” Part of her wanted to

panic while her more rational self told her to calm down, shut up and think. She

couldn’t get out. Whoever hit her must have taken the map, compass and key and then

locked her in. “When I find them, I’m going to kick their ass.”

She pushed again on the lid. It was sweaty hot inside the trunk. Suffocation

wasn’t an issue though. Enough air seemed to be getting in through a join in the

wood. “So, I just have to contemplate heatstroke. There’s a bright side,” she muttered

to herself as she banged her fists against the wood. “Do not panic. Stay calm.” Despite

this she yelled out. To her surprise, a voice yelled back. She screamed in relief.

“Cassie!

It was Evan. The sound of running feet were heading toward her. “Evan! I’m

here. In the trunk!” She kept banging her fists on the inside of the lid. She heard Phil

ask, “How did she get in there for Pete’s sake?”

“Please get me out,” she wailed. Any illusion of being strong and in control had

rapidly diminished with the rising heat in the trunk.

“I will. I promise,” Evan called out to her. “I just have to get the lid open. Damn

it! The key broke.”

“I saw an axe in the old barn outside,” Phil told him.

“Get it!” Evan ordered.

Cass heard the sound of running feet. “An axe?” She was awfully close the top of

the lid. She tried to scrunch down to make herself smaller.

“I’ll be careful. I promise, Cassie.”

She knew that. “Evan?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m kinda scared.”

“I know. You’d be crazy not to be,” he responded, frustration evident in his

voice.

“And, I’m sweating like a pig.”

“I will get you out.”

Phil pounded back into the room. “I have the axe!”

“Don’t destroy the trunk!” Cassie implored.

“What?” Evan sounded agog.

“It’s a beautiful thing.” It would be a shame to ruin it.

“You’re more beautiful to me than it will ever be.”

The next sound she heard was the axe crashing down and wood splintering. Cass

covered her head with her hands. Another blow followed and suddenly there was

daylight and hands started pulling the splintered wood apart. Cool air rushed in. She

looked up at Evan. “Hello.” She had never been so relieved to see anyone. Phil even

looked good.

“You’re right,” Evan reached his hands down to her. “You are sweating like a

pig.” He pulled her up and out.

“What happened?” Phil asked her.

Cass leaned against Evan, relieved to be out and in his arms. She told them about

the possible map and the compass “—and then I blacked out.”

Evan touched her hair. Her hat was no longer on her head and there was blood.

“Looks like someone whacked you. We need to get you to hospital. Phil, get the car.”

“Right!” He raced out.

Evan pulled Cass into his arms and kissed her. “God, I was so worried.” He

leaned his forehead against hers.

“Me, too.” She turned to glance at the trunk. It was then she saw it. “Hey, wait a

second, the key is still here. I must have been lying on it and whoever knocked me out

didn’t realize. Do you think it’s the key to the Throcker gold?” That could be the only

reason someone had done to her what they did.

Evan reached down and picked it up. “Maybe, but at the moment I need to make

sure you’re okay. The Throcker gold can wait.”

Word soon raced around Mundabucka about what happened to the city chick.

Cass was not impressed. “City chick?” She was back at the hotel with Flo and Jo

fussing over her.

“Yeah, well, you’re from the big smoke of Cairns.”

“Cairns isn’t a major city. It’s regional, casual and carefree. It’s hardly a metropolis.”

Flo considered that and nodded. “No, but it’s bigger than Mundabucka and that

makes you the city chick.”

Cass blew out a breath and stood up from the large armchair she had been directed to sit in and rest. “I’m fine,” she announced before either woman could say

anything. It was nice they were worried but so much attention drove Cass mad.

“Evan said you were to rest,” Jo told her.

“Well, Evan’s not here so what Evan doesn’t know won’t hurt him will it now?

By the way, where is he?” He had gotten her home and gone. “He was last seen

holding onto the key and cursing under his breath.”

“He was pretty angry about what happened to you.”

“Flo’s right. He and Phil went to talk to Deputy Bob. They figure the key, compass and map are safest with him.”

“Deputy Bob? Seriously?”
Just when I thought Mundabucka couldn’t get more

country.

“Deputy Bob is our local cop,” explained Flo. “He’s been called Deputy Bob ever

since primary school when he used to wear a sheriff’s badge. The thought is he liked

it so much he decided to be a cop for real.”

“Ah, I see.” Mundabucka was a strange place. It was better to go with it than

against it.

“We have Bob and Nellie on our Police force.”

“Nellie?” Was Mundabucka progressive enough to have a female officer, Cass

wondered?

“His blue heeler cattle dog.”

“Of course.” Cass smiled. She should have thought of that.

“Phil also helps out,” Jo added. “They’re a very effective police force.”

“No doubt,” murmured Cass as she thought of a tin starred Deputy Bob, a pooch

and the toothless and fingerless Phil, on the beat looking after the mean streets of

Mundabucka.

It was then Adele appeared. “I heard what happened. Are you okay?”

Like she gave a crap
. Just the fake way she said it set Cass’s teeth on edge with

suspicion. She looked too happy for someone who didn’t like her. A thought came to

her.
What the hell.
“Why did you hit me on the head?” A little speculative accusation

couldn’t hurt.

“I did not!” Adele declared angrily.

“And you took the key.”

She bit back. “There was no key.”

Three sets of eyes locked on Adele.

“Ah-ha!”
I frigging knew it.

“Adele? What did you do?” Flo wasn’t happy.

Jo barred the doorway she came in through. “You need to explain what you just

said.”

Adele backed away from everyone. “I mean, I heard through gossip that there

was a map and compass. No one mentioned a key.”

“Gossip, huh?” Cass knew she was lying her Sicilian ass off.

“Of course.” Adele crossed her arms over her breasts. “Are you accusing me of

something? That’s slander you know.”

“Only if it’s not true,” Cass responded, thinking that as shallow as Adele was, she

didn’t strike her as someone who would try and bash someone’s head in. That she

knew what happened and undoubtedly by who was a given.

“I don’t have to stand here and take this!” Adele snarled at Cass.

“No, I’m sure you can take it elsewhere with the same reaction.”

“Bitch.” Adele went off in a huff.

“Cow!” Cass yelled after her. She didn’t care what Adele thought of her.
As if

Evan would want her.

“Think she did it?” Jo asked Cass. “She’s pretty greedy.”

“Yeah, but she’s basically stupid and shallow.” The other women nodded at

Cass’s words.

“Who else, then?”

Cass wouldn’t put it past Murdo and said so. Her one run in with him was enough

to make her suspicious.

“Maybe,” Flo answered. “Word is he went bush a couple of hours ago. Plenty of

time to do the deed and scarper.”

“Maybe he’s looking for the gold.”

Jo had a good point but for one thing. “But he doesn’t have the key.”

“He could shoot the lock off whatever it fits to.”

Cass was bemused. “I think that only ever happens successfully in the movies

and as fascinating as Mundabucka is, it’s no Hollywood.”

* * * * *

her bedroom. She was neither tired nor an invalid. While Cass had a slight headache

from the bump on her head, she felt bad about wasting her employer’s time. She was

paid to do a job and not to lie around. She took work seriously. But they wouldn’t

hear of her doing anything more for the day. And, if she was honest, while they’re

fussing was sweet, it was also draining. It was nice people cared. She hadn’t felt that

in ages.

“Crazy place,” she murmured to herself.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Evan responded pushing through the doorway

into her bedroom.

“What happened to politely knocking and asking for entry?” Not that she cared.

Seeing this man made her heart leap in excitement. He could enter anything of hers

any time.

“I was hoping to catch you naked.”

She had just had a shower and was dressed in a robe. “Sorry, fully clothed. “

“Damn. I’ll have to try another bedroom.” He kicked the door shut behind him.

“How are you feeling?”

The look of concern in his eyes was sweet. It had been a long time since anyone

truly cared about her. She felt that from Evan. They may not have known each other

that long but what she did know about him was he was a god man. “I’m perfectly fine

so no fussing.”

“People are worried about you.”

“Just people?” She sat down on the bed. Cass was naked under the robe. Her

thoughts went to the last time they had sex. She licked her lips in anticipation.

“Me. I’m worried.” Evan sat down beside her, his hand coming to rest on her

knee. “You know I feel like I know everything about you, but I really don’t.”

Cass felt that way too. He had been thrust into her life and taken a hold on her

heart with such sweet simplicity that she hadn’t bothered to question much else.

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you have family?”

“No.” Her parents had died over ten years ago in a car crash and she had no

siblings.

“I’m sorry,” He bumped his shoulder against hers and leaned into her.

Lordy, he’s sweet.
“People die. It happens. I miss them a lot but I move on.”

“You’re a tough little thing.”

Cass shrugged. “I’m realistic and I’m hardly ‘little’.”

Evan grinned. “You’re womanly.”

“A nice word for chunky.” She smiled back at him.

“I prefer voluptuous.”

She dropped her hand to his thigh and stroked the firm flesh under the denim. He

smelled so clean, fresh and manly. Hunger rose up within her. “You’re a nice man.”

“Be careful—”

“Why?” Her hand moved higher up his leg.

“Because you touching me makes me want to do all sorts of stuff to you.”