“If I hadn’t thrown up less than ten minutes ago, I’d kiss you,” Michael told him.
“Back to me and Vanna,” Silas insisted.
“A needlepoint and this topographical map hung side by side in the study, above the mantel with the gold coin in it,” Maggie said.
“So? Ow,” Dean grumbled when Wallace elbowed him in his haste to load up a plate.
“We really should have done this in the afternoon,” Silas told her.
“Or tomorrow,” Dayana suggested.
“Well, you’re all already here. So now you can eat grease and listen to how smart we are,” Maggie insisted.
“Ugh. Fine.” Dean groaned.
“The needlepoint said ‘WHERE IS THE ADVENTURE IN FINDING ONESELF IF ONE USES SOMEONE ELSE’S MAP?’”
“It sounds like a meme on Pinterest,” Dean complained.
“Except we think it was a clue,” Wallace said, helping himself to a fresh cup of coffee before joining Cody at the breakfast nook.
“Next to it was this pen-and-ink sketch of some Idaho topography,” Silas filled in. “Land that just so happens to neighbor Dead Man’s Canyon, specifically.”
“I hate to be a wet blanket,” Dean began.
“Since when?” Maggie shot back.
“I kinda thought that was your thing,” Cody said, going back for seconds.
“You’re both dead to me,” Dean said. “Wouldn’t the gold belong to whoever owns the land?”
“That’s the best part,” Silas said, winking at Maggie. “If you’ll look closely at a much later date when you don’t feel like barfing bile and liquor on our major clue, you’ll notice that it matches up with the sixty acres that the Campbells left in a trust to the town of Kinship.”
“Hang on,” Michael said, picking his head up off the countertop. “Are you guys really engaged?”
“Why do you think Anna/Ava only took half of the gold?” Dayana asked with one eye closed.
“Cody, what happened when the main character in Canyon Secrets finds the gold?” Maggie asked smugly.
“Can’t you just tell us?” Dean moaned. “Are these theatrics necessary?”
Cody’s eyebrows winged up. “The cowboy main character finds the gold and only takes half of it. He doesn’t need it all, and he hopes that someone who needs it will benefit from it,” he recited.
“Is anyone going to get to a point in this century, or can my boyfriend and I go back to bed?” Michael demanded.
“I love that you can finally say ‘boyfriend,’” Silas told his brother. “Welcome to the family, Dean. If you cause my brother a moment of suffering, I will destroy you.”
“So noted. Same goes for Maggie. Blah blah blah,” Dean muttered.
“Understood,” Silas said, grinning.
“Back to the gold,” Maggie announced brightly. “Since the land is still in the trust, and since the bank’s initial claim was paid by insurance, any gold found on it would technically belong to the town.”
“Really?” Dayana asked now with both eyes closed.
“Really,” Wallace said.
“If Anna/Ava took half of the gold, that means there’s still half to find,” Maggie explained.
“How sure are you?” Michael asked.
“We’re not certain,” she said.
“But we have a real good feeling about it,” Silas told them.
“I brought a shovel,” Wallace added.
“You’re ‘shovel sure’？” Dean asked.
“Yes.” Maggie nodded emphatically. “So, who wants to come with us?”
“Now?” Dayana moaned.
“Why wait?” Wallace said.
“If half of the gold is still there, what’s the harm in leaving it there for another seventy-two hours until I’m human again?” Dean wondered.
“Okay. So Cody and Wallace are in,” Silas said, swiping a piece of bacon off the plate. “Who else?”
Maggie winced. “Well, there’s one other person I should probably call.”
48
“Maggie, is now a good time to talk to you about my idea of having you personally renovate the Canyon Country Townhomes?” Kressley Cho asked as she adjusted the angle of her beach umbrella. The ice in her glass rattled and made Maggie want to hit the woman with the shovel she held with blistered hands.
“Now’s not a great time,” she said, gasping for breath. Her lower back was screaming from two hours of fruitless digging. This particular canyon with its whistle-pig holes and spindly trees and stupid, big rocks hadn’t even warranted a name on the map. But she was certain it would have a name by end of day.