Haunting Danielle 27 The Ghost and the Mountain Man by Bobbi Holmes (great novels to read TXT) 📕

his desk, and Walt and Danielle in two chairs facing him.

“So what’s going on tomorrow? What was I not invited to?” Adam asked.

“We’re driving up to where the kidnappers took Walt. But we’re only going up and coming right back down. Nothing particularly fun or social, I promise,” Danielle said.

Adam glanced at Walt and then looked back at Danielle. “Holy crap, you really found a treasure?”

Danielle and Walt exchanged quick glances, and Danielle asked, “What are you talking about?”

“I had breakfast with Bill this morning,” Adam began. He then recounted what Bill had said about a conversation Carla claimed to overhear.

“A treasure? She said they found a treasure?” Danielle looked at Walt.

“I think I know where that came from,” Walt said. “I quoted William Penn.”

Both Danielle and Adam looked to Walt, waiting for him to further elaborate.

“Brian and I were talking about our time in the mountains, and I said, ‘Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.’ It’s a quote by Penn.”

Danielle and Adam continued to stare at Walt.

“You would have had to have been there,” Walt said with a shrug.

“So you didn’t find a treasure?” Adam asked.

“No,” Walt said.

“Then why are you going back up there? I would think you’ve all had enough of the wilderness for a while.”

After a moment of silence, Danielle blurted, “Pictures.”

“Pictures?” Adam frowned.

“If you think about it, what happened to them was a rather monumental event in their lives. And they didn’t have their phones with them, obviously. And when we picked them up, we didn’t stick around to take any pictures.”

“I don’t know about you, but when something horrible happens in my life, I sure don’t want to capture the memories in pictures,” Adam snarked.

“It wasn’t all horrible,” Walt said. Adam and Danielle turned to him. “It was something of an adventure. Extreme camping,” Walt said with a grin. “And we’d like to get some pictures of the place. Where we camped, where we got water. The mountains change with every season, and before we get into fall, we’d like to get some pictures showing what it was like when we were up there.”

Adam nodded. “I get that. Yeah, makes sense.”

“One reason we wanted to go tomorrow, both Brian and Heather have the day off,” Danielle added.

“And Chris is going too?” Adam asked.

“He’s taking the pictures,” Danielle lied. “He has that really nice camera they use for the foundation.”

“I’ll be curious to see the pictures,” Adam said. “Make sure you bring them with you.”

“Um… I will…” Danielle muttered.

“And don’t forget to make the brownies,” Adam reminded her. “After all, that is the only reason I invited you.”

Danielle rolled her eyes and said, “I won’t forget.”

“By the way, I heard what happened at the museum with Heather and Ginny Thomas,” Adam said with a chuckle. “I always told Mel I wouldn’t want to piss off Heather.” He chuckled again.

“Who told you?” Danielle asked.

“Ginny told Cory, Bill’s nephew. You know they’re neighbors, and he’s been doing some odd jobs for her. Cory told Bill, and Bill told me this morning when we had breakfast together. What set Heather off?”

“I think it was just a misunderstanding. And if Heather had thrown anything, she didn’t hit Ginny,” Danielle said.

“Yeah, I heard that. About her not getting hit. Which made little sense to me. I’ve seen Heather throw the ball for Hunny. That girl had to have been on a softball team. She has a good arm and good aim,” Adam said. “And we’ve all played Frisbee with her. She doesn’t throw like a girl.”

“I think I’m offended,” Danielle muttered.

Adam shrugged and then asked, “So what happened?”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Danielle reiterated without going into details.

“Is anything going to happen to Heather? Cory told Bill Ginny went to the police station to file charges against Heather, but the chief wouldn’t do anything.”

“I think that’s because it was Ginny’s word against Heather’s. There wasn’t any proof that Heather threw anything.”

Adam arched his brow. “So Ginny lied?”

“I don’t think she lied,” Walt said. “There is just probably more to the story than any of us know. Frankly, I wouldn’t be too hard on Heather or Ginny. Hopefully, they’ll work out whatever differences they have.”

“And what differences are those?” Danielle smirked when she and Walt walked out to the Packard after leaving Adam’s office.

Walt shrugged. “I feel bad for both of them.”

“I’d better call Chris and the others,” Danielle said when they reached the car. Walt opened the door for her, but instead of getting in the Packard, she took her phone out of her purse.

“Reminding him to bring his camera?” Walt teased as he waited for her to get into the car.

“Something like that,” Danielle said as she stepped into the passenger side of the vehicle, the cellphone by her ear.

By the time Walt got to his side of the car, Danielle was no longer talking to Chris, but ringing up Heather. Walt waited for her to finish her calls before starting the ignition.

“Okay, that’s taken care of,” Danielle said as she dropped her phone back in her purse. “I told them both what I told Adam. Heather is going to call Brian and give him the heads-up so we’re all on the same page.”

“Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t mind taking some pictures when we’re up there,” Walt said. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Yeah, Chris thought that too. He’s bringing his camera,” Danielle said.

From down the street, Cory sat in his car, watching Walt and Danielle. They had been sitting in their vehicle for a few minutes and didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave. Cory glanced at his watch and then looked back at the Packard. A moment later, it pulled out into the street and headed south, toward Beach Drive. After they drove away, Cory turned on his ignition and headed up the street.

Adam looked up from his desk when Cory walked into his office.

“Hi, Cory, what can I do for you?” Adam asked.

Cory stood there