Unconventional

Standing there in nothing but his boxers, he was bare-chested and sweaty and beautiful. Still, my eyebrows knit together. If he was trying to make a joke, still I didn’t get it.

“My uncle…” I started. “He was doing some restoration work in here, toward the end. Right about the time he got sick…”

Julian looked at me skeptically. “Restoration, eh?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “I’d find him in here all hours of the day, even the night. I had to pull him out of here sometimes, he was working so hard on putting these walls back together.”

The stonemason scratched at his chin. He looked around and shook his head.

“No. Actually it’s just the opposite.”

I was at a total loss. Still not understanding.

“Madison, look around. These walls weren’t damaged by time. Someone intentionally chipped the mortar away. They took the stones out one by one and stacked them.”

The more I looked, the more I saw he was right. There were some disjointed piles, like the one Julian was standing in. But also scattered throughout the chamber — next to the holes in the walls — were neat piles of stone, all stacked on top of each other.

“Travis wasn’t fixing anything in here,” Julian said. “He was taking things apart.”

He turned and stared back into one of the holes in the wall. Only darkness glared back.

“Your uncle was looking for something.”

Thirty-Seven

NOAH

“Did he ever tell you what he was working on?” I heard Chase say. “Maybe give you a hint?”

They were sitting around the table, having breakfast when I arrived. The three of them drinking coffee and eating pancakes, talking like it was the most casual thing in the world.

“No,” said Madison, throwing down her napkin. “He never said anything.”

She rose to her feet as I entered the kitchen, and pulled out my usual chair. Smiling warmly, she slid her arms over my shoulders and stood on her toes to kiss me.

“Good morning, handsome.”

Her lips were soft and tasted like syrup. They lingered on mine just long enough to make my head spin, her mouth open just enough to make things more than a little friendly.

“Your plate’s in the microwave. Just hit the ‘start’ button.”

Julian pushed a carafe of coffee my way. Chase slid me the milk and sugar, and I shot him a dirty look in return.

“What about his final wishes?” asked Julian. The way he spoke, he seemed to be treading carefully. “Did he… leave a will?”

“Sort of,” Madison shrugged. “He put his whole life’s savings into this property, and he left Westgate Castle explicitly to me. He never had any children of his own, so…”

“What are we talking about?” I asked abruptly.

“Travis,” said Chase, through a mouthful of pancake. “He was tearing open the walls in here. Trying to find something.”

“That’s just a theory,” said Madison coolly. “My uncle never talked to me about searching the property, or looking for anything specific.”

I wasn’t sure what they were going on about, but I was still angry. Chase had done something stupid and reckless. Something that could’ve put us both at risk, and without even telling me.

“You and I,” I said, grabbing my fork. I pointed it at Chase. “We’re having a talk later.”

My friend and roommate smirked back at me. “Sounds fun.”