We’ve gone perhaps two hundred yards when Richard suddenly pauses, his attention caught by something near the water’s edge. He bends down, pretending to tie his shoe, but I can see his eyes widening with recognition.
He straightens and walks casually toward us, his expression carefully neutral. When he reaches us, he leans in close, his voice barely noticeable over the rushing water.
“There’s a stone cairn partially submerged in the water,” he whispers. “It’s not natural—someone placed those rocks deliberately. And there’s another wolf mark, smaller than the first.”
My pulse quickens. “What do we do?”
“We need to examine it without drawing attention,” Caleb says under his breath. “But first, we need to make sure we’re not being followed.”
Before we can formulate a plan, Julia steps forward, her phone held high. “Everyone, gather round!” she announces loudly. “I want a picture of our adventure team before we leave! Come on, don’t be shy!”
I stare at her in confusion until I catch the subtle wink she gives me. She’s creating a diversion—and a record.
We cluster together near the spot Richard indicated, arranging ourselves as if for a group photo. But as Julia holdsup her phone, I realize she’s not taking a picture at all—she’s recording a video, slowly panning to capture not just us but the entire surrounding area, including the cairn Richard discovered.
“Say ‘failed expedition’!” she chirps, turning in a half circle to get every angle.
“Failed expedition,” we chorus obligingly, playing along with her ruse.
When she finally lowers her phone, her smile is triumphant. “Perfect! Now I have something to remember this waste of time.”
“We should head back,” Caleb announces loudly. “Jake will be wondering where we are.”
We gather our things and begin walking onward, maintaining the charade of disappointment. But there’s an electric current of excitement running through our group now. We found something—something significant enough that Richard’s eyes are bright with suppressed enthusiasm despite Margret’s betrayal.
As we hike back through the forest, Julia falls into step beside me and shows me her phone screen. “I got everything,” she whispers. “The cairn, the wolf mark, even a glimpse of someone watching us from the trees—one of Hawthorne’s men, I think.”
I squeeze her arm gratefully. “You’re a genius.”
She grins. “I know. Now I just need to figure out how to work this into my blog without getting us all killed.”
The return journey passes in tense silence, all of us aware that we’re likely still being observed. When we finally reach our vehicles, I feel the weight of unseen eyes on us, watching, assessing.
“What now?” I ask Caleb as we load our gear.
“Now we go back to Jake’s,” he replies, his voice so low that only I can hear him. “And we figure out what Richard found.”
As we drive away from the waterfall, I can’t help glancing back one last time. Something tells me we’ve only scratched the surface of Thomas Wolf’s secrets—and that Hawthorne and his allies won’t give up easily.
The game has changed. It’s no longer just about finding hidden gold or exposing century-old crimes. Now it’s about staying one step ahead of them.
I reach for Caleb’s hand as he drives, drawing strength from him. Whatever comes next, at least we’re facing it together.
Chapter 30
Caleb
The ride back to Jake’s is tense, all of us processing what just happened. I keep checking the rearview mirror, making sure we’re not being followed, though I suspect Hawthorne’s men are smart enough to keep their distance while still tracking our movements.
When we arrive, Declan, Kane, and Jake are waiting for us on the porch, with grim expressions on their faces.
“We heard about the confrontation,” Declan says as we climb out of the vehicles. “One of our surveillance teams spotted the police converging on your position.”
“Hawthorne brought the entire Pinecrest police force,” I explain, helping Lana with her pack. “And Margret was with him.”
“Margret?” Jake’s eyebrows shoot up. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Richard says bitterly, joining us. “She’s a Wolf. The family connection to the Hawthornes runs deeper than I realized.”
