“Rafa, it was over twenty-five years ago!”she said.“This is just you obsessing again.Leave it alone, will you?”She walked through the office as if trying to ignore him.
“I know it makes little sense, but there must be something there that ties Cedarthorne to Autumn Town and might help Sal!”he said while holding the two black books.
“Okay, time out!”She leaned against her desk.“Think about this clearly.How is Cedarthorne connected to Autumn Town?Even if you found something there, it wouldn’t help your cause.”
“I read in these books…” he said as he proffered the two black books from Hearthstone and opened to a few pages he’d marked.“It says here that the land of Cerdarthorne and Autumn Town were built on belonged to the Spencers.There is no proof of sale on Autumn Town’s land.Only that it was given to the Campbells before the family moved away…but then read here…” He flipped to a page from the black book entitledConjurers.“It says here the earliest settlers of St.Stephenshire settled on that land for years before the Spencers arrived.With the cellar, I might find a clue.”
“About what?”
“About what Cedarthorne is, and how it’s connected to Autumn Town!”
“And when you find this out, what are you gonna do?”
“I can use it as leverage against that prick Harmon Moon.”
“How?”she asked.
“I don’t know.But I have to find out if there’s anything there I could use as leverage against him.”
Aveline balled her fists and took a deep breath.“Rafa, we don’t have time for this,” she said, and he knew she was right.“We have a business to run, and partners to convince that we can still run it,” she punctuated her words, so he understood.
The business meant so much to him too, but he had a gut feeling there was something in those woods, and his mind would never be silenced if he didn’t find out.Maybe his sister was right; maybe he was obsessive.
“But okay, fine…” Aveline said with an annoyed look.“If I help you with this, will it clear your head so you focus more?”She crossed her arms and raised a brow.
“Yes.”He hugged her.“Thank you!”
Aveline rolled her eyes and folded up the sleeves of her black dress.She looked like she was forcing herself not to smile.“Now, you said there were earlier settlers based on the books…who were these settlers?”
Rafa grimaced.“I haven’t gotten to that part yet.”
“Well, we can start there,” she said, grabbing both books and leafing through them.“And if I go with you to locate that damned cellar, you owe me big time.”She paused and gave him a brief glance.“Just…don’t tell Mom, or Sybelle and Arthur.”
Rafa grinned and patted his sister’s back.“I promise.”
Chapter Twenty
Cities and Towns
SAL
Makati City
Theonlygoodthingthat came out of scratching some museums off their list was having more free time.
“God, I love this place,” Willow exclaimed as she stretched on the sofa bed while Sal prepared their brunch.
Theola had helped them find a quaint unit to rent in a city called Makati.Sal had a fondness for Makati.It was a welcome change from St.Stephenshire’s rustic appeal.Makati City was one of the business districts of Metro Manila.New and expensive cars filled the roads and the parking lots.Cemented pavements, malls, and shopping centers stood everywhere you looked, and some buildings were so tall they obscured the sun.It felt like a smaller version of New York City.
As luck would have it, the apartment was surprisingly affordable despite the upscale living conditions.Theola found a one-bedroom apartment in a low-rise condominium along a busy street called Poblacion.The owner, a kind lady in her forties, was looking for someone to apartment-sit while she vacationed in Europe for two months.
“What are you cooking tonight, Sal?It smells delicious,” Willow called from the sofa bed in the living room.
“Ah…steamed ginger chicken with scallion oil and soy sauce over hot rice,” Sal responded with her back turned to Willow as she prepped the food.“We’re out of cooking oil, though.I’ll stop by the supermarket soon.”Sal wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and then jotted the reminder down on a post-it.Being on a tight budget meant no eating out unless it was necessary.Luckily, she was a delicious cook.
“I’m here!”announced Theola as she let herself into the apartment.She labored under a heavy laptop bag and an enormous umbrella, which she opened to dry in the hallway.Theola looked more and more like a big ball of cotton candy as the days went by; she loved to wear light pastel colors and oversized jackets.“I’m almost done with the website!”she exclaimed after setting up her laptop on the coffee table and kneeling on the floor.
“How’s it coming along?”Willow asked.
