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Rolling my eyes, I started back toward the site. As soon as I got there, I saw a group of people bending over to look at what I assumed was the doll.
“Tripp,” I called out, causing him to look up.
A wide smile played across his face. “You’ve got to see this, Lucas.”
A few people parted and I stared down at the doll. It looked almost perfectly preserved.
“How is it in such good shape, Lucas?” Hannah asked.
“Was it wrapped in anything?” I asked as I examined the venetian doll.
Tripp nodded and said, “It appears it was wrapped in a blanket, though only bits of the fabric were still intact under the doll.”
“The crazy part is that nothing was broken. How do we have a two to three-hundred-year-old porcelain doll that was buried in a burnt-down home still in near-perfect condition? The hair wasn’t even burned,” Tripp stated.
We all stood there, staring down at it.
I looked up and glanced around before looking at Tripp. “I saw its hair yesterday as well as the side of the face. I knew it would be in decent shape, but this is crazy.”
Matt leaned over and looked down at the doll too. “That doll looks familiar.”
All eyes turned to Matt.
“What do you mean?” Tripp asked.
“I’ve seen it in an old picture, though I can’t place where.” He looked up from the doll and shrugged. “Man, it’s hot. We could use some rain.”
Before I could even say a word, someone walked by carrying a bucket of water to clean off any artifacts that were found. The guy tripped, and the entire bucket of water went flying right towards Matt and drenched him.
Hannah gasped, as did a few other people, while Tripp laughed. “Bet you’re not hot now,” he said.
Matt looked at Tripp and slowly shook his head.
“Get this bagged up before anything happens to it. Has it been cataloged?” I asked.
Someone from the back of the group confirmed that it had.
Turning to Tripp, I asked, “Anything else?”
“We covered the site up; weather’s calling for some rain.”
I nodded and glanced back at the area. A group was in the process of putting a tent over the site now that we had most of the foundation exposed. “I want to focus back on the wall once the rain passes. I’m going back to the office to see what I can find out about this house.”
I stopped and looked back at Tripp. “How do you know the house burnt down?”
“We found some charred wood, and the rocks on the foundation indicate a fire as well.”
Nodding, I said, “If you come across anything else, call me.”
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know when we open the site back up.”
After one look at Matt, I exhaled. “Let’s find a towel or something before you get into my car soaking wet.”
Two hours later, I sat in my office and poured over old records in an attempt to figure out who that house might have belonged to. I knew Charlotte had lived there, but was this the house Hollie and her mother had been talking about? The one that had burned down with Charlotte and her father still inside of it?
A knock on my door caused me to look up. I saw Matt standing there with a strange expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I said.
