Rafter pushed the arrow through the crack he’d made and attempted to pry off the square section of plaster. The arrow snapped in half.

“There goes a third of your ammo,” Annie joshed from a short distance away.

“I could really do without the sarcasm,” Rafter said over his shoulder.

“Sorry. I was just teasing. By the way, I found the door.”

Rafter whirled around. “Seriously, you found it?”

Annie stood next to a giant wardrobe she’d shoved out away from the wall. She grinned triumphantly. “Seriously, the door is behind this wardrobe.”

Rafter hurried over to Annie. He held his breath as his wife turned the knob. The hinges creaked as the door swung open. A murky landing appeared. Cobwebs filled the open area.

“Wow, nobody has been in there for quite some time.”

“It looks haunted to me. There might be the ghosts in there.”

“Give it up, Jon. You know I don’t scare easily,” Annie said. “But it sure would be nice if we had a candle or something to help us see.”

“Would a flashlight suffice?”

“Sure, do you happen to have one on you?”

Rafter grinned knowingly. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“I won’t. I’m pretty much homebound for now.”

Chapter 12

Rafter worked his way around the antiques and crossed through the attic’s center, zeroing in on a set of trusses. A flashlight hung from a nail on one of the trusses. He grabbed it and made his way back to Annie and the door.

“How did you know where to find it?”

“Because I was up here a few months ago and left it there.” He looked at Annie’s confused expression. “This is providence at work, Babe. I was up here for some reason and noticed the wiring looked a little sketchy. So I replaced it. I used the flashlight to help me see to work. I must’ve left it here when I finished.”

“Does it still work?”

Rafter pushed the button. The flashlight turned on. “I’d say it’s about half-strength.”

“Awesome. Let’s go explore. Maybe we can find the pantry.”

Rafter pulled Annie back. “Let me go first. I’ll knock down the cobwebs for you.”

“You’ve always been a gentleman, Jon. I love that about you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Annie,” Rafter said and stepped forward, knocking down the cobwebs with his flashlight.

“What about our weapons, in case we make it through the pantry?”

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about them.”

“I’ll go get them.”

Rafter waited for Annie just inside the landing. His heart began to race. An old familiar sensation of excitement and adrenaline surged through his body. He might have settled down a bit since getting married, but a part of him still yearned for danger. Flirting with danger was a bad habit from his past. And he’d thought he’d overcome the need for an adrenaline rush. But the thought of them fighting for their lives dredged it back up to the surface.

Annie reappeared with the bow and quiver in one hand and the derringer in the other. For a split second Rafter wondered what he would do if something happened to Annie. I’d probably go insane and never cut my hair; grow a beard down to my knees and never come out of this house.

“You’re looking at me funny, Jon.”

Rafter took the longbow and the quiver of two arrows from Annie. “I’m sorry. I kind of zoned out for a moment,” he said as he slung the quiver over his shoulder and switched the flashlight to his left hand. He held the bow in his right hand. “Let’s go,” he said and stepped deeper into the landing.

“Should we go straight to the staircase, or try to find the secret room?” Annie asked.

“The wise thing would be to go straight to the staircase. But the fool in me wants me to see the secret room.”

Annie smiled and nodded. “You read my mind. But if we don’t find it in five minutes we should move on.”

Rafter directed the flashlight beam onto the wall next to him and nearest the attic. He guided the light from the ceiling to the floor and slowly illuminated the thick oak-paneling that covered the landing walls. The darkly stained woodwork in this forgotten region of the home rivaled the fancier rooms elsewhere in the home. The craftsmanship stunned Rafter.

“I don’t see a doorknob anywhere,” Annie said as she inched forward, scanning the walls.

“I’m thinking there won’t be one. A secret room has to have a hidden door.” Rafter set his longbow down. “We’re going to have to run our hands along the wall and feel for anomalies. Bobby and Rose fell into the room, so I assume the hidden door swings inward.”

“That makes sense,” Annie said as she ran a hand along the wall.

“Look for seams, probably next to the vertical trim pieces. Or push in on the trim boards.”

“I know this sounds crazy, but my heart is pounding, Jon. This is exciting.”

“Mine, too.” Rafter mumbled. He didn’t think it necessary to tell Annie his heart pounded because of the looming showdown with the Charbonneaus, and not from looking for a secret room.

Annie stopped in her tracks. “I just felt the wall give a bit.”

Rafter joined her. “Here, hold the flashlight, will you?”

Annie took the light and aimed it on the spot in question. “Right there is where my hand was when the wall began to give.”

Rafter examined the wall. He saw no seam or anything else that might indicate a hidden door. He turned and held out a hand to Annie. He smiled. “I think the key to opening the wall is to make out with a pretty girl.”

Annie rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him. “You really want to make out with me now? I’m all sweaty.”

“Anytime is good for me, Babe,” Rafter said.

Annie shook her head in disbelief, but then giggled. “Okay, you crazy man,” she said and lifted her face to meet his.

Their lips came together shyly at first, but then they soon kissed hungrily like Rose and Bobby had many years ago. Rafter pulled Annie closer, enjoying the intimacy of her embrace, the curves of her body pressing against his. As they kissed, he pushed gently against the wall with their combined weight. The wall gave way and revolved inward. The secret room appeared.

Annie pulled away. She shone the flashlight into the room. And then they walked inside. “It’s empty, Jon. The box is gone,” she said breathlessly.

“The Charbonneau brothers are going to be disappointed. Someone else has already found it.”

“Or maybe someone moved it after Rose and Bobby found it,” Annie speculated. “It could still be here somewhere.” She squatted down and shone the flashlight across the floor. “Whoever moved the box did it a long time ago. The dust on the floor hasn’t been disturbed in a long, long time.”

Rafter picked up the longbow. “I think we’ve seen all there is to see here. Let’s go down the servant’s staircase to the pantry. Maybe we can break out of here. But let’s go slow. If a step should creak I don’t want anyone to hear it.”

Annie stood up and looked at his face, zeroing in on his eyes. Her eyebrows tilted into a scowl. “I’ve seen that look in your eyes before, Jon. You wore it when you rescued Gabby Witherspoon and me from the Boudreaux fishing shack. It’s the look you have when you’re about to go into your action hero mode.”

“It may come to a fight, Annie. The police aren’t even aware of our situation. We have no way to contact them. They can’t help us.”

Annie poked him gently in the chest. “You pushed your luck the last time, Jon. You almost died.”

“I’m ready to die protecting you, Annie. I love you that much.”

“You’re not leaving me a widow. If someone has to die, we both die together.”

Rafter stepped forward and embraced his wife, did his best to comfort and reassure her that everything would work out. And yet he could use some assurance himself. He harbored the same doubts as Annie. The Charbonneau brothers didn’t seem like coldblooded killers. But treasure, especially gold, can change a person. “God is on our side, Annie. And no matter how this turns out, nothing can separate us from His love. He’s always with us.”