Read Online Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 06 - Where Trouble Roams by Janet McNulty - Free Book Online

hard, rocky surface.
    “Mel!  Mel!” screamed Jackie.
    “I’m fine,” I called back rubbing my sore butt.  I knew a few bruises were going to form.  ”I need a flashlight.”
    One landed beside me.  I picked it up and scanned the area allowing the narrow beam to illuminate everything.  It turned out that I stood upon a sort of riverbank and right next to me was the river.  I found a stick and used it to test the depth of the water.  Only about five inches disappeared beneath the surface so I surmised that the river was not very deep.
    Another swoop with the flashlight revealed a small waterfall.  I walked over to it.  Carefully, I focused the light on it trying to see if there was some kind of opening above it.  Nothing.    I had no idea where the source of the water was, but in the end it didn’t matter.
    “Mel!”
    I ran back to the hole I had fallen through.  “I’m alright.  There is an underground river and I believe it is the one the map meant for us to follow.  But I cannot find another way down.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” said Jedidiah.
    He lowered a rope and assisted Aunt Ethel as she clambered down to where I stood.  Rachel appeared beside me with a smug expression.
    “What about Jackie?” I said.  “There’s no way she can walk.”
    “Don’t worry about me,” said Jackie.  She had climbed off the horse and limped over to the hole in the ground.  “I’ll stay with the horses and make sure they don’t run off.”
    A part of me hated this plan.  What if something happened?
    “I guess Jedidiah can stay with you,” I said.
    “No,” replied Jackie.  “You’re the one that tends to find trouble.  I’ll be fine on my own.”
    Reluctantly, I agreed to her wishes.  We walked downriver as the map had instructed.  For all of us to move together, we ended up walking in the river itself which wasn’t difficult since the water only came up to our ankles.  The river resembled a creek more than anything else and the water was more lukewarm than col d; something I hadn’t expected.
    We walked as quietly as we could unsure of what we would find.  This also meant that Aunt Ethel ceased her narrating and singing, much to our relief.  That old woman could drive anyone crazy.  Sometimes I considered shipping her off to Congress.  They’d probably do their job just to be rid of her.  If anything, it would get her out of my hair for a while.  Okay, maybe it sounds mean, but I dare anyone to spend a week with her.
    Voices echoing ahead of us snapped our attention.  From a distance, I easily deciphered that they belonged to Gil and Stark.  Something metal clattered on the ground.
    “Not that way you idiot,” scolded Stark.  “Now hand me the shovel.”
    Gil handed him the pick.
    “No, that’s the shovel, this is a pick.”  Stark threw the pick to the ground.
    Gil walked over to get the shovel, but tripped over his own two feet and crashed into the dirt.
    “If they killed that Evans fella,” said Rachel, “then I’m your Aunt Ethel.”
    Gil and Stark finally noticed us and stopped cold.  “What are you doing here?” they demanded.
    “I could ask the same of you,” I said.  “Did you kill Michael Evans?”  So, not the most tactful way of putting it, but it’s to the point.
    “No,” said Stark.  “We never knew him.”
    “Besides, we’re too stupid to do something like that,” added Gil.  I don’t think what he said registered in his brain.
    Rachel busted up laughing.  “You got that part right!”
    “Then why did you come to the ranch?” I demanded, ignoring Rachel’s guffawing.  “You two don’t strike me as country people.”
    “We heard about the legend of Josiah Bard.  Found it by accident during a web search.  So we decided to come out here and look for it.”
    “How did you come upon the map?” asked Aunt Ethel.
    “We found it,” said Gil, “Honest.  We happened to find it on the stairwell of the lodge.  But we never