Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

P aige held her breath as Cassie dug around under the floor.

"Almost got it," she said before she finally pulled out a scrap of fabric.

"Is there anything inside?" Paige asked.

"Yes," Cassie said.

She laid it on the floor and carefully unwrapped it. Paige hurried over, staring down at the object. Her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of something that looked just like the sketch. "That's it! That's part of the key."

"We did it!" Cassie said with a grin. "Thanks, Ri."

"Yes, thank you…Ri," Paige stammered, finding it odd to thank a ghost.

"One down, three to go," Dewey said.

"Yes. Oh, I feel so much better knowing we found one, at least. I hope the others are just as easy."

As Wyatt replaced the floorboard, and Cassie rose to her feet, dusting herself off, Lily pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "We can probably make it to Pearl Pond estate before nightfall. It's the closest. Should we head up there and talk to Kelly and Jodi?"

"Sure," Cassie said with a nod. "Oh, uh…do you three have a car?"

"No, we don't. But I can drive, so maybe I could rent one?"

"Okay. Then you can follow us. We won't fit otherwise," Cassie said.

Damien furrowed his brows. "We could fit. I mean…we could squeeze in the back. We'd be okay. Unless it's like an eight-hour drive or something?"

"Well, no, there are six of us," Cassie answered.

"Oh, I didn't know the sheriff was going," Damien answered.

Cassie straightened, confusion on her face. "Oh, then there would be seven of us."

Paige scanned the group, trying to count them again. Where was she coming up with the seventh person? "Umm…"

"Oh, I don't need to go," Wyatt answered. "You ladies probably have this well in hand."

"So, we're back to five," Damien answered.

"Six," Cassie said. "You three, Mom, me, Ri."

Paige's jaw dropped open. "The ghost is going?"

"Ri go."

"She doesn't like to stay at home alone," Cassie answered. "We can split between my Wrangler and Mom's car. Wyatt, can you check on Willy if we end up staying overnight?"

"Absolutely. No problem."

"Staying overnight?" Paige asked as she shifted her weight. "I really hoped to kind of grab these four keys in a day."

Lily offered her a consoling smile. "I think you may need to manage your expectations. We do need to drive to these places. Salem Falls isn't very far, but far enough that it'll take the better part of a day."

Her heart sank at the words. "Oh. Right."

"You don't have a car, but did you want me to drive you into town to pick up your luggage?"

"We don't have that either," Paige answered. "We just…when we got this lead…we…came here without really thinking ahead, I guess. I…"

"Oh, well, that's okay. I could lend you a few things," Cassie said to Paige.

"Yeah, I could drop some stuff by for Dewey and Damien," the sheriff added.

"Oh, wow, thanks," Damien said. "That's very nice of you."

"No problem. I'll run home now and throw some things into a duffel and drop it off. Give me thirty minutes or so."

"Sounds good. We'll pack a few things and be ready to head out soon." Lily waved her phone in the air. "I'll text Kelly and let her know we're coming."

"Thank you so much for your help," Paige said, her heart melting with appreciation over the help they were giving her. Maybe they really could save her mom, after all.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Why don't you three take a stroll into town to buy some road trip snacks?" Cassie suggested.

"Oh, uh, sure. We can– "

"You don't have money, do you?" Lily asked.

"I have…two dollars," Paige answered, tugging the wrinkled bills from her pocket.

Lily held a finger in the air before she strode from the room. She returned a minute later with a few bills. "Here's fifty. That should be enough. Buy whatever you'd like. We're not picky."

"Gosh, thank you so much. You've been so kind. My mom will really appreciate this, too. "

"No problem. Now, get going. There's a snack shop on Main Street right by the bakery. They'd be the best place for premium snacks that aren't filled with preservatives," Lily said.

They parted ways with Damien, Dewey, and Paige heading toward town as Lily and Cassie worked on packing and readying for the impromptu trip.

"Wow, this is really small-town USA, huh?" Paige said as the buildings filled in around them.

"Yeah. It's like a perfect television town," Dewey answered as he stared at the quaint shops. "It's weird."

"I think it's nice."

"It's bigger than Bucksville, but still quaint and small. I wonder if Nellie likes small towns."

"She put me in a city…no…" Paige shook her head. "No, we're not doing this again. I am not subscribing to the idea that I live in a city because Nellie made me. I live there because I moved there when I was younger because it offered more."

"Right," Damien answered. "I moved to Bucksville for Celine. And Celine lived there because Gray's family founded it."

"I live in the city because it was the only job I could get as a tiny dragon," Dewey added as they found the snack shop.

After making their purchases, they carried their bags back to the bustling Main Street and made their way back to Whispering Manor.

"Did you get good stuff?" Cassie asked with a grin as she loaded two bags into the back of her mother's car.

"I think so. Dewey loves food, so he spent all your money."

Dewey tossed a few pieces of trail mix into his mouth before he crumpled the bag closed. "Sorry. They had really good stuff. "

"I know. They're the best. Mom and I always stock up from there before a road trip." She slammed the trunk closed. "Well, I think we're all set. Wyatt dropped by some things for Dewey and Damien, and I packed you a bag with some clothes and pajamas. Ready?"

"Yep," Paige said with a nod.

"Great. I'll just grab Ri. Oh, and I guess Mom and Ri will go in her car, and I'll drive mine. Then you three can split however you'd like."

"Uh, I'll go with Cassie," Damien said. "And you two can go with Lily and…the ghost."

"Shotgun!" Dewey called as he strode toward the car.

"Of course, leave me in the back with the ghost."

"Yep," Dewey answered. "I'm not sitting with her."

Paige climbed into the backseat as Lily emerged from the house, locking it and closing the gap between them.

Within a few minutes, they were underway, heading for Pearl Pond Estate.

"I heard from Kelly," Lily said from the driver seat. "They're preparing rooms for us. They didn't know anything about the key, but they're making a list of places to look."

"Oh, great," Paige answered from behind her. "Thank you so much."

"Of course. It's a fun little mystery to solve. Cassie and I do like to solve puzzles."

"Glad we could help out, Lily," Dewey answered, his hand digging into his snack bag again. "Mmm, these gourmet snacks are delish."

"Glad you like them. Wait until you see this place. Pearl Pond Estate is really something."

Paige plastered a smile onto her face, less interested in what the estate looked like and more interested in retrieving the keys. Every second that passed was one step closer to her mother dying .

With no way to communicate with her world, she had no idea how quickly things were progressing. Instead of enjoyable, the long ride irritated her.

Maybe they should have gone back through the chapter gate and straight to Kelly and Jodi's. Was this a waste of their time.

She shifted in her seat, blowing out a long breath as she grabbed at the seat belt that felt like it was choking her.

Lily glanced as her through the rear-view mirror. "You worried about your mom, honey?"

"Yeah," Paige said with a nod, her features pinching.

"Don't worry, Paige. We're doing the best we can," Dewey answered. "Drucinda will make sure she's okay."

"Is Drucinda a friend or family?" Lily asked.

"A friend. She was my mom's best friend. She's staying with her while we try to find these keys." Paige glanced out at the rolling hills passing by their window.

"I see. Well, I'm sure she'll take good care of your mom until you get back with the keys. And we'll definitely find them. Cassie and I haven't let a good mystery beat us yet."

Paige forced another smile at her.

"It's okay, honey," Lily said. "It's a lot when our parents get sick."

Lily grabbed her purse and passed it back to Paige. "There are tissues in the front pouch."

The sentiment alone made her tear up. She dug into the pocket to find the pack, yanking a tissue free. "Thanks," she sobbed. "I may use the entire pack."

"That's okay. I have plenty more."

"Aw, Paige, it'll be okay. We didn't come this far to fail now," Dewey answered. "I mean…that would really stink if we were doing all this work, and your mom just died."

Lily furrowed her brow as she side eyed Dewey.

"Right, and if we're just fictional," Paige said between sobs, "she'll awake at the last second, and we'll all live happily ever after."

"Yeah, and you'll be rich because you married a–oops." Dewey winced as he shot a glance at Paige. "Well, you know who you married."

Lily focused on the road, her eyelashes fluttering at the odd conversation.

"Sorry," Paige said. "We have a weird dynamic."

"It's okay. Whatever gets you through." She poked a finger at the GPS embedded in her dash. "And it passed the time. We're nearly there."

Paige blew out a shaky breath, pleased with the development. "I wonder if they'll know where the key is."

"I'm not sure, but with any luck, we can all put our heads together and find it."

"Thank you so much for your help." Paige's features pinched again as she glanced at Lily. "I'd like to think my mom will be like you. You know, once she wakes up."

"Did you not know her at all?"

"She disappeared when I was just a few days old, so no. We just found her now, and she's really sick."

"That's a shame. Well, we'll do what we can to help you. And I'd love to keep in touch if we can. I'm not sure how that works if we're all fictional, but I'm trying not to think about that."

"Me too," Paige said with a chuckle. "And I'm really sorry you and your daughter had to split up, and you're stuck with us."

"And Ri," the ghost chimed in from next to Paige.

"Right, and the ghost."

"It's okay. It seems Cassie and Damien are having a nice time back there. I think they're having a singalong."

"Weirdos," Dewey grumbled as he fidgeted in his seat.

As they rounded a bend, a glowing beacon appeared on the crest of a hill. Paige ducked to stare at it from the back seat. "Is that Pearl Pond Estate?"

"Yep," Lily said.

"Wow, it's huge." It was going to take forever to search that entire place. Her mother may be a decade older by the time they finished here.

"When we get there, I'll send a message to Ellie in Salem Falls and let her know what's going on. She can start looking around her place, too."

"Thank you so much for your help with this."

The car's engine revved as Lily urged it up the steep hill toward the mansion at the top.

"This place reminds me of the were…" Dewey froze, wincing again. "Oh, where…where was it? Do you remember the place I'm talking about, Paige?"

"Yep. That creepy mansion with the little old lady who made us drink tea."

"Riiiiight," Dewey said with a nod. "That's the one."

Paige recalled the werewolf mansion all too well. She hoped this wasn't a repeat performance, but by the looks of the weeping woman fountain out front, it just may be.

"Wow, that fountain is creepy," Dewey said.

"Tell me about it."

"Yeah, Kelly hates it too, but her sister doesn't mind it. Anyway," Lily said as she threw the shifter into park and turned off the engine, "we're here."

Paige unbuckled her seat belt and slid from the car, craning her neck to stare up at the sprawling house. Light appeared at the doorway and a blonde wrapped in a shawl stepped out, grinning at them.

"Hey, Lily, you made it."

"We did. And these are our new friends, Paige, Dewey, and Damien. They're the ones looking for the key."

"Right." The woman bobbed her head as she stuck her hand out. "I'm Kelly. My sister, Jodi, is inside. Come on in. We're always happy to help out a few friends."

"This place is amazing!" Paige exclaimed as she stepped inside. "Wow, those lions are…fierce."

"Aren't they great?" Another blonde strode from a back hall with a grin. "Hi, I'm Jodi."

"They are kind of…scary, but wow, the craftsmanship."

"Wait until you see some of the other things in the house," Cassie said with a grin. "I'm sure we'll get to see them all while we're searching for this key. Unless you've found it."

Kelly clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Not so far. But there are plenty of places to look. You said you found one in Whispering Manor?"

"We did," Lily answered. "Under a floorboard in Cassie's room."

"Any markings on it or anything? This place is huge, but maybe if we had an idea of a symbol or carved initials or something, we could figure out the best place to start."

"There was nothing. We honestly found it through a creaky floorboard."

Kelly winced, shooting a glance at her sister. "Ugh, well, good luck with all the creaks and groans in this house."

Paige's shoulders slumped at the words. If they didn't have any idea of where to look, would they actually find the thing? It would take forever to comb through this mansion.

She glanced around at the vast foyer. Even this room would take forever to search.

Tears brimmed again as she realized she may never find the rest of the keys. Her failure would sentence her own mother to death.