Highly Compromised Position Read Free Page B

hating them. As she gazed at Tom, she received a look in return that sent a current charging down to her toes. She tried to concentrate on what he was saying to her father.
    â€œWe didn’t do any of the things that have been happening here lately, and both families need to find out who’s behind the incidents and why,” Tom said. “We can join forces to catch the culprit.”
    â€œI don’t know what you have to gain by this, but I’m not falling for some line of lies from a Devlin,” Will snapped.
    â€œSir, my uncle Lucas was going through Jonathan’s things and found some odd notations in the book so the entries were vague but mentioned payments Jonathan had been receiving from an unknown source. Lucas also found letters to Jonathan, and I brought one with me for you to see.”
    Tom got up, pulled paper from a jacket pocket and handed Will the wrinkled letter. As Tom bent down to draw his finger along a line of writing, Rose went to stand behind her father and read over his shoulder. Nita pulled her chair close to read also.
    â€œSee, it mentions a payment,” Tom said. “Then look at the next paragraph.”
    Rose read aloud, “There could be trouble if the Windcrofts ever find the diary or know the truth.” Rose looked up at Tom. “A diary?”
    â€œNo one has discovered a diary. Read farther down the page,” Tom instructed.
    She leaned over her father’s shoulder again and continued, “The only way to survive is to keep the feud going between the Windcrofts and the Devlins. That is imperative.”
    Surprised, Rose gave Tom another startled look.
    â€œThat’s all,” Tom said. “There’s nothing else to indicate the Devlins aren’t involved, but that, plus my uncle’s word, should be enough to convince you peace between us is worth a try. Let’s declare an armistice and together, see if we can catch whoever is behind the disasters here,” Tom added, looking into Rose’s eyes before he returned to his chair.
    â€œThat’s not much, but it’s something,” Will grudgingly agreed, reading the letter again. Rose had never before considered the possibility that the Devlins were telling the truth. Suppose they weren’t guilty, and it was someone else who wanted to hurt Nita and her father?
    Will’s expression was solemn. “What would anyone have to gain by fanning the feud?”
    â€œThat’s one of the questions we need answered,” Tom said. “Someone may want to run you folks off this land.”
    â€œWhy?” Rose asked, and Will and Nita exchanged a look.
    â€œThat old legend about Jessamine Golden’s hidden treasure,” Nita replied.
    â€œAll the current trouble surfaced at the time of Royal’s one hundred and twenty-fifth. anniversary,” Will explained. “Six months before the anniversary Jonathan Devlin died. Later, items were found in a trunk in his attic. They were historical artifacts that had belonged to Jessamine Golden.”
    â€œWhen the artifacts were found, rumors started flying,” Nita added. “An anniversary ball and fund-raiser had been scheduled. The artifacts were donated for the charity auction and since have been given to the Historical Society Museum, but there’s still talk about hidden gold.”
    â€œI figured that’s legend and nothing more,” Rose said and was surprised when Will shook his head.
    â€œA lot of people give credence to the stories. Among Jessamine’s things there is a map that indicates the existence of the treasure. I’ve seen a copy of the map and I recognized our land,” Will explained.
    â€œWhether the gold exists or not,” Tom said, “someone is willing to kill to find it.”
    â€œJessamine’s map doesn’t reveal where the gold is hidden. Something is missing,” Will said. “There must be something that goes with the map that shows