SWAINS LOCK (The River Trilogy, book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    R. L. Fisher and K. Elgin at Great Falls
    March, 1924
    He unfolded the pages surrounding the photo
and noticed their left edges were uneven, as if they’d been torn
from a book or ledger. The outer page was blank except for a
pre-printed list of underscored column headings:
    Date Time Boat no. Capt. Cargo Tonnage Origin
Destination
    Maybe this page had been ripped from an old
log-book for canal traffic, he thought. The remnants of Pennyfield
House were only a stone’s throw away at the bottom of the hill, and
this shed must have belonged to its owners. And the whitewashed
stone locktender’s house stood boarded up and abandoned, just
across the canal.
    Since there was no other writing on the
outer page, he guessed it served as a protective envelope. The
inner page had the same pre-printed column headings, but a note had
been written in ink below them. Though the penmanship was
inconsistent, the margins were flush and the lines evenly-spaced.
It looked like a carefully composed letter from an unpracticed
author.
    March 29, 1924
    Charlie,
    If it is April and I am missing, I fear I have been
killed because of what happened today at Swains Lock. I may be
buried along with the others at the base of three joined sycamores
at the edge of a clearing. The name of the place is well knowed by
Emmert Reed’s albino mule. One tree leads to the money, the second
leads to the killers and the third leads to the dead. In your
search for me you may find the truth. Be careful you don’t share my
fate.
    Your friend, Lee Fisher
    As he re-read the note, Vin felt the back of
his neck chill. He studied the photo of the young couple again,
turning it over to see the notation “R. L. Fisher and K. Elgin at
Great Falls”. That could be Lee Fisher in the picture, he thought,
since Great Falls was only a few miles away and the picture was
also dated “March, 1924”. He turned back to the letter. Who was
Charlie? And why was the note placed here, where Charlie – hell,
anybody – would have been highly unlikely to find it? Maybe Charlie
had already found the note and hidden it here himself. But then why
would the drill be hidden along with the papers? Strange.
    He plucked the finishing nails from the
planks, then carried them back to the house along with his tools
and the newfound drill and papers. On his way to the driveway his
throat felt dry, so he set everything down in the foyer and climbed
the half-flight to the breakfast nook and kitchen for a glass of
water.
    Between sips in the foyer, he finger-tapped
the planks as they leaned against the wall. Definitely cedar and
quite solid. The strange mark was facing outward at the top of one
plank, so he spun the plank to its original orientation. The curve
and one of the slashes suggested a sickle, but the other two
slashes made the symbol look alien. Wondering whether there was a
connection between the mark and the photo, he studied the picture
again but couldn’t find one. The doorbell rang and he nearly jumped
out of his skin. He laid the photo on the foyer table and opened
the door.
    “Hi, Vin,” the woman at the door said. He
stared at her blankly for a second. “We met yesterday.” Her
gray-green eyes flitted left and right, then settled on his own.
She smiled as he remembered yesterday’s dogfight.
    “Sure, sure,” he said, sweeping his hair
back from his brow. “You’re Kelsey, right? I’m sorry, I was asleep
on my feet when you rang. Come in.” He stepped back and held the
door.
    “Thanks. Where’s your dog?”
    “Napping on the deck. At least he better
be.” She laughed as Vin found himself locating the faded scar on
her left temple. He quickly made eye contact again. “How does your
dog’s ear look today?”
    “About the same. I’m trying to make sure she
doesn’t scratch it, but given the amount of time she spends rolling
around outside, the ear spray sounded like a good idea.”
    “Right, the gentamicin. Nicky told me where
to find it. I’ll be