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could feed my dog junk
food?”
    Adam’s gaze whipped around and landed on
Teddy Worth. He was standing on the porch, the usual shotgun
gripped tightly in his hands. “Yeah, sharks. And I’m starting to
feel like you and I are chum for the water, Mads.”
    Adam rolled his window down an inch and
nodded toward Teddy, trying a smile. “Sorry. We only meant to
distract him a little so we could come knock on the door.”
    Teddy didn’t move any closer. He could glare
just fine from where he was. Instead he whistled and the big dog
loped over to him, still licking his lips from his snack. “You
didn’t really think that one through did you?”
    Adam gave a weak laugh. “No. We really
didn’t. Could we talk to you for a minute?”
    “What about?”
    “It would be easier if we could come up
there.”
    Teddy leaned against a post and crossed his
arms, nestling the shotgun over them like a baby. “Not easier for
me.”
    “Just spit it out, Adam.” Maddy swiped a
hand across her forehead. It’s getting hot in here.”
    Adam sighed, rolling the window down far
enough to stick his head out. “I need a plot plan for the manor and
Edgar Reeves told me he thought you might have one.”
    Teddy frowned. “Can’t you just get the place
surveyed?”
    “I can, but it will take nearly a month to
get the results. I was hoping you’d help me.”
    “Why the hell would I do that?”
    That was a damn good question. Adam didn’t
have an answer. Finally he tried another smile, though that hadn’t
gotten him very far up to that point. “Because I’m a nice guy.”
    Teddy Worth stared at them for a long moment
and then straightened. For a brief second, Adam thought he was
going to help them. But then the shotgun found its way into his big
hands again and the muzzle slid in their direction. “You have about
ten seconds to get the hell off my property, Hoale.”
    Adam briefly considered continuing to argue,
but Worth cocked the shotgun and put an end to that thought. He
turned the key, and put the truck in reverse.
    “Well, I guess that’s that.” Maddy mumbled
around a potato chip. “We might as well forget the well for a few
weeks.”
    Adam backed out of the narrow, gravel drive
and put the truck into forward. “Not a chance. It’s just time for
plan B.” He slowed as he pulled past a large, red building with
white trim nestled into the trees on the side of the road. “You see
that?”
    Maddy scrunched down so she could look
through his window. “That barn?”
    “What do you want to bet that’s Worth’s
barn?”
    The crunching stopped and Maddy swallowed
hard. “Please tell me you’re not thinking of doing what I think
you’re thinking of doing?”
    “Mads…I’m thinking of doing what you think
I’m thinking of doing. And worse, I’m thinking you should do it
with me.”
    “Shit! I thought that’s what you were
thinking.”

CHAPTER SIX

    They argued all the way back to the manor
about the intelligence of breaking into the barn of an angry man
with a shotgun and digging up his floor to find that metal box
Edgar had mentioned. By the time they pulled into the long, winding
drive to Bilsworth Manor, Maddy’s chips were gone, Walter was a
quivering mess in the backseat, and Adam was cranky.
    Seeing the red BMW coupe parked in the
circular drive didn’t do much to improve his mood. “Oh crap! I
don’t need this shit right now.”
    Maddy threw him a look and Adam could feel
her pity from all the way across the truck. She reached over and
squeezed his shoulder and said the only thing that was guaranteed
to piss Adam off even more. “Well, at least now that he’s here he
can talk you out of this suicide mission.”
    Adam swore loudly, Walter whined, and Maddy
gave a long-suffering sigh.
    Dirk didn’t come out to greet them when Adam
slammed to a stop in front of the big house. He wasn’t in the
massive, three story foyer, the living room, the library, or the
kitchen, Adam finally found him standing in the