Moon Shade Bluff - Book 2 of 3

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Early the next morning, Sharon was eager to begin investigating the matter of Dad's death, and still reeling from the information Linda Washburn had relayed to us, I tried to find some solace by visiting Dad's monument at Vexton Memorial Garden, only a few miles from where he'd met his end. With the idea that he may have been murdered running wildly through my mind, I felt tears begin streaming down my cheeks. Nothing seemed the same. My footsteps were now heavy, my heart anguished, and even the clouds conjured images of, as Riley referred to them, monsters.

As I approached the monument, a strong gust of wind sent waves of leaves in my direction. Some stuck to my jacket, and others formed a pile at the base of the monument. I began to peel them from my jacket and clear the others away from the monument, while I thought back to the conversation I'd had with Dad the night before he died.

"So, Heath, what are you working on, buddy?"

"Our teacher wants us to write about what we want to be when we're older."

"Oh, and I bet you're writing all about how you want to play for the Androids, win the NSL Championship, and be the most valuable player!"

"Not really."
"No? I thought you wanted to be like Brent Shale."

"That was when I was younger."

"Younger? You're only ten, Heath. What, now that you're an old man you don't like Brent Shale and the Androids anymore?"

"No way. I love the Androids, and Brent Shale's my favorite player. I'm going to meet him at school tomorrow! But I don't wanna be like him."

"Okay, then. Let me see... I know how much you and Skip like to play tennis."

"No, I don't want to do that, either."
"Well, I give up."
"I want to be like you. I want to take care of Vexton and help all the farmers."

"Is that so? Well I'm certain you'd do a tremendous job... I'm so proud of you, son, and I love you more than you can imagine. And tomorrow after school we'll take one of our long walks, and you can tell me all about your day with the Androids."

I reflected for several minutes, sitting in the shade of an old oak that stood just yards away from the monument. Then I felt a powerful surge of adrenalin run through my body. If my fatherwas killed, I was going to do everything in my power to find out who killed him, and why. I was ready to find out what Sharon had learned. I paid my final respects, and after leaving the grounds, I contacted Sharon.

"I'm glad you called, Heath. I was just going to call you." She sounded eager.

"What is it, honey?"

"Can you meet me at the location where your father's copter went down?"

"Of course," I replied, my curiosity piqued.

When I arrived at the scene, Sharon waved me over. She was speaking with one of the soldiers on site. As they talked, they were looking curiously at the tree directly in front of them.

"Heath, this is Sergeant Evans," Sharon said, turning toward me. "Sergeant, this is my husband, Heath Claremont. Sergeant

Evans's men discovered something very interesting yesterday morning."

"Oh?"

Evans hesitated, appearing concerned about relaying official information. Sharon interjected. "It's okay, Sergeant, my husband's the director of Vexton Land Protection."

The sergeant relaxed. "Yes, we did make a very unusual discovery," he said, holding a device toward the tree. "Now, when I place this scanner in front of the tree, you'll see a pattern... right in the center of the tree." He guided my eyes toward what looked like an oval-shaped carving.