you need it,” Roy said, drawing in a deep breath. “I talked to the sheriff in Palmdale and he said it would be four to five days before their dive team could get here.”
Gavin nodded as if he wasn’t concerned with that news. “Is there any reason we can’t start digging?” he asked.
Roy frowned. “Yes, there’s a reason. This is a crime scene.”
Gavin shook his head. “Technically it’s not. Although I believe everything Lott said, until I find my mother’s body there’s no proof a crime has been committed. Besides, I’d rather be the one to find her, Roy. And those students over there are entitled to their treasure hunt.”
Roy didn’t say anything for a minute and then nodded. “Okay, but I will stay here to help and step in if any evidence is found.”
“Absolutely,” Gavin assured him.
Roy drew in a deep breath and ordered one of his deputies to remove the yellow crime scene tape.
* * *
Less than an hour later, the remains of Jamie Blake were found. And within twenty feet of where she’d been buried, a strongbox filled with gold pieces—Jesse James’s loot—was also recovered.
Deciding not to wait on the dive team from Palmdale, Flipper had jumped into Lott’s lake without any diving gear. When he hadn’t resurfaced in five minutes, Roy became worried. Gavin and his other teammates had not. They explained that although the water was icy cold and Flipper had been under longer than normal, Flipper was far from ordinary. They were proven right when a short while later Flipper resurfaced with the license plate he had removed from the car. The license plate was identified as that registered to Gavin and Jamie Blake.
The charges against Sherman Lott were changed from suspicion of murder to murder.
Layla stood at the window. It was snowing and what had begun that morning as small flakes was now huge and covering the earth in a white blanket. Four days had passed since the dig, and activities on the Silver Spurs were returning to normal. Once Gavin’s mother’s remains had been unearthed, the town’s coroner had been called and the yellow tape had been reerected. But not before Jesse James’s strongbox filled with gold bars had been uncovered.
The Silver Spurs became the focus of two big news stories—a decades-old murder and the first recorded discovery of Jesse James’s loot in the state of Missouri. No-trespassing signs had been posted when the media had converged on the ranch.
Gavin had given his one and only statement regarding the recovery of his mother’s remains. “I am glad the truth about my mother’s disappearance was discovered and I hope Sherman Lott rots in hell.”
A news conference had been held regarding the discovery of Jesse James’s loot, which was making international news. Dr. Clayburn arrived in town and tried to claim the university was associated with the dig. Layla refuted his statement since she had documentation in the form of an email from both Dr. Clayburn and the president of the university advising of her termination prior to the dig. The following day, the two men were in even more hot water when photographs surfaced of the two of them involved in illicit affairs with female students. Not surprisingly, Tammy was in many of the photographs, arriving and leaving various hotels with both men.
Layla didn’t have to guess where the photographs had come from. Apparently Donnell and some of the other students had exposed the sordid activities. Within twenty-four hours of the photographs being splashed across the front page of the Seattle Times and making the national news, the two men, along with a few other faculty members, had turned in their resignations.
Donnell, Wendy and Marsha had joined Layla at the news conference and were acknowledged for their participation on the dig. The Missouri Archaeological Society had authenticated the loot as that stolen by Jesse James from the Tinsel Bank.
Already offers of employment from numerous universities had arrived for Layla, in addition to offers of book deals and television interviews. Yesterday she’d received a call from her grandmother and one from her parents. She had been surprised when her parents told her how proud they were of her. They’d even said she’d done the right thing by following her own dream and not theirs. They invited her to spend the holidays with them in DC.
She drew in a deep breath and moved away from the window to sit on the bed she’d just left a few moments earlier. She had awakened to find Gavin gone. He must have left to check on the ranch with his men. Even with the no-trespassing signs clearly posted, a couple of reporters and their camera crews had encroached on the property only to have Gavin’s men run them off again.
The coroner had released his mother’s remains and yesterday morning a private memorial service had been held. Jamie Blake had been reburied beside her husband in the family cemetery. Layla had stood beside Gavin along with his grandmother, Caldwell and Gavin’s teammates. Even his commanding officer had flown in to attend the service.
After dinner, Gavin’s teammates left to return to their various homes, but not before each one had given her a huge hug and told her how glad they’d been to meet her. She had gotten to know the four well and could see why they and Gavin shared such close relationships. Bane, Coop, Flipper and Mac were swell guys who were fiercely loyal to each other. She couldn’t thank them enough for their part in recovering Jesse James’s loot.
Now that the dig was over, Layla could feel Gavin withdrawing from her. She had tried ignoring it but she knew something was bothering him. She thought it was related to his mother but, to be totally honest, she wasn’t sure.
There was no reason for her to remain on the ranch any longer and she had mentioned that she would be leaving in a couple of days to return to Seattle. She had hoped he would ask her to stay but he hadn’t. Instead he’d merely nodded and hadn’t said anything else about it. Was that his way of letting her know she had outstayed her welcome?
The thought that he wanted her to leave his ranch had tears welling up in her eyes. She’d known when she fell in love with him that there was a big chance he wouldn’t love her back. So why was the thought that he didn’t breaking her heart?
The time they had spent together on the Silver Spurs had been special but now she had to move on.
* * *
Gavin placed his coffee cup on the table, stared at his grandmother and then asked, “What did you just say?”
Melody Blake smiled brightly. “You heard me right, Gavin. Caldwell asked me to marry him. This was his third time asking and I finally said yes. We don’t want to make a big fuss about it and Reverend Pollock agreed to perform the ceremony next weekend. I’ll be moving into Caldwell’s place afterward.”
Gavin didn’t say anything for a long moment. He was happy for his grandmother and Caldwell. It was about time. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you, Gramma Mel. Caldwell is a good man and I believe the two of you will be happy together.”
“Thank you. What about you? What are your plans regarding Layla?”
He lifted his coffee cup and took a sip before saying, “What makes you think I have any?”
His grandmother frowned. “Don’t try pretending with me, Gavin Timothy Blake III. You love Layla. You’ve admitted as
