Chapter 3

            According to Victor, Brock got pulled into an emergency business call. He had instructed Victor to serve dinner without him. They were all seated at a long wood dining room table. The only light in the room was the chandelier above the table. They could see to eat, but Lexi couldn’t make out their surroundings.

            The first appetizer was a Caesar salad. The main course was duck a l’orange. Lexi never had duck before. She liked it, but it was a heavy dish.

            Victor had disappeared into the kitchen to get dessert. While Victor was gone, Connor stressed again that the place was really haunted. No one paid attention to him. The guests chatted away until Victor came back into the room pushing a food cart.

            “My goodness,” Jennifer said. “It looks like we are getting a special treat for dessert.”

            “Yes, ma’am,” Victor said and stopped the cart near the head of the table. “I’ve worked all day on this, so I hope you enjoy it.”

            All the guests waited with baited breath for Victor to uncover the dish. The chandelier lights flickered as Victor removed the stainless steel cover to reveal Brock’s head on the platter. His face was pale and his eyes were open and still.

            “Brock!” Blake shouted with shock.

            Jennifer and Lindsay screamed with terror.

            Troy, Nicole, and Barry jumped out of their seats.

            “Shit!” Jeffrey swore loudly as he dropped his wine glass on the table.

            Connor had a look of horror on his face.

            Lexi rolled her eyes and calmly leaned back in her chair. “Relax!” she yelled above the terrified guests. “He’s fine.”

            “What!” Jeffrey exclaimed.

            “He did the same trick at a Halloween party when we were in high school,” Lexi said with a tiresome tone.

            A low chuckle came from the cart.

            Everyone looked over to see Brock grinning at them.

            “Brock….when I catch my breath….I’m going to kill you,” Nicole stuttered.

            Brock roared his laugher as he stood up, revealing that the cart was a cut away. The white tablecloth hung around his shoulders. The silver platter was hugged around his neck like a collar. “Hey, Barry, help me out of this thing.”

            Barry shook his head from side to side and reached for the platter.

            Victor stood proud and tall with a smirk on his face.

            “How old are you? Really?” Jennifer asked in a high-pitched tone with her hand on her chest.

            Barry unhooked the silver platter from around Brock’s neck and gave it to Victor.

            “Yeah, Brock,” Blake said with annoyance. “Have you ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?”

            Brock pulled the table cloth over his head. “Nice to see you too, Father,” he said in a teasing tone. Brock sat down at the head of the table.

            Lexi sipped her wine as she looked at Blake. His cheeks were red. He was really angry. Then again, if Lexi’s sister pulled a stunt like that and she didn’t know it was a trick she would be pissed, too.

            “Did you guys enjoy dinner?” Brock asked like nothing happened.

            Everyone just stared at him.

            “Yes,” Lexi said in an attempt to ease the tension. “The duck was fabulous.”

            “Thank you, Ms. Brown,” Victor said.

            “Now, it’s time for the real game,” Brock announced.

            “Oh goody,” Connor said snidely.

            “Don’t be like that, Connor,” Brock said. “You could be richer than rich by Sunday.”

            “What do you mean?” Connor asked.

            “The original owner of this house, Jasper Mosley, had millions of dollars’ worth of gold coins,” Brock said. “Before he died, he hid them on this property.”

            “Yeah, right,” Nicole said with suspicion.

            “He’s telling the truth, Miss Clouse,” Victor said. “Mr. and Mrs. Mosley collected the coins throughout their lifetime. Mr. Mosley was always afraid that the American dollar would fail and gold would be the new medium of exchange. So, he slowly bought gold.”

            “Have you ever seen the coins yourself?” Blake asked.

            “Yes, once,” Victor said. “It was over twenty-eight years ago. He kept them in a small chest.”

            “In a small chest?” Jennifer repeated. “That doesn’t sound like it would be millions of dollars’ worth.”

            “Ma’am, I saw the collection almost thirty years ago. During those years, the Mosleys continued to buy gold. It has to be a large collection by now,” Victor said.

“That’s right,” Brock said. “This is a treasure hunt weekend. You have until Sunday afternoon to find the gold. And you know what they say, finders keepers.”

“Wait a minute,” Troy said. “This is your property. It would be yours.”

Brock waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Thanks to my grandfather, I got plenty of money, now. The way I see it, I’m giving my closest friends a gift. Well, one of you, anyway.”

“This is a crock,” Lexi said. “This is another one of your tricks. Rich or not, why would you pass up a chance to be richer?”

Victor poured wine into a glass in front of Brock.

“Not the case, Lexi. Now, whoever finds the gold, I wouldn’t refuse a ten percent cut as a consulting fee,” Brock said with a big grin. “Plus, it is a fun way for you guys to explore the house without me taking you on a boring house tour.” Brock stood up and picked up his wine glass. “The hunt begins now.”

The lights went out.

Two ladies let out squeaks.

The men grumbled.

“Oh, good grief,” Lexi mumbled in the dark.