Hidden in the Wall. Valerie Hansen

      

      Hidden In The Wall

      Valerie Hansen

      This book has to be dedicated to the five other

       marvelous authors who participated in this series:

       Shirlee McCoy, Margaret Daley, Carol Steward,

       Lenora Worth and Marta Perry!

      Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to

       Valerie Hansen for her contribution to the

       REUNION REVELATIONS miniseries.

      CONTENTS

      PROLOGUE

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      PROLOGUE

      A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

      —Proverbs 17:17

      Trevor Whittaker swung the boom of the backhoe and took more and more bites of earth. If he hadn’t been paying such close attention, he might have missed feeling a momentary stutter of the equipment. Concerned, he peered at the partially dug trench then climbed down to take a closer look.

      Steff had left a spade leaning against the building, so he grabbed it instead of returning to his truck for his own tools. The blade had connected with something hard. It looked like…

      Trevor’s breath caught. He dropped the shovel and fell to his knees, frantically clawing at the earth. With trembling fingers he brushed aside enough dirt to be certain his imagination wasn’t playing tricks on him.

      He reeled back on his haunches, appalled. These weren’t water or electric lines he had unearthed, they were bones. Human bones!

      Suddenly a shadow fell across the trench. Trevor leaped to his feet, blocked Steff’s view with his body and grasped her arms to control her. “Don’t look.”

      She tried to twist free. “Why not? Let me go.”

      “No. There’s…” He thought about trying to distract her instead of revealing his gruesome find, then realized she’d never accept anything but the truth. “There’s a skeleton in the trench,” he said hoarsely. “It’s a grave.”

      ONE

      Two months prior

      Slightly lifting the skirt of her pale blue satin gown so the hem wouldn’t brush against the asphalt, Stephanie Kessler picked up her evening bag, left her car in the parking lot of the Mossy Oak Inn and started toward the inn’s ballroom. This was not just another of the many gatherings she organized for Magnolia College as the Alumni Relations Director. It was also the ten-year reunion of her own graduating class and she wanted everything to be perfect.

      Steff paused long enough to check her slim, jeweled watch. She’d been so eager to renew acquaintances she’d arrived far too early. Rather than waste time pacing inside the inn or rearranging the lovely table decorations for the umpteenth time, she decided to stroll across to her office on the opposite side of the campus.

      Not only was the balmy June evening ideal for a leisurely walk, she reasoned, the exercise would help her unwind. And checking her e-mail would show her whether she’d had any last-minute answers to her recent pleas for alumni financial support. In spite of recent fund-raisers, she was still coming up short on donations for the planned library expansion. That was worrisome.

      A welcome breeze lifted Steff’s short blond hair away from her cheeks. When she faced into the wind to take advantage of its refreshing coolness, her gaze rested on the imposing stone edifices of the college that had become the central focus of her life.

      Campus was nearly deserted this time of year, which was why she was surprised to notice a tuxedo-clad figure whom she didn’t recognize hurrying around the far end of the liberal arts building.

      Assuming from his attire that he must be planning to attend the gala at the inn, she noted he was headed in the wrong direction.

      Since she had plenty of time to spare, Steff decided to do her good deed for the day, follow him, and help him find his way to the reunion.

      The height of her heels and the unevenness of the old brick walkway slowed her progress. By the time she got to the next corner her quarry was already disappearing past the science building.

      The newer walkway in that area was a flat cement surface and she was able to travel faster. She proceeded as far as the quad and paused, puzzled. Shading her eyes against the setting sun, she squinted as she studied her immediate surroundings. The man couldn’t have vanished into thin air. So where had he gone? Could he have ducked into one of the buildings they’d passed? Since no classes were in session this time of year, that didn’t make sense. Besides, why on earth would he want to hide?

      Feeling foolish for having followed a stranger halfway across campus, she decided to give up and resume her trip to her office. That was when she spotted him. He’d been temporarily out of sight because he’d been bending over next to the east wall of the library and the foundation plantings had masked his position.

      The man was pacing now, as if measuring the distance from the library wall to the sidewalk. What in the world could he be up to? Stephanie asked herself. More importantly, who was he?

      The setting sun backlit his form, making him appear in silhouette and causing her eyes to water when she tried to stare directly at him. The one thing she could tell was how furtive his movements were. Whatever he was doing, he obviously didn’t want to be observed.

      Internal warnings sounded in her brain and caused her to shrink into the shadows. Whoever he was, it would definitely be best if he didn’t know she’d been spying on him.

      Steff’s nose tickled. Stupid allergies. She pressed her index finger across her upper lip to keep from sneezing. Her quarry had returned to the sidewalk and seemed to be walking along it with measured strides. Then he wheeled and repeated his path to the library wall at a right angle before he turned again.

      Although she believed she was well hidden around the corner of the building, she held her breath. The man had stopped and seemed to be staring directly at her. Was he? Had he sensed that she’d been trailing him? She didn’t see how he could know she was here, yet his stillness and apparent concentration gave her chills.

      When he finally moved away from the library wall, she relaxed slightly. Now he was wiping the soles of his shoes on the lawn. That particular planted area was in deep shade, perfect for azaleas but often overly wet, especially after the kind of spring rains they’d had the past few days. He’d probably gotten his shoes muddy.

      Steff shifted her own feet slightly, thankful she’d had the good sense to remain on the grass.

      The unmistakable sound of masculine cursing drifted to her across the distance. She stiffened. She was about to backtrack to avoid encountering such an ill-mannered man when her nose took control. A violent sneeze erupted before she could stifle it, so powerful it bent her over at the waist.

      She straightened. Froze. Gaped and stared across the intervening space at the man she’d been studying. He, too, had ceased