“Matthew, I need you to come to the office and show someone around.”
“Alright, I’ll be there in five." The phone line went dead and she clicked the round button on the keypad to end the call.
“Matthew’s wonderful. Anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask, he knows this place better than anyone.”
“Sounds great.” I smiled and sat up straight in the hard plastic chair.
Discussing the finer details of the job, she showed me an old family photo that was taken in Italy that was meant to be the inspiration for my days work. A small house sat quietly among rolling hills as sunlight illuminated the fog that hung over the sprawling landscape. The mysterious romanticism of the photo was the feel they were going for. I had to admit, the desire to jump into the image and explore all its hidden secrets was almost overwhelming.
"I think I know what you're looking for." I stood and handed the picture back to her.
“Wonderful, I'll be here when you're done. I’m always here.” She muttered the last part under her breath.
I walked back through the false wine case and headed to my car. Placing all of my gear on the ground I fished my camera out of my bag. With deft hands, I switched out the lens for a wide angled one. Looking through the viewfinder I adjusted some of the settings.
A loud rumbling noise came toward me as I popped a fresh battery in place. When I looked up, I saw a handsome man driving an open-air, four wheel drive vehicle toward me. I assumed this must be Matthew. Slipping a memory card into the slot, I watched as the vehicle came to a skidding halt in front of me.
“Sorry, I know the Gator's a bit loud,” Matthew said as he turned the key and cut the engine. “But it’ll get you anywhere you need to go.” He smiled and walked around the vehicle to meet me. “I’m Matthew. Anything you need I’m here to help.”
We shook hands as I said, “Violet.” His callused hand nearly crushed mine with his grip, making it clear he wasn’t an indoors kind of guy.
He wore a black t-shirt, dark jeans and work boots, which all showed signs of needing a good wash. His hair was dirty blond and tied into a short ponytail at the back of his neck. A few strands of hair had escaped and fell around his bronzed face. He wasn’t overly muscular, but instead looked very lean. I had no doubt he was much stronger than he looked. Something about him made me smile.
“I’m almost done getting everything together and then we can head out,” I said, walking back to my car.
“No problem. I’m just gonna run inside real quick and check in with Meredith,” he said, grabbing a binder from the Gator and jogging inside.
“Alright.”
I turned on the camera to make sure everything was charged and ready to go then switched it off and put it in my bag. Picking up the stepladder and the rest of my gear I turned toward the Gator. The vehicle had only two seats in the front and a small bed in the rear like a tiny open air pickup truck. I put the stepladder on the wooden bed and the rest of my equipment on the front seat. Matthew came back through the guest entrance carrying a case of water with a binder balanced on top.
“Do you need help?” I asked out of courtesy, he clearly didn’t need any.
“Naw, I’ve got it. Thought maybe we might get thirsty being out in the sun all day,” he noted
“And that warranted a whole case of water?" My eyebrows rose on my forehead as I looked at him.
“You can never have too much water.” Matthew smiled as he put the case in the back beside my stepladder and climbed into the driver’s seat. I moved my bag off the seat so I could hop on as well.
“Alright,” he said, flipping open his binder. “Here’s a map of the grounds. Where would you like to start?”
I looked at the map, noticing the estate pressed up against a pretty large hill that might give me a great view of the whole winery from above.
“I want to start down here in the fields, but I want to make our way up to the top of this hill. Is that possible?”
“Anything’s possible,” Matthew said with a chuckle and snapped the binder closed with one hand.
“Alright, then let’s get to it.” I smiled back.
The engine revved to life and my body vibrated as we set off. The day progressed pretty smoothly. Matthew helped me with my stepladder and held the light diffusers whenever I asked. I could see why the Deardons kept him around. He really helped a lot and was an absolute pleasure to spend time with. His carefree attitude was infectious and I soon found myself joking and laughing along with him. Ever since Robert saved me I’d been afraid and cautious, but being with Matthew eased that fear a little. We zipped through the fields, stopping here and there when I asked. I snapped pictures of everything, knowing I would go back through them later and edit out the ones that weren’t that great. In my business, more was always better.
We were slowly making our way to the top of the hill when Matthew stopped the Gator under a large tree. We’d been out in the sun for a few hours and both of us were beginning to feel its effects. My shirt clung to my shoulders and stomach with sweat and I had already gone through three bottles of water. Matthew looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. His ponytail looked dipped in grease from all the sweat pinning his hair to his head.
“Do you want to get out of the sun for a bit?” Matthew asked. I couldn’t be sure but it looked like there was excitement in his eyes.
“Sure, what’d you have in mind?” I asked.
“What makes you think I have something in mind?” He put his hand to his chest, feigning shock and surprise.
“Let’s just say its instinct.” I eyed him but couldn’t keep a smile from forming.
“You must have good instincts,” he said, grabbing another bottle of water. “Come on, it’s just up here.” He nodded.
“What is?” I asked and followed him out of the shade of the tree and back into the sun.
“You’ll see.” He gave me a playful look over his shoulder.
We soon approached a small shack just ahead of us. It looked like it had been restored recently but still showed signs of being exposed to the elements. Ivy crawled up the sides and over a small, square window on the right wall. It was very quaint, but something about it instantly made my guard go up. Matthew seemed nice and all but I really didn’t know anything about him. Could this be a trap, a way to lure me to a hidden place after spending the day sedating me? I took another hesitant step in the direction of the shack.
“Seriously, where are you taking me?” I tried to keep my voice light.
“Just trust me,” he said, turning around to face me. “This is something you’ll definitely want to get a few pictures of.”
“I hardly think the Deardons hired me to take pictures of a shack, or what’s in it.”
“It’s not the shack itself.” His eyes twinkled with sweetness. “It’s what’s underneath it.”
“Underneath?” I frowned, looking at him like he was crazy.
“Just come on.” He stepped toward me and grabbed my hand.
“Hey!” I yelled as he jerked me forward.
Matthew just laughed and pulled me inside the shack. It was empty except for a few garden tools and a large crate in the corner. He released my hand before he reached for a hook in the floor and pulled. The hatch door creaked as he lifted it open. I stepped to the edge of the opening and froze.
Chapter 9
“You okay? You’re not claustrophobic are you?” Matthew asked, seeing my reaction.
“What… oh, um, no,” I replied, stumbling over my words.
A set of stone stairs below me led into what looked like a tunnel. Lights hanging on either side of the rough stone walls illuminated the narrow passageway. It looked just like the corridor Robert had led me through after he healed me.