"What was in that journal entry?"
He shrugged. "I didn't really understand all of it. He talked about something out of the ordinary he found at a cave north of Sydney. Then he mentioned a treasure he and his sick friend were looking for."
"Treasure?" Alex asked.
"Mmm hmm. He didn't say what it was but claimed they were close to finding it."
"Why didn't they?"
"Mathews said his friend was too ill to continue and it wouldn't be right to go on without him. Something about the friend being Aborigine and the treasure belonged to him."
Sean connected the dots. "He left a clue in his message. Didn't he?"
Tommy squirmed. "I mean, yeah. I don't remember all the details about the clue. But yes, there was a clue. I wasn't going to keep the treasure if I found it." He started sounding defensive. "I didn't know for sure if there was anything to it or not."
"It's okay," Sean said. "I'm positive Tara and Alex believe you." He waited for an uncomfortable moment until the others broke out in laughter. Then he slapped Tommy on the back and shook him. "Buddy, relax. You want to run off to Australia to hunt for some ancient Aboriginal treasure on your off time, be my guest. I don't care. It's your time to do with whatever you want."
"Yeah," Adriana said. "And now that this has happened," she motioned to the rubble, "We hope you understand that Sean and I will be coming with you."
Sean slid to the side and put his arm around her with a proud grin on his face. "You know there's no arguing with her, right?"
Tommy sighed. "Fine. How long will it take you to pack?"
Chapter 6
Adriana stared out the window at the passing countryside. "This friend of yours really lives out in the country, doesn't he?"
"Yeah," Tommy said. "Let's just say that Reece is more of the outdoorsy type." He and Sean exchanged a knowing glance.
"That's an understatement," Sean muttered.
Their journey to Australia had taken just under sixteen hours. Talking to the investigators, a few members of the press, and then more investigators put off their departure by nearly six hours. The FBI had been reluctant to let Tommy leave the country, but after a call to Emily Starks, the FBI suddenly backed down. Sean figured there was probably an executive order in the mix somewhere.
Once they arrived in Sydney, the plane refueled and took them south to Adelaide. After so many hours of exhausting travel, the three really just wanted to find a place to bed down for a few hours and get some rest. The flight had afforded them some sleep time, but sleeping on a plane was never restful.
Adriana continued to look out at the scenery. The rolling foothills were dotted with trees and green grass. White clouds with silver bottoms littered the bright blue sky. The three Americans had immediately noted the temperature change when they got off the plane. Australia was entering the summer months and it was, apparently, warmer than usual.
"You're sure he's got room for us to get some sleep?" Adriana asked.
"Oh yeah. He's got a ton of space. Lives on a ranch not too far from here," Tommy reassured her.
"Ranch?"
"Reece doesn't do any farming or anything like that. Just has a bunch of property. Not sure why. Seems like an awful lot of upkeep."
"Maybe he's into the whole self-sustained living thing," Sean commented.
"Oh, Reece can survive on his own. That much is certain. He just chooses not to. Speaking of Reece, I haven't heard from him in nearly two days. He won't return my calls and hasn't replied to the three emails I sent."
Adriana turned away from the window and stared across the car at Tommy. "Wait a minute. So this guy doesn't even know that we're coming?"
Tommy's silence didn't exactly instill a ton of confidence in her. "Tommy! We can't just barge in on someone's home like that."
"Relax," he said. "Reece goes way back with Sean and me. He'll be happy to see us. Besides, he invited me. Remember? I'm more concerned about why I haven't heard from him in the last two days than I am about him telling us we're not welcome."
His argument didn't convince her, but there was nothing she could do about it. He turned on the blinker and veered off the main road onto a stretch of gravel that meandered up a gently sloping hill and disappeared over the other side.
"This is his place, so it's probably too late to turn back now anyway."
She shook her head and put her elbow on the door rim as she resumed staring out the window.
"Not that I disagree with you, Tommy," Sean reentered the conversation, "but it is strange for us to fly all the way across the world like this to see someone we don't even know is home or not."
"Well, we'll know here in a minute whether or not he's in town."
"Doesn't he run an adventure tour company? I'd imagine this part of year would be fairly busy."
Tommy shook his head. "Not lately. He's been struggling. Last I talked with him, he was considering taking some work with one of the other companies."
"Might not be a horrible idea."
"What makes you say that?"
"Reece has never been one to play by the rules. Might do him some good to get a little structure in his life. That's all."
Tommy could see his point. He steered the car over the last rise and began the descent down the hill toward the ranch house.
The home was a modest two-story building with a corrugated tin roof and wooden siding painted an ordinary brown. A wraparound porch provided a 360-degree view of the country.
As the car drew closer, Tommy tapped on the brakes. "What in the world?"
The other two noticed it as well.
"That can't be good," Sean said.
Reece's home looked like a war zone. The shattered windows and splintered siding gave testament to what happened. It was clear to the Americans. Someone had shot up the place.
"Who did this?" Adriana said in an absent tone.
Tommy stopped the car near the end of the driveway and put it in park.
Sean's eyes darted around the property in case the shooter, or shooters, was still around. He reached into his gear bag and pulled out the Springfield XD 40 nestled in the bottom. A second later he was on the ground, staring at the demolished front door.
Tommy and Adriana found their weapons and stepped out as well. They joined Sean at the front of the car where he was evaluating the best way to go in.
"You think they're still here?" Tommy asked.
"Doesn't look like it," Sean said. He took a fast look at a machine shed off to the left. It was still completely intact. "Follow me. Stay close."
He moved quickly across the gravel drive, staying on his tiptoes to make as little noise as possible. Adriana kept close behind, followed by Tommy. The latter accidentally tripped and kicked a short pile of rocks, making way more noise than he would have liked.
Sean froze at the base of the steps and fired a chastising glare at his friend.
"Sorry," Tommy mouthed.
Sean twisted his head back and forth with derision.
Tommy urged him on with a wave of the hand.
Sean turned his attention back to the front door. He cautiously moved up the steps until he reached the doorway. The ravaged wooden door and its frame were full of holes. Splinters of varying sizes littered the threshold.
Sean reached out his free hand and twisted the doorknob. It turned easily. "Still open," he whispered.
He pushed the door open gently and took a wary step back, using the doorframe for cover. Nothing moved inside the house. Three thoughts immediately went through his mind: there might be a body inside, the killer might be inside, or if Reece was still alive and in the house he might start shooting.
Sean needed to make a split-second decision. Based on the fact there were no other cars around and no one had started shooting at them, he went the safe route.