A Grave Mistake Read Online Free

of boards and shingles. Beyond that sat another pile of debris, a few pieces of charred wood sticking out from the edges.
    “If Finch does have nephews, it looks like they don’t take very good care of the place,” Morgan observed.
    “I guess Finch didn’t, either. How long has he been in the nursing home?” Celeste asked.
    “I’m not sure, but you know how old people get. They stop taking care of things. This place looks like it’s been going to ruin for thirty years.” Jolene held up her cell phone that showed an old picture of the farm from better days. “But it’s a prime piece of land. Twenty acres edged by the ocean to the east and the woods to the north.”
    Fiona frowned. “If he had nephews, wouldn’t they be keeping it up? It was in his family all these years, it doesn’t make sense it would just be going to ruin.”
    “Lots of young people can't be bothered with keeping a farm running. They probably plan to get rid of it, but can't sell until Thaddeus dies.”
    “Speaking of dying,” Morgan said. “Let’s find this graveyard.”
    They started off toward the back of the farmhouse. The noon sun had warmed the day to the mid-forties, and Celeste took off her gloves and shoved them in her pocket as she walked.
    Beside her, Morgan slowed her pace, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the horizon. Celeste could see her homing in on a spot and the three sisters waited until Morgan pointed to a hill that backed up to a wooded area. “That seems like a likely place.”
    They started toward it at a faster pace now, the shapes of gravestones becoming more visible as they approached.
    The old graveyard sat in a rectangular area built up on the top of the hill. It had a great view of the ocean, which Celeste thought was ironic seeing none of its inhabitants would be able to enjoy it.
    The family plot was large. Ringed by a black iron fence set in a footing of concrete, the area had been built up higher than ground level and the girls ascended three moss covered concrete steps to get inside.
    “Now what?” Jolene asked.
    Morgan shrugged. “I guess we look for a clue.”
    The graveyard turned out to be bigger than it appeared at first. A lot of Finches had been buried there and it was as overgrown as the rest of the farm, which only added to its creepiness. A gigantic, thick old oak tree sat almost dead center, its bare branches spread out several feet in all directions, and Celeste imagined the dark canopy it would create in summer when it was full of leaves. Some of the older slate stones had cracked in half, their tops laying on the ground or leaning up against the remaining part of the stone.
    The girls’ pace slowed as they inspected the stones. Morgan took the lead and when she slowed and put her hand out, the rest of them stopped.
    “What is it?” Celeste’s neck tingled with awareness. Did Morgan sense someone watching them?
    “I thought I saw someone.” Morgan nodded toward the woods.
    Celeste squinted in that direction, but all she saw was tree trunks. “I don’t see anyone.”
    “Maybe it’s his nephews,” Jolene added.
    Morgan shrugged and turned away from the wooded area. “I’m probably just jittery. Let’s keep moving, but stay alert. We don’t want to get surprised in an attack.”
    Celeste turned her attention toward the graves, scanning for anything that might be a clue. The stones themselves were mostly older. She guessed the ones in the back dated to the 1700s when family plots were more common. Two stones near the front were newer and she assumed those belonged to Finch’s father and grandfather.
    The older stones were the most interesting. Some were plain, slate slabs, rounded at the top and chiseled with images of angels, weeping willows and doves. A few of them in white limestone had images in high relief. Celeste paused to run her fingertips over the gritty surface of an angel's wings on one of the stones.
    “So, what exactly are we looking for?” Celeste asked as she