Garnet or Garnets Curse

there was no curse, it would serve me better in dollars than gold.
    Maria laughed. “Don’t be silly dear. You are not getting rid of me that easy. We are going on this mission together. We will be like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson out to solve a mystery. My bet is someone will wind up behind bars before this is all over.”
    “But traveling is expensive,” I reminded her. I took off the necklace and handed it to her.
    “You need not worry, Garnet. My husband left me fairly well off. Besides, we don’t need to take the train when I can drive the carriage. Sixty-two might sound old to you, but I am hardly feeble.” She stood up and touched her toes to prove her point. Then she laid the necklace down on the table in front of me. “Keep this. Your father meant for you to have it.”
    As we engaged in conversation, I neglected to put the necklace back on. We plotted to leave first thing in the morning. First, we would deliver a box of cookies to Ox, and then Maria would visit with Mr. Shelley. She would take the newspaper to him, show him the photo of Arlene and ask was this the Garnet Dragos he was looking for. Perhaps he could give us some clues. From there we would have to play it by ear.
    I stood up to go pack my things when something smacked up against the window and flopped down on the ground outside the house. “What was that?” I asked, alarmed.
    “Maybe an owl crashed into the glass,” Maria answered in an uneasy tone.
    “We should go see,” I said. As soon as I walked over to the window, I realized the woods were on fire. Before I could alarm Maria, a huge rock burst through the window within inches of my head.
    “Get down, Maria,” I called back. “The woods are on fire and something awful is happening outside.”
    “If the fire spreads, we will be trapped inside,” Maria cautioned. “We are going to have to go for help. Stay low to the floor and let’s try to escape out the back door.”
    I reached up on the table, grabbed the necklace and stuffed it in my pocket. It had been off my neck only minutes before disaster struck. Still crunched down, we stepped out in the night air. I gasped when I saw what had hit the window. It was the kitten—she was dead.
    Quickly we hooked up the horse and climbed in the carriage. The fire was being held back only by a small creek on the other side of the drive. The horse reared up and Maria reached for her whip. Before she could right him, we saw what had spooked him. There in the full glow of the light was the specter I had seen the night before. This wild man was running alongside the carriage carrying a burning torch. He was dressed in fur but his feet were bare. Just before he could grab hold of the carriage, Maria raised the whip and lashed him severely. After his failed attempt to climb onto the carriage we left him behind in a cloud of smoke.
    Sweat was dripping down Maria’s face by the time we arrived at the police station. Maria was clearly in a panic. I jumped out and banged on the door. When no one came to the door, I called out, “Please help us! Is anyone there?”
    After a few minutes, Lieutenant Raymond came stumbling to the door. “What on earth is wrong, young lady?” he asked.
    For a man that was half asleep, he quickly took charge of the situation. He set off the emergency alarm and in a matter of minutes the street was filled with able-bodied men. Lt. Raymond insisted that we wait there until they returned.
    The station consisted of four rooms: a waiting room, small office and two jail cells. In the office we found a warm stove and a pot of coffee.
    It was after midnight when Lt. Raymond returned. Maria was relieved to learn that the fire was under control and her house was not harmed. Even though they had not seen any sign of the man we described, the lieutenant felt it was best that we stay at his home for the balance of the night.
    Mrs. Raymond was sociable and took us to a small room, where Maria and I shared a bed. When we blew out the light, Maria whispered, “Garnet, in all my years I have never seen such a sight. I cannot get the look in his eyes out of mind.”
    “Do you think what we saw was of the supernatural? Aurochs or the curse? I asked.
    “After what we saw tonight Garnet, I just don’t know what to think.”
    “Maria, I should have never taken off the necklace.” There was a long silence and soon I realized she was asleep. I stroked the garnet necklace around my neck and prayed silently: Yea, though I