Temple: A New Journey Begins
Please see the disclaimer on the Synopsis page.
Xia headed back to the estate, convinced that something was going on at the old temple. Why would the old man have a geological survey map of the area?
Xia remembered when she first arrived. She went to the temple to pay her respects. It wasn't to mourn the dead but to view what had been lost. Her father Tan could have been master of the temple, but Caine kicked him out. In response, Tan attacked the temple, bent on revenge. Many monks and children were killed. Her father believed that Caine and his son had been killed despite his defeat and the wax that scarred his face. Tan had told her that he witnessed the explosion himself, but Caine and his son had not died as expected on that particular day.
Years later, Xia's father would be killed by Caine in a Shaolin duel of honor and his body buried in a lonely unknown grave. Caine was buried next to the body of his long dead wife. And Peter Caine, where was he? The marker stated that he was also here, but she did not believe it for one moment. Peter Caine had been just as resourceful as his father. He had been a cop before Peter had become Shaolin. His disappearance was indeed a great mystery, but Xia believed that Peter Caine would return some day.
She had hoped that the killing of the monks would have sent a red flag and Peter Caine would have come out of hiding, but instead, a young man familiar, yet not, walked down the road. There was no mistaking the young man. He had the grace and the bearing of his grandfather, not to mention the similar build. His hair was shoulder length, but had a slight curl to it. His face had the same boyish look that was Peter Caine's trademark. But the young man who walked into Braniff had Caine's longer face and hazel eyes. With the aid of a pair of binoculars, she was able to catch a full glimpse of his face at one point. What she saw was unmistakable. The man was obviously a Caine.
She dismissed her thoughts on Caine then went back to thinking about the temple. There was something there that she had missed. Perhaps it was time to find out just what held old man Jameson's interest.
Instead of heading back to the Holmes Estate, Xia turned her car up the road leading to the temple. The drive was pleasant enough. Not a soul could be seen on the tree-lined road. The drive was shorter than she remembered, but then she realized she had made a wrong turn somewhere. The road led down around the lake that was at the base of the cliff. It circled the lake and followed a path that led deeper into the surrounding woods to the national park. Xia stopped her car along the road and could clearly see the remains of the temple on top of the cliff. The cliff's jagged face led down to the water below. What was so fascinating about this area? Why would an old man be interested in a temple that had long been destroyed?
As Xia sat pondering those questions, movement long the cliff caught her eye. She grabbed her pair of binoculars and looked toward the cliff. She could clearly see two figures walking along a narrow path that wound down along one side. As she watched them, she could barely make out their faces, but something was familiar about the two men. All of a sudden the two men vanished from view. Where did they go? Xia tried to focus in on the area but her binoculars did not have the capability to zoom in closer. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her that she had not thought of before. The old man wasn't interested in the temple, but what lay underneath.
'There must be a cave somewhere along those cliffs,' she thought. 'So Mr. Jameson, what's the big secret? What's in that cave? Looks like I'm going to do some investigating on my own.'
Xia slowly pulled the car around and headed back to town. She didn't see the two men as they emerged and stopped to see her car pull away from the lake. As she drove back to town, something caught her eye. It was the shrine at the Lowery place. So focused on what she was doing, Xia wasn't aware that she had driven past it earlier. As she approached, Xia slowed the car down. She could see three people standing in the entrance of the shrine talking. A crease formed across her brow as she realized she had some unfinished business. The woman had to be taken care of, if she was going to have any opportunity to get rid of the Shaolin. She thought about doing it right here and now, but with the two men there Xia knew her chances of being witnessed were greater. She preferred to take care of it cloaked in shadows and darkness. For now, she would let the matter go, until later tonight.
Continues with Part 19
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2003.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
Synopsis / Previous Part / Next Part
Back to Temple Tales / Contact
Alisa