Skeleton in the Cistern — Ellen Gray Massey

At her stepfather's family reunion, Velvet Lande's two younger brothers and their cousin discover a skeleton in the old abandoned cistern under the big barn. Twelve feet under the barn floor are the skeletons of a man and a dog. How they got there is a mystery, and Velvet is determined to solve it.
In town to do research for an article she is writing on how playing games makes strong families, Velvet becomes fascinated by the tall red barn covered with family signatures and memorabilia, as well as intrigued by numerous references to an elusive uncle who disappeared thirty-five years earlier with his dog. Could it be that his long-lost remains have been found, or will the mystery of the skeleton in the cistern only deepen?