CHAPTER 4 - BOOKS, BATS, AND MAPS
Daniel had already fallen asleep. Jason lay in bed in the dark room thinking. He wished he were home in the woods behind his house. If he tried real hard he could imagine that the drone of the air conditioner sounded like wind rustling through the trees.
At the edge of the woods was an old maple. He clambered up the trunk and wedged himself into a space between the branches. Leaning back against the rough bark, he could feel life flowing through the tree as the trunk shifted and swayed in the breeze.
When Daniel spent the summer with him they explored the woods and discovered the remains of an old tree house. They transformed the ruins into the deck of a pirate ship and fought battles with imagined enemies. When they weren't pretending to be at sea, the thick branches and dense leaves of the nearby trees provided camouflage for their hideout.
They hadn't really been hiding though. Not like McPherson, who thought someone was stalking him. Someone tracking him down to steal his fortune. Jason opened his eyes. Only the red light of the smoke detector was visible. It glowed in the ceiling like the planet Mars in a dark sky. Had someone really been after McPherson that night, or was it just his imagination?
Either way, he lost the treasure in the cave and narrowly escaped being part of a battle. Jason clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut. If he found a treasure he'd make sure he didn't lose it. But all he had found so far was one coin.
He wondered how the battle between the two armies had turned out. His eyes popped open. The coin could have been part of a shipment the army was transporting. Or maybe a soldier lost it when he climbed up on the boulder for a look around. It had been lying there all these years. Waiting to be found. He rolled over. Daniel was right. He'd been watching too many movies.
As he fell asleep, he dreamed about the tree house. He was digging a hole under the tree. But no matter how much dirt he took out of the hole, it never got any deeper. He knew that if he dug just a little further he would uncover a kettle filled with silver coins. His shovel hit something hard making a ringing sound. He pulled it out of the dirt, but the ringing kept getting louder. Then it stopped, and someone was shaking him and calling his name. He opened his eyes to see Daniel standing over him.
"Wake up sleepyhead. It's morning."
"I was dreaming," Jason mumbled.
"Must have been some dream. What was it about?"
"Buried treasure by the tree house."
"That wasn't treasure we buried. That was a box of rocks from the creek."
Jason laughed. "I know. I guess I was thinking about McPherson and the treasure Silas found."
"Well if you want to search for real treasure you'll have to stop dreaming and check out something really scary. The library. Let's go look for that book Bradley suggested."
An hour later they parked their bicycles.
"No cars or bikes allowed on Treasure Avenue," Daniel said.
"Why's that?" Jason asked.
"This is where they do the reenactments of the Goldwater Mine robbery. We'll come back to watch the next show."
Treasure Avenue was not like Main Street at home. Here the streetlights were topped with pans like the ones used for panning for gold. Gift shops, art galleries, restaurants, and souvenir stands lined the street.
He glanced in the window of a gift shop where a young girl dressed in traditional Indian regalia was arranging moccasins. Their eyes met and she flashed him a smile.
The smell of chocolate swept over him as they passed the open doorway of the Sweet Prospects Candy Shop. A picture of a miner eating fudge grinned down at them from the sign over the door.
They stopped in front of a three story wooden building. Elaborate scrollwork topped the tall double doors. Faded gold ornamental lettering spelled out Ophelia's Opera House. The traditional masks representing comedy and tragedy were carved into the wood on either side of the doors. He ran his finger over the mask. It too had once been painted, but now it was chipped and faded. Just an illusion of gold.
"How far to the library?"
Daniel laughed and pointed to a sign in the window. In plain black letters it read Library.
"The story is that the town couldn't make the opera house profitable, so they turned it into a library. Didn't want to give up on trying to instill some culture in the town."
Jason made a face as he opened the door. "Mom dragged me to an opera once."
Inside there was a display table labeled Local Treasures. It had books about hiking in the area, historic sights, regional cooking, a restaurant and hotel guide, but nothing about real treasure. Jason was thinking it must be in another section. Then Daniel picked up a book and wrinkled his nose.
"Try this," he said holding it out between one finger and thumb at arm's length.
Jason took the book and Daniel wiped his fingers on his pants. The cover was stained and worn and it had a musty smell. "I'll check it out on my card," Daniel said, "but you'll have to carry it."
"Don't suppose they have another copy," Jason said as he followed Daniel to the check out.
When they got back to the Silver Lode, Katie and Aunt Rosalita were pouring over college brochures. As Jason ate a plain bologna sandwich, he watched Daniel make one of his creations. First he spread the peanut butter. Then he arranged neat rows of potato chips on one side and cucumber slices on the other. He was putting the two halves together when they heard loud voices and squealing from upstairs.
Rosalita looked up. "Maybe you guys could go check that out."
With exaggerated care, Daniel set down his sandwich. Together they raced up the stairs. As they careened around the corner they collided with the maid and her cleaning cart. Towels and soap packets spilled across the hallway. "Murci?lago, Murci?lago," she cried as she squeezed past the upset cart and clattered down the stairs.
"What did she say?" Jason asked as he dodged around the cart.
"Bat," Daniel called over his shoulder. "This way."
They ran down the hallway to an open door. A woman was plastered to the outside wall with her hands over her head. "Get it out! Get it out!" she wailed.
Holding his breath and taking cautious steps, Jason looked through the doorway. He spotted the bat sitting on the antique Spanish dresser.
"There it is!" he shouted and waved his arm. The movement startled the bat, and it flew into the bathroom. He leaped over a suitcase, and flung a pillow back on the bed. "Open the window," he said.
He was in time to see the bat slip through a crack in the wall. "Hurry up. Come in here," he called.
"That's an old access panel to the plumbing," Daniel said. "If it goes in there very far, we'll never get it out."
Jason pulled on the access panel door. It stuck. He gave it a hard tug. There was a rasping noise, and the door popped off. He lost his balance. With a cry of alarm, he staggered a few feet and tripped over the suitcase. The door landed on his foot, and he yelled as he crashed into Daniel. They both fell in a heap on the floor. The bat fluttered over their heads and out the open window.
Daniel groaned. "Get off my leg."
Jason winced with pain as he moved his foot. They both struggled to their feet.
"Well, the bat's gone," Jason said. He picked up the door and limped over to the wall. As he started to replace the panel he saw something inside.
"Hey, look at this." He pulled out a rolled up paper. Daniel peered over his shoulder as he opened it.
"Looks like an old map," Daniel said. They heard voices in the hall. "Roll it up and let's get out of here." He grabbed the panel and shoved it back in place. Jason shut the window as the woman guest came back into the room.
"All taken care of ma'am. Sorry for the trouble," Daniel said as Jason squeezed past. "I'm sure Mom will give you complimentary passes for the Haunted Cave Tour."
"That's all I need. A whole cave full of bats! No thank you."
They went downstairs. Rosalita looked up. "Crisis averted?"
Daniel's grin was
smug. "Yep. Just a bat. We opened the window and stepped back. The poor little thing was so grateful it fluttered out the window. No problem at all. Probably headed back for Haunted Cave."
She laughed. "Sure was a lot of commotion for something so simple."
"That was because Jason tripped over the suitcase."
Jason grinned. "It was my first bat rescue."
"We found a map in the wall," Daniel said. Jason held it up.
"A map. How interesting," Katie said. She didn't look up from the brochures. "This is the one with emphasis on Shakespeare." She pushed a glossy flyer in front of her mother.
Rosalita winked at the boys. "Why don't you show the map to your dad? He's in his workroom." She picked up the brochure.
Daniel grabbed his sandwich and ate it as he led the way behind the hotel to a small brick building. "This is where Dad makes his stuff for the gift shop."
The room smelled of wood shavings and damp earth. Jason wandered over to a lathe. A half-cut block of wood was clamped in the chuck waiting to be finished. Small statues of soldiers filled an overhead shelf. "Wow," he said. "It's a whole army!"
"They're conquistadors," Daniel said. "Mom's ancestors. Though not exactly the kind you want in your history. They're a lot like pirates."
"Pirates are good. I don't have anything interesting like that in my history." He followed Daniel across the room leaving footprints in the sawdust.
Daniel pointed to a heavy piece of equipment on a workbench. "Dad's coin press," he said. He picked up a blank coin. "We get these from a metal company. It goes here," he set it on an engraved die in the machine. "Then this part comes down with tremendous force and presses the image on the blank and - presto, we have a Spanish Milled Dollar." He handed him a finished coin from a stack and pointed. "See - it says copy, and those are Dad's initials."
Jason put the coin down and followed him through the doorway. It was damp and cool in the backroom. Pottery and stoneware sat drying on shelves. Matt cradled a lump of clay as it spun on a potter's wheel. He put his thumb into the clay and began pulling it out and upward. Jason watched fascinated as a bowl took shape. The wheel slowed, and Matt looked up. "What's up boys?"
Daniel held up the roll. "We found a map hidden in the wall in room 29."
"And what were you doing in room 29?" Matt asked.
"Chasing out a bat. It got into an old access panel in the bathroom. When we took off the panel we found the map."
Matt wiped his hands on a rag and said, "Let's take a look."
He unrolled the map on the workbench and weighed down the corners with stacks of coins. The paper was yellow with age, and several spots had been scorched by fire.
"This looks like a map to Haunted Cave," Matt said.
"How do you know it's real and not a souvenir copy?" Jason asked.
"I'm pretty sure this one is old. You can tell by the feel of the paper and the kind of ink."
"Why would someone hide it in the Silver Lode?" Daniel asked.
"May have belonged to Silas. He used to own the Silver Lode you know. Might even be his treasure map," Matt said.
"Silas? The one who found the treasure?" Jason asked. Matt nodded.
"He's a scary old hermit," Daniel said. "The kids at school say he's crazy."
"Crazy or not," Matt said, "we don't speak about him that way. Why don't you pay him a visit and ask him about it? He used to talk about a map."
"You want me to go to his house and talk to him?" Daniel said.
"He's harmless," Matt said. "It would be good for you."
"You really want me to talk to Silas?" Daniel said.
"It's probably his map. Seems like a good place to get some information, but suit yourself." He turned and went in the back room. They heard the whir of the wheel start up.
Jason said, "If we go see this Silas, do you think he'll want the map back? I mean, if it's his treasure map?"
"I'm telling you this guy is scary."
"Your dad thinks he's okay. Come on Daniel. How bad can he be? If this is a treasure map, we're holding the key to a fortune. How else will we know?"
Daniel picked up several blank coins. "I don't think there are any more treasures. It's all made up stuff for tourists. Just like these coins." He placed them one by one in a neat stack on the bench.
The door to the workshop opened, and Bradley stood in the doorway. Behind him the sky was clouding over.
"Katie's up at the Silver Lode," Daniel said.
"I know, I was just up there. Matt told me to stop by sometime for a tour around his workshop. I think it's going to rain, and it seemed like a good time to take him up on his offer."
"Are you going to learn how to make pottery?" Daniel said.
"Well, of course I would like to, but my interest in pottery is in the methods the Native Americans used. The pieces your dad makes on the wheel are more European. But I can learn a lot of useful things from him."
The light from the window faded as the sky outside darkened. He looked down at the coin press and his cap shadowed his face. It had Turtle Island Gifts written on the brim.
"Today I was hoping to find out about how he makes his coins," Bradley said. His raised his head. A lightening flash lit up the room revealing a slight smile. "Is he here?"
"In the back," Daniel said. He turned to Jason. "If we hurry we can beat the rain."
They dashed to the hotel and bolted through the door. With a crash of thunder, the rain started. It poured down in sheets and beat against the building. In their room the noise of the rain against the windows was a dull roar.
Daniel grinned. "Looks like we can't see Silas today."
"It won't be raining like this tomorrow," Jason said as he put the map in the closet. "I'll do all the talking. All you have to do is come with me."
Daniel stared out the window as the water streamed down the glass. It was dark outside and his distorted reflection looked back at him like a ghost peering in through the rain.
"Okay. We'll go tomorrow after I get out of class. You do the talking. And just in case it is a treasure map - we leave it here."