“Sorry!” Jordan bent to pick them up.
Arthur cringed and tried to grab the notes before Jordan read them, but he was too late. Jordan held a sheet, his eyes wide. “Treasure?”
Damn. He gently pried the paper away from Jordan. “It’s nothing.”
Jordan shook his head, expression hurt. “You’re looking at clues to the treasure Mischa told me about. It’s real, isn’t it? Where’s the plaque?”
Hell. He finished gathering the pages and put them back in his bag before facing Jordan. “We don’t know for sure,” he said. “But this is a big secret. You can’t tell anyone, not even Cody or your mum.”
“Mum doesn’t know?”
“No. There are bad people looking for it and the fewer people who know, the better.”
“Like Dad?”
The kid was smart. “Maybe. I need you to promise me you won’t tell a soul.”
His indecision was clear.
“No one, Jordan. This is a top-secret mission. Telling people might endanger them.”
Jordan nodded. “All right. I promise.”
Arthur let out a breath. “Thank you.” How long would Jordan be able to hold out? Mischa had slipped up, possibly because she hadn’t understood the seriousness of it like Lara had. Jordan was likely to tell Cody and it wouldn’t take long to spread through the school. The clock was ticking.
“You’ll keep me up to date, won’t you?” Jordan asked.
“If it’s safe to do so.”
That seemed to satisfy Jordan. “OK.”
“Come on, let’s get you to school.”
An hour later, Arthur was settled at Sam’s kitchen table. It felt safer here, as if he wasn’t endangering Gretchen and Jordan by investigating the clues at their place. A sense of urgency filled him.
He went back to examining the names on the plaque. What he needed was the passenger list. He flicked through his notes until he found Tess’s number. He didn’t know the woman, but Sam and their teammates, Heath and Dobby, had spoken highly of her. A few nerves tickled his skin as he dialled.
“Hello?” The soft female voice was a little unsure.
He cleared his throat. “Tess, this is Arthur Hammond. Amy’s brother.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t quite read her tone.
“I was wondering whether you have found the passenger list for the Retribution yet?”
A pause. “I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t know you. You could be someone from Stonefish pretending to be Arthur.”
She had a good point.
“Amy knows the answer to your question. I spoke to her last night. I need to get to class.” Tess hung up.
He appreciated her caution. He should have thought of it himself. Arthur dialled Amy’s number, and it wasn’t until she answered that he realised he hadn’t thought about what he should say to her. “Hey, it’s Arthur.”
“Hey, I hear you’re staying with Gretchen and Jordan.” Her pleased tone helped release the sudden tension in his shoulders.
“Yeah, her ex is making threats. I’m walking Jordan to school and picking him up afterwards.”
“And where are you sleeping?” Her teasing made him smile.
