They matched the floor plan of the room.
“It’s the cabin!”
I pointed out the landmarks on the map to Morgan. “What if these bigger symbols are where the items that go on the slab have been hidden?”
Angela and Izzy tilted their heads to stare at the map before glancing around the room.
“Thirty-five minutes, Ladies.”
I shot Max a look, my pulse quickening at the stress lining his forehead.
Angela clapped her hands excitedly. “Ooh, I think you’re right!” She popped up from beside the table to search, dragging Izzy with her.
“Why are there six symbols, though?” Vivian asked.
“Look!” Angela shouted from the fireplace. She grabbed the poker, yanking it. “Oh no!”
The metal snapped in two.
Angela held up the pieces, meeting each of our horrified gazes. “I’m so sorry!”
She brought the broken pieces to the slab, trying to fit them into one of the slots. I bounced on the balls of my feet, aware of the time and the need to find the other items, but unable to tear my gaze away.
If we couldn’t make this piece fit…
But we couldn’t give up. “Hey! Everyone, keep searching. We can still get points for the other items if this doesn’t fit.”
Murmurs of agreement rang out as the girls dispersed.
I took the pieces from Angela, examining the break in the rusted metal. Slotting the pieces together, I glanced around theroom for something I could use to hold them together. “We need a clip or something.”
“I have one!” Izzy called out, pulling the claw clip out of her hair and bringing it over.
“Perfect!”
I maneuvered the clip until it caught both pieces in its teeth, then turned my attention back to the slots.
Angela, who’d been scrutinizing the board, pointed to one of the carvings. Tilting my head, I twisted the piece in my grip. “Maybe like this?”
When I handed it over, Angela turned it so the ornate design faced down. It didn’t fit in the first slot, so she tried each one in turn. When she got to the fourth one, the design locked in. A loud click confirmed we were on the right path.
“Okay, this is actually really cool,” she said excitedly.
I couldn’t help but agree, even if things had gotten tense. Everything about this challenge reminded me of my dad, and felt like something out of his favorite movie,Indiana Jones.
“It really is!” Izzy called from the bar as she grabbed a varnished candlestick holder. The wax drippings melted on top fit right into slot number five.
One by one, we searched the cabin and found the remaining items. A gold emblem on a kitchen mug. The coiled wire hidden behind a photo on the wall.
And a string of pearls attached to the sponge in the sink.
Morgan smiled excitedly at me as the click locked the final piece in place. With all five pieces in place, a piece of wood paneling in the floor popped up.
Izzy shrieked, and we all laughed before Vivian reached her hand inside, holding up an item I immediately recognized.
“What is this?”
It was in pieces, but I’d seen one put together so many times, I held out my hand for it. “It’s an embosser.”
