Chase’s jaw dropped. “No way. NO. WAY.” He pushed himself upright, his notebook slipping to the floor. “That’s it? You found it? You actually found gold?”
Scout shot him a look, her face a mix of exhaustion and triumph. “He did.”
“I want details,” Chase said. “Where you found it, how you found it.”
“Give us a minute to dry off, Chase. Then you can ask questions. Ranger Rivers gave us the go-ahead to give you the scoop.” Scout got two towels out of the back of the jeep and tossed one through the open jeep to Naki.
Chase reached down to pick up his notebook to get ready to start writing. Waiting for Scout to return to the driver’s seat, he tapped his pen against the paper. It amazed him that Naki had cracked the clue. Yesterday’s and today’s. His sixth sense for these things was ... unnerving. Like a human treasure compass.
Next clue, Chase decided, he’d be in on the hunt. Front row seat.
Text conversation between Maisie and Frankie:
Maisie
Hey Frankie! Where are we meeting for carriage roadmaintenance tomorrow?
Frankie
Dunno.
Maybe the ranger station? That’swhere we met last time. But sometimes they change it. Fun fact. Did you know they use crushed rock to“salt” the carriage roads for drainage? Theranger told methat’s why they hold up so well.
Uh-huh. Except for the parts that don’t.
Fun fact:Inthe winter,they maintain the roads but they don’tuse actual salt because it’s bad for the horses’ hooves. Isn’t that cool? So where should we meettomorrow? Oh! The ranger told me to bring gloves cuzlots of roots need clearing so the tourists don’ttrip and die.
Maybe the roots should be left alone. Give natural selection an opportunity to weed out idiots.
LOL! So,see you at the station at8?
Pause. No response.
Is that a yes?
Frankie?
Dunno.
Close enough! Seeyou then!
Nine
Nature is whole and yet never finished.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, playwright and philosopher
The clock on the jeep’s dashboard read 4:03 a.m. The scent of freshly brewed coffee seeped out of travel mugs to fill the car. Scout’s eyes focused on the headlights’ beams as they pierced the dark, winding, tree-lined road. Naki, in the passenger seat, gave her just-in-time directions.
Chase sat in the back seat and repeated the clue: “‘Where the waves strike like a hammer and the air cries in answer, there is a piece of fortune hidden by Neptune’s fury.’” He exhaled sharply. “I have no idea what that means.”
“Thunder Hole,” Naki said.
Chase tilted his head. “Thunder Hole?”
“It’s a natural inlet carved into the granite. When the tide is right, waves rush in, trapping air and water together. The impact makes a sound like thunder.”
“I know all about Thunder Hole,” Chase said. “I did grow up here, y’know. But what’s the deal with Neptune?”
