“They need social time and a teacher. Don’t even suggest it to me,” Leslie said as she stopped to sip her water.
“Elias might be a good one to ask,” Cade said. “He seems butthurt about our decision not to stay.”
“Dad says Elias hides his feelings, but he’s expressed himself since he showed up,” Owen said.
When they reached the spot, Leslie counted out the twenty steps and pointed to the ground. “It’s in this area.”
The two men started digging, and twenty minutes later, Cade hit something solid. “I found it.”
They knelt as Owen brushed back the dirt, pulling it from the ground.
“Do we want to open it here?” Cade asked, searching the area.
“No. We’ll return to the house. We don’t want anyone seeing exactly what Dad left us as a clue.”
They trekked down the mountain, and everyone huddled into the kitchen, waiting to see what the capsule contained.
Owen twisted the lid and pulled out a family picture of them, a wolf whittled from wood, and a picture of Tucker and Conner on bikes. Owen tapped the bottom and glanced inside.
“Funny. The canister only holds this, but when you tap the bottom, it doesn’t sound empty,” Owen mused.
Taking out his K-bar, Cade sliced a circle around the canister. A piece of paper poked from the opening. Setting the can down, he gently pulled it out, and a key fell onto the table. Owen took the paper and gently unfolded it. They gazed at the map of Wolfe Mountain, where several X’s appeared alongside the creek and inside a cave.
“What do you think it means?” Elias asked.
“I don’t know,” Owen replied. “Whatever it is, it’s worth killing for.”
Cade picked up the key. “This seems like a safety deposit box. It has the local bank listed on the tag.”
“It seems Dad stumbled across something,” Owen murmured as he stared at the map.
Leslie leaned down. “This area,” she said, thinking. “It’s where I saw Mr. Bigsby getting water samples. He said his first ones disappeared.”
“Hmmm,” Dillon said, pulling on his beard. “I think we need to take a trip to the bank. It’s best not to go alone, considering someone knows our every move.”
“Why don’t all of you go?” Leslie suggested. “If they see you going into the bank, they won’t worry about the house. I can stay and watch the monitors.”
“Wyatt and Elias can stay here. We’ll bring back the contents and review them together,” Owen said. “We’re not risking anyone. Let’s take two vehicles. One of us will need to guard them while the others enter the bank.”
Folding the map, Owen wrapped it in a kitchen towel and neatly folded it into the drawer. Cade pocketed the key on his keyring. Owen kissed Leslie goodbye.
“Be careful,” she murmured as she hugged him.
“I will. We’ll be back soon,” he promised.
She watched as they entered the vehicles and headed to town. Elias went back to the temporary security room, and she brought the boys into the living room to play with blocks until she fed them lunch and put them down for the afternoon. Noah loved stacking and figuring out how to put them into different shapes. Nathan grew easily frustrated. By noon, she placed them at the table and tried again to get them to use the baby utensils left over from Tucker and Conner.
Noah rubbed his eyes and cried, and she picked him up to cuddle.
“Did we cry all the time like they do?” Conner asked.
“No. You and Tucker only fussed when you needed something.” she explained as she put them to bed.
An hour later, the brothers returned. Elias and Wyatt joined them in the kitchen, and Owen unloaded his pockets. Several chunks of rock fell onto the table. Next, Mason emptied his, then Cade and Mason.
“What’s this?” she asked, picking it up and examining it.
Owen held it up to the light. It glistened in several spots, catching her eye. “It’s gold,” she whispered.
