Page 397 of The Romance Adventure

Getting us back on track, CJ takes the Salty Skeleton out of his pocket. “This letter is in code, but we need to crack it.”

Ryan claps his hands. “And that’s why Chip left you the Salty Skeleton.”

“Yes, but—” CJ starts.

Harley sighs. “But? There’s always a but.”

“Jolie thinks CJ has a nice butt,” Isla singsongs.

Royal groans.

“It’s a bum. A very nice bum,” I correct with a laugh.

CJ’s eyes sparkle with amusement. “But to use the Salty Skeleton, we need a password to activate it, to unlock the wheels. If we get it wrong, it’ll scramble its accuracy and it won’t work. What I am sure of is that it’s a six-digit number.”

“That’s why you said not to turn the dials.” Magnus nods in understanding.

“Could the password be on this letter?” Lally asks.

CJ studies it for a long moment. “I don’t think so.”

“What were some significant dates or another code Chip used for something?” Isla asks.

At the same time, Ryan and Harley say, “Your grandmother’s birthday!”

CJ seems to have blocked out the conversation in the room as if he’s plumbing the depths of his mind for the code.

Royal grunts. “The problem with that is our grandmother wasn’t alive when Márcia had this fabricated.”

“Unless Chip changed it.”

CJ surfaces, and says, “Those are good intuitions, but not it. I need to see the will.”

Royal opens a desk drawer and pulls out a copy.

CJ scans it, muttering to himself. Because I’m trained in code cracking, I review it over his shoulder.

“Could it be in the journal?” I ask.

Once again, CJ is focused and doesn’t reply.

Ryan shakes his head. “We’ve been through it front and back. The only six-digit number was on a piece of paper that was torn out.”

Harley adds, “We got it back from the Pirate Defense League, but it turned out to be Fernanda’s birthday, so no, not the code.”

“Are you sure?” I ask CJ.

He nods, poring over the will.

“Could it have anything to do with the line ‘Start on the eighteenth?’” Magnus asks.

“If it was hidden around the mini golf course, I’m afraid we won’t be able to find it because we completely overhauled the thing,” Isla says.

“What about the map? We have all four pieces. Could it be somewhere on there?” Magnus asks.

I bite my lip, afraid CJ is going to finally ask where I got that piece of the map, but he fully occupies his mind bank. If anyone is going to figure it out, it’s him.

Royal asks, “So, how did Chip get Marcia’s diary, anyway?”