by Penny Warner
Hidden behind the hedge, the kids stood still, straining to hear what the two suspicious characters were talking about.
“It has to be here!” Longbeard said to Jolly, swinging the shovel around the area that surrounded the large rock.
“We’ve been all over this place!” Jolly snapped back. “We can’t go digging up everything in broad daylight. We’ll be arrested.”
“We’re not digging up the ground. We’re planting flowers, remember?” Longbeard nodded toward a half-dozen marigolds in little cartons. “That’s why we’re wearing these stupid shirts and using that stupid sign on our van.”
Cody took a closer look at the shirts. She could see the lettering more clearly now: GREEN THUMB GARDNERS.
Wait a minute. It didn’t say “gardeners.” It said “gardners!” They’d probably made their own shirts and had misspelled the word!
She was about to finger-spell to the Code Busters when she heard a crack from behind her. She turned to see M.E. biting her lip and looking down at a twig she’d just stepped on.
The kids ducked and froze. Cody didn’t dare breathe as she peered through the leafy wall of the shrubbery.
Longbeard’s and Jolly’s heads shot up. They listened for a few seconds, not moving.
“What was that?” Jolly asked Longbeard.
The grizzled old man shrugged. “Probably some animal creeping around.”
“Or one of them kids,” Jolly said, scanning the area. “There’s too many of them here.”
Longbeard laughed. “That’s just it. They’re the perfect distraction. No one’s going to notice us with all them rug rats running all over the place. Now start digging.”
“Maybe we better go check on our ‘guest’ first,” Jolly said, glancing toward a parking lot a few yards beyond the cemetery.
Longbeard threw his shovel down. “Jeepers, you’re such a worrywart! Go on and check if you have to, but hurry back. We don’t have much time. And try not to attract too much attention, will ya?”
Cody and her friends remained still and watched Jolly head for a small panel truck parked in the otherwise empty lot. A sign on the van read GREEN THUMB GARDNERS, with the same misspelled word.
Quinn turned to Cody and signed:
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Cody nodded, then she took Luke’s hand and pulled him behind the bushes. Together they tiptoed toward the lot, staying close to the plants for camouflage. Cody saw Jolly reach the van and pat her pockets, then frown. The old woman knelt down and felt under the passenger wheel well. Seconds later she rose, holding a key in her hand. Looking around as if to make sure the coast was clear, she yanked open the side door.
Cody couldn’t make out what was inside—it was too dark. But whatever it was made a moaning sound, like the cry of a wounded animal, just before Jolly slammed the door shut and relocked it.
Something—or someone—was locked up inside that van.
Cody and Luke looked at each other, eyes wide, both holding their breath. Who—or what—was in that van? They had to find out, but if they were caught now, who knew what would happen to them? They might end up inside the van, too.
And then what?
They watched as Jolly relocked the door, then bent over and rehid the key under the wheel well of the van. But instead of straightening up as Cody expected, Jolly got down on her knees and retrieved something from the ground. She stood up, stared at what looked like a sheet of paper, then wadded it into a ball and tossed it into a nearby bush. With a last glance around, she headed back to the courtyard where she’d left Longbeard digging.
Cody and Luke waited until Jolly was out of sight before coming out from their hiding place.
“What should we do?” Luke asked.
“We have to find out what’s in there!” Cody whispered. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound happy.”
“Maybe it’s a sick or hurt animal,” Luke said. “If it’s hurt, it could be dangerous.”
“What about that piece of paper Jolly found and threw in the bushes?” Cody asked.
“Think it has anything to do with what’s inside?” Luke said.
Cody shrugged. “There’s one way to find out.” She headed over to the large leafy bush where Jolly had tossed her trash. Maybe the paper was nothing, but maybe it was a clue. Cody reached in and pulled out the wadded ball. Uncrumpling it, she frowned as she walked back to Luke.
“Look at this,” she said, showing him the wrinkled paper.
Code Buster’s Solution found on this page.
Luke glanced at it. “There’s nothing written on it—just two red streaks.”
“White with red diagonal lines. Doesn’t that remind you of one of those flags Chad showed us?” Cody suggested.
Luke studied it. “Yeah … but I forget what it means.”
“It means ‘help!’ ” Cody said. “And it might have come from inside the van.” Cody held the paper up to her nose. “It smells like blood! Come on. We have to find out what’s going on!”
Luke nodded and led the way to the van. When they reached the vehicle, Cody bent down and located the hidden key while Luke kept watch. She stood up and handed it to Luke.
“Keep an eye out,” Luke said, taking the key.
Cody nodded. She kept her eyes focused in the direction of the cemetery, where Jolly and Longbeard were working. She only hoped Quinn and M.E. were staying out of sight. One more crack of a twig underfoot and they might be goners.
Luke jammed the key in the lock.
Cody glanced at him. “Be careful! It could be anything in there.”
Luke nodded. “Just keep watching out for those two crooks. And give me your cell phone.”
Cody frowned, puzzled by his request, but she dug in her pocket, pulled out her phone, and handed it over. Luke touched the flashlight app and held it up toward the door. Slowly, he pulled back the sliding door and shined the light inside.
A large figure was curled up in a ball, its back to the door.
It moaned again, as if it was in pain.
Luke focused the light on the figure as he opened the door wider.
Cody peered over his shoulder.
“What is it?” she whispered, ready to run at a moment’s notice if it was a wild animal.
“It’s not an animal,” Luke said.
Another groan.
Cody gasped as the figure rolled over.
A man lay there, his hands and feet bound.
In spite of the blood on his forehead and the handkerchief tied around his mouth, the face was instantly recognizable.
Chad Bour.
“What happened to you?” Cody asked, as Luke handed her back her phone, then reached in and untied the gag. He began working on the knots that held Chad’s hands and feet.
Chad panted, trying to catch his breath. “Those scoundrels … they stole me map …” He sounded drowsy, his words coming in tired bursts.
Cody had seen people acting like this on her mom’s favorite TV show, CSI. She hoped Chad would be okay.
“You mean the treasure hunter’s map? The one you showed us?” Luke asked, freeing Chad’s legs. Then Luke began on the rope tied around Chad’s wrists.
“Yeah, they’ve been after it for years … knew I was on to something … They overheard me talking to you kids at the museum and thought I told you where the treasure was.” He blinked several times, then rubbed his wrists where the rope had been.
It had to have been Longbeard and Jolly who stole the map from Quinn’s stuff! Cody thought. “He sneaked into our camp and took the map Quinn drew!”
“Luckily, Quinn wrote everything we figured out in code,” Luke said. “I doubt they could crack it.”
Cody nodded as the puzzle pieces came together. “So they got you to give them Captain Bouchard’s actual map, then kidnapped you and stowed you in their van!”
“Yep. Hit me over the head.” Chad touched the back of his head and winced. “Then tied me up.”
Although Chad still seemed groggy, he was starting to sound more like himself.
“We’ve got to get Chad out of this van and to a doctor,” Cody said to Luke. “I’ll call 911.” She punched in the numbers.
While she made the call, telling the dispatcher where they were and that they’d need an ambulance, Luke pulled Chad forward by the legs until the old man could touch the ground with his feet. Then he eased Chad out of the van, and helped him stand, supporting him with his shoulder.
“Cody, help me take him over to behind those trees, and we’ll hide him there until the cops come, in case those two come back.”
Cody glanced in the direction of the courtyard. Luckily, the coast was still clear.
The two kids wrapped their arms around the old man, helping to support him. Chad was thin and light, and they were able to walk him several yards away to a safe hiding place.
After they had gently laid him on the ground behind the shady trees, Luke turned to Cody. “Go find M.E. and Quinn, and tell them to get out of there. They could be in danger. I’ll stay here with Chad until the cops come.”
Cody nodded and started toward the graveyard, then heard tapping coming from behind her. Recognizing the familiar pattern, she paused and listened.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Luke was tapping Morse code to warn her. She smiled at his concern, then continued walking, staying close to the bushes as she passed the van. But before she got much farther, she heard a voice and ducked down out of sight.
“Knew I heard something!” Cody heard Jolly saying.
“Now we gotta get rid of them, too,” Longbeard growled angrily. “So where are those other two? Must be around here somewhere.”
Cody heard M.E.’s muffled cries as the couple held on to the kids and dragged them roughly toward the van.
“We’ll lock them inside with Bour until we can finish digging,” Longbeard said. “Then we’ll get rid of all of them. For good.”
Cody had to think fast. As soon as Longbeard and Jolly reached the van and discovered Chad was gone, who knew what they might do to Quinn and M.E.? She quickly came up with a plan that she hoped would distract the two creeps long enough to give the cops time to arrive. Ducking behind a row of shrubbery, Cody made her way back to the spot where the couple had been digging.
As soon as she reached the mound of dirt, she heard a loud curse coming from the parking lot.
Longbeard and Jolly had reached the van. And apparently, they hadn’t liked what they saw—an open door and a missing Chad Bour.
There was no time to lose. Cody screamed at the top of her voice: “I found it! I found it! I found the treasure!” She was sure that would bring Longbeard and Jolly back to the cemetery.
She crossed her fingers, hoping that her plan worked. If she could just stall them long enough for the police to arrive … Otherwise, she could end up trapped in that van with her friends.
And then what?
Seconds later, Jolly and Longbeard came running toward her.
Cody stood frozen to the spot, feeling panic well up inside her.
Her two friends weren’t with the old couple.
What had happened to Quinn and M.E.?
Longbeard and Jolly rushed to her. “Where is it?” Jolly demanded. “Show me, you little punk! Now! Or you’ll be joining your friends for a long ride off a short pier.”
Cody strained to listen for a police siren but heard nothing. “The secret to the location is in here,” she said, pulling her notebook from her backpack. She opened it to the page she’d copied from the treasure hunter’s journal. There was the coded nursery rhyme that the Code Busters had deciphered. Trembling, her heart beating in hyper-speed, Cody held up the page. “This … this is it!” she said.
Longbeard snatched the notebook out of her hands. “This? It’s nothing but a bunch of scribblings. Where’s the treasure?”
“That’s just it. This is a code that leads to the treasure. If you use it with the map, you’ll find the spot.”
Longbeard frowned. “Show me!”
Cody pointed to every fourth word as she recited “Pop Goes the Weasel.” When she finished, she looked up at the grizzled old man. “Get it?”
Longbeard shook his head. “It’s baby talk! Stop stalling! Where’s the treasure? Or I’ll lock you up with the others.”
She thought of M.E. and Quinn locked in the van and kept talking, making up her story as she went along. Remembering what Ms. Stad had said about nursery rhymes having double meanings, she decided to give this one her own interpretation.
“Well, the first line of the rhyme, ‘All around the mulberry bush,’ means that we have to look for a mulberry bush.” Cody scanned the area, then pointed to some berry bushes that lined the edge of the cemetery. She had no idea what kind they were, but betting these two weren’t really gardeners, she figured they wouldn’t know, either.
“ ‘The monkey chased the weasel’ obviously means that the pirates chased someone—probably the missionaries—when they attacked the mission looking for treasure.”
She looked up at a frowning Longbeard, who seemed to be losing patience. Quickly, she continued.
“And then it goes, ‘The monkey thought ’twas all in fun.’ That means that the pirate was enjoying himself …”
“And ‘Pop! goes the weasel’?” Jolly asked, tightening her grip on Cody’s arm. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s obvious,” Cody lied. “Weasels like to burrow, so it popped something in the ground.” Cody was quite pleased with her storytelling skills, and she wondered what Ms. Stad would think of her interpretation.
“So where’s the treasure?” Longbeard demanded again.
“Show us! Now!” Jolly jerked Cody’s arm.
“I’m trying to tell you. It’s under the mulberry bush.”
Longbeard glanced around the area. “But which one? There’s dozens of them!”
Cody thought fast. “Oh … uh … see these numbers at the bottom of the page? Those are coordinates. All you need is a compass—”
“A compass! We don’t have time to find a compass!”
“I have one,” Cody said. “If you let go of my arm, I’ll get it out of my pocket.”
Jolly eyed her suspiciously. “I’ll get it.” She dug into the pocket of Cody’s hoodie and pulled out her cell phone.
“There’s no compass in there. Just your phone,” she said. “You think we’re stupid? I ain’t giving you this phone so you can call the cops.”
“No, no, there’s a compass app on the phone,” Cody said.
“What’s an app?” Longbeard asked.
Cody had a feeling that these two old treasure hunters were not tech savvy. “Look,” she said, trying to take the phone from Jolly.
“No way,” Jolly said. “Tell me what to do. And do it fast!”
“Okay, just slide the bar on the screen over with your finger and touch that little square with the circle and lightning bolt. That’s the compass app.”
Jolly frowned at the unfamiliar gizmo. “It don’t look like a compass,” she said, but she released her grip on Cody and followed her directions. After a few failed attempts, she managed to slide the bar over and find the app.
“Good! Now touch the square,” Cody said, encouraging the woman.
“This one?” she said, pointing to the icon Cody had described.
“Yep, just tap it and the compass will appear. Then you can enter the coordinates and find the right bush.”
Jolly looked at Longbeard; he nodded his agreement.
Cody held her breath, hoping her plan worked. Otherwise …
With a last menacing look at Cody, Jolly tapped the app.
A loud siren filled the air.
Cody’s trick had worked! When Jolly touched the app icon on Cody’s cell phone, the place filled with the ear-piercing sound of a police siren.
“You just hit the ‘Panic’ button and called the poli
ce!” she shouted to the surprised couple.
Longbeard and Jolly froze, eyes darting around in search of the cops. Jolly dropped the phone.
“Come on!” Longbeard said. “We gotta get outta here!”
Longbeard took off in the direction of the van. Jolly ran after him.
Cody picked up the phone and quickly followed, hoping the siren would attract the attention of anyone around who could help. By the time she reached the van, after Longbeard and Jolly, the cops had arrived. Quinn and M.E. were being helped out of the van by one of the uniformed officers. Dry tears streaked M.E.’s face. Two other officers were putting Longbeard and Jolly in handcuffs.
“Good,” Cody said breathlessly when she saw her friends were safe. Luke appeared moments later from behind the trees where he’d hidden Chad. Cody noticed his arm was covered in blood and cried, “Luke! What happened?”
Luke looked down at the mostly dried blood and tried to rub it off. “Oh, I’m fine. It’s Chad’s blood. Must have got some on me while I was untying him.”
“Where’s Chad?” Cody asked, anxiously glancing toward the spot where they’d hidden him.
Just then, a couple of EMTs appeared from the trees, pushing a gurney. Chad was lying on his back, bandaged, with an oxygen mask over his face. Cody and Luke ran to his side as he was wheeled toward the waiting ambulance.
“Mr. Bour! Are you okay?” Cody asked, looking down at his bandaged head with concern.
Chad pulled the oxygen mask down. “Ay, thanks to you kids, I’m gonna be okay.”
He started to replace the mask, then said in a gravelly voice, “Did you figure out the puzzle?”
M.E. and Quinn, who had joined them, shook their heads, along with Cody and Luke.
“Come by the hospital later, and I’ll tell you how to decipher it,” he said, then replaced the mask and closed his eyes.
“Is he going to be all right?” M.E. asked one of the EMTs.
“He’ll be fine,” the woman said. “He’s got a pretty bad gash on his head, but he’ll be all right. You can see him this afternoon.”
Cody turned around to ask the police officer nearby a question and noticed a large crowd had gathered. Ms. Stad and Mr. Pike were standing behind a yellow police line, eyebrows raised, mouths open. The other students were buzzing on the sidelines, no doubt trying to figure out why the police were there, who the two people in handcuffs were, and what was wrong with the docent guy on the gurney. Not to mention why their four classmates were involved.
