“What do you mean you are pretty sure it went all right?” Beth’s questions started at the first moment she could. There were people everywhere.
Adam groaned and shifted the backpack a little higher. “I missed the next boat. It was too full.” He suddenly gave a nervous laugh. “The reaction to me being there seemed, well, suspicious. I guess I didn’t look pirate enough. I thought one guy was going to yell his bloody head off when I jumped in next to him. I had to start talking real fast.”
“What did you tell him? I did the Quality Control thing and asked how their day was going.”
“I didn’t think that was going to work with him. He wanted to know about the backpack. It almost threw me off-balance when I jumped. Plus, it made a clanking noise when I hit the seat. I had to tell him I was Maintenance and complained about the heavy tools they gave us. He asked why I didn’t work at night like everyone else.”
Beth laughed. “Good question.”
“Yeah. He had everyone staring at me. I told them I needed to check out the waterfall at the end and that it could only be tested with a boatload of people. That made some of them nervous.”
“Well, duh. That chain-drive at the end makes a lot of people nervous. I always expect to plunge backward.”
Adam nodded. “Well, as soon as we got to it, they all turned and looked at me. I guess they wanted to know if we were going to make it all the way up. I gave them a thumbs-up and said to ‘listen to how smooth it is. Perfect.’ Everyone turned their heads to listen, nodding like they had it all worked out.”
“How about your friend?”
“He had to agree with them or look stupid.” Adam smiled at her. “Like we’ve been told, act like you know what you’re doing and people will believe you.”
Walking slowly but steadily, they traveled past the Rainforest Cafe and turned right as if they were going to their car in the Downtown Disney lot. Exiting the Disney property and making their way to Adam’s truck, they were thankful it hadn’t been towed away.
It wasn’t until they were heading down Harbor Boulevard toward the 91 Freeway that they finally took a normal breath.
They had done it!
Margaret heard her front door open and went to investigate. Looking at the ragged appearance of her son and Beth, she swallowed her first question of ‘where have you two been all night!?’ Beth looked exhausted and Adam looked like he had gone swimming in his clothes—his pirate clothes? She bit back her second question.
“Dad here?” Adam looked toward the back of the house and ignored the questions he could see in his mom’s eyes.
Margaret shook her head. “No, he’s on the Anderson job. A couple of the subcontractors are starting today.” She expected some spark of interest, but he looked too preoccupied, too tired. “You okay, honey?” She turned her attention to Beth. That question was safe enough.
Beth had slumped on the sofa. She could see Margaret eyeing her puffy pirate shirt that matched Adam’s. Explanations would come later. As tired as she felt, it would be a lot later. “We didn’t get any sleep last night.” Okay, probably not the best thing to say, as Margaret’s eyebrows shot up. “We were at the Park.”
That didn’t help either. “All night? Some kind of private pirate party?” Margaret smiled as she threw up her hands. “Don’t mind me. Why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower and get some rest. We’ll have something to eat once you’re back downstairs.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Adam turned on his heels and headed for the stairs with Beth right behind him.
Margaret wondered about the black backpack sagging between Adam’s shoulders. It looked very heavy.
Adam paused at the door of the bedroom Beth was using. “Shower, nap, or open the pack?”
“Yes,” she answered with a tired smile.
Adam rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess the adrenaline wore off on the drive over here. I’m exhausted.” He dropped the backpack next to her bed. “Go ahead with your shower, take a nap, and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“You’re leaving?!” Adam’s announcement surprised Beth. She figured he’d want to see the treasure he had worked so long and hard to get.
Adam looked away from the backpack. He had waited this long. It would be here when he got back. “Yes, Captain.” He gave her a small smile, “I want to check our places just to make sure everything’s all right. Can I have your key?”
Finding it in her purse, she knew not to argue. “What if Lance is there?”
Adam doubted it. “I’ll have to deal with him if and when it happens. But, I think it’ll be all right. Go take a shower before you fall down.”
Beth knew he didn’t want her along in case Lance did show up, but she was too tired to disagree. Going into his arms for a hug, he had the familiar smell of Pirates hanging on him. “You smell like a bottle of Clorox!” Beth pulled a little away but still kept her arms around Adam. “I think you should take a shower.”
“Is that an invitation? My, you’ve been giving me lots of them lately.”
Beth kissed his neck and pulled away to sit heavily on the bed. “Men.” She chuckled as she shook her head. “Get out of here so I can get some sleep.” As he lifted a hand for a quick wave, she added quietly, “You be careful, all right?”
“Yes, dear.”
“And, Adam?”
“Hmmm?”
“Change your shirt.”
Beth rolled over and snuggled into her pillow. Adam looked down. “Shirt? Oh.” He went to his room and pulled off his wrinkled, puffy pirate shirt.
Beth was still asleep when Adam returned. Slipping her keys into her purse, he contemplated lying down next to her. She had been so worn out from both their exertions and the strain that he decided to let her be. As he turned to leave, he was surprised to hear her sleepy voice. “Everything okay?”
He looked back at Beth and saw her big brown eyes were open and watching him. “Thought you were asleep.”
“I was, but you came stomping into the room rattling my keys around. Who can sleep through that?”
He kneeled next to the bed and stroked her hair. “Sorry. I tried to be quiet.”
She closed her eyes at the soft touch. She would fall asleep again if he kept that up. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Both our places look just the same. I didn’t see any signs of anyone being there.”
A sad look came over her sleepy eyes. “Where do you think he is?”
Adam didn’t have to ask who ‘he’ was as he sat next to her on the bed. “I’ve been thinking about him, too. If he planned this trip like he usually did—and there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t—he’s probably still in Idaho. I guess he’ll be there at least until tomorrow or Saturday. But, I have no way of knowing.”
“You think he’ll figure out the clue and come looking for us?”
Adam’s heart lurched as she voiced her fear. How could he protect her from a distraught, desperate man with a gun? “Come here,” he offered, holding out his hand.
Beth sat up and went into his arms for the comfort he offered. In spite of his confident words, she could feel his heart pounding. Adam took a deep breath before answering her. “I don’t know what he’ll do. You know how intelligent Lance is. I was surprised he fell for your trick in the first place. But, yes, I think he’ll eventually figure out the clue and go check the hidden cave. If he still works for Security, he’ll have easier access than we did, that’s for sure.”
“You think?” She gave a quick laugh to try and lighten the dark mood she had inadvertently set.
“We’ll just have to play it by ear. I miss him too.” Adam’s words were quiet as he rested his chin on top of her head.
“What about your parents?”
Not wanting to think about Lance and enjoying having Beth in his lap, Adam started to kiss her neck. “I don’t miss them at all.…”
She laughed and tried to push him away—even though his kiss felt really good. “No! That’s not what
I meant and you know it!... Adam, you’re going to have to stop kissing me if we’re going to have any type of intelligent conversation.”
“The art of conversation is highly overrated.… And besides, I have five years to make up for.” He wouldn’t let her get off his lap.
Beth settled back in his arms when she realized she wasn’t going anywhere. In-between his kisses, she asked again, “So, what do we tell your parents?”
“That I’m making up for lost years very well.”
“You’re impossible!” She gave him a not-so-gentle poke in the ribs, knowing how ticklish he was.
“Okay, okay!” he conceded, “You win. Get up.”
Beth wasn’t sure she just won a victory since she had been enjoying his kisses. He felt her hesitancy and gave her a knowing smile. As she plopped down on the floor next to the backpack, she mumbled, “You are just plain evil, Adam Michaels!”
He slid down next to her. “And, you, Beth Roberts, are just plain adorable.”
“Riffraff.” The muttered word could barely be heard.
Adam was surprised. She had never played that game with him. Only Lance. “Touchy.” Warming to the game, the name was shot back at her with a grin.
“Carouser.”
“Shorty.”
“Tease.”
“So, how come you never did this with me before, Beth?”
“You aren’t very good at it.”
“What?!”
“Oh, come on. Touchy and Shorty? Sheesh.” To hide the laughter in her eyes, she pulled the backpack between them.
Defensive, Adam folded his arms over his chest. “What’s wrong with Touchy and Shorty? What did you want? Frigid?”
Her head shot up. “Excuse me?” she demanded, her eyes narrowed.
Oops, rats. Back pedal, Adam, back pedal. “I…I was just trying something Lance would have said. Sorry…I…oh, shoot. Just open the pack.”
Beth bent her head and reached for the backpack’s zipper. She could barely keep from laughing. Oh, Adam! You are adorable! “Gosh, this is heavy.”
“Tell me about it. I had to jump into the boat with that on my back! Almost landed like an overturned turtle.”
“Still can’t believe we did that.” Her words were distracted as she pulled out some black jewelry boxes, nine-by-twelve manila envelopes that felt like they were stiffened with cardboard inserts, and yellowed legal size envelopes. There was also some kind of heavy gray metal box in the bottom of the pack. She pushed the pack back over to Adam to let him lift that out. As he did, she started opening the black boxes.
Seeing the first one, she gave a little cry and quickly opened the matching second one. “Oh, look, Adam! Matching his and hers Mickey Mouse watches! They are stamped Walt Disney Enterprises! They have to be from the 1930’s! How cute! Look at the old design of Mickey. Gosh, they look brand new.”
The first yellowed envelope contained four unused admission tickets for the opening day of Disneyland, dated July 17, 1955. There was a handwritten note from Walt that said: “I know it’s too late to use these, but thought you would like to see what the real ones looked like! See you at the Park. Walt”. Beth knew Walt referred to all the counterfeit entry tickets that had been printed and the thousands of extra people who had flooded into Disneyland on Opening Day. It had been a disaster from everybody’s standpoint.
The second envelope contained a cancelled $5000 check filled out and signed by Walt himself. The memo on the bottom read ‘first payment for Disneyland.’
Inside the first manila envelope Beth opened were two documents. Her eyes widened as she read. She had always wanted one of these but figured she would never be able to afford it: Two Honorary Lifetime Memberships to Club 33—the exclusive club located over the Pirates of the Caribbean that had a limited membership. This membership would include automatic entry into the Park, free parking, and, as she read the wordage, included the cost of all the meals for up to six guests. Holding back a squeal of delight, she wasn’t sure how all this was going to be divided. But, she was definitely getting a dinner there and soon!
Smiling to herself, she opened the other large yellow envelope. Inside were four matching documents. Printed on the top was a picture of the Mark Twain that looked like an etching. There was fancy scrollwork and cursive lettering covering the page. Having never seen documents like this before, she wasn’t sure what they were. “Adam? What are these?” She handed them to Adam, not noticing his blanched face, and turned her attention back to the Club 33 memberships.
Adam licked his dry lips and looked over the paperwork. Being a little dazed, it took a minute before he could figure them out. They were similar to the Santa Fe Railroad certificates he and Lance had gotten in Marceline. When he looked up at her expectant face, she attributed his pale appearance to this latest find. Breathing heavily, his eyes were wide and excited. “These are stock certificates.” His voice was obviously hoarse as he explained it to her. “We are owners of forty thousand shares of stock in Disneyland.”
Beth broadly grinned at that. “Wow! We own part of Disneyland?”
Nodding mutely, he handed the certificates back to Beth.
“I didn’t realize opening the treasures was this exciting!” Beth exclaimed as she looked at the treasures. “Is this how you felt every time you found a capsule?”
Adam didn’t answer her as he stared at the rusty metal box at his feet. It was an ugly little box eighteen inches long and about ten inches wide and deep. There were no markings on the outside that would indicate either its origin or the contents. But, it wasn’t the box itself that caused his current condition. It was what he had found inside that had stunned him.
He pushed the box over the carpet closer to Beth. At her questioning look, his voice was very quiet. “Open it.”
Having enjoyed opening each envelope and box to discover what was inside, she simply figured Adam wanted her to enjoy opening the next present from Walt. “What is it? A model of one of the ride cars? Oh! I know! It’s a piece of the Matterhorn!” His eyes staring at the box, Adam remained silent as she opened the stiff lid. The rust had penetrated the old hinges and it stuck halfway up. Beth let out a whoosh of breath and her hands started shaking as she slowly reached for one of the objects in the box and brought it up to her face.
It was a solid gold coin stamped with the skull and crossbones that they had searched for high and low inside the Pirate ride. It matched the half pendant they had taken to Tobago—only this one was whole. The edges were worn from time and elements and the Latin lettering on the back was half worn off.
Tearing her eyes from the gold coin, she looked over at Adam. He just slowly nodded to her. She dropped her eyes back to the chest and to the hundred identical coins that lay there. She ran her fingers through the coins, feeling the cold metal slip past her fingers and hearing them clink together with a sound that only gold can make. There were other types of coins mixed in. Some had an embossed cross and crown, some had a noble face in profile. Some were smaller than the one she handled. But each and every one of them looked to be solid gold.
Speechless, she looked back at Adam. Before she could say anything, he held up something he must have taken out of the chest before passing it to her. Dangling off a thick black string around his index finger, swinging slowly back and forth, was a little pouch. It was black, about four inches wide and five inches deep. The rough fabric might have been some type of canvas, but the pouch was obviously hand-sewn.
Beth just looked at the little bag as it swung in front of him. She was suddenly having as much trouble breathing as was Adam. “Oh, Adam,” she whispered. “What are we going to do? This is incredible!”
He just shook his head side to side, overwhelmed. Unable to speak, he held the dangling bag out to her, indicating she was supposed to take it.
She licked her lips and took the string off his finger, holding his empty hand for a minute. He didn’t know if it was for strength or support or just simple human touch. He watched as sh
e pulled open the drawstring closure at the top of the bag. She visibly paled when she peered inside.
Opening her left hand and cupping it in front of her, she tilted the little black bag and poured.
Into her hand flowed a sparkling rainbow of gemstones. There were blues, reds, pinks, yellows and greens. There were round ones and rectangular ones. Some were flat-bottomed and had a domed top. Sapphires. Rubies. Diamonds. Emeralds. Still on her knees Beth crawled over to the window and held her hand in the beam of bright sunlight that streamed into the room. The sparkle and glare from the stones hurt her eyes as they sent myriads of colored spots dancing through the room.
“Oh, Adam!” she gasped. “How could he leave so much? I don’t understand.” With her hands shaking, she carefully poured the stones back into the dark bag. Gently setting the bag on top of the coins and smoothing the fabric with her fingers, she forgot the jostling they must have received when Adam was getting them out of the cave.
“I don’t understand either…. Even though….” He broke off, unsure.
“What?”
“This might possibly explain the huge expansion Disneyland underwent early on. Then there was Florida. You think Walt took items from this treasure chest, sold what he needed when he needed it, and then left the rest? The family never wanted for anything. I imagine he went back only as he needed to...to finance his dreams and ideas. Maybe he added the other items—the watches and the certificates—as time went on. Maybe those items were included to connect the treasure specifically to him.” Adam just quit talking and shrugged. There had been no explanations left with the treasures other than the note with the Opening Day tickets. All they had was the diary. ‘Remember me,’ Walt had written.
They would never forget.
When lunch was finished and cleared, Adam had his parents return to the table. He and Beth knew it was time for the long-awaited explanations.
Having retrieved Walt’s diary from his safe when he checked his apartment, he now put it on the table in front of him. The backpack was on the floor between his chair and Beth’s. He asked them to please let him tell the story all the way through without interruptions and then they could ask questions if they had any. He faintly smiled. How could they not have questions? He still had them himself.
Sometimes Dead Men DO Tell Tales! Page 40
