“Oh my god!” he said out loud. But as he stooped to get a closer look, the light caught a sight that made him want to get out there just as fast as he could. There, only a few feet from where he stood, were skeletons, human skeletons. And there seemed to be a lot of them. All of them seemed to be staring at him. He didn’t wait around for any formal introductions. He came out of that small hole like an egg through a hen.
He sat there on the ground fighting to regain himself as Katie and Melissa kept asking questions, like what did he see? Was the treasure there? and other questions.
He just looked at the two women and started to smile. All of their questions were answered. Together, they resealed the vault the best that they could and went back to the house to wait for Grady.
When Grady walked into the house, their expressions told him what he needed to know. Then Mike told them about the skeletons.
“Skeletons?” Katie asked.
“I would have to say that Mike here just found the drivers of the wagons. Most likely they were killed to seal their silence,” Grady told them.
“Well, I’m sure glad that I didn’t go down there,” Melissa said.
“Well, if had gone down there, someone would had to come to my rescue. I would have fainted right there,” Katie added.
“Did any of you think about what Saturday is?” Grady asked.
“The Fourth of July?” Melissa asked.
“Yes. And what a better day to unveil our find to the world?” he asked. That gives us only four days to notify the proper authorities. So, Katie, you know what your job is?” he asked her.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve got it all written out. Finished it weeks ago. Wasn’t too sure that I was going to be able to use it, but I was wrong I suppose,” she answered.
“Katie, what in the world are you talking about?” Mike asked.
“It’s a surprise. I guess you’ll have to wait until the third,” she answered.
“The third? Don’t you mean the fourth?” Melissa responded.
“Nope, mine is going to be one day early. You’ll see, just wait,” she answered.
“You two can help by contacting some local and some not so local government agencies. The more people we let in on this, the better. I’ve already talked with the Treasury Department,” Grady told them.
“You have? What did they say when you told them?” Mike asked.
“Well, at first they thought that I was clear off my rocker. But when I mentioned Jack, they suddenly had a change of heart. It seems that my charming brother also found a few of those gold coins and sent them off to Washington. I guess those coins caused a pretty big ruckus in Washington. But for obvious reasons, they never heard anything more from Jack. And given what was going on then years ago, they didn’t have the manpower to track him down. Remember, World War Two was just ending, and there was a lot to do. But now there’s more agents to handle stuff like this, I reckon,” Grady explained.
“And you didn’t tell us this for what reason?” Katie asked.
“Katie, daddies don’t tell their daughters everything. Sometimes it’s better to keep the cat in the bag so you don’t get scratched. There’s a lot of bad, evil people out there that would love to get their hands on what we have. Some out of personal greed. Others might want it just so the Union Army and your great-grandfather wouldn’t be cleared. Whatever their reasons are, we had to play it safe. Our very lives hang in the balance here,” Grady explained.
“Gee, I never thought about someone killing us to steal it—again,” Katie answered.
“Well, here’s the thing. We still have four days, so we’re not out of the woods yet. They had offered to have an agent here for our protection. But I declined that offer. But I think that now that we know its exact location, I might just take them up on their offer. For our own protection at least,” Grady explained.
“Do you really think we need bodyguards? I mean, really?” Mike asked.
“Well, answer me this. Would you give up the treasure to save Katie’s life or that of your sister? If you say no, then you would be a liar, but if you answered yes, then you’ve proven my point,” Grady told him.
“I agree with you. It would indeed be the safe play. If not for anything more than peace of mind, I suppose,” Mike answered.
“Exactly, but they wouldn’t have to threaten just us. What about your parents? Or maybe Rick since Melissa likes him. There’s more ways to get to us and the gold than what’s in this room. We have to cover everything and everyone,” Grady explained.
The Gold of the South
Bodyguards? Oh, what an understatement that soon turned out to be. At first, only two men from the Treasury Department showed up. But after hearing their astounding tale and reading the ninety-year-old letters and, well, everything else, Matterson House soon got a few guests. Well, if fifty government agents were considered a few, then that’s what they got. They carried guns and were very professional. Everywhere they turned, there was another agent. The nice, quiet landscape soon turned into a three-ring media circus.
Reporters from every newspaper in America as well as a few from Europe and France were all over the place. But only one reporter was given an exclusive on the breaking story. The reporter for the Charleston Herald was chosen for this honor because of the paper’s size, their vast circulation, and their overall reputation. This was Katie’s baby. She owed it to her late great-grandfather’s legacy. On the morning of July 3, Katie and the others sat down with Robert Kincaid and told him every detail. Nothing would be left out. Well, nothing except for the gold’s exact location, that is. The reporter at first wasn’t buying their story. Then Katie took the reporter’s hand in hers.
“Maybe this will open your eyes,” she told him as she pulled her hands away, leaving one of the golden double-eagle coins in his palm. From that point on, he was a true believer. Katie hoped his pen wouldn’t run out of ink.
But the exclusive wasn’t free. Nope, there was a price to be paid. No money, but the written promise that this headline would be on the front page of tomorrow’s paper for all the world to see.
major general william tecumseh sherman cleared on any wrongdoing in the greatest crime of the civil war
The article that followed the headline would go into great details in regard to what actually happened and why. Nothing would be left out.
The reporter wrote and wrote everything that was told him. He was afraid that he hadn’t brought enough paper. Five full tablets later, the complete story had been told.
“My god, and you’ve found the gold? I mean of course you have, or I wouldn’t be here, would I? Still, this is a fantastic tale. Our readers are going to want more and more information about all of this,” he told them.
“Well, if you do the job that we hope you will on this first story, then you’ll be able to come back and take all the pictures that you want and do as many stories as you want. How’s that?”
“Then I guess that I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then. But if that’s everything, I need to run. I have a lot of work to do before press time,” he said.
“Well, you do whatever it takes. Just tell the story the way that it happened. That’s all we ask,” Katie told him.
“Oh, trust me, it’s a hell of a tale, and I’ll get it right,” he said. And with that, the reporter left.
Katie walked over to the window. “Look at all of these people. My god, there must be a thousand or more. And those reporters are driving me nuts,” Katie said as she stared out the front window.
“Oh, I don’t think you’ve seen the worse of it yet. Just wait until tomorrow when we uncover it,” Grady told her.
“Yeah, especially the part about the skeletons. Those rookie reporters haven’t a clue as to what’s down there. I’ve seen it. It’s not a picture to be sending home. That’s for sure,” Mike added.
Just then, a man walked into the front room. The Treasury agents had free run of the house, so it didn’t surprise anyone to see him.
�
��Grady, I was told to see you. I’m Aaron James of the Treasury Department. I’m also the agent in charge of security here,” the man said as he shook Grady’s hand.
“Yes, sir, what can I do for you?” Grady asked.
“It’s the treasure, sir. We can’t protect it if we don’t know where it is,” he told Grady.
“The treasure is fine right where it is. I’ll tell you where it is when it’s time,” Grady told him.
“Sir, if it’s as big as you claim, it’s a matter of national security to do whatever needs to be done to protect it. You do understand?” he asked.
“Yes, sir, I do, but I can see it from here, and you’ll just have to trust me. It’s fine right where it is,” Grady told him.
“Well, I can see that you’re set in your stand on this matter. But may I ask you just how you plan on unveiling all of this? I mean, considering everything that you claim, it’s going to be a pretty big show. So how do you plan on pulling this off?” he asked.
“Well, we have that all set up. The treasure is buried, and we’re not certain just how big this is, but we have about ten guys—your guys, I believe—that will be doing the actual work. Once it’s uncovered, it will be up to you guys to remove it, count it, and whatever else needs to be done. Then of course, there are the skeletons that will have to be removed,” Grady told him.
“Skeletons? What skeletons? Nobody told me about any skeletons. I hate skeletons,” the agent told Grady.
“Well, there are skeletons. Not sure just how many, but they’re there. That’s for certain. Should be at least six of them, maybe more,” Grady told him.
“And what’s this about some dead horses?” he asked.
“Well, those are in a cave. Those we can tell you or even show you now if you wish. But there’s skeletons there too,” Grady told him.
“What’s this interest you guys have in skeletons?” he asked.
“We have no interest in skeletons, but when the treasure was brought here from Columbia ninety years ago, it was in wagons. Those horses are still hitched to their wagons. And I have to warn you, the sight of those poor animals and knowing how they died, will rip out your very soul and throw it on the ground and stomp on it until your soul is dead. It’s a very heart-touching scene,” Grady told him.
“You’re kidding, right?” he asked. “I mean, it sounds pretty intense! Dead horses and all.”
“Well now, my dear sir, that would greatly depend on one’s own constitution now, would it not? To some people, they would only see some dead horses. While others will be animals that fought to survive under enormous odds, animals whose fate was sealed in that tomb by a wall of rock but refused to concede to the fact that they would never run through a green pasture or eat a bucket of oats again. So what you see when you look at this nightmarish scene would all depend on how you see yourself. Would you just give up and die, or would you fight for your life even when the odds are greatly against you? That’s a choice that every one of us has to make in our own lives. So are you a fighter or a quitter?” Grady asked.
“Well, to be honest with you. I’ve never been forced into that scenario before. But I would like to think that I’m a fighter,” he answered.
“You, my dear sir, are a quitter. Now, don’t go getting all bent out of shape here. I only mean that because you’ve said that you have never been faced with that choice before. Well, a fighter, a true fighter, doesn’t need to be forced into making that choice. A fighter already knows. Quitting for him is not an option,” Grady told him.
“I see your point. And I would also be inclined to conclude the same observation as you. I do not picture myself as a fighter,” he told Grady.
“That’s fine, I mean, if you want to demean yourself, but if when you see this scene that was played out some ninety years ago, and you just shrug your shoulders and walk away, then you are a quitter. But if you look at it and you get sick to your stomach, and every muscle tightens up in your neck, and you think that you’re about to throw up, then you’re a fighter.
“There are but three ways to die.
“You can fight with every bit of strength that you can find. And, like those horses, you never give up your will to live. And even after death, you live on.
“Or you take a quick look at the situation and decide that there’s no way to win. And you simply give up and die. Is it the easy way out? Maybe. But at least you had the guts to make a decision and stick to it.
“And then there’s the cowardly way. Crouching down in a corner with your arms over your head, whining and crying. And it’s all about him. He doesn’t want to die, it ain’t his time, and so on. Have you ever seen an animal cry for its life? No, of course not. But people do it all the time. I feel sorry for the poor son of a bitch that thinks he needs to die that way. Damn coward.
“As for me, I’m a fucking horse, and I’m going out with a fight. And my pride and my honor, they’re going with me,” Grady told him.
“Wow! That’s a very strong way of thinking. Never heard it put that way before, that’s for sure. But after listening to you explain it, I think I’ll be going with you, uh, when it’s my time of course,” he said to Grady with a smile.
“Oh, but of course. But when it’s your time to go, it is your time to go. The timing of our death isn’t a choice we get to make, but how we die is,” Grady told him.
“I’ll try to remember that when it’s time,” he replied.
“You do that. Want’a go for a walk?” Grady asked him.
“It’s getting dark out there. Let me grab a jacket,” he said.
“Son, it’s July, and you’re in Georgia. What in the hell would you want a jacket for?” Grady asked.
“Government protocol. But you know what? You’re right. Let’s go,” the man responded in a tone that surprised Grady.
Grady signaled to Katie, and she came over to him. He whispered something into her ear. She turned to face him.
“Okay, but are you sure?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Just do as I asked, and we’ll meet you on the porch,” he told her, just as she turned and walked away.
“You ready?” Grady asked.
“I think so. What was all that about?” he asked.
“You’ll see in due time,” Grady replied with a smile.
Grady and Aaron walked out onto the porch. There were people everywhere, each person going about their assigned tasks. Katie met them on the porch and walked with the two men as they walked across the field. When they got to the dirt road, they followed it. There was some small talk between the two of them. They turned up the small path that lead up to the grassy area overlooking the town.
When they got to the center of the area, Katie handed her dad two cold bottles of beer, one of which he handed to Aaron.
“Oh, you know I couldn’t, government rules you know. Being on duty and all,” he said.
“Take the damn beer. And sit down. I have something to tell you. No drink, no talk,” Grady insisted.
“Okay, I’ll sit with you and have a beer,” Aaron told him as he took the beer and sat down on the nice soft grass.
Katie sat down too facing the two men.
“So tell me, Mr. Government Man, what is it that you hope to see here tomorrow?” Grady asked.
“Well, the treasure for one, among other things. Why do you ask?” he asked.
“How close have you ever been to a treasure of this size? I know that you haven’t seen it yet, but it was big enough to put the Confederate Army out of business, so it’s fairly big. Right?” Grady asked.
“Well, I’ve never been close, not at all. Maybe within thirty yards or so when I toured Fort Knox. Why do you ask?” he asked.
“Katie, tell him,” Grady told his daughter.
Aaron’s attention turned to Katie.
“Tell me what?” he asked.
“Mr. James, right now your ass is about one foot away from the entire treasure of the South,” she told him.
His face went
pale as he realized what she had said. He went to stand up, but Grady pulled him back down.
“Calm down. We don’t need everyone up here,” Grady told him.
“You’re serious! The treasure is beneath us right now?” he asked.
“Sure is, want to see it?” Grady asked.
“Hell yeah! Oh, wait, there’s skeletons down there, and besides, it’s dark. I’ll wait until tomorrow like everyone else,” he told them.
Katie pulled two flashlights from her pockets and handed one to Grady and the other one to the Treasury agent. “Are all of you government men chicken?” she asked.
He just looked at her and then at Grady. Then he glanced down at the flashlight. “Oh hell, where’s the door?” he asked.
Katie lead them to the spot where Michael had gone in the day before. It took them a while, but they made an opening large enough to enter.
Aaron just looked at Grady.
“You first. You’ve got the gun, remember?” Grady asked.
“What would I need a gun for?” Then he realized that Grady had been joking with him. “Very funny!” he said as he slowly started to lower himself down into the hole.
Grady soon followed him. The two men stood there in the dark where no man had stood for almost ninety years. Well, except for Michael of course.
Hearts of Grey Page 21
