by Patricia Fry
“Yes,” Gladys agreed, “people are getting hurt over those keys. You don’t want anyone to know about it.”
“Okay,” Jennie said. “I won’t tell a soul.” She frowned. “But at least one other person knows about it—whoever it was that left it here.”
Chapter 3
“So did you have a good time?” Savannah asked Adam as they motored back across the lake toward the cabin.
“No. Remember, we didn’t catch any fish.”
Michael grinned. “So you didn’t enjoy the camaraderie?”
“What?” Adam asked, scrunching up his face.
“Didn’t you enjoy being with me and your uncle? I had fun being with you guys—you know, the joking around, the hiking, the rock-skipping contest—wasn’t any of that fun for you?”
“Well, yeah,” Adam said, “but we went there to catch fish and we didn’t catch any, so that was a bummer.”
“Your dad’s right,” Savannah said. “It’s important to look at the big picture.”
“The big picture is the same as the little picture,” Adam insisted. “We didn’t catch any fish.”
“Oh, quit being such a sad sack,” Michael scolded gently. He shut down the motor and focused on his son. “Going fishing isn’t just about catching fish.”
“Keith pulled his boat up close to Michael’s and called out, “Why are you guys stopping? Did you run out of gas?”
“No, patience,” Michael said loudly enough to be heard over Keith’s idling motor.
“Huh?”
“Well, my son here, says he didn’t have fun going fishing with us guys, because we didn’t catch any fish.”
“Oh?” Keith ginned impishly. “The last guy who told me that after a fun day of fishing got dunked.”
“Dunked?” Adam asked.
Keith nodded. “Yes. No one likes a party pooper along on a fishing trip. So when my buddy started complaining about this and about that, everyone in the fishing party got together and decided to toss the gloomy Gus into the lake.” He grinned. “And it was a cold lake there in Colorado, mind you.”
Adam suddenly looked alarmed. He glanced suspiciously at Michael, then Keith. “Well, I liked the sandwich, and I guess I had fun feeding those baby fish bites of my potato chips.”
“Yeah?” Michael egged. “And I’m sure I heard you laugh a lot when Keith was telling his fishing stories.”
Adam chuckled. “Yeah, that was funny. Especially the one where Uncle Keith got all tangled up in the fishing line and fell off the dock.”
“So you did enjoy being with us guys, huh?” Michael asked. “Cause if you didn’t, you might as well go shopping or sightseeing with the girls tomorrow while Uncle Keith and I come out here again with a new plan.”
Adam’s eyes lit up. “A new plan?”
“Yeah,” Keith said, “fishing is more than just holding a pole and waiting for something to happen. It takes strategy and cunning.”
“And,” Michael said, “it’s hanging out with good buddies.” He added, “It’s about making memories and learning neat things like how to rock-hop across a creek and…”
Adam interrupted, “And see whose leaf boat floats the farthest down the river?”
“Exactly,” Keith said. “You’re catching on. Now, if everyone judged their fishing trips on how many fish they catch, fishing wouldn’t be one of the most popular outdoor sports in the world.”
“Oh,” Adam muttered. He thought for a moment before saying, “Then I like going fishing, if you count all of that other stuff we did. Yeah, that was fun. So it’s okay that we didn’t catch any fish?”
“More than okay,” Michael said.
“More than okay?” Savannah questioned.
He grinned. “Yeah, we don’t have any fish to clean.”
Meanwhile Cassie pointed into the distance. “What’s he doing?”
“Who?” Holly asked. “Where?”
“That guy. I think he’s trying to stab a fish.”
Everyone looked in the direction Cassie indicated. After studying the young man for a moment, Keith said, “I think he’s looking for something. I wonder what he lost.”
Adam chuckled. “Probably his hook and bait like we did today.” He turned to Savannah. “We kept losing our hook and bait.” He started to laugh. “Once, Uncle Keith chased a log that was floating really fast down the river, trying to make it give back his hook.”
“You don’t have to tell everything that happens on a fishing trip,” Keith teased.
“Yeah, what happens on the river stays on the river,” Michael quipped. As they drifted closer to the young man, Michael called out, “Can we help you with something?”
“I don’t think so,” he said, sounding defeated. “I’ll probably never find it again in this lifetime.”
“What is it?” Cassie asked.
He looked up. “Got a metal detector? I may be able to find it with a metal detector.”
“Is it money?” Adam asked. “I saw a guy find money at my school once with some sort of machine.”
The young man shook his head. When he looked up, he became more alert. “Hey, you’re getting awfully close to the falls. If I were you, I’d hot-foot it out of here.”
“Oh my gosh!” Savannah shouted, when she realized how far they had drifted.
Michael jumped into action, but, when he attempted to start the motor it wouldn’t turn over.
In the meantime, Keith had steered his boat toward the dock and was slowly motoring in that direction. When he glanced back and saw that the Iveys weren’t following him, and in fact, their boat was drifting more swiftly now toward the falls, he felt a sense of panic. “Dang,” he carped.
“What?” Holly asked, looking back at the foundering skiff. “Oh no,” she said. “What are they doing?”
“Michael must have flooded it or something. He’s not going to make it. Oh, my God!” He quickly turned the boat around and cruised to where Michael was frantically attempting to start the motor. Keith pulled his boat closer, keeping a check on the speed so as not to create a wake that would further impact the crippled boat. Once he was in position, he picked up an oar and handed one end to Adam, who sat at the bow. “Grab this!” he shouted. “Hold tight!”
“Dad!” Cassie complained. “You’re rocking the boat.”
“I’m scared,” Bethany cried.
“It’s okay, girls,” he crooned. He held tightly to the oar while revving up his outboard motor and pulling slowly away from the danger of the falls.
“I can’t hold on,” Adam cried out, “it’s too slippery!
When Michael saw his son struggling, he made his way to where Adam sat and took the oar from him. He thought of something and shouted to his brother, “Hey, let me toss you this rope!”
“Oh yes, the rope,” Keith said, taking the oar from Michael and preparing to catch the end of the rope.
“Should I jump with the children, Michael?” Savannah shouted.
He glanced behind them and said, “No. Stay put.” He checked to make sure the rope was secure on his end, and Keith tied the other end to the stern of his boat. Keith quickly put his motor in gear, this time successfully pulling the Iveys’ boat away from the falls.
“Wow!” Adam said. “That was close. I thought for sure…”
“So did I,” Savannah said. “I’d plumb forgotten about those darned falls.” She shook her head in disbelief.
Once the two families had docked and disembarked, Savannah hugged Keith. “Thank you for the quick thinking—we came close to being dunked.”
“Onto those big rocks,” Michael said, his voice strained. He bumped his brother’s shoulder with his fist. “Thanks guy.”
“That was scary,” Holly said, obviously still shaken. She patted Keith on the back. “Quick thinking, hon.” She faced Michael. “You, too. Yeah, that rope was a good idea.”
After making sure everything was unloaded from his boat, Keith looked at the motor on the
other boat. He cranked it and it started right up. “Yeah, most likely flooded,” he said. “Looks like we’re good to go for tomorrow.”
“Hey, here comes that kid,” Adam said. He called out to the young man, “Did you find what you were looking for?”
The boy shook his head. “I’m sure it’s gone and with it probably something good.”
“What was it?” Michael asked.
“Maybe my college tuition.”
“So it was money?” Holly asked.
“No, a key. It could have been a key to my success.”
“Oh, one of those keys someone’s been doling out?” Savannah asked.
“I guess so. I found it in my boot yesterday after I took a dip in the water hole upriver. It annoyed me when I put my foot in my boot and stepped on that thing, so I took the boot off and shook it real hard. I didn’t know if it was a scorpion or what. Well, I saw something fly out into the water and I saw that it was a key, but before I could grab it, it disappeared. I’m guessing the current carried it away. I’d heard about people getting keys and everyone thinks they’re worth something. So I’ve been trying to find it since yesterday.”
“How far up river did you lose it?” Savannah asked.
He pointed. “Up around that bend a ways. It could be long gone by now—you know, at the bottom of the lake, or someone else may have found it.”
“Maybe a fish ate it,” Adam said. When the others looked at him, he explained, “Well, they sure weren’t eating bait today.”
The young man reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “This was with the key.”
“What is that?” Keith asked.
“Some lame poem.”
“A roses-are-red poem?” Holly asked.
“And violets are blue?” Cassie added.
The young man nodded. He smoothed out the paper and read, “Roses are red, violets are
blue…” he looked up. “Some of it’s smudged from the water, but I can read the last few words. It says, ‘educating you.’”
“Hmmm,” Michael muttered. “Interesting.”
“Yeah,” the young man said, “but if what everyone says about those keys is true and they unlock a hidden fortune, this piece of paper won’t do me any good.” He started to toss it into the lake.
“No!” Holly shouted. When everyone looked at her, she said, “Hold onto it. If what you’ve heard is true, that might be important to have in your possession.”
“Why?” he asked looking suspiciously at her.
“I don’t know, but it can’t hurt anything to keep it.”
The kid shrugged, and slipped the paper into his pants pocket.
“Where do you live?” Savannah asked.
“Oh, around,” he said, suddenly appearing to be uncomfortable.
“What’s your name?” Keith asked.
“Thad—you know, for Thaddeus. It’s an odd name by today’s standards.”
“Different,” Savannah said. “So’s mine. It’s Savannah.” She nodded. “This is my husband, Michael.” She motioned toward the others. “Keith and Holly and my mom, Gladys. We’re staying at the Sledge cabin.”
“Oh,” he said, taken aback. “That’s a mysterious place.”
“Mysterious?” Holly asked.
“Well, there are a lot of stories about that place and some of the things that have gone on there. It’s spooky. And you’re staying there?” he asked, surprised.
Holly looked suspiciously at Savannah, who grinned and nodded. She told Thad, “Yeah, but all of that has been resolved.”
“I don’t think so,” Thad said, trembling uneasily and glancing in the direction of the cabin. “I just walked by there today and heard strange noises coming from inside.”
Savannah frowned. “The animals. We’d better get back and make sure they’re all right.”
“Animals?” he asked.
“A cat and a dog,” she explained, heading in the direction of the cabin. “Nice to meet you, Thad. I hope you find that key.”
“Yeah, fat chance now,” he complained. He waved. “Thanks anyway.”
“We could offer him our key,” Holly said, hurrying to keep up with Savannah’s long strides.
“I thought about that, but it isn’t really ours. It’s Iris’s; she found the lamp. Or Craig’s, it’s his cabin.”
“Or the person who dumped the lamp,” Keith suggested.
“Losers weepers,” Savannah asserted.
“You’re all beginning to sound like the other greedy people on the mountain this week,” Gladys noted.
Keith smiled at her, then asked, “Hey, when’s the unveiling or whatever it would be called supposed to take place?”
“Sunday,” Holly said. “Sure would be fun to sit in on that.”
Savannah nodded. “Yeah, especially since we’re slowly being drawn into the mystery of the keys.”
“Whoa!” Michael said. “Let’s back off that ‘being drawn in’ thing, shall we? We don’t want to or need to nor should we get involved in any of that tomfoolery.”
Savannah grinned at him and put one arm around him as they walked toward the cabin. “I’m afraid we’re already involved.” When he looked at her she said, “We have a key in our possession and we know at least two other people now with keys.”
“Lordy-lordy,” Michael mumbled.
“Everything looks okay,” Holly said as they approached the cabin.
“Cross fingers that it’s calm and orderly inside,” Savannah said. “We did leave the critters in an unfamiliar place for darn near five hours. They’ve probably been hearing strange forest noises and they may be a little nervous. I should get them each a thunder shirt.”
“Thunder shirt?” Adam questioned.
“Yeah, for animals that are afraid of loud noises like thunder or fireworks. The shirt fits tightly around their body and gives them a sense of peace and calm—like they’re being supported. These shirts are designed to help them feel more secure.”
“Really?” Holly remarked. “I could use a thunder shirt sometimes.”
“You wear a thunder shirt,” Keith said. When she looked quizzically at him, he added, “Your brassiere—it fits tightly around your chest.” He thought for a moment before adding, “I doubt that tight-shirt theory actually works—bras don’t seem to calm women down much.”
Holly slapped playfully at her husband.
“Who has the key?” Savannah asked.
“Not the key topic again,” Michael grumbled. “I’d rather not hear another key conversation.”
“The key to the cabin!” Savannah insisted.
“Oh, sorry,” he said sheepishly, slipping a key from his pocket.
“What’s this?” Holly asked, picking something up from the porch. “It was sticking out from under the mat.” She studied it briefly before following the others into the cabin. “It’s a lost-and-found bulletin,” she said, walking toward their bedroom to leave her jacket and backpack.
“Everything looks okay,” Savannah announced. “No damage. Where are the critters, anyway? Rags!” she called. “Lexie!”
After a few seconds, Lexie came from the hallway wriggling her body, head down as if she were ashamed of something she’d done.
“Uh-oh,” Michael said. “I know that look. Lexie, girl, what have you two been doing?”
“Where’s Rags?” Adam asked, placing his jacket and a tackle box on the nearest chair. He ran in the direction Lexie had come from and returned with Rags in his arms. “He was just sleeping.”
“Any damage in there?” Michael asked.
Adam shook his head. “I didn’t see any.”
Savannah petted Rags. “Everything seems to be as we left it.” She cooed, “You two were good babies today, weren’t you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Uh-oh,” Holly said returning to the living room with the flyer in her hands.
“What?” the others asked.
She pointed. “It’s that lamp. Someone’s try
ing to find that lamp.”
“Iris’s free lamp?” Savannah asked. “Why?”
“Well, I guess this guy’s wife put it out with a free sign without telling him and he wants it back—says it’s his favorite lamp.”
“Now that’s odd,” Keith said.
“How so?” Savannah asked.
“I’ve never had a favorite lamp in my life, have you Michael?”
“Um, I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, there’s something going on with that guy,” Holly said. She studied the picture on the flyer. “Looks like that lamp, all right. Shall we call and tell him we have it?”
“It isn’t ours,” Savannah reminded her. “I’ll see if I can reach Iris after we get everyone settled down and start dinner. We’d better ask her what she wants to do.”
“Will you have to give back the key too?” Cassie asked.
Keith looked at his daughter. “That’s it!” he shouted. “The key. That’s what he’s after.”
“That damn key thing,” Michael grumbled again. He glanced at the children and muttered, “Sorry.”
Cassie and Adam smiled at each other.
“Okay, I talked to Iris and Craig,” Savannah said a little while later. “They don’t agree about what we should do with that lamp, but they finally came to a mutual conclusion.”
“What?” Holly asked.
The two men waited to hear Savannah’s response, as well.
“Give the lamp back and keep the key.”
“Huh?” Michael asked. “We don’t want that key.”
“It’s not our key,” Savannah insisted. “Iris wants it. She wants to be a part of whatever’s going on with that key thing. In fact, she’s driving up for the ceremony on Sunday.” She then added, “I called the number on the flyer and they’re coming over to get the lamp tomorrow.”
****
“Savannah!” Adam called out the following morning. “That man’s here to get the lamp.”
“Oh,” she said, swooping Teddy from the bathtub and wrapping him in a towel.
“I’ll get him dressed,” Michael offered, joining them in the bedroom.
“Thanks,” she said, kissing the baby on the cheek. “I’m curious about those people.”
