by Gary Paulsen
The next two hours of tutoring dragged by for Jeremy. The information Mr. Stern had given him made it even more difficult to concentrate on his studies. What if there were actual members of this Broken Tree group working at the lodge?
Thankfully, the tutor let them go when a car pulled up outside. It was their grandmother. She had taken a cab from the city.
The woman who walked through the front door was not the same one who had left in the ambulance that morning. Grace Parsons was smiling and back in control. She assured her grandsons that their grandfather was out of danger and doing so well that he was already giving the nurses a hard time about the food. She had only come back to pack an overnight bag so that she could return to the hospital.
The boys were careful not to worry her with any of the day’s events, other than to explain about David Watts and to ask her to fill out a payroll check for him.
When she was through packing, Jeremy carried his grandmother’s small suitcase to the waiting cab and deposited it in the open trunk.
Jeremy let his grandmother give him a parting hug as he opened the cab door for her. “Umm …” He hesitated, not sure how to ask her what he wanted to know. “Is Grandpa still depressed?”
“Depressed?” His grandmother raised an eyebrow. “Where on earth did you get that idea? It would take a lot more than accidentally taking the wrong medicine to depress your grandfather.”
Jason came around the back of the cab. “But I thought Lila said—”
“You better go, Grandma,” Jeremy interrupted. “The meter’s running, and we know how impatient Grandpa gets.”
Grace Parsons laughed. “That’s putting it mildly.” She hugged them both again and stepped into the cab. They waved until she was out of sight.
“All right, start talking,” Jason ordered. “Why did Lila say those things about Grandpa if they weren’t true?”
“Lower your voice,” Jeremy whispered. He led his brother away from the house to a group of tall pine trees on the other side of the yard. When he was sure they were out of hearing range, he confided, “I don’t understand it all yet. But I’m convinced that someone, or maybe even a lot of people, are trying to ruin Grandpa.” He looked back at the house. “And now they’re starting to play rough.”
“Maybe we better call the cops.”
“Do you think they’d believe us? We don’t have much to go on. Besides, I’m pretty sure Lila listens on the extension.”
“No problem.” Jason rubbed his stomach. “Suddenly I feel very hungry. Don’t worry, I’ll keep her busy cooking for a while. You go into Grandpa’s room and make the call.”
CHAPTER 9
Jason held his stomach as he closed the bedroom door. “Man, I’m hurting. For once in my life I think I overdid it. Tell me it was worth it.”
Jeremy was sitting at the desk with a pencil and pad, trying to organize everything that had happened into some kind of logical order. He swung around and faced his brother. “We’re not going to get any help from the cops. I called every agency in the phone book, including the FBI. The sheriff’s department said they’ve never heard of the Broken Tree. The city police thought I was making a crank call. The FBI took my name but told me to have an adult call if an actual crime occurs.” Jeremy shook his head. “It’s no good. We’re in this alone until we can come up with something solid for the police to go on.” He stood and grabbed his coat from its Peg.
“Where do you think you’re going? It’s ten o’clock at night.”
“We’re going up to the office to search the files. There’s got to be a clue somewhere that can tell us why these things are happening, and we’re gonna find it if it takes all night.”
Jason moaned as he reached for his jacket. “I hope you realize what a sacrifice I’m making here.”
Jeremy stuffed his notes into his pocket. “Some sacrifice. You’ll probably be hungry again in an hour.” He opened the door and stepped into the hall just in time to see Lila disappearing into the kitchen.
Jason saw too. “Do you think she was listening?”
“I don’t know. But starting now, we better be a lot more careful.”
CHAPTER 10
Jason opened one eye. The yellow rays of the sun were just beginning to peek over the top of the snow-covered mountains. He raised his head off his grandfather’s desk, where it had fallen a few hours earlier, yawned, and stretched as far as he could.
Jeremy was sitting in the middle of the floor going through a box of papers he’d found on the top shelf in the closet. “Have you ever heard Grandpa mention anything about Timothy Ryland Enterprises?”
Jason opened his other eye. “Have you been up all night?”
“Almost. Ever heard of it?”
“Nope.”
“Me neither, but it could be something. This Ryland guy has made a couple of offers to buy the lodge. His company’s in New York.”
“Must not have meant much to Grandpa if he stuffed the offers in a box.”
“You’re probably right.” Jeremy wrote down the address and phone number from one of the letters. “But just in case, I think I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out.”
Jason pushed himself away from the desk and stood up. “I’m starving. How about breakfast?”
“You go ahead. I’ll get a doughnut or something later. After I clean up here, I’ll make those calls and meet you over at the beginners’ runs.” He checked his watch. “It’s two hours later in New York. I hope it’s not too early.”
He dialed the number and waited. A woman with a friendly, singsong voice answered. Before he could say anything she informed him that he’d reached an answering service and should leave a message. He decided to hang up without leaving one.
But then he thought again. He dialed the number again. He listened to the message, waited, and then spoke slowly, “This is the Thunder Valley Ski Lodge. We have found the Broken Tree.”
CHAPTER 11
Students young and old were starting to assemble for lessons on the flat beginners’ area. The Thompson brothers were already pounding each other with snowballs when Jeremy arrived. For the sake of the rest of the class he decided to let Jason teach while he kept the troublemakers apart.
“Has everybody checked their bindings?” Jason asked. “Good, because we’re going to work on something a little unusual today—falling down.”
The oldest Thompson laughed. “What’s so hard about that? I do it all the time.”
“Believe it or not,” Jason continued, “there is a right way to fall. Okay, everybody, let’s try it. Bend your knees … more … more. Relax. Now we’re all going to fall sideways and try to land on the seat of our pants. Ready … go.”
The whole class was laughing. Everyone was sitting in the snow waiting for Jason’s next instruction.
“There, that wasn’t so bad. Now we’re going to get up. Make sure your skis are close together. Bend those knees again and bring your hips as close as you can to your feet. Then use your poles to push yourself up. Okay, here we go.”
With a little effort, almost every student managed to stand. All except one—Mr. Beardsley. He was an older man who was out of shape and more than slightly overweight. Try as he might, he just couldn’t push hard enough to stand up.
“Do you mind if I offer a suggestion?” A tall, dark-haired man with a friendly face who had been watching from the sidelines stepped forward. “I’ve had a little practice with this sort of thing.”
Jason shrugged. “Go ahead.”
The man told Mr. Beardsley to roll onto his back, straighten out his skis, and swing back into position.
The heavyset man tried it, and to everyone’s surprise, he succeeded in standing up.
Jason thanked the stranger and then went back to his lesson. Jeremy worked his way around to the man and offered his hand. “I’m Jeremy Parsons. My brother and I really appreciate your stepping in on that one.”
“No problem.” The man shook Jeremy’s hand. “I’m Tom Caplan. I know what it’
s like to have a student in that predicament.”
Jeremy’s ears perked up. “You’re a ski instructor?”
“I used to be. Right now I’m an out-of-work architect.”
“Would you be interested in giving lessons here at Thunder Valley until you land a job?”
“I don’t know.” Tom Caplan scratched his head. “I really hadn’t thought about anything like that.”
“Don’t say no yet. How about coming over to our house tonight and meeting my grandmother? She’ll be home from the hospital tonight because my grandfather’s doing much better. She does the actual hiring.”
“Well, I—”
“What room are you staying in?” asked Jeremy. “I’ll call you to let you know when she’ll be home.”
“I’m in twenty-three, but—”
“Great. Nice to meet you, Tom. And thanks again for your help.” Jeremy moved back to the class.
“What was that all about?” Jason whispered.
Jeremy glanced back at Tom Caplan. “Let’s just say that maybe things are finally starting to look up around here.”
CHAPTER 12
“There’s a Mr. Ryland waiting for you in your grandfather’s office.” Hans came around the front desk and spoke to Jeremy in a low tone. “I told him that your grandfather was ill, but he insisted on speaking to you.”
“It’s all right, Hans. I want to talk to him.”
Jeremy hurried across the lobby to the office and opened the door. A distinguished gray-haired man wearing a tailored black suit and a burgundy silk tie rose to meet him. “Mr. Jeremy Parsons?”
Jeremy nodded. “That’s me. And you must be Timothy Ryland. What can I do for you?”
“I find myself in a rather awkward position, Jeremy. You see, your grandfather had agreed to meet with me today to discuss terms, and now I find he’s in the hospital.”
“What kind of terms?”
“Didn’t he tell you? He has agreed to sell Thunder Valley to my company.”
Jeremy slowly sat down in his grandfather’s chair. “He didn’t tell any of us. Probably because he changed his mind.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible at this point.” Timothy Ryland snapped open his briefcase and took out several papers. “These are all legal documents signed by your grandfather granting us ownership for the amount stated.”
Jeremy studied the signature at the bottom of one of the papers. It was his grandfather’s bold handwriting, all right. He didn’t know what to say, so he stared out the window for a few minutes. “I’ll have to speak to my grandmother about this, Mr. Ryland.”
“Certainly. Perhaps there might be a convenient time when I could speak with your grandmother.”
“It’s hard to say. I’ll have her get in touch with you. Where are you staying?”
“Why, here, of course. I had assumed that the property would be changing hands this week.”
Jeremy walked to the door and held it open. “Like I said, I’ll have her get in touch with you.”
Ryland put the papers back into his briefcase. “I’m sorry this came as such a shock to you, Jeremy.” He moved to the door. “By the way, my answering service gave me a rather cryptic message this morning. They said the caller was from here but didn’t leave his name. You don’t know anything about it, do you?”
Jeremy tried to read the man’s face. He seemed to be genuinely concerned.
“Sorry, Mr. Ryland. Can’t help you.”
CHAPTER 13
Jeremy sat numbly looking out the office window at all the people enjoying themselves in the snow. It was unbelievable that his grandfather could have done this thing. Thunder Valley was more than just a business. It was a way of life.
There was a tap on the door. Jeremy didn’t answer. He didn’t care who it was or what they wanted.
Hans poked his head into the office.
“Sorry to bother you, Jeremy. Your brother just called. He said something important has come up and for you to meet him as soon as you can at the snowmobile garage.”
In a daze, Jeremy put his jacket on and walked down the road to the garage.
He found the garage door shut and locked, so he walked around to the smaller side door. It was standing wide open.
A noise came from the back of the garage, where extra parts were stored.
“Jason, is that you?”
There was no answer.
Jeremy slowly moved through the dark garage. There was a strange orange glow in the back. “Hello?”
A figure in black darted past him, knocking him backward into a tool chest.
Jeremy scrambled to his feet. Something didn’t smell right.
Smoke!
He felt for the light switch on the wall and flipped it on. The room was half filled with thick black smoke. Frantically he tried to figure out where it was coming from. He dropped to his knees and searched.
The trash can. Flames had jumped from the small metal can to some rags lying near it and were licking at the wooden wall of the garage.
Jeremy took off his coat and tried beating at the fire. The flames almost gobbled up his nylon jacket. There was nothing else around to use and the smoke was getting worse.
Jeremy remembered the sink in the washroom. Grabbing a plastic tub from a hook on the wall, he ran and filled the tub with water. Moving as fast as he could in the choking smoke, he dumped tub after tub of water on the fire until the flames were completely out.
Exhausted, he made his way to the front of the building. The knob on the door turned but the door refused to open. He beat on it and called for help until his hoarse throat and aching lungs gave out.
Seconds ticked by. He was starting to feel dizzy. His eyes stung and each breath was ragged and painful. He dropped to his knees, trying not to lose consciousness.
Suddenly the door opened and a pair of strong hands pulled him out of the smoke-filled garage into the fresh air.
CHAPTER 14
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”
Jeremy nodded. He swung his legs off his grandmother’s couch and sat up. “Thanks for everything, Tom. If you hadn’t found me, I’d probably still be in the garage.”
“I’m glad I happened along. Whoever left that snowmobile parked in front of the door like that should have known better.”
“They probably did,” Jeremy muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing. I was just agreeing with you.”
The front door burst open and Jason rushed in. “Why am I always the last one to hear about stuff? Hans told me you asked him to send someone to the garage to make sure the fire was completely out. What fire?”
Tom moved to the door. “Looks like I’m leaving you in good hands, Jeremy. I’ll be in my room. Call if you need anything?”
“I will. Thanks again.” When the door was closed, Jeremy put his feet back up on the couch.
“Well?” Jason asked impatiently. “What happened?”
Jeremy told him about the message Hans had given him.
“I never called you!” Jason exclaimed. “Somebody’s pulling something here. I’ve been helping Chuck up at the ski lift all morning.”
“I know that now. I’m pretty sure whoever left the message was also behind the fire.”
“Then that means …”
“Right. They locked me in on purpose.”
“Wow.” Jason sat in the chair across from Jeremy. “Maybe it’s time to try the cops again. If Tom hadn’t come along, you’d be dead.”
“What good would it do? We don’t have any proof. Whoever’s responsible is pretty good at making things look like accidents.”
“Yeah. It’s almost like someone wants Grandpa to sell out.”
“That’s what I thought too. Until this morning when I found out he already has.”
Jason looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s true. A man named Ryland came to the office and showed me some papers. Grandpa has already sold the lodge.�
�
“There has to be some kind of mistake! He would have told us.”
“I saw the signature,” Jeremy said quietly.
“I don’t care what you saw. This Ryland guy’s playing with our heads. Where’s Lila?”
“She went to town for groceries. Why?”
Jason jumped to his feet and stormed out of the room. “She’s been flaky right from the start. If anybody knows something about this, it’s her. I’d bet money on it.”
“Wait. What are you going to do?” Jeremy followed his brother down the hall.
Jason threw open the door of Lila’s room. The bed was made and everything was neat as a pin. He looked inside her closet. Several drab house-dresses hung from the rack. Two suitcases stood on the floor near the back. He hauled them out. The first one was empty. He shoved it back and pulled out the second one. It was locked.
“Here. Try this.” Jeremy handed him his pocketknife.
Jason wiggled it around until he finally forced the lock open. Inside was a strange assortment of wigs and makeup. He took out a long blond wig. “What do you make of this?”
“Looks like Lila’s not all she pretends to be.” Jeremy went to the dresser. On top was a small jewelry case. He flipped it open. Inside was a diamond wedding ring resting on a red velvet pillow. But it wasn’t the ring that caught his eye. Gently he pulled out a gold chain and held it up for Jason to see.
Hanging from the chain was the emblem of the Broken Tree.
CHAPTER 15
“Are you sure we left everything in her room the way it was?” Jeremy asked. “Until we get to the bottom of this, the last thing we want to do is make Lila suspicious.”
“For the tenth time, I’m sure.” Jason stopped his brother a few feet in front of the lodge. “What I’m worried about is this Ryland guy. Maybe we should wait for a better time.”
“Hey, don’t get cold feet on me now. You’re the one who thought of this. You said there might be a connection between the buyer and the rest of this Broken Tree group. Besides, there may not be a better time to search his room. While he’s at lunch we’ll make a quick search. All we need is one tiny piece of evidence that he’s in on it.”
