“Yeah,” Garret growled. “They don’t even have any weapons.”
“Let’s head back to camp. I need to take a look at this burn on my foot.”
“I should probably wash my arm. Who knows what diseases that little twerp has? I can’t believe she bit me!”
Holly squeezed her hands into fists, but I covered her mouth with one hand and held her arm with the other. When I couldn’t see Garret and Edward anymore, I stood up and sighed with relief. “I didn’t want to leave you, but when I saw the look on your face, I knew you’d thought of your own way to escape.”
“I can’t get the taste of that dirty, disgusting thief’s arm out of my mouth,” Holly said.
“Here, you can rinse your mouth with some of this water.” I grabbed the canteen I’d hidden behind the bush.
Holly’s eyes widened at the sight of food. “I can’t believe you held on to the bread and water through all that. I would’ve dropped them.”
“My stomach wouldn’t let me. I’m starving!”
“Me too! Break off a piece of bread for me.”
“It’s kind of squished because I was gripping it so tightly, and it feels like it’s getting stale.”
“I don’t care,” Holly said, shoving the food in her mouth.
While we sat in our hiding place eating the stolen bread and drinking water, I tried to decide what to do next. I wasn’t sure how Noelle was managing on her own. I hoped she didn’t run into Garret and Edward. Before I knew it, we’d devoured the food, and I still didn’t have a plan. To make matters worse, I felt another vision coming on. I turned away from Holly. Luckily, she was too busy eating crumbs off her shirt to notice me sweating. I splashed some water on my face, hoping to shock myself out of it. The vision came anyway, but it was calmer. I didn’t shake as much, and my head felt clearer afterwards. I started to make sense of the weird things that had happened.
“The crazy guy in the park kept saying ‘knife’ and ‘grim,’” I said, testing my idea on Holly.
“Garret had a knife.”
I nodded. “And ‘grim’ was supposed to be Grimault.” I was sure the Grimault thieves had driven that poor man insane. Garret and Edward were young, but the rest of their family was in the woods, too. I hoped we wouldn’t meet them.
“Do you still want to search for the Granville fortune?” Holly asked.
As much as I didn’t want to be anywhere near the Grimault thieves, I knew the fortune was the answer to ending the curse. “Yeah,” I answered. “But we have to find Noelle, too.”
“Why?”
“She’s all alone. She could be in trouble, and we’re the only ones who know she’s here.”
Holly grunted and threw a rock at the tree behind me. I ducked as it ricocheted off the peeling bark and just missed hitting me in the head. “She walked away from us, remember?”
“She was upset. She thought we weren’t going to help her find her dad. How would you feel if it was Dad or Mom who went missing in this place? You’d be out of your mind, too.” Holly bit her lip and refused to look me in the eye. That usually meant she was thinking about what I’d said but didn’t want to give in. “What if Garret and Edward or any of the other Grimault thieves find her? The others could be much bigger and stronger. She wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Holly finally looked at me. “I guess we have to try to help her.”
“Thanks, Holl.” I couldn’t fight back my smile.
“So, now what?” she asked.
“We try not to run into any more Grimault thieves.”
“How do we do that?”
“They walked that way,” I said, pointing to the right. “So we’ll go the other way. I saw a path back where Edward and Garret caught us.”
It didn’t take long to find our way back to the path, but it did take longer than it should have since I kept pulling Holly behind trees at the smallest sound. Since the forest was full of squirrels and other little creatures, that happened often.
“I thought we finished all the water,” Holly said, pointing to the empty canteen in my hand.
“We did, but I figured we should hold on to it in case we find that stream. We could refill it.” I looped the strap of the canteen around my neck so I had both hands free.
“Good thinking, but I’m hoping we get out of here soon enough that we won’t have to worry about finding more water.”
“That’s a nice thought, but we probably won’t be that lucky. We’re cursed, remember?”
“Yeah, but this path seems different than the others. We’ve been on it for a while, and it hasn’t split into two like the rest of them.”
“That is strange. Now that I think about it, the path has been curving to the right. But that means—” I stopped, afraid to finish my thought.
“We’re heading right back to the thieves’ camp!” Holly said.
“We have to get off this path!” I grabbed Holly’s arm and pulled her into the trees to the left of the path.
As we ducked behind a large tree, I heard voices. Garret and Edward. That explained why they were able to cut us off earlier. The path looped around their camp.
Through the trees, I could see the campfire. Garret and Edward were standing by it. Garret had his arm wrapped in a white shirt. A smile crept across Holly’s face when she saw it. I didn’t move a muscle as I watched another thief join Edward and Garret. Even though I could only see his back, the moment he spoke, I knew nothing I’d faced in Braeden Forest was as frightening as the realization of who the figure was that stood before me.
“It’s Dad!”
Chapter Ten
Dad talked to Edward and Garret like he’d known them for years. He’d kept things from me before, but this went way beyond any little white lie. There was a huge difference between being a lawyer and being a thief.
“What’s Dad doing with the Grimault thieves?” Holly asked.
“Shh!” I leaned in as close as I could without being seen. Dad handed Garret and Edward some silver coins.
Garret flipped one in the air and smiled. “Hopefully, we’ll have the rest soon. We’ve been living off practically nothing, but that will change once we find the Granville fortune.”
Dad removed a piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to Garret, who looked very happy. “It was given to me by my father, a very dear friend of your grandfather.”
Dad and Grandpa both knew the Grimaults? Was Dad working with them to scare that poor guy and get the park closed so they could search for the fortune?
“Edward, go get Dad,” Garret said. “He’ll want to see this right away.” Garret led Dad to the big rocks surrounding the campfire, and they sat down.
I turned to Holly. She was frozen in disbelief, and I knew exactly how she felt. I couldn’t believe the man I’d known all my life was a thief. He’d been sneaking around behind our backs and lying to our faces. Did Mom know about this?
Why would Dad want to steal the Granville fortune if it had to be returned in order to end the curse? I had to find out what was going on. I turned back to the camp and saw Edward returning with another thief in his early twenties. Definitely not their father.
“What do you think those coins are?” Holly asked. Garret was still flipping his in the air. “And where did Dad get them? We’re practically broke.”
“They’re part of the Granville fortune,” came a soft voice behind us. “Silver coins with the family crest imprinted on them.” Noelle looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Look who it is,” Holly said, sounding as unfriendly as possible.
“Lay off!” I said. I was so happy to see Noelle and not just because I’d been worried about her being alone in the forest. I felt different when she was around. I felt like Noelle and I were supposed to be together somehow.
“Looks like a party,” Noelle said, pointing to the group of thieves. The three boys were sitting on the ground listening to my dad like they were one big happy
family. It made my stomach turn. Dad couldn’t even make time to share a meal with me.
“Where have you been?” I asked Noelle.
“I found this camp after I left you guys. I’ve been staying close to it. I thought maybe my dad would show up here looking for help. He hasn’t.” She lowered her eyes.
“Noelle, I feel awful about what happened. I didn’t mean we weren’t going to help you.”
Noelle raised her eyes to mine. “My dream was so awful. I had to find my dad. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad when I left.”
Holly tapped her foot. “What is with you two? We’re in a freaky forest that preys on our fears and is full of thieves—and one of them is our dad. Who cares who hurt whose feelings?”
She was right. We didn’t have time for apologies. I had to figure out what Dad was doing with the Grimaults.
“Wait a minute. Your dad’s here, too?” Noelle looked accusingly at me.
I shook my head. “We had no idea he was here. He’s supposed to be on some big court case. He’s a lawyer. Or at least that’s what he told us.”
Noelle touched my shoulder. Again, we shocked each other. “Sorry,” she said, staring at her hand. “And you don’t owe me any explanations. We don’t even know each other.”
“That’s right. We don’t,” Holly chimed in. “It’s really hard to hear what they’re saying with you two chatting away.” She flipped her head around to watch the camp again.
“Maybe I can help,” Noelle said. “I’ve been watching them, and I’ve figured out a few things.” She peeked through the branches. “Trent is the really muscular one. He’s twenty-two. I know because he’s constantly reminding Garret and Edward that he’s older than them. Trent’s their cousin. He likes to pretend he’s in charge, but no one listens to him.”
“How old are you?” Holly asked.
“Almost ten.” Noelle looked like she was about to say more, but she changed her mind.
“So, they’re one big happy family of thieves, huh?” I asked.
“Not quite. Edward and Garret get along pretty well, as long as Edward listens to Garret. Garret thinks he’s like second-in-command or something. Trent hates it when Garret tells him what to do, so they fight a lot.”
“What about their father?”
“Morgan Grimault. He makes the kids work day and night while he does who knows what inside that tent.” Noelle shivered.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Morgan’s scary. I’ve heard the others talking about some of the awful things he’s done to people who’ve come near the forest.” Noelle choked on the words, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. Morgan was responsible for her father’s disappearance. I stared at my dad. He didn’t look like he was in any danger. I wasn’t sure if I felt relieved that he didn’t have to worry about the Grimaults hurting him or if I was terrified that he seemed to belong with them.
“Dad’s the scary one,” Holly said. “He’s been lying to us about all those business trips. I bet this is where he’s been going. He’s a thief!”
I’d always resented the fact that Dad was never home, but I couldn’t believe he was a thief. On the rare occasions when he did stay home, he was the greatest father ever. That was why I hated his job so much. It took him away from me. “They’re going to hear you,” I warned Holly. She wasn’t being loud at all. I just didn’t want to listen to her talk about Dad like that.
“I’m not going to stand around and wait to be caught again,” Holly said, tugging on my arm. She turned to Noelle. “If you’re coming with us, then let’s go.”
I broke loose from Holly’s grip. “Hang on. Someone else came out of that tent.”
Noelle gulped. “It’s Morgan.”
He looked about fifty and wore a long trench coat. He had a red scarf around his neck and a large knife—twice the size of Garret’s—hanging from his belt. The knife wasn’t the most disturbing thing about him. He had enormous bushy black eyebrows that looked like giant caterpillars, a grisly black beard, and a mustache that curled at the ends.
Noelle, Holly, and I ducked behind the bushes.
“What do we have here?” Morgan asked, walking over to the fire.
“Sorry to wake you,” Garret said, “but I figured you’d want to hear what Bruce has to say as soon as possible.”
Morgan nodded and addressed my father. “I’m Morgan Grimault. My boys and I arrived about a month ago to search for the fortune my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Aristede hid in this forest. Edward tells me you’re the son of my father’s friend Eli, and you’ve brought me a piece of the map showing the location of the fortune.”
Dad stood up and removed a paper from his pocket. “That’s right. I know the search is a family affair, but my father came across this and asked me to bring it to you.” He handed the map to Morgan.
“Let’s see.” Morgan examined the map by the light of the fire.
“All of the maps are drawn to look slightly different than the real forest. Once we find all of the differences, we’ll know where to look for the fortune.” Morgan stroked his beard as he studied the paper.
“So, each map is part of a larger treasure map?” my dad asked.
“Exactly,” Morgan said, and his face twisted in anger. “This map wasn’t drawn by Aristede. He drew the first one, and I can’t locate the fortune without it. We must still be missing one map!” He threw the map to the ground and stormed back to his tent. Garret followed him. Trent shrugged and went into his own tent.
“I was certain I had the only remaining map,” Dad said. Worry lines creased his forehead.
“Dad’s been searching all his life for the maps his ancestors left behind,” Edward said. “They were hidden in places where only our family would find them.”
“Are they all drawings of the same part of the forest?” Dad asked.
“No. Each map shows a different section of the forest. They contain things that aren’t in the forest. The additional items are the clues to where the fortune is buried. The older maps are more difficult to read because the forest has changed over time, and some things that used to be in the forest might not be here now.”
“How do you know some maps are older than others? Weren’t they all drawn at the same time?”
Edward shook his head. “Aristede drew the first map, and with each generation of Grimaults, someone else has drawn a map. The fortune was meant to remain hidden until now.”
I turned to Holly. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would Aristede leave the fortune for someone else?”
“Maybe he wanted his family to be cursed like he was,” she said.
Noelle’s eyes widened. “How do you know they’re cursed?”
“Because we are, too. Thanks to our ancestor who stole the Granville fortune.” Holly practically spit the words out.
Noelle squinted at Holly, and this time I wasn’t sure what Holly had done to provoke it.
“Let’s just keep an eye on Dad,” I said, motioning toward the camp.
Edward was still explaining the maps. “My grandfather was the last person to draw a map. When he died, he left the map to my dad as the first clue to the location of the fortune.”
“How did each generation know what to draw?” my dad asked.
“They were each told a part of the story about the hidden fortune so that they could draw the necessary map. Aristede told Ulysses every part of the story except for what Aristede drew himself. Then, Ulysses told Gerard the remaining part of the story with the exception of what Ulysses and Aristede drew. And so on. No one, except for Aristede, ever knew the exact location of the fortune.”
“So if Aristede was Morgan’s great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, that means there must be a total of…” Dad paused as he counted out five great-grandfathers, a grandfather, and a father on his fingers. “Seven maps.”
“We thought the map you brought was the final piece since it was the seventh, bu
t one of the maps must be a fake because Aristede’s is still missing.”
“There must be some way to figure out which map is fake.”
“Dad carries a list of his ancestors so we can keep track of the maps we still need. I know where he keeps it. Wait here.” Edward headed toward Morgan’s tent and disappeared inside.
“Something isn’t right,” I whispered. “For someone trying to help the Grimaults locate the fortune, Dad doesn’t know much about it. And our name isn’t Grimault, so how did Dad or Grandpa get one of the maps?”
Edward returned with a slip of paper in his hands. “We’ve been recovering the maps from the most recently drawn to the oldest. Take a look.”
Dad and Edward had their backs to me, so I figured it was safe to move a little closer. I ducked behind a tree and motioned for Holly and Noelle to follow.
“How do you match the map to the person who drew it?” Dad asked.
“They’re initialed in the bottom right-hand corner.”
Dad picked up the map Morgan had thrown. “This one has the initials GG. That means it was drawn by…” he looked at the list of names, “Gerard Grimault.”
“But we already found his map. See, it’s checked off,” Edward said.
“So, one of the maps with the initials GG is a fake.”
“You better hope it isn’t the map you brought,” Edward warned. He led my father into one of the tents.
“Let’s go,” Holly whispered.
“Dad may be in trouble. Didn’t you hear Edward? The map Dad brought must be a fake. I knew he wasn’t really a thief.”
“What are you talking about? You saw the look on Dad’s face when Morgan said the map wasn’t the last piece they were looking for. Dad was as surprised as the rest of them.”
“There must be some explanation we aren’t seeing. I’m not leaving here until I find out what’s really going on!”
“What do you plan on doing? You can’t storm into those tents and tell Dad to take us home. Those guys would kill you!”
“I’m not going to talk to Dad or any of those other thieves—”
“Other thieves? I thought you said you didn’t believe Dad was a thief?”
Curse of the Granville Fortune Page 5
