Wow, I can't believe I am hitting 50 Airwolf stories. I didn't think I could manage one let alone 50 in one year. I started this time last year and this has been a record month for me with over 1500 visitors to my stories and nearly 7000 views for March. I guess I must be doing something right. :o) This story will be a little bit of a mystery with some humor along the way as our group finds themselves in all kinds of trouble.
Treasure
Chapter 1
A loud crash woke Caitlin O'Shannessy from a deep sleep. She sat up quickly in her bed, her heart pounding. She quickly got up, grabbed a bat that she kept near her dresser and slowly opened the bedroom door. She crept down the hallway to her apartment living room. The glow from the kitchen nightlight lightly illuminated her dining room. She could see a lot of her things scattered around on the floor. As she moved further into the room someone shoved her hard from behind, pushing her towards her dining room table. Unable to stop the momentum, Caitlin fell forward, hitting her forehead before falling limply to the ground.
Two hours later, Caitlin found herself lying in a hospital bed with Dom and Hawke by her side.
"Are you sure you didn't see who did this to you?" asked Hawke.
"I didn't see anyone," Caitlin told him. "It was so dark and they came at me from behind."
"Well, the detective we talked to said they made a pretty big mess of your apartment" said Dom. "It's a good thing your neighbor heard some noise and called the police."
"Yeah, Mrs. Stacy is pretty nosy but at least this time her prying came in handy," she admitted. "When are letting me go?"
Hawke put his hand on her arm. "Relax," he insisted. "The doctor wants you to stay overnight for observation. He's worried you may have suffered a concussion. You do have a pretty good welt on your forehead."
Caitlin sighed. "Will you two at least go and check on things for me?" she asked. "I don't really have much worth taking so I'm surprised anyone would rob me."
Dom looked nervously at Hawke who shook his head to assure him it was okay to tell Caitlin what the police had told them.
"Cait," said Dom. "The detective said they found a note attached to your front door."
"What?" she asked. "What note? What did it say?"
"It said that they were looking for the treasure and they knew you had the key," replied Hawke. "What treasure are they talking about?"
Caitlin thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of is maybe that package I got from my Uncle Steve," she replied. "I was in such a hurry this afternoon that I accidentally left it at the hangar."
"Oh yeah," said Hawke. "That was the package of stuff your Uncle left for you in his will."
"Was there some kind of key in there?" asked Dom.
"Not that I recall," said Caitlin. "It was just a bunch of knickknacks. He was a bit of a drifter and liked to collect things. But, I do remember there being some kind of map though. It had the word treasure written on the side. I didn't really get a chance to look at it because I had that last minute charter."
"Okay, we'll go check out your apartment first and then head over to the hangar and see what we can find out about that package," Hawke told her. "You take it easy and get some rest."
Caitlin gave him a light smile. "Thanks guys," she replied. "Sorry you had to get up in the middle of the night on account of me."
Hawke leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "All that matters is that you're okay," he replied. "We'll be back to get you in the morning."
"Take it easy sweetheart," said Dom as he gave her a hug before the two left the hospital.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
When they got into the hallway outside of her room, Dom could see the look of concern in Hawke's eyes. "She's going to be fine String," he told him.
"I know," he replied. "I can't help but think that it could have been worse. Whoever did this is pretty brazen to leave a note like that after breaking into the place. It's a sign that they aren't finished with her just yet."
"I agree," replied Dom. "We'll have to keep a close eye on her when she's released. If they still think she has this key, they'll definitely be back."
When Dom and Hawke got to Caitlin's house, they found a mess. Someone had gone through every drawer and every closet, pulling all of her things out and strewing them everywhere.
"Wow, they didn't leave a stone unturned," said Dom.
"Yeah," Hawke sighed. "It doesn't appear that they took anything valuable. All of her electronics and her jewelry are still her. I'm even more curious about that package now. That's got to be the answer to whatever they were looking for. It's too coincidental that she just got it and this happened right afterward."
"I agree," replied Dom. "Let's head over to the hangar and see what's in it."
When the two got to Santini Air, they were dismayed to find that someone had broken into the hangar as well and had ransacked the office.
"Damn it," said Hawke as he looked around at the mess they had made. "Now we'll never know what was in that package."
"I'm not so sure String," Dom said as he handed him the note that he found attached to the office door. "It says they aren't going to stop looking until they find it."
"I don't see her package anywhere around here," said String. "Either they took it and this key wasn't in there or she put it up somewhere and they couldn't find it."
Dom sighed. "I guess we should report this," he replied. "We'll ask Caitlin about the package again in the morning."