It was a hot, sunny day in Quebec City. Leanne Pierce sat on a bench watching the tourists walk around the Plains of Abraham memorial park. It was mid-July and the grass was a brilliant shade of emerald green, the sun was high in the azure colored sky. The summer heat was getting to everyone and the crowd was slowly melting away. A huge man in a T-shirt that read "I'm with stupid" sat down on the bench next to her.
Most tourists were quite similar, and she had done her best to blend in with them. Soon only a handful of people remained. Three of which stood close by. A girl with reddish brown hair and jade-green eyes stood with her brother, a boy with dirty blonde hair. Next to them a young woman, about Leanne's age, with wild hair was rocking out to her iPod.
The siblings were closely examining the grave of The Marquis de Montcalm. The Marquis had bravely led the soldiers of Fort Quebec to battle with the British. It ended in his death and the loss of a French colony. Leanne stealthily approached them from behind,
"Hello Amy. Good afternoon Dan, Nellie."
The Cahill's au pair was completely oblivious to the newcomer, but Amy and Dan both spun around to face her. Many were hunting the thirty nine clues but Amy and her brother knew most possible threats to them. Neither showed a glimpse of recognition.
"W-who are y-you? How d-d-do you know o-our names?" Amy was in a protective stance front of her brother. The poor girl had been through too much already. She had faced crocodiles, being buried alive numerous times, and had been another love/struck victim of Ian Kabra. Yet, Amy's shyness was still her own worst enemy.
Leanne grinned, "My name is Leanne Pierce, I like walks in the moonlight, bubble baths, and I'm here to help."
Dan stepped out from behind his sister.
"Why should you help us? We're not stupid! We know that when it comes to the clues you can't trust anyone."
Leanne was used to being distrusted, "I'm not asking for trust Dan. If you don't want me to help then I'll leave, but whatever you're looking for here it was removed years ago."
The poor Cahill kids looked heartbroken, "First I find out no one actually lives in igloos here, and now this!"
Leanne rolled her eyes, "It's not here because I have it. Truth be told, I need help. You must be exceptionally bright to be the biggest under dogs in Cahill history. If you help me decipher the hint you can keep it. Who knows, you might find something I missed."
Dan snatched the paper out of her hands. "Pasture by the bay. IV XII XV XII I IV XXI V. What the heck is that suppose to mean?"
Everyone looked at each other in confusion. The sun was slowly sinking in the sky. It was Amy who decided to wake Nellie from her iPod induced trance get Nellie. Unfortunately Nellie was just as perplexed as them. They were the only ones in the park now and the wind was getting cooler.
"Why don't we go back to the hotel? At least they have free Wi-Fi."
They all agreed and Amy wrote down the address of their hotel for Leanne. Nellie, Dan, and Amy piled into their beat up rental car. Leanne put on a helmet and left on her scooter. Dan was disappointed by the lack of motorcycles. Scenery zoomed by. Nellie was driving like a maniac, as always.
"I don't trust her kiddos! Your whole family's like a back stabbing convention. I can cancel our hotel reservation and we can go somewhere else if you like." Amy agreed with Nellie that she wasn't to be trusted.
"But it's sort of a win, win scenario." Dan began his argument. "Think of all the times the big clue, the ingredient has been hidden right in front of us. Iron solute, gold. Think guys! She said we could keep this clue if we figured it out, so even if she runs off after we figure it out we still have the advantage."
Amy hated when Dan's logic made sense. "Fine but if we get betrayed the blame falls on you."
The Champlain hotel was as average as hotels got. It was named after the founder of Quebec, but so was the motel of Champlain, Champlain B&B. There was a bathroom, two beds, and a couch. They had all they needed. Shortly after the sun set Nellie heard a small buzzing noise and watched Leanne pull into the parking lot.
"Munchkins? She's here." Amy emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. Dan unglued his eyes from the miniature television in the corner. He hadn't really been listening anyway since it was dubbed in French. Three short taps on the door echoed through the room. Leanne entered and gave the room a once over. She took in the chipped paint job and dirt caked carpet. She took a seat on the couch and Dan fired up the computer.
"You checked to see if the room was bugged right?" Dan pointed towards a pile of mangled wires sitting on the coffee table.
"I've been thinking," said Dan, "the X's and stuff are probably roman numerals. I think I figured it out. If you convert the roman numerals into regular numbers and find the letter in the alphabet that goes with that number you get: Flo Ladue."
Dan typed it into the waiting search engine and hit enter. The only thing that came up was a bunch of Facebook profiles. "Dang! I thought I had it."
Amy's brain suddenly kicked into high gear. "Wait Dan! You were right! Try Florence instead of Flo."
Dan back spaced and hit enter once again. 1,860,000 hits! Dan clicked the first one. Amy began to read out loud. "Florence Ladue was the stage name of Grace Bensell…"
Amy and Dan stared in amazement at the tiny screen. Dan tried to speak over the lump in his throat, but all he managed to croak out was, "Grace!"
His mind started racing, the anonymous note just like the one that sent them to Russia, the plane tickets and hint leading to the Plains of Abraham. It wasn't a coincidence. Grace was still helping them, even after death.
Amy continued reading, "She was a rodeo performer and she lived in Calgary with her husband Guy Weadick."
Nellie and Leanne both let out a gasp. "The Calgary Stampede! My Uncle took me there when I was eight. The mini doughnuts are to die for." Nellie was babbling on about pizza on a stick and deep fried Oreo's.
Leanne cried out. "I'm so stupid! I lived in a town right outside of Calgary my whole life! The name Calgary it means pasture by the bay. Look at this smudge; it's the symbol of the stampede!" Dan and Amy squinted at what looked like a stain. Amy noticed that it was a tiny C with sideway's S right bellow it.
Nellie gave a loud whoop. "They have the best steak in Alberta! Yeehaw!"