Disclaimer: Nothing from National Treasure is mine. None. Zip. Nada. But Dustin and everyone else I made up are mine!

A/N: Yay! Hooray for quick updates! I now have a study hall period, which means serious writing time! Thank you to Thuraya Known, ink0and0paper(welcome aboard!), soccer2010, fantomfairy, daisyduke80, Harm Marie, Majestik Moose, Halo, and momiji'sunusedhalo for your wonderful reviews! They made me smile. So, on to the next chapter, shall we?

Warning: Minor character death (this is one of the reasons that this story is rated "T"). Also, I'm not the best riddle writer, so just bear with me.

Chapter Four

"So, you have no idea what could possibly be in that envelope?" Ben asked as he pulled out of the parking lot of Andy's Funeral Home.

"No, not a clue," Riley answered, turning the envelope in every possible angle as if he would find something. "If I did, I would tell you."

Ben laughed a little. "Why don't you just open it so you can both of our curiosities at rest?"

Riley glanced at him. "I would prefer to open it at your house where I know I'm safe, even though we are in the presence of Mean-Declaration-Lady-Abigail," he told him.

"All right then. But you're askin' for it."

Suddenly, a black SUV sped past them on the road. Riley quickly sat up, clutching the envelope tightly to him. "Was that the same SUV that almost hit us before?" he said anxiously.

"Riley, how many people do you think have black SUVs?" Ben asked as he rolled his eyes.

Riley instantly calmed down. "Yeah, that's true," he muttered, sitting back in the seat and returning to investigating the envelope. "Sorry, Ben. My nerves are just kind of… jumbled."

"Perfectly understandable." But as Ben continued to drive, he couldn't help but think that it had been the same vehicle that had almost hit them when he had first picked up Riley. Then, he began to wonder if it had anything to do with the envelope that Andy had given to his best friend.

And if so, what was inside that was so important?

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Would you like me to open it, Riley?" Abigail asked with a slight hint of annoyance. "I am trained in handling antique documents, you know."

"No, that's all right, Abi," Riley muttered in answer, staring at the envelope intently as though it would open on its own if he stared at it long enough.

Ben sighed. He, Abigail, and Riley were sitting at the kitchen table with the envelope that had been given to the techie by Andy on the table before them. "It's not going to open itself, Riley."

"I know," Riley said, still merely staring at the yellowed paper. "Just… just give me a minute…"

Abigail studied the envelope as well. "Riley, do you recognize that symbol?" she wondering, trying to change the topic as she pointed at the seal.

Riley nodded. "It's our family's crest. Well, our ancestor's crest," he explained, his eyes running over the image of a hawk carrying a goblet in one talon and a sword in the other. "I… I think I'll… open it now…"

Ben and Abigail exchanged excited looks and leaned forward on the table while Riley took the envelope in a shaking hand and carefully opened it. He delicately reached inside and pulled out a thin piece of paper, his eyes quickly scanning it.

"What is it?" Abigail asked quietly.

"It's a riddle," Riley answered when he recognized his father's handwriting, confused by the fact that he had specifically left him a riddle when he wasn't very good at solving them.

Ben blinked in surprise. This was not what he had expected. "What does it say?"

Riley cleared his throat. "It says:

I hold history

I hold fact,

A record of every act.

Eras past,

Eras true,

You could learn a thing or two.

Not a word,

Not a page,

But another way to view an age.

Not the key,

But a clue

To lead you to a treasure true."

Riley then looked up at his two best friends. "Care to interpret?"

Abigail sighed. "Well, it's obviously talking about recording history," she mused. "Maybe a book of some sort? A library?"

"Not, not a book," Ben intervened. "It said 'not a word, not a page, but another way to view an age'. It's not talking about a book. Another way of learning history…"

"But what's another way of learning history if not by a book?" Riley wondered.

Ben was silent, thinking intently about Riley's question. Another way of viewing history… A place that held history and fact… Then, a smile appeared on his face as the answer came to him, and identical smile lighting up his wife's features. "Are you thinking the same thing I am?" he said.

Abigail nodded, earning an annoyed sigh from Riley. "All right. Care to tell all us non-history nerds what the answer is?" he muttered.

"Where else, Riley?" Ben replied, the smile still lingering on his face. "It's our very own museum."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Andy sighed as he placed the remaining papers in his desk, shutting the drawer before getting to his feet. It had been one of the longest days of his life, or at least that's what it felt like. He had been deeply impacted by the death of his close friend, Jeremy Poole, and facing both of his sons had been very difficult. The older funeral home owner had been unsettled by Dustin's question of if their father had left them anything, and he was just relieved that he was able to get the envelope safely into Riley's hands. Jeremy had been very specific on which son to give it to…

"All right, Cathy. I'm heading out now," Andy called out to her, grabbing his coat out of the closet. "Ready to go, dear?" He felt uneasy when she didn't answer.

Suddenly, he gasped when he heard the sound of soft voices, shortly followed by a loud gunshot and a piercing scream that sounded like Cathy. Andy rushed to the door of his office to see what had happened, but before he could see, a man stepped in front of him with a gun in his hand. The owner swallowed nervously as he was forced back into the room. "What have you done with Cathy?" he asked.

"I'm afraid that you're going to have to plan the poor girl's funeral," the man told him icily. "And if you don't want the next one to be yours, you'll tell me what I want to know. Where is the envelope?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Andy stuttered as he backed away from the man.

But he was persistent. "Does Riley Poole have it?" he demanded harshly, keeping his gun trained on the funeral home owner. "Does he?"

Andy faltered for a split second, wondering how this man knew about the envelope. But then, he replaced it with determination. He had to keep Jeremy's last wish safe… "I'm not going to tell you," he whispered forcefully.

"I didn't want to have to do this, old man, but you leave me no choice." The man then took careful aim with the weapon and pulled the trigger.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Ben slowly opened his eyes, groaning softly. There was that really annoying sound again, right by his ear, that brought him out of sleep. Realizing that it was the phone and knowing that it wasn't Riley this time, he quickly picked it up before it woke his wife. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Gates."

The treasure hunter sighed and rubbed his tired eyes as he checked the time. "Not to be rude, Agent Sadusky, but it's after midnight," Ben muttered sleepily. "Why are you calling?"

"I do apologize for the lateness of the hour, Ben, but it's important," Agent Sadusky said. "I was wondering if Mr. Riley Poole was there since we cannot reach him at his home."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you speak with him tonight," Ben told him. "His father died only almost twenty-four hours ago, and today was very stressful for him. This is really the only sleep he has gotten since, and I'm not going to let you disturb hi-!"

"I'm fully aware of the situation, Ben," Sadusky interrupted sternly. "But the matter at hand is that it's urgent I speak with him."

Ben sighed. "Anything that you want to say to him you can say to me," he said. "I will pass along your message."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and he could tell that the agent was considering his words. "Very well," Sadusky replied. "I assume you know Andrew Carson, owner of Andy's Funeral Home?"

"Yes…" Ben muttered slowly, a bad feeling rising up inside of him. "Why do you ask?"

He was not prepared for what he heard next, especially the last three words.

"Both Andrew and his secretary were found dead in the funeral home tonight," Sadusky told him heavily. "They were murdered."

A/N: Hmm, not good. Why is the FBI looking for Riley and who killed Andy? You'll have to find out with the next chapter. But feel free to leave your guesses. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!