Frank and Nancy rushed down the trail to see how badly Joe was hurt. They found Jean and Felicia attending to his ankle. Joe saw them coming. "I think it's broken or the next thing to it," he told them.
"Severely sprained I think," Jean said. "With a little rest, and maybe soaking it in hot water you'll be fine."
Felicia nodded in agreement. "Yes, rest should do it." She and Jean turned their attention back to Joe. They were trying to splint up the ankle so that Joe would be able to make it down the mountainside.
"How did he fall?" Nancy asked Frank quietly so that Jean and Felicia could not hear.
"Felicia offhandedly mentioned that some of those ancient tombs were just over those rocks," Frank said gesturing towards some big rocks and rubble on the side of the trail. "We went to climb up to see if we could see them and Joe fell."
Nancy nodded. "I see. Which rock did he fall off of?"
"That one," Frank replied pointing to a medium sized one."
The pair walked over towards the rocks to take a look at them. Nancy reached out her hand and touched the rock that Frank had pointed to. She brought it back up and showed Frank. "Grease," she said.
Frank looked at Jean and Felicia as they were helping Joe. "Looks like someone wanted us out of the way, and I have a fairly good idea who it was."
"I agree," Nancy said. "Let's just keep low though and not let them think that we suspect them."
Frank nodded. "We'll just have to be extra careful for now."
* * * * * * *
Joe stood in the house and watched Frank, Nancy, Felicia, and Jean leave for the Abbey. They had paid a visit to the hospital the night before and the doctor had instructed Joe to take it easy for at least a couple of days. Now he was stuck on the bench while Frank and Nancy did the real investigating.
Joe limped up the stairs to the library deciding to take another look at the clues they had studied the other day. He limped over to the desk and picked up one of the papers that the message had been printed on and read it again.
TO THE CIA
I HAVE SECURED AWAY THE LAST OF THE ITEMS IN THE HIDING PLACE-
LIKE EDWARD V OF ENGLAND- || I HAVE BURIED IT IN A SECRET PLACE-
I HAVE LEFT MANY CLUES AS TO WHERE THE HIDING PLACE IS THAT FEW WILL RECOGNIZE OR UNDERSTAND-
THIS IS MY LAST CLUE-
I FEAR THAT THEY COME FOR ME-
THIS CLUE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE CACHE SHOULD THE GUARDIAN I HAVE LEFT TAKE THE SECRET TO THE GRAVE-
IT IS NON-ACCESSIBLE (CONVENIENTLY) EXCEPT FOR HIM-
FOR NONE REMEMBER
BOSWELL
Joe's attention was drawn to the strange line with the mark in the middle. Like Edward V of England- I have buried it in a secret place-
Did Edward V ever bury a secret treasure? Joe mused. He had never heard over Edward V, he must not have been the king of England long, or at least had not been very famous. Joe read the sentence again. Like Edward V of England- I have buried it in secret place-
What did the mark mean? Joe couldn't fathom it out. He continued to study the line. It was in that line that the secret to the cache was hidden. Suddenly it hit Joe. What if he reversed the two lines that made one line.
I HAVE BURIED IT IN A SECRET PLACE- LIKE EDWARD V OF ENGLAND-
Where had Edward V been buried, Joe asked himself excitedly. He quickly got up. I need to find a library, fast!
* * * * * * *
Frank and Nancy left the Abbey after a long and tedious tour. There had been nothing to suggest the cache had been buried there, let alone that Boswell had ever come here. Everything was straightforward and in no way was it abandoned.
"Well?" Frank asked.
Nancy shrugged. "I don't know. That just doesn't seem like the place to hide a secret cache."
"I don't think so either," Frank said. "Say, Nancy, I forgot to ask you. Why did you stay behind last night at the guard house?"
"I just wanted to ask the guard how long that Claude guy had been around and what the guard knew." Nancy replied.
"What if he knows what we're looking for?" Frank suggested. "He was carving something wasn't he?"
Nancy thought for a moment and remembered Claude carving on the staircase. "I think you're right Frank. . . Oh, I've been such a fool. He was right under our noses!"
"I wouldn't worry about it Nancy. It was just a thought." Frank said comfortingly. "He was probably too young to be around then."
"We still need to go and try," Nancy said.
Frank glanced at his watch. "Well it's too late now. The fort is probably closed by now."
Nancy sighed. "All right, but we go tomorrow, first thing!"
* * * * * * *
Joe quickly thumbed through the old book he had found in the Marseilles Library. It wasn't on Edward V, he hadn't been able to find one about him. It was on Edward's uncle. Richard III. The book had references about Edward V.
From what Joe had seen in the book he deduced that Edward and his brother had been murdered and their bodies hidden. Where had the bodies been put though? Joe strongly suspected that the key to the hiding place was the last resting place of Edward V. The only problem was that no one seemed to know or mention it.
Joe sighed as the clock chimed the library's closing time. Maybe tomorrow.
* * * * * * *
Nancy tossed and turned in her sleep that night. She couldn't sleep. All she could think about was finding Claude tomorrow. Why had she been so stupid? She should have asked more questions or had seen the obvious clue.
Finally she fell asleep.
She dreamed of the staircase. On it sat a small boy of seven or eight, he slowly, carefully, and quietly carved a figurine. The same figurine that sat in the library.