CHAPTER 15: Extended Family
"W-who?" asked Candy.
"Remember I told you about my great great grandfather and his lost treasure? His name is Thomas."
Neal took his gold plated pocket-knife his father gave him which he always carried in his pocket although he never found any use of it. He jammed the various blades into the key hole but none could break it.
"I know where Doug stores his tool," said Candy. She took Neal to the storage room behind the house.
Candy's alarm rang again. "Oh no. I really need to go. I go camping with Bebe and her school tomorrow. I'll come again on Monday, okay?"
Candy ran to her car before she stopped and turned around.
"You could accept Daisy's offer. She seems very nice to you," said Candy, testing him.
"There're things in life that can't be traded." His face looked hopeless for a minute.
Do I mean that much to him. Candy wondered. She blinked, avoiding his stare.
"Ask Albert then. He will definitely know what to do," said Candy confidently.
Even her hardest slap felt less hurtful than that. It's clear that she thought highly about William, higher than to himself.
RINGGG... Candy's alarm rang again before Neal could comment.
"Argh..." She picked her watch from her pocket and turned it off. "Bye..." she said.
And then unexpectedly she motioned to kiss his cheek with the lips that he had wanted to kiss since he war sixteen. It would have been the happiest day in his life if it had not been compromised by the talk about William.
He saw her blushing before she ran to her car and zoomed off.
Neal stared angrily at the back of her moving vehicle. He wanted the treasure badly so he could crush the Andrews. William had to be brought down to his knees so Candy stopped thinking how cool he was. He would also make William beg for forgiveness for ruining his plan to marry Candy!
Cursing, Neal went back to the storage where Doug kept his tools. He tried them but the lock remained intact. In frustration, he used a hammer and chisel to force it open but it slipped and cut through his finger.
"Ouch!" screamed Neal, exasperatedly looking at his bleeding finger.
What to do now? He couldn't go to a locksmith. Too risky. Someone might report him to a police. In desperation, Neal remembered his cousin. Stear would have been able to open the box.
Perhaps there's some power tool or somethingin his garage! Aunt Elroy had ordered to leave Stear's garage untouched forever in his memory. All of Stear's tools must still lie somewhere there.
Neal grabbed Doug's bicycle and spurred it to the Andrew Mansion...
oOo
In the mansion, Neal avoided the main door and sneaked to Stear's garage to avoid meeting anyone and deported to the jail. Three steps up to the door, he stopped. He could still see Stear working hard eagerly inventing something new.
I should have told him that he's a great engineer, thought Neal regretfully. He always mocked whatever Stear invented. I should have told him-
Suddenly the door flung opened. It was too unexpected that Neal didn't have the time to hide. Someone came out. He looked thin and pale. It took time for Neal to recognize who he was.
"William?" cried Neal after a while.
Neal cursed under his breath. He's found by the owner himself. William would call the police and that would be the end of the Leagans.
Neal was about to run as quickly as possible when Albert called.
"By what lucky accident... Hello Neal!" greeted Albert with a smile. He was so friendly.
"I-I thought you're out of town." Neal decided not to run yet, besides he's in dire need of help.
"It's a long story. Would you like to get in first. The sun is hot today. You look like you could use a cool drink."
"No need. I came to borrow some tool to open this." Neal gestured to the box he had. "I remember Stear had a collection of keys. Could I look around his tools, please?"
"I'm sure he has something!" Albert responded mysteriously using present tense. "Ask the man himself. Come on in."
Neal looked at Albert, puzzled.
Albert just grinned but didn't explain. He opened the garage door widely and stepped aside so Neal could enter. There was an old car, the hood was open, all four tires were taken off. Someone was busy hammering something underneath the car.
"Stear!" Albert screamed and looked under the car. "You have a visitor."
Neal almost groaned impatiently. He didn't have time for nonsense. William must be as sick as he looked.
Then someone appeared from underneath the car holding a wrench in his right hand, wearing a goggle, and familiar working clothing. He knelt down and took of his goggle revealing a friendly face and black frame glasses.
"Neal is here!" Stear grinned. He stood up.
Neal couldn't speak. This man was darker than how he remembered Stear was, like someone who had spent a lot of time under the sun. He stood straight like a soldier and had a short military hair cut. Yet no doubt he's... Stear!
"Look how tall you are now!" Stear pulled Neal and enveloped him in a warm hug. "Whew... What have you been eating? Albert, who's taller you or him?"
Albert chuckled. Shocked answers, confused questions, disbelief comments all mixed together in their following conversation. Neal felt lucky no one paid attention on his filthy clothes.
"We should have a dinner together and chat all night long," invited Albert kindly.
Then Neal remembered about his parents and sister. He didn't have time to chat. And who knew that William didn't pretend being kind to buy time and secretly would call the police to arrest him later.
"I am in a rush," said Neal carefully. He turned to Stear. "I came to ask if you had anything to open this box lock?"
Stear touched his glasses and moved to examine the box.
"Hmmm. I don't think they make this kind of locks these days. Can I look at it?" asked Stear enthusiastically.
Neal pressed the box closer so himself so Stear and Albert couldn't see the initials and other details. With enough brain-work they might guess this was a treasure box.
"Can you just lend me some tool? This is... a secret," replied Neal.
He trusted Stear but he didn't trust William. With William's wealth, power, and influence, he could did some intrigues to acquire the box and claimed the gold was his.
Stear went to one of his shelves and took a set of keys and various sharp tools. "Try the keys first. If nothing works, try the tools."
Neal's eyes flashed. "Thanks, Stear," said Neal jubilantly. " Excuse me. I need to take off now."
Before Albert and Stear could say a word, Neal had fled. He biked as far as possible from the mansion and hid behind a bush to try all the keys Stear gave him. Unfortunately, none of them could open the box. He then tried to insert the various tools Stear gave him too but none worked either. Frustrated, Neal went back to Stear's garage. Luckily Stear and Albert were still there.
"I can't open it," Neal told them about his failed efforts. "None of these tools worked."
"Can I try it, then?" asked Stear, excitedly. He always liked mechanical works including unlocking locks.
"Promise me you won't look what's inside and ask questions," Neal warned strongly.
"Sure!"
Neal hesitantly gave him the box. Stear whistled calmly. He examined the lock and tapped it to his working table. Once. Twice. Neal heard a click and to his disbelief, the lock fell open, as simple as that.
"Ah! How on earth is this possible?" Neal exclaimed in disbelief.
Stear laughed. "Let see what's inside," he teased.
"Give me there," Neal snorted. He snatched the box from Stear. "Thanks! Bye."
With the box, Neal dashed back to Doug's cottage and opened it. No gold or silver inside but there's a skin pouch. Using his pocket knife, Neal carefully cut the stitches around the pouch. In about ten minutes all stitches were removed. Holding his breath, he gently pulled a parchment from inside the porch and spread it on the ground.
He stared.
Gerat great grandpa should have used English!, Neal lamented.
He couldn't make any of it. It had a drawing, perhaps a map of an island and water that could be sea or lake, a set of numbers 43.4, -87.2, and some notes which unfortunately was not written in English.
It's so hard not to have staffs or servants to order around. He needed help, badly.
Neal sat down, thinking. William likes traveling. He should have the experience to read maps in foreign languages.
Except that William was the last person in earth he wanted to talk to. Neal debated. But there's no other option! None.
Sighing, Neal went back to the Andrews mansion.
"I need help," Neal implored. "Can you two keep a secret?"
Albert and Stear looked at one another. "You can trust me," said Stear.
"And me too. We're not a snitch," promised Albert.
"I found this inside the box." Neal unfolded and spread the parchment on Stear's working table.
"A map?" Albert whistled.
"Yes, but I can't make any of it. You know what language is this?"
"Spanish," snapped Stear.
Albert nodded.
Spanish? That matched perfectly. Great great grandpa was from Cuba, Neal thought excitedly.
"Look like a map of an island," said Stear.
"Yes... Oh!" cried Albert. He slapped his own forehead. His eyes closed, his head stooping down.
"What's the matter? You got a headache again?" asked Stear.
Albert shook his head. He went to the door, locked it, and made sure all windows were closed before he came back to the table.
"This is the map of Hope Island, one island in lake Michigan. These numbers are the lake Michigan longitude and latitude."
"Hope Island?" asked Neal.
Albert lowered down his voice. "Neal, this must be your family's famous lost map!" he clicked his fingers excitedly.
Neal gaped. "How did you know all these?" The treasure was supposedly a secret of the Leagans.
"They passed the information to all Sir Williams for generations," Albert smiled. "Long time ago, the land here belonged to your great great grandfather. But after he and his son died, no one knew where he put his money was. The family was in deep need of money and had to sell their land. The Williams bought most of them. But the Leagans failed to sell the Hope Island because it's surrounded by dangerous rocks."
Neal was speechless. William knew about it more than himself.
Albert pointed to the the "X" sign. "I bet this is where the gold is."
Stear whistled in amazement.
Neal almost fainted, he saw stars.
-To be continued-
Thanks to all Neal's supporters. Really appreciate the attention :")