To all those who have been so patient, a huge thank you. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. Enjoy.
11. Shock
"I'm not sure." Gabriel admitted grimly. "There are too many possible combinations."
"True," Nancy replied, "but if we study the message we may be able to figure it out. I think it's safe to guess that Jocelyn was, at least to a degree, capable of figuring math. There are also dashes between certain numbers that don't seem to follow any certain pattern."
"Is there another clue in the journal?" Joe asked.
"Even if there is we can't just rely on the journal. We're running out of time." George pointed out.
"Everything seemed so black and white then." Frank sighed. "There was no gray area, no maybe, just right or wrong."
"It just seems so sad." Bess agreed. "She was so unhappy."
"We have to figure this out for her sake. She would have wanted one of you to solve the mystery." Joe looked between Gabriel and Nancy.
"Maybe we can find out more about Jocelyn at the library." Frank suggested. "But we can't do anything more tonight." Frank indicated the window, where night time shadows were visible.
"Tomorrow at ten? We can meet here and go to the library." Nancy suggested.
Everyone agreed to meet by ten. Nancy led the way to the front door and held it open for everyone to leave. George stepped off the porch but turned back to Nancy. "You're coming with us. You aren't staying here after what happened today."
"But-" Nancy began but was cut off.
"You can leave a note for Hannah and she can stay with her friend. It would be safer that way." George pointed out.
Nancy had to admit that George had a valid point. Nancy glanced over George's shoulder to see Bess, with an expectant look on her face. She sighed and nodded, knowing that her friends would not take no for an answer. George and Bess waved the Hardy's and Gabriel off then stepped inside to wait for Nancy.
Ten minutes passed before Nancy reappeared, bag in hand. She scribbled off a quick note for Hannah, explaining what had happened. Afterward she double checked every door and window to be sure each was locked. Satisfied that everything was secured, Nancy left with George and Bess.
The night seemed to fly by. Nancy yawned as she checked her watch. She had an hour before she, Bess, and George had to meet the rest of the group. Nancy stretched and grabbed her bag.
"Look who finally made it to breakfast." teased George. "Pancakes and bacon, if you want any."
Nancy smiled and grabbed a chair. The talk was light as the three girls enjoyed their breakfast. Each knew that the day ahead was going to be long, and likely tedious. Nancy couldn't see any reason to the code, but she knew that there had to be something there. Nancy studied the black design of the plate in front of her as she thought.
"Black and white." Nancy murmured, fully noting for the first time the difference in color.
"What?" Bess and George chorused.
"Frank said it yesterday, black and white, right or wrong. I remember hearing once that there was some kind of numeric system based on that principal, one or the other. I'm just not sure where. Maybe she was familiar with that system."
"You care to repeat that in English for those of us who don't speak sleuth?" Bess asked. "I'm a little confused."
"So am I." George agreed.
"We have to get to the library."
The library was empty when the group arrived. Nancy quickly recapped the morning conversation for Frank, Joe, and Gabriel, concluding with her idea.
"We know that she mentioned math. It is some kind of system. I think we focus less on who Jocelyn was, and more on what she knew. Maybe we can find a mathematical system similar to the one she used." Joe replied.
The next two hours passed quickly. Each of the group took several titles to various tables to study. For each failure another book was taken from the shelves.
"I give up." Joe threw up his hands and leaned back in his chair.
"Me too." agreed Bess. "This is impossible."
"Maybe not. Look what I found." Frank held up a book and pointed to a long paragraph in the middle of the page. "According to this book there is a commonly used numeric system made up of ones and zeros. It's used in computers." Frank turned the page. "And here is a sample of a number."
Everyone gasped. The sample resembled the code that Jocelyn used. Nancy smiled as she pulled the coded message from her bag. Everyone gathered close while Frank set the book on the table and took out a blank page to decipher the message.
Minutes dragged by while the group decoded the message, using the instructions from the book. Slowly words began to form, creating a readable letter.
"The treasure held so dear is held very close to my heart. Look in the place where the roses grow. Cupid points the way to a special place. Just find the room behind the rocks and roses and you will find my treasure."
"Wow, what are we waiting for." asked Gabriel. "We can find the treasure now."
The mansion seemed to take on a new life as Gabriel and Nancy looked at it. Roses grew wild around the entire yard. Bird song filled the late afternoon air.
"I can't seem to shake a sense of foreboding." Nancy murmured. "Something just doesn't seem right."
"Maybe because the end of the case is so near. We are closer than anyone's ever been to the treasure since it was hidden. It almost seems like Jocelyn was helping us."
Nancy looked at Gabriel. He had a mixture of emotion on his face. Joy, excitement, sadness, and reverence filled his eyes. Gabriel glanced at Nancy and blushed.
"I just feel like this place is home. I wish I knew what life was like here." Gabriel tried to explain.
Nancy smiled and nodded. She understood his awe. She wanted more than ever to repair the old mansion. But first, she had to find the treasure and the man who wanted it so badly.
"We should catch up to the others." Nancy spoke up. She knew there wasn't much time left to find the rose garden and Cupid. Gabriel nodded and reluctantly followed Nancy over to the others.
Nancy joined Frank and Joe, while Gabriel joined Bess and George. The two groups agreed to split up and search the two largest concentrations of roses.
The strong scent of flowers filled the air. The garden seemed more like a wild growth of plants. Nancy could almost picture a jungle of roses as she looked around the large garden. Frank and Joe were on either side of Nancy, each thinking intently.
"Anyone have any ideas?" Joe broke the quiet.
"Not even one." Frank answered. "This garden is huge. That statue could be anywhere."
"Don't the pictures always show the fountains in the middle of the garden? If there isn't a fountain here the next best thing would be a statue."
"Good idea Nan. Let's go." Joe took off in the general direction of the garden's center.
Joe, Frank, and Nancy stopped to catch their breaths. The garden was larger than any had realized. Nancy looked around at the area where they had stopped. It seemed to be an overgrown plaza. Off to one side was a giant fountain.
Nancy groaned. She was sure that the statue would be here. Instead, a fountain stood to one side of the plaza. Nancy walked over to the fountain and sat down.
"Nancy, you found it!" Bess shouted gleefully.
"Where did you guys come from?" Frank asked.
Gabriel laughed. "The other rose garden is just a continuation of this one. It goes around the back."
"So are we going to solve this case or debate the setup of the garden?" George joked.
"But the cupid statue-" Joe began.
"Is on the top of the fountain." Bess pointed to the tiny cupid figure with his bow and arrow at the ready, poised atop the fountain. The figure faced a long wall of roses broken up by two large aisle ways.
"I guess we see if there is a rock wall behind that growth." Gabriel announced as he moved toward the flowers. "If not, we can go down one of the aisles.
"Freeze right there."
Gabriel stopped and turned. A man dressed in black from head to toe stood across the plaza from the group. In his gloved hand was a gun.
"I would ask what you want but I think that's obvious." Gabriel stared at the man. "You want that treasure, the one that belongs to Nancy and me."
"That treasure is mine!" the man growled viciously. "I have searched for years. You won't ruin it now." The man scanned the group intently. "You," he pointed the gun toward Bess, "get over there and look for a wall."
Bess nodded and walked over to the flowers that Gabriel had been about to search. Carefully, she pulled vines back. She expected to see more vines, but instead she saw rock. A stone wall stood covered with roses.
"The wall is right here."
"Where's the door? Find it!"
Bess looked through the vines. As she searched she noticed that the wall was actually part of a building that had been covered by roses. Bess looked back at the gunman and smirked.
"It's a building. I have to search the other walls. I need George to help me."
George looked at Bess with a questioning gaze. Bess winked at George.
"Fine. Get over there."
George walked over to Bess and began to search the wall. "What are you thinking?" she hissed.
"Trust me." Bess moved around the corner. "Just follow me."
George walked around the corner, following Bess along the wall. George searched the wall quickly, then followed Bess around the next corner, to the back of the building. George looked around at the roses along the wall. Bess had quit searching.
"Can you still throw?"
"What?"
"Baseball, George. If I distract him could you throw a rock and hit him in the head? We just need to knock him out and get that gun."
"Just make sure I can get a good shot."
Bess smiled at George and shoved some stones from the ground into her hands. "I'll go this way," Bess pointed to the way they had come, "you go the other way."
George nodded as she watched Bess go around the corner. As soon as Bess was out of sight George rounded the other corner. A few seconds later Bess called out. George moved silently up the wall until she could see the gunman standing in the plaza.
"We found the door."
George caught her breath as the gunman turned toward Bess's call. She just needed one good shot.
"Come on Bess. Just one shot." George whispered.
"Around this way"
The gunman stepped forward then paused. He looked around the group, as if to decide what to do with everyone. George saw her chance when the gunman turned to look toward the corner where Bess stood. With swift accuracy gained from hours of practice, George sent a rock toward the man's head.
The rock connected with a thud. The man crumpled to his knees, dropping the gun in the process. Frank dove for the gun while Joe and Gabriel rushed the gunman.
"George, you did it!"
George smiled. "Bess thought of it."
"Let's get this guy taken care of." Frank suggested.
Twenty minutes later flashing lights filled the shadows. Police officers gathered around the group to get their statements. The gunman was taken into custody.
"Well, he admitted to everything. The break-in, tips to the press, the attack. You are lucky people." the chief told the group when they had finished giving their statements.
"Who is he?" Joe questioned.
"He said that he is Wilson Radcroft. He claims to be a distant descendant of your Jocelyn. He claims that Jocelyn had a son who survived both parents. But we checked the records. The baby was buried with the mother. Both plots were paid for by a James Winston. When I ran the guy's image and prints we got a match. He's Wilson Richmond, a con-man. He must have been living in the mansion. When he saw that you had taken interest in the place he looked for a way to profit. Now, don't you have a room to investigate?"
The group nodded in unison and went to search the walls of the building. The police stood back as the group searched the building.
"Here it is!" Gabriel shouted.
Gabriel, Frank, and Joe forced the door open and led the way inside. The air in the building was stale and musty. Dirt and dust covered everything. The room was large and open. A little table with a child's tea set sat in a corner. A row of ragged dolls and stuffed bears lined the wall beside the table. Opposite that wall was a row of chests.
Nancy and Gabriel carefully opened each of the six chests. Inside each one was gold coins, bracelets, necklaces, and other jewels.
"She kept it in her playhouse." Nancy whispered.
"This stuff belongs in a museum or something. This isn't treasure that we could use today."
"I know someone who owns a museum. We can take them there."
The afternoon sun cast a glare on the water's surface. Nancy sat with the others on the beach. After finishing the mansion each had agreed to a much needed vacation. Since the mansion had been opened as a part of the museum, Nancy and Gabriel had been busy making sure that Jocelyn's story and life was properly recreated. Now it was time to relax, and everyone planned to enjoy every minute.
"Hey guys, race you to the water." Bess called out.
"You're on." Joe answered as he jumped up and dashed across the sand.
The air filled with laughter and the sound of splashing waves.