One more chapter after this (and it's already finished)! This was fun, but I think I'll be returning to my normal story subject soon. I've already rewritten the first few chapters of a Tale of Two Hearts and plan on posting those soon. Look forward to it.


Another long night passed by. It was hard to wait, but we had no choice. Any more suspicious movement during the night could alert Ned to our plans. We had to wait. Fortunately, Aggie was sound asleep when we returned to the inn in the middle of the night. We wouldn't have to answer any questions about our whereabouts. After sneaking back into our rooms, Flora fell asleep and I stayed awake. Truthfully, I was more nervous than I was letting on. I still didn't know how to find this treasure. We couldn't call the police until we discovered where it was. The only way we could draw Ned out was with the treasure. Otherwise, he would continue to hold the Professor and the mayor hostage. My entire plan could become a disaster if the pieces didn't fit just right. And right now, one of the those pieces was still missing.

Finally, morning came, but it didn't make me feel any better. When Flora woke up, she immediately noticed that I was anxious. "You didn't sleep at all!" she exclaimed. "You have bags under your eyes." I simply shrugged. There was little I could do about it. "I'll see if Aggie can get some tea ready," Flora said, a bit worried. She stood up and walked to the door. "It'll help."

"We don't have time for that!" I snapped. I covered my mouth with my hands in embarrassment. My words sounded more angry than I had intended. Flora slowly walked back to the bed and sat down. She stared straight at the ground. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'm just a little tense." Flora nodded her head, but said nothing. "Let's just go straight to Millie's," I said. "I'm praying that she has some information for us." I stood up, grabbing my bag and hat. Flora followed behind, still silent. She was making me feel guilty now.

"Leaving so early?" Aggie asked, as Flora and I entered the inn's lobby. "Yeah," I nodded. "We've got some more business in town." Aggie told us to have a good time and returned to reading her magazine. Outside the sky was grey and filled with clouds. It looked like it could rain any minute. It matched my mood perfectly. "Should we grab an umbrella?" Flora asked, finally speaking to me again. "No," I replied. "We should be fine without one."

We quickly headed to Millie's house, not even stopping to eat this morning. Things were too important now. I couldn't stand to waste anymore time, even for eating. We walked up to her house and I knocked on the door. While I waited for Millie to come, I noticed a strange tree that was growing in her front yard. Its base was wide, but it seemed to be hollow on the inside. I had never seen a tree that had grown like that before. "What a strange tree," Flora said aloud, mimicking my thoughts. We watched a small bird land on the ground beside the tree.

"How adorable!" Flora exclaimed, walking towards the bird. The bird raised its feathers in alarm and gave out a yell. The bird's sound seemed to reverberate throughout the air. It was like it had been amplified. Flora let out a small yelp. She had been startled by the noise. Suddenly, all the pieces came together in my head. Could this be the final solution to our puzzle? That was when Millie answered the door. "What consistent company," she laughed. "You kind kids make this old lady's heart melt with all yer visits."

"Millie," I said seriously. She looked a bit surprised at my tone. "Yes?" she wondered. "What kind of tree is that?" I pointed at the tree where the bird was. "Can't really say," Millie mused. "My husband planted that. Bless his soul. I always thought it was an odd tree with its hollow center and all. I'd never seen a thing like it."

"Are there anymore like it near by?" Millie paused for a second to think. "I've never seen one down here in town, but I think they grow up there in the mountains. Up by the mayor's place. Maybe the soil way up there is better for them or something." Her words confirmed my suspicions. I knew where the treasure was. "Thanks, Millie," I said, shaking the old lady's hand vigorously. She gave me a confused look. Flora also watched me in confusion. "What's going on?" Flora asked. "You look like you've discovered something amazing."

"I have!" I exclaimed. "Millie, we need to use your phone. It's an emergency." Millie led us into the house and showed us to the phone. "What's going on?" she asked. "You both seem to be a bit on edge today."

"It's nothing we can't handle," I reassured her as I dialed the number of the Scotland Yard. The phone rang for a few seconds and then someone picked up. "Hello, this is the Scotland Yard. Do you have an emergency?" a feminine voice answered. "Yes," I told her. "Is there an Inspector Chelmey there?"

"Yes, he's here today," she said. I gave a sigh of relief. I was worried that old grump could have retired or left the force by now. "Can I talk to him?" I asked. She told me she was connecting my line to his office. The phone was silent for a moment and then a familiar voice picked up. "Who is this?" Chelmey demanded. In the background, I heard the clattering of something falling to the ground. Chelmey started to yell at who I could only assume was Barton. "Inspector?" I said. "Hmm, oh yes," he replied, refocusing his attention on me. "Who is this?"

"Luke Triton."

"..."

"Umm... Inspector?" I asked. Did something else happen? "Aren't you in America, boy?" Chelmey said slowly. "No, Inspector," I sighed. "If I was, I wouldn't be calling you, now would I?"

"I don't need any of your sarcasm now. What do you need?"

"I need you and some other men to come down to Spectre's Cape. There's a dangerous man here and he's holding two hostages. Possibly, three if you want to be technical. He currently has the mayor of Spectre's Cape, Mr. Pemberton, and the Professor in captivity."

"Layton? What's he got to do with this?"

"Inspector, I don't have time to chat. Get here as quick as possible and when you do, ask for directions up to the mayor's mansion. It's on the mountain that you can see from town. I need to go, but I'll be up there too with Flora."

"Wait," the Inspector said, but I put the phone back down. "The police are on their way," I told Millie and Flora. "Now just what is going on?" Millie asked. "You both are worrying me."

"We're fine," I promised. I grabbed Flora's hand and headed towards the door. "We need to go," I told her. "I know where the treasure is. This is our chance to save the Professor."

"You figured it out?" Flora said, astonished. I gave her a smile. "What did you expect? I am the Professor's apprentice." She smiled back and the two of us ran out the door. "Where do we need to go?" Flora asked. I pointed up to the mayor's home. "Back up there. That's where our answer lies. We'll have to take the path we came down from last time and we need to hurry. I don't know when the police will get here, but we can't waste anymore time. I've got this nagging feeling that we've been found out. The Professor could be in danger."

"Got it!" Flora nodded. "Let's go!" The two of us ran as fast as we could towards the mountain path. Neither of us had been more worried in our lives. Not even the time with the Azran golems had I felt as nervous as this. This time, someone's fate was resting in my hands and if anything happened to them, it would be my fault. Thank goodness the mountain path was clear. I was afraid Ned might have blocked it to discourage future visitors. He hadn't been that smart though. It didn't take to long for Flora and I to reach the top.

The giant mansion was in our sights. Now came the hard part. I had to find Isabella. Would she be here? I was one of the curtains in the upstairs windows move. It was the same room as before, which I know realized was the room with all the paintings. It was Isabella's room. She was here and she must have seen us. Flora and I snuck up the front door, trying to stay out of view, just in case. I heard footsteps inside the house and the large front door creaked open.

Isabella stuck her head out and whispered, "Why are you both here? If Ned catches us, we'll be in big trouble!" I noticed she had some bruises on her body. Had Ned found out about us and punished her?

"I know where the treasure is," I told her. Her eyes widened. "Where?" she asked. "Come with us," I responded. "We'll all go together. It's your treasure after all." Isabella stepped outside and gently closed the door. I noticed that she had no shoes on, but I doubt she cared. "Follow me," I told her and Flora. We around the mansion to the backyard. "It's in there," I said, pointing at the forest. "Why would it be there?" Isabella asked. "Grandfather's riddle made it sound like it was in the village." I shook my head. "I'll show you."

The three of us approached the forest. Looking closely, I could now see that there was a line of trees that looked different from the rest. They seemed to form a path that lead deeper into the forest. They were the same trees that I had seen outside Millie's house. I took the two girls a bit further into the forest, just to be safe. "Now, Isabella. Can you sing a little bit?" Isabella nodded, but she seemed to be confused. She started to sing a soft lullaby. If she had been singing that instead of making those moaning noises, perhaps the people in town wouldn't have been so scared about a ghost. As she sang, her voice seemed to amplify and echo. It was almost like the forest was singing back to her. "The t-trees," Isabella stammered. There were tears in her eyes. "They... they sang back."

"These trees are a special kind," I explained. "The grow with a hollow inside, which makes it a perfect tool to create an echo. Your grandfather probably knew about these trees and thought you'd enjoy them. As a young girl, you'd probably think singing trees were something out of a fairytale. It was intended to be a sweet surprise before the one he prepared for you."

"I feel so stupid," Isabella cried. "All this time, the answer was right here and I never thought to even look. Papa could have been saved so long ago." Flora put her hands around Isabella to comfort her. "But now we've found it and we can save your Papa. You have to be strong. He's counting on you right now." Isabella wiped away her tears, and told me to "lead the way". I knew the treasure couldn't be too much further into the forest. Isabella's grandfather wouldn't have wanted his granddaughter to get lost while finding her treasure.

Suddenly, the trees gave way to a small clearing. Inside the clearing was a tiny house. The roof was pink and the walls were white. It looked a playhouse, perfect for a little girl. The three of us approached it. "What's this?" Flora asked. "The treasure," I answered. "As we made our way up here, I started to doubt that the treasure Isabella's grandfather left behind was something of material worth, like money. A little girl like Isabella wouldn't have much use for that, especially since her family was pretty wealthy already. No, it was something more special than that.

"Do you see that?" I asked. I pointed to a small golden plate that was affixed to the front of the house. "Isabella, you should read it." She carefully approached it and bent down. She rubbed some of the dirt off it and started to read. "To our dearest daughter and granddaughter, Isabella. We love you so much. Love, Papa and Grandfather." Isabella was silent and then started to cry again. "I-is this what grandfather left for me?" she asked. I gave her a smile and walked next to her. Flora did the same. "Your father deeply regrets what he did to you. Though he pretended that you didn't exist, he loved you very much. He just didn't know how to show it," I explained. "I bet your grandfather came up with this idea of giving you your own little place out here in the woods to play. The two of them probably worked so hard to build it. Neither of them could wait to see the smile on your face when they showed you. But unfortunately, your grandfather got sick and never got to see it, but he wanted to leave one final gift to you before he died."

"But why didn't Papa tell me about it?" I shrugged my shoulders. "You'd have to ask him, but I'm sure he had a good reason." Isabella tears were starting to dry up and she gave us a smile. "Papa and grandfather... both of them cared about me so much. I never even knew. Papa... I'm coming to save you. Don't worry." Isabella stood up and said, "We have to go save Papa and your friend." Flora and I nodded.

"How pathetically sweet," a deep voice said from behind us. We all turned to see Ned standing at the base of the clearing. "Now that we're done reminiscing, let's get to business. Where's the treasure?" I stepped in front of Flora and Isabella, almost to shield them. They both were frozen in place. "Let's not try any heroics," Ned taunted. "Otherwise, I'll have to use this." Ned reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. He stuck the gun out and pointed it at me. "So... what'll it be?"


Reviews and criticism appreciated. :)