Okay, I've got several chapters done now so you should have regualar updates for awhile. I really like this chapter. Hope everyone else does too.
Enjoy :)
They pulled over in the dark deserted park. Ben was pacing across the dew covered grass while Abigail sat on the edge of the van. Riley had gotten out a first aid kit was and wrapping her arm.
"You have the original Silence Dogood letters? Did you steal those too?"
"We have scans of the originals. Now you might want to be quiet, he's in thinking mode."
Abigail turned to her. "How did you get scans?"
"Well I know the person who has the originals. Now shush." Ben said.
Abigail rolled her eyes. "Why do you need them?"
Ben got fed up. "She really can't shut her mouth can she? Now look." He handed her the container.
Rachel slipped her hand around the tie on the back of her dress.
"I will let you hold onto this if you promise to shut up, please. Thank you."
He started pacing again while Abigail slipped off her shoes.
"Ben you know what you have to do," Riley said, poking his head out the door and putting away the first aid kit.
"I know what to do. I'm just trying to think of anything else we could do." Poor guy really didn't want to talk to his father.
"Well not to be a...uh...nudge, but you do realize how many people we have after us. I mean we probably have our own satellite by now. It took you all of two seconds to decide to steal the Declaration of Independence."
"Yeah but I didn't think I would have to personally tell my dad about it."
Abigail took then to try and run. But with Rachel's firm grasp on the back of her dress, all that was achieved was a face plant in the dirt and Ben grabbing the declaration.
"Okay you can go now," Rachel said, letting go of Abigail's dress.
"I'm not going. Not without the declaration," Abigail said, trying to take the container from Ben.
"You're not going with the declaration."
"Yes I am. I'm not letting it out of my sight so I'm going," she demanded.
"Look Ben, she already knows where we're going,we might as well take her with us. Besides, she could be useful."
Ben instructed Riley on how to get to his dad's house. Overall, the ride was rather quiet. Soon Riley pulled the van up across the street from the house.
"Looks okay," he said.
"Park a couple blocks away."
"We probably have a couple hours at least before the FBI get here," Rachel said as Riley pulled around the corner.
"What do we do about her? I have some duct tape in the back."
The look on Abigail's face was completely priceless.
"No that won't be necessary. She won't be any trouble. Promise you won't be any trouble."
"I promise."
"See? She's curious."
The four walked down the sidewalk. Rachel had forced Riley to give her his jacket on the threat of his laptop and her good friend Mr. Sledgehammer.
Ben led them up the walk to the front door and rang the bell.
Riley stood between Abigail and Rachel.
The door was opened by Ben's dad Patrick.
"Dad." Ben greeted
"Where's the party?" He asked.
"Well...uh...I'm in a little trouble," he grimaced.
Patrick pointed to Rachel. "Long lost daughter?"
"Grandpa!" she cried excitedly.
Riley snickered.
"Well if she is, are you going to leave your grandchild standing out in the cold?"
He allowed them in.
"This better not be about that dumb treasure. Well have..have a seat. Make yourselves comfortable. There is some pizza. Still warm I think."
Riley went straight for the pizza. Rachel just flopped face down on the couch.
"Dad, I need the Silence Dogood letters. Yeah, it's about the treasure."
Patrick sighed. "And he dragged you three into this nonsense?"
"Literally." Abigail sighed.
"I volunteered." Riley quipped.
"I...long story," Rachel said. Of course, her face was in the couch so it couldn't really be made out.
"Well un-volunteer before you waste your life. And this one," he pointed to Rachel, "looks a little young for all this."
"Knock it off dad."
"Of course, I know. I'm the family kook. I have a house, a job, health insurance. At least I had your mother for however brief of time. At least I had you. What do you have?" He gestured to Riley. "Him?"
Riley looked up from the pizza he was devouring.
"Look if you just give us the letters we're gone."
Riley grabbed a second piece of pizza and waved it by Rachel's face. Her head shot up at the smell of food.
She reached for the slice. "Gimme." She ordered.
Riley moved the slice around, enjoying watching her hand follow it.
"Riley! Give me the stupid pizza before I hurt you!" she snapped.
He quickly handed it to her.
"You disappoint me Ben."
"Well maybe that's the real Gates family legacy. Sons who disappoint their fathers."
"Get out. Take your troubles with you."
Rachel groaned.
"I found the Charlotte."
"The Charlotte? You mean she was a ship?"
"Yeah she was beautiful. It was amazing dad."
Rachel laughed. "Until Ian Van Dork blew it up."
Patrick gave her an odd look. She was getting a lot of those lately.
"And the treasure?"
"No, no, but we found another clue that led us here..."
"And that will lead you to another clue. And that's all you'll ever find is another clue. Don't you get it Ben? I finally figured it out. The legend said the treasure was buried to keep it from the British. But what really happened was the legend was invented to keep the British occupied searching for buried treasure. The treasure is a myth."
Ah the magic of food. By the time Rachel had finished the slice she was awake and listening to the conversation.
"I refuse to believe that."
"Well you can believe what you want. You're a grown person. What am I doing? Do what you want, Ben, do what you want."
Abigail sighed. "He's probably right. You don't even know if there is another clue."
"Well I can think of a way that we can find out. And we can find out right now."
Rachel pushed herself off the couch. "I'll get the lemons."
They began piling items on the dining room table at Ben's instruction.
Finally they had all they needed (for now) and Ben and Abigail were gently taking out the worn parchment.
"Looks like animal skin. How old is it?" Patrick asked on his way to the trash can.
"At least 200 years." Rachel told him.
"Really? You sure?"
"Pretty darn," Ben answered, annoyance and sleepiness dripping from his voice.
"Now if this thing is in invisible ink how do we look at it?" Riley asked.
"Throw it in the oven." Patrick suggested.
"NO!" They all shouted.
"Higher sulfate inks can only be brought out with heat."
"No. Nope. Nada. Never." Rachel finished.
"You need a reagent." He sighed, walking away.
"Dad it's really late. Why don't you get some rest?"
"I'm fine." He called from down the hall.
"Lemons." Ben said, reaching for one of the slices.
"You
can't do that." Abigail told him.
"But it has to be
done." He said.
"Then someone who it trained to handle antique documents is going to do it."
She rolled a q-tip over the lemon. "Okay. Now if there is a secret message it will probably be marked by a symbol in the upper right hand corner."
"That's right." Ben said.
"I am so getting fired for this."
She ran the q-tip over the parchment. Nothing happened.
"You need heat remember." Rachel told them.
They both leaned forward and exhaled over the juice. The Templar symbol appeared.
"We need more juice."
"We need more heat." Abigail said excitedly. She was hooked.
"I'll go get the hair dryer." Rachel said, heading up to the bathroom.
A few short minutes later they began to uncover the numbers.
"Its not a map. Is it?"
"More clues. What a surprise."
"Are those latitudes and longitudes?" Riley asked.
"That's why we need the Silence Dogood letters."
"That's the key?" Abigail asked.
"The key in silence undetected." Rachel said. She looked up to Patrick. "Can we have the letters now?"
"Can someone please explain to me what these magic numbers are?" Riley asked.
"It's an ottendorph cipher. And we still need those letters." Rachel explained.
"Very good." Ben said, looking surprised.
"Oh, okay. What's an ottendorph cipher?"
Ben sat down the hairdryer to explain. "Each of these numbers corresponds to a word in the key."
"Usually a random book or newspaper article."
"In this case the Silence Dogood letters. So it's like the page number of the key text, the line on that page, and the letter in that line. So dad, where are the letters."
Patrick began looking very uncomfortable. "You know, it's just by sheer happenstance that his grandfather..."
"Dad..."
"Even found those. They were in a antique desk, from the press room..."
"Dad..."
"Fron the New England Current. That's a newspaper."
Rachel cleared her throat.
"Dad where are the letters?"
"I don't have them son."
What?"
"I don't have them."
Ben flopped down in a chair and pulled his glove off with his teeth. "Where are they?"
"I donated them to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia."
Ben got up. "Time to go."
"I still can't believe that all this time, no one knew what was on the back..." Abigail said in amazement.
"Back of what?" Patrick asked, lifting up of paper.
"Oooo ahhhh!" Riley said.
"No!" Ben exclaimed.
"Oh my god. Oh my god." Patrick said when he saw what was on it.
"I know." Ben sighed.
"Oh my god. What have you done? This is...this is-"
"I know!"
"This is the Declaration of Independence," he sobbed.
Abigail gently took it from his hands. "And it's very delicate."
"You stole it?"
"Dad, I can explain, but I don't have time. It was necessary. And you saw the cipher."
"And that will lead to another clue. And that will lead to another. And that's all you'll ever find. There is no treasure. I wasted 20 years of my life, and now you've destroyed yours. And this poor young woman's future. You've pulled me into all of this."
"Just for the record...I don't really have a record to screw up," Rachel quipped. "At least I don't think I do..."
"Well, we can't have you pulled into this can we?"
Rachel smiled. "Duct tape."
This chapter took me forever. I'll post chapter seven a week from today. I want to thank all my readers, and reviewers (though reviews have been a bit lax lately where are you guys?)
Anyway thanks if you've stuck with me for this long.
Don't forget, there is a nice little button down there to tell me how you like the story so far.
