Part 6
"You have the original Silence Dogood letters?" Abigail asked surprised. They had pulled off to a grassy area and were nervously watching Ben. The other girls were leaning on the back of the van watching Ben pace.
"They're digital scans, now be quiet."
"Where did you get the scans?"
"Because I know the man who has the originals, now shush."
"Why do you need them?"
"She really can't shut her mouth, can she?"
Riley shrugged.
"Look, I will let you hold this if you promise to shut up, please!"
"Ben, you know what you have to do." Riley said.
"I know what to do. I'm just trying to think anything else we could do." Ben replied.
"Not to be a nudge, but do know how many people we have after us? We probably have our satellite by now. It took all of 2 seconds for you to decide to steal the Declaration of Independence." Riley said.
"Yeah, but I didn't think I'd have to personally have to tell my dad about it!" Ben shouted. Abigail took the opportunity to take off. "Hey, not cool. Not cool!" Ben caught her.
"Let me go!" Abigail cried. Ben took the Declaration.
"You're let go. Now shoo."
"I'm not going. Not without the Declaration."
"Well, you're not going with the Declaration."
"Look, if you wanted to leave me behind, you shouldn't have told me where you were going." Abigail said.
"She's got a point." Katie called.
"Park a couple blocks away." Ben said.
"How long do think we got?" Riley asked.
"Give them a couple hours, at least. I hope."
"What do we do about her? I got some duct tape in the back…" Riley motioned to the back.
"Yeah, let's add violent kidnapping to the list." Erica said.
"Wouldn't kidnapping already be on the list?" Abby asked.
"That's why I said violent."
"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." Ben smiled. They walked the short distance to the house and waited a ways back while Ben rang the doorbell. An older man answered the door. "Dad." Ben said.
"Where's the party?"
"Well…I'm in a little trouble."
"Is she pregnant?" he asked, looking at Abigail. Etta snorted.
"If she is would you leave the mother of your grandchild standing out in the cold?"
"I look pregnant?" Abigail asked. Riley shook his head.
"Come in." he said.
Abby and Erica went to change while Riley, Etta, and Katie grabbed some pizza. They meandered back into the room a few minutes later. Abby could feel the adrenaline rush leaving her, replacing it with the dizziness of the champagne. Erica sat on the floor next to Katie and put her head in her hands, both dizzy and tired from the party. Riley moved over and allowed Abby some room to sit down.
"Pizza?" he asked. She looked over at him and nodded. They both new he wasn't really offering pizza as food, but as a peace offering for what had happened earlier.
"Thanks." She replied.
Both were suddenly very aware of the argument going on in front of them.
"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 a time. What do you have? Them?"
"I resent that!" Erica said indignantly.
"Look, if you just give us the letters we're gone." Ben said.
"You disappoint me Ben."
"Well, maybe that's the real Gates family legacy. Sons who disappoint their fathers."
"Ouch." Etta said.
"Get out. Take your troubles with you." his dad snapped.
"Also very ouch." She paused. "Did that make sense?"
"Itsus ok. I got it."
"I found the Charlotte." Ben said.
"The Charlotte? You mean she was a ship?"
"Yeah. She was beautiful. It was amazing dad."
"And the treasure?"
"No, no, but we found another clue, which lead us here…" Ben began.
"And that will lead 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."
"I refuse to believe that." Ben said.
"Me either." Etta, Katie, and Abby said together.
"Woah, that was odd."
"You can believe what you want. You're a grown people. What am I doing? Do what you want. Do what you want."
"Well, I can think of a way we can find out. And we can find out right now."
"Looks like animal skin. How old is it?"
"At least 200 years." Ben replied.
"Really? You sure?"
"Pretty darn."
"Now, if this thing is invisible ink, how do we look at it?" Riley asked.
"With invisible eyes." Erica ventured. Etta rolled her eyes.
"Throw it in the oven." Mr. Gates said.
"No." Everyone said.
"Higher sulfate inks can only be brought out with heat." He stated.
"But this…"
"Is very old. We can't risk compromising the map." Ben finished.
"You need a reagent."
"Dad, it's really late. Why don't you get some rest?" Ben told him.
"I'm fine."
"So…" he grabbed a lemon slice and held it over the paper. Abigail grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Awkward moment."
"You can't do that."
"But it has to be done."
"Then somebody trained to handle antique documents is going to do it."
"Okay."
"Now, if there is an invisible message, it will probably be marked by a symbol in the upper right hand corner."
"That's right." Ben said.
"I think I see hearts." Abby whispered to Katie.
"I am so getting fired for this." Abigail mumbled, applying the juice to the Declaration.
"I told you." Mr. Gates said. "You need heat." Ben and Abigail glanced at each other and moved towards the document. They blew on the paper, heating the area. A small symbol appeared in the corner.
"I take it that's a good thing." Erica said.
"We need more juice."
"We need more heat."
"It doesn't look like a map." Riley said. "Are those latitudes and longitudes?" Riley asked.
"Do they look like longitudes and latitudes?" Etta asked.
"If they didn't I wouldn't have asked."
"We need the Silence Dogood letters." Ben said.
"That's the key?" Abigail asked.
"What key?"
"The key, Erica. The reason we're here." Abby reminded.
"The key in Silence undetected. Dad, can we have the letters now?" Ben asked.
"Will someone please explain to me what these magic numbers are?" Riley asked, frustrated.
"Breathe Riley. Breeaaathe."
"I'm breathing!"
"It's an Ottendorf cipher."
"Okay." Riley paused. "What's an Ottendorf cipher?"
"Each of these numbers corresponds to a word in the key. In this case the Silence Dogood letters. So, it's like that page number of the key text, the line on the page, and the letter in that line. So Dad, where are the letters?" Ben asked.
"You know, it's just by sheer happenstance that his grandfather…" Mr. Gates said.
"Dad." Ben said firmly.
"…even found the letters. They were in an antique desk."
"Dad, where are the letters?"
"I don't have them."
"What?"
"I don't have them."
"Where are they?" Ben asked.
"I donated them to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia."
"Time to go." Ben said.
"That involves moving." Erica groaned.
"Yeah. So move." Etta said, pulling her off the couch.
"After all this time, nobody knew it was on the back." Abigail whispered.
"The back of what?"
"No!" Ben cried as he reached for the Declaration.
"Oh my god. Oh my god!"
"I know." Ben groaned.
"Oh my god! What have you done? This is…This is…"
"I know!"
"I know, he know, she know, we know."
"Shut up Erica."
"This is the Declaration of Independence." He groaned.
"And it's very delicate." Abigail told him.
"You stole it?" He asked harshly.
"Dad, I can explain, but I don't have time. It was necessary. You saw the cipher." Ben protested.
"And that will lead to another clue. And that will lead to another clue. 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 you pulled me into this."
"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Ben replied.