Treasure Hunting in Earnest

Patrick and Emily were the last to arrive downstairs for breakfast the following morning. After serving themselves from the hotel's complimentary continental breakfast, they joined the other four at their table. "Good morning, Mom, Dad. Did you sleep well?"

"We slept just fine, Ben, thank you." Though she answered with the utmost dignity, Emily couldn't help blushing a little.

Patrick took her hand in his and squeezed gently. "Yes, your mother wore me out."

"Pat!" she exclaimed, scandalized.

"What? It's true." Patrick grinned while Ben sighed, Abigail looked amused, Riley calmly sipped his coffee, and Jacqui blushed. He gestured to Emily, addressing the others, "There's a reason I love this woman."

Emily gave him a tart look, preparing her tea the way she liked it. "What reason would that be?"

"You have a spirit and determination that refuses to be overcome." Patrick took her hand and kissed the back. "What did you think I was going say?"

Ben cleared his throat. "I'm not sure the rest of us want to know, Dad."

"Ah, yes, right." Patrick cleared his throat, looking a little sheepish. "What about you, Ben? Did you sleep well?"

While sitting at the table, Ben somehow managed to turn into a peacock. "Why, yes, I slept quite well, Dad."

"Ben." Abigail poked him with a finger. "If Patrick can't share details, neither can you."

He pouted at her. "I just said I slept well, that's all."

"We know what you were getting at Ben," Riley interrupted, looking a little impatient. "Can we move on, please?"

Ben looked as if he was going to comment on Riley's testiness, but Abigail nudged him with her elbow. He glanced at her questioningly and she shook her head slightly, indicating Jacqui. The redhead's blush hadn't gone away at all. Clearing his throat, Ben decided it was best to drop the subject entirely. "Okay, we know the plan for today, right?"

* * *

A couple hours later, a group of six American tourists arrived at the Royal Academy of Dance and Drama (formerly the Royal Conservatory of Music and Declamation) in Madrid, with the intention of joining a guided tour of the school. In the lobby where they met the tour guide, they found a portrait of the queenly founder: Maria Cristina de Napoles. "I've seen this portrait on the Internet, but it seems to have been cropped."

"What do you mean, Riley?" Patrick asked, glancing between the young man and the painting. "It looks perfectly fine to me."

The dark-haired young man gestured to the painting with the pamphlet he'd been given. "The version on the Internet doesn't have her standing in front of a stage with a purse of coins on it."

"It's not just a purse of coins, though," Abigail commented, peering more closely at the portrait. "It's almost bursting with them."

Ben added, his voice thoughtful, "They're all gold."

"She seems to be gesturing towards the stage, too." Jacqui traced her pamphlet along the queen's arm in the portrait.

The six of them exchanged glances. Emily voiced what they were all thinking, "Could it really be that simple?"

"The tour is about to start," the tour guide interrupted them at that moment, his English heavily accented. "Please come with me."

Abigail offered him her most winning smile. "Excuse me, but this portrait wouldn't happen to be of Queen Maria Cristina de Napoles, would it?"

"It is, sí," the man replied, his deferential demeanor thawing a little. "The setting for this portrait is in the original home of Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático: the palace of Marquess de Revillagigedo, which can be found in Plaza del Marqués."

Abigail nodded, still smiling. "Ah, gracias, señor."

"De nada, señora." His lips barely twitched in a return smile.

"Señorita, por favor," she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.

He bowed slightly. "Señorita, follow me, please."

The group followed him over to where the other tourists had gathered. As they walked, Riley asked, "Does this mean the treasure isn't here?"

"Probably not," Ben answered, keeping his voice low. "Unless she left directions for it to be moved after her death, which I doubt. We should still go on the tour. We might learn more that could help us."

* * *

After the tour, they returned to their hotel, gathering in the sitting room of their suite to discuss what they'd found. Ben, who always carried a digital camera with him after the trouble with Wilkinson in London, had taken a picture of the portrait and Riley uploaded it to his laptop so they could study it more carefully. Peering closely at the screen, Ben asked, "Can you zoom in on the coins?"

"Yes, I can." Riley clicked his mouse a couple times and the coins filled the screen. "Ah, such a wonderful sight. It's a pity they're not real."

Ben put on his glasses to help him study the coins. "If we're successful, they will be."

"Can you do anything to clear up the writing on the coins?" Abigail asked from Riley's other side. "It's a little fuzzy."

Jacqui watched from one of the nearby settees as Ben and Abigail peered over Riley's shoulders. Smiling wryly, she commented, "It's almost like they're two vultures."

"No, just very intent," Emily replied from her place next to Jacqui, looking through the pamphlets they'd gotten on their tour.

The younger woman jumped and blushed. She hadn't thought anyone was sitting nearby. "I, um, didn't mean to, uh--"

"It's quite all right, dear." Emily glanced over at the other three with a fond smile. "It's a very apt description of them."

After a moment of surprise, Jacqui laughed, amused that Emily agreed with her. Riley peered over his laptop at them. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Riley." Jacqui smiled sweetly at him. He smiled back and returned to what he'd been doing.

Emily made a sound of approval. "You have him well-trained already."

"I think it's the novelty more than anything else at this point," Jacqui confided, part of her amazed that she was talking so easily with the woman who'd inspired her to study Native American culture and language.

Dr. Appleton paused in her reading, looking thoughtful. "I think you're right." Setting the papers down, Emily turned to face her fully. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"No, not at all." Jacqui turned slightly so she could face the older woman more fully.

Gray eyes gazed curiously at her from behind Emily's glasses. "What are you studying, exactly? Clearly something to do with Native American languages since you were able to help me translate the text."

"Yes, I'm studying Native American culture and language." Feeling shy, she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I see." Emily removed her glasses and tapped them against her palm thoughtfully. "What do you plan to do with your degree once you receive it?"

Jacqui shrugged, tracing the pattern on the fabric of the settee. "I'm not quite sure. Maybe help the Indian tribes rediscover their roots?"

"A worthy cause." Emily patted her hand, a smile in her voice. "Though I would advise you not to restrict your focus too much."

Patrick returned at that moment, carrying a flyer of some kind. "Getting into that palace may be a bit of a challenge."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Ben straightened up, removing his glasses.

The older man flourished his flyer. "It's closed right now."

"Ooh, that could be a problem." Riley frowned as Abigail took the flyer from Patrick and sat down to translate it into English.

Ben squeezed his friend's shoulder. "Do you think you're up to it?"

"Pfft! Of course!" Riley glanced up at him with a grin.

The taller man smiled back, chuckling. "I knew it."

"At least you asked this time instead of assuming," Riley muttered.

Patrick, Emily, and Jacqui looked puzzled while Ben, Abigail, and Riley all laughed.

* * *

At dinner, Abigail explained what they'd found out. "I compared the printouts of the coins from the painting to actual coins from the period and it's not typical engraving for that period."

"We're pretty sure it's a code," Ben added as Abigail took a bite of her food. "Most likely in Spanish, which is going to make it tricky to decipher."

Patrick pointed to Abigail with his fork. "You can read Spanish, though, right? You translated that flyer after all."

"Right, so I'll work with Ben on deciphering the code." Abigail looked pleased that Patrick had remembered.

Ben took over from there. "Hopefully, by the time we get it deciphered, we'll have a plan for getting into the palace."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Emily asked, looking a little annoyed.

Riley indicated them with a wave of his fork. "You three can help by observing the palace, watching for habits that the workers have developed and so on. You may find something we can exploit to get in there."

"I think we can manage that," Patrick agreed with a nod of his gray head.

End