Hi I'm sorry for the delay with an update. I've been busy. Thank you to all for reading and reviewing. Here is my new chapter hope you like it. Sorry in advance its kind of a sad one, as will a the next chapter I'll be working on, but after that some good will be happening for the Hardy Boys, they will get a change to kick some butt. Let me here your thoughts... Review
Iola's Treasure 18
"October 1929?" Fenton asked Hattie. "Isn't that the year the stock market crashed?"
"That is correct." Hattie answered. "I was just a little girl during the Depression. I lived with my parents, Ellen and Josiah Barmet, along with my grandfather, James Barmet. We were a close family just like you." She said looking at the Hardys. "Just like everyone else in the country, Daddy was out of work. We needed money as the bank was about to repossess our house; nobody trusted banks in those days."
"Is that the house you're living in now?" Frank asked.
"Yes, it was Mama's dream home that Daddy built for her. He wanted to save it for Mama, but he was at a loss of what to do, because he was over five thousand dollars in debt."
"What kind of work did your father and grandfather do?" Fenton questioned.
"Daddy was a carpenter. He would build the most beautiful colonial style homes for people. But when the Depression hit people couldn't afford to pay him. So he would go find odd jobs just to earn what money he could get. Grandfather was a traveling appraiser; he would travel around the country to trade, buy and sell items for people. So he traveled a lot looking for treasures to sell. "
"Wow. Kind of like a treasure hunt." Joe said.
"I suppose you could look at it that way."
"Did he make a lot of money doing this?" Laura asked.
"Yes, but it still wasn't enough to pay off the debt." Hattie said. "Then one night that all changed when my grandfather came home from a weeklong trip".
"Where did he go?" Joe asked eagerly.
"He wouldn't tell us." Hattie answered. "I do remember him telling my parents that there was nothing to worry about because the house was paid for. Daddy went to the bank to confirm that what he'd been told was true".
"How odd" Gertrude commented.
"Daddy and Grandfather got into a big argument over it. That was a lot of money and Daddy demanded to know where Grandfather had gotten it. Grandfather could be very mysterious at times and that frustrated Daddy to no end".
"The only thing Grandfather said was that he wanted to ensure his family was well taken care of before he died and that that was the only thing Daddy needed to know. About a month later my Grandfather had a heart attack and on his death bed he finally confessed to Daddy. He had come across some old gold coins worth about ten thousand dollars and used part of it to pay off the house."
"He also bought a small island, about twenty miles from Bayport. Of course you all know it as Barmet Island. It is said that my Grandfather buried the rest of the coins in a vault somewhere on the island and left clues that lead to it. Sadly, my grandfather died before he could tell Daddy where to find them."
"Did your father ever find the vault?" Frank asked.
"No, Daddy and Mama tore that house apart from top to bottom looking for the clues. Daddy even went to the island to search for the vault but had no luck. After a while, Daddy gave up looking for it, thinking the whole thing had been made up. Grandfather loved to tell stories and he could tell some whoppers. Daddy told Mama and me to never tell a soul about the coins. I've never told anyone this except you and Harold of course".
All this information began whirling around Frank's head. "If Harold knew about the coins, is it possible that Douglas and Underwood know about them as well?" He thought out loud. "What if those coins were what they were after the entire time?"
"Hattie, if there was actually a vault hidden on the island, how much would the coins be worth today?"
Hattie scratched her head absently as she thought "Um, I would say two and a half million..."
"Dollars!" Joe cut in.
"Yes."
"Oh my word!" Gertrude exclaimed.
"This is unbelievable." Laura remarked.
"Hattie, did your grandfather have a deed or something to prove he'd bought Barmet Island?" Fenton asked, dreading hearing the answer.
All at once Hattie went quiet and a look of sadness appeared on her face as tears began to flood her eyes. "I had one. My father was the one who gave it to me" She soberly whispered. "But I sold it to Underwood Real Estate".
Joe suddenly had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, and judging the look on Frank's face he was feeling the same way. He quickly got up, and walked over to Hattie, sitting beside her. He placed a hand on hers to comfort her.
"What happened?" He asked gently.
"A few months back, a young man came to my door. He told me his name was Richard Underwood and that he owned Underwood Real Estate." A tear ran down Hattie's face as she spoke, "He told me he was in the process of looking for a new location to build a resort, that Bayport was a beautiful town that needed a financial boost. The resort he wanted to build would have something for everyone; boating, camping, you name it. A hotel with a fine dining room as well as a spa would be added; Bayport would reap the benefits as it'd create jobs and eventually it would become a tourist attraction".
Joe could feel his stomach churning as he listened to Hattie's story. "It sounded wonderful." Hattie began to sob as she continued, "I don't have any children to leave my treasures to; but I love this town and all you young folk. I thought I'd do something special for the town and leave some kind of legacy".
Hattie paused again to sniff back her tears. "I sold Barmet Island to that young man. He was so sweet and kind I...I" Her voice trailed off as she brought a hand to her head. "I don't feel so good."
Everyone jumped to their feet to come to the kind woman's aid.
"Hattie!" Gertrude cried.
"What is it?" Frank asked worriedly.
"What's wrong?" Joe asked, trying not to panic.
"I'm feeling a little dizzy..." She told them, rubbing her head. "I just need to lie down a bit."
"I'll call an ambulance." Laura announced.
"No." Hattie shook her head. "I just need to rest." She started to get up, all three Hardy men helping her to her feet.
"Hattie, maybe we should call a doctor?" Fenton suggested.
"No, thank you." Hattie said padding his hand. "I'll be fine."
"Hattie, let me help you to your room," Gertrude offered.
"I'll help you" Laura added as she led Gertrude and Hattie out of the living room, towards Hattie's room.
As soon as the ladies left the room, Joe felt his temper begin to rise. He whirled around to face his father and brother.
"What are we waiting for?!" He exploded."Let's go find those sons of a b..."
"Joe, calm down," Fenton ordered.
"Calm down!" Joe continued to fume, "Underwood coned that sweet old lady into selling Barmet Island! You saw how upset Hattie was; now she's sick! And you want me to calm down!"
"Attacking me is one thing, but when they go after a sweet old lady-that is quite another! The line has to be drawn somewhere!"
"I'm just as upset about this as you are." Fenton stated, keeping his voice steady. "Getting yourself worked up like this won't help Hattie. Now, calm down."
Dad's right, Joe." Frank was angry too. "Think about Hattie. If she saw you upset like this, it might put more stress on her; which she definitely doesn't need".
"Okay, I'll try for Hattie's sake." Joe said doing his best to stay calm. He took a deep breath and almost pleaded, "We can't let them get away with this."
"Yes, Joe we're going to get them." Fenton vowed.
"It might be too late." Frank brought up. We both heard Douglas at the party; he bought that island fair and square…"
"Oh please!" Joe argued. "That wasn't done fair and square. The only reason they wanted Barmet Island was to find those gold coins. Harold knew about them. Douglas or Underwood probably found out about those two and a half million dollar coins through him. And that is why they killed him."
"That's what I was thinking." Frank agreed. "Douglas and Underwood probably found those coins when they destroyed that island. Now they're gone."
"We can still get them for killing Harold and attempted murder on me." Joe put in.
"We need proof though," Fenton reminded him.
"Oh we'll get it" Frank stated. "I want the guy who tried to kill my brother."
Just then Laura came back into the living room with tears rolling down her face. Fenton wrapped her arms around her. "Laura, what's wrong?"
"Mom is Hattie okay?" Joe asked anxiously.
"Hattie is… dying." Laura cried.
"What!"
"No, no, no Mom it can't be true." Joe pleaded, blinking back tears.
Frank stared wide-eyed at his mother, trying to process her words. He didn't know what to say or do so he went into big-brother mode, standing beside Joe, gently rubbing his back.
"Hattie's resting and Gertrude's sitting with her now". Laura pulled away from Fenton. "Let's go into the kitchen and I'll explain." Her family followed her into the kitchen. They sat around the table, completely devastated by this news as Laura began to explain.
"Gertrude just told me; before Hattie was released from the hospital, a doctor informed Gertrude that Hattie has cancer. Apparently she's had this for quite some time and never got it treated. Now the cancer's spread throughout her body".
"Why didn't she tell anyone?" Joe asked, trying not to cry. "Why didn't Auntie tell us earlier?"
"Hattie asked her not to. She wanted to tell us herself." Laura answered. "I guess she got scared".
"Shouldn't we call a doctor or get her to the hospital?" Frank asked.
Tears formed in Laura's eyes. "She told Gertrude what her final wishes were. Hattie wants to be with us...her family when she..."Laura's voice trailed off, unable to finish.
"So we're going to let her die here?" Joe's voice quivered, fighting back tears.
"That's what she wants" Laura started choking up. "I'll be helping Gertrude with the funeral arrangements when Hattie's time comes".
"We'll respect her wishes". Fenton said, putting his arm around his wife. Laura pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Frank. She choked back her tears and said, "Here's the list of things Hattie would like you boys to pick up from her house".
"Does that mean Joe can come with me?" Frank asked Fenton as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
Fenton felt all eyes on him, the center of attention as he brushed the tears from his eyes. "Yes, because of Hattie's wishes Joe can go with you. You are to go straight to Hattie's house and back here," He looked right at Joe as he said this. "Do not go near that island."
"Yep," Joe replied simply. Blinking back more tears that threatened to fall he looked at Frank. "I'll meet you in the van." Snatching the list out of Frank's hand, Joe jumped to his feet heading outside by the kitchen door, leaving the rest of the family sitting in silence.
Frank came right out and asked, "Are we really going to let this happen?"
"This is what Hattie wants." Laura reminded him.
"What about Joe?" Frank fired back. "Do you know how hard this will be for him? Joe has grown attached to Hattie; we all have! I love Hattie but this is asking too much".
"That kid has spent over a year mourning his girlfriend. Do you remember what he was like?" Then suddenly he was hit by a disturbing thought, "What if this ordeal with Hattie causes Joe to have a setback?" Frank thought about some more, his stomach sinking. "What if he ends up back in that empty shell, completely shutting us out again?"
"We just got him back."
Instantly Frank's big brother instincts began kicking into high gear, as the continual thoughts of Joe ran though his head. He rose to his feet, "It's bad enough that he had to watch his girlfriend die in a car explosion. Now he's going to have to watch that sweet old lady he's so attached to, die in his own home? It's not fair".
"We know." Laura started crying. "But, what can we do?"
"We'll just have to keep a close eye on Joe." Fenton replied, the thought bringing tears back to his eyes, "and help him through this because we're all going to be going through the same thing".
"Frank, you're not to let Joe out of your sight. Not for a second."
"Don't worry, Dad, if I have to, I'll glue Joe to my hip." Frank said, reassuring his father. "I will not lose my brother." With that, he raced out the back door to the van.
He slid behind the wheel, glancing over at Joe as he buckled his seat belt. Joe was sitting quietly as he stared out the window. Frank was startled to see that tears were running down his baby brother's face. Joe was crying!
Frank felt his own eyes start to mist over. He took a deep breath "Are you alright?"
"Yup."
"Joe, look at me"
Joe turned his head to look at Frank, still teary-eyed.
"I know this thing with Hattie is difficult for you. When that time comes...I'm here for you. We're in this together". Frank wiped his own tears away as he continued. "If you have to vent, scream...or need a human punching bag, you come find me". In all seriousness he then added, "Don't you dare shut down on me. You hear me?"
After a brief silence Joe slowly nodded showing he understood before turning back to the window.
Suddenly Frank heard a knock on his window. Startled, he turned to see who it was. It was Chet.
Rolling down his window, Frank aimed to sound nonchalant. "Hey Chet, how are you?"
Chet immediately knew something was wrong. "What's going on?"
"Hattie's dying" Joe blurted out. "Let's go Frank! Hattie doesn't have that much time!"
"Hattie's what…" Chet gasped, his eyes widening looking at Frank. Frank nodded yes. "Get in the van and I'll explain." Without questioning Frank, Chet hopped into the van, as Frank pulled out of driveway disappearing down the road in a flash.