Search Me (17 page)

“Oh, so now you think this is all funny?”

I wiped my eyes. “No, I was just thinking that from the looks of it,
I’m
not the one who needs to be showing some skin.”

“Huh?”

I pointed to a rainbow frame on the bookcase. It held a picture of Dr. Bretsky and several other guys at Atlanta’s Gay Pride Parade.

Maddox glanced from the picture to me and shook his head. “Don’t even
think
about it.”

“Excuse me? Two seconds ago you were more than happy for me to prostitute myself, and now that the shoe is on the other foot, you’re not willing to help our cause?”

“It’s
not
happening,” he muttered. The vein on the right side of his head started throbbing, and I knew he was extremely pissed. It didn’t help that his face had turned an odd shade of eggplant. But then something else on the bookshelf caught my eye, and I hurried over to it.

“I am not flirting with that dude, or any other dude for that matter, for all the Cherokee gold in the world! Got it?”

“Quit being such a homophobe.” I pulled a book off the shelf and waved it at him. “Besides, I think I have a plan that will keep you keep your dignity
and
your shirt on.”

Maddox crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at me. Dr. Bretsky swept back in the room, rolled his eyes, and huffed, “You two are still here? Do I have to call Park Security?”

I smiled sweetly at him as I pointed to his bookcase. “I noticed you’ve got quite a collection of Stephen Montgomery’s books.”

“Yeah, he’s the best crime novelist of the decade. What’s your point?”

“What if I was to tell you that Stephen Montgomery just happens to be my father?”

“I’d say you were once again wasting my time with your stupid lies and treasure maps.”

Stabbing the air in front of him with his finger, Maddox ordered, “Google it.”

I nodded. “You’ll want to go to his website. There’s a nice family picture under his biography.”

Dr. Bretsky narrowed his eyes. “It is only out of sheer morbid curiosity that I’m still even playing along with this freak show and not having you hauled out of here.” He flopped down in his chair and started a flurry of keystrokes. After a few clicks of the mouse, he glanced from the computer screen over to me and raised his eyebrows. “Okay, I’m listening.”

A smile curved on my lips. “Being an only child, there’s just about nothing my dad wouldn’t do for me. So, I’m sure if he found out you helped me with something super-duper important, he’d really want to repay you.” I leaned forward on his desk. “Like maybe discussing his novels over dinner…maybe even reading his newest book before it goes to print?”

At this point, Dr. Bretsky practically salivated on his chin. “You’re serious?”

“Totally.” I reached over and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen off his desk. I scribbled Dad’s cell-phone number on it and then ripped the paper off. With a smile, I teased him by waving the number in front of his face. “This could be your lucky day.”

“Regardless of how I feel about the map’s authenticity, I guess it wouldn’t really take that long to decode it,” he said, tentatively.

“So, do we have a deal?” I asked.

He nodded. “But only for the translation—you’re on your own after that. I don’t have time to sit around and help you figure out what it means.”

“Okay, it’s a deal, Dr. Bretsky.” I handed him the piece of paper. Not wanting him to “out” me to Dad, I quickly said, “He’s on a pretty stressful book tour at the moment. If you could wait a week or two to call, you’ll have his undivided attention.”

His lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Thank you. And please call me Paul.” He motioned for me to hand him the map. Instead of beginning to read the symbols and lettering, he held it up to the light. Then he dug a magnifying glass out of his desk drawer and started peering at it closer. His expression was one of disbelief. “This is real animal skin.”

I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “Yes, we’re well aware of that, Paul.”

“Yes, but the very fact that the Cherokee’s stopped using animal skins for documents in the early 1800s makes it even more ‘legit’ as you say.” Paul continued examining the parchment. “Where did you find the map?”

“It was hidden behind the frame of a Cherokee painting,” I replied.

“Interesting. I assume it was an antique?”

“Yeah, it was. Maudie said that…” My chest clenched, causing my voice to choke off. All I could see was her lying motionless in a coma while machines beeped around her. I couldn’t finish what I was going to say, so I stared helplessly at Maddox.

He drew in a breath. “The lady who gave us the map said it was painted by the grandson of a Cherokee chief who took part in the removal and Trail of Tears.”

I mouthed “thanks” to him to which he gave me a small smile.

Excitement danced in Paul’s eyes. “That’s fascinating. It must’ve been handed down in the family, but all the while, the map was concealed within the painting.”

“Probably. I mean, it was an accident that it was even found. After I broke the frame, we saw the map hidden inside.”

“This changes everything,” he murmured.

Maddox and I exchanged a look. “What do you mean?” I asked.

Paul glanced up from the map and smiled tightly. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to renegotiate our bargain.”

“What you want to fanboy some more and spend the night at Lane’s house now or something?” Maddox asked.

“As tempting as that sounds, I was thinking more of a monetary payoff.”

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “You have got to be freaking kidding me. Ten minutes ago we were pests with a phony map and now because of a little animal skin parchment you want a piece of the ‘alleged gold’?”

Paul gave me an arrogant smirk. “Didn’t you ever stop to imagine that might be a stipulation of my services?”

“But you’re not even translating the whole thing.”

“Keep up that attitude, and I won’t transcribe one word,” he challenged.

“Enough.” Maddox stepped between Paul and me. “We’ll be happy to cut you in on whatever we find.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and growled in frustration. “It was Maudie’s painting. She deserves all the gold considering she almost died for it.” I then proceeded to spill the entire story of what had happened to us in the last fifteen hours. I couldn’t help getting teary when I told about Paul about Maudie being shot and being in a coma. Paul’s mouth gaped open, and his eyes widened at the parts about Jensen chasing us and then the shootout that followed.

“That’s unbelievable,” he said when I finished.

I wiped my eyes. “Yeah, and allegedly so is a map to hidden Cherokee gold.”

Paul leaned back in his chair, and his expression softened. “Believe me when I say I’m truly sorry for what the two of you have been through.”

“Thanks,” Maddox and I grumbled in unison.

“I realize after dealing with armed men and potential murderers that when I said I wanted monetary compensation, you assumed my intentions were selfish—that the money would be only for me.”

“Well, who else would it be for?” I asked.

“I want it for the park—you know, to fund more educational projects. The historical items we can’t get grant money for.” He eyed the pile of paperwork on his desk contemptuously. “And to help pad our budget so I don’t get stuck doing all this extra work.”

“Seriously?” Maddox asked.

Paul nodded. “It’s the truth.”

I glanced over at Maddox, and he gave a short bob of his head. I mean, what choice did we have? We were between a rock and a hard place, and at least the gold would go to a good cause and not to some asshat like Jensen.

“Okay, fine.” I extended my hand. “It’s a deal.”

Paul shook my hand. Then he sat back down and picked up a legal pad and pen. He started furiously scribbling down words. His head would bob between the map and the paper. Finally, he put his pen down. “Okay, I think I have it.”

I leaned over and started reading aloud:

With the power of the white, leave where there are tracks and travel into the place where the yellow gift was first found. From there, ward off the devastation of the Black Man to go into where the rocks talk. Find the cave where the pretty fawn shed her tears. Under the place of the sacred fire you will find the bloodstained treasure.

“That’s it?”

Paul and I glanced up at Maddox. His face contorted with extreme frustration. “That’s like some whacked out riddle. It doesn’t tell shit about where the gold is!”

Paul sighed dramatically. “Did you actually think it would spell it all out for you? The Cherokees weren’t stupid, especially when it came to their treasure.”

I groaned and threw my head back. “Now what?”

“As per our deal, there’s nothing else for me to do. It’s all in your hands,” Paul replied.

“Then we’re totally and completely screwed,” Maddox growled, flopping down on the plush leather couch.

“Look, I’m still not a hundred percent sold on the map’s authenticity or the fact that there’s really gold at the end of the search. But to show you that I’m not totally unfeeling, I do have something else that should have the answers you need,” Paul said, walking over to one of his bookshelves.

“Let me guess. It’s some fat-ass volume of Cherokee lore that will have the answers to our riddle?” Maddox asked.

Paul chuckled. “Aren’t you a smart one?” He selected an ancient looking book that could have doubled as a weapon since it was so heavy. When he placed it in my hands, the smell of dust and musty earth invaded my nose.

I ran my fingers over the worn cover that read
Cherokee Lore: The History of the Eastern Band of Cherokees, Past and Present.
“Wow, that’s an intense title for an intense looking book.”

“The historian who wrote it was very thorough.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I turned to Maddox and jerked my head to the door. “I guess we better get going. I know you have a lot of work to do.”

Maddox hopped off the couch. “Yeah, and unfortunately so do we.”

Just as we got to the door, Paul cleared his throat. “Here’s one last thing and then really you have to get the hell out of here.” After Maddox and I whirled around, he continued. “The Cherokees were really big on numbers and colors being symbolic. I’d start there with the research.”

I smiled. “Thanks, we will.”

After closing the office door, Maddox moaned and rubbed his eyes. “Great. Now we have to spend the rest of the afternoon reading through that moldy book instead of hunting the treasure.”

“It could be worse.”

He cocked his eyebrows. “And exactly how would that be possible?”

“Oh, I can think of a bunch of things. But the main one that comes to mind involves you flirting with Bretsky to get the translation.”

Maddox made a horrified face. “Okay, okay. You’re right.”

“We should probably find a hotel room, so we can concentrate and not be interrupted.”

“Oh the irony of our situation.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He grinned. “Most people our age don’t check into hotels to study ancient books and treasure maps.”

My face burned when I got his meaning. The next thing I knew he was shoving me into an empty office and slamming the door behind us. It was pitch black inside, and I could barely make out Maddox in front of me. “What the—”

He cupped his hand over my mouth. “Jensen’s tall thug is out in the exhibition hall,” he whispered.

Ice-cold fear crashed over me. Maddox saw I was going to be quiet and removed his hand. He leaned against the right side of the doorframe and eased his hand onto the knob. Gently, he turned it and cracked the door. We stood like marble statues as the seconds agonizingly ticked by. The sound of footsteps in the hallway caused me to freeze.

“Damn,” Maddox muttered. He turned back to me. “He’s going in Bretsky’s office.”

I shuddered. “Oh God, you don’t think he’d…” I gulped. “
Hurt
Paul?”

“I dunno.” He peeked out into the hall again. “I do know we have to get the hell out of here.
Fast.
”

He grabbed my hand and jerked me out the door. Without looking back, we started sprinting through the exhibition hall—bumping into tourists and almost mowing down a display of Cherokee bows and arrows.

“Stop that running!” someone shouted at us, but we ignored them. Just as we rounded the corner, we came face to face with Jensen’s short henchman. We all momentarily froze, staring at each other in shock. It only took a second for Maddox to sweep back into action. He jumped in front of me, shielding me from the guy.

“Don’t fucking move!” the henchman snarled as he fumbled for his pistol in the holder on his chest.

“Go Lane,” Maddox ordered pushing me forward. Without hesitating, I began to run again.

“Stop or I’ll shoot!”

When I dared peeking over my shoulder, the henchman had his gun raised and was aiming it directly at us. My heart stilled, and it felt like minutes, rather than seconds, before it restarted. Screams pierced my eardrums as everyone around us began dropping to the ground. Fear caused me to falter, sending Maddox’s body crashing into mine. Side by side now, he tried shifting his body in front of mine. With one hand on my waist, he used his other arm to grab hold of a full-size statue of a Cherokee Warrior. Grunting, he tugged with all his strength. The statue teetered before falling off its display, creating a barrier between the henchman and us.