The Trimoni Twins and the Shrunken Treasure (11 page)

“Good night, Gaidic! See you tomorrow!” Wiliken called as Uncle Hoogaboom shut the door after her and locked it.

“Wiliken,” Uncle Hoogaboom said, “may I have a
word with you alone, please?” Uncle Hoogaboom and Wiliken talked softly together in a corner of the detail room for a few minutes.

Beezel and Mimi turned to Hector and saw a stricken look on his face.

“What's wrong?” Beezel asked.

“Gaidic knew we were up to something,” Hector said sadly. “I don't like her feeling left out. Or that we don't like her.”

“Or that
you
don't like her,” Mimi said as she patted his back.

Hector nodded and whispered, “And I'm not sure I
want
the Shrinking Coin. I've seen the trouble the Changing Coin has gotten you two into. What if I bungle the whole thing up? What if
I'm
the one who accidentally blurts out the five magic words and the magic is lost forever?” He wiped his hands over his face. “See? I'm sweating just thinking about it.”

“Don't worry,” Beezel assured him. “You'll do a great job of protecting the coin. And we'll help you, won't we, Mimi?”

Mimi hugged Hector. “You bet. And don't forget, at home we're just in the next trailer over!”

“I apologize for excluding you,” Uncle
Hoogaboom said as he and Wiliken walked over to them. “We've made a decision. Wiliken and I have something further to discuss with all of you before we transfer the shrinking magic to Hector.”

They followed Uncle Hoogaboom into his apartment. He led them into a small front room. A comfy-looking blue sofa faced a small brick fireplace. Two overstuffed chairs covered in a red floral pattern were to one side. A coffee table, cluttered with some of Hoogaboom's details and several books, was in front of the sofa. In one corner was a large rolltop desk, looking every bit as stuffed as Uncle Hoogaboom's pockets. The whole room, Beezel thought, was very snug and welcoming.

Hector and the girls sat on the sofa. Uncle Hoogaboom and Wiliken each took a chair.

Beezel watched Wiliken from the sofa. He caught her gaze and winked at her. The effect on her was so strong, she was glad she was already sitting down.

Wiliken cleared his throat. “Hoogaboom and I were talking just now,” he said. “And we have a favor to ask of you … after Hector gets the magic, of course.” He nodded to Hector. “We think that what would be best all the way around is to find the treasure while you're still here. That way Hector
could unshrink it, and Hoogaboom and I could have it stored safely in a bank, away from Edwin and Slear's greedy mitts.”

“Oh my gosh, Beezel!” Mimi said as she grabbed her sister and hugged her. “We're finally going to get to go on that treasure hunt!”

“But,” Beezel said, “how are we supposed to find it in just a few days when Uncle Hoogaboom's been looking for it for twenty-two years?”

“That's what we want to tell you,” Wiliken said.

“You see, there are a few things you don't know,” Uncle Hoogaboom said. “One of them is the answer to your question yesterday.”

“About how you ended up with a shrunken treasure in the first place?” Beezel said.

Uncle Hoogaboom nodded. “And Pieter left us something we want to share with you as well. But it will make more sense when you understand where the treasure came from, so we will tell you that first.

“Almost four hundred years ago,” Uncle Hoogaboom began, “the Riebeecks owned a heavily armed merchant ship. Koen Riebeeck was its captain. He was authorized by the Dutch government to raid the Spanish treasure fleets coming back from the New World. Engel Hoogaboom, a bit of a rogue
and an adventurer, signed aboard one of his voyages.

“Koen Riebeeck captured a Spanish treasure galleon and brought it into Amsterdam's harbor. When it became clear that the government wasn't going to share the treasure as agreed, the two men put their heads together. They decided Engel Hoogaboom would shrink the treasure for safekeeping and Koen Riebeeck would hide the shrunken treasure inside his house.”

Uncle Hoogaboom waved his hand around the room. “This very same house. And it was a good arrangement. Engel Hoogaboom knew that without him to unshrink the treasure, it was practically worthless. And Koen Riebeeck knew that without him, Hoogaboom would never know where the treasure was hidden.”

“Very clever,” Hector interrupted. “Good thinking on both their parts. It was like a fail-safe.”

“What happened to the ship?” Beezel asked.

“After Koen Riebeeck hid the shrunken treasure,” Wiliken said, “the two men sank the ship. But the Dutch government never really believed the treasure had gone down with the ship in the harbor. Days later, Koen Riebeeck fought the government
troops that had come to take him prisoner and was killed.”

“What happened to Engel Hoogaboom?” Hector asked.

“They imprisoned him,” Uncle Hoogaboom said. “He lived long enough in prison to send for the Shrinking Coin. Koen Riebeeck's wife and Engel Hoogaboom's brother went to the prison to get the magic from him before he died. Eventually the coin made its way to me.”

Beezel thought for a minute. “But since Koen Riebeeck died, and he was the only one who knew where he had hidden the treasure, isn't it lost forever?”

“Oh, not forever, certainly,” Uncle Hoogaboom said as he winked at Wiliken. “We know it is in this house somewhere. We have their word on it, and we have something else.”

Uncle Hoogaboom went to his desk and retrieved a large manila envelope. He handed it to Wiliken.

“This is something that my grandfather left me,” Wiliken said.

“I had gone away on one of my buying trips,” Uncle Hoogaboom said sadly. “I wish I had never gone. When I came back, I found out that Pieter had died.”

“But before he died, he found the treasure,” Wiliken said.

“He
found
it?” Hector said.

“Yes, but once he found it,” Wiliken said, “he thought someone else was after it, so he put it in a new hiding place, just until Hoogaboom got back.”

“After what you heard in the garden today, Beezel,” Uncle Hoogaboom said, “I am certain Pieter was worried that Edwin was after the treasure for himself.”

Wiliken undid the clasp on the envelope and pulled out a sheet of writing paper and a torn piece of old parchment. “This is the only thing we've had, for hundreds of years, that told us anything about the treasure.” He held the parchment where they could see it. On it, in Dutch, were written several lines of text.

“I'll translate it for you,” Uncle Hoogaboom said as he took the parchment from Wiliken.

Through walls like ice
Past wood and metal
Guarded by souls of sailors lost
Lies the Spanish treasure
Safe in Magda's capable hands

“Who in the world is Magda?” Hector asked.

“Or
what
is she?” Uncle Hoogaboom said. “We have no idea.”

“Hoogaboom and my grandpa have been trying all along to use that clue to find the treasure.” Wiliken held up the other sheet of paper. “But this says my grandpa found it by accident. And right before he died, he wrote a note telling us where he hid it.”

“So, you already know where it is?” A disappointed Mimi flopped back against the sofa. “Boy, that was the world's shortest treasure hunt.”

“Wait a minute,” Hector said. “Pieter told you exactly where it is, you've looked, and you
still
haven't found it? Boy, you
do
need help.”

“Trust me,” Wiliken said. “We've been looking for weeks, and we haven't found a thing.”

“Where did he tell you he hid it?” Beezel asked.

“Let me read this to you,” Wiliken said as he looked at the paper.

Wiliken—

I found the treasure in a hollowed-out brick when the plumber came to fix a drainpipe in the kitchen, not three feet from where I fixed my morning tea all these years. Can you believe that?

I now suspect that someone else is after the treasure, so I have put it in my den for safekeeping
.

I fear my days here on this earth are drawing to a close. I am sorry I did not know you better. I leave you with this bit of wisdom to remember me by: the greatest treasures are in the smallest pleasures
.

Your opa, Pieter Riebeeck

“Do you think someone stole it from the den?” Beezel said.

Wiliken shook his head. “I don't think so. No one knew about this letter except Hoogaboom and me. That's why we want you guys to help us. We need some fresh eyes in that room. We're hoping that while you are here, we can give the den one last scouring, sort of an ‘all hands on deck' approach.”

“Oh!” Mimi jumped up. “Can we go look now?”

Uncle Hoogaboom smiled at Mimi. “Of course. But if you don't mind,” he said, “I want to get the magic transferred to Hector first. It's been weighing heavily on me since you girls told me about the conversation in the garden. Are you ready, Hector?”

Hector nodded slowly. “I'll do my best to protect it, Uncle.”

Uncle Hoogaboom rifled through his pockets and brought out a silver key. He went back to his desk, unlocked the top drawer and took out a small gold box. He brought it over to where they were sitting and held it out for them to admire.

“It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?” Uncle Hoogaboom said to Wiliken. “Your grandfather left it in his will to me, to give to you when it was time to pass on the magic of the Shrinking Coin.”

Beezel looked at the box. It was about eight inches long and four inches wide, gold, with a pattern of flowers engraved over its surface. Across the opening of the box, someone had pressed a wax seal.

“I know Pieter would have loved to give the Shrinking Coin to Hector according to our families' tradition …” Uncle Hoogaboom's voice caught and he cleared his throat. “But he would be so proud to know that you were here to do it for him.” He handed the box to Wiliken. “Pieter's will didn't say what was in the box, but I'm sure it is the location of the Shrinking Coin.”

Wiliken ran his finger over the seal. “Should I
open it now?” he asked. Uncle Hoogaboom nodded.

The twins leaned forward as Wiliken broke the seal. He opened the box. It was empty.

“I don't get it,” Hector said. “Why would someone put a seal over an empty box?”

“Maybe they wanted you to know it was empty on purpose,” Beezel said. “But that doesn't make much sense either.”

Uncle Hoogaboom had been so upset at the sight of the empty box that Wiliken had made him sit down. Mimi brought him a glass of water from his kitchen.

“I don't understand,” Uncle Hoogaboom said. “It was locked in that desk since Pieter's lawyer gave it to me. Pieter was very clear in his instructions. He said to give it to Wiliken when it was time to pass on the coin.”

He stared up at them. “I have no idea where the Shrinking Coin is. Did Pieter ever say anything to you, Wiliken? Or the lawyers?”

Wiliken shook his head.

Uncle Hoogaboom sighed. “The Riebeecks have always kept it hidden for us. Now the magic will die with me. I'm so sorry, Hector.” He buried his face in his hands.

“Oh, now, Uncle,” Hector said as he walked over to his uncle and patted his back. “You're not to worry on my account.”

Beezel could swear Hector was relieved and was trying hard to hide it.

“I'm sorry, Hoogaboom,” Wiliken said. “I wish there was something I could do. After all these years …” He didn't finish.

Uncle Hoogaboom tried to smile. “We'll still find the treasure, Wiliken,” he said. “But you have to understand, I will be remembered as the Hoogaboom who didn't pass on the Shrinking Coin.”

After Wiliken had opened the box and seen that it was empty, he had set it on the coffee table. Mimi picked it up and inspected it.

“It's very pretty, isn't it, Beez?” she said as she turned it in her hands. “It reminds me of something.” She thought for a minute. “Oh, I know! It looks like that puzzle box that Uncle Antonio
brought Dad from Tajikistan, doesn't it? Remember? You were the one who figured out how to open it.”

Beezel's heart skipped a beat. “Let me see that box, Mimi.” Mimi handed it to her.

She examined the box. It was covered in a floral pattern. Each of the flowers had a tiny circular center. If it was a puzzle box, almost anything could be a button or a lever. Beezel carefully inspected each flower on the four sides of the box. Suddenly, she smiled. “Uncle Hoogaboom,” Beezel said, “do you have a straight pin?”

Uncle Hoogaboom stood up and rummaged through his pockets. “Here's a jeweler's probe,” he said as he took off the top and handed it to her. “It has a sharp end—be careful.”

Beezel took the metal probe, placed the tip in the center of the flower on the front lower left corner and pressed.

A drawer, shaped exactly like one of the engraved flowers, popped out from the bottom of the box. Inside it were some small pieces of paper rolled into a scroll.

“Uncle Hoogaboom!” Mimi yelled. “Beezel's found something!”

“Take them out, Beezel,” Wiliken said. “Let's see what they are.”

Beezel removed the papers and unrolled them. The top paper was a handwritten note. Beezel handed it to Wiliken.

“It's to me,” Wiliken said. “From my grandpa.” He read the note out loud.

Dear Wiliken
,

If you are reading this, then something has happened to me. It now falls on your shoulders to retrieve the Shrinking Coin from its hiding place. The two other papers will lead the way. You'll need Mathias to help you get the coin. Once you do, give the coin to my dear friend, and tell him to keep it forever
.

Uncle Hoogaboom smiled. “He offered to do that many times, Wiliken. But I always told him I wanted to find the treasure first.”