Lucas looked around in alarm. “Is it your father?”
“He’s here?” My whisper went up an octave. That was all I needed.
“Calm down, he’s nowhere in sight,” Hatcher told me. “But seriously, what’s going on?”
“Emergency meeting of the Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes, that’s what’s going on!” As Dr. Appleton wandered away toward the housewares aisle, I leaped up and bounded past my brother and our friends, racing for the front door. “Follow me!”
I paused at the bottom of the porch steps, suddenly unsure where to go. Our usual meeting spot in Lola’s studio wouldn’t work. Not with me being grounded. The library was closed by now, and so was our family’s bookshop. Aunt True often stayed late, though, and, fortunately, I had a key.
Unfortunately, my father did too, and there was a chance he might be there.
Was it worth the risk?
“Bookstore,” I told the others, deciding that it was. “Give me a few minutes head start, then come to the back door and I’ll let you in.”
I arrived just as Aunt True was ringing up the last customer. She already had the CLOSED sign on the door, but I used my key to let myself in.
She looked up and smiled when she saw me. “Truly! Come and meet Artie Olsen. He and his wife run Camp Lovejoy.”
I thought Bud Jefferson was a big guy, but Artie Olsen was huge. I had to tip my head back to look him in the eye. He stuck out his hand, and mine all but disappeared as he gripped it.
“Howdy, Truly! I’ve heard a lot about you from your sisters.”
I glanced at the counter, noting his purchases: Men and Fire—one of our most popular barbecue cookbooks—plus a bottle of my dad’s Terminator hot sauce. Aunt True had been serious when she’d told Lobster Bob about adding it to the store’s sidelines.
“I’m in charge of the weekly cookouts at camp,” he explained. “You and your family have a standing invitation to join us, you hear?”
He left, and Aunt True locked the door behind him.
“Such a nice man,” she said. “His wife’s a sweetheart too.” She sat down on the antique church pew that we used as a bench by the door and patted the seat beside her. “How was your first rehearsal?”
“Belinda tried to give me a kitten.”
She smiled. “So not a total loss, then.”
“How about you? Busy day?”
“Surprisingly so. Half of Pumpkin Falls came in, supposedly to shop for books but really to gawk at my engagement ring. Ella Bellow’s grapevine is working overtime.”
“She cornered me at the General Store just now, too, fishing for details.” The minute the words were out, I clamped my hands over my mouth.
Aunt True grinned. “Busted! The lure of ice cream is hard to resist. Don’t worry—your secret is safe with me.”
“How the heck did Ella find out, anyway?”
“How does Ella find anything out? It’s one of the mysteries of the universe.”
“I still can’t believe you’re getting married!”
“I know, me neither.” My aunt waggled her finger happily. The diamond in her new ring winked and sparkled as it caught the light.
“Want me to close up for you?”
“Would you mind? Rusty’s taking me out to dinner, and I need to shower and change. I’d better check with your father first, though. I wouldn’t want to get you in deeper trouble.”
Apparently helping out at the bookstore didn’t violate the terms of my grounding, because a minute later she gave me a thumbs-up as she emerged from the office. “But you’re to go directly home afterward.”
I nodded, crossing my fingers behind my back. The meeting would have to be quick.
Aunt True gave me a hug and left to go upstairs to her apartment. I counted to ten, then sprinted to the bookshop’s back entrance, where Hatcher and my friends were waiting.
CHAPTER 25
The first order of business for our emergency meeting was bringing Hatcher and the other boys up to speed on Amanda Appleton.
“Wait. What? There were pirates in Pumpkin Falls?” Scooter’s forehead puckered as he tried to grasp what I was telling them.
“Not pirates—pirate. Just one: my ancestor, Nathaniel Lovejoy. Maybe.”
“Nathaniel-Daniel-looks-like-a-spaniel?” Lucas looked incredulous.
So did my brother. “You’re kidding, right?”
I sighed. They weren’t making this easy. “Look, guys, I know it’s hard to believe, but trust me: It totally makes sense.” I grabbed a copy of Saga of a Ship from the new releases table and showed them the passages that had caught my attention.
“It’s a bit of a stretch,” my brother said when I was done explaining my theory about Dandy Dan’s “generous beak” and Cherry Island.
“It’s not that far-fetched if you think about it,” Cha Cha insisted, and I shot her a grateful look.
Lucas was still skeptical. “How will we ever be able to find out for sure?”
“There’s got to be some evidence somewhere,” I told him. “A diary. Letters. Maybe a map. That’s obviously what Dr. Appleton is in town to find. We just have to stay two steps ahead of her.”
“Why?” asked Scooter, his forehead puckering again.
“Because if she finds the information first, it might lead her to the treasure, if there is one. Apparently there’s this thing called a ‘finders keepers’ law, which means she’d have the legal right to it if she finds it.”
“Even though Nathaniel Daniel is our ancestor?” Hatcher was indignant. “That’s not fair!”
I nodded. “I know, right? Especially since I’m the one who figured out the connection. But that won’t stop Dr. Appleton. She isn’t the kind of person who gives up easily. There’s too much at stake for her—including fabulous publicity for her book if she finds the treasure. We’re going to have to be quicker and smarter than she is if we want to get to it first.”
I could tell by the expressions on their faces that the boys were warming to the idea of a treasure hunt.
“We should go explore Cherry Island,” said
