The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck (18 page)

Laurie nodded. “Okay, so time truthfulness? What's the rest? What does it mean?”

“It's … time brings … time brings truth to light.” Bud sighed in satisfaction. He never thought he'd be so glad his dad had made him study Latin.

“It sounds like an ad. For a watch or a lightbulb or something,” Laurie scoffed. “Are you sure you got it right?”

“Time brings truth to light,” Bud continued, ignoring her. He was so done with her. “So it's got to be something with light or time—maybe a lamp or skylight or something. Or if it's time … shoot, what if it's something happening at a specific time? That's going to stink because we've missed it by what, eighty years?”

Laurie shook her head. “She wouldn't do that. It wouldn't be something we could miss. She didn't know when people would figure it out.”

Bud stared at the clue like the words were going to jump up and explain themselves. “Maybe something that happens every day?”

Laurie nodded. “Or maybe something else. Maybe lamp is right. Or a clock?”

Bud grinned. “A clock sounds good. I bet it's a clock.” He felt a pang at the idea of Laurie finding the next clue without him, but he pushed it away.

Laurie grinned back. She could've totally figured it out without Bud, but it was nice not to have to work it all out herself.

“So what's your big clue?” Bud asked skeptically. He almost didn't ask, since it was obvious that had all been a bluff, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to put her on the spot a little.

Laurie just grinned wider. Bud felt a shadow of doubt creep in.

She pulled out a really ratty-looking notebook filled with scrawls. Pretty pathetic work for so early in the year, Bud thought, but who was he to judge, right? Laurie tapped on the big scribbled letters in the middle of the page.

Bud glanced at it. “I had? I had what?”

Laurie tapped on the page again. “D … A … H … I. Ring any bells, Bud? So to speak.” If she grinned any more, her head was going to split in two.

“Um, no, I don't—” Bud stopped suddenly. “D-A-H-I?” he whispered.

“That's right.” Laurie slapped the notebook shut.

“I HAD. Okay then.” Bud smiled. He couldn't help himself—he was impressed. And he wasn't about to give up now. “We are so going to find that treasure.”

PART SIX

“I'm thinking it's not a classroom clock,” Laurie said as she scooped up Ponch (or Jon) and quickly shoved him in a shoe box with Jon (or Ponch) so Bud could change the cedar chips. She patted the top of the box in satisfaction. One thing Laurie could say for Mrs. Hutchins's classroom duties—she'd definitely figured out a couple of important gerbil-related facts.

IMPORTANT GERBIL-RELATED FACTS

by Laurie Madison, grade six

One small piece of apple from the school's vending machine, and it was all over for the evil duo. And their tiny fists were no match for a closed shoe box.

“Probably not a wall clock, you're right,” Bud agreed, completely missing the whole gerbil-related drama unfolding before him. “And there's not a single skylight in this stupid school.”

“And I don't think the fluorescent overhead lights are what she meant either,” Laurie said. “So after this, we'll go through room by room. It's sure to be somewhere.”

Bud looked up nervously. “Uh. Yeah, about that. I can't this afternoon. I have to get home.”

Laurie's ears pricked up. Something was definitely going on with him. “Oookay. You can't stay even a little late?”

Bud shook his head. “Nope. Sorry.”

“Tomorrow before school, then?” Laurie tried to keep her tone pleasant. It wouldn't be very diplomatic to let on that she was itching to pummel him.

Bud finished filling the gerbil cage with fresh cedar chips and unceremoniously emptied the rodent pair back into their cage. Ponch and Jon immediately leaped to their feet, spoiling for a fight, but their tiny curses fell on deaf ears. “Sorry, no,” Bud finally said, putting the lid on the cage.

“Lunchtime?” Laurie couldn't believe her ears. Pummeling was too good for Bud.

“Sure, okay,” Bud said, avoiding Laurie's eyes. “We'll figure it out then.”

Bud grabbed his book bag and was out of the door before Laurie managed to pick up her jaw off of the floor.

EMAIL

FROM: PRINCIPAL MARTIN WINKLE

TO: OLIVIA HUTCHINS

SUBJECT: Crossing my Fingers

I'm leaving for the meeting now, but I thought I'd check one last time. Anything for me?

EMAIL

FROM: OLIVIA HUTCHINS

TO: PRINCIPAL MARTIN WINKLE

RE: Crossing my Fingers

I'm really sorry. There's just nothing there.

School Board Meeting Minutes

Post-it attached to minutes

From Acting Secretary Terry Ailiff, to Janet Brown, Committee Records Supervisor

You would not BELIEVE the ruckus at tonight's school board meeting. I thought that LeFranco and Winkle were going to rip each other's throats out over the Tuckernuck school closing! I haven't seen such a fuss since LeFranco banned sweets in the schools.

Terry

Laurie was watching a show about dog detectives on Animal Planet when her dad stormed in and threw his Clucker hat on the chair.

“Well, looks like you get your wish, Laurie.” He cussed under his breath and slumped into a chair as Mrs. Madison came downstairs.

“What happened?” Mrs. Madison asked.

“LeFranco happened. He wouldn't let anyone speak, rushed to vote, and pushed the motion through. Effective immediately.”

Mrs. Madison turned pale. “Surely that's not it, then?”

“That's it. It's decided. Marty is looking into legal options, but …” Mr. Madison threw up his hands. He looked grimmer than Laurie had ever seen him look.

“What's decided?” Laurie turned off the dog detective show. She wasn't really buying it anyway. She'd never even seen a dog wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat.

Mrs. Madison smoothed Laurie's hair. “Guess you're a Hamilton Hornet now after all, Laurie.”

Laurie's stomach dropped. “You mean at the end of the semester? Or the school year?” Leave it to her parents to get all worked up over nothing. It's not like they'd shut the school without any warning.

Mr. Madison gave a scary short laugh. “No, not at the end of the semester. Now. As soon as they can integrate the students into other schools, they're closing Tuckernuck. Knocking it down to open a stinkin' MegaMart.”

Laurie blinked. It couldn't happen that soon, could it? Not when she and Bud were so close to finding the treasure. “But … why don't they just wait?”

“Because they don't care about anything but the almighty dollar, that's why. The MegaMart people want the site cleared by the time the ground freezes this winter, and they'll pay big bucks to make sure it happens.”

Laurie's mom shot her dad a “time to shut up now” look and pulled Laurie out of her chair. “Think of it this way—you'll be with Kimmy now, right? Why don't you give her a call and let her know?”

Mrs. Madison swatted Laurie on the butt to get her moving, and Laurie headed to her room. She closed her door, but she didn't call Kimmy. For some reason, the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let her.

Bud was working on his word problems when the phone rang. When his mom had died, he and his dad agreed to concentrate on two things—work and each other. And that had worked fine at first. But that was before. Before the whole no-sugar project ruined his life. Before he got a real shot at finding an actual treasure. Now all the extra time spent working on word problems and learning military strategy didn't seem worth it. Bud was pretty sure Laurie's family didn't expect her to make panoramas and do word problems after school, and they probably thought she was plenty well rounded.

“No, I'm sorry, Horace can't come to the phone. He's studying.”

Bud heard his dad hang up the phone in the other room.

“Who was that, Dad? Was that for me?” He shoved the word problems away. “Someone was calling me?”

Mr. Wallace came into the living room. “I told her you were studying, Bud.”

“But who was it? Can I call them back?” Bud couldn't believe it. Social outcast ever since the whole health food fiasco, and when he
finally
gets a phone call, this is what happens? Not even a stupid message? Bud clenched his fists. “Just for a second, Dad? Please?”