Searching For Treasure

chapter 3

When Dana reached the dining room, Grace was explaining Rose's insistence on being the only one who drives. "She's never really got over the accident. Now she trusts no one's driving but her own. It's totally nerve-wracking to the person driving if she happens to be a passenger in the car. She closes her eyes at approaching stop signs and stomps at phantom brake pedals."

"How do you think it is for me?" Grace asked.

"I think it is Post-Traumatic Stress. I've suggested therapy, but-"

"Hell, I don't see the point of spending a hundred dollars an hour just for some shrink to tell me to get over it. It's just easier to always drive."

Dinner was waiting for them in the dining room, although there was no sign of the wonderful cook Oscar had promised them. It had been placed out on a sideboard so they could serve themselves and the table was beautifully set.

The meal consisted of a rich seafood soup made thick with oysters, seasoned and served with home made bread; a creamy crawfish bisque; stuffed dumplings; crispy bread sticks dripping with butter; minted ice tea; and to top it all off, chocolate profiteroles for dessert.

It wasn't far into the meal before everyone realized that the fine dining mentioned in the brochure had not been an exaggeration.

Dana fixed her plate and sat down next to Oscar. He was frowning thoughtfully at Josie, who was giggling at something Noah had said. In an attempt to distract him, Dana asked, "Mr. Gaston, what can you tell us about the history of Raven Keep Castle?"

"Please, call me Oscar." He smiled with warm pride. "I personally find the history of Raven Keep Castle to be quite interesting, but I'm afraid the rest of you might find it boring."

"Oh, piffle," Grace said. "Why do you think folks come to these places if not for the history? If we'd wanted something new, we'd have gone to Las Vegas."

"I've heard such romantic stories about how grand life was in castles," Rose said.

Clearly delighted at the interest, Oscar began: "When most people think of castles, they think of kings, queens and princesses. But many have owned castles since the great rulers and there are many fascinating romantic stories to be told. Like spiders."

"Spiders?" Noah looked puzzled. "You mean like the creepy crawly kind?"

"Yes. There are many stories, each one more outlandish than the next. But my favorite was about the castle owner who imported spiders from China. He had the spiders spin webs in his oak trees that he later covered with gold dust for the double wedding of his two daughters."

Rose barked out a laugh. "Sounds like a bunch of people with more money than sense."

Oscar continued. "Mr. Randolph, owner of Raven Keep Castle during that time would have agreed with you. He didn't go for such grandiosity. He trusted in the land, not in the things money could buy. So he survived through the reconstruction and beyond."

Brett and Austin had been shoveling in their food as they ignored the others. Brett pushed his plate towards the center of the table and stood. "While I find all of this riveting, you had mentioned a meeting about how the treasure hunting was supposed to proceed."

Oscar, clearly beginning to lose patience with the man's rudeness, didn't even try to smile. "After dinner, we will meet in the library and I will explain the ground rules. Once," he added pointedly, "everyone is finished."

Austin stood and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "We'll be waiting in the library then."

"Mr. Jones, you can not smoke that in here. I'm sorry; I should have mentioned that at the beginning. This castle and its furnishings are very old. If anyone wishes to smoke, they must do so outside."

With a hateful glare and a muttered curse, Austin went outside through the front door. Brett headed to the library to wait for him there.

With a disgusted look at their retreating backs, Henry gallantly tried to return to the genial after-dinner conversation. "Well, I'm glad to see that some old places survived the wars pretty much intact," he declared. "Mark and I saw some gorgeous places further south. Oak Palace and East Gate were two of our particular favorites."

"Rose and I love to visit old places, too," Grace said.

"Yeah, next year, we plan on doing a tour of birthplaces." Rose looked around at the questioning faces. "We plan to cross the country that way. Last year we took a Black History tour. You would not believe what fascinating things they don't teach you in history class."

"What kind of tour are you on this time?" Henry wanted to know.

"A supernatural tour. Grace's idea. But I have to admit it's been fun. The witch museum in Salem, Mass, a voodoo tour of New Orleans, plus we've been visiting some famous and not so famous haunted houses along the way."

Jack met Dana's eyes and they gleamed with memory. "Are you planning a visit to The Myrtles?" he asked.

"Arguably the most haunted house in America?" Grace exclaimed. "Of course. It's the highlight of our world trip."

"We try to break up the theme with little side trips like this. Just to give it some variety."

Josie smiled shyly. "You seem to travel a lot."

"Oh, its not just travel", Grace said. "We're trying to experience life to the fullest."

"We've been doing this for about six years. Grace and I had been friends forever, and it just so happened that our husbands left both of us, pretty close to the same time."

"Four weeks apart. Can you believe it?" Grace said.

"You know, same old sad story. Heard it a million times. Trade in the old heap for a newer model. One day Grace dragged me to one of those gripe sessions at the Y-"

"It was a support group," Grace interrupted.

"Whatever. A bunch of menopausal old biddies moaning and whining about their sorry lot in life…not for me, thanks. I checked the bulletin board to see what else they had that might be interesting." Rose laughed derisively. "Square dancing. Pottery. Flower arranging. This was going to be my lot in life from now on? Screw that. I got mad."

"It wasn't pretty to see," Grace said.

Rose grinned. "It felt good though. I was beginning to feel that I had wasted the last thirty-five years of my life, keeping house and typing papers for a man who obviously didn't appreciate it. Do you know what that feels like, to feel you have wasted your life? Well never again. But even though Chester left me for a younger, classier broad, he did try to be fair about money. He gave me a bundle in the divorce settlement."

"I had money of my own," Grace added.

"So with money in our pockets and time on our hands, we decided to make up for the lost years. We watched whales in Cape Cod, rode the rapids on the Snake River, fished for marlin off the coast of Florida and herded sheep in Wyoming. I know too many folks our age who go to the Grand Canyon and ooh and ahh and snap, snap, snap with the camera. That's not how I want to finish out the rest of my life. When we went to the Grand Canyon, we rode those little burros down into the canyon, camped out, watched the sunrise over the lip of the canyon the next morning and rode them back up. Now that's the way to see the Grand Canyon."

Mark glanced around the table. Oscar was nodding at Rose with approval. Henry, resting his head on his fist, was looking at her with a starry-eyed expression. Dana and Jack were wearing almost identical expressions of something akin to hero worship.

Once Oscar was sure everyone had eaten their fill, he brought them to the library where Brett and Austin were already waiting. There he went over how the upcoming weekend would play out.

"There are many stories of treasure surrounding this castle, some of which I quite frankly discredit. Such as the train and bank robber, who between robberies lived with the family, posing as the children's schoolteacher. He supposedly left some of his loot somewhere in the castle. Or the story about the pirate burying some of his gold on the property, but I wouldn't put much stock in it.

However, one story that may have some credence concerns one former owner who died mysteriously. He reportedly kept a small fortune in gold, silver and jewels that was never found after his death."

Austin stirred from where he had been leaning against the mantel. "So you do believe there is treasure here?" Austin asked.

"I believe it is possible, yes, but perhaps not the grand treasure troves of your imagination. In the old days, many hid their valuables on their own property, rather than trusting banks. It is possible there may be some of those types of treasure. Gold coins, silver coins, small jewels, knives, weapons, belt buckles, pocket watches–all are valuable to museums and collectors. However, one will not become rich off of that kind of discovery.

"As to the rules. As you can imagine, I cannot allow significant property damage to occur while searching for treasure. After all, this is something of a resort or has aspirations to be, and others will be coming to try their luck after you are gone. So no tearing down walls or dismantling fireplaces."

Mark raised his hand, tentatively, as if he was sitting in school. "Excuse me, Mr. Gaston, but can we dig holes?"

Oscar smiled warmly at the boy. "Yes, Mark, holes can be easily refilled. You cannot tear up trees or bushes while digging, but you can dig."

"So we can only look in the yard?" Grace wondered. Dana had to smile at the notion that the vast grounds surrounding the castle could be considered a yard.

"No, not at all. There may be many hiding places inside the castle. But please use your common sense. People who hid their belongings for safekeeping would still want them to be easily retrieved if need be. It would be foolish to tear down a wall each time you wanted to pay the window cleaner. It would make much more sense to have secret hiding places in easily accessed areas."

"Like where?" Mark asked. He was eager to know.

Brett smiled with smug superiority. "Why the hell would we tell you? Figure it out for yourself."

Creep, Dana thought.

"You know,”Jack said, who thought the same as Dana,“like if someone hid something outside they'd want to be able to see the location from their bedroom window and be able to find it without the aid of a lamp. That way they wouldn't tip off the neighbors when they tried to get their money."

Brett looked at Jack with a glare. Jack only returned his look with bland innocence.

"We don't have to look for treasure, do we?" Everyone turned to Dana with a surprised, why-else-are-you-here look on his or her face. "I just wanted to know."

Oscar twinkled at her. "If you want to spend the entire weekend in your room, that's up to you. Of course, you could look for the ghosts instead."

"Oh, the ghosts!" Grace clapped her hands. "Tells us about the ghosts."

Chuckling, Oscar obliged her. "There are as many stories about ghosts in association with this castle as there are about treasure. Such as the ghost of a headless maid or the ghostly music that can be heard from the music room."

With a gasp, Grace jumped out of her chair and rushed to the window. "I saw someone run past!"

"It's probably just Cedric," Oscar said with a mysterious smile.

"Is Cedric the caretaker?" Grace wanted to know.

"No. But you could say he came with the castle."

Everyone looked at each other, thinking they knew what that meant.

Finally Henry spoke. "So what's the story on Cedric?"

"No story. He's just Cedric," Oscar said. "Tomorrow all of you can get started with your individual activities, but this evening I have arranged for a special treat."

"Why can't we start looking for the treasure tonight?" Brett asked impatiently.

"Because I said so,” Oscar replied with some asperity. "Tomorrow morning is soon enough to begin. Please, everyone follow me outside." He led them through a set of double French doors and to a lovely courtyard beyond. In contrast to the grounds surrounding the castle, this area had been neatly trimmed and landscaped. A small fountain sat in the center, the bubbling water sparkling brightly from the warm glow of hanging Japanese lanterns and a small scattering of patio torches. A table had been set up with snacks and an old-fashioned metal washtub was filled with ice and a variety of beers and soft drinks. In one corner, there were four musicians warming up their instruments.

"Everyone, may I present Max and The Oceana Boys, a very fine local dance band that I've asked to come out here tonight for your entertainment." With a nod to Oscar and a muttered, "one, two, one, two, three,”Max and his crew launched into an upbeat song.

"Hot damn, I love to dance!" Rose grabbed a surprised Henry by his arm and pulled him towards the area that had been cleared away for dancing. "Come on, Henry, let's show these kids how it's done." He didn't have to be asked twice.

"If you don't mind, Oscar, I think we'll pass,”Austin said with a scowl at the festivities getting underway.

"Not at all,”Oscar replied, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, tapping his foot to the music. "Feel free to walk around the grounds or browse through the library. Just remember, no actual treasure hunting until tomorrow."

With a sour look at his host, which Oscar cheerfully ignored, Austin walked over to Brett. After a brief murmured exchange they both left the party. Nobody missed them.

Mark was standing by the drink table and was smiling tolerantly at his grandfather who was cutting a rug out on the dance floor. Dana walked up to fish a soda from out of the tub. She stood with him in companionable silence watching the dancers, who besides Henry and Rose now included Jack and Grace. "Your grandpa is pretty light on his feet,”she observed.

"Yes, he doesn’t miss a chance to dance, not if he can help it. He's a member of one of those senior citizen ballroom dance clubs back home."

"What about you?"

"Oh, no." Mark grinned self-consciously. "Least not like that. I can do the kind of dancing they have at school, though."

The Oceana Boys were now playing a soulful song, and Grace and Rose had both decided to sit that one out. Noah and Josie, who had not been very far from each other since dinner, took the opportunity to enjoy a slow dance.

Dana took her drink and sat down next to Oscar. He indicated the young couple in front of them. "Should I be concerned?" Oscar asked Dana.

"I don't think so. It's just two young people thrown together for the weekend. With no one else their own age around, it seems kind of natural to me. Josie is a sweet girl and while I may be biased, I think Noah is turning into a fine young man. I'm not worried and you shouldn't be either."

"Perhaps you are biased, but I'm inclined to agree with you. He seems a fine boy, polite, respectful, responsible, and well adjusted. Your parents must be very proud."

"They would be,”she said softly, "if they were still alive."

"I’m very sorry. Was it recent?"

"No. They were both killed in a car accident about nine years ago. Noah was ten. It has been just the two of us since then. I did the best I could to raise him."

"For what it's worth, from where I'm sitting, you did a great job." Dana smiled genuinely to Oscar.

"Thank you," she said. She remained silent for a moment before continuing. "Jack helped. Sometimes I think he did more for him than I ever could. There are some things about becoming a man that a woman can't teach. And shouldn't even try. Jack's been a best friend to me and a big brother to Noah. Sometimes even a surrogate father. I don't know what we would have done without him."

Oscar cast a shrewd glance at Dana who was watching Jack carry on a lively conversation with Henry about line dancing. To the uninitiated, the reference to ball changes, brush fan, jazz box and paddle turns sounded like a foreign language. But Oscar merely said, "It must have been tough."

"I suppose it was. I remember thinking so at the time. It doesn't seem so tough now. We got by. We still get by. I'm putting him through college now and soon he'll be on his own."

Jack looked up and caught Dana's eye. He grinned boyishly. "Hey, D,”he called, pulling Henry towards her. "Guess what? Henry is into line dancing, as well. He was just telling me his theory about which kind of music it should be danced to."

"All I was saying was that I thought line dancing to anything but country music takes away from the purity of it. When I see someone steppin' and stompin' to pop music, it makes my skin crawl."

Jack shook his head as they wandered away again. "Music is expression. Dance is expression. You shouldn't try to limit the experience by disallowing certain combinations."

Dana smiled at Oscar. "Knowing Jack that could go on for awhile.”Oscar laughed. "So how did you find Raven Keep Castle?"

"On the internet. It was posted as a property being sold for back taxes. As you can tell, it was left to fall into disrepair. The grounds had grown wild and the castle was beginning to decay. But I saw not what it was but all that it had been and the promise of what it could be again."

"You're a romantic, Mr. Gaston," Dana said.

"Oscar, please. I admit that I am."

"Is that why you opened it up to the public as a treasure castle?"

"No, frankly I needed the money. I'm an old man following his last dream and I love every minute of it, but it cost most of what I had to buy this place and make it livable again. Good heavens, what are they doing?"

Dana looked to where he was staring. The band was now playing a fast-paced song and Jack and Henry were trying to teach Rose and Grace how to line dance.

"It's the Electric Slide, it's one of the easiest line dances to learn," Jack said.

For the last several minutes Dana had been catching furtive glances being cast her way by Noah and Josie, followed by whispering and giggling. Noah was up to something and had recruited Josie as co-conspirator.

Realizing that they had caught Dana's attention, the pair came forward sheepishly. "Dana, Noah was just telling me that you used to dance for a living."

Everyone within earshot stopped what they were doing and looked their way. Dana cut an irritated look at Noah. "That is a gross exaggeration. Jack and I used to enter dance contests to earn extra money. That hardly makes me a professional dancer."

Henry was clearly intrigued. "Were you any good?"

Jack grinned at Dana and bumped her playfully with his shoulder. "We won a few, didn't we D?"

"Oh, will you please show us?" Josie was wide-eyed innocence itself, but there was a mischievous glint in Noah's eyes.

He called to the band to play a requested song. As if just waiting to be asked, they began to play. The song selection was no accident. Dana and Jack had won a couple of competitions with this very song.

Jack seemed oblivious to the nuances Dana had been picking up, but she had a funny feeling Noah was setting them up for something. She just didn't know what. Jack led her out to the dance floor and they began dancing the familiar routine. As usual, they meshed together perfectly.

The first part of the song was danced in an energetic swing dance style. This was always their favorite type of dance and their eyes shone with the pleasure of it. Two-thirds of the way through the song, the music changed into a slow-dance bridge. Jack pulled her closer to him, their hips merged and they swayed and dipped to the slow, erotic beat. They had practiced this dance a hundred times.

This was the first time it took her breath away.

Dana felt a warm tingle infuse her body and she looked at Jack in startled surprise. Their eyes locked. If he was aware of the unfamiliar sensations coursing through her as a result of his closeness, he gave no sign. Still, without breaking rhythm, he managed to pull her even closer to him. Funny, she thought, I never realized his eyes were so blue.

When the song neared its end, he spun her away from him once again into the swing dance style. So familiar was she with the dance that she didn't miss a step, but Dana wondered how she didn't fall over her own feet.

The dance ended with a flourish, with her bent backward over his arm. He stared down at her one second, two seconds, three…then he leaned forward and kissed her on the temple. They had always ended the dance the same way, but this time Dana felt the floor disappear from under her.

"Oh, wow, Dana. That was awesome!" Josie was beside herself in excitement. "I wish you were staying longer than this weekend so you could teach me how to do that."

Dana risked a cautious look at Jack, who looked almost as confused as she felt. She was slightly relieved that she wasn't alone in this strangeness. Noah looked smug.

The others were effusive in the praise they heaped upon their dance efforts. Dana barely listened and missed the knowing looks passed between Grace and Rose. What is wrong with me? She asked herself yet again. She knew what it felt like, but… No! That’s ridiculous.

The party broke up a short time later and everyone went to their own rooms. Dana, however, was restless and unsettled. Finally, she gave up and did what she always did when she felt troubled. She set out in search of ice cream.

She knew her way to the dining room and deduced the kitchen must be one of the two doors that had been unopened during dinner. The dinner plates and serving dishes had all been cleared away, presumably by the unseen cook, or maybe by the ghosts, she thought facetiously. She picked the right door on the first try, and went into a large, old-fashioned kitchen, so clean the shine from it almost hurt her eyes.

Very little in modernization had been done in this room. The refrigerator easily dated back to the 1950s and the cook stove was even older. She found a chest freezer against the far wall, which Dana made a beeline for. It was the newest appliance in there. Judging from the avocado green color, it was probably as recent as the 1970s.

Digging through the freezer, Dana failed to find a carton of ice cream, but did find a box of ice-lollies. Unwrapping one, she took a more careful look at the variety of items the Cook had laying around her domain.

Her eyes widened in shock as they fell upon a genuine Kitchen Magician, circa 1870. She had never seen one outside the pages of an antiquing catalog. While Dana did not consider herself an antique enthusiast, her mother had been and she had passed on to her daughter a genuine curiosity about the current value of old things.

It always amazed Dana at how many once ordinary, common things were now worth high dollars to collectors. The Kitchen Magician, a handy gadget that was a dredger, grater, cookie cutter and much more, could fetch at least a thousand dollars, maybe more. She looked around and spotted an old coffee mill, floor mill, batter pail, and an actual nineteenth century hand-carved butter print, plus many other items. She knew that, conservatively, she was surrounded by at least three to four thousand dollars worth of collector items.

Making a mental note to tell Oscar at the first opportunity, Dana headed out the back door to sit on the porch. Despite the night air, it was still hot and muggy outside.

"Care for some company?"

Lost in her own thoughts, she had not heard Jack come into the kitchen. She popped the last of her ice-lolly into her mouth and looked through the screen door at him, a dark shape backlit by the kitchen light.

"Sure." She moved over to make more room for him on the stairs. He pushed open the screen door with a squeak. He sat down next to her and stared out at the grounds stretching into the darkness. Though not as neatly tended as the courtyard, compared to the front of the castle the backyard seemed relatively tame.

"It's nice out here,”Jack said.

"Umm-hmm."

There was a strange tension in the air and Dana was unaccountably nervous. After a long pause, they looked at each other and burst out laughing. Dana felt the tension dissolve in an instant. Something was happening to her and it scared her, but this was still Jack. And he was still her best friend.

Jack jerked his head in the direction he had been looking a moment ago. "What do you think that is?"

Dana peered into the darkness. "It looks like an old gazebo."

"Let's go check it out." Jack reached for her hand to pull her up and Dana felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. Her hand had been in Jack's numerous times throughout the years, in good times and bad: in dance class, at the funeral of her parents, at the hospital when Noah had his appendix removed, and the day her brother graduated from high school. So why had she never noticed how right it felt for her hand to be in his?

Jack led her through the trees and bushes to the gazebo in the distance, the moonlight showing them the way. Dana was grateful to see that the seats were clean and the floor swept. Someone had anticipated such a visit this weekend. There was something so romantic about a gazebo in the moonlight.

She tried to remember the last time she had done something spontaneous and romantic with a man. She couldn't think of any. No wonder she had been feeling nervous around Jack. She needed to get out more.

Jack sat down next to Dana. Their bodies were at least two feet apart but their hands, which were resting on the back of the seats, where only inches away.

As if hardly aware he was doing it, Jack reached out his finger and stroked it across the back of Dana's hand. It was a simple little touch, barely there, but Dana felt it shoot through her body right down to her toes. He continued to stroke hypnotically back and forth, frowning at their hands as if it was a puzzle he had to solve.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Slowly he turned her hand over and rubbed his thumb across her palm and then up and down the length of each finger. It was one of the most erotic sensations she had ever felt.

"It doesn't feel like nothing."

For the first time since sitting down he looked at her, his face a mystery in the shadows of the moonlight. He placed her palm against his larger one and once again began rubbing the top of her hand, this time with his thumb.

"Remember when we watched 'An American in Paris'?"

Dana was startled by the sudden change in topic. "Uh-huh."

"Remember the scene under the bridge, where Gene Kelly is with Leslie Caron and at one point he reaches out and strokes his finger across her hand?"

Dana tried to swallow past the tightness in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest. He was like a strange magician casting a spell on her and she was drowning in the magic of it. She tried to remember the last time she'd had this feeling with a man and couldn't come up with a single instance. This was new.

He tore his attention away from their hands and looked at her again. She wished she could see his face. "You know,”he said quietly, "I don't think I've ever seen anything sexier in a film."

"Jack?" It was barely a whisper.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Kiss me."

For a moment he froze as if she had shocked him. Then slowly, ever so slowly he leaned towards her until his lips were merely a breath away, pausing a moment before gently touching his lips to hers. The spark of electricity that arced between them stunned them both into immobility. Then with a groan that seemed to come from his soul, Jack pulled her to him and deepened the kiss. Dana circled both arms around his neck and held on tightly. She couldn't remember a kiss ever feeling this good.

Finally, Jack pulled away slightly, dazed and a little scared at the intensity of the feelings washing over him. "Jeepers..."

"Would you please cut the commentary, and do that again?"

"Yes ma'am."

The first kiss took them by surprise; this one was more aware, deeper, slower and equally satisfying.

This time Dana was the first to pull away. She rested her face on his chest and mumbled into his shirt. "What's happening here?"

"Don't you know?"

Fear of putting a name to it, fear of what it meant to their friendship and to the bond they'd shared for so long, kept her silent. She simply shook her head. Jack knew not to rush things with her. She was far too special to him to ruin it all with rash actions.

"Well, when you figure it out let me know, okay? Come on, let's go back inside."

Silently they walked back towards the castle, lost in their own jumbled thoughts. On the way they passed an ancient oak, stretching its branches like arms across the night sky above them. Jack stopped and cocked his head as if listening. "Do you hear that?"

Dana did.

There was a whispering in the slight breeze, soft feathers of sound that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The words were unintelligible, but the tone was passionate. It seemed to be that of a man and a woman somewhere in the garden.

Dana strained to listen but just as she thought she could almost understand the words, the whispering stopped. She felt chill bumps chasing goose bumps down her back. With unspoken agreement, they hurried back into the castle, locking the door behind them.