Bailey and the Santa Fe Secret Read Free

problem.”
    “Yeah, well I’ll show them.” Elan turned and stomped back into the store, ending the conversation.
    Bailey glanced at Elizabeth and Aiyana. “You don’t think he’ll do anything crazy, do you?”
    “I doubt it,” Elizabeth replied. “He’s just mad.”
    “Those boys make him mad all the time,” Aiyana added. “He’s never done anything about it before.”
    Bailey inhaled deeply and blew out her breath through her mouth. She hoped Elizabeth and Aiyana were right.

The Mystery of the Mine
    Inside Earth Works, Bailey wandered the aisles looking at the pottery, trying to forget what she’d just seen and heard. Her fury at the boys slowly subsided, though a dull ache remained inside her. Soon her eyes were drawn to a pot sitting on a shelf in a hallway toward the back of the store. She slipped toward it to take a closer look.
    The pot was round and full at the bottom, but tapered up to a narrow neck and out again to form a wider lip. Standing only about eight inches tall, it was painted in intricate detail. A sunset desert landscape—complete with prickly pear cacti, mountains, and tiny quail—encircled the wide, round pot belly. The painted sunset blazed in brilliant orange, yellow, and pink just behind the rugged mountain. The pot took Bailey’s breath away. She reached out and touched it. Then she picked it up.
    “No!” Aiyana yelled.
    Bailey jumped, almost dropping the pot. She quickly set it back on the shelf.
    “You can’t touch that.” Aiyana flew to her side, taking Bailey’s hand to pull her an arm’s reach away from the pot.
    “I—I’m sorry.” Bailey felt the weight of disappointment descend on her like a heavy Native American blanket. How she wanted to hold that gorgeous pot and examine every inch of its painted picture. “I—I didn’t know.”
    Elizabeth went to Bailey. “Is it some kind of special pot?”
    “It is a pot that has been handed down from generation to generation in our family.”
    “It’s beautiful!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
    “We keep it back here so no one bothers it.”
    “I could still see it from the main store area,” Bailey said. “You might want to hide it better so no customers try to buy it.”
    “We would never sell it even if someone offered us a fortune for it.” Aiyana’s black brown eyes became serious.
    “Even if they offered you a million dollars?” Bailey teased.
    Aiyana shook her head. “Not even a trillion.”
    “Wow. I guess some things are worth more than all the money in the world.” Elizabeth smiled at Aiyana.
    Aiyana looked down, studying her small, nervous hands.
    “Aiyana? Are you all right?” Bailey asked.
    The girl nodded, still not looking at Bailey and Beth.
    “You sure?” Elizabeth asked. “Did we say something we shouldn’t have?”
    Suddenly Aiyana looked up at the girls, a determined fire in her eyes. “If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?”
    Bailey and Elizabeth leaned in to hear what Aiyana would say. “Of course we’ll keep your secret,” Bailey said. “What is it?”
    Aiyana stepped closer and said softly, “My grandmother used to say that this old pot held the key to riches.”
    “Riches?” Elizabeth sounded surprised. “Do you know what she meant by that?”
    “I’m not really sure.” Aiyana scrunched up her face in apology. “Maybe she meant it would remind us of our rich family background.” She paused and scratched her head like she’d never thought about this so much before. “But Mama said
her
grandma always told her that behind the sunset our treasure awaits.”
    “Was she talking about this pot?” Bailey asked.
    Aiyana nodded.
    “‘Behind the sunset our treasure awaits,’” Elizabeth repeated. “I don’t know what that means.”
    “Me neither,” Aiyana said.
    “That’s totally mysterious. Sort of reminds me of the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Maybe they used to keep their money hidden in it.” Bailey looked closely at the pot, being