Buried Secrets at Louisbourg Read Free Page B

said. “What’s wrong, muscle still cramped?”
    He nodded again, but this time with a small smile. Nurse Mai’s attention—he liked that.
    â€œYou probably need water. Have some of mine.” She held out her insulated water bottle.
    â€œThanks.” Fred grabbed it, his heart skipping a beat as his fingers brushed hers. He tilted his head back and guzzled a mouthful.
    â€œI’m sick of this. Talk about boring—it’s nothing like looking for fossils.” Grace tugged off her Dalhousie baseball cap and rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead. “Besides, it’s a gazillion degrees out here.”
    â€œWhat’s going on, Fred?” Mai asked.
    â€œYeah, and it better be worth it.” Grace flopped down on the ground beside him, stretching out her legs.
    Fred stared up at the sky. He’d found the box. So it wouldn’t be jinxing anything to talk about it now, would it? His problems were over. He could tell them. He wanted to.
    â€œFred!”
    â€œGimme a minute, Grace.”
    â€œWe almost got arrested for you today,” she griped. “You owe us.”
    â€œOwe you?” Fred said. “How many times did we almost get arrested for
you
just a few months ago?”
    â€œEnough, you two!” Mai said. “Fred, we’re your best friends. You can tell us anything.” She reached over and gave his arm a squeeze.
    Mai’s slender hand on his arm made his mouth go dry. “Sorry I’ve been kind of mysterious. It’s…well…complicated.”
    â€œIt’s you, Fred,” Grace joked. “How complicated can it be?”
    â€œSee?” he protested. “You never take me seriously. That’s why I didn’t tell you in the first place.”
    â€œSorry.” She grinned. “I couldn’t resist.”
    â€œYou’ll be taking that back,” he said, gulping another swig of water.
    â€œWait. I need chocolate,” Grace said. “Break out your stash.”
    â€œDon’t mention chocolate,” Fred groaned. “I’m starving, too.”
    â€œWell, where is it?” Grace asked.
    â€œNo stash.”
    Mai and Grace had identical shocked expressions on their faces. “No stash?” Mai said. “But you always have chocolate. Loads of chocolate. You don’t go anywhere without it.”
    He squirmed, not willing to share
that
much of his story. “Didn’t have time,” he lied.
    â€œGreat, Fred,” Grace complained. “
I
didn’t bring anything to eat because
you
always do.”
    â€œDon’t worry, I have food,” Mai said. She zipped open a side compartment. Fred swore he’d never seen a backpack with so many pouches.
    Grace rolled her eyes at him.
Ick
, she mouthed, pointing to Mai’s pack.
    Fred nodded, making a face. Anything Mai had brought hadn’t come from the junk food section at the corner store, that was for sure.
    â€œVoila!” Mai said. “High-fibre meal bars. I keep them for emergencies.”
    Fred unwrapped one and took an unenthusiastic bite. Nuts and birdseed weren’t much of a substitute for chocolate, but his growling stomach wasn’t so choosy.
    Sighing and chomping off another bite, he settled back to tell his tale. “It all started over two hundred and fifty years ago at this very place…” He paused, lowering his voice. “With a stolen identity, a fortune in jewels, and
a murder
!”

Chapter 1

    â€œMurder?” Mai’s eyes grew bigger than ever. “There was a murder?”
    Several volunteers glanced their way.
    â€œNot so loud,” Fred hissed.
    â€œSorry!”
    â€œAnyway,” he continued, his voice barely a whisper now, “Claude Gagnon was my great, great, great, great, great, great…wait a sec—how many greats was that?”
    Grace kicked his ankle.
    â€œOkay, okay! Gagnon was my ancestor. And he lived right here, at