Too Much Stuff Read Free Page A

message?”
    “Obviously it’s from my great-grandfather. Written to his wife, as I said. He says, in a very short message, that he has survived the storm.”
    “That’s it? Why did he write in code? Was this something they did for fun?” It made no sense to me.
    “As to why the code, I have no idea. And as to the content of the letter, of course there is more,” her voice stern like a schoolteacher’s. “He describes the location of a hotel that had been blown off of its foundation. The Coral Belle. The two-story inn had been owned by the railroad, and, as I said, this was where Matthew Kriegel was to stay the night of the hurricane.”
    “Why would he describe someplace that didn’t exist anymore?”
    “First of all, there were sixty-three buildings in Islamorada before the hurricane. Sixty-one of them were blown apart. But,” she pointed her finger at James, “the foundation of the inn remained. It was made from actual poured concrete.”
    “And?” I hated people who dragged out a story. James, on the other hand, was like a puppy dog, hanging on her every word.
    “And, he said that if she did not hear from him in four weeks, she should find her way from Miami to Islamorada and dig under the southeast corner of the stone and concrete slab.”
    James was practically salivating. “How cool. He buried the gold. Oh, man, buried treasure.”
    She shook her head. “The letter alludes to the fact that there would be instructions for her there. To bury that much gold he’d need more than the corner of a slab of concrete. This was ten crates of gold, each weighing two hundred pounds.”
    A telephone rang from inside the suite and she went to answer it.
    “Pard, this could be very cool. I mean if no one ever found the instructions it could mean that—”
    “And I’m certain that the slab under the Coral Belle is still right where it was, seventy-five years later.” Give me a break.
    He was quiet for a moment. “There’s always that.”
    “James, it sounds like a wild-goose chase. We were crazy for coming here. You know it, I know it.”
    “Dude, she’s investing some money in this venture. She believes the gold is here, and the lady is no dummy.”
    She walked back onto the balcony, a thin cover-up thrown over her bathing suit and I noticed the look of disappointment on my friend’s face.
    “We may have a little problem.”
    It was so unusual for James and me to have any problems. Only about every ten minutes.
    “What is it? Something we can take care of?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know. Someone called the resort office and asked if I’d registered here.”
    “A friend? Relative?”
    “No.” She walked to the edge of the balcony, gripping the rail with one hand and looking out at the water.
    “Who?”
    “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. No one. You two are the only people who knew where I was going and where I was staying.”
    “Wow.” James was impressed to be in select company.
    “And I told you not to say a word to anyone.”
    “I didn’t.” I hadn’t even told Emily, my girlfriend, and I tell her almost everything. That is, when we’re speaking.
    “Skip?” She had this disapproving look in her eyes. “Your girlfriend Emily is the one who gave me your business card. She’s the reason I hired you. Are you positive you didn’t tell her where you were going?”
    “To the Keys. That’s all I said.”
    She swung her gaze to James.
    He shook his head back and forth.
    “You’re sure?”
    James turned to me. “Well, I might have just mentioned it to the manager at Cap’n Crab. Julie wanted to know why I was taking two weeks off work.”
    “You mentioned this specific spot?”
    “Oh, maybe I mentioned something,” his voice faded away.
    “Someone knows I’m here. My guess is they also know why.”
    “This thing happened over seventy-five years ago. I mean who would know? Who would care?”
    “Who would care? Let me tell you something. Something I didn’t