Carl grunted. He wasn’t pleased. But then he spied something against a wall. It was a couple of iron cuffs on chains.
“That’ll do,” said Callous.
He tossed Jack against the wall and quickly shackled him. Jack yanked his arms, trying to pull the chains out of the wall. But that didn’t work. Callous picked up one of the broken iron bars from the floor.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for months,” he said as he approached Jack. “Fate has brought you and me together again for a reason.”
Carl lifted the bar over his head. Somewhere outside in the distance, Jack could hear something familiar. The sound was coming closer. Callous’s crazed eyes glared at Jack.
“This is the last time,” he said, “that you’re going to come between me and my treasure.”
“Any last words?” asked Callous as he lifted the iron bar even higher.
Jack didn’t speak. He curled himself into a ball. Callous swung the bar downward.
BLAM!
The door to the jailhouse slammed to the floor. Something flew into the room.
Woof!
Woof!
Woof!
“What the—” said Callous, turning around.
Callie leaped up at Callous, sinking her teeth into his arm.
“Owww!” he howled in pain, letting go of the bar. It fell to the floor.
“Let go of me, you dumb dog!” shouted Callous as he tried to shake his arm free.
But Callie wasn’t letting go.
Thinking quickly, Jack slipped his fingers under the cuff on his left wrist. He reached for his Melting Ink Pen at the side of his Watch Phone. He rubbed it against the cuff and watched as the inky chemical quickly ate through the iron. With one wrist free, he used it to free his other hand.
Jack had to find Max. Last he knew, Lenny was going to “take care of him.”
“Callie, come!” said Jack.
The dog let go of Callous’s arm and sprinted out of the jailhouse with Jack. The two of them raced toward the saloon.
Boiling in anger, Callous followed. He called to his men.
“Get after them!” he shouted.
Lenny and Benny came out of the saloon. When they saw Jack, they started to chase him too.
Jack raced past the cart and swiped his Book Bag. He put his thumb on the zip and popped it open. Reaching inside, he pulled out the GPF’s Net Tosser. He hadn’t used this device since his mission to China. But it was a perfect device for catching greedy gold hunters.
Jack looked over his shoulder. Callous, Lenny, and Benny were running side by side. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the men.
“Your days of hunting treasure are over!” he shouted, as he tossed the ring into the air as far as he could. It hovered over the men until its position was just right.
Then it burst open, casting a wide net. The net fell to the ground, trapping Callous Carl, Lenny, and Benny inside.
“It’s like a giant octopus!” hollered Lenny.
“Get us out of this thing!” shouted Callous, yanking on the rope.
But the Net Tosser was inescapable. The sides were permanently stuck to the ground.
That didn’t stop Carl from trying. He pulled out his knife and tried to slice through the ropes. Little did he know, the GPF had made them with a special fiber that was yank-proof, cut-proof, and fireproof. Callous fired off a shot with his gun, but the bullet only ricocheted around inside. It bounced off the sides of the net, nearly hitting his men.
“Are you trying to get us killed!” said Benny.
Eventually, the bullet plugged itself into the dirt.
After twenty minutes, the men gave up trying. They grumpily plonked themselves on the ground in the road. Jack asked Callie to stand guard.
“Sit,” he said.
Callie dutifully sat in front of the net. Every time the men moved, she growled at them, flashing them her pointed white teeth.
Chapter 15
The Nose Knows
With the criminals now under control, Jack set about trying to find Max. His first stop was the saloon.
Sure enough, Max was there. Lenny had tied Max to one of the chairs. Jack opened the heel of Max’s left boot and pulled out his pocketknife. He used it to set Max free.
“Thanks,” said Max, rubbing his sore wrists.
Together, the boys made their way outside.
Walking toward them was a familiar face. It was Mary.
“There you are!” she said. “Callie and I were looking all over for you. She ran ahead. It’s taken me a while to catch up!”
Just then, Mary noticed Callie. Her dog was sitting in the middle of the road, glaring at some frustrated-looking men under a net. She recognized Lenny and Benny.
“Are those the guys from the river?” she said. “What are they doing here?”
The boys told her what had happened. They explained how the men had tried to steal the gold. Like Callie, she narrowed her eyes at the men.
“It looks like they got what they deserved,” she said. “Did you manage to recover the treasure?”
Jack and Max escorted her to the flat wooden cart. On top of it was the strongbox. Mary opened the lid. She surveyed the contents inside.
“Everything seems to be here,” she said. “Without the two of you,” she added, “that might not have been the case.”
“How did you and Callie find us?” asked Max. After all, the last time they’d seen Mary, she was a few hundred yards downriver on the opposite side.
“You’re not going to believe this,” said Mary. “But after I found Callie, we hiked back to the spot where the boat tipped over.”
Mary directed her next comments to Jack.
“I let her sniff the fabric that you gave me to cover my cut,” she said. “She smelled it and tracked your scent.”
Jack couldn’t believe it. He already knew Callie was an amazing dog. But to have tracked him all this way meant that she had a very special skill indeed. He walked over to her and knelt down, so that his face was in front of her hers. He looked Callie in the eye.
“You’re incredible,” he said, giving her a kiss.
Callie gave Jack a kiss too. All over his face.
Chapter 16
The Farewell
Jack used his Watch Phone to contact the local authorities. Within the hour, the Placer County police had arrived. Jack released the ropes to the Net Tosser using his Watch Phone. They scooped the men up off the ground, cuffed them, and then dragged them to a waiting helicopter.
“Can we call our momma?” said Benny. “I need to tell her we won’t be home for dinner.”
As they boarded the helicopter, Callous Carl looked down at Jack. He snarled and curled his upper lip. But this time, the man didn’t intimidate Jack. The “world’s most dangerous treasure hunter” was no longer. Jack had managed to beat him… twice. The man was now going to a maximum security prison where there was absolutely no chance of escape.
As soon as the men were inside, the helicopter door closed. The chopper took off.
Mary and Callie came to say good-bye.
“The police are taking us and the strongbox to the next town,” said Mary.
Mary hugged the boys, like a mother would hug her sons.
“I’m so proud of the two of you,” she said. “Thanks again for everything that you did.”
“We’re happy we could help,” said Jack.
He bent down to Callie. She gave him her paw. He shook it.
“I’m going to miss you,” he told Callie. Jack could feel the sting of tears forming in his eyes. “You saved my life.”
“We’ll keep in touch,” said Mary.
One of the male police officers interrupted them.
“We’re ready for you, ma’am,” he said as he gently placed his hand on her back.
Mary and Callie followed the policeman to a second chopper. Two other policemen lifted the strongbox into the craft. After helping Mary and Callie inside, they closed the doo
r behind them.
Jack and Max could see Mary and Callie sitting together inside. The Stalwart brothers waved to them. Then Mary, Callie, and the strongbox disappeared into the sky.
Chapter 17
The New Recruit
After using their GPF’s Portable Maps, Jack and Max returned home to England. Over the next several days, they rested. They weren’t called on any missions, so they got to do what ordinary kids did at night. They worked on their homework, played games with their family, and read books.
One day after school, Jack came home to find an envelope lying on his desk. The outside made it look like a letter from a “Book of the Month” club. The return address was “Great Picks for Fiver,” or GPF. This clever trick was how the GPF sent snail mail letters to its agents without their parents finding out.
Jack ripped open the envelope. Inside was a photograph of Callie.
She was sitting proudly, wearing a gold medal draped around her shoulders. Standing next to her was Mary. Jack flipped the photo over. There was a handwritten message on the other side.
Dear Jack,
Thought you’d like to see the GPF’s latest recruit! Because of Callie’s extraordinary work in saving you, the GPF recently awarded her with its highest honor—the “Gold Medal of Bravery.” Can you believe it? They’ve also asked her to become a K-9 agent. Doesn’t she look proud of herself?
Callie will continue to live and travel with me, but whenever the GPF needs her, she’ll be reporting for duty. Hopefully, the two of you will be able to work again together soon.
Lots of love,
Mary and Callie
P.S. Thanks again for everything that you and Max did to save the strongbox. The contents have now been authenticated and are on their way to the 1849 Museum in San Francisco, California. This way, children can learn more about the California Gold Rush.
Jack looked at the photo of Callie and smiled. He was so proud of her. There were only ten dogs in the world worthy of being chosen for the GPF K-9 unit. Jack only wished he’d been there for the ceremony to shake her paw.
Although he wanted to post Callie’s photo on his pegboard, he couldn’t. His parents had no idea that he and Max were secret agents for the GPF. This photo was going to have to remain top secret too.
Jack walked over to his bookshelf and pulled out his American history book. This was one of his several Diversion Safes. Jack opened it up to the hollowed out center. Already inside were a few of his mementos.
The necklace from Chief Abasi in Kenya was there, as was the fake press pass from his adventure in Italy. The coded note from Max was in there too. This was the letter that Jack used to figure out where Max was in Egypt. Jack placed Callie’s photo on the top of the stack.
He looked one last time at her smiling face.
“Hope to see you again soon,” he said.
Then Jack closed the book and placed it back on the shelf.
THE SECRET AGENTS JACK AND MAX STALWART SERIES
Book 1—The Battle for the Emerald Buddha (Thailand)
Book 2—The Adventure in the Amazon (Brazil)
Book 3—The Fate of the Irish Treasure (Ireland)
Book 4—The Race for Gold Rush Treasure California (USA)
THE SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART SERIES
Book 1—The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur New York (USA)
Book 2—The Search for the Sunken Treasure (Australia)
Book 3—The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (France)
Book 4—The Caper of the Crown Jewels (England)
Book 5—The Secret of the Sacred Temple (Cambodia)
Book 6—The Pursuit of the Ivory Poachers (Kenya)
Book 7—The Puzzle of the Missing Panda (China)
Book 8—Peril at the Grand Prix (Italy)
Book 9—The Deadly Race to Space (Russia)
Book 10—The Quest for Aztec Gold (Mexico)
Book 11—The Theft of the Samurai Sword (Japan)
Book 12—The Fight for the Frozen Land (Arctic)
Book 13—The Hunt for the Yeti Skull (Nepal)
Book 14—The Mission to Find Max (Egypt)
For more information visit www.elizabethsingerhunt.com
See where the adventure began…
Book 1:
The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur (New York City, USA)
Book 2:
The Search for the Sunken Treasure (Australia)
Book 3:
The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (France)
Book 4:
The Caper of the Crown Jewels (England)
Book 5:
The Secret of the Sacred Temple (Cambodia)
Book 6:
The Pursuit of the Ivory Poachers (Kenya)
Book 7:
The Puzzle of the Missing Panda (China)
Book 8:
Peril at the Grand Prix (Italy)
Book 9:
The Deadly Race to Space (Russia)
Book 10:
The Quest for Aztec Gold (Mexico)
Book 11:
The Theft of the Samurai Sword (Japan)
Book 12:
The Fight for the Frozen Land (Arctic)
Book 13:
The Hunt for the Yeti Skull (Nepal)
Book 14:
The Mission to Find Max (Egypt)
Join Jack and Max in their other adventures…
The Race for Gold Rush Treasure: USA Page 4