The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  Congratulations! You’ve made it!

  Now give me my due,

  And what belonged to me

  Will belong to you.

  “I hate to be a killjoy, but do any of you know what the heck that’s supposed to mean?” Sebastian asked, frustration evident in his tone. “Why does everything have to be a riddle?” And before anyone could reply, he added, “And don’t you dare tell me that it would be too easy. I’m tired and my hands hurt. I want that treasure, and I want it now!”

  The others stood silently as Sebastian had his little tirade. Emma could certainly sympathize. It had been a long night, and she was tired too, not to mention worried about Doug. It seemed like ages ago since they had entered the passage in the lounge; and now that they were this close, the treasure still eluded them.

  “It’s got to be here,” Emma said quietly, as much to convince herself as the others. Despite her tiredness, she tried to think what the riddle could mean, but her weary brain refused to focus on the problem.

  Finally, Martha said, “The riddle says we’re supposed to give Lord Dinswood his due. How are we supposed to give a dead man anything? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Emma shook her head in agreement and looked over at the bronze image of Lord Dinswood. Suddenly, it struck her what was odd about it. Normally, a replica of a dead person lay resting with the arms crossed over the chest, but Lord Dinswood’s replica had only one arm over the chest. His right arm was lying by his side with the palm of the right hand facing up. Without a word, Emma walked over to the sarcophagus and looked more closely at the upturned hand. She let out a gasp of surprise when her suspicions were confirmed. “I think I know what the riddle is talking about!” she cried excitedly. “Give me the golden chest,” she instructed Martha.

  Martha quickly complied. Carefully, Emma placed the little chest in the bronze hand. It fit perfectly. Emma jumped back in fright as the fingers of the hand suddenly closed over the chest. A loud rumble began from somewhere under their feet. They all continued to watch in amazement as the hand holding the chest separated from the rest of the arm at the wrist and started to sink into the sarcophagus.

  “What did you do?” Sebastian asked in alarm.

  “I think she’s found the treasure,” Doug answered as the entire sarcophagus started sliding backward. For several seconds, all that could be heard in the little mausoleum was the deafening sound of stone scraping against stone as the sarcophagus moved back to reveal a set of steps leading downward. Once the sarcophagus had stopped moving and the dust had settled, they cautiously started down the steps with Doug in the lead. At the bottom of the stairs, they found a locked metal door. Turning to Martha, Doug said, “I hope the key we found in the golden chest fits this door.”

  Wordlessly, Martha handed him the key, and they each held their breath as he put it in the lock. Doug turned the key and the deadbolt slid back with an almost inaudible click. The door swung noiselessly inward on well-oiled hinges. After taking the lantern Sebastian had been holding, Doug stepped into the room beyond. The others came to stand beside him and froze in wonder as they took in the sight before them. They were in a large underground room, and it was filled with treasure chests all brimming with gold coins and jewelry and gems of every description, along with a multitude of gold and silver items, such as plates and cups.

  Sebastian was the first to find his voice.

  “Can you believe it? Just look at all this stuff!” Without waiting for the others to respond, he rushed over to the closest chest and began digging through its contents. The others soon followed suit, each finding a chest of their own to sift through and exclaiming out loud with each new discovery. Sebastian found a gold ring with an emblem of a wolf on it. Fascinated, he tried to put the ring on his finger, but it was awkward with his hands bandaged, and he ended up dropping it instead. He watched as it rolled behind the door. With a sigh, he got up to retrieve it.

  Martha found a beautiful diamond necklace and held it up for Emma to see. “Bring it here, and I’ll help you put it on,” Emma suggested with a giggle. While waiting for Martha, she continued digging through her chest and came upon a string of pearls. “Oh, Martha, look at these,” she said in awe as she slipped them over her head. “They’re so beautiful! I can’t believe we actually found the treasure!”

  “Do you know what this means?” Doug asked. He was kneeling in front of the chest next to Emma’s examining the contents as best he could with his right hand. As he asked the question, he sat back on his heels and looked at Emma.

  “It means Dinswood Academy is saved,” Emma answered with a smile, “and the school can have all of the things we talked about. I’d say there’s enough here to build a gym, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yeah, and then more students will want to come to school here,” Martha added.

  “This treasure will solve all of the school’s problems,” Doug agreed.

  “Then it’s a real shame that we have to take it,” a voice said from the doorway behind them.

  Startled, Emma dropped the cup she’d been holding and spun around to get a look at the owner of that oddly familiar voice. Doug and Martha did likewise. Behind them stood Mr. Hodges and another man who looked a great deal like him. There was no mistaking the fact that they were brothers. Doug quickly realized that this must have been the man he’d seen that day in Windland; the one who had conked him on the head in the alley. He had been convinced then that it was Mr. Hodges, but his father had said it was impossible. Seeing how much the two resembled one another, Doug could now understand his mistake. He looked over at Emma and saw from her shocked expression that she was thinking the same thing. Hodges stood there with an evil grin on his face, while the other man held a gun pointed at them.

  Hodges looked at Doug and said, “I think you’ve met my brother. That was an unfortunate mistake, of course. The school’s buses were supposed to have left Windland at four o’clock. Not knowing of the change in plans, Henry got careless and was spotted by the very one he was trying to avoid.”

  Doug returned Hodges’s stare but didn’t respond. Instead, he rose calmly to his feet and turned to face the two men.

  “Don’t get any ideas. I’m not afraid to use this gun.” Henry sneered as he looked them each over in turn. His gaze lingered for a moment on Emma. He’d come very close to snatching her right off the front steps of the school the night of the October Fest. If it hadn’t been for that old bitty Grimstock, he’d have succeeded.

  Doug didn’t like the way that Hodges’ brother was looking at Emma. He resolved right then that whatever the two men had planned, he was going to do his best to protect her. He didn’t have to wait long to find out what their fate was to be. Hodges’s next words removed all doubt.

  “Yes, my brother Henry here is right. He’s not at all afraid to use that gun. As it happens, we’re going to have to kill you all anyway.” His tone was apologetic, but his expression indicated more clearly than words that he was looking forward to watching them die. “You see, it will take us some time to get the treasure out of here, and we can’t risk you getting away and alerting the authorities.”

  Trying to stall for time, Doug asked, “How did you find us? You aren’t wet, so you can’t have come by way of the underwater passage.”

  It was Henry who answered Doug. “You’re right; we didn’t. You see, you’re not the only smart ones around here. As the school’s librarian, my brother has access to Dinswood’s private collection. It took him several months of searching, but he finally found a map of all of the secret passages—both in the castle and in the caves below it. You only found the ones Dinswood wanted you to find. There were other ways in and out of every room in the cave you entered tonight, but they were camouflaged so you couldn’t see them. We, on the other hand, had the map and were able to find them with ease.”

  Emma, who had been listening to the exchange, was dismayed to learn that they had been forced to take unnecessary risks. Doug had almost drowned and then broken his
arm, and she’d nearly gotten killed getting the flag. What had been Lord Dinswood’s purpose in making them go through it all? Then she remembered the riddle they’d found at the end of the passage. It said that they had passed every test. Dinswood had wanted them to earn the treasure, not simply have it given to them. Looking at Mr. Hodges and his brother, Emma felt that they had more than earned it.

  Despite what Hodges had said about killing them all, she wasn’t ready to give up just yet. She looked over at Doug and knew he wasn’t either. Emma wasn’t sure what Doug was planning, but she was prepared to follow his lead. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

  Doug cast a furtive glance at Emma and saw the look of determination on her face. It occurred to him that he might never get a chance to tell her how much he admired her in that moment. Her courage gave him strength, and he was more determined than ever to get them all out of this mess. Doug asked another question as he tried desperately to think of a way to save himself and the others. “How did you know we were going to enter the passage in the lounge tonight?”

  It was Mr. Hodges who answered Doug this time. “I found the map a couple of weeks ago. It was then that Henry and I decided to use the cover of the ball to get into the passage undetected. Imagine our surprise when we got to the lounge and found that it had already been opened. Of course, I immediately knew who had gotten there before us. But, alas, as you can see, your journey was all for naught. You led us right to the treasure, and now we’re going to take it.”

  As Hodges was speaking, Henry continued to leer at them with an evil expression. It was clear that he was eager to use the gun he was holding. Out of the corner of his eye, Doug noticed that Sebastian was still standing behind the door and had not yet been discovered by the two men. If Sebastian could take down Mr. Hodges, who was closest to him, maybe that would distract Henry enough to allow Doug to charge him. The problem was communicating what he was planning to do to Sebastian. Then suddenly Doug had an idea. Being careful not to give Sebastian’s position away by looking at him directly, Doug turned to Henry and said, “It’s a shame you didn’t go through the underwater passage. On the other side was an actual pirate ship. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. We went on board and found Lord Dinswood had left clues and tasks we had to perform. One of the things we had to do was swing the boom of the mainsail. I was the one who got to do it, and I can tell you that that thing was massive. If someone had been standing in front of it when I pushed it, I would have knocked them right off the ship.” Doug gave a nervous little laugh and then continued, “Anyway, all the clues finally led us to the key to this mausoleum.” When Doug finished speaking he saw that Henry was looking at him like he’d suddenly grown a third head. He just hoped Sebastian would understand what he was trying to tell him. They were running out of time.

  Doug had no sooner had the thought than Henry, tired of waiting, raised the gun and pointed it at his head. “I think I’ll kill you first,” he said with a grin. He was just preparing to pull the trigger when Sebastian thrust the door forward, slamming Hodges hard in the back of the head. At the precise instant Henry turned to see what all the commotion was about, Doug rushed at him from the side hitting him square in the gut with his uninjured shoulder. Without hesitation, Emma jumped into the fray adding her weight to Doug’s. Henry toppled over, and both she and Doug leapt on top of him. Martha hurried to assist Sebastian, but there was no need. Hodges lay motionless on the concrete floor. Seeing that Sebastian had things under control, she changed course and rushed over to where Emma and Doug were struggling with Henry. He was lying on his back, and Emma was sitting on the arm that was holding the gun. Martha began stomping on his hand and continued to do so until, with a cry of pain, he let go of the gun. Quickly, Martha kicked it away.

  “Get the gun, Martha,” Sebastian yelled, when he saw it skidding across the floor. Martha was just in the process of complying when they heard a loud shout from the doorway.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Henry stopped struggling, and all heads turned as one. Emma was shocked to see none other than Cal Thrabek standing there. Behind him, trying to peer over his shoulder, was Miss Grimstock. Emma could understand Miss Grimstock’s presence. Reggie had probably gone for help, but she was a little confused as to his choice of rescuers; and just how had he managed to find Cal Thrabek? Did Cal and Miss Grimstock know each other? Emma’s mind whirled with a thousand questions, but now was not the time to ask them. Emma looked over at the others and saw that they were just as confused as she was. Then she turned back to Cal. Despite his age, he looked intimidating with his white hair standing up in wild disarray and a pistol in his wrinkled but steady hand.

  As usual, it was Sebastian who was the first to speak. “Cal, what are you doing here?”

  Cal looked them all over with a critical eye before answering. “Well, I came to save you from these two criminals, but it looks like you don’t need my help.”

  “Trust me, sir, we are very glad to see you,” Doug said, grimacing in pain as he struggled to his feet.

  “I see you’ve broken your arm,” Cal noted with concern.

  “Yes sir, it’s been a long and difficult night, but it was worth it.” With a sweep of his good arm, Doug indicated the treasure behind him. Cal looked at the treasure, but his expression didn’t change.

  Emma found it a little strange that Cal did not seem at all surprised or impressed by what they had discovered—for that matter, neither did Miss Grimstock. What was going on?

  As if he had read her mind, Cal looked at Emma.

  “I know you all must have a lot of questions, and I promise you’ll get your answers; but first, I need to deal with these two, and you four need to get some rest. As Doug said, you’ve had a long night.” Then Cal took some handcuffs from his pocket and put them on the still befuddled Henry. Emma noticed that Mr. Hodges was beginning to regain consciousness. Cal noticed it too. “Now, if you will be so kind as to go with Miss Grimstock, I’ll finish up here and speak with you later.”

  “What about the treasure?” Sebastian asked anxiously as they prepared to leave with Miss Grimstock.

  “It’s not going anywhere,” Cal answered. Then his weathered face softened into a smile and putting a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder, he looked at them each in turn and said, “You’ve all done very well, and I’m extremely proud of you.”

  With Cal’s cryptic statements ringing in their ears, they dutifully followed Miss Grimstock up the stairs. Emma didn’t have a clue what was going on anymore, and she was too tired to care. Cal had promised that they would get answers and that was good enough for now. All that really mattered was that they had found the treasure and saved the school. As they exited the mausoleum, the sun was just coming up over the horizon. Stifling a yawn, Emma stumbled along behind the retreating figure of Miss Grimstock.

  When they got back to the school, Miss Grimstock took Doug and Sebastian to the infirmary and instructed Martha and Emma to go to their room. Susie and Clarice were sleeping soundly in their beds when the two girls entered. Emma wondered briefly what had happened to them and Reggie after they’d parted ways in the passage. She was certain that Susie would gladly tell her all about it later. Without even bothering to undress, Emma climbed into bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

  When Emma awoke, the sun was casting long shadows in the room, indicating that it was late afternoon. She looked over to where Martha lay, still sleeping soundly in her bed. Clarice and Susie’s beds were empty. As Emma sat up and stretched, her mind began replaying the events of the night. Briefly, she wondered if it had all been a dream, but when she looked down and saw that she was still dressed in the pirate clothes they’d found on the ship, she knew that it was all real. They had actually found the treasure. Dinswood Academy would now have enough money to build whatever was necessary to attract students. Of course, the school would still maintain the high academic standards for which it was famous, Emma reasoned.


  Just then Emma’s stomach growled, and she realized it had been quite a while since she had last eaten. She and Martha had slept through breakfast and lunch. Determined not to miss supper too, Emma got up and went into the bathroom to shower off the grime she’d accumulated during the night’s adventure. When she got into the bathroom, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was then that she noticed she was still wearing the pearl necklace she’d taken from one of the treasure chests. In all of the excitement, she’d forgotten all about it. Carefully, she took it off and laid it on the countertop. She would give it back at the first opportunity—after all, it didn’t belong to her; it belonged to the school.

  As she brushed her teeth, she wondered how Sebastian and Doug were doing. The rope burns on Sebastian’s hands hadn’t been that serious. Mrs. Godfrey, the school’s full-time nurse and wife of Mr. Godfrey, the math teacher, should have been able to take care of them. Doug’s injuries, however, would have required X-rays and a doctor. More than likely, he’d been taken to the hospital in Benton. Knowing how long the wait in a hospital emergency room could be, she didn’t expect to see Doug at supper. Emma hated the fact that Doug had gotten hurt, but when she thought about all they’d been through last night, she realized they should count themselves lucky that they hadn’t gotten killed—both in the passage and afterwards in the mausoleum. If Cal hadn’t arrived at the treasure room when he did, there’s no telling what would have happened. Although the four of them had seemed to have things in hand, Mr. Hodges and his brother could have turned the tables very easily. They’d only gotten the upper hand because Sebastian had surprised them. Emma shivered when she remembered how close Doug had come to being shot. Yes, all things considered, they’d been very fortunate, indeed.

  Martha was awake by the time Emma finished showering. Emma waited while Martha got ready, and then the two girls left for the dining room. When they entered, they found Sebastian sitting with Reggie, Clarice, and Susie. He motioned for them to come over with a wave of his bandaged hands. Mrs. Godfrey had wrapped his hands in such a way that he could still use his fingers. Martha noted that he wasn’t having any trouble holding his fork. In fact, he was making quick work of a tray piled high with food. Seeing the food made Martha realize how hungry she was. With a brief wave of acknowledgement to Sebastian, she hurried over to get a tray of her own.