Now that Uncle Adam’s lecture on keys was over, Peter looked inside the small capsule. “Yeah, there’s a piece of paper rolled inside. I got it!” His face screwed up a little as he looked at the diary paper. “Oh. It’s another poem. Here, you read it.” He thrust the note to Catie, who was more than happy to see what it said and read it aloud to the group:
“Mermaids are stuff of legends.
Folk tales, yarns, and lore.
In my mind they are beautiful.
You met a few. There are more.
This Mermaid’s Tale is finished.
Your daring feats are done.
There’s one last place to send you.
I hope you’ve had some fun.
Remember me tomorrow that’s
Shining at the end of ev’ry day.
I hope you like your treasure.
Like me, you have a place to stay.
106 Main Street.”
They all started talking at once.
“What does he mean you have a place to stay?”
“What’s at 106 Main Street? I’m not familiar with the numbers.”
“This sounds to me like this will be the last clue.”
“Is there any more pizza?”
“Can we go to Disneyland now and check it out?”
“You think this key fits whatever is at that address?”
“Mom! Sunnee just peed in the kitchen.”
“Do Catie and I get to keep what we find or do we have to share it?”
A loud, piercing whistle caused everyone to cover their ears. All eyes turned to the originator, Wolf. He had been quietly standing in the corner listening all evening. When the noise got to be too much, he put an end to it. “Now that I have your attention, why don’t we talk about the one thing that’s the most important?”
Peter held up the key he had gotten back from Adam. “This?”
“I think it’s the poem.” Catie blushed when all eyes turned to her. “Well, it does tell us where we need to go. Wherever that is….”
“I think we need to get the directory and find out what’s at 106 Main Street.”
Wolf shook his head and sighed. “No, Adam. That’s not what I meant. I think we need to discuss the mermaid and Omah. The three days are up tomorrow. Do you want your mom to have to face that woman alone while we’re at Disneyland?”
The reality of the situation smacked Adam in the face. “You’re right. I, for one, have been selfishly enjoying this Hidden Mickey quest and forgot all about Omah. I guess I lost track of time.”
“Can’t you take care of her, Wolf?”
“What would you like me to do, Peter?”
At Wolf’s pointed question, Peter had to stop and think. He didn’t expect to have to figure it out himself. “I dunno. You fix everything.”
“Well, sometimes I do. But this is different. Other than vague threats and, well, throwing a knife at you, she hasn’t done anything yet. Yet,” he stressed. He turned back to Adam. “Your mom says she only wants the mermaid the kids found in the attic. Is that the way you understood it? That she isn’t interested in the clue trail?”
Adam had to shrug. “Yeah, that’s the way I see it, too.” He looked around the group. “Did she say anything else to any of you that showed this isn’t true? That she wants nothing more than the mermaid?”
Peter’s face fell. “You mean I have to give her up? Well, what about the pearls? Can I keep those? She never seemed to be interested in them.”
“You’re right, Pete. The pearls have never been mentioned.” Lance lifted a shoulder as he thought. “I don’t see why not. We’ll figure them out later to see if there is some connection to the mermaid.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Wolf came over to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. “I think giving up the mermaid might solve everything. You have a lot of other things you and Catie have gotten—including those pearls and the promise of something else on Main Street. We’re talking about getting rid of a nuisance. There won’t be any more threats to Grandma Margaret—or Catie and you. Isn’t it worth it?”
Already sitting next to Peter, Catie put a hand on his arm. “I think Wolf is right. I hate to see the mermaid go, too, but I…I don’t want to be afraid every time I go to Disneyland any more.”
“I didn’t know you were afraid, Catie.” Peter looked down at the small hand on his arm. He began to feel guilty for making a fuss about the mermaid. “Let’s go take the mermaid to Grandma Margaret. We can all be there when that woman comes back.”
Wolf and the other adults in the room gave a nod. “Good choice, Peter.”
Yorba Linda
“As happy as I am to see all of you, why aren’t you two in school?” Margaret gave her granddaughter and Peter a hug. She looked a little surprised when Adam and Beth, Lance and Kimberly, and Wolf all trooped in through her front door. “No Alex and the boys? To what do I owe this honor?” With a smile she accepted a bright yellow paper bag that Peter held out to her. “What’s this?”
“It’s a replacement for the can opener that we broke when we opened the gray capsule. I couldn’t find the exact same thing, so I hope you like it.”
Margaret looked at the bright gold of the rotary phone dialer and knew it had to have come back with Peter through time—however that worked…. “So, your…trip was successful?”
Kimberly put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. She could tell he was about to launch into a lengthy dissertation of their trip. “Yes, it went really well. We’ll tell you all about it later. Is, uh, John here?”
Knowing what she meant, Margaret shook her head. “It’s okay to talk. He’s at the home improvement store.” Then, hands clasped together, she asked what was closest to her heart, her eyes shining. “So, did you get to visit with your dad? Was it wonderful?”
Thinking only of what his dad might be doing next, Adam looked around the living room. “What’s he working on now? The place looks perfect.”
Margaret took Adam’s interruption in stride. With a wink to Kimberly, she mouthed the words ‘we’ll do lunch soon and talk.’ “The place looks perfect to you, Adam, but not to your dad. You know how he loves to putter ever since he turned the construction company over to you. I think we’re getting a new pond out back.”
“Well, we wanted to be here just in case Omah comes back. This is the day she said she would.”
The fond smile faded at Lance’s words and Margaret gave a heavy sigh. She had been desperately trying not to think of it. “I’m still hoping she’ll forget and not show up. You think it’s necessary for all of you to be here? You think she’s that much of a threat?” Peter’s movement caught her eye and she saw him take the mermaid in question out of his backpack. “So, you decided to let her have it?”
“I’d like to let her have it….” Wolf looked up when suddenly all eyes turned to him. “Did I say that out loud? Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” Adam silently agreed with him. “We know how you feel, Wolf. Yes, Mom, we thought it’d be best. We want to question her first. You know, make sure this is all she wants and that she won’t be back. That sort of thing.”
Margaret looked at the worried faces of Peter and Catie. Her maternal, grandma instinct kicked in and she felt she needed to do something to lighten the mood. “Say, since this seems to be I-didn’t-have-to-go-to-school Day, why don’t we have a nice picnic out by the pool? You two kids come with me and we’ll fix something special for lunch. How does that sound? I made a nice pumpkin bread for Grandpa John that he won’t mind sharing.”
Lance looked up from his plateful of food. “I hope this won’t take too long. We need to get to Main Street. Say, where’s Wolf? He didn’t leave, did he?”
“I think he stationed himself by the front door. He doesn’t want Omah to surprise us.”
“Now wasn’t that selfish of him. I thought everyone liked surprises.”
Everyone startled at the sarcastic, superior voice of Omah as she walked around the far edge of the
pool.
“How did you get in here?” Adam immediately stood to challenge her as he stepped in front of his wife and daughter.
Kimberly took the moment of diverted attention to shoo the kids inside. “Go in the house, honey. Peter, let Wolf know we have a visitor, won’t you? And then stay put!”
Omah extended a hand and tried to approach Kimberly. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m….”
“I know who you are.” Kimberly’s words were calm but pointed as she folded her arms over her chest. She did not want to shake hands with this woman.
Adam took a step closer to Omah. “I think you can stay right where you are. We need to talk.”
She looked Adam up and down. “This is your boy, Margaret? I see the resemblance to John. How…sweet.”
Before anyone could respond, Wolf stormed through the patio door. “We need to talk, Omah.”
Amused, she looked from Adam to Wolf. “Is there an echo in here? I don’t think you all rehearsed who should say what. This could get boring if everyone keeps repeating themselves.”
Wolf pointed to an empty patio chair. “Sit.”
“Arf.” Omah grinned at her joke but chose to remain where she was, her blue eyes narrow as they stared back at Wolf.
They could all see him grind his teeth. He wasn’t one for pleasantries. “Would you have a seat so we can discuss the matter?”
“Why, thank you. I think I will.” With a grand flourish, she settled into the chair as a queen onto her throne. “Now, what is there really to discuss? I want my mermaid. Where is it?”
Adam put a restraining hand on Wolf’s arm to indicate he would take over for now. Wolf took one, small step back, his only concession. “Now that we are all comfortable, we can begin.” Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw a movement and glanced at the patio door. Peter and Catie used the curtains as a shield as they watched and listened to the proceedings. “I will first off say that we do have the mermaid here.” He held up a hand when Omah was about to rise from the chair. “I’m not done.”
She sank back and glared at him. “Then get on with it. Now that I know you all have become reasonable, I have someplace to go.”
“In due time. As I said, we brought the mermaid as you…requested. What we want to make perfectly clear is that, once you have the mermaid, you will never again approach any of us. Not Lance or Kimberly. Not me. Not Margaret. And especially not any of the children. We don’t want to see you or even hear your name mentioned. Is that clear? Is that understandable?”
Omah looked up from working on a cuticle with an extremely sharp nail file she had pulled out of her jacket’s pocket. “Oh, you’re done? Is that all? Anything else I should ‘understand’?”
“Put that away.”
Omah looked at the nail file and then held it up for Wolf to see. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you afraid of my nail file? Good thing I didn’t bring scissors. You might have had a heart attack.”
If it had been possible, Wolf would have gotten angrier. Lance put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I am not afraid of you. Enough of this.” Lance’s hand was roughly pushed away. He stalked over to the chair where he was regarded with a cool, even stare. “You will make the promise and leave, or….”
“Or what? We’re just having a nice chat here. Is he always this impetuous?”
“Do not toy with me, woman. You have threatened the children and scared people that I care about. And this needs to end now!”
“Threaten?” She looked genuinely taken aback. “How in the world did I threaten the darling children?”
“You threw a knife at them.”
“Oh, that.” A manicured hand airily waved him off. “I missed, didn’t I?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at the imposing Wolf who still stood over her. “And I never miss. I always hit what I aim at. Don’t forget that.”
Margaret had had enough of this and took a step forward. She could tell Wolf was just about to burst a vein in his neck. Cooler heads needed to prevail. “Omah, all we want is the promise that you will take the mermaid and leave us alone.” She tried to appeal to the woman’s reasonable side—if she had one. “You and I had some fun together as mermaids at Disneyland a long time ago. I’d rather have that memory of you than this one.”
As Omah looked over at Margaret, her expression seemed to soften a little. “All I wanted was the mermaid. I tried to ask nicely, but that didn’t work.”
“Why do you want it so badly? We can’t figure that part out.”
Beth received a sharp glance when Omah abruptly stood from her chair. The easier moment Margaret had created vanished. Angry again, she paced back and forth across the deck as she talked, her words spilling out in a heated rush. “What difference does that make to you people? I thought I made it clear. I have to give it back to…someone. It was part of a test and I failed when it was stolen and I couldn’t find it. I have to prove I’m not a failure. Now give me my mermaid and I will leave you alone!”
The adults all exchanged looks as Omah stopped and just stood there, her breathing rapid and uneven. Surely she had to know Walt had been gone all those years. Was she mad? Had the decades-long search deranged her mind? Would she keep her promise to stay away once she realized Walt would never know she retrieved the mermaid?
Peter came slowly through the patio door, the red-headed mermaid held carefully in his hands. Catie followed a moment later.
“Son….”
“Its okay, Dad. It has to go to her. It won’t get any better if it doesn’t.”
Omah whirled around at the sound of Peter’s voice. In her haste, she dropped the nail file. As she stooped to retrieve it, eyes only on the boy, the sharp edge was unknowingly held out in front of her as Peter approached.
“Stop her!”
“Ouch!”
“Peter, get back!”
With a clumsy movement, Omah had grabbed the mermaid from Peter and quickly turned on her heels. She was only four steps ahead of Wolf as she raced for the stand of trees at the back of the yard.
The rest of the adults pushed the children back into the house.
“We need to help Wolf!”
“Wolf can take care of himself, Peter. Did she hurt you? Did she stab you?”
“I don’t know. My finger’s bleeding. Musta been when she grabbed the mermaid.”
“He’s all right.” Her heart pounding, Kimberly looked her son over and then examined the cut. Relieved, she could tell it was just a scrape. “I don’t want to believe this was intentional.”
As one, they all turned when the patio door jerked opened. A glowering Wolf stood there, his hair covered with leaves. “She got away.”
“What do you mean she got away? Where is there to go? The property is surrounded by a tall fence!”
Wolf’s glared turned on Adam. “I don’t know how she did it. Again.” He growled out that last word. “I’m getting tired of her vanishing like that without a trace.”
No one seemed to know what to do next. Seeing how angry he was, Margaret came over and began to pick the leaves out of Wolf’s silver-tipped black hair. “Well, however she did it, she’s gone. Thank you for your help, Wolf. I’m glad you were here.”
Wolf let her calm voice and steady movements accomplish what she intended—he settled down. “You’re welcome. I don’t think she’ll bother you again, Margaret.”
She took the last leaf off his head and patted his shoulder. “Then our mission is done and we can all relax now. Would anyone like another piece of pumpkin bread?”
“Dad, can we go to Disneyland now? I want to search Main Street.”
Relieved that the tension in the room lessened, Margaret went over to give Peter a hug. “So, you were successful. You know where to go next?” At his eager nod, she smiled. “Oh, how I’d love to go with you, but I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
Adam frowned when she went to the sofa and sat. “Are you okay, Mom?”
She waved him off. “Ye
s, yes, dear. I’m just not used to that much conflict and yelling. It makes me nervous.”
Beth went over to give her mother-in-law a hug. “I agree. We were hoping it wouldn’t come to that, but she seemed somewhat…unstable.”
“I’ll be fine. John will be home any time now. I’ll have him take me shopping. That always settles me down!”
“Oh, Dad will be thrilled to hear that.”
She gave a bright smile and stood. “Yes, he will, won’t he?” With a laugh, she waved them all to the front door and gave them each a warm hug. “Come back and tell me what you find!”
Since each family had boys who would soon be home from school, it had to be decided who would accompany Peter and Catie to the Park. With a triumphant “Ha!,” Kimberly and Beth won a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Adam begrudgingly got into Lance’s Jaguar so Beth could drive the search party to Disneyland in her car.
“We’ll see you later tonight. Not sure how long this will take.”
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it, Beth.”
“Hey, it’s been a long time since I was on a treasure hunt. I’m as excited about it as Catie!” She put the Jeep into gear and waved as they drove off.
“We could hire sitters and follow them.” Lance glanced over at Adam as he started his car.
Adam gave a sigh. “Yeah, I thought of that, too. No, let them have their fun. I’m sure we’ll hear all about it later.”
Lance gave a noncommittal grunt. “It’s more fun to be there. I know Wolf will show up on Main Street.”
“He didn’t say anything.”
Adam received a half-smile from Lance. “Does he ever?”
“True.”
Kimberly and Beth hung back as the kids ran back and forth across Main Street. Not all the buildings had addresses, so they had to use deductive reasoning to figure out which one should be number 106.
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