The Treasure Hunt Club

by Michael Scott Clifton

  “Oh, so sleeping with me on our first date represents this … this commitment you’re talking about, Abby? Here I buy a condo and ask you to live with me, and I’m the one with commitment problems? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Nick said, laughing harshly.

  Nothing was said for long moments while both Abby and Nick stood silently fuming. Finally, sniffing back tears, Abby turned and faced Nick.

  “I don’t regret that night, Nick, and I’m sorry you have chosen to cheapen the memory of it, but let me explain something to you! Everybody, including you, wants—no, needs—somebody to cherish them! I thought I had found that person when I married Rob. As you have so … so thoughtfully reminded me that didn’t work out so … so … “ Abby’s voice began to crack as tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

  “So I met you,” Abby said in a tremulous voice, hoarse with emotion. “Someone who told me at a particularly vulnerable time in my life that, ‘If I had been his, he would never have let me go.’ You don’t know how badly I needed to hear that, Nick. I needed to know that I was the center of some- one’s universe.”

  Hitching her purse over her shoulder, Abby absently wiped the tears from her eyes before continuing. “From that moment, I knew I was falling in love with you, and I slept with you, Nick, not out of any pent up physical desire, but because I wanted to spend the night in the arms of someone who I thought truly loved me too.”

  “So as crazy as it sounds to you, I won’t live with you, Nick. I love you too much to do that.” With that, Abby turned on her heel and walked out of the bedroom and toward the front door. After a moment’s hesitation, Nick followed, his mind a jumble of angry, confused thoughts.

  They rode away in silence.

  Chapter 25

  Carter was looking at the monthly sales report when he heard the noise of raucous laughter coming from outside his office. Glancing up, he was rewarded with the sight of his personal secretary’s firm derriere as she was bent low to replace a file in the bottom of a filing cabinet. With a tight black skirt that looked as if she had been poured into it, Tellie Brewster’s outfit left little to the imagination. Licking his lips, Carter was momentarily distracted until a second round of laughter erupted. Curious, he waved Tellie over.

  “Tellie! Go see what that racket is all about!”

  Nodding, Tellie flashed a sensuous smile at Carter. Pausing with her hand on the doorknob, Tellie asked, “Are we still on for tonight?”

  Grinning, Carter said, “Of course! Just be sure you wear that little number I bought you at Neiman Marcus in Dallas!”

  Unbeknownst to Carter’s wife, Tellie’s job description also included that as his full-time mistress.

  Hips swaying seductively, Tellie sashayed out the door. Moments later, she returned with a still chuckling Bobby Prather, the Cannon dealership’s business manager.

  “What’s going on, Bob? You having a party out there?” Carter asked, smiling.

  Throwing himself down in a chair beside Carter’s desk, Prather shook his head and said, “You’re never going to believe who just came in and bought a brand-new Jeep right off the lot!”

  “Haven’t a clue, Bob.”

  “None other than Nick Hollister! Who would have believed that fool could ever have afforded a brand-new car?” Prather said, slapping his leg and laughing. As part of the management team at the Cannon car dealership, Prather was fully aware of Carter’s opinion of Nick.

  “Hollister? You must be mistaken! A world-class idiot like him could never buy a new car!” Carter stated emphatically.

  Shrugging, Prather said, “I’ve got the bill of sale right here. Paid cash for it too!”

  Snorting, Carter snatched the sale folder out of Prather’s hand. Rapidly, he scanned it, his eyes growing wide in disbelief.

  “There must be some mistake! Are you sure this is our Nick Hollister?”

  In response, Prather got up and went to the window in Carter’s office that overlooked the car lot. Raising the blinds, he gestured with his hand and said, “See for yourself! The Jeep just came out of the detail shop, and Hollister’s standing next to it.”

  Rushing to the window, Carter shouldered Prather aside and stared as Nick took the keys from the service attendant, started the Jeep, and drove off. Slowly, as if in a trance, Carter turned away from the window and trudged back to his desk. Falling heavily into his chair, he absently thrummed the top of the desk with his fingers.

  “Not possible! There’s no way he could pay cash for a new car!” he muttered to himself.

  “Maybe he won the lottery or came into an inheritance or something,” Prather offered helpfully.

  Carter, frustrated, shook his head and said, “I guess nything’s possible, but not with Hollister. He’s the type of guy whose luck only runs in one direction—and all of it bad!”

  Tellie and Prather looked at each other uncertainly as moments of thick silence filled the room. Suddenly, Carter slammed his fist down onto his desk with an audible thump!

  “Well, I’m going to find out! Bob, if you’ll excuse me!” Carter said, gesturing impatiently to the door. Taking his cue, Prather hurried out as Tellie closed the door behind him.

  “Get me Jimmy Fitch on the phone!” Carter ordered Tellie. “He’s just the man for a job like this!”

  Leaning back in his chair, Carter steepled his fingers in total satisfaction. By the time Jimmy “The Sneak” Fitch got finished, Carter would know where every penny in Hollister’s bank account came from, along with every detail of his miserable life he might want!

  Carter smiled grimly to himself. Hollister should know better than to try to keep secrets in a town like Pleasant Mountain.

  And what better person to teach him that lesson than Carter?

  “What was Kenneth so excited about?” Nick asked Mark curiously.

  “I don’t know.” Mark turned the wheel of the Expedition into the parking lot of a strip mall. “All he would say was that we needed to get over to the Radio Shack store as soon as possible. I mean, he was so wired, I could barely make sense of what he was saying over the phone!” Nodding, Nick sat back, mystified. What in the world had gotten Kenneth so amped?

  Nick’s musings were interrupted as Mark expertly pulled into an open parking space in front of the Radio Shack store. Along with Radio Shack, the strip mall contained an abundance of retail stores and several small restaurants. Located across the road from a Walmart Supercenter, the stores within the strip mall did a steady business, and even at barely nine o’clock in the morning, the parking lot was already filling up.

  Nick and Mark barely made it out of the SUV before Kenneth burst from the store.

  “Come in, come in!” Kenneth said, gesturing exuberantly with his hands. Grabbing Nick and Mark each by an arm, he propelled them rapidly through the glass door leading into the store. Nick managed to catch a glimpse of a sign taped to the door that said “Under New Management” before he and Mark shot past it.

  Once inside the store, Kenneth abruptly halted them, and beaming ear to ear, announced, “I’m the new owner! What do you think?”

  Nick and Mark looked at each other, completely dumbfounded by Kenneth’s sudden revelation. “Er, ah, that’s … that’s great, Kenneth,” Nick finally managed to say.

  Nodding his head so rapidly that his jowls quivered, Kenneth could barely contain his enthusiasm.

  “I’ve got it all figured out!” he exploded. “Now that I’ve got some working capital, I’ll expand our product inventory, which, in turn, will increase our customer base! I figure I can double our sales within a year! The sky’s the limit!”

  Mark and Nick looked at each other a second time. Mark, clearing his throat, asked dubiously, “So, Mr. Parnell sold you his store … just like that?”

  “Are you kidding me? He took the first offer I made him,” Kenneth said giddily. “I mean, I’ve been suggesting to him for years to expand, but he just kept putting me off! Now that I own the store, I can finally do what he wouldn’t!”<
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  Kenneth put an arm around Nick and Mark. “I’ve always dreamed of owning my own electronics store, and I owe it all to both you guys. Especially you, Nick! I mean, you were the one who found the book that made all this possible.”

  Nick, at a loss as to what to say, simply shrugged. As Kenneth clapped them both heartily on the back and stepped away, Nick noticed for the first time that Kenneth was not dressed in his usual garb. Gone were the checkered shirt, high-water jeans, and black tennis shoes. Instead, he was nattily attired in a pair of dress slacks, held up by a Brighton leather belt. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and knotted tie. Gleaming black patent leather shoes covered his feet, while a perfectly fitted blazer hung from his pudgy frame.

  But what really caused Nick’s jaw to drop in surprise was not how Kenneth was dressed but how his hair looked! Rather than the usual wiry appearance, it had been styled into heavily moussed, tight ringlets!

  “Kenneth, you … your hair … your clothes—” Nick started to say.

  “You noticed, huh?” Kenneth blurted, interrupting Nick. “I’ve decided I needed a new image, especially if I’m going to be a store owner!

  “Therefore, I’ve decided I need a whole new wardrobe, and I’ve hired a personal trainer and nutritionist! And here, look!” Taking a card out of his wallet, Kenneth showed it to Nick and Mark. “I’ve bought a membership at South Seas Tanning Salon. I’m going to be tan, fit, and in the best shape of my life! It’s the beginning of the new me!”

  Before either Nick or Mark could respond, a pouty voice from the back of the store called out, “Kenneee!”

  A moment later, a pretty girl walked out and stopped in front of Kenneth. Blonde and curvaceous, she ignored Nick and Mark as she said, “I can’t find those … those thingees you wanted.”

  “Thingees?” Kenneth asked, perplexed. “Oh! You mean the new shipment of iPods!

  “Heh, heh. Candee just started working here,” Kenneth explained to Nick and Mark. “She’s still learning the ropes.”

  Flustered, Kenneth turned back to Candee and said, “Um, as soon as I’ve finished talking to my friends, I’ll help you look for them.”

  Sighing heavily, Candee studied her perfectly manicured nails and said, “Okay, but I’m going to have to take my lunch hour at eleven o’clock instead of at twelve.”

  “But … but I have an appointment at eleven!”

  “I know, but I really, really need to take off at eleven o’clock today!” Candee purred as she stroked Kenneth’s hand.

  An audible urp escaped Kenneth’s lips, and his complexion turned a ruby red.

  “Oh … okay,” Kenneth finally managed to say in a strangled whisper.

  Smiling prettily and patting Kenneth on the hand, Candee turned and skipped back to the warehouse section of the store to resume her search for the “thingees.”

  After a moment to control his rapid breathing, Kenneth led a bemused Nick and Mark to the door and waved as they drove off.

  “Well, what do you think?” Nick asked Mark as they pulled away from the strip mall.

  Shaking his head, Mark replied, “Working as an employee at a store is whole lot different than owning a store. I hope Kenneth knows what he’s doing!”

  Nodding, Nick said, “You want to go get some breakfast? I’m starved!”

  Smiling, Mark said, “I’d love to, but Patti and I have an appointment with Dr. Shultz. Some other time maybe.”

  “There’s nothing wrong is there?” Nick asked, his face a mask of concern.

  “Oh no! It’s just, well, you know Patti and I have tried for years to have kids, and with the old biological clock ticking, we have to start exploring our options before it’s too late. We never could afford some of these options before, but now, since you found The Book of Lost Treasures, that’s no longer the case.”

  “That’s great! I’m happy for you, buddy!” Nick exclaimed.

  “Yeah, it’s all good. We’re excited of course. It’s just … it’s just…” Mark’s voice trailed off, and Nick looked over at his friend.

  “What is it, Mark? What’s wrong?” Nick asked, concerned.

  “Well, Patti and I disagree over … over the course of action, so to speak.”

  Nick, who had never heard of Mark or Patti disagree over even such trivial decisions as to whether to super-size the fries at McDonald’s, sat up and regarded Mark with a troubled expression.

  “What do you mean?” Nick asked. “You two never differ over anything!”

  Mark gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles cracked and, with a voice edged with anger, replied, “Like I said, the biological clock’s ticking, and we are running out of time to have kids. So I suggested that we go to a reputable adoption agency and begin proceedings to try and adopt a baby.

  The process is expensive, and it sometimes takes years, but the adoption counselor I talked to said that with our profile, she could practically guarantee placing a child in our home within three years!”

  “But … Patti doesn’t want to do that?” Nick asked uncertainly.

  “No!” Mark exploded. “She wants us to have our own baby! That means fertility drugs, possibly minor surgery, or even in vitro implants in her womb. All of this is not only expensive but it takes time, and none of it is guaranteed to work! So what happens if we go through all of this and Patti still can’t get pregnant? We lose precious time we could have spent in adoption proceedings!”

  “Why not do both?” Nick asked hopefully.

  “I suggested just that, but Patti won’t hear of it!” Mark said angrily. “She said it costs too much money and that if we pursued both possibilities, we could end up with two kids instead of one! I asked what’s wrong with that, she said we would be first-time parents and that we would have our hands full with one child, much less two! She won’t be reasonable, I tell you!”

  Nick, speechless at his friend’s outburst, sat back in numbed silence.

  As they pulled up to a stoplight, Mark, as if sensing Nick’s discomfort, glanced over at him and grinned sheepishly and said, “Sorry to lay all that on you, Nick. Patti and I will work it out. We always do.”

  Nick nodded, uncertain as to what he could say.

  Anxious to change the subject, Mark said, “Are you and Abby going to Dusty’s Watering Hole Friday night?” Dusty’s was a local honky-tonk located on the outskirts of Pleasant Mountain.

  “No. Why?” Nick asked curiously.

  Mark shook his head and asked, “Don’t you ever read your mail? Kenneth’s not the only new owner in town. Steve bought Dusty’s last week, quit his job, and is practicing with a new band. Their first appearance is this Friday, and Steve sent invitations to all his friends. We got ours two days ago.”

  Nick stared numbly at Mark. The sudden revelations of the day threatened to overwhelm him. Kenneth and Steve owners? Mark and Patti arguing? This, on top of what had happened between Abby and himself, was like trying to digest an entire elephant in one huge bite.

  The light turned green. Mark pulled through the intersection, and he was left with an uneasy feeling that events were starting to spin out of control. What’s more, it occurred to him that a common thread wound through all of what was happening in his friends’ lives.

  And that thread was Nick and The Book of Lost Treasures.

  Chapter 26

  Carter looked up as Tellie let a diminutive, weasel-faced man into his office. Quickly motioning for Tellie to close the door, Carter gestured for Jimmy Fitch to take a seat. It had been only three days since he had talked to “The Sneak,” and he was anxious to learn what he had found out about Hollister’s sudden good fortune.

  “You work fast, Jimmy. What did you find out?” Carter asked, getting straight to the point.

  While watching Fitch take a thick folder out of his brief- case, Carter reflected on what he knew of the man. He had worked for Carter’s family since before the move from Atlantic City, and as his nickname, “The Sneak,” indicated, he was very good at ferreting o
ut information other folks would just as soon be kept secret. Possessed of a small stature and a personality that could best be described as unremarkable, “The Sneak” was constantly underestimated by those who didn’t know him well—which, of course, was just the way Fitch wanted it. Little did they know he had managed to both obtain a law degree and become a Certified Public Accountant. He now ran his own business, Fitch & Associates Consultants, which specialized in financial investigations and, besides the Cannon family, had many other high-powered clients.

  Dressed in a coat and tie, Fitch took a pair of glasses from his pocket and adjusted them on his nose. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Tellie and then questioningly at Carter.

  Waving at Fitch, Carter said, “Go ahead! Tellie’s my personal secretary and can be trusted.”

  Nodding, Fitch said, “You can read about all the details in my report, but in summarizing the main points, I can tell you that your boy, Nick Hollister, has been a very busy man. I went to his bank and posed as a potential depositor. Conveniently for me. I had the bank officer out of his office and obtaining a safe-deposit box key, his computer was still on. It took me only a few moments to hack into their client database, and I discovered that Hollister has over a quarter of a million dollars in his account.”

  “No!” Carter exploded in disbelief.

  “Hey, you don’t know the half of it,” Fitch assured Carter. “I managed to do some more surfing through the bank’s accounts and found out that there is a partnership account shared by Hollister and at least five other people. This partnership has liquid assets, whose combined worth is over two and a half million dollars.”

  Carter’s chair hit the wall behind his desk, rebounded, and fell to the floor with a resounding thump as he shot up out of it.

  Leaning forward with both arms extended on his desk, Carter looked down at Fitch and managed to gasp, “What … what are you saying?”