Mayflower Treasure Hunt

by Ron Roy

  “I have to go to the restaurant,” Dink’s mother told the kids. “Altogether there will be twelve of us for dinner tomorrow, and I want to talk to the chef. Then I have to do a few more errands. I shouldn’t be too long.”

  Dink’s mom looked him in the eyes. “Please stay around town. No more ferryboat rides to who knows where!” she said firmly.

  When they were alone, Dink told Josh and Ruth Rose about his dream. “I think that woman will come back looking for the real necklace,” he said.

  “Well, I don’t know about you guys,” Josh said, “but I don’t feel like waiting for her to come and find us. I say we go find her first!”

  “We don’t know who she is,” Ruth Rose reminded them.

  “I’ve been thinking about her,” Dink went on. “And now I don’t think she really is old. There was something weird about her hair, and that mole on her face looked fake. And she managed to get places faster than we did. I think she disguised herself so we’d think she was old.”

  “Then who is she?” asked Ruth Rose.

  “I don’t know,” Dink said, “but she must know we could recognize her without the disguise.”

  “We talked to two women yesterday,” Josh said, holding up two fingers. “One was working on the Mayflower, and she was dressed like a Pilgrim. But she didn’t know we were going to Province-town on the ferry, so she couldn’t have followed us.”

  “And the other woman was in the museum,” Ruth Rose said.

  Josh nodded. “She gets my vote. I borrowed the magnifying glass from her, and she could’ve overheard us when we were talking about the jewels.”

  “We should go talk to her,” Dink said. “If she doesn’t know we suspect her, she might drop a clue!”

  The kids trekked up the street to the museum. When they walked through the door, Clint came right over to see them.

  “Back so soon?” he asked. “How are things at the Governor Bradford Hotel?”

  “Fine thanks,” Ruth Rose said. “Our families are coming tomorrow.” She glanced around but didn’t see the woman they were looking for.

  “That woman who was working with you yesterday was real nice,” Josh said. “We wanted to thank her. Is she around?”

  “She comes in at noon to relieve me,” Clint said. He was slapping his pockets, as if looking for something. “Rats, I can’t find my mints.” He let out a little laugh. “Clint needs a mint!”

  A family of tourists came through the door, and Clint went over to greet them.

  Dink watched Clint walk away. He listened as Clint talked about the museum exhibits and took their money. And suddenly Dink knew the truth. He grabbed Josh and Ruth Rose, tugging them into another room.

  “What’s going on?” Josh asked.

  “Dink, you look sick,” Ruth Rose said. “What’s wrong?”

  Dink drew his two friends into a huddle. “The old woman is Clint!” he said.

  Josh shook his head. “Clint is a woman?” he asked.

  “No, but he was dressed as one when he followed us yesterday,” Dink said. “Clint knew about the jewels, he knew we suspected that drawing was a map, and he knew we were headed for Provincetown on the ferry!”

  “So he disguised himself as an old woman?” Ruth Rose asked.

  Dink nodded. “Yes, so we wouldn’t know it was him following us.”

  “What tipped you off?” Josh asked.

  “He talked about the Governor Bradford Hotel a minute ago,” Dink answered. “The woman who was here yesterday didn’t know we were staying there. Only Clint knew, because we told him!”

  “So that was Clint waiting for us last night in the lobby?” Josh asked.

  Dink nodded. “He knew we’d go there when we got off the ferry,” he said. “So he went there hoping to steal the necklace from us.”

  “He told us he’s an actor, so he could have gotten that costume pretty easily,” Ruth Rose said.

  “Another thing,” Dink went on. “He was missing his mints, right? Well, I’ll bet you a million dollars I know where he lost them.”

  Josh and Ruth Rose just stared at Dink.

  “Clint’s mints are on the deck of the hold, next to that pile of mattresses,” Dink said. “I heard something fall last night when he threw down the rope ladder.”

  Josh peeked around the corner. “He’s still talking to those people,” he said. “What do we do now?”

  “We call those cops back,” Dink said. “We’ll tell them I can prove Clint tried to steal the necklace.”

  “Prove it how?” Josh asked. “How do we prove he put on a dress and followed us? How do we prove he was the one who got Ruth Rose’s fake necklace last night? Dink, it’ll be his word against ours.”

  “But Clint’s fingerprints will be on that basket he lowered down to us!” Ruth Rose said.

  “Right, and on his mints container,” Dink added.

  “Okay, his prints might be on those things,” Josh said. “But the cops won’t arrest him just because we say we think he dressed like an old woman and followed us. We need to prove he was really trying to steal the necklace.”

  “I think I know how we can do that,” Ruth Rose said. “We’ll trick him into trying to rob the necklace from my bedroom.”

  “It’s not in your bedroom anymore,” Dink said. “My mom put it in the hotel safe, remember?”

  Ruth Rose grinned. “Yeah, we know that, but Clint doesn’t!”

  Dink shook his head. “Ruth Rose, Clint could be dangerous,” he said. “We have to tell the cops about your plan.”

  “Okay, but let me put out the bait first,” Ruth Rose said. “Then the cops can spring the trap!”

  The kids walked back into the museum’s main room. They pretended to be looking at a painting while Clint finished up with the other people.

  A few minutes later, Clint joined them. “So, what brings you back to the museum?” he asked.

  Ruth Rose looked at Dink and Josh. “Should I tell Clint what we found yesterday?” she asked.

  Dink didn’t know what to say, so he nodded.

  Ruth Rose turned back to Clint. Keeping her voice low, she whispered, “We found the Mayflower jewels!”

  Clint just stood there blinking.

  Then Ruth Rose told him how they went to Provincetown on the ferry and found the jewels. She also told Clint about the old woman who had made them give her the jewels.

  Ruth Rose laughed. “But I gave her a fake necklace!” she said, making her eyes big. “I still have the real one!”

  “You … you do?” Clint asked.

  Ruth Rose nodded smugly. “Yep. But not on me. I have this teddy bear, the kind that has a zippered compartment for your pajamas. I hid the necklace inside it!” she said. “When that old woman figures out we gave her a worthless necklace, she’ll come looking for the real one. But even if she searches all over room 202, she’ll never find it!”

  Clint licked his lips.

  Ruth Rose lowered her voice. “And we’re gonna sell it! Dink’s mom called some jeweler, and he’s coming at one o’clock to buy the necklace!”

  Dink stared at Ruth Rose. This plan of hers was getting complicated!

  “Yeah,” Josh said. “This jeweler guy told us the necklace is worth a million dollars. It’s all sapphires, man!”

  Ruth Rose looked at Dink and Josh. “You guys ready?”

  Dink nodded. He was afraid to speak. His heart was beating so fast he was sure Clint could hear it if he opened his mouth!

  “We’re taking a taxi over to Plimoth Plantation,” Ruth Rose said. “We want to see how the Pilgrims lived after they got here.”

  “You’ll enjoy that place,” Clint said. “Um, what time does your taxi come?”

  Dink looked at his watch. “Yikes, right now!” he said.

  The kids said good-bye to Clint, then raced back to their hotel.

  They ran up the stairs to room 202, the room Ruth Rose would share with her brother, Nate.

  “Old Clint took the bait!” Josh crowed.r />
  “Do you really think he’ll come?” Dink asked when they were locked behind Ruth Rose’s door.

  “Yep,” Ruth Rose said. She placed her teddy bear in the middle of her bed. “Now we can call the cops.”

  The kids waited in room 203, right across the hall from 202. They took turns peeking out the little peephole.

  “Poor old Clint is sure gonna be surprised when he finds out there’s nothing but jammies inside your bear, Ruth Rose,” Josh said.

  “And three cops in the closet,” Ruth Rose added.

  Dink kept his eye on the peephole.

  Josh picked up a magazine and began reading.

  Ruth Rose did a crossword puzzle.

  Suddenly Dink yelled, “Oh no!”

  Josh bolted up on the bed, and Ruth Rose froze.

  “Is it Clint?” Josh asked.

  “No, it’s them!” Dink said, throwing open the door.

  Standing in the hallway surrounded by luggage were Dink’s parents and Josh’s and Ruth Rose’s families.

  “Look who I found in the lobby!” Dink’s mom said. His father came to give Dink a hug, but Dink dragged him into room 203.

  “Everybody, you have to get in here now!” Dink hissed. “And be quiet!”

  “What do you mean?” Ruth Rose’s dad asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Mom and Dad, please. Everyone just come in, okay?” Ruth Rose said. “We’ll explain!”

  “Okay, but this is pretty mysterious,” Ruth Rose’s mother muttered.

  The six adults and three little kids all lugged their stuff into room 203. Dink closed the door and locked it.

  “Okay, now everyone has to be real quiet!” Dink said.

  “Especially you two,” Josh told his twin brothers, Brian and Bradley.

  “We’re always quiet!” Brian yelled.

  “But I’m the quietest!” Bradley yelled.

  “Guys, this is serious!” Dink said. “So if everyone could just please sit down somewhere, Josh, Ruth Rose, and I will tell you what’s going on.”

  When Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose had finished telling the story, their families stared at them. No one said a word. Even the twins and Nate sat with their mouths open.

  “If I have this right, we’re waiting for this thief to show up and burgle Ruth Rose’s room,” Dink’s mother finally said. “Why wasn’t I informed of this scheme?”

  Dink gulped. “We didn’t really think of it till after you left,” he said. “But don’t worry, the cops are across the hall.”

  “This is the most exciting Thanksgiving I’ve ever had!” said Ruth Rose’s brother, Nate. “Cops and robbers is a lot more fun than eating turkey!”

  Dink’s father glanced at his watch. “It’s after twelve. When is this burglary-supposed to happen?” he asked.

  Suddenly they all heard a loud voice yell, “FREEZE, POLICE!”

  “It’s Clint!” Dink cried. “They got him!”

  Josh ran for the door.

  “You freeze, too, young man,” Josh’s father said. “No one goes into the hall until the police say it’s safe.” He turned around and put his eye to the peephole.

  After three or four long minutes, they all heard a light knock on the door. Josh’s father opened it. Three police officers stood there surrounding Clint. He was in handcuffs.

  “Mission accomplished,” the female officer said. She handed the teddy bear to Ruth Rose.

  Clint looked at Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. “I’m really sorry,” he mumbled.

  The kids didn’t say anything. Ruth Rose hugged her teddy bear as the officers led Clint down the long hallway toward the elevators.

  The three families unpacked. There was a lot of laughter and confusion as the adults decided who would sleep where.

  Dink’s father kept muttering to Dink. “I let you out of my sight for two days, and suddenly there are trapdoors and burglars!” he said. “Why can’t you kids just watch TV like normal kids?”

  Dink laughed. “Because you keep telling me not to watch TV,” he said, then added slyly, “and I always do what you tell me to do.”

  This got a laugh from Dink’s mom.

  Finally, everyone was settled and unpacked. They all decided to spend the afternoon at Plimoth Plantation, a reconstruction of the original Plymouth Colony. It was a short drive from the hotel.

  After they parked, the three families walked into the village. They saw small wooden homes with thatched roofs. Men, women, and children worked and played. They were all dressed the way people from England would have dressed in the early 1600s.

  The group split up and agreed to meet back at the entrance in one hour. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose wandered along the gravel paths. They peeked inside homes where women cooked, sewed, or did other chores. They watched men in a field chopping wood.

  “This is how the village looked in 1627,” Ruth Rose read from her guidebook. “They even shared a cow so everyone could have milk.”

  Josh stopped in front of a small building. It had only one small window, with stout wooden bars. A man in dark clothing was standing in the doorway.

  “This is the village jail,” he explained to the kids. “Wrongdoers had to spend time in here.”

  “What kind of crimes did they commit?” Josh asked.

  “Being lazy, not sharing, not attending church,” the man said. “If you stole a pig or a hen, that would get you in here, too.”

  “I wonder if Clint will go to jail,” Ruth Rose said as they kept walking. “I mean, he didn’t really steal anything.”

  “He would have if we didn’t stop him,” Dink said.

  Josh nudged Ruth Rose. “Don’t forget that Clint broke into your room,” he said. “And he threatened to let the rats get us!”

  Ruth Rose shuddered. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said.

  The kids kept wandering among the homes. They saw men and women working in gardens and adding thatch to the roofs of buildings. They looked inside a small room where a man was teaching children to learn their letters and numbers. Each child held a small slate and chalk.

  “I’ve been thinking about the necklace we found,” Ruth Rose said. “I think we should donate it to the Pilgrim Hall Museum.”

  “Excellent,” Dink said. “That way everyone who visits would get to see Emma Browne’s jewelry.”

  “Cool idea, Ruth Rose,” Josh agreed. “Remember that pamphlet about the ‘Muddlesome Mayflower Mystery’? Well, if we give the necklace to the museum, people can see the necklace and know the mystery has been solved.”

  The next day, the twelve family members walked to a restaurant called the Pilgrim’s Pantry. The sun was out, and last night’s snow had melted.

  Inside, they were greeted by a woman dressed in a white shirt, a long dark apron, and a tight-fitting white bonnet. She led them to a large round table. Turkey-shaped name cards had been set at each place, and everyone found his or her seat easily.

  Ruth Rose sat between Dink and Josh. She was wearing the fake necklace. In honor of the holiday, she had chosen pumpkin orange as her color for the day.

  “The police called and told us you were right about the mints, Dink,” his father said. “They were in the Mayflower II hold, on the deck. And they were able to get Clint’s fingerprints off them.”

  “So Clint’s mints had prints,” Josh joked, waggling his eyebrows.

  “That was a great idea you kids had to give the necklace to the museum,” Josh’s father said. “I’m sure they’ll love to have it.” He winked at the kids. “And of course, they’d need a picture of you three ace detectives.”

  “Awesome!” Josh said. “I’m going to be in a museum!”

  A waiter approached their table. He wore black breeches, a white ruffled shirt, and clunky black shoes. “Good afternoon,” he said. “Today we’re serving from our regular menu, or you can order our First Thanksgiving Special-four courses of foods the Pilgrims would really have eaten in 1621.”

  “That’s what I want,” Dink said.

 
; “Did the Pilgrims have pumpkin pie with whipped cream?” Josh asked.

  The waiter smiled. “The early settlers had pumpkins but no sugar, so they probably didn’t make pies,” he said. “But you can order your dessert from our regular menu.”

  “Thank goodness!” Josh said. “You saved me!”

  Everyone laughed.

  “They had turkeys, though, right?” Nate asked the waiter.

  “Yes, wild turkeys were plentiful,” the man said. “They also ate clams, many kinds of fish, venison, and any wild bird they could find. You folks take your time deciding, and I’ll stop back in a few minutes.”

  “Indians came to Plymouth to eat with the settlers, right?” Dink asked.

  “Yes, the Wampanoag were here,” his father said. “They became friendly with the Pilgrims.”

  “My guidebook says almost a hundred Wampanoag people showed up to eat with the Pilgrims after their first harvest,” Ruth Rose said.

  Just then the waiter came back to take their order. The three little kids ordered from the regular menu. Dink, Josh, Ruth Rose, and their parents all decided to try the First Thanksgiving Special.

  The waiter returned. He carried a tray holding small bowls and a covered soup tureen. Dink smelled something delicious. His mouth began to water.

  “Our first course is eel stew,” the man said. “May I serve you?”

  Josh’s face turned white. “Um, eels? You mean those slimy things that look like snakes?” he asked the waiter.

  The waiter nodded.

  “May I change to the regular menu?” Josh asked.

  When Thanksgiving rolls around each year, I think of the Mayflower passengers. I imagine how brave they must have been to cross the ocean seeking a better life. I think of them—more than 100 people—cramped into tight spaces on a boat that was only 106 feet long. I wonder what they talked about, how they got along with each other, what they dreamed when they slept. There were no bathrooms, no showers, and very few games to play. What did they do all day? I wondered. Were they scared?

  And then there were the storms at sea, the seasickness, the smells, the food slowly going rotten. Not even the boat’s captain knew exactly where they were going. Weeks went by with not even a glimpse of land. Imagine living like this for more than two months!