Renee said, utterly too pleased with herself.
“This all makes sense,” Jasper said.
“It does?” Dreyfuss asked.
“Sure,” Jasper said, “we all wondered who Scroggins was and why he suddenly came to Portersville, of all places, to be a substitute teacher, when he could have gone anywhere!”
“He’s after the treasure that his great-great-grandfather’s employer hid right here in Portersville,” Renee said, “the treasure that’s due to have the curse lifted this Halloween … if the legend is to be believed, that is.”
“What that also means is that the witch that kept the treasure hid away from the King’s descendants…” Jasper excitedly went on.
“You’re talking about the nineteen-thirteen contretemps,” Renee cut in.
“Contra- what?” Dreyfuss asked.
“Exactly,” Jasper went on, ignoring Dreyfuss, “that witch must be Elvira Hanson or least somebody that Elvira Hanson knew! Good work, Atherton,” Jasper said.
“Well, it helps to know your way around the best search sites,” Renee replied, “the perks of being a detective’s daughter, I suppose.”
“I guess you make a good spy after all, Atherton,” Dreyfuss admitted.
“And I’m just a dumb old girl,” she said.
“Dreyf, I think we should tell her about Grubb,” Jasper said.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“She’s in this now, Dreyf,” Jasper said.
“If you say so,” Dreyfuss said, “but any more people get in this, that treasure’s gonna be divided into millimeters!”
“Look, Atherton,” Jasper said, “my brother, Dreyf and I are meeting up with Old Man Grubb tomorrow around ten at his place to see about translating the map. He’s got some way to figure out what that old map would look like today against modern day Portersville. You can come if it’s all right with your folks, seeing as you … you’ve been so helpful. It’s only fair.”
“I don’t know,” Renee coyly shot back, “I may have to check my schedule.”
“Hey, don’t do us any …” Dreyfuss reared up.
“I’m kidding of course,” Renee said, “I’d be happy to join you. Old Man Grubb’s place you say? I thought he didn’t like kids.”
“He doesn’t,” Jasper replied, “but we’re the exception.”
“All right then. I’ll see if my dad can drop me off,” Renee said.
“All right, cool,” Jasper said.
“Out,” Renee said, and her video/instant message window disappeared.
“So how’s your new job and all going to work out with Polly, seeing that her new beau’s family is now your employer?” Ellis asked Joel as the two boys wrestled their respective joysticks in front of a grainy nineteen-inch television screen.
“It’s going to be just fine,” Joel said. “She even called to make sure things wouldn’t get weird and to tell me congratulations.”
“She did?” Ellis asked. “That’s cool then, I suppose.”
“Why’d you call him her new beau?” Joel asked.
“’Cause they’re going out,” Ellis said, “everyone knows that.”
“Not everyone,” Joel said, suddenly crestfallen. “I thought that they were just friends.”
“That was last week, ock,” Ellis said. “This week they’re beaus.”
“What’s she see in him anyway?” Joel wondered.
“Oh I don’t know, he’s a star athlete, the ladies love him, he’s tall and he’s got that Mediterranean thing going on,” Ellis replied without missing a beat, “but that’s just a guess.”
“Thanks for clarifying for me,” Joel said glumly.
“That’s what I’m here for, man,” Ellis said.
“You ready for some pizza?” Joel asked.
“Always ready for pizza, Jo-el,” Ellis replied.
“Hold my spot,” Joel said, jumping to his feet and heading into the kitchen.
In the next room, the computer sounded. “It’s another instant message,” Dreyfuss said.
“What does she want now?” Jasper asked, before noting that the message wasn’t from Renee.
“Ahoy matey,” suddenly appeared in the empty window box. “This be the ghost of one Sebastian Silverbeard.”
“What the—?” Jasper said.
“It’s a joke,” Dreyfuss said.
“This be no joke, matey, but a warning to the both of ye it be,” appeared onscreen.
“This isn’t very funny,” Jasper said.
“Exit out,” Dreyfuss said.
“It won’t let me,” Jasper said.
“The map be mine and mine alone. Ye’d do best to turn it back in afore I have to come and get it! Ya don’t want that, matey, won’t be very pretty if’n I have to do that.”
“We don’t want any trouble,” Jasper nervously typed in response to the screen.
“I shouldn’t think ye would, matey. I’ll send me courier to fetch it up for me in one hour’s time. That be all for now.”
The instant message window vanished. Jasper and Dreyfuss sped into the kitchen where Joel had just put the pizza in the oven, both talking a mile a minute.
“Wait a minute! One at a time,” Joel said crossly.
“I wondered where the Lollipop Guild was,” Ellis said, joining the fracas in the kitchen.
“Sebastian Silverbeard just text messaged us!” Jasper gasped.
“Jasper, Mom told you about talking with people you don’t know over the internet!” Joel snapped.
“You want to get yourself serial killed?” Ellis joined in.
“What?” Jasper said.
“Joel, this guy texted us! Jasper tried to exit out but he—he—he wasn’t having it!” Dreyfuss said. “He said he was sending his carter here to pick up the map in an hour!”
