The Chuck Wagon looked especially festive that night. Country music played from the jukebox. Orange and yellow streamers looped the counter. A pink and green pi?ata in the shape of a bull hung from the ceiling.
“Wow!” said Benny. “Who did all this?”
Jake came out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “I did. How do you like it?”
“It’s different,” Violet remarked.
Jake himself looked different. He had shaved off his scraggly beard. His mustache had been neatly trimmed and he wore clean khaki pants and a denim shirt.
“Grandfather, can we sit at that large table? The Garcias are eating with us,” Jessie said.
“You bet,” Grandfather replied.
Jake ushered the Aldens to the round center table and handed out menus with a flourish.
“Where’s Janine?” asked Violet. She didn’t see the dark-haired waitress at her usual station by the cash register.
“She’ll be along,” Jake said mysteriously. “Meanwhile, I’ll take your drink orders.”
Benny and Violet ordered soft drinks, while Henry, Jessie, and Grandfather opted for iced tea with lemon.
The Garcia family came in and joined the Aldens.
“Tomorrow is your last day here,” said Mrs. Garcia. “I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Arizona.”
“And how!” Benny declared.
“I took some great pictures,” said Violet. “We’ll never forget this trip.”
Henry and Luis exchanged addresses so they could write to each other.
Jessie sat back in her chair. It felt good to relax with friends, but there were still many unanswered questions. Why did Mr. Tobias hide in his trailer? And why was Jake working in the restaurant?
The bell jangled and Mr. Tobias came in.
James Alden waved his arm. “Come join us, “ he offered.
Mr. Tobias gave a small smile. I’d be delighted. After a long day at the typewriter, I could use the company.”
“Are you working on another novel?” Grandfather asked.
Henry stared at Grandfather. “Novel? Do you know Mr. Tobias?”
Grandfather laughed. “I know his work. He’s a fine mystery novelist.” He spoke to Mr. Tobias. “I recognized you from the jacket photo of your last book. I assumed you were hard at work on a new mystery.”
“You deduced correctly,” Mr. Tobias said, chuckling. “That’s why I came out here. So I could work in private.”
Benny was surprised. “You write mystery books? Boy, you should write down some of our stories. We solve mysteries all the time.”
“All except this one,” said Jessie dolefully. “We don’t have all the answers.”
Janine breezed into the restaurant. Her normally sour face was lit with a smile. She was actually perky.
“Nice going!” she praised Jake as she took in the decorations. “You really spiffed up the place.”
Jake brought a tray of iced tea to the Garcias and Mr. Tobias. “I found a box of party stuff in the back. Glad you like them.”
“You’ll work out okay,” Janine praised Jake, tying on her apron.
The Aldens and Luis were completely mystified.
“Will somebody tell us what’s going on?” Henry demanded.
Janine laughed. “Meet my new coworker.”
Jake bowed modestly. “Miss Janine and I are in the dining business together.”
“I hired Jake to take Tom’s place,” Janine explained. She seemed much happier. “Already Jake is a thousand times better than that lazy Tom Parker.”
The Aldens had filled Grandfather in on Tom Parker’s activities.
“I still can’t believe that young man did all those things,” Grandfather said now. “Wrote threatening notes, lied about his background, stole Luis’s maps.” He shook his head in disbelief.
“I had my eye on him,” Jake said, bringing baskets of warm tortilla chips and dishes of salsa. “He always ducked out whenever I came into the store.”
“I noticed that.” Henry dunked a chip into the peppery sauce. “Was that you watching us the night Tom took us on the desert hike?”
Jake nodded. “I knew something was funny about that guy. Then I saw him try to build that fire!” He hooted.
“He wouldn’t let anyone help,” added Mr. Garcia.
“And he disconnected our electrical cables so he could get into our trailer,” said Mrs. Garcia in disbelief.
Mr. Tobias spoke up. “I heard someone outside my trailer that night. I went to the door and whoever it was ran away. I guess I scared him away.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us?” Jessie said.
The writer smiled sheepishly. “To be honest, I was working on a crucial part of my story. I couldn’t leave my typewriter until I had written that chapter. After that, I just forgot about it.”
Grandfather nodded. “I’ve heard writers can be that way. They just block out the whole world.”
Benny swung his feet idly. The biggest, most important mystery hadn’t been solved. When Jake came back with a tray loaded with enchiladas, tamales, jalape?o cornbread, refried beans, and tacos, Benny saw his chance.
“Jake,” he said loudly, “did you find the Lost Dutchman’s mine?”
A dull flush crept up on Jake’s clean-shaven cheeks.
“Benny,” admonished Violet. “That’s Jake’s business, not ours.”
“Well, actually, it’s the state’s business,” Mr. Garcia said. “It’s against the law to dig in the Superstition Mountains.”
Jake glanced around the restaurant. Janine was busy in the back. There were no other customers besides Mr. Tobias, the Garcias, and the Aldens.
Putting his finger to his lips, he pulled a paper out of his pocket. He handed the old, yellowed paper to Mrs. Garcia.
She read the document silently, then handed it to her husband, who also read it. Mr. Garcia folded the paper carefully and passed it back to Jake.
“All is in order,” Mr. Garcia said.
Benny was bursting with curiosity. “What did the paper say?”
Mrs. Garcia grinned at him. “It said that Jake staked a claim before the law went into effect. He is excused from that law. Legally, he is permitted to dig.”
“You found the mine?” Benny’s eyes were like saucers.
Jake’s smile was secretive. “Let’s just say I found . . . something.”
Benny stared at the prospector, awestruck. For once, he was not first to reach for the taco plate.
Dinner conversation drifted away from lost gold mines. The Garcias talked about their work as geologists. Mr. Tobias spoke about writing mysteries. He could only write at night and sleep during the day, which explained his odd hours.
Grandfather had finished helping Gerald McCrae with his cabin. Tomorrow was the Aldens’ last day at RV Haven.
“What would you like to do?” Grandfather asked.
The Alden children had different ideas.
“Go riding,” Violet suggested. She would like another ride on her horse, Dusty.
“Hang around the pool,” Jessie said.
“Hike into the mountains one last time,” Henry put in.
“All of those ideas sound fine,” Grandfather said approvingly. “No reason why we can’t do them all.” He turned to his youngest grandchild. “What about you, Benny? What would you like to do?”
“I bet I know,” Luis said with a grin. “Go look for the Lost Dutchman’s mine. Am I right, Benny?”
“Well . . . you know what I’d really like to do?” He whispered into Grandfather’s ear. If Jake could have a secret, so could he.
Grandfather nodded. “First thing tomorrow morning. And we’ll all go.”
Benny beamed and claimed the last taco.
The next morning, everyone met at the desert trail. Mr. Garcia led the way. Even Mr. Tobias and Jake came along.
Violet took pictures, which she had been unable to do the night Tom Parker guided them into the desert.
Jessie strolled beside Grandfather, enjoying the cool air.
Henry kept his eyes on the ground. Finding one small gold-colored rock wouldn’t be easy. But that was what Benny wanted to do, and Henry would do almost anything to make his little brother happy.
They reached the campground where Tom had built the sputtering campfire a few nights ago.
“This is probably where Benny lost his rock,” Grandfather said. “Let’s search the area thoroughly.”
The group broke up to scour the campsite.
Benny combed the area where he had dozed off with his head on Jessie’s shoulder. His rock should be right about—
“Here it is!” Triumphantly Jake held up a small rock.
“You found it!” Benny cried.
Jake dropped the stone into Benny’s palm and closed his fingers around it. “Now, don’t lose it again, young man. I’ve got to help Janine at the restaurant. See you folks later.”
On the way back, Benny squeezed his fist so he wouldn’t drop his rock again. When they reached the pavement, he stopped to look at his prize.
“Hey,” he said. “It looks different. It’s got knobs instead of square sides.”
The others examined Benny’s stone.
Luis whistled. “Benny! This isn’t your hunk of fool’s gold!”
“It’s not?”
“It’s the real thing! Jake gave you a genuine gold nugget.”
“Wow!” said Henry. “Now we know Jake has definitely found something!”
“I think he found the mine,” Jessie said firmly.
“So do I,” said Luis.
Violet gazed dreamily into the brown hills. “Jake followed his heart, like the message on the stone said. I think he found good friends here. Now he won’t be lonely anymore.”
Benny stroked the smooth, yellow bumps embedded in the rock. Jake’s present was the best souvenir in the whole state of Arizona.
“Remember when we lent Jake money?” Henry said. “And he said he’d pay us back. Well, he did.”
Benny smiled broadly. “With interest!” |