Search Me(13)

We were interrupted by Maddox sticking his head in the door. Just the sight of him caused my stomach to churn. “Hey, I was just about to take that delivery to the Perkins—” He hesitated at what could only be the bewildered expressions on Maudie’s and my faces. “Is something wrong?”

Maudie furiously beckoned him with her hand. “Shut the door!”

He ducked inside, arching his brows questioningly. “Did somebody die or something?”

“No, no, of course not,” Maudie chuckled. She took the map from me and handed it over to Maddox. “What do you make of that?”

Not wanting to be too close to Maddox, I inched further away from Maudie. His blue eyes scanned over the paper before he flipped it over. “Is it some kind of Cherokee document?”

Maudie smacked her hand to her forehead. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize what the lettering was. It’s definitely part of the Cherokee syllabary.”

“Think you can read it?” Maddox asked.

Maudie shook her head. “Unfortunately no. Even if I had a copy of the alphabet in front of me, I would still need a linguistic expert.”

I eyed the map again. “So you really think it could lead to some buried Cherokee Indian treasure?”

Maddox snorted. “Don’t tell me you two think this is some kind of treasure map?”

Forgetting that I was trying to ignore him, I countered, “And why couldn’t it be?”

“Um, maybe because it makes absolutely no sense? I mean, we’re talking about the Cherokees, not pirates.”

Maudie grinned as she wagged a finger at Maddox. “Ah, but what about the legend of hidden Cherokee Gold?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think I quite remember that one, but I’m sure you’re going to enlighten me.”

She nodded. “Before everyone headed out to California in 1848, we had our own little gold rush right here in Georgia over in Dahlonega. Of course, the land where it was found belonged to the Cherokees. All that untapped fortune belonging to Indians didn’t sit well with the government, so they found a way to take it. They set up a land lottery and awarded it to white men. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the removal of all Eastern tribes came in shortly after.”

Maudie drew a pained breath. “Since the Indians were allowed so few personal belongings, many chose to hide their gold before they left. Many intended to one day return to their homeland and claim their wealth. Sadly, those who didn’t die along the harsh trek, never made it off the reservations of Oklahoma.”

“That’s so awful,” I murmured.

Maddox rolled his eyes. “And that story is supposed to validate that this piece of animal skin is a treasure map leading to hidden Cherokee gold?”

“Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, it just so happens that many Cherokees left both written and verbal instructions with family members on where gold was hidden. It’s feasible that this could be one of those very messages, which in turn could be considered a treasure map of sorts.”

Maddox’s expression remained skeptical. “Yeah, well, that’s cool to believe. Whatever floats your boat.”

Maudie laughed. “Don’t worry, silly. I’m not grabbing my shovel and running off treasure seeking.”

“I’d hope not.” Motioning to the door, he said, “Okay, so now that the excitement is over, I’ve really got to get that delivery over to the Perkins.”

She nodded. “Go right on ahead.”

“Later then,” he replied with a wave. Before he closed the door, I heard him grumble, “Hidden Cherokee gold.”

Once he had gone, Maudie turned to me. “Think you can man the fort for a bit?”

“Sure, why?”

She grinned. “I’m going up to the house right this instant and putting this baby in the safe!”

I laughed. “Sounds like a good idea to me!”

About an hour after Maudie returned, her voice rang over the loudspeaker. “Lane, you have a phone call.” I shoved the bottle of tea in my hand onto the shelf and hurried down the aisle to Maudie’s office. When I got there, she smiled. “It’s your dad. He’s holding on line four.”

I eased down into her high-back leather chair. I pressed the flashing light and said, “Hey Daddy.”

“Hey Pumpkin. I’ve got some bad news of the book kind.”

“Oh, what’s up?”

“My editor called, and they’ve booked me on the last leg of this Southern Secrets tour with a bunch of other mystery writers. The first signing is tomorrow morning in Charleston. Mom and I are packing up to catch a flight out this evening. Do you want to come with us?”

Jackpot! This was the perfect way to get out of working with Maddox. But saying yes meant tagging along with Mom to a bazillion antique stores while she ooed and aahed for hours, not to mention having a history lesson at each and every tourist trap imaginable. Ugh, that did not sound like a good idea at all. No, instead of being bored out of my mind, I would stay. After all, three years had passed, and I was more than capable of being able to tolerate Maddox’s presence.

“As tempting as that sounds,” I began, laying it on as thick as I could, “I better stay here and work. I couldn’t leave Maudie in the lurch.”

It was then a middle-aged man in a black suit barged through the door. The man’s dark eyes locked on mine, and he gave me an unapologetic stare. I cupped my hand over the receiver and asked, “May I help you?”