The Treasure

        She slid the door as quietly as possible before ducking down below the windows; she heard the pounding of feet scurry past the cabin door. Sadie released a breath of relief, leaning her head against the wooden door panels. ‘As long as I can stay hidden for the next two hours, I will be okay.’ thought Sadie

               Her heart began to pound faster once again when she heard someone clearing his throat. Sadie slowly pivoted on her heels to face the throat clearer; her eyes grew wide as her hands clutched her purse even tighter. Her eyes connected with the bluest eyes she had ever seen; Sadie could feel her cheeks heat into a deep blush.

               “If you are going to break into my cabin, you may as well have a seat and tell me why…” smirked the man as he folded his arms across his chest

               Sadie gritted her teeth as she sat in the seat opposite of him; she could feel him staring at her, taking deep breaths Sadie tried to think of something she could tell him that he would believe. She looked back up at him to find that he was indeed still staring at her. She gulped hard, hoping that he would believe her lie; her hands tightened even more on her purse, she did feel some measure of comfort, knowing that the priceless necklace still sat patiently in her red velvet purse.

               “You could probably tell that I’m to avoid someone…” began Sadie

               “More than person from what I could see…” interrupted James smugly, “From what I could see there were four men chasing after you. Miss…”

               “Sadie Jackson.”

               “Miss Jackson, if you are going to lie to me, make sure that it is a compelling lie.”

               “How would you know if I’m lying or not?” gasped Sadie crossly, “What are you…a Gum-shoe?”

               “If by Gum-shoe, you mean detective, then yes.” laughed James, “Allow me to introduce myself: Detective James Oliver.”

               Sadie took her time observing him as he was clearly observing her; she noted that he was impeccably dressed in a snappy pin striped suit, his hair was neatly cut in a tasteful manner; she couldn’t help but notice the absence of a wedding ring. Her blush deepened as she pushed that thought out of her mind. Her eyes caught a few traces of ink on his finger tips, she smiled.

               “You must be on a big case…” commented Sadie her smile grew even wider when she saw the confusion in his eyes, “The ink on your fingers suggest that you’ve been taking notes or perhaps changing your notes to make better sense.”

               “The way your holding onto your purse, suggests that you are hiding something that you would rather keep a secret.” quipped James glaring at her, “It makes me think that you could potentially be a thief who just made it big. So, Miss Jackson are you going to stop playing games with me and tell me the truth…or do I have to arrest you for suspicion of theft?”

               ‘Well, he’s a lot more perceptive than I gave him credit for.’ thought Sadie closing her eyes briefly, hoping that this was a nightmare.

               “Okay, fine but just please stop calling me Miss Jackson.” huffed Sadie eyeing him with disdain, “James…I am running from those thugs because I stole something from them and they want it back. They are very dangerous and it is in my best interest to remain hidden here, in your cabin for the next two hours.”

               “What did you steal?” asked James, “Show me.”

               Reluctantly, Sadie opened her purse and sighed as her fingers found the cool metal chain; she pulled the heavy necklace out of her purse and dangled it in front of him. Sadie watched his reaction, she watched as his eyes grew wide. James scooted closer and reached out a hand to touch the delicately designed jewel. As his grew crept closer to the large sapphire, Sadie yanked the necklace out of his reach; he grunted with frustration. ‘I guess it was too much to ask for a quiet vacation.’ thought James as his eyes followed the swaying rhythm of the jewel.

               “Who and where did you steal this from?” demanded James looking back at her, “I had heard about a jewel necklace being stolen yesterday afternoon. I didn’t realize that I would be riding with the thief the next day, however.”

               “I am not the thief!” growled Sadie shoving the necklace back into her purse, “Those men chasing me stole it from my grandmother. I merely took it back; it is not my fault those men thought I was just another ditzy skirt. I thought thieves were supposed to be smart and not let themselves get tricked by a woman.”

               “Did you think that maybe they were hired to steal it and that is why they allowed themselves to be tricked by a choice bit of calico like you?” chuckled James leaning back

               “I’m so glad you find this amusing James!” snapped Sadie slumping back into her seat

               Before James could retort with a witty comment, they heard shouting heading their way, he watched Sadie straighten in her seat, sheer panic filled her eyes.  ‘She may be the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met but I can’t just harm come to her.’

               “I’ll give you a boost…” whispered James standing up

               “What?”

               “You small enough to fit on the bed…once your up I can close the bed back into the compartment until they’re out of sight.”

               “Why are you helping me?” asked Sadie quickly adding, “Promise you won’t let me suffocate?”

               “I’ll tell you after they’ve left and yes, I promise I won’t let you suffocate…now please Sadie, we don’t have a moment to lose!”

               Sadie allowed him to help up onto the bed, her heart pounded so hard in her chest, she thought the organ would burst from her chest. Darkness enveloped her in the nick of time, she heard the door slide open, footsteps thundered into the small cabin. The shouting slowly died down as she heard James calmly talking to the thugs who were after her. ‘How is he so calm?’ pondered Sadie, ‘He must have had a lot of practice…’

               “Are you sure you haven’t seen her?” demanded the man with the gravelly voice, “She’s a sly one. Her name is Sadie Jackson and she will pull the wool over your eyes quicker than a bear mauls a hunter!”

               “As much as I enjoyed your analogy, I will repeat myself: I have not seen her as I have just woken up from a much-needed nap. May I have your name sir? In case I do see her.” explained James disdain dripping from his voice

               “Roberts.”

               “Just plain Roberts.”

               Roberts simply glared at him, “Just find me when you see her…if you see her, stop her!” violently shoving James onto the bench.

               Sadie heard the door slam shut, she waited for James to lower the bed. Minutes ticked by; she began to squirm anxiously. ‘Heaven help him if he forgot about me!’

               Before Sadie could yell at James to let her out, the bed suddenly swung open. She began to scream; James’s hand muffled the rest of her scream. She pried his hand off and sat up glaring at him; she could see that he was trying to hold back laughter. Sadie jumped off of the bed, her purse fell to the floor.

               James took a step forward to close the bed; a loud crunch filled the room. A gasp escaped from Sadie’s throat; her hands flew to her heart as she stared at her purse sticking out from underneath James’s shoe. James slowly lifted his foot and backed up.

               “What have you done?” exclaimed Sadie scooping up her purse

               “I swear I didn’t see it Sadie!” apologized James locking the bed back into place, “I am so sorry!”

               Sadie sat down on the bench with the purse sitting sadly in her lap; James sat down beside her a frown on his lips.

               “Wait a minute…it crunched…” muttered James reaching for the purse

               “We both heard it crunch James! It’s destroyed!” cried Sadie wiping tears from her cheeks

               “I believe that the jewel is paste because real jewels wouldn’t break from being stepped on.” explained James as he examined the remnants of the jewel, “Look! Your grandmother’s jewel was hiding this note…”

               Sadie looked at the note in his hand, her eyebrows furrowed as she opened the small piece of paper.

               “This is not what I was expecting…what do these numbers mean?” asked Sadie handing the note to James

               “These look like map co-ordinates…” murmured James closing his eyes, “Hold this…”

               James dug frantically through his luggage for a minutes before pulling out a map of San Francisco; he layed the map out on the floor. Sadie knelt down beside him and looked at the map, then looked at the numbers in her hand.

               They worked together and pinpointed the location on the map; Sadie sat back on her heels feeling dumbfounded. James wanted to say something but figured that he should probably refrain.

               “Golden Gate Park? Really?” sighed Sadie looking over at James, “I could’ve driven there, avoided being chased and this would have been done sooner…”

               “I’m not trying to patronize you but you had no idea that your grandmother’s necklace was fake.” stated James quietly, “Let me come with you Sadie. I’ve never been able to resist a mystery, which is why I’m a detective. Plus, an extra pair of hands will come in handy.”

               Sadie smiled as he talked; she could tell that he really wanted to know what would happen when they reached the Golden Gate Park. ‘He does make a good point about an extra set of helping hands.”

               “Yes, you can come with me. We make a good team.” laughed Sadie putting the note into her purse

Two hours later…

               The rest of the train ride passed slowly, Sadie and James spent the time guessing what her grandmother had hidden. They figured that whatever it was had to have enough value to have attracted a group of grifters.

               The train finally pulled into the station, Sadie and James disembarked from the train quickly and made their way to the street to jump onto a cable car. As they jumped onto the cable car, they heard a voice shouting angrily.

               “Sadie!” shouted Roberts shaking his fist

               Sadie slipped her hand into James’s; when he squeezed her hand, she felt a measure of comfort. The men jumped into a car and followed them. James led Sadie to front of the cable car, he whispered in her ear: “Do you trust me?”

               Sadie nodded.

               “Get ready to jump.”

               “Wait, what….”

               Without responding, he tightened his grip on her hand; as the cable car near the corner, he whispered again: “Get ready to run…we’re only a few miles from the park.”

               James jumped and pulled Sadie along with him; Sadie gasped as they landed hard on the cement, yet she pushed herself to keep going as James pulled her to her feet. They ran as fast as they could in the direction of the Golden Gate Park.

               They heard tires squealing behind them; James led them across the road and through the entrance to the park. They stopped behind the bushes and waited; Sadie pulled the map from her purse. The thugs came closer and closer, James and Sadie ducked down as far as they could.            

               “They have to be here somewhere!” growled Roberts angrily, “If they find the treasure before we do, we are all dead! Spread out and find them!”

               Roberts and his men moved in different directions, completely unaware that James and Sadie were less then 20 feet away.

               James looked at the map while Sadie kept a look out; he studied the map as quickly as he was able, he wiped the sweat from his hands onto his trousers.

               “I’ve got it, Sadie, let’s go!” whispered James taking her hand in his once more

               James led her further and further into the park; the trees and bushes grew thicker, the further they walked. Time ticked by at a snail’s pace, Sadie began to worry that they would never find her grandmothers treasure. ‘What could she possibly have hidden in such a secluded spot?’ wondered Sadie, ‘I’m just so glad that I’m not doing this alone…’

               “James?” said Sadie softly, “Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?”

               “I’m positive.” replied James quietly, “Trust me, I know exactly where we’re going.”

               They continue to walk through the trees and bushes, until they came upon a forgotten path. They followed the path for a half mile before coming to a clearing, the path lead to a willow tree that seemed to glitter silver in the sunlight.

               Sadie and James walked up to the tree; she smiled as she traced the names that had been carved into the bark.

               “These are my grandparents names; she told me that they had come here as often as they could, just to be together.” smiled Sadie wistfully

               “Whatever your grandmother buried, she probably buried beneath the tree.” said James looking at the base of the tree, “Only problem is…we don’t have a shovel.”

               “Well, I guess that’s why we have hands.” laughed Sadie as she kneeled on the ground

               James chuckled as he joined her on the ground. Together they tore at the dirt, digging as quickly as they could without a shovel. They were so focused that they didn’t hear the goons come up behind them until they heard a gun being cocked.

               “Looks like we’re right on time! Right, boys!” barked Roberts smugly aiming the gun at Sadie and James

               The men laughed heartily as they formed a circle around their victims.

               “Well, you can’t kill us yet because we haven’t reached the treasure yet.” snapped Sadie glaring at Roberts

               “By all means, keep digging sweetheart!” snarled Roberts

               With no other choice the two continued to dig. It didn’t take long until their fingers collided with a rusted metal box. James looked at Sadie who had turned pale; he lifted the box from the dirt hole. He quickly broke the lock and opened the box.

               “Let me see.” demanded Roberts leaning over them

               “The treasure is a bunch of letters?” howled Roberts in a rage, “Johnson is going to wish he had never hired us!”

               Roberts and his men stormed off, muttering threats. Sadie released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

               “Your grandmother hid letters?” sputtered James confused, “Why?”

               “Before she passed, she told me that she wanted me to have the one thing that she valued most, that I could use it as a guide in my life.” explained Sadie picking up the stack of letters, “At first I didn’t understand but now I do…she loved my grandfather with all her heart and she valued his love letters so much she hid them to keep them safe from her parents. Her parents didn’t approve of him, yet she married him anyways.”

               “To her true love was a treasure to be loved and held onto for the rest of her life and I can see that she wants me to find a love as true as hers.”

               Sadie put the letters back in the box and held the box close to her body as she stood. James smiled; he shook his head at this incredibly sweet love story.

               “Well, maybe your grandmother knew you would meet a handsome detective who would help you find this treasure…”

               “Is this you asking me to dinner James?”

               “I am making a mess of this but yes…Sadie will you have dinner with me and see where this will go.” laughed James taking her hand in his, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand

               “Yes, Detective James Oliver. I do have a question thought…”

               “What’s that?”

               “Will you also write me love letters?”

               James smiled at her as a blush crept onto his face. He took a step closer to her and whispered in her ear: “I daresay I will.”