Page 62 of Balls to the Walls

It was nothing like the grand hotels I liked to stay in, but it was better than sailing on a ship in the middle of a storm. I walked into the office and smiled at the old man behind the counter.

“One room, please.”

“Do you have a preference on size?” he asked, pushing up out of his chair. It took him a good minute just to walk to the counter.

“I’ll take a suite.”

He let out a low chuckle and tossed me a key. “Sure, last one I got.”

I caught it and raised it in thanks. “How much?”

“Fifty for the night.”

I sucked in a breath, shaking my head at him. “You drive a hard bargain.”

“That room has color TV.”

“No kidding?”

“First room we installed it in.”

“I guess I’m living the good life,” I said as I plopped down a couple hundreds. “I’ll need it for a few nights. No need for housekeeping.”

He slowly took the money, his head nodding like a bobblehead. “Don’t have it anyway.”

Well, that explained why the room was so cheap. “Anything good to do around here?”

“Most folks go diggin’ for gold.”

“Gold?” I said, pretending to be shocked. “Is there a lot around here?”

He shook his head. “Never found any yet.” He pulled out an old map and grabbed a pen from his coffee can. “Right here.” He pointed at the map, drawing a circle around an area just north of town. “Most folks head this way.”

“And why’s that?”

“Well, best I can figure, the river was blocked off from the town for many years. But after one very heavy storm, the dam broke and flooded the basin. It’s rumored that people found gold flecks for miles. So, they search upstream.”

That was interesting. I studied the map a little closer, but decided not to give away too much about where I would be. “Do you mind if I take this with me?”

“Sure,” he answered, then turned and headed slowly back to his chair.

Since I had been dismissed, I headed to my room and used the key to unlock what was surely a palace on the inside. I let out a low whistle when I saw the TV that probably had to be hauled in by four men. The thing was larger than anything I remembered from my childhood, and wouldn’t be the first thing any robber would try to steal.

I kicked the door shut and walked over to the table, laying out the map to study. But I didn’t make it very far before my phone rang. I stared at the incoming call and thought about ignoring it, but then I remembered the man who was waiting on the other end.

“This is Dean.”

“Any news?”

“I just checked into a motel and I’m studying a map of the area. I’ve got a woman taking me out in a half hour.”

“I don’t think I need to remind you what will happen if you don’t find that treasure.”

My hand clenched involuntarily around the phone. I hated being threatened, but even worse, I had no way to stop the events that would unfold if I failed.

“People have been searching for the treasure for years. What makes you think I’ll suddenly find it?”

“Because you know what’s at stake. Don’t let me down. The countdown has started.”

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