Page 208 of Cross & Crown

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“I just . . . if this was a dead end, what was the point? The

plaque we saw on the way there said the original bridge had

been dismantled in 1793. Why the hell would you create a

clue in 1831 that led to something you knew was gone?”

Kelly nodded, resting his head on the seat. “Maybe we

had the clue wrong?” Nick’s green eyes sparkled. “Maybe it

didn’t lead us here. I mean, why should it? The treasure was

stolen at a tavern between here and Boston. The British were

retreating to Boston. They wouldn’t have come back here with

the treasure; it’d be hidden between the original theft and the city. So why put a clue that brings youpastthe treasure? It was a long way by horseback, why all the wasted mileage?”

Nick was nodding as Kelly spoke, his eyes going unfocused.

“What was the whole name on the gravestone?” Kelly

asked.

“Russell,” Nick answered. “Russell B. North.”

“We took North as the clue, but what if it’s just the

direction we were supposed to head in? Or nothing at al ?”

Kelly mused. “Is the name Russell important? Is it a town or

something?”

Nick sighed heavily and shook his head. “I don’t know.

Get your phone out, look it up. I’m going to call Hagan, see if he’s come up with anything in those letters.”

Kelly did a few searches on his phone, trying to combine

the words Russell and Revolutionary War with Lexington and

Concord. He got results for several soldiers and historians, but one result popped up over and over. “Think I got something,”

he told Nick.

Nick had his phone to his ear, but he raised both eyebrows

at Kelly. He put the phone on speaker and lowered it to his

lap. He was apparently on hold.

209

“The Jason Russell house?” Kelly said. “This says it was

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