Page 28 of The Bitter Heir and the Beauty

I sputter. “Wait? You don’t believe me?”

“Remember where you are. This is Hogwash. Ground Zero for nonsense.”

“Honey, I have the documents to prove it to you.”

“Papers can be forged.”

“You say that like you have experience.”

She chortles.

“If you think this is a scam, why are you out here with me? Or are you just seeing how far I can be strung along?” Like Molly sweeping up whatever crumbs of gossip she can, is Honey gathering information about the treasure? Granted, I’d heard vaguely about it when the town came into my possession, but I didn’t believe it. As she stated, this town is called Hogwash.

With a dismissive snort, she gestures to the tomb. “Why don’t we pay our respects.”

I study the writing on the grave marker and read, “‘When Pigs Fly.’”

“It’s kind of the town slogan,” Honey says.

I read the next line, “‘I would just as soon imbibe this root as take to the air and make a hoot. Look up and see me on the blocks, the blocks made of pinkish rocks. You’ll find me sketched there, most rectangular seldom square.’ What does that mean?”

“By my reckoning, the best people to ask about the first riddle would be Lexi and JQ, but that doesn’t mean they’ll answer you.”

“This seems like a bunch of gibberish.” Before Honey can remind me again that we’re in Hogwash, I read the next one. “‘Take one from apple but none from tart. Find one in liver but not in heart. The last you’ll discover in giant as well as ghost but never, ever in a roast.’”

Honey hugs her arms around her chest. Without the sun, it’s cooling off. If I had a hoodie, I’d offer it. But I’m not sure her shiver is because she’s chilly.

“What did Hogan Tickle mean by these riddles?”

“Legends have grown up over the years, but one thing is for sure, instead of leaving his fortune to his son, he cut Sebastien out of the will. These are the only clues to his inheritance.”

“So there’s more to it than the chateau?”

Honey’s arms shift from a hug to crossed in front of her chest and she levels me with a sharp and accusatory look. “I figured that’s why you’re here.”

I shake my head slowly.

“People have tried to solve the riddles because supposedly they lead to Tickle’s Golden Tokens, which would then bring them to the treasure. A bunch of scavenger hunters really, every year descending on Hogwash, making a mess of things and thinking that if they find an owl, an apple, or a pig, that’ll lead them to a fortune.”

“But no one has ever solved a riddle or found a token?”

“Some say it’s cursed.”

“That isn’t a direct answer.”

She remains tight-lipped.

“Any idea what happened to the other Boot Beer Boys?”

“One was hung. Another died in a duel. Supposedly.”

“And their treasures?”

“I’ve heard that the diamond was chipped into pieces and sold—the Swans had a chunk. As for the ruby, no one knows.”

I read the last three riddles in my head, trying to make sense of them.

I have a head and a tail. I can break, but I am not frail. If you feed me, I will plink, but don’t you worry, I do not stink.

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