Chapter 20
“Oh geez,” said Jack, “that’s too bad. Oh well, we can always give it to her another time.”
“But we’re right here,” said Quinn. “I can run it back in right now.”
“Nah,” said Jack, “I hate to go all the way back just for that.”
“All the way back?” said Quinn, “it’s, like, three steps away.”
“C’mon Quinn,” said Cable, “we don’t have time to waste. Too much to do.”
Cable and Jack marched the rest of the way down the front steps of Mr. Glover’s building and out to the sidewalk. Quinn stood on the top step with his hands on his hips. Then he ran after them.
Fifteen minutes later they were in the Element headed up to the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington.
The Navy Yard in southeast Washington was a neighborhood where old working class houses mixed with ultra modern condominiums and offices. The Black house was on a tree lined side street that ended at the high brick wall of the Navy Yard itself. The boys parked the car and rang the bell at the front door.
Mrs. Black was thin and well dressed. “Come in come in,” she said. She stood aside and let them enter the front hall of the house. The boys were immediately struck by the décor. A huge nautical themed oil painting with heavy gilt plaster frame hung over a hall table right by the front door. The living room, which connected to the front hall by a wide opening was furnished with plush furniture, upholstered with dark velvets. Little lace pads protected the arms of the chairs. A marble fireplace was adorned with several statuettes that looked African. The next room back contained a baby grand piano and the walls were hung with small elaborately framed paintings. A small stuffed owl was perched on the railing of the narrow staircase that led upstairs from that room.
Mrs. Black did not give them a tour of the house. Instead she simply picked up a plain white envelope from the front table and brought it to them in the living room.
“Otis told me that you might be indigo, but I certainly didn’t think he meant your skin color,” she said, then she handed over the envelope. “I think this is what Otis wanted me to give you,” she said.
The boys thanked her. Cable noticed a brilliant sapphire pendant around her neck, partially hidden by her shawl.
“That’s a beautiful necklace,” he commented.
She clutched at it, as if to remind herself what she was wearing. “Oh this,” she said smiling. “I got it from an old family friend. They sell reproductions of all the famous jewels at the gift shop at the Smithsonian. Are you interested in jewelry?”
“A little,” said Cable.
“You should take a look at the museum shop,” she said. “Since the gem hall closed for restoration it’s the only way to actually see what they’ve got in the museum, anyway.”
“I’ve heard that it’s way behind schedule,” said Jack, “I have a friend who’s an intern there.”
She nodded. “It’s a bit of an embarrassment, really. I suppose Otis has been telling you about that?”
“No,” said Jack, just as Cable said, “Yes.”
She looked back and forth between them.
“Well,” she said, “was this envelope all you needed?”
“Yes thank you,” said Jack, “we don’t mean to keep you”
She showed them back out the door. Before she closed it behind them, Quinn asked, “do you know Tony Souvlakis, by any chance?”
She held the door open. Her hand went to the pendant around her neck. “Of course I do,” she said, “Tony and Otis have been friends for years. Why do you ask?”
Quinn shrugged. “No reason. I saw the stuffed owl on your staircase. It reminded me of the animals in the museum.”
She nodded and smiled. Then, propping the door open a little she said, “Yes, that’s one of his. Tony did almost everything in the new exhibit, you know. He’s a master of his craft, really a master.”
Quinn said, “that’s what we’re learning.”
“You don’t know him?” she said.
Quinn shook his head.
“Then what do you need with that note?” she asked.
It surprised the boys. “Um,” said Quinn. Then, as was his habit when he just blurted out the truth, “we think its’ a secret code and we want to figure it out before we get arrested ourselves.”
Now it was her turn to be taken aback. “Well, she finally said, “good luck.”
“Thanks,” said Quinn.
The boys waved, awkwardly they thought, and hurried back to their car. Once they were inside it, they glanced back at the house. Mrs. Black was still standing at the door, watching them go.
They turned the car around and drove over to Eighth Street where they found a corner coffee shop with parking. They ordered drinks and then sat together and took out the envelope. There were two pieces of paper. One was a sheet of blue paper like the one that Souvlakis had written his other note on. The second was a small lined sheet torn from a pocket sized spiral notebook.
They read the spiral note first. It was from Otis.
“3 a.m. Got a call about the bear tonight & am headed in to N.H. Steer clear until you hear from me. Will see what I can do. O.B.”
The other note was another of Souvlakis riddles.
“Peel an I if eye go
When someone asks for me you’ll know
They’re the ones you’ll need to track
Don’t close the net or hold them back
I’ve got things set I’ve got a plan
See indigo and see our man
But if my plan should go awry
And my name is in disgrace
Don’t let me down - ten down each day
Says clearly what I cannot say.
You’re the only one who knows
There’s real Hope for Grace
And the rest is safe through tucked away
In vulnerable but in visible pray”
“Before we get into this,” said Jack, “can I just observe that we have spent more time than most people decoding riddle-poems in our lives. No wonder I didn’t want to be an English major. I’d be a total head case reading poems in class and trying to figure out whether they led to a treasure.”
“Really,” said Cable, “I love it. Look at this. It actually makes sense, for once. It says that if he disappears, Otis should be on the lookout for someone asking about Souvlakis – which was Max and then us, right? Then it says to let them go, which he did. The indigo part is self-explanatory. It was supposed to mark the thieves, just like we thought.
“What about the second half, though,” said Quinn. “Because it seems like the plan gone awry part is where we are right now.”
“That I don’t know,” said Cable, “but ‘Hope, Grace, Pray’… it doesn’t sound very concrete.”
Jack’s cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Jack, it’s Don Glover.”
“Oh,” said Jack, “Hello.”
“Good news, Jack. I was able to get the assistant council for the Smithsonian on the phone. I explained everything to him and he‘s agreed to meet with us today.”
“You did what?” exclaimed Jack.
“I thought we’d agreed,” said Mr. Glover. “In any event, I thought I made it clear that—“
“We didn’t agree to anything,” said Jack. “I can’t—“
Cable put a hand on Jack’s arm. “Shh,” said Cable.
There was a silence on the line. Then Mr. Glover resumed. “He’s agreed to meet us this afternoon at 2 o’clock. I can give you a ride up if you like.”
“No,” said Jack.
“Excuse me?” said Mr. Glover.
“No, I mean, we can get there ourselves,” said Jack.
“Oh, I see. Two o’clock then. See you there.”
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