Chapter 17 Benny
Seventeen
Benny
Grace, Gil, and Zara were waiting for Benny and Vivian when they returned. So was Ryan.
“Hello, Grandmother,” Ryan said offering his hand to help Vivian out of the golf cart.
Benny stiffened at the sight of him. Ryan looked right at home in this country club.
Now that the world knew he was Serena Rudd’s son and Vivian Rudd’s grandson, he was royalty.
Gone was the Hawaiian shirt and/or the pun tees he favored.
Today he was wearing a white polo and khaki shorts like the other members.
He wants this world, she realized, and I do not.
“Thank you, Ryan,” Vivian said cordially, taking his hand.
Zara sidled up next to her. “Are you okay?”
Benny nodded. “You?”
“Yes.” Zara cut a glance at Grace, who was waiting with her hands on her hips, her long fingernails tapping her waist. Her nails were painted pale green.
“Everyone is fine, dear,” Grace said calmly. “And they will remain so if you all do what you’re told and help us find the missing treasure. Now, do you need some assistance?”
“I work alone,” Benny said flatly, and Grace’s nostrils flared. “Mrs. Rudd said I have till tomorrow night to figure it out, and my friends and I have things covered.” Benny gave Ryan a look. ‘Friends’ doesn’t include you.
“Benny is good at deciphering Evelyn’s riddles and clues,” Ryan jumped in, glancing anxiously her way.
“If I had to guess, if she got one clue two days ago, she’s either on the second or the third clue of the new game now, which means something was buried here.
” He sounded excited. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come. ”
Zip it, Ryan, she wanted to yell. And where is Axel? she wondered.
“So where is this new clue you just found?” Grace asked, stepping closer.
“We got the clue wrong. We found nothing. Sorry,” Zara said, not sounding sorry at all.
“Empty your pockets. And take off your coats,” Grace said quietly.
“The monument is public property. We don’t have to—” Zara was getting fired up and Benny had to stop her. She had an idea.
“It’s alright,” she told Zara, hoping her friend understood.
“We aren’t going to get this past them.” She turned to Grace.
“The truth is, we did find something at the monument, but it wasn’t helpful.
” She revealed the box under her jacket.
“This box had blank paper in it as if someone had found the clue before us and replaced it.”
“Kimble,” Grace said under her breath. “Give it to me.”
“Don’t!” Gil said before Benny could stop him.
Ryan frowned. “There was no riddle? Evelyn always gives a riddle.”
It made Benny sad to think she’d considered Ryan a friend once.
Now she saw his only goal was to help himself.
Benny’s heartbeat was fluttering fast as she handed Grace the box, and the woman studied it from all angles, then opened it and revealed the velvet sack with blank pages inside. “Can we go now?”
“Go,” Grace said. “You will be seeing me again soon.” She grinned triumphantly. “And just know, if I beat you to whatever Evelyn hid, your deal with Vivian expires, and you’ll have to deal with me instead.”
“That isn’t what we—” Vivian started to say.
Grace dismissed her. “Understood?”
Benny maintained eye contact with Grace, refusing to look away first. She also refused to acknowledge her threat.
“Good luck,” she said instead and led the others over to their bikes.
They were all quiet as they biked down the lane, afraid to even speak till they were off Rudd property.
Benny felt like her legs might give out from under her.
“That was terrifying,” Gil said with a shudder.
“How did Kimble deal with her?” Zara wanted to know. “She’s a menace.”
“I know. Let’s get out of here so we can read the pages,” Benny told them. “My house isn’t far.” Evelyn’s house, she corrected herself. Evelyn’s. Evelyn’s. You haven’t won anything yet.
They didn’t stop till they hit the gravel driveway. They put the bikes in the garage and headed inside. The house was quiet, her mom and Wally both out, which was good. They had the place to themselves. Benny grabbed a writing pad and a pen and got out her phone to look at the screenshots.
“Do you think they’ll figure out Sparrow used invisible ink?” Gil asked.
“Grace will probably figure it out before Ryan, but yes, eventually,” Zara agreed. “We need to move fast.”
Benny felt ill. “Should we read the journal pages first or decipher the clue?”
“The clue will take longer. Let’s quickly read the diary first,” Zara suggested.
They read quickly, the tide clock on the mantel annoyingly reminding them of the passing of time.
Evelyn wrote about Charlotte (who they now knew was Grace) having a piece of treasure and offering to help her get back on the island after it disappeared.
Was that really possible? The second entry was about the Rudds showing up at Evelyn’s looking for Axel.
Things got heated. Zara let out a small yelp.
“The ‘don’t trust her’ note we found is about Grace!” she exclaimed and made a mind-blown gesture. “I can’t believe it.”
“Either can I,” Benny agreed, her heart pumping hard. She looked at Gil. “Did you know Winks could get on and off the island?”
“I didn’t,” Gil said, looking shell-shocked. “I don’t think Laurel or Thomas knew either.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But if the cat could carry notes on and off, who’s to say this was the only note she carried?”
“That’s what I was thinking too!” Zara said with glee. “Winks could be like a carrier pigeon!”
Benny jotted down more notes. “That means Aggy and Evelyn could have kept up a correspondence the whole time Sparrow was alive.” She shot a look at Gil. “I mean…”
Gil’s face crumpled. “It’s alright. I thought that too, which feels unfair. How could Aggy keep that from us?”
“I’m sure Aggy and Evelyn had their reasons,” Benny said, squeezing his hand.
“Perhaps.” Gil swallowed hard, lost in thought.
“I was just thinking about that red cord we saw around Wink’s neck—maybe that has something to do with him being able to get on and off the island. Wasn’t there a charm hanging from it?” Zara asked suddenly. “Did you have pet tags in the eighteen hundreds?” she asked Gil.
“Yes,” he said. “Not all animals, of course, but I knew some that did.”
Zara wrote down pet tag on a sticky note. “We need to see that tag.”
“I don’t think I ever looked at it,” Gil told them. “What about Grace? If she reads Sparrow’s diary about Aggy warning Evelyn who she really is…”
Grace can’t beat us to the treasure. “What we need to do is decipher the riddle fast,” Benny realized. “Let me read it aloud.” Benny looked at the page on her phone.
For Everly Benedict,
This game, dear girl, is a perplexer.
I cannot guard you against her.
But don’t you worry, I shall school you.
I promise I won’t let her fool you.
You are blessed! Have faith, please,
with fellow pupils, on your knees.
For if anyone can save those lost at sea,
it will be you and him, because of me.
“‘Blessed, faith, pupils…knees,’” Benny ticked off the words in the new riddle, trying to decipher the clue. “Could she have hidden the next clue in a church?”
“Definitely a possibility,” Zara said, working her jaw. “Does she mean like a pupil at Sunday school?” She glanced at Gil. “Did you go to that?”
“We went to church every Sunday,” Gil said. “But I didn’t have a Sunday ‘school,’ so to speak.” They all thought for a moment.
“What about the schoolhouse?” Benny wondered. “Did you pray at school?”
Gil shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
Zara bit her lip. “If we have to start checking all the churches that were around when Evelyn and Gil lived here, it could take days.”
“The churches all still stand?” Gil said hopefully. “Those I’d like to see. What about our schoolhouse?”
“It’s now protected historical property,” Zara told him. “We can take you on a tour.” She snapped her fingers. “Maybe it is the schoolhouse!”
“But if it was, why would she talk about kneeling and praying if Gil says they didn’t do that there?” Benny glanced at Gil. “Were there any other schools in Greenport?”
Gil shook his head again. “I’m afraid not.”
Benny felt her insides squeeze again. What did Evelyn mean?
Wally walked into the kitchen with a bag of groceries. “If you’re looking for schools, many descendants of Evelyn Terry attended the Harrison School. I believe Evelyn’s children might have been the first class to graduate from there.” He placed the bag down, then went outside to get more.
Wally really did know a lot of family history.
“That place is the swankiest of the swanky private schools out here,” Zara said, leaning back against one of the armchairs in the room.
“The main school is in a mansion, and it sits on the ocean on like forty acres of property in Southhold. Kids come from all over the East End of Long Island to go.” She raised an eyebrow.
“I think the Rudds are benefactors, and their kids have always gone there too.”
“Figures,” Benny grumbled. Rudds and Terrys going to school together? After what happened with Evelyn? Strange. “Do they have a chapel?”
Zara held out her phone with the school’s website loaded. “Yep! A nondenominational chapel that is part of the original school campus.” The three of them looked at one another in awe.
“Did we just solve Sparrow’s riddle?” Gil asked.
“I think so,” Zara clapped excitedly. “Stuff has been hidden in churches throughout history because churches are usually preserved and stand the test of time. Grams always says that. Pretty smart of Evelyn actually.”
“Except now we have to break into a school.” Benny bit on the end of her pencil.
“It’s summer. I’m sure they have tours,” Zara said hopefully.
“Yes, but we need to go this afternoon, and I have no clue if my mom will be back to take me,” Benny said. “Look what happened at the country club. I can’t imagine them letting a kid tour a private school without an adult.”
“What about Kimble?” Gil asked. “He could pose as your parent.”
Zara started to chuckle. “Can you imagine?”
“There is no way he’s going to want to do that,” Benny said, feeling weird even asking.
“He wants us to find the treasure, doesn’t he? He’ll do it,” Zara decided. “You make the appointment and change, and Gil and I will bike to Kimble and tell him what’s going on.”
“I just remembered,” Benny snapped her fingers. “I met a school trustee at the vineyard last night. He wanted me to apply, so I can say I need an appointment this afternoon.”
Gil cleared his throat. “Perhaps I should go back to the island and tell the others what we’ve learned. Aggy might know something about Grace that would be beneficial.”
Gil was right, but the idea made her nervous. Benny reached in her pocket for the coin Evelyn had given her. “Take this and don’t lose it. I think you’ll need it to get on and off again.”
“I will be his lookout at Hooked,” Zara said, gathering her things. “He’s going to need help if Harris has contractors working on the water damage.” She bit her lip. “You need protection too. If Grace figures out the riddle and shows up when you’re with Kimble…”
Benny shuddered to think of what the woman would do. “I’m not sure what kind of protection would work against someone who is immortal.”
Zara thought for a moment. “Oh!” She reached into her bag and pulled out a black box, no bigger than her phone. There were orange letters on the side and a small ring on top. “It’s a smoke bomb grenade. My dad put it in my Christmas stocking. He gave me several of them. Cool, huh?”
“Your family gives odd gifts,” Benny said, amused.
“My dad said you never know when it might come in handy. Like if I want to do a big entrance or something. Anyway…” Zara pointed to the ring.
“If you need to get away, pull the ring and voilà! Instant cover.” She looked at the box and frowned.
“This might be orange smoke, but who cares? It will be dazzling.”
Benny took it and shoved it in her backpack. “Thanks. Hopefully I won’t need it.”
This was getting dangerous, and Benny still had no clue if Kimble had found whatever treasure he was looking for.
“We’ve got this,” Zara said, as if she could sense what Benny was thinking. “Text me when you have the appointment, and I’ll tell Kimble to be ready.” She cracked herself up. “I can’t wait to see his face.”
Benny’s mind was buzzing with all she had to remember, but then she thought of one more thing. “When you see Kimble, tell him to wear a tie.”