The Miner's Gold: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Miner Forty-Niner

Steve felt his heart quicken in excitement as he stared at the cell phone lying at the center of the coffee table in his living room. "Are you serious?"

Jack Evan's laughter came through the speakerphone. "I am. The movie set I'm working on is near the old mining town of Shakesville, where, rumor has it, there's a secret mound of buried gold left behind by a forty-niner back in the day." Jack had worked on the movie set of the Decoders second mystery and was one of the only adults who knew about the kids' secret detective agency.

"Hold up." Matt held up his hand, even though Jack couldn't see him. "Some football dude hid a buried treasure? Totally cool. Especially since San Francisco is, like, the best team ever."

Steve rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed with his friend. "Seriously, Matt, you need to pay more attention at school. Forty-niner is the nickname they gave to men who moved to northern California to hunt for gold during the gold rush of eighteen forty-nine. That's what Jack's referring to, not some sports team."

"Oh," Matt said, then shrugged. He reached for a piece of chocolate in the candy dish next to the phone on the coffee table. "Whatever. It's still a good name for a football team."

Jenny threw a pillow at him. "Anyway, Jack," she said, "tell us more about the treasure."

"The museum in Shakesville has the whole story. The way I understand it, a man named Josiah Carney moved there in the heat of the gold rush, hit a mother lode, then got sick and died, leaving behind a note that supposedly told people where to find the hidden gold. Thousands of treasure-seekers tried, but no one ever found anything. Most people decided the note was a hoax, something he did as a joke, and gave up on the search."

Steve's enthusiasm grew. "Where's the note now?"

"In the museum. As soon as I heard the story, I knew if anyone could find that gold, it'd be the three of you. So, if you're interested—"

"We're definitely interested," Steve interrupted.

Jack laughed. "I figured as much. There's a couple of trailers on the lot that you guys can bunk in, but there is one small catch...I need to use you guys as extras occasionally. I couldn't exactly tell my director that I'm bringing you all out here to hunt for treasure, so I told him you three had worked with me before, and that you were very reliable kids. It also helps that he's met Jenny's dad."

"OMG. You mean we get to hunt for treasure and be in a movie?" Jenny clapped her hands. "This is, like, a dream come true."

"I'll email you the paperwork about the movie," Jack said, "so you can get permission from your parents."

At four o'clock that afternoon, the three kids stood on a platform in Beachdale waiting for the train to take them to Sacramento. Steve pushed a bead of sweat from his forehead up into his slight afro, wondering if he brought enough sunscreen for his dark skin. "Jack said he'll be at the station waiting for us when we get there."

Jenny tied her long blonde hair into a pony tail. "OMG, I'm so excited. A treasure hunt and a movie set!"

Matt swallowed the last bite of his granola bar, then wadded the wrapper into a ball and tossed it into the nearby trash can. "And you know what the best part is? No ghosts. No psycho-killers with guns. This might be the first treasure we've gone after where no one's actually gonna try to kill us or scare us off."

The train arrived, and the trio clambered on board, discussing the various ways they would spend the treasure. An hour and a half later, they arrived at the station in Sacramento and found Jack waiting for them, as promised.