that,” the diminutive girl confirmed.
“It’s not dated, is it?” Ashley asked.
“No,” Liz answered. “But look at the bottom right corner.”
My eyes went there. I immediately found what Liz was referring to. There, written in tiny letters as a footnote, almost an afterthought, were the words “ With thanks to Arthur Eliot , Research Assistant .”
“A name!” I exclaimed.
“Our first lead,” Liz nodded. “The name of the paper’s author isn’t there, but this is nearly as good.”
“Who is he?” Madison asked.
“Somebody who knows about the crystals,” Eve answered. “Somebody who might be able to give us answers.”
“How do we find him?” I wondered aloud.
“Like this,” Ashley said, and held out her phone so we could see the screen. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but she had become deeply engrossed in it. I twisted my head to look. Her mobile browser was open to a Google search for Arthur Eliot. I read the snippet of bold text under the first one. Professor Arthur Eliot, Harvard University .
“You think that’s the same person?” Liz asked.
“That’s the only result that matches,” Ashley said.
“Harvard,” Madison said wonderingly. “Tracy, is he someone your dad might know?”
“I doubt it,” I answered. “But I can ask.” It was funny thinking of my parents. Ever since the attack, the only thing on my mind had been the crystals and my – and the girls’ – safety.
“Madison, this is great,” Liz said. “Thanks to you, I think we found way more than we expected.” Madison smiled shyly at the praise. “I don’t think we need to stick around in this office much longer. I say we take the papers and go.”
“Wait a minute!” Eve said. “What’s this?” She had flipped over the old blueprint and was examining the back. We looked where she was pointing. There, in one corner, was a washed-out stamp of red ink. Despite the age and wear, though, the three letters that ran across its middle were unmistakable: C.I.A.
I felt the blood rush from my head. A spell of dizziness came over me. Dealing with the attacker was one thing. Finding out that Chris and his dad were in on it was scary, but manageable. Yet now, discovering that the Central Intelligence Agency knew about the crystals in some way, well… it was beyond frightening. Beyond imaginable. Just how far did all this go? It felt like stumbling into a giant spider web, and finding yourself hopelessly caught in the middle.
“Tracy? Tracy? You okay?” I blinked, and found Ashley gripping my shoulders. A look of concern was painted on her face.
“Yeah, fine,” I said softly, “just… spooked a little. We shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re right,” Liz said. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right. Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded my agreement. Ashley rolled the larger paper up, while Madison helped me stand up. Liz took the smaller piece of paper and put it in her pocket. Eve went to the door and stuck her head out. After a moment, she turned back. “The coast is clear.”
Chapter Six – The Man in the Caves
The cold air that slammed into my face as I stepped out of the building was the most welcome change I could expect . My heart, however, wouldn’t stop pounding until we were a good four blocks away from the geology building.
“Now what?” I asked tentatively.
“I want to go find out more about Arthur Eliot,” Ashley said. “Who is he? When did he author the paper? How does he know about the crystals?”
“And whether he’s a friend or an enemy,” Eve added astutely.
“We might not find out until we meet him,” Liz said.
“Meet him?” I exclaimed. “What do you mean?”
“This is just an idea,” Liz said slowly, “so bear with me. But I think it’s fairly certain the island… it’s not safe. There are other people who know about the crystals. And some
“It’s not dated, is it?” Ashley asked.
“No,” Liz answered. “But look at the bottom right corner.”
My eyes went there. I immediately found what Liz was referring to. There, written in tiny letters as a footnote, almost an afterthought, were the words “ With thanks to Arthur Eliot , Research Assistant .”
“A name!” I exclaimed.
“Our first lead,” Liz nodded. “The name of the paper’s author isn’t there, but this is nearly as good.”
“Who is he?” Madison asked.
“Somebody who knows about the crystals,” Eve answered. “Somebody who might be able to give us answers.”
“How do we find him?” I wondered aloud.
“Like this,” Ashley said, and held out her phone so we could see the screen. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but she had become deeply engrossed in it. I twisted my head to look. Her mobile browser was open to a Google search for Arthur Eliot. I read the snippet of bold text under the first one. Professor Arthur Eliot, Harvard University .
“You think that’s the same person?” Liz asked.
“That’s the only result that matches,” Ashley said.
“Harvard,” Madison said wonderingly. “Tracy, is he someone your dad might know?”
“I doubt it,” I answered. “But I can ask.” It was funny thinking of my parents. Ever since the attack, the only thing on my mind had been the crystals and my – and the girls’ – safety.
“Madison, this is great,” Liz said. “Thanks to you, I think we found way more than we expected.” Madison smiled shyly at the praise. “I don’t think we need to stick around in this office much longer. I say we take the papers and go.”
“Wait a minute!” Eve said. “What’s this?” She had flipped over the old blueprint and was examining the back. We looked where she was pointing. There, in one corner, was a washed-out stamp of red ink. Despite the age and wear, though, the three letters that ran across its middle were unmistakable: C.I.A.
I felt the blood rush from my head. A spell of dizziness came over me. Dealing with the attacker was one thing. Finding out that Chris and his dad were in on it was scary, but manageable. Yet now, discovering that the Central Intelligence Agency knew about the crystals in some way, well… it was beyond frightening. Beyond imaginable. Just how far did all this go? It felt like stumbling into a giant spider web, and finding yourself hopelessly caught in the middle.
“Tracy? Tracy? You okay?” I blinked, and found Ashley gripping my shoulders. A look of concern was painted on her face.
“Yeah, fine,” I said softly, “just… spooked a little. We shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re right,” Liz said. “Something about this just doesn’t feel right. Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded my agreement. Ashley rolled the larger paper up, while Madison helped me stand up. Liz took the smaller piece of paper and put it in her pocket. Eve went to the door and stuck her head out. After a moment, she turned back. “The coast is clear.”
Chapter Six – The Man in the Caves
The cold air that slammed into my face as I stepped out of the building was the most welcome change I could expect . My heart, however, wouldn’t stop pounding until we were a good four blocks away from the geology building.
“Now what?” I asked tentatively.
“I want to go find out more about Arthur Eliot,” Ashley said. “Who is he? When did he author the paper? How does he know about the crystals?”
“And whether he’s a friend or an enemy,” Eve added astutely.
“We might not find out until we meet him,” Liz said.
“Meet him?” I exclaimed. “What do you mean?”
“This is just an idea,” Liz said slowly, “so bear with me. But I think it’s fairly certain the island… it’s not safe. There are other people who know about the crystals. And some
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