Gasparilla's Treasure (Trip Mongomery Book 1) by Scott Clements Page B

organized the bills into stacks of paid, not paid, and not able to pay.  She was on the phone with The Good Old Times Retirement Home .
    “I know it's past due,” said Mom.  “But you can't just throw him out, he just had a heart attack.”
    Trip watched and eavesdropped from the shadows.  Mom paused as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone.
    “One week!” she said.  “I am a single mother. How do you expect me to get that kind of money in one week?”
    Another pause.  Trip was not sure, but he thought he heard Mom begin to softly cry.
    “Look, the heart attack hit us hard, but we're going to figure this out and get you your money, but one week is just not reasonable.”
    Trip was certain his mom was crying now.  He could hear it in her voice. 
    “No, I cannot find another place for him by then.  You have to give me more time.”
    Trip could not listen to any more of this.  He ran back up to his room, more determined than ever to find Gasparilla’s treasure.
     
    At breakfast Sunday morning, Trip told Mom he was not feeling well.  He asked if he could stay home from church and she agreed.  He told her he was going to lie around in bed and he would probably not feel like eating lunch. Trip knew Mom would leave him alone if she thought he was sick, so he closed the door to his room and turned on the stereo.
    His room was positioned perfectly for sneaking out.  They had a two-story house, and his window opened onto a small section of the roof, right next to a sturdy piece of latticework. Because Mom did not have a green thumb, the lattice was bare, which made it easy to find footholds.
    Trip had never snuck out before, but he occasionally climbed the latticework to access the roof when a ball, rocket, or any other stray toy managed to get stuck up there.  It was a piece of cake to sneak out the window and climb down.
    When he reached the ground, he stopped for a moment.  He felt guilty for sneaking out behind his mom’s back.  Perhaps if he had another talk with Mom, she would see how important this was and allow him to continue his quest.  Then he remembered the sinking feeling in his stomach when he heard Mom crying last night.  If he did not find this treasure soon, Pappy was going to be kicked out of the retirement home, and there was no way for Mom to take care of him.  With that thought, he was on his way.

CHAPTER 20
     
    Trip, Josh, and Sarah surveyed Fort Matanzas from across the water.  Trip imagined a ship sailing towards St. Augustine to mount an attack, as the men at the fort fired cannons, trying to sink the attackers.  He wondered if Gasparilla’s ship ever sailed through these waters.
    The fort was smaller than Trip had imagined. The Florida flag flew high atop the roof.
    “The clue says we'll find the third map piece under the flag,” said Sarah.
    “We’ve got to get inside and figure this out,” said Trip.  “I’m running out of time.”
    “Well, I hope you have a plan to get past those guards,” said Josh.  “They look a little smarter than the guard at the Gonzalez-Alvarez house. And in better shape.”
    There were two guards in vintage uniforms patrolling the outside of the fort.
    “I’ll figure something out,” said Trip.  “We’ve got to get closer.”
     
    As they approached the fort, they realized there were actually more than two guards patrolling the grounds.  They did their best to blend in with the tourists as they made their way closer to a side door.
    Sarah watched as a guard came through the door, and he left it slightly ajar.
    “Here’s our chance,” whispered Sarah.  “That guard didn’t close the door.”
    They watched for just the right moment and they made their move, completely unobserved.  They hurried through the door and Trip closed it quickly behind them.
    They blinked as they found themselves among a small group of tourists inside the fort.  Josh was beside himself when he realized they were in a public