up the boulder and peered back at the land.
“One hundred meters puts us about where that big tree is over there,” he said. “And near those shrubs over there.”
“I doubt it was exactly one hundred,” John said. He followed Prime’s gaze, marking the extent of the area they had to explore. Then he noticed the house. “Uh-oh,” he said.
“What?” Prime asked.
“It could be on their property.” The state park ended at the edge of someone’s home. Occupied, John guessed, based on the hanging laundry.
“Yeah, but it won’t matter.”
“Why?”
“If we find anything, we’ll dig it up in the middle of the night, and leave for 7650,” Prime said. “But it’s probably not. More likely over there in that higher area. Let’s grid this off and start looking.”
“Should have brought some flags,” John said.
“We’ll use rocks.”
Starting from Bird Rock, they marked five-meter increments along the shore with rocks. One hundred meters away was a small patch of sandy beach. They turned on their detectors and swept them over the sand. Immediately the detectors flared at them.
Digging with their shovel, John turned over the sand. The shovel struck a beer can. It sloshed onto the beach, draining of dirty water.
“Gold!” Prime said. “Malt gold!”
“Funny,” John said.
Walking parallel and separated by three meters, the two walked into the woods. The brambles and tightly growing bushes made going in a straight line difficult, and when they turned back toward Bird Rock, they realized they had walked off at a diagonal.
“This is going to be hard,” Prime said.
“Yeah,” John said. They’d taken thirty minutes to walk one dissection of the plot. It was going to take four or five days at that rate to cover the whole area one hundred meters from Bird Rock.
“We should have brought string and stakes to mark it out,” Prime said.
“That would make what we’re doing noticeable,” John said. “The last thing we want is a slew of treasure hunters walking around here, following us.”
“True,” Prime said. He took his knife out and notched the nearest tree. “Is this far enough?”
“I guess so,” John said. “Let’s work backwards.”
They stepped over a couple meters and began working their way back toward the lakeshore.
They broke for lunch in the early afternoon, with a handful of soda cans to show for the work. They had also found a quarter from 1965. Lunch was a couple of sandwiches they’d picked up at the store just off the ferry.
“Well, twenty-five cents doesn’t quite cut it, does it?” John said.
“We’ll find it,” Prime said. “There’s some good spots over that way that we haven’t gotten to yet.”
“Right,” John said. “I’ll work with you for the rest of the day, and then I’ll catch the last ferry to the mainland. I’ve got to check in with Grace and Henry.”
“Sure. I can handle this,” Prime said. “I am after all just a treasure hunter.”
John looked at him. There had been some bitterness in his voice.
Prime met his gaze. “Casey was my treasure. Your life. Everything I have, I plucked from someone else.”
“What are you saying?”
Prime’s face was dark, and John realized he was about to cry. John felt uncomfortable, but he didn’t look away.
“I suck,” Prime said. “I don’t just do the wrong thing, I do the evil thing. You know what was in that trunk, don’t you?”
“I … think I know.”
“It was an accident,” Prime said. “I didn’t mean to do it, but he was menacing us, menacing Casey and the baby. I don’t know if he meant to attack or he was just moving his arm up. But I killed him. I swear I saw a knife.” Prime let out a single sob.
“So you kidnapped another Ted Carson to replace the one you killed.”
“The police were looking at me! I had to. For Abby’s and Casey’s sake!”
“Or for your sake.”
“He deserved it! You know what he is! In half the universes, he’s an animal
“One hundred meters puts us about where that big tree is over there,” he said. “And near those shrubs over there.”
“I doubt it was exactly one hundred,” John said. He followed Prime’s gaze, marking the extent of the area they had to explore. Then he noticed the house. “Uh-oh,” he said.
“What?” Prime asked.
“It could be on their property.” The state park ended at the edge of someone’s home. Occupied, John guessed, based on the hanging laundry.
“Yeah, but it won’t matter.”
“Why?”
“If we find anything, we’ll dig it up in the middle of the night, and leave for 7650,” Prime said. “But it’s probably not. More likely over there in that higher area. Let’s grid this off and start looking.”
“Should have brought some flags,” John said.
“We’ll use rocks.”
Starting from Bird Rock, they marked five-meter increments along the shore with rocks. One hundred meters away was a small patch of sandy beach. They turned on their detectors and swept them over the sand. Immediately the detectors flared at them.
Digging with their shovel, John turned over the sand. The shovel struck a beer can. It sloshed onto the beach, draining of dirty water.
“Gold!” Prime said. “Malt gold!”
“Funny,” John said.
Walking parallel and separated by three meters, the two walked into the woods. The brambles and tightly growing bushes made going in a straight line difficult, and when they turned back toward Bird Rock, they realized they had walked off at a diagonal.
“This is going to be hard,” Prime said.
“Yeah,” John said. They’d taken thirty minutes to walk one dissection of the plot. It was going to take four or five days at that rate to cover the whole area one hundred meters from Bird Rock.
“We should have brought string and stakes to mark it out,” Prime said.
“That would make what we’re doing noticeable,” John said. “The last thing we want is a slew of treasure hunters walking around here, following us.”
“True,” Prime said. He took his knife out and notched the nearest tree. “Is this far enough?”
“I guess so,” John said. “Let’s work backwards.”
They stepped over a couple meters and began working their way back toward the lakeshore.
They broke for lunch in the early afternoon, with a handful of soda cans to show for the work. They had also found a quarter from 1965. Lunch was a couple of sandwiches they’d picked up at the store just off the ferry.
“Well, twenty-five cents doesn’t quite cut it, does it?” John said.
“We’ll find it,” Prime said. “There’s some good spots over that way that we haven’t gotten to yet.”
“Right,” John said. “I’ll work with you for the rest of the day, and then I’ll catch the last ferry to the mainland. I’ve got to check in with Grace and Henry.”
“Sure. I can handle this,” Prime said. “I am after all just a treasure hunter.”
John looked at him. There had been some bitterness in his voice.
Prime met his gaze. “Casey was my treasure. Your life. Everything I have, I plucked from someone else.”
“What are you saying?”
Prime’s face was dark, and John realized he was about to cry. John felt uncomfortable, but he didn’t look away.
“I suck,” Prime said. “I don’t just do the wrong thing, I do the evil thing. You know what was in that trunk, don’t you?”
“I … think I know.”
“It was an accident,” Prime said. “I didn’t mean to do it, but he was menacing us, menacing Casey and the baby. I don’t know if he meant to attack or he was just moving his arm up. But I killed him. I swear I saw a knife.” Prime let out a single sob.
“So you kidnapped another Ted Carson to replace the one you killed.”
“The police were looking at me! I had to. For Abby’s and Casey’s sake!”
“Or for your sake.”
“He deserved it! You know what he is! In half the universes, he’s an animal
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