for.”
“That’s it, Dad!” Ted said. Scooping up the newspaper, he stalked off to his car. “I’ll talk to you when you’re through insulting me.” He slammed the car door and drove away.
Watching the dust from Ted’s wheels rise and swirl, Hugh’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry, kids. Didn’t mean to put you through that. I just–” He sighed. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Hugh,” Alex told him.
They stood in silence.
Finally, Geneviève said, “We made you some cookies, Hugh.”
“You did?” A smile lit his gaunt face. “A man can’t think gloomy thoughts when he’s eating cookies. Come in and share them with me.”
“We will. But first, is it okay if we poke around the Perch a bit?”
Hugh looked perplexed. “Sure. You don’t have to ask, you know that. But whatever for?”
“Well …,” Gen said, “we don’t know. We think Grandpa hid something up there for us.”
“On the Perch?”
Alex showed Hugh the clue and explained about the deed and the objects they’d found so far. “So we’re pretty sure he means the Perch,” Alex concluded.
“Must do,” Hugh said thoughtfully. “You know, I seem to remember Sam messing around up there before he – well, before he got real bad. Didn’t tell me what he was doing, but he said if his grandkids came by, tell ’em to look up at the stars.”
“Look up at the stars?” Olivia repeated.
Hugh nodded. “To be honest, I thought he’d gone a littlesoft in the head, from the cancer and all, and didn’t pay it any mind. But maybe he did put something up there for you.”
The trail up to the Perch crossed behind Hugh’s garden, switched back beneath the crest of the cliff, and circled through a grassy meadow, rising steadily until it ended on a high bluff. It commanded a spectacular view westward, overlooking Hugh’s place below, Grandma’s cottage and dock to the left, a rocky beach to the right, and the sparkling sea in all directions. On a clear day, like today, you could see neighboring Heron Island, crowned by the tall cedars where the birds loved to nest.
Huffing, Geneviève put her hands on her hips and looked around. The top of the Perch was slate, spotted with bunches of wispy, seed-topped grass in places where soil had managed to gain a toehold. There were some boulders that made excellent seats for stargazing, and the odd windswept snowberry bush, its branches curving away from the sea. That was it. “Now what?” she wailed. “There’s nothing up here.”
“Wait a minute,” Hugh said. “Maybe Sam didn’t mean right here. After all, he said to look up at the stars, didn’t he?”
He started walking down the Perch in the opposite direction from which they’d come. The cousins shot each other confused looks, but after a moment Geneviève knew where Hugh was headed. On the east side of the cliff, away from the wind, Hugh had built a shed. It was where he kept his telescope.
Can you see the sparkle tonight? the clue said.
“Tell them to look up at the stars,” Grandpa had told Hugh.
Geneviève quickened her pace, and the others must have clued in, too, because they nearly tumbled in on her heelswhen Hugh opened the door.
The shed was small and dark. Hugh lifted the cloth that covered the telescope and peered underneath, but nothing was hidden there. The cousins crawled around on the floor and poked into corners, bumping into one another and getting dusty.
Claire sighed. “Another dead end–”
“Wait!” Geneviève said. “What’s that?”
She was pointing to a wooden post that framed one corner of the shed. There was a gap of a few inches between the top of the post and the roof, and there seemed to be a small package wedged into the gap.
Hugh managed to reach the package and handed it to Geneviève. It was a plastic box, similar to the one that had held the key buried under the keystone. She opened it, unwrapped the layers of tape, smaller boxes, more tape, and cotton.
She held up a glass object that
“That’s it, Dad!” Ted said. Scooping up the newspaper, he stalked off to his car. “I’ll talk to you when you’re through insulting me.” He slammed the car door and drove away.
Watching the dust from Ted’s wheels rise and swirl, Hugh’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry, kids. Didn’t mean to put you through that. I just–” He sighed. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Hugh,” Alex told him.
They stood in silence.
Finally, Geneviève said, “We made you some cookies, Hugh.”
“You did?” A smile lit his gaunt face. “A man can’t think gloomy thoughts when he’s eating cookies. Come in and share them with me.”
“We will. But first, is it okay if we poke around the Perch a bit?”
Hugh looked perplexed. “Sure. You don’t have to ask, you know that. But whatever for?”
“Well …,” Gen said, “we don’t know. We think Grandpa hid something up there for us.”
“On the Perch?”
Alex showed Hugh the clue and explained about the deed and the objects they’d found so far. “So we’re pretty sure he means the Perch,” Alex concluded.
“Must do,” Hugh said thoughtfully. “You know, I seem to remember Sam messing around up there before he – well, before he got real bad. Didn’t tell me what he was doing, but he said if his grandkids came by, tell ’em to look up at the stars.”
“Look up at the stars?” Olivia repeated.
Hugh nodded. “To be honest, I thought he’d gone a littlesoft in the head, from the cancer and all, and didn’t pay it any mind. But maybe he did put something up there for you.”
The trail up to the Perch crossed behind Hugh’s garden, switched back beneath the crest of the cliff, and circled through a grassy meadow, rising steadily until it ended on a high bluff. It commanded a spectacular view westward, overlooking Hugh’s place below, Grandma’s cottage and dock to the left, a rocky beach to the right, and the sparkling sea in all directions. On a clear day, like today, you could see neighboring Heron Island, crowned by the tall cedars where the birds loved to nest.
Huffing, Geneviève put her hands on her hips and looked around. The top of the Perch was slate, spotted with bunches of wispy, seed-topped grass in places where soil had managed to gain a toehold. There were some boulders that made excellent seats for stargazing, and the odd windswept snowberry bush, its branches curving away from the sea. That was it. “Now what?” she wailed. “There’s nothing up here.”
“Wait a minute,” Hugh said. “Maybe Sam didn’t mean right here. After all, he said to look up at the stars, didn’t he?”
He started walking down the Perch in the opposite direction from which they’d come. The cousins shot each other confused looks, but after a moment Geneviève knew where Hugh was headed. On the east side of the cliff, away from the wind, Hugh had built a shed. It was where he kept his telescope.
Can you see the sparkle tonight? the clue said.
“Tell them to look up at the stars,” Grandpa had told Hugh.
Geneviève quickened her pace, and the others must have clued in, too, because they nearly tumbled in on her heelswhen Hugh opened the door.
The shed was small and dark. Hugh lifted the cloth that covered the telescope and peered underneath, but nothing was hidden there. The cousins crawled around on the floor and poked into corners, bumping into one another and getting dusty.
Claire sighed. “Another dead end–”
“Wait!” Geneviève said. “What’s that?”
She was pointing to a wooden post that framed one corner of the shed. There was a gap of a few inches between the top of the post and the roof, and there seemed to be a small package wedged into the gap.
Hugh managed to reach the package and handed it to Geneviève. It was a plastic box, similar to the one that had held the key buried under the keystone. She opened it, unwrapped the layers of tape, smaller boxes, more tape, and cotton.
She held up a glass object that
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