Chapter 15

During the first nine days of its life, an eaglet cannot focus its eyes.

The next morning, I searched the bathrooms, the maintenance area, the workshop, and even the pool (although that was a long shot) for Dad before Mom finally told me he was fixing a water leak on site 10. Hawke’s site.

“Maybe I can help you?” she asked.

I slowly backed toward the door. “Nooo …”

“Are you sure?” She wore her best you-can-tell-me smile.

“It’s more of a guy question.” My hands pushed on the screen door and I was gone in a flash. She would have thrown too many questions my way after she’d heard the one I wanted to ask. Dad, though—he always asked just enough.

I stepped onto the site, then followed Dad’s whistling to the back, where I found his feet sticking out from under the motor home.

“Hey, Dad. How’s it going?” I squatted lower to the ground.

“Cooper? Glad you showed up! Hand me a Phillips-head screwdriver, please. I need to tighten this clamp.” His hand came out from under the motor home, palm up.

I poked around the red metal toolbox, which sat open right in front of me.

“What’s up?” he asked. “You and Packrat and Roy, you seem pretty busy lately.”

“Yeah.” Finding the screwdriver, I put it into Dad’s hand. “A cache went missing, and we’re trying to replace it.”

“Oh,” he said, distractedly. “Hey, it’s really something about those eaglets, huh? You must be pretty excited. Your mom looked it up and there’s only been, like, four cases of quadruplets in the country, ever.”

Exactly what Gavin had said. Figured.

I pulled a blade of grass out of the ground and rolled it around in my fingers. “We’re going out to try to see them today.”

“Good! Take pictures. You know how your mom likes to show them off in the office.”

We both fell into silence. I wrestled with myself in my mind. Do I ask? Don’t I?

Maybe if I half-ask …

“What if someone stole something, and you found it. But they don’t know you have it.”

“You give it back.”

“To the thief?”

“No, to the rightful owner.” Dad grunted as he turned the screw the last couple of tightening turns. He looked at it, then tightened it one last time. “Are you sure what you found was stolen from another kid?”

“Kid?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Dad chuckled. “Just tell me this: Is it expensive—something that’s valuable? Like an iPod or a tablet? We’re not talking a plastic ring, right?”

I pulled another blade of grass. “Yeah, it’s kind of expensive.”

Dad’s hand appeared again, holding the screwdriver. I reached for it as he spoke, putting it back in the toolbox. “Then you have to give it back. Even if it means one of your friends might get mad at you.” Dad slid out from under the motor home and looked up at me while wiping his hands on a rag. He asked, “What if it was something of yours they’d taken?”

I looked at Dad. Should I tell him they were about to take something of ours? Okay, so the eaglets weren’t ours, but I felt responsible for them. If I had just given back the parts, those goons and their boss wouldn’t be targeting the eaglets.

Dad’s eyes grew questioning. He stopped wiping his hands.

“Coop—”

“Hey there, Jim!” It was Mikey. He smiled at me, eyebrows raised. “Cooper. You two look pretty serious. You’re not in trouble, are you, young man? Lose another geocache?”

I balled up my hands. Very slowly, so the dummy would understand, I said, “I didn’t lose it.”

Mikey turned so his back was to Dad. His voice still playful, but with a steely look in his eyes, he said, “Have you found it, though? You’ve been searching?”

“I’ve searched,” I fibbed carefully. “It’s gone.”

Dad stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that. But don’t let it keep you from trying again, okay?”

Mikey put a big smile back on his face. “I hope it turns up. For your sake.” To Dad, he said, “I actually came for Hawke. He left a message that he wanted to see me.”

Dad shook his head. “He’s not here. Coop, can you hand me the wrench?” I did. “Thanks. Now go inside and when I tell you, turn the water on, okay? I need to check for more leaks.”

I walked around to the side of the motor home. I heard Dad push himself back under it, and to Mikey, he said, “Hawke’s gone into town to run a couple of errands. Should be back in about an hour.”

Grabbing the door handle, I pulled it toward me and climbed the three steps inside. It was neat and clean. Not fancy, but new. All browns and tans and gold-colored trim. On the left wall were the kitchen cabinets and stove. On the opposite wall was a soft bench behind a long kitchen table. A couch and recliner faced a thirty-inch TV hanging on the opposite wall.

“Coop?” yelled Dad. “Turn it on.”

“Okay!” I turned the kitchen sink faucet handle. Through the window, I heard Mikey ask Dad, “If you’re still here when he gets back, could you tell him I stopped by to discuss business?”

I mumbled to myself, “Business? What the heck?”

“Sure, I’ll try to remember,” Dad said. He yelled to me, “Cooper? Shut it off. Now turn the bathroom sink on, wouldya?”

I walked to the very back of the motor home and opened the door to the bathroom. On the other side of it was another door, half open, leading into the bedroom. I turned left toward the sink, and a flash of red, white, and yellow in the bedroom caught my eye. One hand over the faucet, I froze.

I couldn’t help it; I had to see. I put my hand flat on the door and slowly pushed it open. Lying right there on the bed was a very, very old tomahawk. The handle was wrapped in leather, and two beaded, leather strands hung from it. Each of those had an eagle feather tied to it. It was amazing! Beyond amazing! It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. And it was real. I didn’t need an expert to tell me that.

Old, too. Almost like … an antique.

Slowly, I stuck out my hand to touch it. Just when one finger touched the worn, soft, brown leather, I heard from outside, “Cooooooper!”

I jumped a mile and pulled my hand back.

“Did you turn that bathroom water on?”

I’d forgotten about Dad. “Just found it!”

I’d found it all right.

Another clue.