Part of the story (sequel to The SEED) evolves around a contest called “The Gem Express” where our treasure hunting hero is a “celebrity contestant”. John and his friends ride the Gem Express, a train, that carries contestants from town to town in Arizona in search of hidden gems. In this scene . . . .
John jogged toward Big Chief Boulder with Chad and the girls following close behind. This is almost too easy, he thought. I wonder why none of the other contestants figured this out? Even as his radar for trouble warned him to watch his surroundings, his lust for the hunt led him forward at full throttle. The boulder was in sight. He could almost feel the cool, hard surface of the first Gem Express gem stone in his hand. But yet . . . .
Never one to ignore his instincts for long, John slowed his pace and gestured to his friends. “You guys notice anything peculiar?” “Umh, no, hun. Whatsamatter?” “There’s nobody here, Betty. I don’t mean to pour cold water on your puzzle prognostication skills and all, but those clues were pretty easy if you think back on it. So why are we the only ones who figured it out?”
“Perhaps we have more experience?” They all shrugged and picked up their pace. All five of them. They stepped forward slowly, but purposefully. Five sets of eyes stared at Big Chief Boulder; five pairs of lips pouted in concentration; ten feet shuffled from side to side as John and his friends studied the boulder that once was the favorite meeting spot for Cochise, the famous chief.
From a nearby bush, Avery congratulated himself on his ability to altar the clue sheet that fell into John Victor’s hands.
That’s it for now. I did some research on Cochise and the tribes in his region. Some of the info is in the book, along with info about the desert, endangered species, and other “things Arizona”. Let me know what you think with the comment box below and go to www.annrichduncan.com to see my books, including “The SEED” (the one this work-in-progress follows).
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