Chapter 4
It was on Monday.
John drove his Mustang down the Superstition Highway out of Apache Junction. He headed west.
He turned off that highway and drove through numerous Phoenix streets until he ended up on the Phoenix, on the Phoenix - Wickenburg Highway.
John drove north on the Phoenix - Wickenburg highway and eventually got to Morristown.
From the Phoenix - Wickenburg highway, he turned his Mustang to the right onto a dirt road. He drove down that road where a couple of old run-down trailers called the desert their home.
John drove down the dirt road and came upon a run-down and shabby 1964 single wide Fleetwood trailer with a rusty Chevy Vega parked in the dirt by the one end of the trailer.
John parked his Mustang behind the Vega. He got out and walked to the door of the trailer with Peter's journal in his one hand. He knocked on the door and waited.
The door creaked open and a double barrel shotgun peeked out.
"Get the fuck off my property!" Phillip yelled from inside his trailer.
"I really need to talk to you about your experience in nineteen fifty with Crazy Hole," John said.
The end of a double barrel shot gun slowly peaked a little farther out the door opening. "Fuck off, or I'll fill you with holes! Bloody holes!" yelled Phillip from inside his trailer.
John thought for a second and reached in his pocket. "My name is John Mathers. I found Bart's buried gold," John said then leaned down and tossed the gold coin inside Phillip's trailer at floor level. "You can keep it," John.
There was some silence then the double barrel shot gun slowly went back inside the trailer. The door opened, and Phillip Yoemans, a balding frail seventy-year-old man with dirty gray hair and beard, rotten teeth, and was dressed in shabby clothes appeared in the doorway. He had his shotgun in one hand, and he looked at the gold coin in his other hand.
"Please enter my humble abode, John Mathers," Phillip said and stepped aside.
John entered the trailer.
The inside of Phillip's trailer was filthy, and all the furniture was old and tattered.
Phillip eyed the gold coin while he walked over and sat down on a lazy boy chair that had duct tape over the rips.
John sat down on a dirty couch and laid the journal by his side.
Phillip studied the gold coin and noticed the 1882 date on it. He smiled and John noticed his rotten teeth.
"Tell me how you found this coin?" Phillip asked.
"I was in the Superstition Mountains looking for Bart Stone buried loot," John said.
"How did you know where to find it?" Phillip asked curious.
John removed the treasure map from his shirt pocket and held it up. "I found this in an old wooden chest I bought from an antique store," John said.
Phillip grabbed the treasure map and his eyes welled up a little. "Did this wooden chest have PY carved on the top?" Phillip asked curious.
"Yes. Inside I found a journal for Peter Yoemans. Is he a relative of yours?" John questioned.
"Peter Yoemans was my father," Phillip answered.
"I read how he drew this treasure map from talking with Bart's older brother," John said and held up Peter's journal.
Phillip got up from his lazy boy chair and grabbed the journal. He sat back down and opened up the journal. His eyes welled up some more while he scanned through the journal. He hasn't seen this book since 1950.
"Dad was obsessed with finding the buried loot of Bart Stone. He heard about it from his father. Then after he got fired from his job, he was determined to find the loot. He figured he could get rich and provide for us that way," Phillip said then remembered something. "Where're my manners, would you like a beer?" he asked John.
"I would love one," John replied.
Phillip got up and walked into the kitchen. He opened up his old Fridgedare and removed two cans of Budweiser beer and walked back. He handed John his brew. They both opened them up and drank a little.
"As I was saying. After Dad drew that map from talking to Bart's older brother, he hiked into the Superstition Mountains to find it. I remember that day like it was yesterday, March seventh, nineteen forty-three. He came back all excited and told me that found something better than Bart's gold. He found something that would make him richer," Phillip said.
"What was that?" John asked then sipped his Bud.
Phillip sipped his Bud. "He never told me. I figured he found tons of buried treasure. So the next day, he wore some old clothes and with a cloth bag, he took off into the mountains again," Phillip said then his eyes welled up. "But he never came home. They searched the Superstition Mountain area for days but never found him. So later that year they declared him dead," Phillip said.
"I'm sorry to hear that," John said.
"Thanks. I was thirteen years old at the time, and mom was devastated. So the years went by and when I turned twenty years old, I was getting some boxes out of the attic for mom. While I was up there, I found Dad's wooden chest. Inside was his journal. So I read it and found the page where he drew the map to Bart's gold," Phillip said.
"Who tore the map out of the journal?" John asked.
"I did. I decided to follow the map and hoped that I would find the remains of my father and maybe Bart's loot. Mom sure needed the money," Phillip said.
"Did you?" John asked interested in the story.
"No. I also didn't find Bart's loot. I found something else, something that nobody would believe," Phillip said.
"You traveled through time," John responded.
"I forgot you read the news article. So, why are you so interested in my time traveling?" Phillip asked.
"After I found the gold and silver coins. Were dated from eighteen eighty-three. I said I wished I were in eighteen eighty some day in September. I then went inside a tunnel to the right. When I inside it, I suddenly appeared back outside. It looked just like the entrance to Crazy Hole but different. I saw the old Southern Pacific train as it went down the track. Later I realized I went back in time. But I don't know what year. I was hoping you should shed some light on that," John said.
"Just before I went back through that tunnel, I said I wanted to go back to July twelfth, eighteen eighty-three. I went through that same tunnel, and when I came out, I also saw that same old train. I knew about the Southern Pacific train line, so I followed the tracks and it north and found the town of Oak Creek. It was July twelfth, eighteen eighty-three, as was indicated on a calendar in the general store," Phillip said. "But people gave me weird looks and thought I better leave," Phillip added.
"I can imagine that happening in the clothes from the fifties."
"Yep, so I went back to Crazy Hole and said I wanted to go back to the date in nineteen fifty," said Phillip.
"Why did you say that?"
"The legend states that when in Crazy Hole if you say the month, day, and year, you'll go to that time after entering that tunnel time portal," Phillip said then he paused for a few seconds while he took another sip of his Bud. "Plus if one person goes back to a certain day in time, then that portal stays open for that same day in time for around twelve hours. Meaning other people could follow your time travel adventure."
"Wow! The old west, how cool is that!" John said with a sparkle in his eyes.
"I thought so, but after I came back, I made a false bottom in the wooden chest to keep the map safe. I told a friend of mine that I went back in time and was going back after I got some older clothes so I could blend in. Later that day, he squealed it to the police. They came to my house, and I got hauled in for questioning. They sent me to see a doctor, and he recommended they lock me up in a loony bin, and I got released in nineteen seventy-eight. Mom died in nineteen sixty-nine and sold her house, and I never saw that chest again," Phillip said while his eyes welled up.
"You never found out what happened to your dad? Or tried to back through that cave to find him?" John asked.
"Never did. And since I was locked up so long in the loony bin, I decided it would be best if I just left that cave alone. So I put it out of my mind until you showed up today," Phillip said then gulped down his beer.
John reached in his pocket and removed seven more gold and silver coins. "You can have these for talking with me," John said while he handed Phillip the coins.
Phillip looked at the coins and laughed, a raspy laugh. He looked at John. "Just think. You could go back in time through that cave and get more of these at a steal," he told John.
John thought about what Phillip said while he gulped down his beer.
While John drove home, he continued to think about his visit with Phillip. His comment, "You could go back in time through that cave and get more of these at a steal," ran through John's mind.
John went back to his apartment and sat down on the couch.
He looked at his grandfather's outlaw book on his coffee table.
He looked at Bart's saddlebag on the floor.
He picked it up and left the living room.
John walked into his bedroom and went over and shoved the saddlebag under his bed. He left the bedroom.
That night, John tossed and turned, as he couldn't sleep. The events from today kept his mind active.
John spent the rest of the workweek thinking about his discovery and his talk with Phillip Yoemans. He had a plan in mind but chickened out few times.
John woke up really early on Saturday morning. It was August twenty-sixth, 2006, and he decided to pursue his plans.
He knew exactly what he was going to do with his new find. He showered and dressed in Levi blue jeans and a western shirt.
He ate a quick breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of Cocoa Krispies.
After he ate, he punched in a phone number in is cell phone from his kitchen.
"Hey Randy, I was wondering if you're still thinking of selling your pickup?" John asked into his cell phone.
"Are you interested?" Randy replied from the cell phone.
"I am. In fact, I was wondering if you would trade your pickup for my ninety-five Mustang," John offered.
"Sure. I don't see why not," Randy replied from John's cell phone knowing that he would be getting the better end of the deal.
"Great. I'll be by your place shortly, and we can take care of the titles later," John said then disconnected his call.
John rushed out of his kitchen and ran into his bedroom.
He ran up to his bedside table and clipped his cell phone to his belt.
He grabbed his cowboy hat off the top of the dresser.
He opened up the bottom dresser drawer and removed his Colt Peacemaker pistol from the holster.
He rushed over to his bed and reached under it and removed Bart's saddlebags. He opened one of the bags and placed his pistol and holster inside it.
He rushed out of his bedroom with a smile, as his plan was falling into place.
He drove to Randy's house and left his Mustang there while he drove off with Randy's 1985 Ford F150 pickup truck that had a trailer hitch on the back.
John drove the F150 into Scottsdale and stopped at a coin shop. He was in there for thirty minutes and came out with a nice check for five thousand dollars for selling all those gold and silver coins. John felt rich.
He drove his truck to the nearest Bank of America in Scottsdale that was opened on Saturday.
He went inside and deposited that check into his checking account.
After the bank John drove his F150 to a western clothing store in Scottsdale. He bought a new western shirt, leather cartridge belt, a black bandana, a saddlebag and some new cowboy boots.
John drove his F150 to gun shop and bought some bullets for his cartridge belt for show for that authentic outlaw look. While in his F150, he placed bullets in the cartridge belt.
He drove the F150 to the Rusty's Desert Ranch Horse Stables located northeast of Apache Junction. Rusty had around twenty horses and trailers for sale. He also had stables that people would rent for their own horses. He also rented out some horses for trail rides in the Superstition Mountains.
John walked up to Rusty Moore, fifty years old, with a rugged complexion in a cowboy hat while he groomed a horse.
"Excuse me, I would like to buy a horse and trailer," John said.
Rusty looked over at John and instantly knew he never rode a horse before in is life.
"You know how to ride a horse?" Rusty asked John.
John hesitated for a second then looked cocky. "Sure, you sit in the saddle, grab the reins, and it goes. Piece of cake," he lied. John removed his checkbook from his back pocket.
Rusty looked at John. He didn't care, as business was doing poorly and the bank was about to foreclose on his property, so he really needed to sell a horse. "Follow me," Rusty told John while he walked away from his horse and walked down the stable. John followed.
Thirty minutes later, John stood by a horse trailer hitched to the F150. Inside the trailer was a horse with a saddle.
John wrote out a check for two thousand, six hundred and seventy-three dollars. He handed it to Rusty.
"You can use stall number eight, and that'll cost ten dollars a day to board the horse," Rusty said.
"I'll be back later today," John told Rusty.
"Where are you going?" Rusty asked.
"A little ride in the Superstition Mountains," John replied.
Rusty looked doubtful John would return. He looked at the check. "I hope this will clear," Rusty asked.
"It will. Don't worry," John said while he walked to the cab of the pickup and got inside.
John got inside his F150 and put his checkbook in the glove box then he started up the pickup.
Rusty walked away while John backed up the pickup and almost jack knifed. After three attempts, John finally backed the pickup truck out of the parking spot. He drove off.
He'll kill that horse for sure or cause a crash with that pickup and trailer. Rusty thought to himself while he watched John as he drove his pickup away.
Later on that day, John parked the pickup at the same place where he walked off to the Bluff Springs Trail. He got out of the truck and wore his cowboy hat.
He strutted to the rear of the horse trailer and opened up the gate. John looked at the rear end of the horse. It swatted its tail.
"Come out," he instructed the horse after he whistled. The horse stayed in the trailer and swatted his tail.
John reached out and grabbed the horse's tail.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you. That's a good way to get your teeth knocked out," a woman said near John.
John immediately let go of the horse's tail.
"Are you sure you know how to ride a horse?" the woman asked.
"Yeah. Just never had him in a trailer," John replied.
The woman rolled her eyes thinking John would kill himself. "I'll get him out," she said and walked to the side of the trailer and opened the side door near the front. She stepped inside the trailer and the horse slowly backed out with the woman stroking its head to keep it calm.
She held the reins of the horse. "You can get on now," she said.
"One minute," John told her while he rushed over to the pickup truck. He opened it up and removed Bart's saddlebags. He slung it over his shoulder then rushed back over to the horse.
After he finally got the saddle secured on the horse, John made precise movements while he stuck a boot in the stirrup. He got in the saddle and made sure his other boot was situated precisely in the other stirrup.
The horse looked back at John.
They stared at each other. John took the reins from the woman.
He moved in the saddle and got that perfect spot.
The woman looked at John and thought he was a fish out of water.
"Giddy up!" John said. The horse stood still. "Move!" John said.
Six couples walked over and watched the show.
John leaned back and smacked the horse's hindquarter. The horse raced off.
John leaned all the way over the side and smacked his head in a bush as the horse raced away.
Everybody laughed at the sight of John.
John struggled but eventually got upright. He bounced all over the saddle while the horse raced away towards Bluff Springs Trail.
John eventually pulled back on the reins and slowed down the horse.
A little later, John's horse walked down Dutchman's Trail, and he started to look like a cowboy. He was actually getting the hang of riding a horse.
John's horse walked near Crazy hole then his cell phone rang, and it startled him. He removed it off his belt holster and saw the Caller ID. "Angie," John answered.
"Where the hell are you?" she yelled from his cell phone.
"I'm going back to the old west. I've decided to become a famous outlaw in the old west and run back to hide here," John said, all excited.
There was a long period of silence from his cell phone. "I'm sick of this!" Angie screamed at John from his cell phone then she disconnected her end of the call.
John looked at his cell then looked at the cave. He couldn't resist and figured Angie would forgive him once she saw the money he's going to bring home. He turned off his cell phone and placed it back in its holster and got out of the saddle.
He grabbed the reins and walked his horse to the cave.
The second he got ten feet from Crazy Hole, the horse panicked and rose up on his hind legs.
John dropped the reins and ran away scared.
The horse settled down after a few seconds when it backed up away from the cave.
John cautiously inched to the horse. He stood by his horse and looked at the cave. John realized Crazy Hole spooked the horse and he wondered how he could get the horse in the cave. His eyes lit up with an idea.
Back at the Painted Mountain Golf Course, Angie stared furiously at her cell phone. She dropped it on the green. She whacked it with a golf club. Her cell phone flew in the air and splashed in a pond.
She stormed off, furious with John.
Back at Crazy Hole, John walked his horse with his shirt tied around the horse's head and covered its eyes to the cave.
He removed his flip cell phone off his belt and placed it in his left front pants pocket. He left the belt clip on his cell phone.
He reached back inside Bart's saddlebag and removed his pistol and cartridge belt.
He placed it around his belt and felt like an outlaw. That belt covered up his cell phone clip on his pants belt.
He reached back inside the saddlebag and removed the cloth bag and tucked it into his the waist of his pants. He was ready for this adventure.
John walked his horse inside the cave and there was just enough room inside for the horse.
He walked the horse to that dead end. He looked at the spooky tunnel to the right. "I want to go back to September tenth, eighteen eighty-three," he said, and it echoed in the cave.
John took a deep breath and walked the horse inside that other spooky tunnel.