Ty told Eduardo and Jenna at lunch about the trip to the Westford Knight and Newport Tower.
“You in, Eduardo?” Ty asked.
“Man, you know I have a game tomorrow.” He looked at Ty wistfully.
“Jenna?”
“This isn’t an overnight trip, is it?”
“We can leave early and be home on the same day.”
“Even if we come home the same day my Mom will never let me go.” She sighed. “I’ll ask though. You’re so…” She stopped abruptly.
Ty had the feeling she was going to say, “You’re so lucky, not having to ask a parent,” but dropped it quickly.
She looked at Ty strangely. “You know my mom doesn’t like your living arrangement.”
“Really?” Ty looked amused.
“She keeps saying, it’s just not right.”
Ty laughed and Jenna laughed halfheartedly with him.
She thought for a second, her lips compressed into a frown. “You know I really don’t like it either. When is she going back?”
Ty thought about Ashi going back and looked at the floor. It would be horrible without her, he thought.
“Ty?” Jenna demanded.
“I don’t know,” he said.
****
The next morning Ty rose early, but found Ashi already awake, in the sunroom.
Her eyes flicked open. “I thought you would never wake up,” she said.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Ty grinned. It was only 8:00 in the morning.
“Okay! Let’s get on the road! What about Jenna, Therese and Cheryl?”
“The grad students couldn’t come. The professors are loading them up with work and Jenna was right about her mom--wouldn’t let her come.”
Ashi opened the front door. “We don’t need anything, right?”
“Just let me get my cameras,” Ty said. “We’ll get breakfast on the road…” he broke off, surprised to see Eduardo coming up the front walkway, looking over his shoulder at the security men sitting in their car, parked at the curb.
“Man, they’re like watchdogs.”
“What are you doing here, Eduardo? Do you not have a game today?” Ashi asked.
He grinned. “Called in sick. I didn’t want to miss this trip. Anyway, it’s the first game of the season. No college scouts yet.”
Ty knew Eduardo had never missed a game for any reason since middle school. He couldn't understand why he felt a bit like Eduardo was intruding. Why is it bugging me that Eduardo wants to come along to be with Ashi, rather than help make any discoveries? He’s like a puppy, following her around. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
“That is great, Eduardo. I am happy you are coming,” Ashi said.
Eduardo grinned at her. Like a puppy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stuck out his tongue and started panting, Ty thought. Then he felt guilty for the mental attack on his best friend and he erased the thought from his mind.
“Okay, Eduardo, hop in the back.”
“We stopping for breakfast or anything?” Eduardo asked.
“He’s going to want to eat all the way there and all the way back,” Ty grumbled.
Ashi turned and faced the back seat. “It’s not all about the food, Eduardo,” she said with twinkling eyes.
Ty flashed with annoyance when he looked in the rear-view mirror and caught Eduardo, smiling sickly back at her.
Ashi was not the kind of person to chatter about nothing, but she managed to draw out Eduardo. Ty listened to their banter and started to compare himself with Eduardo…unfavorably. Ashi does like him. He’s got a great sense of humor and is fun to be around. I’m too serious. Everybody tells me I’m too serious…and moody. Some days I don’t even want to be around myself. Eduardo is always the same, always happy, smiling and cracking jokes. Ty wondered briefly why he was making himself miserable with thoughts of Ashi liking Eduardo better. He forced himself to pay attention to Eduardo, relating his life story and soon they were telling funny stories from their childhood to her. It seemed much shorter than four hours to get to Westford.
Ty stood outside the low chain fence and ran his fingers through his hair. “It looks like another dead end. I don’t see any knight.”
“Maybe if we stand here and just stare at it,” Eduardo suggested.
“I think the pictures on the internet use a white line to help you see the picture,” Ashi said.
“Yeah, they said it was outlined in chalk. What a disappointment,” Ty said. “Well what we read on the internet did say it was eroded from being out in the elements for such a long time.”
“I do see the handle of a sword,” Ashi said. “See, someone made little holes. Just connect all the little holes. There is the sword and there is the knight.” She pointed.
Eduardo turned his head sideways. “Now I see it.”
“We were expecting it to pop out at us. I see it too, now. It reminds me of something,” Ty said.
“The rock reminds you of something?” Eduardo asked.
“No, how they made the picture…with little holes. I saw something like that before.”
“Where?” Ashi asked.
Ty pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. “It’ll come back to me.”
They waited but Ty was mute.
Ashi glanced around the area. “Not much to see here.”
“No, it just confirms that there was a knight here at one time,” Eduardo said.
“That’s major,” Ty declared. “That’s something Vincent didn’t know about. Who knows? They might have escaped to La Merica with their treasure and it could be buried nearby. Well, on to the next place…the best for last.”
“Burgers Unlimited. Great! I saw one out on the main road...”
“Eduardo, we just ate,” Ty said.
“Have to stay fueled up,” Eduardo said. “Hey, I'm growing.”
Newport was on the next outcropping of land to the south. They crossed over some bridges, drove through a residential area and arrived at Touro park.
“I was expecting…well, I don’t know what I was expecting,” Eduardo said as they looked at the tower.
“I know,” Ty said. “It’s just in the middle of a regular neighborhood and nobody pays any attention to it.”
It was a small park and they walked the few paces to the iron fence surrounding the tower.
“Wow! Awesome! It’s hard to believe this is just practically sitting in people’s front yard,” Eduardo commented.
“It is pretty amazing,” Ty agreed.
Ashi drifted off by herself, slowly following the iron fence around, keeping her eyes on the circular structure. It had eight pillars, placed in a circle, that rounded into arches. The whole bottom was open to the elements with a grassy floor. The next two levels were encased in stone, the windows just small squares.
“Look, you can see right up into it. It’s open to the sky,” Ashi called, leaning over the fence, trying to peer up into the tower. “I thought it had two floors.”
Ty stood next to her and looked up. “It probably did at one time. Maybe the floors were wooden and they just deteriorated.”
“We need to get up there,” Ashi stated.
Ty laughed. “Yeah? Why?”
“There are carved out spaces up there, like shelves. What do you call them? Can you see them? We have to look at them up close. That one.” She pointed. “I want to see that one.”
“They’re called niches and what’s special about that one?”
“I just know. It is holding a secret.”
Eduardo stood behind them listening. “I don’t know about this. How could we climb the tower? First we’d have to get over this spiky fence. Oooo, that could hurt. Then how could we get up to the niches? I don’t think we could climb it on the inside. There’s nothing to hold onto.”
Ashi looked straight ahead and said, “Come on.” She took a step forward and grasped the points on top of the fence, ready to climb.
Ty pulled her arm back. “Ashi, look around. There are cars on the streets surrounding the park. Look at all the houses. Anybody could be looking out their window right now and see us climbing the fence. The police would be here in minutes.”
Ashi glanced around. “You are right, Ty. Look at that car stopped by the edge of the street. I think that person could be watching us right now. We will just have to come back tonight when nobody is looking,” she said with determination.
Eduardo and Ty exchanged glances over her head.
“She’s right. We have to do it,” Ty said.
****
At 1:00 AM they returned, figuring most people would be asleep. As they pulled up to the park they were surprised to see the tower lit up by several spotlights surrounding it.
“Now what? Someone will see us for sure,” Eduardo said.
Ashi opened her car door and hopped on tiptoes. “We will be like little mice. Little mice you cannot see.”
Ty slung a couple of cameras criss crossed over his chest, grabbed the bag of equipment they had assembled earlier at a sporting goods store, and they headed for the tower with Eduardo reluctantly following. Ty threw a blanket over the spiky fence and interlaced his fingers to give Ashi a boost. She stepped into his cupped hands, balanced herself by holding his shoulder and vaulted the fence.
“I like leggings,” she whispered. “You cannot do this in a kira.”
Ty wedged his foot between the spikes and heaved himself over. Eduardo silently followed his lead.
Ashi walked under an arch and was inside the tower, looking up. “I think that is the one we read about.”
“At the summer solstice the rising sun shines through that window and illuminates the keystone,” Ty explained to Eduardo in low tones.
He shined the powerful lantern on the stone but it looked smooth. “Ashi, there’s your niche.” Ty pointed with the flashlight.
“That one looks bumpy, like someone carved into it,” Eduardo remarked quietly.
Ashi examined the wall under the niche, searching for handholds. She inserted her foot into a crack and began to pull herself up. Ty removed the mountain climbing gear from the bag, set it up, and was soon following her.
“It is bumpy, Eduardo, but no words,” Ashi said, running her fingers over the back of the niche.
Ty joined her and shined the flashlight on it. “Nothing.”
“There are rows of holes. They must mean something.”
“Yeah, they weren’t formed naturally. They are too regularly spaced,” Ty said, taking out a camera.
“I would like to copy this. I have seen it before,” Ashi said.
“Here, just move over and I’ll take a picture.”
Ashi frowned. “Yes, a picture is good but I want an exact copy. The distance between the holes means something. I am sure of it.”
Ty took a couple of photos and reached into the camera bag. “I have paper. I know I have a pencil or a pen in here somewhere.” He felt around until his fingers touched the pencil. “Here you go. Do you know what a rubbing is?”
Ashi shook her head.
“Let me do it then. You take the paper, turn the pencil sideways and gently go over the carving. See…it comes out on the paper.”
“Good, that is perfect.”
Ty continued to refine the rubbing until Eduardo called from below.
“Hey, guys, I think we have company,” he whispered urgently.
Ty lowered himself quickly and Ashi began to climb down. Eduardo was hiding behind a column, peeking out at the street.
There was a car parked at the curb, lights off, engine still running.
“Do you think it’s an unmarked police car?” Ty asked.
“Maybe it's someone just driving by, stopping to take a look at the tower,” Eduardo suggested.
Ashi joined them behind the column. “It looks like the car we saw today, parked next to the park.”
“Yeah, it does. But it can’t be the same one, right? Aren’t there millions of black, Lexus SUVs?”
“Maybe it’s someone like us, someone who came back at night to get a closer look at the tower,” Eduardo said.
“Except they’re not getting out of their car,” Ty said.
“And it has the same black windows. The car today had black windows. You cannot see the person inside,” Ashi said.
“Do you think they saw us? Do they know we are here?” Ashi asked Eduardo.
“I don’t know. I just turned around and it was there. He couldn’t see you two because you were inside the tower and I think I was in the shadows the whole time.”
“What do we do? Wait until he leaves?” Ty said.
“What else can we do? We can’t stroll out of here, like we own the place,” Eduardo said.
“I think he knows we are here.” Ashi pointed to the blanket that was still hanging over the fence to smooth their climb over.
“Oh, no. I forgot about that,” Ty said.
They watched in silence for what seemed like a long while, then the car slowly began circling Touro park. As the car made its way around, they carefully moved, staying in the shadows, hiding behind the column. The person in the car seemed satisfied and sped away.
“Good. He had me a little nervous,” Ty said.
“Me too. How about you, Ashi?” Eduardo asked.
“Believe me, she doesn’t get scared,” Ty said and Ashi merely grinned at him.
They waited a while before venturing out from the shadows, quickly hopping the fence and moving toward the car. When they were safely inside and the car was running, Ty felt a deep sense of relief. Ever since he returned from Long Beach Island he always felt he had to look over his shoulder. He wondered when he would ever feel completely peaceful and safe. They pulled away from the curb.
“Do you think this was another dead end?” Eduardo asked.
“There were no big discoveries, that’s for sure,” Ty remarked grimly.
“I still have these holes.” Ashi waved the paper around.
Ty couldn't see a pattern to the holes and concluded they didn't mean anything.
“Why do you think they had windows that shined light at different times of the year?” Eduardo wondered out loud.
“They could use it as a calendar,” Ashi replied. “They were here for a long time, right? We know that because they took the time to build a large tower. They could use it to figure how long they were here.”
“You are a smart girl,” Eduardo said.
“And did you know that some of the windows are aligned to mark lunar eclipses, which could help them figure out longitude?” Ty said.
“You are a smart boy,” Eduardo said.
“So maybe they were making a map,” Ashi said.
“For sure they would want to make a map so they would know how to get back here if they left.”
Ashi was in the front seat but turned half way around so she could talk to Eduardo. She was the first to notice the black car.
“How did you say it before? We have company!”