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“Calm down, you two.” To the boy’s amazement, the dogs obeyed.
    When the front door opened, Gordon stood tall over them. He was six-foot-five, weighed four hundred pounds and had large, swollen legs covered with sores. A strong, unpleasant odor came from his overalls. They referred to him as a gentle giant. Gordon always offered him and Lisa a reward for bringing his mail. They had a choice of a nickel or a glass of Kool-Aid. On hot days, they preferred the refreshment.
    While they visited the old man, Danny would sit and observe everything -- the cement floors in the living room, the chipped paint on the walls and the sparse furniture in need of replacement. The house was one large room with a dividing wall separating the living area from the bedroom.
    Danny had had many adventures, and, as he sat in the yacht’s library, he realized he had a different adventure ahead of him -- to get home without harm! He didn’t see the Kilgores’ bodies, but he heard them talking about gunshots. Something happened, and he feared the worst after seeing the terrified expression on his aunt’s face.
    The fear he felt was similar to having those angry, loud Doberman Pinscher dogs bark at him. He felt like the gypsies -- watched by strangers. Danny started to wonder if God was punishing him for stealing ice cream. He decided to pray, Dear God, please forgive me for stealing. I promise never to do it again. Much to his surprise, he felt more at peace; the short prayer had worked.
    Danny knew the four men were not invited guests, and that he, his sister and aunt were not safe. He wasn’t afraid of Matt as much as the situation. He wanted his parents, and to go home.
    When he looked up from his thoughts, he watched Matt examine books. He took one at a time -- he would open it and fan the pages, then read the first page and put it aside.
    “What are you looking for?” Danny asked.
    “Hidden compartments and the date it was published.”
    “Why?”
    “Sometimes people buy look-a-like books that are hollow and place valuable items in them.”
    Danny watched for a few minutes, and thought, If I can help find what he is looking for, we can go home. “Can I help?”
    Matt turned to face Danny. “Tell you what. If you find it, you’ll get a reward.”
    “What kind of a reward?”
    “How about five thousand dollars?”
    Danny’s eyes sparkled, his lips turned up into a smile.
    Matt cocked his head. “What do you say?”
    “That’s a lot of money,” Danny said.
    Matt glanced toward Abigail. “That goes for you two, as well. Understand?” Abigail didn’t respond.
    “Where do you want me to start?” Danny asked.
    “Any place you wish.”
    Lisa broke her silence by asking her brother, “What do you want with your reward money?”
    “A telescope. With five thousand dollars, I could buy the best in the whole world. At night, I could see faraway stars and planets.”
    Lisa turned to face her aunt. “He wants to be an astronaut, you know.”
    Abigail nodded.
    Danny grinned. “I won’t ask Mom or Dad for one. They argue about money too much.” He fixed his eyes on Lisa. “Are you going to help?” She looked down, turned her head and touched her cheek with her finger.
    The boy asked his sister, “What do you want?”
    Lisa squinted. “I don’t know. Could I look through your telescope?”
    “Sure!”
    Lisa said, “This is weird. We don’t even know what we’re looking for.” Lisa shrugged her shoulders. “It’s stupid.”
    Danny noticed his aunt seemed calmer. He turned to watch Matt methodically examine each book. He decided to make his experience another adventure, as if he was on some scavenger hunt. Yet, he knew it was one adventure they could do without. He glanced at his aunt and saw her rubbing her temples. A few strands of her strawberry-blond hair covered her hand. Danny hoped Matt would keep his promise, so they could all go home after they found the stupid treasure.
    Abigail stood on a brilliantly colored