didnât see a thing.â
I looked at Tessa. âAre you sure you feel okay? Because youâre acting kind of crazy.â
âWell, maybe I donât want to be interrogated!â she snapped.
Nate and I looked at each other. What the heck?
Then Mr. Bryant said, âSounds like there might be some more detecting going on. Do I have that right?â
Nate explained about the maybe gold that was maybe missing.
âA buried piece of gold?â Granny said. âCould it be a coin, do you think? If so, then youâre going to the right place tonight to do some more detecting.â
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is wide and white, with a fountain on one side and a statue that looks like silver ribbon on the other. Itâs on the National Mall in Washington, DCâpretty near my house. Inside is cool stuff like race cars and steam engines, five-hundred-year-old violins, mannequins wearing beautiful First Lady dresses and the ruby slippers from
The Wizard of Oz
.
Usually there would be lots of people inside, too, but Dr. Maynard had arranged for us to visit when the museum was closed. Thatâs why when Nate, Tessa, Aunt Jen, Charlotte and I walked through the heavy glass doors, only two guards and a man in a suit and tie met us. The man was Dr. Maynardâs friend, a curator named Mr. Augustâthe same guy who would be getting a medal at the ceremony the next day.
After the usual handshakes and âhow are yous?â Mr. August took all of us up in an elevator to a room onthe fifth floor, where Zach and Dalton and their parents were waiting for us.
âWelcome to our library,â said Mr. August.
The room had blue walls and bookcases, but it was small and not exactly fancy. In fact, with all of us in there, it was kind of a tight squeeze.
âArenât we going to see an exhibit?â Tessa asked. âLike when we went to see the Hope Diamond?â
Mr. August shook his head. âOur collection is so big we can only display a few things at a time. The rest is kept in the vault. When Dr. Maynard told me youâre also working on Professor Muddâs dig, I decided to get out some coins from the same time periodâearly American history.â
There was a table in the middle of the room. The grown-ups sat around it while Charlotte and us kids stood behind them. On top of the table was a black case like a big jewelry box.
âWhatâs in there?â Tessa pointed.
âYouâll see,â said Mr. August mysteriously. âBut first, I want you all to look in your pockets or coin purses, get out any change you might have and put it on the table.â
âWhat if we donât have any?â Tessa asked.
I told Tessa Iâd share. A few seconds later, there was a handful of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies in front of each of us.
âMost collectors get interested in coins when they examine the ones they have on hand every day,â Mr. August said.
Dr. Maynard nodded. âThatâs what happened to me.When I learned that coins have dates on them to show when they were made, I got the idea it would be neat to have pennies from as many years as possible. I asked my father for the coins from his pocket, and thatâs how I started collecting.â
Dalton shook his head. âLame, Dad.â
âDalton?â
said his mom.
But his dad kept his temper. âItâs not lame, Dalton. First of all, coins are beautiful. Each one is a tiny work of sculpture.â
Dalton did not seem convinced.
âAnd second,â Dr. Maynard went on, âwhen you collect coins, it makes every day a little more exciting. After all, you can never tell when your pocket change will hold a treasure.â
Dalton didnât say anything to that. He just started examining the coins on the table. And so did I. I mean, who canât get behind treasure?
Meanwhile, Mr. August