Page 12 of The Valiant (Spy Girl 4)
My eyes got big. I love stuff like this. "And you think the flowery-looking design on that box has something to do with one?"
"I do," she said. "Think about it. This country hasn't had a war in centuries. How can that be?"
"Because they are peaceful people," I wondered.
"Or because they are too powerful to conquer."
"Except it's not a very big country, so they wouldn't have many soldiers if they had to fight, but I guess our tour guide told us that the Montrovian Navy is quite formidable." I laughed. "That's my new favorite word. Formidable. That's what I want to be someday." I scrunched up my nose. "It means tough, right?"
"That it does. And you will be," she said with a laugh as she pushed back the long bangs that had fallen out of my braid. "Why don't you go check out those ruins?"
I got up and ran behind the old castle wall, popping my head around the corner and sticking my tongue out at her.
"You should let me take your picture, Lee," she said. "I want you to always remember our visit to the Palacio de la Vallenta."
I find myself being drawn toward the ruins. When I step behind the old wall, the first thing I notice is a flower bed filled with begonias.
I read the placard rising from the ground.
Begonias are the national flower of Montrovia. First brought from South Africa by merchant traders, they symbolize justice and peace between major world powers and simple people alike. The gold and yellow color indicates the wealth, happiness, and contentment, which is the goal for our every citizen.
Two memories flash simultaneously. One of my mother down on her knees, digging a hole in the dirt. The other of my dream where I was digging up the queen's prized begonias.
Without thinking, I drop to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Ari asks, rounding the corner of the ruin with a picnic basket in hand.
I don't respond, some unknown force driving me. A few seconds later, my hand hits a foreign object. I dig a little deeper and then grasp it in my fingers, pulling it out.
"What the hell is that?" my brother asks, studying the small gray-lidded cylinder.
"I think my mother buried it," I say, quickly calling Lorenzo and asking if he's in the palace and if we can join him.
A few minutes later, Juan escorts us into the war room where Lorenzo is looking stressed.
"Did we interrupt something?" I ask as he stands from behind his desk and makes his way toward us in greeting.
He smooths out his suit as Juan leaves the room, closing the doors behind him. "Just politics. How was your tour?"
"She dug up a bunch of begonias on palace grounds," Ari tattles.
I nod my head in agreement. "I had a crazy dream where I got in trouble for digging up the queen's flowers as well as a memory of my mother down on her knees in the same spot." I hold the canister in front of him. "And I found something."
"What's in it?"
"Since it came from your property, I thought I'd ask you that first."
He wraps his arm around my waist and then takes my hand in the other. "It looks like a dirty film canister."
"I think that's exactly right. My mother took photos of me with an actual camera. It would have been handy."
"Why don't you do the honors?" he says.
I flip the lid off the top and turn it over.
But nothing falls out.
Lorenzo and I let out a disappointed sigh.
Ari grabs the container from me and inspects it. He slips his hand inside and pulls out a rolled up piece of paper, spreading it flat on Lorenzo's desk.
When I see what it is, I let out a curse. "What the--"
Lorenzo inspects it closer, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "It's just like the money with Ophelia on it, only it's my late uncle Alessandro wearing the crown."
"And," I add, "it also has Arcadia as the name of the country, not Montrovia. That means the first attempt on your father's life by his younger brother had to do with what my mother was investigating."
"Six years later," Ari says, dumbfounded. "And someone is still trying to turn Montrovia into Arcadia. Ophelia's bill was definitely not a gag gift."
"A gag gift?" Lorenzo asks.
"I found an entry in Clarice's journal. She saw the currency and questioned her sister, but Ophelia told her it was a gag gift for your upcoming birthday. She sweet-talked one of the palace guards, specifically the one in charge of the royal vault, to let her borrow the ruler's crown to wear for the photo. I'm guessing your uncle did the same."
Lorenzo's lips press flat against each other. I don't think I've ever seen him so angry.
"Juan!" he yells out, causing the man to scurry through the door. "I need you to join me in the royal vault. I'm afraid we will be firing one of the guards." He repeats what we just told him.
"I will also let him know, if he doesn't cooperate in regard to the questions I have, we will bring him up on charges of treason," Juan says seriously.
The two of them march off, leaving me and Ari alone.
"Guess you don't mess with the royal jewels," Ari teases and then glances at his watch. "You know, we should probably get going. We have one more stop today."
"The Royal Montrovian Bank, yes. Then, I'd like to go home and take a bath before we leave for Rome."
"Deal," Ari says, gesturing with his arm toward the door.
I start to walk toward him and then turn around. I grab a sheet of paper from Lorenzo's notepad and write him a quick note. I fold it in half and draw a silly smiley face on the front of it.
But, just as we're leaving his private residence, I blurt out, "Is Lorenzo the Magnificent buried here? She didn't mention it on the tour."
Ari takes his phone out of his pocket and looks it up. "He is buried in the National Cathedral--"
"On the Plaza de Vallenta," I finish, suddenly remembering another place that there wasn't a photo of.
"On this treasure hunt, we're looking for a certain symbol that we saw on our castle tour. Let's see if we can find it."
"Which one?" I asked.
"You'll know it when you see it," my mother said with a laugh.
"Our tour guide mentioned that many of the works in the palace were done by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo among other famous artists," Ari continues. "This article says it's of note that his tombstone was carved by Michelangelo."
We leave the palace grounds, get in the car, and drive to the cathedral set in the center of town, closer to the hills and homes than the docks. The plaza is bustling with activity. I laugh when I notice Ari is still carrying the picnic lunch.
"Are you hungry?" I ask even though I already know the answer.
"I'm starved."
"Let's sit on the steps and eat first."
Ari doesn't say anything when he eats, which is typical. He's a man on a mission to refuel. I can't help but laugh as I take a bite out of my sandwich.
But he stops mid-bite and stares at me. "Well?"
"Well, what?"
"What are your thoughts on the dollar bill you dug up? Where did your mom get it? Why did she bury it?"
"Knowing that we left Montrovia as the Kelley and Huntley Bond a few weeks later suggests she might not have wanted it with her then. The fact that she hid it means that she was either leaving it for someone--"
"Like a dead drop? That's old school spy craft."
"With all the electronic surveillance today, still very effective. She would have either left it for someone or was afraid to have it on her."
"Gut feeling?" he asks me.
"We left here and went to Baghdad. I wouldn't have wanted it with me."
"Where do you think she got it in the first place?"
"Oh my gosh! What if she wasn't investigating Ares Von Allister? Think about how we found the bill with Ophelia on it. King Giovanni survives an attack from his own brother and wants answers. He searches his brother's home and finds the bill. He looks up Arcadia, wondering what it is, if he didn't already know. His friend, Ares, studie
d all that stuff, so he confides in him and sends him the bill.
"Gabriel told me that they hid the fact that it was his brother, just like they lied about Ophelia being behind the kidnapping. King Giovanni can't have anyone in his country investigate because he's afraid the truth will leak, so he goes through his old friend. Ares hires my mom to figure it out. Just like we're trying to do."
"And she does."
"Yeah, she does," I say, excitedly getting up. "And that means we will do the same."
"Without the dying-at-the-end part preferably," Ari says softly.
