Free Buried Secrets at Louisbourg by Jo Ann Yhard

Anything that gets a student interested is worth a little effort. Even if it’s metal boxes. Give me a moment.”
    She bustled over to a door marked
Do Not Enter—Employees Only
. She took a key from her pocket, unlocked it, and slipped inside.
    â€œGeez, Fred, enough with this lame place already,” Grace groaned. “I’m going outside.”
    â€œMe too,” Jeeter added, following Grace toward the door.
    â€œWhat are you up to, Freddo?” Mai asked.
    â€œOne of these keys might fit my box.”
    â€œBut you heard her. You can’t take them out of the case.”
    Fred could feel the excitement rushing through him.
His fingers twitched, ready to do his bidding. “We’ll see about that.”

Chapter 13

    â€œ WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT?” Mai yanked his arm, pulling him around to face her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    Reluctantly, he dragged his eyes from the keys in the case. “Just what I said.”
    â€œYou can’t mean…are you saying you’d
steal
them?” Shocked round eyes stared at him like he was some alien creature.
    He winced. It sounded really bad when she said it out loud. “Of course not.”
    â€œWhew! You had me worried there for a second.” Mai relaxed her hold.
    â€œI’m going to return them. So it’s only borrowing, not stealing.”
    â€œ
What?
”
    â€œShh, here she comes,” Fred said.
    The archaeologist re-emerged and carefully closed the door behind her, then locked it. “Well, good news and bad,” she said. “There are records, just not here at the museum.”
    â€œOh,” Fred said.
    â€œNot to worry,” she added. “They were moved over to the records room at the King’s Bastion. I’ll pop over this afternoon and have a look, shall I?”
    â€œIf it’s not too much trouble, uh, Professor…”
    â€œJust Molly. And it’s no trouble at all.” She grinned and patted his shoulder. “I’m thrilled you’re so interested. And to write a report for your school? Warms my heart!”
    Fred shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, thanks.”
    â€œThat’s what I’m here for.” She waved a casual hand toward the displays. “I should get your school information. If you’re doing a report, the least I can do is let them know what a help you all were. Since we don’t pay volunteers, maybe you’ll get some extra credit from your teacher, especially working on your summer holiday.”
    â€œI think I wrote it down…” Fred trailed off. Good grief, they’d made up doing a report, and now she wanted to contact his school? Classes didn’t even start for a week. No teacher who knew him would ever believe he was doing a report voluntarily. Mai, yes. Him, definitely not.
    â€œNo.” Molly eyed him expectantly.
    Mai had turned pale. Fred was sure she was going to crack if he didn’t get her out of there right away.
    â€œI’ll give it to you when we come back,” Fred offered. He’d put in a fake school and phone number if he had to. “When you get the information on the boxes and keys?”
    â€œLovely,” she chirped. Her gaze drifted to a family of tourists wandering past the displays. “Excuse me, won’t you? Duty calls.” She hurried off to the opposite end of the room.
    â€œC’mon, let’s go,” Fred said.
    They walked down the stone steps and paused on the dirt road. No one was in sight.
    The wind had vanished completely. Ominous charcoal clouds hung low and the air was still. It was kind of weird. Like the sky was holding its breath. And where were Grace and Jeeter?
    â€œPsst!”
    â€œWhat?” Mai asked.
    â€œWasn’t me,” Fred replied.
    â€œYou and I are the only ones here.”
    â€œPsst, is he gone?”
    Fred peered across the dirt road at a thick patch of high grass.