Spirit of the Revolution (16 page)

“Probably the information right there is the reason Jacob hid the Bible away in the first place. He wouldn’t want the English to see conflicting information concerning the place and date of his father’s death.”

“At least he seemed thorough in his deception.” Jo placed the Bible on top the medical journal before retrieving the next set of documents. She took great care in lifting them out of the bag and spreading them out on the desk.

“Certificates pertaining to his war service,” Mathias said as he traced a seal with his fingertip. “Obviously, he would need to conceal any documents showing his loyalty to the patriots.”

Jo bit down on her lip as she met his gaze. “I’m sorry Mathias, but these are the last of the documents.”

Mathias attempted to mask his disappointment with a shrug, but she could see past the ruse. She sorely wished she could do something about it.

“Perhaps Jacob found the means to retrieve his information and get it to General Washington, after all. That’s a good thing and it makes my mind rest easier,” he said.

The last item Jo removed from the camera bag was the first item she placed inside it. She situated the heavy folded linen cloth on the desk and layer by layer, revealed its shape. All the while, she held her breath, until at last the cloth lay open to their view.

She drew her brows together. “What do you suppose this is?”

“One of Jacob’s aprons,” Mathias said. “He used them when he tended his patients.”

“I see, and um, I believe the evidence for that is right here,” Jo replied, pointing to the brown splatters, still visible. She smoothed out the wrinkles and as she did so, she touched a slight bulge in the area of the left hand pocket. She explored its shape with the tip of her fingers. “Something is in here.”

The boys gathered close as Jo coaxed a thick, folded piece of paper out of its hiding place. A wax insignia sealed the contents, keeping the message hidden from view.

“You’re looking at Jacob’s personal seal,” Mathias said, pointing at the emblem.

Suddenly anxious, she turned the paper over. Scrawled across the center, she read aloud the words, “Agent 711.” The boys let out a whoop of excitement.

“That’s it, Jolena,” Mathias said. “We’re looking at the missive John Clark assigned us to recover and transport to General George Washington. The information is still here after all these years.”

“But what does it mean? What does it refer to?” she asked as she glanced into each of their joyous faces.

“Agent 711 is George Washington’s code name,” Sam whispered, as if it must remain secret. “He used it in case the enemy intercepted his messages. In this way, no one would know the name of the intended receiver or understand its worth.”

“I find all of this so fascinating. I had no idea, until I met you guys that a regiment of Rangers and dangerous spy games existed during the Revolutionary War,” she said. “I don’t know why it never occurred to me, but somehow it just never did. They never taught those facts in any school I attended.”

“Go ahead and open it up, Jolena,” William said. “I think we would all like to finally know what our assignment entailed.”

Jo took her letter opener from the desk drawer and millimeter by painstaking millimeter slid the blade underneath the wax. But even as she did so, the brittle paper received a hairline crack next to the seal. She immediately stopped all progress and shook her head. “If I keep going, there is a very real possibility this entire letter will simply fall apart, and then no one will ever know what it says. I don’t think we should chance it.”

“Then we’re no further ahead than when we started,” Alex groaned. “I wish we hadn’t learned of the letter’s existence. I find it more of a torment to have the thing in front us without knowing what it contains, than not having it at all.”

“No, that’s not true, Alex,” Jo replied. “And I simply said
we
shouldn’t chance it. However, I know someone who can and will. My friend Carolyn has the ability to preserve this letter
and
reveal its contents to us. Didn’t I ever tell you? She does this kind of thing professionally.”

“Well then, what are you waiting for?” Samuel slid the phone toward her. “Let’s give this friend of yours a call, right now.”

“There is one slight problem with that.” She paused and fixed her gaze upon Mathias. “Carolyn will want to know how I got all of this stuff. Especially since these things belonged to one of my ancestral grandfathers. What am I going to tell her? She’s my best friend, and I don’t want to lie to her. I also know you don’t want me to reveal your existence to her, either. That being said, I just don’t know how else to resolve this, unless I tell her what’s going on and have all of you meet each other.”

Chapter 12

“To believe one must disclose all one knows in order to consider it truth is a mistake, Jolena,” Mathias replied. “We learned a long time ago in the business in which we found ourselves, a person need only be told the information he or she needs to have. There is no untruth in telling your friend a close associate of the Weidmann family, who wishes to remain anonymous, wanted you to take possession of the things rightly belonging to the heirs of your family.”

Jo tilted her head to the side and as a slight smile touched a corner of her mouth, she said, “The master spy reveals himself at long last. Of course, you’re right. I’ll give Carolyn a call right now. She loves this kind of stuff and I know she’ll be happy to help.”

Early the next morning Jo entered the lab, escorted by Mathias and Sam. Carolyn stood with arms folded beside an empty table. She tapped her toe as they approached.

“Sorry I’m a bit late, Kay, traffic—” Jo explained.

“Good thing you made it when you did,” Carolyn said as she donned a pair of white linen gloves. “You wouldn’t want me to hunt you down. The results wouldn’t be pretty. Now, give me that case, and let’s see what you have inside.”

With Mathias at her side, Jo placed the case on the table and opened it. Then, just as she dipped her hand inside, Carolyn let out a sharp gasp of dismay. Jo met her horrified gaze and said, “What?”

“Oh, Jo—” wailed Carolyn. “Tell me you didn’t touch this stuff with your bare hands.”

Jo scrunched her shoulders, knowing her expression smacked of guilt. “I’m sorry. I—guess I just didn’t think.”

“I can’t believe it.” She shook her head and with fists clenched, looked heavenward. “I really can’t believe it. How many times have I told you? Oil from a person’s hands can permanently damage documents as old and frail as the ones you have. Gloves, Jo. You must wear gloves. Now, just—move over.”

Jo glanced up at Mathias as Carolyn dived into the case headfirst and extracted the ledger.

“That’s Jacob Weidmann’s medical journal,” she said.

“I must say it’s remarkably well preserved considering its age. To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect to find your horde in such fair condition.” Carolyn opened the cover and ran a gloved finger over the first page. “In fact, my dear, you’re really very lucky.” She laid the journal on the table, and then retrieved the Bible.

“The family Bible.” Jo stated the obvious as Kay simply nodded and then retrieved the remaining documents in one swoop. “The one on top is the letter I told you about, the one I want opened. Those other documents are my grandfather’s war records.”

The letter penned for George Washington lay face down, with the seal side up. Jo pointed to the seal. “I believe my grandfather wrote this note. As you can see, it has his personal seal here on the back. So, do you think you can open it for me and at the same time keep the letter intact?”

“Of course,” Carolyn said.

“Good. I really want to know what it says and share the information with all of Jacob Weidmann’s descendants,” she replied.

“I can’t wait to delve into it myself. However, it’s going to take me at least a couple of days, maybe more, depending on what I find when I begin the process. We have to get the level of hydration exact before I can open it without damaging it. But, don’t worry. I promise I’ll call you often and let you know where we stand. In the meantime, I can get the rest of this stuff in a state of preservation easily enough.”

Just then, Carolyn’s cell phone rang. She looked down at the screen and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I really need to take this call, Jo. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back.”

“Sure. No problem, take your time.” Jo waited until Carolyn disappeared into her office, before shifting her gaze to Mathias and Sam. “Well, what do you think of her?”

“She seems competent enough,” Mathias said. “However, we’re really not comfortable leaving the letter here unprotected for an unknown number of days. Sam and I will stay here and watch over things until she’s finished with her work.”

“Since there are numerous locks on all of the doors and a state-of-the-art alarm system, what you truly mean to say is that you want to see the contents of the letter the minute she opens it.” Jo lifted a brow along with her chin, daring them to refute the claim.

“Jacob charged the responsibility of this letter to us, Jolena. Therefore, now that we have it, we can’t allow it to leave our possession. And—we really want to be here the minute she opens the letter.” Mathias gave her a wink.

“All right. Then I guess I’ll see you both when the job is finished.”

“You’re not coming back to watch the progress?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I can. A lot will depend on our individual scheduling,” Jo said. Yet before she could finish her sentence, the sound of Carolyn’s returning footsteps, echoed down the hallway.

Mathias traced the length of her jaw with a single finger. She drew in a breath as the contact sent a delightful shiver down her spine. “At least try to come back,” he whispered.

Unable to finish the conversation, Jo simply nodded.

“Okay, I think we can get started now,” Carolyn said. “Want to hang around and watch for a little while?”

Jo finally exhaled as she glanced down at her watch. “I wished I could, Kay, but I have to get to work myself. I’ll give you a call when I’m through for the day and see if you’re still here. If you are, I’ll stop by and see how things are going. That’s the best I can do,” she said, directing the comment more toward Mathias and Sam, then to Carolyn. They understood, and with a final nod, she exited the door.

****

Mathias and Sam passed the next few days immersed in the tedious process of document preservation. Carolyn labored over Jacob’s medical diary first and then his Bible. She placed those items in boxes marked Archival. Carolyn placed all the war documents inside an acid free leather portfolio.

However, the letter remained a mystery. Carolyn finally opened it yesterday but before either of them could read the content, she flipped it over and simultaneously, placed a heavy weight atop it. She left it to sit overnight, locked the lab, and quit the premises. Mathias shook his head in exasperation as they could do naught, but wait for her return.

The morning arrived on schedule, as did Carolyn. As the hours slipped away, she had yet to turn her attention to the letter despite Sam’s gentle nagging. He used Sam’s impatience to keep him amused while they waited.

“Either the woman is so rattled she can’t understand a word I’m saying, or she’s choosing to ignore the suggestion,” Sam said in an irritated huff.

“More likely, it’s because she knows what she’s doing and therefore will proceed as she sees fit,” Mathias replied.

“Perhaps, but the wait is naught but annoying,” Sam muttered. “And where’s Jolena? We’ve not been privy to so much as a phone call between the two of them, and I know she could hurry the girl along.”

Mathias had no answer for that. A wave of disappointment washed over him every time the door opened and someone else walked in. Disappointment ensued each time the phone rang, and he didn’t hear her voice at the other end. He missed her. Sam nudged him as Carolyn put on a fresh pair of gloves and finally approached the letter.

Anticipation swelled as she removed the weight and then with skillful precision, turned the letter over. Carolyn then placed it on something called plastic sheeting. Her eyes widened in surprise as she read the content for the first time.

“Wow. I wonder what Jo’s going to think about this?” she asked herself aloud. Then, after she slipped the sheeting under her camera, she took several photographs, downloaded those images into her computer, printed out the results, and laid them out atop the table.

Unable to see the letter under the camera lens, Mathias nodded toward the copy, and said, “Let’s go have a look.”

Then, as they stood over the printed copy of the note at long last, they fastened their gaze on Jacob Weidmann’s final letter. However, reading it quickly, proved difficult.

“The thing looks hastily written, almost as if Jacob feared someone would find him in the act of writing it,” Sam said.

“That it does,” Mathias replied. “But look at the date; he must’ve written this shortly before or after he found out about the march to New York.”

While Carolyn busied herself elsewhere, Mathias turned the letter on an angle, slid it closer to the edge of the table, and deciphered the contents.

June 15, 1778

Sir;

It has come to my attention this eve, the erc’s have captured and executed thsmcgre one week past. It remains unknown if the said erc’s gleaned any pertinent information about the condition or whereabouts of tinker’s toy. We therefore find it prudent to change the location of the said contraption with all haste. Consequently, you must cancel scheduled convoy. Updated information and location will follow shortly hereafter.

797

Just as they finished reading the note, the door to Carolyn’s lab opened. Mathias turned his attention away from the letter in the hope he’d find Jolena standing there. He wanted so much to share this moment with her.

“Oh, hello, Paul, I didn’t expect to see you quite this early.” Carolyn glanced down at her watch as she moved Jacob’s letter from the camera to the table. “I have the tray for Professor Brennan in the back. I’ll go get it boxed up if you’ll give me just a minute.”