Jack looked around frantically for a place to hide but there was none. All he could do was stand there and wait for whomever was coming down the stairs.

"Chris, stop pushing!" Brianna cried.

"Well, I'm not goin' down first!" Chris whined. Jack practically fell over with relief.

"Chris?" he shouted up the stairs. At first, there was no reply, but then he heard a shrill scream come from Brianna, and the next thing Jack knew, Brianna was toppling down the stairs toward him. All Jack could do was hold out his arms and hope to catch her. He did, but the impact caused both of them to careen backward onto the cold, hard floor. As Jack and Brianna started to rise, Chris bounded down the stairs effortlessly, laughing to himself all the way.

Jack looked up at his best friend. He asked, "What the heck are you guys doin' here?"

As Jack and Brianna finally rose to their feet, Jack looked over and noticed a large dust bunny in Brianna's hair. He reached over and, ever so carefully, plucked it from her hair. She smiled at him in gratitude. Jack was about to say something when Chris interrupted and abruptly started to explain in an exasperated voice.

"Oh, my gosh, you owe me big!" He started to pace. "The bus just left, and Mrs. Richardson is going to notice we're gone, because we came looking for you!" Only one part of the statement registered with Jack.

"The bus left?"

"Yeah, and we missed it so we could come find you, so are you gonna tell us why we're gonna get detention for about a month?"

Jack looked down at the floor. They'd already missed the bus, they could spare a couple of minutes.

"All right, here's what happened." he began. "You know that portrait of Louis L'Amour?" So, Jack unfolded the story, the familiar painting, the note, the secret button, everything.

"… And that's when Brianna fell on top of me,"he finished, half smiling to himself. He looked at his friends. Brianna seemed entranced, but Chris was staring at the floor, deep in thought.

Brianna suddenly looked up at Jack. "So, what's next?"

Jack looked suddenly taken aback. "You guys don't think you …"

"Missed the bus just to walk home without you and no answer to the mystery?" Brianna answered for him, smirking. Jack sighed, seeing no way around this.

"OK, I guess we should start looking around." At once they started going off in different directions, examining every painting and every shelf. They gazed in awe at all of the fake masterpieces. They had never seen such a thing, but before they could ponder this further …

"Guys, over here!" The voice was Brianna's. Chris and Jack practically ran over to the study desk Brianna was standing over. There was a note. It read:

Hondo,

So, you found my workshop. All of these paintings were made with the help of your magic hat. What are they for? All in good time, ol' buddy. Now listen, in the drawer is the key, use it to find my hat for me. (And with it, the secret of the paintings!)

You're getting closer.

- Louis L.

Jack stared at the letter, then at his friends. They were all speechless. Chris was the first one to break the ice.

"The drawer!" he exclaimed. That snapped them back to reality. Jack reached frantically below the desk and found a small, wide drawer. He opened it with difficulty. Once opened, there was yet another note, but this one only had numbers on it.

"3-17-45?" Chris wondered. Something in Jack's mind clicked.

"It's a lock combination!" he cried. "We gotta find the safe it opens!"

At that moment, they heard a crash from nearby. Brianna, who had walked back toward one of the full-length portraits that was not yet finished and probably never would be, had yet again tripped. She was on the floor, surrounded by art supplies, paint, brushes and canvases. She had tried to grab the full-length frame on the wall for support, which resulted in a crack on one side.

Chris and Jack rushed over - Jack to help Brianna, and Chris to examine the crack. Chris, who noticed that the crack was abnormally straight, gripped the side of the frame and pulled. The painting swung effortlessly forward, revealing, to their amazement, a full-length safe door.

Jack, who had been helping Brianna brush the dirt off herself, stopped and stared.

"Well, that was easy!" Chris exclaimed. "What was that combination again?"

Jack stepped forward with trembling fingers and punched in the combination on the piece of paper: 3-17-45. Hands still trembling immensely, he opened the door. They were amazed at what they saw.

(To be continued on Oct. 22)