Adam was shocked by the news. Waldron was only 30 miles away.
“How do you know?” he asked Kevin.
“It was on the radio this morning when I got up. Mom and Dad were listening to it in the kitchen while I ate breakfast.”
“What did it say?”
“Not much. There was a strange fog around the town, same as Langenburg. When it went away, the first people into Waldron couldn’t find anyone. One guy reported that doors were ripped off their hinges and there was glass everywhere from all the broken windows. As soon as they got there, the police chased everyone away. They said they’ll release news as soon as they know anything.”
Adam looked at Kevin, thoughts running through his head.
“Do you really think we could be next?” he asked after a long pause.
“I don’t know, but I’m starting to think George isn't as crazy as we thought. That’s really painful to admit,” said Kevin looking somewhat sheepish.
Adam thought for a few moments. “We should talk to George,” he said. “We’ve heard Mark’s version of his stories, but I doubt Mark ever really listened.”
“Yeah, he would’ve been stuffing his face the whole time or he wouldn’t have been there at all!”
Adam laughed a little. “Should we ask Mark to come along?” he said.
“Naw, let’s just leave him at home. He’s heard it all before,” said Kevin.
Adam nodded and picked up his bike, following Kevin outside. After manoeuvring it through the small side door they were on their way. It wasn’t far from Adam’s house to George’s, but in Grayson no two points were far apart.
Arriving at George’s, they parked their bikes and stepped up to his door. The screen door was barely hanging on and had more holes than screen. At one time it had been white, but the sun had faded it to a pale yellow.
Adam opened it and knocked. They could hear some rustling, then a far away voice from deep inside said, “Just a minute.”
After a short wait the inner door opened slightly and George peeked out with one eye. After recognizing his company, the door opened enough to see his entire head.
“You heard about Waldron, didn’t you?” said George.
The boys shook their heads in agreement.
“What do you want from me, then?”
“We just want to hear what you think is going on and make up our own minds,” replied Kevin.
George stared at them, trying to read their faces. After a few moments, he must have decided they were trustworthy.
“Well, if you’re willing to listen, come on in. Excuse the mess,” he said, opening the door wide.
They followed George into his house. The place was dirty and packed with things from floor to ceiling in most places. Piles of newspapers and stacks of boxes were everywhere. If there was a method to the mess, neither boy could tell.
“So, what do you want to know?” asked George, leading them over a large box.
“Everything,” replied Adam, following close behind. “What do you think is destroying towns, and why do you think we’re next?”
George cleared some boxes away revealing an old love seat. He gestured for Kevin and Adam to sit. They did, even though the seat was dirty.
“Ok then. Where should I start?” George said to himself, pausing in thought. “So, as you know, the Town of Grayson was founded in 1908. Basic knowledge. And you also probably know that there were 6 different families that founded the town.”
Adam and Kevin nodded in agreement.
“Didn’t it ever seem strange to you that the founding families came from so many different places?”
Kevin looked like he was thinking really hard.
“Not really,” said Adam, “but I never really thought about it.”
“Yeah, to you it doesn’t seem strange, but just think about it. It was 1908. You had Russian, English, Irish, Indian, Chinese, and German men all coming here on the same train at the same time? I’m amazed they made it here without someone getting hurt, or even killed. And when they arrived, they worked together in peace, like old friends. Some of their home countries were at war with each other, and yet they all worked together without any major issues. That’s what I find strange. There had to be something uniting them.”
George shuffled through a pile of papers as he spoke.
“What else surprises me is why they would get off here? You have to remember, there was nothing here. No buildings, no roads, no rivers – nothing but sticks and prairie. At the time, it was hard to even get here.” He pulled out a map of North America and held it in front of the boys.
“We’re in the middle of North America, East to West, and far enough North. Pretty well the middle of nowhere, especially in 1908. Why here?” He pointed to the location of Grayson on the map.
Adam shifted uneasily. Maybe it was the information he was hearing, or maybe it was the forty year old love seat he was sitting on.
“They get out here, set up camp, and start working on building the town. They get a few houses up and soon bring their families and relatives to help build more. Within a couple of years, they’ve built some really impressive structures - Town Hall, the hotel, and a few others. After looking through most of the original buildings myself, I found this symbol somewhere in each one.” George shuffled through a stack of papers as he spoke.
He found a couple of pictures and handed them to the boys.
Kevin didn’t recognize the first one, but Adam did. It was a picture of the lapel pin he had just found, blown up from a smaller image. The word “League” was printed on a label in the picture. Adam hid his shock from the others.
The second picture showed the symbol carved into a piece of wood. It was labelled ‘Hotel’.
“What is this? What does it mean?” asked Adam.
George thought for a moment. “I’ve been trying to find that out for years. I think it’s the symbol of a secret group that the Founders belonged to. Whatever the organization is, it’s what made them cooperate with each other instead of fighting. I have no idea what the purpose of the group was, but I have a couple of ideas. In all the research I’ve done I haven’t even found a name for the group, besides the word “League” you see in that picture. Whatever it is, it’s a well-guarded secret.”
“But this is all over 100 years ago?” Kevin stated. “You still think this ‘League’ is operating here?”
“Yes, I do, but I think only a few people in town are members. I also think that they are guarding something – a treasure of sorts – but I don’t know what.”
“And this treasure is what someone was looking for in the other towns?” asked Adam, following George’s logic.
“Right. I think the other towns are different branches or locations. Maybe the towns were hiding their own treasures as well, I’m not sure.”
“Let’s back up a second,” said Kevin. “You think a bunch of people in town are part of this ‘League’?”
“Yes and no. At one time I think everyone was part of the organization, but I don’t think there are many members left. I think there’s only one person who knows what the secret is, and maybe one person who knows how to find it as a backup. The less people that know about something, the easier it is to hide.”
“Who do you think it is?” asked Adam.
“Well, I first thought it would be the Mayor, but that’s too easy. He’s too much of a politician. And he’s kind-of stupid,” said George without missing a beat.
The boys chuckled. They knew George was right. Mayor Jeff Wyndum’s nickname since childhood was Windbag. The townspeople had voted him in as Mayor just to get him out of town on business trips. While he was gone they didn’t have to listen to his stories, and when he got back he would at least have new ones to tell.
“So, I’ve narrowed it down to the Town Council, because they decide the direction the town takes as far as building and development. Just which ones are members, I don’t know. As you know, we haven’t had much development in a l
ong time.”
“Who else might know something about the symbol?” asked Adam.
George looked at him, paused, then said, “Well… your dad was at the top of my list….until….you know…”
It seemed to almost hurt George to speak about Ed McTaggart in front of Adam.
“There has to be others you suspect?” Adam asked again.
“Of course, I’m just not positive. My neighbour here,” he pointed to the Gupta house, “is the grandson of one of the founders. He’s the only one who stayed here while the rest of his family moved on, and he is the oldest son,” replied George.
“Do you think he knows the secret?” asked Kevin.
“I’ve shown him the picture of that lapel pin before and asked him what it meant, but he just pretended he had never seen it before. The look on his face told a different story.”
George glanced at the clock, nearly hidden behind a stack of magazines. “Ok boys, It’s time for me to go. The bus is almost here and I’m getting out while I still can.”
“You’re leaving?” asked Kevin.
“Yep, and I think you should do the same.”
Adam and Kevin made their way back to the door as George led the way.
“Thanks for talking to us,” said Adam as they stepped out and took a deep breath of fresh air.
George looked side to side making sure no one was around.
“Like I said, get out of town for a while. Convince your parents to go on a vacation or something. Langenburg and Waldron happened exactly a week apart, so you don’t have much time,” said George. “Now go home.” He pulled his head back into his house and slammed the door.
Kevin looked at Adam and shrugged his shoulders as they walked back to their bikes.
“What do you think?” asked Kevin.
“Follow me,” said Adam without answering Kevin’s question. “I have something to show you.”
He hopped on his bike and led Kevin back to his garage, saying nothing the entire way.
Adam jogged into the garage and took the pin from its hiding place, but left the pictures in the envelope. Kevin had stayed at the front of the garage, so Adam walked back to him, opening his hand as he got closer.
“Does this look familiar?”
Kevin’s face showed the shock he felt. “That’s the one from the picture George showed us! Where did you get it?”
Adam explained how he found the pin.
“What should we do with it now?” asked Kevin. “Should we ask your mom about it?”
“No. Definitely not.” Adam knew that asking Mary would get the pin taken away and they’d be left without answers. “I’m not sure what to do. I think we should show it to Mark, though. Maybe he knows something more, being the oldest son of the oldest grandson of a founder.”
“I doubt it, but another opinion couldn’t hurt, even if it is his,” said Kevin.