The Girl in Hemingway's Studio Page 10
Eric and Marcus’s heads were filled with so much information they were at a loss for words as they walked back to the rental car. Eric took a deep breath and said, “Well, shall we take a ride to Fred’s ‘abode’ and make a stop at the Pea Ridge Mine and see what’s going on for ourselves?”
“Well, while we’re here, we might as well check everything out before we make any kind of a decision,” Marcus said as he patted Eric on the back. “A heck of a lot of paperwork before we even dig out one little mineral.”
The drive to Pea Ridge took over an hour, and they almost missed the turnoff to Route EE. Finally finding the mine behind a line of trees, they pulled up closer to the site. It looked deserted. The recent rains had left muddy puddles, and the site included rusting mills, storage sheds, and a swamp lake full of mine debris and rubbish. Not a prosperous mine by any stretch of the imagination. A man in a green uniform flagged them down.
“If you are looking for work, we’re expecting to start hiring in a couple of months,” the man said as Eric rolled down the car window.
“Actually, we were interested in just looking around,” answered Eric. “We were visiting relatives and had heard about the mine and wanted to see it.”
“Sorry, this is private property, and you are trespassing.”
“Okay. Sorry, we’ll leave,” Eric said. “But I thought there would be a lot more activity from what we read about the mine.”
“It’s the Fourth of July weekend,” the guard answered as he waved them back to the main highway. “Work will resume on Tuesday, but you still are not allowed on the property.”
“Do you believe him?” asked Marcus after Eric turned the car around and they started driving down the highway toward Fred’s property.
“Not for a minute,” answered Eric. “It looked like no one has been at the mine site for years. I think I’m getting discouraged. Everyone knows there is a wealth of minerals that high-tech companies are desperate for in that mine and yet they can’t get it up and going. Doesn’t give me much hope for Fred’s little mine.”
The afternoon turned out to be as discouraging as the morning. They both were shocked as they entered Fred’s house and noticed three framed pictures of themselves as young boys hanging on the wall in the hall that led to the single bedroom. Also, a high school graduation picture of each of them sat on a small table in the living room. Eric and Marcus searched Fred’s house for anything of value. Marcus found a portfolio filled with maps, letters, and government forms. After looking through it, he shook his head and laid it on the table. They found about sixty-five dollars in Fred’s wallet, a stack of letters, and a diary. They also found a copy of the deed to the property and a map to the mine.
“Shall we check out the mine?” suggested Marcus.
Eric nodded as they walked out of the door and down the trail to the mine. It, too, was discouraging. It didn’t look like anyone had been in the mine for years. As they walked inside the mine, they heard a noise as dirt fell from the ceiling. Creaking sounds followed, and Eric was ready to run out to the fresh air. “You know, no one knows we are here, if this mine caves in we wouldn’t be discovered for weeks.”
“Relax,” Marcus assured his brother. “I’m sure Fred would have boarded up the mine if it wasn’t safe.”
Eric spotted a small, pretty grayish-silvery rock on the floor. He laughed as he put it in his pocket. “Something for Betsy. Oh, look there’s another one.” He stooped over and picked it up and handed it to Marcus. “A souvenir for Alexis.” Marcus studied the rock and wished he had paid more attention in geology class. He looked around the mine and found a couple more.
“Look Eric, there are several of those rocks laying on the floor, help me pick some of them up. I think I’m remembering something about this stone being special.”
The sun was going down in the west as Eric and Marcus had found a small box in Fred’s house where they put their accumulation of pretty rocks and started to walk to the car.
“Wait a minute,” Marcus said as he ran back into the house. He picked up the portfolio, the diary, a packet of letters tied with a blue ribbon, Fred’s wallet, and the copy of the deed to the property. “We should probably take these too. By the way, what happened to Fred’s body?”
“I asked Mr. Bond that when he initially called me about Fred’s death. He said our uncle had requested in his will to be buried on his property. Roger took care of the burial. Wait, look over there to the west, isn’t that a cross?”
Eric and Marcus walked over to the spot and saw a simple white cross with a plaque.
Fredrick J. Caldwell
Lived a Happy, Simple Life
February 6, 1938—May 10, 2016
They spent a few minutes quietly thinking about their uncle and their dad. Walked back to their car and began their hour-long drive back to St. Louis.
Alexis started the grill as Betsy drove up. She had marinated the chicken, refrigerated the potato salad, and prepared the asparagus for the grill. She answered the front door when Betsy knocked. They hugged each other, and Betsy handed Alexis a bottle of cooled Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay.
“Thanks, Betsy, I’ll get the wine glasses. It’s too hot to sit outside, so why don’t we sit in the living room and I can watch the grill from there.”
“Before I forget,” Betsy said as she searched through her purse and pulled out a bag with several sample bottles inside. “Just in case you ever have trouble sleeping or are depressed or need to lower your cholesterol, here’s a natural way to do it. These are all herbal remedies and perfectly safe.”
“Thanks, I’ll put them with our daily vitamins,” Alexis accepting the bag, smiling as she thought, We love you, Betsy, but your desire to change our eating habits, exercise more, or take all these herbal pills isn’t going to fly with neither me nor Marcus.
“Gee, Alexis. Every time I walk into your home, I get jealous. You and Marcus have done a spectacular job of remodeling.”
“Yeah, Marcus has great taste, too bad he doesn’t have a bank account to match,” laughed Alexis. “I do love our home; it is very comfortable.”
“How do you think our men are doing in St. Louis?” Betsy asked as she took a glass of wine and a handful of peanuts.
“I really think they are going to be disappointed in their uncle’s property. I Googled that Pea Ridge Mine that Eric and Marcus kept talking about and discovered it is chock full of those valuable minerals they are hoping to find in Fred’s mine. The problem is that after getting all the necessary permits and even merging with a couple of mega mining companies to help finance the cost, the mine is still closed. Something about commodity prices being so low and the partners agreeing on an economical way to extract the minerals from the mine.”
“Oh dear,” Betsy said as she took another sip of her wine. “Eric was counting on finding some extra money. He’s been putting so much money into expanding his insurance business that even with both our paychecks, we come up short each month.”
“I know what you mean,” replied Alexis. “Yes, the house looks great and the remodel made life more comfortable, but the home improvement loan I had to take out kills our budget every month.”
“Couldn’t you get a loan from your dad? His wife must be a zillionaire several times over. Seems like he could give you an interest-free loan and you could pay off the bank loan.”
“I would never ask Dad for loan except in the case of an emergency. Judith resents Dad giving his children so much of his time, let alone money. However, I do know he has helped Charlotte financially when she overspends. Speaking of Charlotte, did Eric tell you I won a writing contest in Key West and Charlotte and I are flying to Florida a week from tomorrow?”
“Yes, he did. How exciting.”
After Betsy left, Alexis cleaned up the kitchen, took a shower, put on her pajamas. She walked into her home office to work on her book. She thought of Marcus and hoped he wasn’t disappointed in his trip.
The next morning, Eric and Marcus
walked into the breakfast room at the Drury Hotel.
“What time is our appointment with the geologist?” asked Marcus. “Was it eight-thirty?”
“Actually, it’s at nine, but we have to find the place. I put the address in my phone, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”
Eric’s iPhone’s GPS found Mr. Freeman’s office and a parking space without any problems, and they were in his office at a quarter to nine. Gary Freeman was casually dressed in cargo shorts, T-shirt, and fishing hat as he walked out of his interior office with an outstretched arm.
“You must be Marcus and Eric,” he said as he shook both their hands. “Excuse the attire, but I promised my boys we would take out the boat and go fishing today; they are teenagers, and it’s hard to find activities they still enjoy doing with their dad. We are heading out to the lake and hope to bring home dinner.” He motioned the young men to move closer to the counter as he put a file on the worktable. “So sorry to hear about your Uncle Fred. He was a nice man, and everyone liked him. How can I help you?”
“We visited our uncle’s mine yesterday and were curious about what you found when you did the survey.”
“Well, I’m sure you heard all the problems the Pea Ridge mine is having so even if you find valuable minerals in Fred’s mine, it could take years to make some serious money.” Gary paused as he opened the folder. “It is very possible your uncle’s mine is attached to the same vein as the Pea Ridge. I did a preliminary geology search, and I did find traces of—monazite, zeolite, and mica. But there’s no telling if there are deep veins and large pockets of those minerals or just spotty remnants without doing an extensive survey. Those cost big bucks, so you need to be sure this is something you want to be in for the long haul.”
“We aren’t sure what we want to do,” answered Eric. “Would it even be possible to sell the property?”
“Actually yes, I know a couple of guys in town who might be interested,” Gary answered as he handed Eric a copy of his mineral findings. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Yes,” Eric said as he pulled a small rock from his pocket. “Do you have any idea what kind of a rock this is? We found it in—”
“Fred’s house,” interrupted Marcus.
“Well, it’s called palladium,” Gary put a his loupe in his right eye and studied the rock. “Palladium is a key component of fuel cells, which react hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity, heat, and water. If you had a mine full of this mineral, you would both become very wealthy men, but it isn’t found here in Missouri. There are extensive deposits in South Africa, Canada, and Russia. There is one place in the United States, The Stillwater Complex in Montana that has it in abundance. Where did you find it?”
“In a box in Fred’s bedroom,” Marcus lied.
“Right, well I think Fred did take a trip to Montana a couple of years ago. That’s probably where he found or bought it. There was just one rock?”
“Yes,” answered the Caldwell brothers in unison.
Once the brothers were back in the car and driving down the street did they talk about the pretty rocks they had found.
“Good thinking, little brother,” commented Eric. “I’m so glad I didn’t have a chance to say we found the rock in the mine. What do you think this means?”
“I don’t know, but I doubt if Fred ever went to Montana. I remember Dad saying that Fred had no desire to travel and had never left Missouri in his life. Heck, he wouldn’t even come to Arizona to see us. I think Fred’s geologist may know something more than he is telling us. Do you want to drive back to Fred’s house and explore his mine a little more rigorously?”
“Yep, but let’s stop and get some beer, water, and snacks before we head back to the mine. I was hungry and thirsty yesterday,” answered Eric as he turned the car around toward the nearest grocery store.
They spent the rest of the day in the mine, digging with some of the equipment found in a small shed. Eric carried in rock chisels, picks, axes, and pry bars. He also grabbed a couple of hard hats—just in case the mine did fall in. Still worrying about a cave-in, Eric texted Betsy and told her they were entering the mine and to call 9-1-1 in St. Louis if he didn’t text her back before nightfall. They didn’t discover any more pretty rocks. Discouraged, they starting driving back to their hotel as the sun was setting in the west.
“Do you think it’s possible, Fred bought the palladium and put it in his mine to get a better survey analysis?” asked Eric as he texted Betsy that they were safely out of the mine and heading back to the hotel.
“Anything is possible,” answered Marcus as he turned the car around and headed back to St. Louis.
Sunday morning, Eric and Marcus slept in and almost missed their free breakfast. As they were drinking their second cup of coffee, they planned their day.
“What should we do today?” asked Eric. “Do you think we should go and talk to Uncle Fred’s friend or go back to the house?”
“Our flight doesn’t leave until midafternoon tomorrow,” answered Marcus. “How about going back to the Fred’s house today and looking around one more time and stopping in to see George Rhodes tomorrow. Besides, I’m sure his family probably visits on Sunday.”
“Good point. I agree, maybe go through the house a little more carefully and take another look in the mine for those pretty rocks.”
After a careful search of the house, the brothers found some more research papers regarding minerals and some correspondence between Fred and the BLM. They also found a shoebox tucked in a drawer that contained $300. They put the correspondence and the framed pictures of themselves as young boys into the box with the money and locked it in the car’s trunk.
In the mine they hammered out some minerals from a wall that caused a minor shower of dirt from the top of the mine. Eric freaked out and wanted to leave. Marcus calmed him down, and they worked in the mine until they left in the late afternoon. When they finished, they had a bag full of possible minerals and rocks to take home.
On Monday morning, Eric and Marcus checked out of the hotel and put their carry-on bags in the trunk of the rental car. They easily found their way to South View Assistant Living in a tiny suburb called Affton. Roger was right; it was about ten miles from the hotel. They were very impressed with the facility. The grounds were beautifully kept and a cement arch across the driveway protected guests from the weather as they entered the front doors. They walked in and asked the young girl at the desk for George Rhodes. They were directed to sit in the living area to wait for George.
About ten minutes later, George came down the hall walking slowly with the help of a walker. They both jumped up to greet him.
“I feel like I already know you,” said George as he extended his hand. “Fred had pictures of the both of you all around the house. He said his brother’s wife, I guess your mom, was good about writing Christmas letters and sending photos.”
“Yeah, we noticed,” said Eric as he shook George’s hand. “We were surprised to see them. We didn’t think Uncle Fred was the sentimental type.”
“Let’s go into the library where we can talk privately. Follow me.”
Mr. Rhodes led the young men around the corner to a room with lots of bookshelves, easy chairs, and couches. “Too bad no one uses this room, nobody wants to read any more; today people just want to watch television or play with their smart phones.”
After he gave them an abbreviated history of why he was in this facility. He had fallen and broken his hip, which required a hip replacement. His children and their spouses all worked and couldn’t take care of him when he was released from the hospital, so he was put into a Rehab Center. When he was ready to go home, his kids had a meeting with his doctor and convinced George to move permanently into an assisted living center.
“It’s okay. But I still miss my house. After my wife died, it was lonely, but sometimes I forgot she was gone as I felt her presence in the house. But I know my kids and grandkids have a life of their own and at least I�
��m no longer a bother. They are good about coming to see me almost every week. But you aren’t here to talk about me; you probably want to know about your Uncle Fred.” George suddenly smiled and focused on his story.
“Fred and I had been friends since high school. I went on to college and became a teacher. I met my wife at the University of Missouri. We got married; I taught biology and science at St. Louis Community College and Denise taught English at University High School. We raised a family and never left St. Louis. When I met up with Fred again, he had bought that house and mine and was busy mining and dreaming. Always hoping for something good to happen. He found a few gold nuggets in the stream by his property, but not much more. He was fascinated with the Pea Ridge Mine after they discovered all those rare-earth minerals and again had hope, they might discover his mine was an extension of the same volcanic root. I encouraged him to contact Gary Freeman and have a survey done. Just to ease his mind.”
“How did he die?” asked Eric. “No one told us how he died or who found him.”
“Fred had heart problems for years. That was one of the reasons he gave up mining. He worked hard every day of his life and never followed doctor’s orders. After my surgery, he would come to see me every week. But after I moved in here, I couldn’t reach him by phone; I got worried and sent my son up to his house to check on him. Jerry was the one who found him. The coroner said it was his heart, and he had been dead for a couple of days. Roger took care of his legal stuff and arranged for his burial.”
“Do you know if Fred ever went to Montana?” asked Marcus.
“I can guarantee you Fred never went to Montana,” laughed George. “Fred never left the state of Missouri. He always talked about going to Arizona to see his brother and you kids, but never made it.”