The clerk looked at the computer display, "There you are. It says you rented a boat for the two days. Do you still what the boat?"
Darley said, "Yes."
The clerk replied, "Ok."
She placed two keycards on the counter, "Your room is 332. The elevator is to your left. For the boat you go down the hallway and follow the path to the lake. At the booth, check in with the attendant."
They took their bags to the room. Then returned to the lobby where Heather bought a paper.
At the booth by the lake Darley said, "Room 332. We rented a boat for the weekend.''
The attended looked at the computer display and said, "Darley Manders."
Darley,"Yes."
The attendant placed the keys on the counter.
Attendant, "Your boat is in C17. It's the fifth one to your right. Will you be needing assistance in operating the boat?"
Heather picked up the keys," No, I,ve been around boats since I was five years old."
They took the boat out and stopped in the center of the lake.
After Darley looked through the binoculars, "The museum is just over there. There is a boat dock in back. I'll call Billy and tell him we're here."
Heather, "I don't like that Billy guy. He's creepy."
Darley, "He's the guy giving us the money for the Artifact. Then we wouldn't be seeing him again."
Billy was sitting on a bench in the city park. His phone rang and he answered, "Darley. That you?"
Darley, "Yes we're on Mile Lake by Rivertown. The museum is a half mile away on the other side. We're going over to check it out."
Billy, "Don't tell me about it. You just have the Artifact on the train Sunday morning. Then you'll get the money."
Billy folded his phone and put it in his pocket. He was sick of living here. He was getting close to forty now. He walked to the street and looked at his apartment window above the store.
Muttering to himself, "Been renting that place for three years now. With this one sell I can get out of here. He better not mess it up."
Darley took the phone away from his ear and said, "He hung up."
Heather held up the article with the picture of the Artifact and said, "It says it's worth a million and a half. Doesn't look very big. It 'll be easy just to stick in my bag."
Darley, "You can't just walk in to a museum and put a million and half dollar museum piece in your bag. They have security devices and guards. We'll have to get it at night. It's only on display from 9 am to 9 pm tomorrow. It would help if we can find where it is when it's not on display."
Heather, "How are we suppose to know where it is when it's not on display."
Darley, "Need to go over and look around. Ask someone. Talk about it a little."
Heather, "How do we do that?"
Darley, "Go over to the museum. Look around. Ask about it?"
Heather," They're not going to tell us."
Darley, "We're tourist. Tourist ask about things. Just need to listen to the answers. We're getting a hundred thousand dollars for this thing. I think we can ask around a little."
Heather, "It's worth one and a half million dollars. That Billy guy is giving one hundred thousand dollars?"
Darley, "Forget about that Billy guy. He'll have the money on the train Sunday morning. We'll take it and never see him again.
They went to the boat dock behind the museum.
Mitch, who has been working as a security guard for seventeen years, came out the door of the small storage room built onto the back of the museum. He walked to the dock. He actually walked on his left leg and limped with his right leg. He's been doing that since the plane crash, while in the army, during his twenties. He never pays attention to that anymore. He doesn't make much money as a security guard, but since the kids started being on their own as he reached forty-five, it was enough money.
Mitch, "You can leave the boat there. It's no problem. People do it all the time."
Mitch started back to the museum. Darley and Heather walked along with him.
Mitch, "You folks here visiting?"
Heather, "Yes. Thought we would come by. In the newspaper they say there is a million and a half dollar Artifact going to be shown tomorrow at the museum. This is the museum isn't it?"
Mitch, "Yep. We’re expecting a lot of people. That's why we’re staying open till nine. We usually close at five. Where are you folks staying?"
Heather, "At the Waterfront Hotel."
Mitch , "They just open that last spring. Been quite a few more tourists after they opened. More people working now. Are you staying just the weekend?"
Heather, "We,re leaving on the 7:30 train Sunday morning."
Mitch, "More people seem to be riding the train now that use to. It helps the tourism to have a train stop here."
They walked to the storage room. Mitch stopped and watched as the truck backed up to the storage room.
He looked at his watch, Mitch said "There it is, just on time."
He waited till the truck stopped, while Heather, and Darley stood beside him. The driver got out of the front door with a box.
Mitch opened the storage room door for him, "Just sit it on the table. It'll be ok. Nobody comes back here."
Darley saw the air-conditioner in the window opening.
The driver got back into the truck and the truck drove off.
Mitch closed and locked the door, "Glad that's here. They hirer special guards to watch it tomorrow while it's on display. Then Sunday morning at three they'll pick it up."
Heather in astonishment, "Was that the Artifact worth one and a half million dollars?"
Mitch, "Yep."
Heather, "Well don't they have someone to guard it?"
Mitch, "Don't need any guards since no one knows where it is. It'll be ok. Come around to the front. I'll show you the new restaurant that we opened at the beginning of summer."
At 8:30 am Saturday the two special hired guards took the Artifact to its display case. After the museum closed the two special guards, took the Artifact back to the storage room.
Mitch arrived at work and went to the storage room. He saw the Artifact was there. Everything was ok, so the two guards left the museum. Mitch went to the guard room. He looked at his watch, since he had nothing to do till three, he closed his eyes to rest a while.
Twenty minutes later Darley and Heather tied their boat to the dock and walked to the storage room. Darley pried the air-conditioner out of the window opening. Heather slipped in and stuck the Artifact into her handbag.
The next morning at 7:20, Darley and Heather boarded the westbound train.
Mitch walked into the waiting room with the museum manager.
The manager said, "You should let the police take care of this."
Mitch, "Ralph. I don't even know they took it. But they're the only people, who I showed where it was. There's a good chance they did. I been a security guard for 17 years now. Something like this has never happen before. Need to find out what is going on."