Dr. Morgado's Treasure Ch. 01

"You'd just abandon me in a strange town?" He tried to sound pouty, but it was just annoying.

"Jeffery, really? You've traveled extensively for the past five years. You've regaled me with your stories of your work trips, all over the world. You can handle Pimingdale. You're a big boy, now." I couldn't help my sarcasm.

I stopped and set my bags down and I put the key in the door. The lock was corroded, but it turned and the door opened silently. I swung it open and stood in shock.

Inside the door was a three story tall foyer. Grand staircases led up on both sides to the second floor landing. On the landing, the stairs continued up and disappeared back into the dark of the house. The third floor landing had a matching rail that made it a balcony.

From the center of the room, a huge crystal chandelier hung, covered in dust and cobwebs. It was still impressive, even under the filth.

I stepped onto the wooden floor and it was sturdy and didn't even creak under my weight. The floor had a herringbone pattern and contrasting lines of darker wood inlaid along all the edges of the room in ornate patterns. It was huge. Cavernous. Stunning.

I wanted to explore it immediately. But I wanted to read my letter. I really wanted to take Jeffery into town and dump him off. I decided to see if I could find the kitchen. I wandered into the dark beyond the foyer.

"Don't leave me!" Jeffery screamed, like he was living in a horror film.

"Okay then, follow me if you want." I wasn't coddling him anymore.

I continued around a corner and I heard him shuffling behind me, trying to catch up. Huge hallways led off the foyer. I went to the right and looked into rooms as I passed them. I found a dining room and I figured I was close. Sure enough, the next room was a Victorian kitchen, with no modern amenities.

I kept moving through the kitchen, admiring the original carrera marble countertops and seeded glass cabinet doors. Through a wide door off to the side, I found a small, modern kitchen. Dr. Frost must have preserved the original kitchen and turned a large butlers pantry into a smaller kitchen with a dishwasher, a huge stove and a big apron front sink.

I noticed light coming through windows at the back of the modern kitchen. I found the string and pulled the heavy, old fashioned curtains open. My mouth gaped as I looked out the kitchen window.

There, out the window was the Atlantic ocean. It was sparkling and wild looking. I realized the road had led us up to the top of the bluff and this house perched on the edge and had a sweeping view, unlike any I'd ever seen. It was the final straw in making my decision.

I was keeping this house. I was going to fix it up and just like Dr. Frost, I would retire here someday. I mumbled my thanks to my benefactor under my breath. This was exciting and I felt like I would be happy here.

"Seriously, Al. We need to go. There's probably wild animals. And ghosts." Jeffery looked around with a totally different reaction than mine.

"You're right. There's probably ghosts of wild animals, too." I couldn't resist being an ass. I smiled at my own sarcasm.

"We are not sleeping here. Stop trying to be funny. Let's go." He turned and walked away.

I followed him until we were back out in the driveway. "Okay, I'm staying here Jeffery. You can stay, but you don't have to. I'll take you back to town and make sure you're settled in, but I'm coming back here tonight."

"Ew, why? This place is unlivable. That view makes this land a gold mine. Just sell it. You can fly home with me tomorrow and take care of it from there." He opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

I walked around the car and grabbed another one of my bags. I took it into the foyer and locked up the house before I headed back to the car. Jeffery made a sound of exasperation as I climbed in the driver's seat.

In town I found a nice little B&B and I walked inside with Jeffery. They had a room available and I paid the nice lady for the night. I walked down the hall and followed him inside the room. It was bright white, country chic. I hated it. Jeffery liked it.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight. I'm going to head back up to the house. You have your flight info. I can send an Uber tomorrow. What time do you want to be picked up, I'll arrange it?"

"You are seriously not staying? I'm not sure this is going to work out, Al. I need someone that puts me first."

Okay, bitch. I just paid two hundred dollars for this room, when I have a mansion full of rooms up on the bluff. I've offered to send you an Uber, meaning I'll pay for it. I already paid for your flight home. I asked you to come along, so we could spend time together this weekend. But you're right, I'm the selfish one here. My tongue was nearly bleeding from biting it and resisting the urge to say all of that.

Instead I said, "Okay. You deserve someone that will put you first, you're right. I'll let you get on with finding him. I'm going to my house. Have a safe flight tomorrow." I walked to the door of his room.

"Al, this is why you're going to be lonely forever, you know that, right?" He jabbed.

I opened the door and stepped into the hall. "On second thought, find your own damn way home." I closed the door firmly behind me and walked away. Before I pulled away, I cancelled his flight on my phone. Good luck, buddy.

I stopped at the grocery store and bought a cooler and ice. I got some beer, a couple gallons of water and some juice. I got sandwich fixings and chips. I grabbed Oreos, coffee and a few other things that wouldn't need refrigeration.

I went to the hardware store and got two camping lanterns, batteries, a camp stove and propane. I was going to call the utilities people tomorrow, but who knows how long it would take to actually get water and electricity turned on up on the bluff.

I arrived back at my house a few hours before dark. I explored the rooms and opened curtains all over the place to let the light in and to see the view. You could see it from every single room on the back of the house. It was unbelievable.

I figured out which bedroom Dr. Frost had used on the first floor. I decided to leave it alone for now. I picked a room on the second floor that had a huge window looking over the bluff.

The bed was covered in drop clothes and it was fairly dust free underneath. I had brought my own blankets, so I made up the bed on top of the existing bedding. I'd buy sheets and stuff tomorrow and take some things to a dry cleaner, or a laundromat.

I set up my makeshift kitchen and found a pot to boil water in for coffee tomorrow morning. I explored a bit more. I lost count of the rooms. Most rooms were furnished. It was obvious that Dr. Frost had only used three or four rooms and had closed up the rest. I thought about how I might live in it.

The next morning I woke up to a bunch of angry texts. I'd forgotten about Jeffery already. I smiled to myself. He had texted about not getting the Uber I was going to send. Then I got texts about the flight being cancelled. I got random angry, belittling texts, just for fun. I blocked his number. I'd unblock him after I got home if I needed to deal with him.

I went into town and got lunch at a diner. I plugged in my phone and charged it. While I sat in the restaurant, I called and arranged appointments with the water company, the gas and electric company and the cable/internet service. I was glad I would have electricity and gas the next day. Water would come one day later. The cable company would take closer to a week.

Over the next few days I got my power and gas and water. I also had a carpenter come out and give me some estimates for various projects. I felt very accomplished. I needed to answer some work emails, so I headed into town with my laptop and staked out a table at the coffee shop.

I reached into my bag to grab my cord and I saw the envelope with my name on it in the familiar script. I had forgotten all about it between Jeffery's drama and my excitement about the house. I opened the envelope.

Alvaro,

You're probably surprised to receive this letter. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

You were always one of my most favorite students. You were so bright and full of life. I hope you're still the same way.

As you know, I had no children. Over the last decade, my remaining friends and distant relatives all preceded me in death. I found myself with no one to leave my estate to.

After much thought, I knew you would love the house. I remember you talking about owning a big old house someday. Maybe you didn't mean one this big or this old. But hopefully your dreams grew as you did.

Howard can help you with anything you need. He's a very good man and his daughter is a great lawyer, too.

The only thing Howard doesn't know about is the safe. In my library, under the green carpet that my chair is sitting on, there's a trapdoor in the floor. The safe is inside. The combo is hidden in your favorite book on the bookshelf. Enjoy the nest egg.

All my best to you Dr. Alvaro Morgado. Thank you for taking care of the house. It meant so much to me.

Your friend and teacher,

Gary Frost

I was crying. I missed my conversations with him. I had given up on my dreams. I wasn't full of life anymore. I was worn down by life. I was alone. I was also sitting in a coffee shop, crying like a baby. Holy crap.

I plugged in my laptop and started working to distract myself from my sorrows. I answered a few emails and then everything froze. I turned it off and on. I did everything I knew how to do. I would have called IT at the hospital, ages ago. But I didn't have an IT guy in this coffee shop, so I was stuck.

I packed up my things and stopped by the counter. "Do you guys have a computer place around here?" I asked the barista.

"Yep, it's down the block, past the Catholic church. It says "computers, cell phones" in the window. You can't miss it."

"Great, thank you."

Down the block I found the computer store. It was a strange mix of an early 2000's computer store and a modern, sleek cell phone store at the mall. Hopefully someone could fix this thing.

"Can I help you?" A polite voice came from behind the counter. I barely saw him amongst the supplies and products that hung on every inch of space behind the counter.

"Yeah, hey, I need help." I walked up to the counter and pulled out my laptop. I looked up at the kid behind the counter and continued, "it just froze up. I was sending emails and then it froze. I turned it off and on and stuff, but it's still frozen. My phone works, so it's not the internet at the café." I was babbling.

I knew the kid probably thought I was a bumbling old man and an idiot who didn't understand technology. But instead, he was super nice.

"Here, let me see, it could be a couple of different things." He plugged it in and started it up.

While he was busy, I got a really good look at him. He was super cute. He was young, possibly way too young, but he was soft and beautiful. He was standing and was probably seven or eight inches over five feet. Not tall, but not short. His skin was a warm creamy light tan color.

His hair was curly and soft looking. He wore it short and clean on the sides with a perfect small mound of curls on top. It was shiny and raven black. His lips were full and perfectly pouty. That natural pout made me think he was pretty, again.

His eyes were chocolate brown with thick black lashes. The shape was so intriguing. He looked mixed in race. Maybe black and Asian or hispanic and Asian. He was gorgeous, no matter what his family tree looked like.

"I think I figured it out. There was an issue with........" His technical explanation was lost on me. I just knew he had figured it out.

"So, it's fixed?" I asked dumbly.

"Yeah, but you should upgrade your storage and your.............." Seriously. I have no idea what he was talking about. I've seen people glaze over when I start discussing medicine. I'm sure I looked just like that at that moment.

"Okay, I'll look into all that once I get back to the big city." I said absentmindedly while I packed up my computer. "What do I owe you?" I smiled at him.

He smiled back. Fuck, he was cute. "It's alright. It's on the house."

"Seriously? Wow, life in a small town sure is different, I guess." I was bewildered. "But seriously, you should charge for your time."

"I get paid hourly. My time is being paid for."

That made sense. I found I didn't want this conversation to end though. He was so cute. "Thank you, ummm, I didn't catch your name." I reached out to shake his hand.

"I'm Elgin and you're welcome." He shook my hand. "Are you new in town?"

Oh good, he asked me something. Now I didn't have to leave! "Yeah, I just inherited a big house up on the bluff. I'm here to fix it up a bit."

"Oh, the old Frost place?" Of course he knew the place. It's a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business. I needed to remember that.

"Yes, Dr. Frost was my teacher and mentor. And my friend. We hadn't been in touch in a long time." I trailed off.

"Are you a doctor, too?"

"Yes, I'm an internist. My name is Al. It's nice to meet you, Elgin."

"What does an internist do?" He seemed genuinely interested. It was probably boring in this shop all day.

"I diagnose diseases and identify internal injuries." That was as simple as I could make it.

"It's kind of what I do, but with machines, I guess. My college professor often equates working on electronics to operating on a body. I hope that isn't offensive."

"No, you're right. They're right. It is very similar. Where do you go to school?"

"There's a really good technical college in Manchester. It's about an hour drive, but I only go three days a week right now."

"How long have you gone there?" Maybe I'd get his age.

"I'm a sophomore."

"Man, I remember being a sophomore and not being able to get into the bars with my older friends." I shook my head like I was reminiscing. I could get into any bar I wanted back then.

"Yeah, I don't really have any friends that go to bars and not because we're not twenty one yet. It's just not our thing. We're big nerds." He smiled at me again and I felt it in my pants.

"I went to medical school and became an internist. I'm pretty sure I'm a bigger nerd than you." I joked and gave him my best smile.

The conversation hit a lull. I had no good reason to stay. I never did really find out his age. Fuck. Maybe I should just ask. I didn't.

"Well, thanks again, Elgin. Good luck at school. I'll probably see you around." I needed to leave. I was acting like a weirdo.

I headed for the door. "Bye, Al." He called behind me. I needed a cold shower.

I'd been in Pimingdale for a week. The house was feeling more like home everyday. The cable had been turned on yesterday. The internet wasn't great, but I didn't need to go down into town to use my laptop anymore.

Today I pulled the ivy off the statue in the driveway. I was surprised to find that it was much more detailed and beautiful than I'd imagined. As I neared the head I saw a snake poking out and I jumped back and nearly fell off the brick and concrete base. I kept looking at the snake but it wasn't moving at all.

I noticed another snake sticking out a few inches away from the first. I finally realized they were part of the statue. I pulled the ivy away and found Medusa. Her face was beautiful. The snakes were so detailed, they nearly appeared to move. I'd have to look up what Medusa stood for and see if I could figure out Dr. Frost. He sure was an odd old bird.

Later, I wandered into the library and I noticed the leather wingback sitting on a green antique carpet. I had never looked for the safe! I moved the chair off the carpet. I pulled the rug back and sure enough, nicely fitted into the floor, there was a trapdoor. I pulled on the ring and the door swung open, without a sound.

Sure enough, right under the door was a shiny blue and gold safe. It was fancy and covered in ornate details. I remembered what he said about the combo being hidden in my favorite book. Did he really know what my favorite book was? It wasn't a medical book. But this old man seemed to know me better than I thought, so I started to look.

And then I saw it. On the fourth shelf up, amongst the other great works of fiction, there was a copy of Lost Horizon. It's not a rare book, by any measure, so it could just be here coincidentally. I pulled it down and opened it carefully. I flipped through the pages and I found one neatly folded over. Under the fold there were three lightly hand written numbers. In pencil, 28 -- 3 -- 26.

If this worked, I'd eat my shorts. Before I tried the combo, I noticed the book was a first edition. I pulled down the next few books and sure enough, all first editions. This one was even signed by the author. This was a fucking amazing book collection. I needed to look into that later.

On my hands and knees, I tried the safe. Nothing. I spun the dial and retried it. Click. No fucking way. I pulled the door and it swung open easily. It was heavy as hell, but it didn't make a sound. This man and his silent shit. The floor, the doors, the safe. All silent. Okay, focus, Al.

Inside the safe I saw a number of small boxes stacked. There were also a few random envelopes and folders and stuff like that. I pulled out the box on the top of the stack. It was a beautiful and sturdy little box. Whatever was inside must be worth protecting.

I opened it and my mouth fell open. Inside was a necklace that looked really old and fancy. I think it was diamonds, but I'm not a jeweler, I'm a doctor. I closed the box back up and reached down and grabbed the paperwork. One folder was labeled 'inventory'. Okay, this could be helpful.

Sure enough, there was a hand typed inventory with a picture of each object pasted next to the description. I flipped through the pages and I found the necklace I had just seen. Holy shit. It was platinum and diamonds. It was made by LC Tiffany. It had a notation about the letter of authenticity he had gotten from Tiffany in the 1980's. I shuffled the envelopes and there it was, from Tiffany Studios. According to that letter, the necklace was worth more than my Audi! At least it was in the eighties.

I started to study the inventory list and pictures. He'd left me a collection of extraordinary pieces of jewelry. I didn't even know he was into that kind of thing. In the pictures I saw a Victorian tiara covered in Burmese rubies and diamonds.

There were several premier pieces of Faberge and more Tiffany. There was a Lalique art deco piece. There was recovered shipwreck pirate treasure of gold chain and an emerald ring. Two Rolex watches and several gold and enameled pocket watches, one of which was Patek Philippe. South sea black pearls. It went on and on.

I realized I was staring into space so I climbed up off the floor. I sat in his chair that I had set off to the side. I wondered what else was in this house.

Just in this room there was a literal pirate's hoard of gold and jewels and a giant collection of rare and potentially important books.

I thought about the stacks of paintings in an old servants room on the third floor that I'd seen. I wondered if that collection was filled with masterpieces too.

It was clear, I had to look for more inventories. I found it hard to believe he would inventory the safe so meticulously and nothing else. The letter said the safe was the only thing Howard didn't know about. Maybe there were inventories in all those papers he gave me last week. I guess I knew what I was doing later.

For now, I was going to see if I could look up current values on these items from the safe. Most of the appraisals he had done were from the 70's and 80's.

I sat in the dining room with my laptop. It had become my 'desk' until I decided what I was going to do next. My computer came on and then blinked out. Shit.