It was one of the brass stars that marked where Union Troops had shelled the unfinished capital building during Sherman’s March. I looked left then right, and then pried the star off the wall. There behind it was a roll of old and brittle paper.

I gently removed it and placed in a tube I had brought for this purpose. I quickly replaced the star and made my way to the hotel where I was staying.

Delicately I unrolled the old paper on a felt pad. The ink was barely legible, but I worked out what it said.

“…before the Butcher of Columbia attacked, we secreted the gold from our lodge to a hiding place where no-one will find it…”

I read where the treasure had been hidden at and scratched my head. “‘By the glen by Parson’s barn?’ Where’s that?” Father had told me that a great treasure was buried here, but no one knew where it was. The only clue was the brass star that I had pried off. But why hadn’t anyone looked there before?

That’s when I had a knock at my room’s door. “Mr. Smith, we need to talk.”