Frenchie and the sheriff had been ahead of Molly when she stooped to pick up the key, and she stuck it in her pocket without telling them what she had found. Sheriff McAlister assured the ladies that he would round up a posse and go to look for Tracinda, but he knew there was no point in trying to find the trail in the dark. Frenchie and Molly went back to the boarding house to wait for news.After arriving home, Molly told her friend of the key. She took it out of her pocket and they tried to figure out what it might open. Molly thought for a moment and then she remembered ... she had once seen such a key on a chain around Tracinda's neck. It was then that Frenchie reminded her of the small, mysterious, wooden box in Tracinda's room. The women decided to break one of their cardinal rules, and do some snooping.
They climbed the stairs and entered the usually neat room. It was in a state of disarray, and the mess they found was totally out of character for the young woman they knew. They began to search for the box. There were few places it could be in the small room. Frenchie opened the doors of the large armoire standing against the wall, and began to look among the shoes and other items lining the bottom of the cabinet. At the back of the armoire, under some folded clothes, was the wooden box.
Frenchie and Molly took the box downstairs and tried the key. Sure enough, the lock opened and they were able to view the contents. Laying on top of everything was a folded piece of paper that appeared to be a letter.
The letter said:
"Blackie,
Here is the key to my code. When you finish decoding the message, you will know something that many people have been trying to discover for a long time.
Blackjack Boughton Kid Hawpe Runaway Lovelace Stampede Norman
24 - 51 - 40 - 3 - 44 - 10 - 33 - 25
Your gravely ill friend,
Thomas Jefferson Beale
On this 20th day of June, 1838"
Molly and Frenchie didn't know any more now than when they found the letter. It was a very puzzling message which made no sense to them! And, why would Tracinda have a letter intended for Blackjack Boughton? Should they tell the sheriff of their find? They decided to wait.
The carriage carrying Kid Hawpe and Tracinda Burdette came to a stop. As The Kid stepped down, he was greeted by Blackjack, Runaway, and Stampede. Blackjack helped Tracinda down and led her into a cabin. Sitting at a table in the center of the cabin was Demetera Woods. Tracinda was shocked to see her former guardian ... who seemed to be very angry. It soon became apparent why.
The letter that Tracinda had delivered to Blackjack earlier that evening was not what he had been expecting. He demanded to know what had happened; he knew his friend Beale wouldn't send him a meaningless note. Tracinda, upset by the overpowering presence of Demetera, wasted no time in telling her story.
