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My cheeks have started to heat up, so I hurry into the living room and drop onto the sofa. Errol follows me and takes a seat right beside me. All the while, he studies me with a look of faint amusement.
My father settles onto his favorite armchair, the ancient and dilapidated one he's had since I was I was little. Nobody can wrench that thing away from him. To be fair, it is a super comfortable chair. I get why he loves it, especially since my mom gave it to him as a Christmas present, six months before she passed away.
Errol laces his fingers with mine as he leans in to whisper, "Relax,mo chridhe. You're delivering good news."
His words and his touch make my racing pulse calm down just enough that I can tell my father what I came here to say. "We found the Grand Canyon treasure, Dad."
Isaac Hartman freezes. He stares at me without blinking.
"Did you hear me?" I ask. "Errol and I found the Grand Canyon treasure. It's real."
"That can't be."
I expected this kind of reaction. My father was ridiculed into oblivion for believing the treasure might be real. He'll need time to accept that I'm telling the truth. That's why I brought proof. I nod to Errol, and he pulls out his cell phone, flicking his finger over the screen until he's brought up the folder of images we'd taken inside the catacombs.
He hands the phone to my dad. "We took shedloads of pictures. Take your time looking at them. We didn't have time to print them out for you, since we came directly from the Grand Canyon."
Dad flips through the images. From the way he moves his thumb and forefinger, I know he must be zooming in and out to study the pictures. I grip Errol's hand tightly while I wait to hear what my father thinks of our evidence.
"This is…" Dad shakes his head. "I can't believe it. This definitely looks like the hoard Kincaid described."
"It is the hoard," I say. "Soon, the news will spread around the world."
"But how did you find it? The treasure has been missing for more than a century, longer if you count the thousands of years before that, when it had lain hidden and forgotten."
"We found it because nobody else had the secret weapon." I bump my shoulder into Errol. "I found the only treasure hunter in the world who's also a genius at solving riddles and cracking codes. Errol Murdoch made this possible."
"Not true," Errol says. "I didn't believe the treasure existed. If your daughter hadn't mercilessly hounded me for months, never giving up until she convinced me, that hoard would still be hidden underground and lost to history."
Dad's mouth stretches into a closed-mouth smile. "That's my girl. I knew you'd realize your true potential one day, Ashley. Your mom and I saw the fire inside you, even when you didn't recognize it."
Tears sting my eyes. My parents knew? I hadn't realized until this week that I had a wild side and the strength to go for what I wanted regardless of the cost. I'd always played it safe. But Errol taught me that unleashing my desires meant more than just having incredible sex with him. It also meant that I needed to accept who I am and what I want out of life. A crappy day job? No, that's not for me. I crave adventure.
Errol nudges me in the side. "Should we give him the gift yet?"
"Yes, we should."
My father's brows scrunch up. "Gift? I didn't find the hoard, you two did. The world should be lavishing you with awards and praise."
"That can't happen, Dad. I'll explain in a minute. But first, Errol and I did something kind of naughty." I reach into my purse and bring out a small figurine that fits in my hand. I hold it out to Dad. "Look at this. It's a genuine ancient Egyptianushabtifigurine."
He leans across the coffee table to take the figurine, cradling it in both hands. "My God, Ashley. It is genuine, isn't it? This is a realushabtifrom the New Kingdom."
"Yes, it is. And we found it in the Grand Canyon."
My father stares down at the figurine, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.
Suddenly, he leaps out of his chair and pumps his fists in the air. "The treasure is real! Take that, you arrogant bastards! My daughter is smarter than all of you combined."
Then he pulls me into a bear hug.
And we both start to cry.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Errol
I sit here and watch while Ashley and her father cry, laugh, hug, and even dance around, expressing their joy in every way they can. After years of being a laughingstock, Isaac has been vindicated. While we can't claim credit for the discovery, Isaac can and should take a victory lap and crow about the fact that he'd been right all along. I can tell Ashley's joy represents more than just the success of our expedition. She's glowing because she finally accomplished her goal and made her father proud. Of course, he was clearly proud of her before we shared the big news. Aye, anyone could tell Isaac Hartman loves his daughter and always believed she could do incredible things.
