A Treasure Deep by Alton Gansky Read Free Book Online

strong, but his eyes revealed an inner
weakness. Perry knew he was sick, but seeing it firsthand filled
him with a deep pathos.
    “How are you feeling, sir?” Perry asked,
pulling up one of the plastic chairs. Rose returned to her
lounge.
    “Some days are better than others. The cancer
continues to spread, or so the doctors tell me.”
    “You’re undergoing chemotherapy?”
    He nodded. “It leaves me tired. My house
grows old with me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
    It was Perry’s turn to nod. “I came by to say
thank you for letting us investigate your property—and to give you
this.” Reaching into his suit coat pocket, Perry pulled out a slip
of paper. “It’s another check.”
    Hector took the check and looked at it. “Ten
thousand dollars,” he said with surprise. “This is very generous.
You’ve already paid ten thousand. That was our agreement.”
    “I know,” Perry said. “But I was able to get
more. You have been very gracious to us. I appreciate that.”
    “Most businessmen don’t pay more than they
have to,” Hector said. “This I’ve learned from years of life.”
    “True, but Sachs Engineering isn’t like other
businesses. I also wanted you to know that we’re on the site now.
When we’re done, we’ll return the ground to its original condition
just as promised in the contract. We’ll also be as speedy as
possible.”
    Hector passed the check to Rose. “Take your
time,” Hector said. “I can do nothing with the land now. I can no
longer ranch. The cancer has stolen my livelihood.” He shifted his
gaze to the green hills beyond. “It has been two years since I sold
my livestock. That was during my first fight with . . . with this.”
He motioned to his body. “They took my leg back then. I suppose I
could have adjusted, but the cancer continued to spread. All I have
now is the land—the land and my wife.”
    “We have our children,” Rose said.
    “I suppose, but they are not here, are they?”
Hector turned back to Perry. “We have two children; both have moved
out of state. One teaches; the other is a nurse.”
    “Noble professions,” Perry said.
    “Yes, but what of the land? I suppose I can
sell it, but it’s been in the family for many generations. My
grandfather made a ranch of this place and gave it to my father,
and he gave it to me. I will pass it to my children, but they will
sell it. Do you have any children, Señor Sachs?”
    “No, I’ve never married. Been a little too
busy, I guess.”
    “Children make you old,” Hector said.
    “You stop that,” Rose demanded. “Children are
a blessing from the Lord.”
    Hector smiled then winked at Perry. “I can’t
run from her anymore, but I can still find ways to irritate her.
It’s good entertainment for a man in my condition.”
    Perry chuckled politely.
    “What are you looking for?” Rose asked.
    The question caught Perry off guard.
    “Rose,” Hector said quickly, “I told you that
they want to keep that secret.”
    “I know it sounds strange,” Perry
interjected, “but I can’t tell you.”
    “It’s not oil,” Rose said. “You have to go
down into the valley for that, and all those sites were bought up
two generations ago.”
    “No, it’s not oil,” Perry replied.
    “Gold?” Rose prompted. “There’s no gold
here.”
    Hector frowned. “Rose, leave the man alone.
We agreed to let them have their secret.”
    “Why can’t we know?” Rose persisted. “It’s
our land. We may be cash poor, but we still have the land, and it’s
valuable. We own whatever there is in it.”
    “Mrs. Trujillo,” Perry said. “Your land
remains yours, including all mineral rights. We’re not prospecting
or mining. We should only be here a few weeks at most and probably
much less than that. Right now I have to keep certain things under
wraps, but when the time comes, I promise to tell you.”
    “But—”
    “Leave it alone, Rose,” Hector commanded. “We
decided to trust Mr. Perry. We’ve