Who Says Luck Can't Strike Twice in One Day

Who Says Luck Can’t Strike Twice in One Day?

By Joyce K. Faul

“How could you? Danielle Marie shouted! You knew that money was intended for the down payment on our next home.” Tears flowed abundantly down her soft pink cheeks. She grabbed a tissue and stormed out the back door, leaving a thick cloud of disappointment hanging in the air behind her.

Ever since their recent house fire, they had been struggling to make ends meet. Danielle’s determination to overcome that setback was beginning to wear thin. It was one thing to make sacrifices and cut corners, she knew how to do without, having grown up in a family with more kids than money. Everyone did their part and looked after each other. Isn’t that how relationships are supposed to work?

Trust in her marriage was beginning to crumble. Her husband Frank had not only been slow in making contributions toward saving for their dream house but now had drained their proverbial cookie jar fund. She was furious and felt betrayed. At least they had managed to complete the repairs necessary to put the house on the market as they had planned. She said a quick prayer that it would sell quickly and with a decent profit.

Perhaps it would all work itself out. If only Frank had discussed it with her before he had taken the house deposit funds. Maybe she should have given him a chance to explain his decision, instead she had reacted with anger. She had to get her feelings sorted out and calm herself down before returning home. She started jogging toward the track behind the High School where she felt safe to let off steam and clear her mind.

When she rounded the corner and headed down the path, she noticed a large branch had fallen from the largest and most stately oak tree along the path. She found it very strange as there had not been any storm or strong winds which would have knocked it down. As she got closer, she noticed that a person was trapped under the branch. Danielle quickly strode over and began pulling the branches away and she recognized that it was the new kid, David Smith,

his family had recently moved into town. She managed to get close enough to check his breathing and pulse. She called out his name and his eyes began to open, and he let out a loud moan.

“You took a hard fall there David, can you sit up?” He nodded and slowly righted himself and said, “Sorry that I broke off that branch,” and he mumbled a “Thank you.” He began explaining that he had climbed the tree to free a backpack which was hung up on a branch up above. “I guess the branch broke under my weight as I stretched to grab it.” The backpack was on the ground, now within his reach. Danielle asked him if it was his, and he replied, “No, I was just trying to check to see who it might belong to. She lent him a hand to help him stand up.

Danielle reached for the leather backpack and found that it was surprisingly heavy. David leaned over to offer his assistance, but the weight of it threw him off balance and he let go. The backpack dropped to the ground and it split open. They looked at each other and at the same time said, “What in the world???” To their surprise gold coins began to spill out all over the ground. “Where did this come from? How did it get here? Who does it belong to???” They both had so many questions going through their minds.

They stared at the pile of gold coins! This strange treasure seemingly came out of nowhere. They quickly dug through the bag looking for clues to identify the owner. No luggage tag or other form of identification was found. The only personal item in the backpack was a small black notebook, which was tucked away in a zippered pocket. No name or title was imprinted on the outer or inner cover. Danielle quickly flipped through the pages looking for a clue. She noticed that at the top of each page she saw an unusual insignia stamped in the top right corner. Perhaps it was a family crest? The design consisted of laurel leaves surrounding a Celtic cross, these symbols might indicate Irish heritage. The notebook appeared to be a log documenting a collection of gold coins. Danielle asked David if he had his phone with him, he reached in his pocket and handed it to her.

She quickly dialed 911 and asked for the Sheriff to come and investigate. They sat down on the ground to wait. They reflected about the evidence they had gathered. The sheriff would soon be dispatched. The town of Graceville was a quiet, small, rural midwestern town. Things around here were typically uneventful. Danielle and David engaged in a friendly speculation about the gold coins, the owner, and the value of this collection. Soon they heard tires crunching on the gravel driveway and heard a car door close.

Danielle looked up to see a familiar face, Ian O’Neil, the Sheriff Deputy that was frequently on patrol had arrived. Ian tipped his hat, and greeted them with a grin, and said, “Good morning Danielle. What have you got there?” “Hi, Ian, so happy to see you. We have a bit of a mystery here! This is David Smith, his family recently moved here, have you two met?” Ian nodded and acknowledged the young fella, “Hi David, are you finding Graceville to your liking?” "Yes sir, in fact it's becoming more interesting by the minute,” the boy replied and grinned at the deputy.

Ian’s chin dropped and his eyes widened as he saw the gold coins that David and Danielle now held out for him to view. He took a few in his hands, flipped them over, and remarked, “Well, I’ll be!” Danielle proceeded to explain that she had stumbled upon David and the mysterious backpack which was filled with its interesting treasure. Ian just scratched his head and pondered where this find might have originated. David, reading the deputy’s mind, explained how he had noticed the leather backpack stuck on a branch in the old oak tree and out of curiosity had climbed the tree to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the branch broke under his weight and both he and the backpack had tumbled to the ground, shortly before Danielle came jogging down the path and stumbled upon them.

Danielle inquired, “Have you heard of any reports about robberies or treasure hunts being reported to law enforcement?” “No, not lately,” Ian laughed, amused at the thought that someone may have lost a “pot of gold,” especially here in this quiet, uneventful, little town. Then she handed Ian the little black book from the backpack and pointed out the symbol that was imprinted on each page within it. “I think this looks like an Irish family crest, and this book may hold details about the collection of gold coins we found here. The coins look antique so maybe they belong in a museum. So, how did they end up here? They did not just fall from the sky, or did they?” That suggestion prompted David to recall seeing a small plane flying over the area earlier that morning. “Perhaps someone dropped off the backpack from the airplane, either intentionally or just by accident,” he offered.

“Hmmm,” Ian pondered and scratched his head. He decided to radio into the Sheriff’s office and check the morning log to see if any other clues may have been reported. The deputy had a puzzled look on his face when he walked back from the patrol car. “You’re not going to believe this, but there is actually a nationwide search going on for a suspect of a heist that occurred at the Smithsonian Museum last night. I need to bring this evidence to the Sheriff right away. We are going to need a statement from both of you as well! Do you mind riding in with me to fill out the necessary paperwork?” Danielle and David agreed that this would be the best way to get this investigation under way. While in transit to the Sheriff’s office, Danielle texted her husband to let him know she would be back home before long and would have an interesting story to share! She asked David if he needed to check in with his parents as she handed his phone back to him, but he replied that they were both at work and he would check in with them later.

The Sheriff was waiting for the trio and ushered them into his office. He politely asked the Deputy to close the door behind them. Then he took a quick look at the leather backpack and examined the coins and the notebook. He had an astonished look on his face. The Sheriff cleared his throat and then excitedly announced, “I believe you may have recovered the loot from the heist at the Smithsonian! He quickly took their statements, contact info, and a photo of them with the coins and the Deputy. He then calmly stated they were free to leave but assured them he would be calling them as soon as he verified this hypothesis.

Ian offered Danielle and David a ride home. They excitedly recapped their morning adventure. When the patrol car pulled into the driveway, Danielle’s husband was waiting on the back step. She hopped out of the car and ran over and excitedly told him about all that had transpired. Frank took her in his arms and smiled down at her, “I’m so relieved that you are safe and back home where you belong!” Danielle’s earlier state of fury had dissipated, and he began to deliver his explanation about the funds that he had borrowed. He then outlined the events that had unfolded while she was out jogging. Frank admitted he had intended to go to the Casino, hoping to multiply the funds, but on his way he had stopped for gas. While there, he had purchased an instant lottery ticket and had won ten thousand dollars on that ticket! He gently handed her the ticket which would double the previous amount they had saved for their down payment. Their money struggles were over! Their luck had changed, and they had yet to hear back from the Sheriff about the Irish treasure!

The next morning the phone rang early. It was the Sheriff calling to tell Danielle that the treasure they had found was legit. He told her to be sure to check out the full-page article on the front page of the Washington Post! On the left was the photo of Danielle, David, and Ian and their surprising retrieval of the loot from the Smithsonian Museum heist. The headline stated that a $20,000 reward was being bestowed upon both Danielle and David. On the right side of the page was a photo of Frank and Danielle holding up a check from the winning lottery ticket for $10,000. The caption stated that they were the two luckiest winners ever from the town of Graceville, having had a surprising double lucky streak in one day!