Note represents more than a threat, it confirms that their discoveries have attracted attention from people who view the Spanish treasure as worth protecting through intimidation or violence. Their $400 storage auction gamble has evolved into something that could endanger their lives if they continue pursuing the knowledge that Morrison died before revealing. The threatening note sits on their coffee, table like a malevolent presence while Elena and Marcus debate the decision that could transform their lives or end them.
Three days have passed since its delivery, three days of looking over their shoulders and jumping at unexpected sounds, but Morrison’s research journal contains information too valuable to abandon based on anonymous threats from unknown enemies. Elena spreads topographical maps across their apartment floor, comparing Morrison’s hand-drawn route markers with official geological survey maps of the Superstition Mountains. The old historian’s notes include GPS coordinates that correspond precisely with terrain features shown on the modern maps, demonstrating the accuracy of his decades-long research project.
Look at these coordinates, Elena points to a series of numbers Morrison recorded in his journal. They lead to a specific canyon about 15 miles northeast of Apache Junction. The terrain looks accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle, at least partway.
Marcus studies the elevation contours and trail markers indicated on the topographical maps. The route Morrison documented appears to follow established hiking trails for the first several miles before diverging into unmarked wilderness areas that would require careful navigation and desert survival skills. They’ve spent their remaining savings on equipment that could keep them alive during a multi-day desert.
Expedition, camping gear from a Phoenix surplus store, water containers sufficient for three days in extreme heat, basic first aid supplies, and a GPS device that Elena purchased using her credit card despite their already precarious financial situation. The list Morrison prepared for his own treasure recovery expedition provides a template for their preparations. The old historian understood desert survival requirements, documenting everything from clothing recommendations to emergency communication protocols.
His notes emphasize the importance of telling someone about expedition plans and expected return dates, but the threatening note complicates the communication requirements that desert safety demands. Elena and Marcus can’t inform friends or family about their specific destination without potentially exposing additional people to whatever dangers prompted the anonymous warning. They’ve decided to leave sealed envelopes with their apartment manager containing their planned route and emergency contact information to be opened only if they fail to return within five days.
Elena calculates their water requirements based on Morrison’s notes about desert hydration needs during March weather conditions. Arizona’s spring temperatures can be deceptive, pleasant during morning and evening hours, but dangerous during midday periods when the sun transforms the desert into a furnace that kills unprepared. Travelers will need at least two gallons per person per day.
Elena reads from Morrison’s survival notes, more if we’re doing physical work like digging. That means 12 gallons minimum for a three-day expedition. Marcus examines the camping equipment they’ve assembled, comparing their basic gear with Morrison’s more extensive preparation lists.
Their budget constraints have forced compromises that could prove dangerous. A cheaper tent that might not withstand desert winds, sleeping bags rated for temperatures that might not adequately protect against nighttime cold, and a camp stove that Elena hopes will function reliably when they need hot food and water. Purification, the GPS coordinates Morrison recorded represent more than navigation waypoints.
They document a systematic search pattern that led him to the specific location of the Spanish colonial treasure cache. His journal indicates multiple visits to the site, with increasingly detailed notes about terrain features, landmark identification, and the precise location of what he calls conclusive evidence of Spanish presence. Elena photographs every relevant page of Morrison’s journal, ensuring they have complete documentation of his research even if something happens to the original document.
The old historian’s notes include backup plans for various contingencies, suggesting he understood the risks involved in desert treasure hunting and took appropriate precautions. Morrison spent three years visiting this site, Marcus observes, reading through entries that document seasonal visits and ongoing archaeological observations. He wasn’t just treasure hunting, he was conducting legitimate historical research.
The distinction matters for legal and practical reasons. Archaeological investigation requires different approaches than treasure hunting, with emphasis on preserving historical context rather than simply recovering valuable artifacts. Morrison’s recovery efforts accordingly.
Their decision to proceed, despite the threatening note, reflects both desperation and determination. The Spanish treasure represents their only realistic opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty that has defined their adult lives, but the anonymous warning suggests that pursuing this opportunity could cost them everything. Elena folds the topographical maps carefully, storing them with Morrison’s journal and their other expedition materials.
Tomorrow morning they’ll drive toward the Superstition Mountains. Following coordinates that a dead historian spent years documenting, hoping to find treasure that someone considers worth killing for, the threatening note remains on their coffee table. A reminder that their $400 storage auction gamble has evolved into something far more dangerous than they ever imagined possible.
The Superstition Mountains rise from the Sonoran, desert like the jagged teeth of some ancient beast. Their volcanic peaks catching the first light of dawn as Elena navigates their borrowed pickup truck along increasingly rough dirt roads. Marcus rides shotgun with Morrison’s journal open in his lap, calling out landmarks and coordinate checks as they follow the route the dead historian documented during years of careful exploration.
The pavement ended 20 minutes ago, replaced by a washboard surface that rattles their camping equipment in the truck bed and tests the suspension of their borrowed vehicle. Elena’s co-worker at Rose’s Diner lent them her husband’s old Ford F-150, warning them that desert roads could destroy ordinary cars and leave travelers stranded miles from help. Next landmark should be a distinctive rock formation that Morrison calls the Broken Cathedral.
Marcus reads from the journal. He describes it as three vertical stone pillars with a gap between the middle and eastern sections. Elena slows the truck as the road curves around a low hill, revealing exactly the formation Morrison described.
Three towering columns of red stone rise nearly a hundred feet from the desert floor, their surfaces sculpted by millennia of wind and water into shapes that suggest gothic architecture. The gap Morrison mentioned provides a natural window through which the morning sun creates dramatic lighting effects. They park beside the formation and compare their GPS readings with Morrison’s recorded coordinates…
