Rebel Treasure twentieth post

EXT. ROADSIDE MINIT MART – DAY
Riley fuels the SUV while in the B.G., Morgan places a call on a payphone. Ben paces back and forth in the foreground, cell phone in hand.

Exasperated, he takes it from his ear and presses the end button.

RILEY
No answer?

BEN
Line’s busy.

AT THE PAYPHONE

MORGAN
What do you mean we gave YOUR men a scare?
(pause)
I’ll say you did. I for one am going to need a change of underwear.
(pause, then sarcastic)
Well, I’m glad to hear you recovered the treasure, but you messed up the chance of our finding an even bigger one.
(pause)
Exactly.
(pause)
Yeah. I told them about you. Said you were a high mucky muck in the government and would look into the “incident.”
(pause)
I agree with Ma, these guys are going to lead us to the jackpot.

BACK TO BEN

BEN
Abby?
(pause)
We’re in Tennessee, on the way home.
(pause)
Just a little trouble.
(pause)
I’ve turned up Lon’s logbook.
(pause)
Yeah, I need you to look up a navigational coordinate.
(pause)
Somewhere in our backyard. Latitude North 39 degrees 7 minutes 0 seconds; Longitude West 76 degrees 46 minutes 10 seconds.
(pause)
Love you too!
(pause)
What was that?
(pause)
I found them in the log. It’s quite a story. You’ll have to read it.

INT MORGAN’S SUV – OUTSKIRTS OF D.C. – EARLY MORNING

RILEY
So without the California gold, how did Lincoln carry on the war?

BEN
Evidently, Lon and his friends weren’t aware that the California shipment also consisted of a huge amount of silver from the Carson City mines.

Morgan barks out a short but loud laugh.

MORGAN
The lucky bastard.

BEN
Lucky is right. That silver kept the government afloat and the soldiers paid.

Ben’s cellphone rings. He looks at the caller’s ID before answering.

BEN (CONT’D)
Hi, Hon.
(pause)
We’re almost home, but I don’t think we’ll get there until after you leave for work.
(pause)
Okay. Where is it?
(laughs)
Yeah, I’m sitting down.
(longer pause, then a low whistle)
Listen, maybe I’ll run by and see you at the office later.
(pause)
Don’t worry, Riley and I aren’t going to do anything crazy.
(pause)
Gobs and gobs.

Ben hangs up and Morgan and Riley are silent in expectation.

RILEY
Well? Where did Lon and his gang hide the gold?

BEN
Only if you promise not to do anything crazy.

RILEY
Cross my heart and hope to die.

MORGAN
What he said.

BEN
(laughing)
It’s at..or was at Fort Meade.

MORGAN
It was found?

BEN
Yes. Right on the property of the top secret National Security Agency. When they broke ground for their cryptological museum, they discovered it, wagon and all.

RILEY
What did they do with it?

BEN
They put it on display, of course.

He bursts into laughter, followed by Riley, then Morgan. Only Morgan’s eyes aren’t laughing.

[next pt 21]

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