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"Very funny, ye cheeky lass. Cumulus clouds can't transmit data."
I watch as he starts up the computer and digs a cable out of the bag, then uses that to connect his phone to the laptop. Soon, he's downloading all the high-resolution images we took of the map. He flips through the pictures too fast for me to keep up, and he repeatedly zooms in and out at high speed too. I think Errol's brain works differently than anybody else's, which helps him process information much faster.
Since I can't follow what he's doing, I resort to gazing out the window. Pretty clouds can't hold my attention for long, though, not when I desperately want to know if Errol has found anything. Pestering him won't help. I know that, and I bite my tongue for as long as I can, vowing to myself that I will not harass him until at least an hour has passed.
The wait drives me crazy.
I try to take a nap, but I don't feel tired enough for that. So I get out my phone and play games on it, but I've never had any interest in that sort of thing. I lean over to study the instruments on the dashboard—the instrument panel, Errol said—but I have no idea what an altimeter is, and the only thing I recognize on the panel is the magnetic compass.
My phone tells me thirty-five minutes have elapsed. Is that close enough to an hour? Probably not. I count clouds for a while and try to see shapes in them. That gets boring too.
"Eureka!" Errol shouts.
I jump and squeak. "What happened?"
"My eureka moment, that's what." He turns his computer screen toward me and grins. "I've broken the code."
Chapter Fifteen
Errol
I have actually done it. I solved the riddle of the map in less than an hour. Ashley stares at me like I've sprouted green grass on my head, but I think she just doesn't realize what I've done. I need to explain it to her, but first, I want to celebrate. So I stand up and set my computer on the seat, then I lean over to plant a solid kiss on her lips.
Now she's staring at me with wide eyes.
"Are ye having a stroke?" I ask. "Didn't ye hear what I just said? I solved the riddle."
"I heard you. But I—I can't believe you did that so fast. Are you sure you got it right?"
"Aye, I'm positive. Let me show you." I pick up my laptop and sit down again. After bringing up the right series of images, I rotate the computer screen toward Ashley. "Here's the proof."
Her brows knit together as she looks at the screen. "Proof of what? I still don't see anything other than squiggles and funny symbols."
"It's not a map. It's the legend for the map, which means it's a list of symbols used on the actual drawing." I point toward one of the squiggles she had mentioned. "This is the symbol for a river or stream. Some squiggles are narrower than others, and that seems like a notation for a creek."
"Okay. That makes sense."
"And here…" I point to an upside-down L-shaped symbol. "This clearly represents a canyon."
"But the whole map would be one long canyon, right? The Grand Canyon."
"Aye, but there are smaller offshoots throughout the length of the Colorado River and its tributaries."
"I didn't think about that. But you're right. There are numerous smaller canyons." Ashley slants closer to the screen and squints. "What do you think that symbol is?"
She points at an arching line.
"Ah, yes, that." I can't resist smirking. "I figured out what that represents too. It's a cave."
The lass gives me a skeptical look. "How could you possibly figure that out? It's a curved line. I was willing to accept that an L-shaped thingy is a canyon, but I see no way you could determine that a curved line is a cave."
"Allow me to elaborate." I gesture with my finger as I point out various shaded areas. "These areas represent the cliffs along the rivers, and darker shading shows anomalies in the vertical surfaces—fissures, mostly, I would guess. But also caves."
"That makes sense. But again, how can you tell which symbol signifies a cave? A curved line could be an arch."
"Aren't many of those a thousand feet up on a sheer cliff face."
"But you still haven't proved—"
