The Blood-Curdling Case of
the Buried Treasure

AN OUTDOOR TEEN MYSTERY FOR 12-15 YEAR OLDS by Andrew West. Many years ago, pirates buried their treasure in Buccaneer Valley. No one has been able to locate it because, legend says, a monster stands guard. Can you find out what's really going on?

 10 Suspects: 5 girls, 5 boys
                                      MANY MORE can investigate the case
 

Many, many years ago, when the town of Buccaneer Valley was just a tiny settlement, a band of pirates and thieves pulled off the most daring theft of its time. The men got away with a fortune in jewels. With the enraged citizens hot on their trail, they had no choice but to split up. Arguments quickly started. What would they do with the loot? When would they each get their shares? The leader of the group, a dangerous man named Dylan Quint, decided to bury it.

Everyone agreed to meet five years later to dig it up and divide it. Legend says that Quint had strange powers and was able to place a frightening monster nearby to guard the spot until they were back together again. Yet, no one ever returned. The Quint treasure is rumored to be buried somewhere still in the woods near Buccaneer Valley - and the monster is keeping watch over it even today.

Everyone in town knows this story and dreams of finding the treasure. The woods where it is supposedly hidden is now a nature reserve, Buccaneer Park - and a local tradition has sprung up. Every six months, school teachers run a treasure hunt there as classes compete for the chance to work together to find the buried jewels. Teachers organize the event as a learning experience and each selected class is given a trail to follow around the park. The students are asked questions and, if they’re able to answer them correctly, are led to a secret location where a "treasure" is found. It's always a lot of fun - and a great history lesson.

But today something has gone wrong. The school’s minivan arrived at 11 o'clock, and the students anxiously went into the park to follow the trail. Then, at 2:30, Mr. Save, the teacher, and Miss Fance, his teaching assistant, heard a loud, blood-curdling scream. Within minutes, they were surrounded by the students telling tales of treasure and of a strange creature in the woods.

It was quickly decided that the class should report what happened to the park rangers and leave. But - it looks like someone (or someTHING) wants the class to stay in  the park. The keys to the minivan are missing! Nobody knows what happened to them. Cell phones don’t work in the woods and the rangers can’t be contacted. Since no one else is around, the minivan is the only way for he class to escape what could be a bad situation. The only hope seems to be to unravel the events of the afternoon.

What was the scream that caused everyone to shiver? And, what’s happening in the deep, dark woods of Buccaneer Park? Is Quint’s monster still guarding the buried treasure? Or, is there more to the story? Only sound detective work will unravel what’s going on!

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One of these suspects knows what's going on:

SCRIMPIN SAVE, teacher
His class won the competition and has the honor of participating in the treasure hunt. How could he chase other people away so that he could try to find the treasure himself?

ELLA FANCE, teaching assistant
She drove the minivan to Buccaneer Park. How was it possible for her to lose the keys?

SOPHIE FIFOFUM, student
She swears she saw the monster that guards the treasure. Why do some of her friends say she likes to stretch the truth?

WANDA BEESTAR, student performer
She gets all of the starring roles in the school's theatrical productions. How could she get publicity for the upcoming play?

DREW TELLER, student performer
He's helping Wanda prepare for her starring role, but is certain he's more talented that she is. How could he prove it?

JEWEL CRAVER, student
She was all alone in the woods when she heard the scream even though the students were supposed to work in teams.

EDDIE TOUR, editor of the school paper
He always likes to cover a great story. Was it just a coincidence that he was in the woods when the monster made an appearance?

JANIE TOUR, Eddie's sister
She always takes care of her brother and would do anything to help him make a splash.

I. C. GHOSTS, reporter for the school paper
His favorite subject is the paranormal and needs to prove that monsters and ghosts really exist.

LEN SCAP, photographer for the school paper
He's always trying to take a picture that no one else can get. The right photo would prove that he's the best photographer at school.