The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn by John Bellairs

some ancient king surveying his kingdom.
    He was deep in thought as he sat there. What on earth was he going to do? What if Hugo Philpotts did buy the house? Anthony didn’t know how much houses cost, but he had once heard his dad say that he had paid twelve thousand dollars for the house they were living in. And that was a long time ago. Alpheus Winterborn’s message said that the treasure he had hidden was worth many thousands of dollars. “Many” was more than twelve—Anthony was sure of that. So even if Hugo Philpotts had to spend twelve thousand dollars to get a treasure that was worth a hundred thousand, or a million, it would be a good deal for him. And once he bought the house, he wouldn’t have to worry about old Eagle Eye. It would be his house, and if he wanted to poke holes in the walls, that would be his business. Anthony had to get in there before Mr. Philpotts did. But how in heck was he going to do that?
    He continued to sit and think, but no ideas came to him. The wind blew, and the weather vane thrummed overhead. After a while, Anthony heaved a deep sigh and got up. He had better go downstairs and see if Mrs. Pratt wanted him to do anything. As he was leaving the room, he glanced at one of the magazines on the dusty stack. Some words on the cover caught his eye: “Burglar-proof Your Home This Summer. See page 106.”
    Anthony flipped to page 106 and started reading. The article gave thirteen rules for homeowners, including such things as not letting milk bottles and newspapers pile up on your porch, notifying the police when you went on vacation, and leaving lights on in the house. Rule Ten interested Anthony very much.
     
    Rule Ten: On doors with old-fashioned locks, there is usually a plate (on the doorpost) with two holes. It looks like this:

    The lower hole, the oblong one, is meant to receive the door latch, which moves when the knob is turned. The upper hole, square in shape, is meant to receive the bolt, which turns when the key is turned in the keyhole. It is the upper hole that we are concerned with. A favorite trick of burglars is to insert a chip of wood in this hole so that the bolt, when thrown home by the turning of the key, will not enter the hole. The door, thus tampered with, is not locked and may be opened at the convenience of our friend the burglar. It would be well to check the outside doors of your home nightly to make sure they have not been tampered with. Cellar doors in particular are vulnerable. Note any suspicious persons prowling about in your yard, as they may be burglars looking for a chance to “fix” your door in the manner described above.
     
    Anthony sat on the heap of magazines, reading by the fading light. His heart started beating faster. T his was the way! Could he... Of course he could. He would have to, to save his family and to keep old Hugo Philpotts from grabbing the loot. He would bide his time, watch carefully, and then...
     
    For the next several days, Anthony carried around a small chip of wood in his pocket. He had whittled it to fit the bolt-hole in the outside cellar door of his own house. He had tried out the trick, and he had been delighted to discover that it really worked. Now he kept closer watch than ever over the old Winterborn place. The moving truck was gone now. The house looked deserted. The shades were all pulled down. The swing set was gone from the backyard. So was the sandbox, but the doghouse was still there. It looked forlorn and empty. A for sale sign was tacked up on the front of the house. One day when Anthony walked by to see how things were going, he saw a big red panel truck parked outside. The lettering on the side of the truck said LOOMIS AND SON, PAINTERS AND INTERIOR DECORATORS. Thefront door of the house was open, and Anthony could see men inside. They were wearing gray paint-stained coveralls and paint caps. They were spreading out a drop cloth on the hall floor. Another man was taking a ladder and some cans of paint