The story so far ... Mom and Belle search for Dan's truck without success. Mom is ready to give up, but Belle convinces her that they're on the right track and should continue searching. They finally locate him with his dad at a dentist's office. They meet him face to face to see if they have found the right person.





Dad set down a huge platter of baked chicken next to the mashed potatoes on our large dining room table. My tummy rumbled, but I knew that the guests would get served first. Mrs. Brewer forked a drumstick before passing it to her husband Dan. The potatoes followed the chicken. Grandpa took the platter from Dan. He had a bald head with a curly ring of grey around his ears. Stabbing the other drumstick, he winked at me and reached across to lay it on my plate. I smiled and looked away.

"So, tell my family the rest of your story," Mom said passing the rolls. "It's almost too crazy to believe. I've been keeping it a secret until tonight, and my husband and sons can't wait to hear the details."

It was Sunday evening, just a day after our flat tire in Marysville where we met Dan and his father and learned the story about Roscoe's treasure.

"I'm still reeling from the whole thing," Dan Brewer said.

"How did Grandpa lose his teeth?" Jordan asked.

Mr. Brewer senior smiled at my little brother, showing off his fine set of teeth. "You see, I always get food stuck under my plate..."

"That's because he forgets to put the dental paste on his denture before putting it into his mouth," Dan added.

"Anyway, when Dan left to pay the bill at Fannie's, I took out my denture and cleaned off the food. I set it under my napkin so my son wouldn't see it when he got back." He looked over at Dan who was loading chicken with potatoes on his plate.

But it was Dan who told the rest of the story, and here are his words:

I didn't know Dad had taken out his teeth. When we'd finished eating, I went to find the waitress and pay. I was anxious to get back to Marysville, so I could help settle Dad into his new apartment. I didn't notice his teeth in the napkin, and of course, Dad didn't say anything about them when we were leaving.

We drove to Marysville, and I got Dad to the door of his new apartment. He was dragging his feet. I knew he wasn't all that excited about coming back to the new place instead of his old house. But I got him in and helped him out of his coat. It was then that I noticed that his mouth was sunken in. "Where are your teeth?" I demanded.

He put his hands to his mouth with a look of surprise. "Oh no, I left them under my napkin at Fannie's."

"What!" I said in shock. "What do you mean?"

He hung his head. "I didn't want you to know that I had taken out my plate to clean it. You always get mad when I do that. So I just hid it under my napkin when I saw you come back from paying the bill."

I smiled weakly. "It's OK, Dad." I left Dad with my wife at the apartment and hurried back to Atkins hoping that Fannie's was still open. I ran up to the entrance and tried the door. It was locked, but I saw a couple waiters clearing tables. I gently knocked on the window. A young man with a stack of dirty dishes shook his head to alert me the café was closed, but I motioned him frantically to come to the door.

He opened it a crack. "Did you find a denture plate at ..." I looked around the room and pointed, "at that table over by the window? My father left it in a napkin when we were here an hour ago. He can't get along without his teeth."

"Nope, I don't remember no teeth," the man said, obviously not interested in wasting time with me. "Gotta get my work done, man." He started to close the door.

"Wait! What do you do with your garbage?"

"Throw it in the trash, what do you think? And then set the trash cans out back for Buzzy to put in the dumpster." He walked back to his tub where he placed the stack of dirty dishes. "Listen, there's no teeth, and I ain't gonna waste another minute talking with you. I got things to do!"

"Where's Buzzy?" I asked in desperation.

He motioned with his head. "In the back alley dumping the trash." He shut and locked the door. Turning away, he went back to clearing the tables.

I rushed around back. There was a teenager with his cap on backwards stooped down, picking up pieces of food, soggy napkins and empty containers off the back stoop. He was muttering angrily.

"What's the matter?" I asked, watching him pick up a slimy piece of lettuce with his fingers. He wrinkled his nose.

"Darn dog! Some stray knocked over the trash can and was eating the garbage when I got out here. Look at the mess he made!" I silently took in the trail of napkins and bones. "When I reached down to knock out his lights, that stupid dog grabbed something from the mess and ran away with it in his mouth."

"You don't think it was some false teeth?" I asked hopefully.

He looked at me with anger in his eyes. "I don't need you making fun of me." He turned away and finished his job.

At that point, I gave up on the teeth and headed back to Marysville, thinking about the expense and hassle of getting Dad new teeth.

Mom smiled around at everyone. "That's Dan's story. So when we met Dan and his father at the dentist office, and I told him about Roscoe's treasure, he got all excited and insisted that he follow us home to see if by some miraculous chance the denture that Roscoe brought home were the very teeth his dad had lost."

Grandpa Brewer stopped eating his potatoes and looked at Jordan. "I knew right away they were mine. My teeth are so familiar, they're like an old friend. And sure enough, when your mom handed me the denture yesterday, I slipped it right into place." He smiled big. "See the perfect fit? I never knew how much those silly teeth meant to me."

"And hopefully," Dan added, "he'll use his paste so he doesn't have to take them out except right before bed when he puts them in a bowl of water." We all laughed.

And as if waiting for that moment, Roscoe came into the room and settled down right on Grandpa Brewer's feet.