This episode centers on an amazing treasure hunt that has been on for over forty years. In 1982, author, Bryon Price, creates a book with deep poems and paintings all describing and leading to his buried treasure – so to say. The book is titled ‘’The Secret,’’ but twenty years later, Bryon passes away, leaving his wife and two daughters to be the custodian of the great secret that’s driving the nation insane.
Bryon hid twelve keys, in twelve different cases or casks buried beneath different pars in North America. These keys were buried and hidden for anyone to find them. If anyone did find a key, they would be awarded a gemstone in return. However, in the last forty years, only two of these keys have been found. The first was found the following year after ‘’The Secret’’ was released and the second wasn’t found until fifteen years later.
This is not to say there haven’t been other attempts to find these keys. Several attempts had been made in the past, following the clues from Bryon’s devastatingly difficult book, but they had all come up empty, until now.
Despite the fact that Josh receives several emails, letters, and memos by different explorers all around Central America, one particular one has caught his eye. The mail informs that someone may have deciphered some clues that may lead to another key buried in a park, but what catches Josh’s attention is the fact that an attached picture shows a painting that would have been among the casks – a signature symbol of Bryon’s casks. It had been found and this may likely lead to the key.
Josh basically “walks away” from an episode and heads for the city of Boston, Massachusetts – his hometown, and heads downtown to meet with the man who may have cracked this secret wide open, Jason Krupat. Jason has spent several years searching for this key and deciphering the clues that lead to it, and Bryson did not make it easy. Now, all the clues make sense to him and he wants to share that with Josh. The forty year nationwide hunt for the third key begins in earnest with Jason walking Josh through all the clues and why he thinks he’s close to solving this puzzle. Firstly, every clue to every key has to relate with a picture in the book. Jason picked the first picture on the book cover and explains that it contains hidden clues that indicate that a key was hidden somewhere in Boston. The picture depicts a mysterious woman holding a box looking object. Jason points out that the box being held by the woman has a smaller image within, which looks identical to the Trinity church – a big landmark in Boston. He also points out that right beside the mysterious woman in a picture is a globe stand that looks like the shape of a ‘’B’’ indicating Boston.
Also, all the past clues that led to keys indicate a pattern of including certain immigration groups. Bryson was passionate about immigrants in America seeing as he came through there, too – his daughters in an interview a few years ago confirmed this fact. Now, Jason opines that this particular puzzle is related with the Italian immigrants. He points out a flower close to the mysterious lady in the picture – the flower is an Italian flower and that was clue one. Jason then takes Josh further down town towards a statue of Columbus, and Josh is awed that the mysterious lady bears resemblance in no small measure to Christopher Columbus, the famous “Italian” philosopher. Now, Josh is convinced but Jason still points out more and more clues he deciphered from the poem, which strongly suggests that the key is hidden somewhere in Boston.
The pair walks on and on about more clues and hints, but Josh is still somewhat cautious – he had been down this road before. Several people in the past had called him informing him of their strong belief that they found clues that’ll lead to the hidden key to claim their gemstone, but one after the other, they all came up empty. However, Jason is convinced that this will be different.
Eventually, the clues lead them to Lincoln Park, now closed down and undergoing renovation. Josh and Jason walk into the barricaded park and the latter explains more and more clues which points out that it was the right spot. The final clue in the poem read ‘’feel at home;” this indicated that they should start digging from the home plate. Excitedly, the pair rush over to the home run area and attempt to dig. They are joined by three other men – construction workers who had unearthed some objects that show that the key is buried down there.
They are also joined by invaluable members of Jason’s team – his family, who have been working side by side with Jason to find and decipher the clues. They start digging; hours go by and they only have a few other objects that show the key is there. But where is the key?
Several hours later, Jason lets out a cry. He had found a piece of the key, broken as a result of the construction that had been going on there. A few more hours with a few more efforts, Josh uncovers another piece of the key – the final one! The atmosphere is ecstatic. Jason Krupat had found the third key and is going down the history books.
Days later, Jason and Josh travel to New York to tender the key and receive his prize – the gemstone. In an emotional atmosphere, Bryon’s wife declares that this was her late husband’s aim – to gather people around to spend time with their families on adventures. The latest victor, Jason, is awarded his peridot gemstone and joins the elite club of the remaining two sets of people who found the last two stones.
In a country so big, countless parks, and a book that takes months to decipher, who would find the next key? Will the remaining nine keys ever be found or be lost forever in the sands of history?
