“What if Bones is right? What if the wreck really isn’t here? Or what if something did happen to it?”
“Doubtful. I did a lot of research and I haven’t found any accounts of a Templar ship being found anywhere in this area.”
“What if… I don’t know, what if it washed away or something? Could that happen?”
Maddock froze. Something had just clicked into place.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, climbing to his feet, “you just reminded me of something I need to check out. You want the rest of this?” He handed her the coffee and hurried back into the cabin. He hoped his hunch was right.
“So, explain to us again this hunch of yours.” Willis stood, leaning against the cabin wall, with his muscular arms folded across his chest. The man was a top-notch soldier when he believed in what he was doing, but he always required convincing first.
“It’s pretty simple, actually,” Maddock said. “The water here is shallower than we had hoped, so the wreck is more likely to have been affected by tides and the like than would a wreck in deeper water. This area has been hit by some major hurricanes and all of them have followed the same path.” He traced the point of a pencil in a line running north by northwest. “The prevailing currents run the same way. Since we believe the ship went down southeast of the island, it’s possible that the wreckage was pushed ashore.”
“The island is boomerang-shaped.” Corey took up the explanation. “The wreckage could have been driven right into the center of the V, if you will, and trapped there. The Templar’s story indicated that the ship foundered very close to the island so it’s possible that we’ll find its cargo somewhere in this area. That’s one of the pluses of this being a deserted island. No one’s been around to stumble upon any wreckage.”
“And there are no records of any such cargo being recovered in the vicinity of the island,” Maddock added. “At least, not that I could find.”
The others appear doubtful. “What if it’s buried in the sand?” Matt asked.
“Then we’ll find it with metal detectors,” Maddock said. “But I doubt that’s the case.” He took out another chart. “Right here, just offshore of the island, is a deep hole. It’s not as large as the blue holes you find in other parts of the world, but it’s large enough to suck in a sailing ship.”
Bones raised his eyebrows. “That could explain why the wreckage has never been discovered.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Maddock knew that if he won Bones over, the others would follow suit. “I know the dive could be dangerous but you can’t tell me it’s not worth a try.”
“Come on, Maddock. You think we’re scared of a dangerous dive?” Willis asked. “I’ll race you to the bottom.”
“Excellent.” Maddock smiled and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter 22
“There’s something down there.” Corey’s outward calm could not mask the tremor of excitement in his voice. As Uma descended into the sinkhole, her lights gradually illuminated the bottom. There amongst the rocks and sand lay the unmistakable remains of a shipwreck.
“Come on, baby,” Willis whispered. By his side, Bones and Dima stood shoulder to shoulder, both watching in tense anticipation. As they stared at the monitor, Dima absently took Bones’ hand and laced her fingers between his. Maddock couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s definitely a wooden ship,” Corey said. “But I don’t think I will be able to tell much more with Uma. You guys are going to have to check it out up close and personal.”
“We’ll take it in shifts,” Maddock said. “Bones and I will go first.”
“Aw, come on man, let’s at least flip for it,” Willis protested.
“It’s okay, Maddock,” Bones said. “Why don’t we let the second string have the first crack at it? Save the big guns for last.”
It was a measure of how badly Willis and Matt wanted to dive the wreck that neither of them responded to the second string comment. Maddock wasn’t fooled. Bones hated hanging out on deck when there was diving to be done. Clearly, his friend wanted to spend time with Dima.
“All right,” Maddock agreed. “One hour and not a minute more. If you get into any kind of trouble, come back up. “
“Yes, mom,” Matt said. “Would you like to dress us, maybe tie our shoes for us too?”
“Just be careful.”
Fifty minutes into the dive, Matt and Willis high-fived, then turned and gave the thumbs-up to the crew via Uma’s underwater camera through which those on board Sea Foam had been following the divers’ progress. They began working at something in the midst of the wreckage, stirring up a cloud of silt. Moments later, they emerged. Willis swam toward the camera and held up a long, narrow object. Maddock recognized it immediately.
“A short sword.” The blade was dark and pitted, but the image on the hilt was clear — a Templar cross!
“Yes!” Bones shouted. “You did it, Maddock.”
“We’re not there yet. Let’s get ready to take our turn.”
Matt and Willis surfaced, grinning broadly. “Jackpot!” Willis exclaimed as Maddock hauled him out of the water.
“Good work.” Maddock accepted the sword from Willis and held it out in the bright morning sun. Time and salt water had done its work on the blade, but it was still a fine piece.
“You know, this here dive could make us some serious change, stone or no stone,” Willis said. “I think there’s a lot more down toward the back of the sinkhole. We were picking up a lot of hits with the detector, but you know how that thing works. Can’t tell treasure from junk. Lots of metal down there.”
Maddock had been so immersed in the search for the stone that he hadn’t even considered that this was what they did for a living. “That would be a nice bonus, wouldn’t it?” He handed the sword back to Willis. “You guys can make sure this is properly cared for.”
“I’ve never seen a Templar sword up close before.” Dima gazed in admiration at the aged weapon. “It’s really something.”
“Maddock, we should get going.” Bones tone was brusque and his countenance dark.
Dima frowned at the big native but didn’t ask what was on his mind.
Maddock thought he knew — early on in their days in the SEALs they had been called on to find another Templar treasure, and Bones had lost someone dear to him. He supposed wounds like that never truly healed.
“Ready when you are,” Maddock said. They finished their prep, secured their masks, and slid into the cool water.
Maddock descended slowly, savoring the way the cool, dark water enveloped him. The sea felt like home. Down below, the dark circle of the sinkhole loomed large in his vision. He was about to turn on his dive light when something moved off to the side. A quick glance told him it was a shark — a Great White if he was not mistaken. He motioned to Bones, who spotted it immediately and nodded. No need to panic. Sharks typically kept to themselves unless given good reason to attack. Still, he kept an eye on it as they continued their descent into the darkness.
By the time they reached the bottom of the sinkhole, all thoughts of the marine predator were forgotten. Here they were, diving on a five hundred-year-old wreck. He couldn’t wait to begin the search.
Bones operated the pulse induction underwater metal detector while Maddock swam at his side, eyes scanning the wreck. Several times, they stopped when Bones got a strong hit. They sorted through many bits that held no value, but they did find a number of gold coins and a few carved pieces. Maddock secured them in the mesh bag at his waist and continued searching.
As the minutes slipped past, they added a few more items to the dive bag, but nothing that looked like a Noah Stone. Maddock was beginning to think this was going to be an even bigger endeavor than he had feared, when he felt a warm sensation against his leg. He looked down for the source, absently wondering if something had stung him, and realized it was coming from the thigh pocket where he’d secured the pointed stone — the first Noah Stone. He wasn’t sure why he’d brought it with him. Something had told him not to leave it unattended. He quickly realized the stone itself was heating up. It had never done that before. Perhaps…