“Carried away it was, inland with our blood money. The channel behind, the forest ahead. We returned soon enough. Below decks among timber spars it was sent, but the trees they tell a story all their own. Our Black Book, buried there. As the crow flies, through two stands and at the foot of the hill.”
“Clear as fucking mud that,” Alicia said.
“It’s not often we agree,” Russo nodded, “but Milady has a point.”
“The channel behind, the forest ahead.” Crouch turned and held up a hand. “Clearly marks the way. Of course, if these maps had never been found nobody would ever have known where to look.”
“And the Black Book?”
“A reference to the treasure or the chests. Or whatever. Clearly they buried something out there and it needs to be found.”
Crouch set off at a pace and the others hurried to catch up. Alicia saw that he almost looked hassled, as if doubting himself. Maybe he’d missed a line? It would be easy to do, despite a superb memory. She checked that the main channel into port was at her back and set off in as straight a line as she could manage. It occurred to her that, to the hard-drinking Morgan, a straight line might not be what it was to Michael Crouch, but she decided this wasn’t the time to voice such thoughts. Maybe later.
The first stand of trees was dense and hard to push through, the second just up ahead after another stretch of flat ground. The heat shimmered all around and the sounds of insects filled the air. A bird swooped overhead, its bright plumage searing the skies with beauty. Alicia smelled earth, tree sap and mold, and walked upon a soft, loamy surface behind Russo, surprised that he held the branches back for her and wary in case he let one twang back. She would have. But maybe Russo was more of an adult.
Crouch entered the second stand of trees, still careful to check the position of the channel which they could now only see in glimmers through gaps between leaves and trees. The clearing here was a bit of a sunspot, radiating heat between walls of trees with a now darkening patch of sky up above. Crouch passed from sight.
Alicia pressed on, assessing the entire area as she went. They all had hands close to concealed weapons at this point since they knew Jensen could already be here. Crouch paused as a huge tree flummoxed him, its widespread branches and clinging leaves just too thick to penetrate.
“Stay there, Russo,” he said. “I’ll go around and pick you up on the other side.”
“I’ll join you.” Alicia didn’t want Crouch to venture off alone. She squeezed to his side and together they circumvented the big tree, resumed position and then waited for the others to come around.
“I am sorry about Beau.”
Alicia blinked and felt a rush of surprise. Crouch had caught her out. “Oh, thanks. He got what was coming to him, I guess.”
“I never pegged him for a traitor.”
“Not even after he switched sides to join you?”
“No. I’m rarely a bad judge of character but I trusted that man.”
Alicia hung her head. “Same here.”
“I realize he used to be your boyfriend, Alicia, and I’m sorry.”
“I made my own decision, Michael. The new one’s much better.”
It was supposed to ease the rising tensions, but Crouch didn’t smile. “Matt Drake has many a demon to tame.”
“Same as anyone who’s lived past maturity.”
The others were getting close now, but Crouch took one more moment to engage her. “I recruited Beau. He was my responsibility. Did I miss something? Or did I want to?”
Alicia could think of no quick reply, and then the rest of the team joined them. Crouch pushed ahead, threading the last of the trees and they found themselves in a sheltered clearing with a small brook running through the center.
“At the foot of the hill,” Crouch intoned.
Beyond the burbling brook a sloping hill led directly up to another thick body of trees. Its banks were a verdant green and unsullied, the flowers that grew there wild and free. Crouch walked out toward the brook.
“So,” he said, looking around. “Who’s got the spade?”
Russo grunted. “Who’d ya think?” He shrugged out of his backpack and laid it on the floor.
“Does this feel right?” Alicia asked. “Does this really feel right to you?”
Crouch acquiesced with a slump of the shoulder. “Maybe, maybe not. But the verse was written on the set of maps and it led us here. What do we have to lose?”
“To be honest—” Alicia stared at the spade Russo produced from the backpack, a heavy, broad-bladed tool “—who wouldn’t want to dig for buried treasure?”
“That’s the spirit.” Crouch found his own, smaller spade and made a beeline through the brook. “Take perimeter, Healey.”
Alicia watched Healey leap off into the woods to start a recce and took in the general ambiance of the place. One might feel nothing bad had ever happened here. One might even feel nothing bad ever happened anywhere. But, sadly, these places were few and far between. Her friends, they all had their secrets. Healey had been mercilessly bullied by his brothers and shown no love by his parents and then run away to join the Army. He was still struggling. Russo continually controlled a Berserker rage, always coping and dealing with the knowledge that sometime, somewhere, it was going to erupt once more.
Her darker thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a shovel striking earth. Russo was already on the job. “Hey,” she said. “I’d like to see a little of that action.”
An hour passed, then two. The bright blue patch of canvas above their heads faded and shaded slowly to dark colors and then to pitch black. The team pitched tents and made them safe, then took a walk back toward the beach, leaving Healey and Caitlyn on guard. The air remained at a balmy temperature and the cool breeze felt good on their exposed skin. Nobody spoke a word during the short walk, but took in the relaxed atmosphere and almost utter quiet.
It was far from a common sensation they’d all enjoyed for most of their lives.
“Like I said before,” Alicia eventually spoke up. “I could get used to this.”
Russo started to nod in agreement and then appeared to remember who was speaking. “For once, I’d say your face is dirtier than your mind.”
“Nothing wrong with a dirty mind, Robster.”
A grunt. “Depends who you share it with.”
Ahead now, the ruined fort overlooked the rolling waters and a bright moon shone upon rippling waves. All three soldiers drank it in for less than half a minute, and then Alicia voiced the thoughts of all three.
“Shit, let’s get back to work. Any more of this I’m gonna lose my edge. Or go mad.”
There was no more work that night, since the shadows filled all the spaces and flashlights weren’t good enough to work by. The holes were already deep but nothing that glittered had revealed itself so far. The team took a few hours’ rest, switched for sentry duty and were up before dawn the next day. A quick meal and they were back at it. Caitlyn fetched water from the clear stream and left it for the diggers to cool themselves off. Russo was already stripped to the waist by early morning, making Alicia shade her eyes every time she glanced over in his direction.
“Jeez, man, it’s like staring at a pint of milk.”
“And you should cover up,” Caitlyn added. “Sunburn ain’t choosy.”
“Shit, I feel like I’ve inherited a couple of bossy sisters.”
Alicia then put down her spade and climbed out of the earthy hole she’d been digging. She took a long look at their day’s work and met Crouch’s already knowing eyes.
“It ain’t here, boss.”
Crouch climbed up and sat on the edge of his own small void in the earth. “I just don’t get it. Did I miss something?”