“When found guilty of piracy,” Chris continued, “the ladies played their trump card.”
“Which was?” I asked.
“They pled their bellies.”
“Come again?” Hi said.
“Each claimed to be pregnant,” Sallie clarified. “English law forbade the hanging of a woman with child, so Anne and Mary couldn’t be executed. While the others swung, they were spared.”
“Calico Jack was hanged, then disemboweled,” Shelton said. “The governor propped his body in a cage at the port’s entrance, where every ship could see. Nasty.”
That stopped conversation for a moment.
“And?” Ben’s first words since entering the building.
“That’s the mystery,” Chris said. “Mary Read succumbed to a fever in prison. No one knows what happened to Bonny.”
“Some say she died in jail. Some say she was hanged after giving birth the following year.” Sallie shrugged. “Others insist her father paid a ransom and brought her back home to Charles Town. Still others argue that Bonny escaped altogether, and went on pirating. No one knows for sure.”
“One crackpot book claimed that Bonny became a nun,” Shelton said. “Another swore she got back with her husband. It’s all bunk. Straight-up guessing.”
I glanced at Bonny. The fine clothes. The jewels. The braided hair.
What happened to you? I wondered. Was yours a happy end, or a terrible one? “So where’s her loot?” Hi blurted out. “Bonny was a badass, kick-you-in-the-mouth boat jacker. What happened to all that cheddar?”
Chris grinned. “I figured you’d get around to that.”
“Buried. Somewhere. If it ever really existed.” Sallie smoothed her hair with both hands. “For years, everyone thought her treasure was on Seabrook Island, but that was a hoax. Then the popular choice became Johns Island, because certain features match up with the map.”
“Map?” I said, innocent.
“Yes, map.” Chris checked his watch, then strode to a dark wooden bureau on the far side of the room. “Over here.”
I tried not to sprint.
“We’ve got only a few minutes, but you have to see it.” Chris tugged keys from his pocket. “It’s amazing.”
Behind the heavy doors were rows of drawers. Chris worked a second lock, then pulled the bottom one out as far as it would go.
Jackpot.
THE DOCUMENT LOOKED ancient.
A glass barrier covered the cabinet drawer, making it hard to read details. But what I could see piqued my imagination. And then some.
The map was sketched on a square foot of crinkly brown paper, now pinned at the corners to a cloth backboard. Squiggly lines formed a central image that appeared to be an island.
Script ran across the top of the page, but in the dim light I couldn’t read the words. The bottom left-hand corner had an odd illustration of some kind. A skull and crossbones adorned the bottom right.
No problem interpreting that one. Danger. Stay away.
“This is made of hemp.” Shelton was reading the brass placard affixed to the case. “The whole map is pure dope.”
“You guys are storing illegal drugs in here?” Hi shook his head. “It’s my civic duty to turn you in.”
“Too true,” Chris said. “But you may want to call Washington. The Declaration of Independence is written on the same stuff.”
I ignored the banter. Though tantalizingly close, the map was still obscured and unreadable.
“Is there any way to … you know … remove it?” I asked.
“Sorry.” Sallie pointed to bulbs set inside the casing. “Usually the drawer light comes on, and we have overheads. But without power, this is the best we can do.”
“It’ll still be here in the spring,” Chris said lightly. “Gives you a reason to come back.”
“But I need to see it now.” Sharp. I immediately regretted my tone.
“Why now?” Chris’s eyebrows rose. “You plan on tracking down the treasure this weekend?”
“Who says we couldn’t?” Ben snapped.
Chris raised a hand in a placating gesture. “I’m sure you could. But it’s been almost three hundred years. What’s the rush?”
Patronizing? Ben’s face said that was his take.
“No rush.” I chuckled for effect. “I’m just the impatient type.”
“We’re big history buffs.” Shelton stepped in front of Ben. “Solving mysteries is our hobby. We’re good at it.” Big toothy grin.
“Let me know when you find it,” Sallie said dryly.
“If you guys like history, Sallie and I run a ghost tour downtown.” Chris pulled a flyer from his back pocket. “Lots of mysteries along our route. Pirate stuff, too.”
“Cool.” I accepted the handout. “We’ll have to check it out sometime.”
“Weeknights at seven sharp,” Sallie said, “Saturdays at eight and ten. All tours subject to having enough people to make the trip worth going.”
Chris’s phone beeped sharply. Repeated.
“That’s my cue,” Chris said. “Cole and I are reorganizing the colonial ceramics. He must think I skipped town. Nice to meet you guys.”
“Thank you!” I called to his retreating back.
Sallie closed the drawer, then the bureau doors.
“And I’ve left the front desk unmanned for too long.” Sallie clasped her palms together. “Anything else I can direct you fine folks to today?”
Bye-bye treasure map. I hardly knew ye.
“No, you’ve been great.” I was reluctant to leave, but couldn’t think of an excuse to linger. “We’ll get out of your hair.”
“No, no!” Sallie waved both hands. “Stay. No one else is here. Just please unplug that extension cord when you leave.”
“Oh my gosh, thanks! We won’t be long.”
“No problem. I know what it’s like when you want to scope something with your friends, and the lame employee won’t leave you alone.”
The boys made protest noises.
“Sure, sure.” Sallie pulled at the curtains until a gap appeared. “Just don’t steal any artifacts. Or burn the place down.”
“Thanks again!” I repeated.
Sallie’s heels clicked down the hallway.
“And like that,” Hi snapped his fingers, “she left me. My life is so tragic.”
“My heart bleeds for you,” Shelton said. “But she was way more into me.”
“That guy was an ass,” Ben grumbled.
“She didn’t lock up,” I whispered.
They all looked at me. So?
“The bureau door.” I pointed. “The drawer. She didn’t lock them. Chris left first, and he has the keys.”
No change. So?
“We can examine the treasure map.” I gestured with annoyance. “The glass case is unlocked!”
“Yes.” Hi didn’t move.
“We can examine it,” Shelton said carefully. “In the case.”
Ben looked beyond dubious.
“What?” I may have sounded a wee bit petulant.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Hi said.
“Oh? Do you?”
“No.” Ben shook his head. “Not a chance.”
“No what? I just want to study the map.”
“We are not stealing that thing!” Shelton hissed.
“No way!” Hi echoed. “Nyet. Nein. Non.”
“Oh come on. I just want to look at it! Quit being so dramatic.”
Ignoring their disapproval, I opened the bureau, pulled out the drawer, and leaned close.
No good. Too dark. I needed better light and more time.
I glanced over my shoulder. Ben, Shelton, and Hi stood behind me, shoulder to shoulder. Scowling. A solid wall of opposition.