Though slightly faded, the colors were breathtaking. Black. Yellow. Purple. Red. The complexity of detail boggled my mind.
As I leafed through the remainder of the manuscript, a paper dropped from the pages. I scooped it up.
A letter. I recognized the handwriting.
“Well, well.”
My change in tone caught the boys’ attention.
“What?” Hi asked.
“Nothing that would interest you guys.” I waggled the letter. “Just another note from our dear friend Anne Bonny, to her besty Mary Read.”
The boys scrambled over, the financial accounting momentarily suspended. We read the message in silence.
Dearest Mary,
May this missive find you well. I’ve had no word of your whereabouts since escaping my imprisonment, and worry for your safety and comfort. So many plans have gone wrong. If you are reading this you’ve found the way, as I knew you would. No other soul could have discerned meaning from the clues I left. I’m rather pleased at my own cleverness.
I write because I must flee Charles Town in haste. Someone has been asking questions, and my freedom is endangered. I will head north to the place we discussed.
In this box is coin enough to see you where you may, even to find me, should you so choose. I have also left your favorite pages as a memento. I take mine with me. When I gaze upon them I shall think of you and remember fondly.
Your Warmest Friend,
Anne
I spoke first. “She didn’t know Mary was dead. That’s so sad.”
“Maybe she wasn’t,” Shelton said awkwardly. “No one’s really certain.”
“Mary never found this letter,” Ben said. “That much is clear.”
Hi shook his head. “Anne Bonny’s famous treasure is just a handful of coins and some Bible stuff. What a letdown.”
I passed around the pages so everyone could see. The boys looked underwhelmed. We’d needed a fortune to save LIRI. Our haul had come up woefully short.
The mission was a failure. Our pack would be fragmented.
“Let’s clean up and get out of here,” I said. “We shouldn’t leave a church messy.”
Ben moved to the displaced flagstone. “Shelton. A hand.” Together they began pushing the block into place.
“Where does that go?” Hi pointed to the crowbar.
“Utility shed,” Ben said. “Fifty yards back the way we came.”
Hi hoisted the crowbar and walked out the rear door.
It took a few moments for Ben and Shelton to maneuver the stone into place.
“Jeez,” Shelton panted. “That sucker was heavy.”
“You’re not the one who had to lift it.” Ben had both hands on his hips.
“I’ll hang on to these bad boys.” Shelton shoved the coin pouch into his front pocket. “For safekeeping.”
“I already counted them,” Ben said. “Lose any, you’ll be less a few fingers.”
“That’s twice you’ve insulted my honor, Blue. Pistols or swords?”
I was sliding Bonny’s pages into my backpack when the main church door creaked open.
“Hi’s back.” Slinging a strap over one shoulder, I rose. “Everyone ready?”
“Stay put,” a male voice called. “We’ve got some shit to discuss.”
My blood froze.
Marlo and Tree Trunk entered the chapel and stood side by side. Neither was smiling.
Each had a gun pointed our way.
“RUN!”
Ben and Shelton jumped at my barked command. We all bolted out the rear door.
And were stopped short by yet another pistol.
“Good afternoon.” Nigel Short smirked, crooked teeth poking in every direction. He wore a brown tweed suit with a solid maroon tie. In his hand was a 9mm Beretta. “Why don’t we step back inside?”
“Dr. Short?” Confused. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ll be shooting you three in the head, unless you move back into that church.” He cocked his weapon. “Understood?”
Slowly, we raised our hands, turned, and reentered the chapel. Marlo and Tree Trunk were standing in the aisle near the front pews. Marlo wore his white tee and jeans. Tree Trunk’s current jersey was LeBron James.
Guns in front. Gun in back. Not good.
“You’ve no idea what it’s like tracking you delinquents all over creation.” Short pushed his tiny spectacles back up his nose. “Exhausting.”
“The rich bitch.” Marlo was scanning the room. “He’s not here. The fat one’s missing too.”
“Chance and Hi bailed.” I poured everything into the lie. “Too much excitement for one week.”
“Hardly,” Short said. “They’re guarding Bonny’s treasure, of course.”
“Ya’ll are gonna take us to it.” Marlo waggled his pistol. “Or this gets … messy.”
Tree Trunk stood statue still. Mute. Menacing.
“There wasn’t any treasure.” Shelton’s voice shook. “The chest was empty.”
“Come now.” Short’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
With a flick of his wrist, Short motioned for Marlo to cover the rear door. Then, unhurried, he walked to the first pew and sat.
I assessed the situation. Marlo at the rear door. Tree Trunk in the aisle, blocking access to the front entrance. We were trapped again.
“It’s true,” Ben said. “We found nothing. Bonny’s legend was a fraud.”
“You’ve got to do better than that,” Short scolded. “Tell us where the treasure is, and Marlo will make this quick. Otherwise, you’ll become acquainted with the services of his brother, Duncan.”
Duncan winked, the first readable expression I’d seen on his face.
Stall! my brain ordered.
“Cat got your tongues?” Marlo ratcheted back the slide on his piece. “Looks like I’ll have to be more persuasive.”
“Wait!” Heart racing, I piled on words. “Why are you doing this?”
I had no real sense of Marlo, but the cold look in his eyes was terrifying.
“For real?” Marlo clucked from one side of his mouth. “Dollars, girl. This is a nice score for my brother and me.”
“I met Marlo and Duncan while tracing your steps,” Short said. “Imagine my surprise to find so many other people following you.”
“The Fletchers,” I hissed. “You killed them, didn’t you?”
Short gave a dismissive flip of his hand. “Rank amateurs. Obstinate children. Those two believed they were so clever. Such skilled investigators.” He snorted derisively. “I’ve been researching Anne Bonny’s treasure for three decades. The Fletchers knew nothing, not even what they were looking for! They weren’t worthy of the prize.”
“You didn’t have to murder them.”
“They wouldn’t listen to reason,” Short said matter-of-factly. “But Duncan here got them to chat, and then they had an unfortunate accident. And now we have you.”
Short’s voice went cold. “We know you have the chest.”
“You’d kill us all for pirate treasure?” My mouth was so dry I could barely speak.
“What type of game did you think you were playing?” Short snapped. “Thirty years! Trolling through dusty archives. Painstakingly gleaning clues from archaic documents long forgotten by the living. And then one day you four walk in, wide-eyed and dreamy, with a letter written by Anne Bonny herself.” Short tapped the Beretta against his knee. “Asking questions about Half-Moon Battery. Gaelic. Using sample writing from the treasure map. You practically announced your search in skywriting!”
Short’s tone was glacial, but madness danced behind his eyes. “I’m a document expert. Did you think I’d missed the bent cross on each of the letter’s pages? Or that I wouldn’t connect it to Bonny’s famous treasure map?”