"Are you still going back into the cave today, Rick?" Liz asked.
"Oh," Marie said, before Rick answered. "I am glad you reminded me, Liz. Gerald asked me to say he will wait for you on the path this morning, Rick."
"Okay. Thanks," Rick said. "I'm going to take a quick look, and document what's there, but then I think I'm going to back out of this deal with the foundation. I'm afraid this was a hoax of some kind, after what Gerald told your people, Marie."
"Yes, I think that is so," Marie said.
"What will you do, then?" Dani asked. "What about the stuff down at the bottom of the vertical shaft?"
"That depends on what I find in there. Are you coming this time?"
"Um, if it's okay, I'd like to freshen up that patch of varnish where Liz used the scouring powder," Dani said.
"That's fine. Gerald can help me. You do what you need to; you've done more than enough, you and Liz both. I just want to finish this off. Guess I'd better get going. Can one of you run me ashore?"
"Let's go," Liz said.
"I wonder how Rick's doing," Dani said, as Liz served coffee in the shade of their cockpit awning.
Since Liz had taken Rick ashore earlier, she and Shellie had passed the time sketching the town of Soufrière. Dani had been stretched out in a hammock on the foredeck, reading.
"I'm sure we'll hear all about it soon enough," Shellie said. "He must be about done; there really wasn't that much stuff down in that shaft."
"I wish we could — " Dani was interrupted by the ringing of Liz's cellphone.
"Hi, Rick," Liz answered. She listened for a few seconds. "Sure. I'll be there in a couple of minutes." She disconnected and put the phone in her pocket. "He's almost to the dock at the restaurant," she said.
She stepped to the side deck and climbed down into the dinghy. Once she'd started the engine, she untied it and raced away toward the beach bar's rickety little dock.
"There he is," Dani said, watching as Liz slowed the dinghy and coasted in to the dock. "Perfect timing."
In two minutes, they were back. Rick climbed out of the dinghy, his cellphone held against his ear. He gave Shellie and Dani a grin, holding his left thumb and forefinger an inch apart as he squeezed past them and went down the companionway. Liz secured the dinghy and took her seat.
"He's talking with your lawyer," she said. "He was already on the phone when I picked him up; he interrupted the call long enough to let me know they want to deal with some things before the close of business on the East Coast."
Shellie nodded. "That's my guy. He's always in a hurry to get things done. No word on what he found, I guess?"
"Not really. He said there was nothing exciting, that he'd tell us everything once he wrapped up the loose ends."
Two hours later, Liz had served rum punch and was passing a tray of cold appetizers when Rick poked his head through the companionway and said, "Pour me some of that, please. I'll be up as soon as I wash my hands.
"Okay, give it up," Shellie said, as he joined them a few minutes later. "We're dying to hear what you found."
Rick grinned and shook his head. "There were a lot of intact ceramic vessels from the Ostionoid Period. They're what was stacked around the box we saw. They're consistent — "
"Sorry, but what's the Ostionoid Period?" Liz asked.
"The chronology of the people of the islands is divided into cultural periods," Rick said. "There were a number of periods in the settlement of the islands before people began to make pottery, but around 500 B.C. the people we refer to as the Saladoid culture appeared. The Saladoid Period lasted until around 600 A.D. They left behind some decorated pottery, some of it in the shape of animals, incense burners, that kind of thing. As they became more settled and agricultural, their culture evolved into what we call the Ostionoid culture. The Ostionoid Period stretched from around 600 A.D. until 1500 A.D. The pottery from that era is more utilitarian.
"The ceramic vessels in the cave are what you'd expect from Caribs of that era — the Ostionoid Period. It's rare to find so many pieces that are intact, though. Remember, these were like every-day dishes, as opposed to Grandma's Sunday china.
"I suspect whoever put them here must have pilfered them from somewhere, maybe several different places. They went to some lengths to assemble such a collection. Somebody wanted to make it look like the Moors had taken them in trade, maybe, or were using the pottery themselves."
"What about the box?" Shellie asked.
"That's ivory," Rick said, smiling. "Intricately carved. A beautiful piece of work. It's probably worth a fortune, all by itself. It's typical of the period when Khashkhash lived, and typical of Moorish Spain. Elaborately decorated cases like that were often used to hold a Koran, or important manuscripts. Still are, sometimes. That box once held a collection of documents of some sort."
"Once?" Dani asked. "Leila told Marie's people that there were supposed to be records of some kind in there that would prove the Sunnis were right, or something like that."
"What's in there now is the biggest nest of termites I've ever seen," Rick said. "They're just a writhing mass, in that brown, damp mess they make — the whole box, full. There may have been documents in it when it was put there, but there aren't any now. That's a shame, too, if they were really ancient manuscripts. An utter waste, all for some kind of scam."
"What are you going to do about that?" Shellie asked. "I mean, with the artifacts, knowing they were planted."
"I talked to the curator at the museum in Martinique. He put me in touch with somebody at the University of the West Indies, here in St. Lucia. They'll send someone out to survey it and take care of it tomorrow. That seemed like the right thing to do, given that we know somebody put it here recently. At least everything will be preserved and studied. And that's the end of that story, at least as far as I'm concerned."
"What do you want to do, from here on?" Liz asked.
"Well, I'm stuck here until the woman from the University gets here tomorrow. Shellie and I can talk it over tonight, but I think it would be fun to just enjoy the islands for a while. I'd like to pursue the question of the Caribs and whaling, too."
"What about the foundation?" Dani asked.
"Okay. About the foundation," Rick said, grinning. "I was on the phone with my lawyer for most of that time I was below. Here's the deal. Ready?"
"Yes, please," Shellie said. "Tell us."
"In exchange for our agreement not to sue them or expose their plot, the foundation is releasing us from the contract, Shellie. Not only that, but they've agreed that we can continue the three-month charter, at our discretion. There's a 30-day notice required to terminate, they said. If we do opt to terminate, we get to keep whatever's left of the fees as liquidated damages after we square things with Dani and Liz. That's on top of what they advanced us already for our time and anticipated expenses."
Dani and Liz looked at one another. Dani raised her eyebrows, and Liz nodded. "We won't hold you to that 30 days," Dani said.
"That's nice of you, but if Shellie's willing, I'd like to finish out the charter with you, if you agree."
"I'm in!" Shellie said.
"I thought you'd say that." Rick said.
Shellie nodded. "Are you okay with that?" she asked, looking from Dani to Liz.
"That would be great for us," Dani said.
"We're thrilled to have you aboard for as long as you'd like," Liz said, pouring a fresh round of rum punch. She raised her glass. "A toast to new friends and fine shipmates."
The others touched their glasses to hers, and they all took sips of the punch.
"I'm so excited," Shellie said. "Oh! Look at that sunset!"
They watched in silence until the show ended, and then Liz said, "Hey, Dani?"
"Yes?"
"Come below and give me a hand peeling the shrimp for dinner."
"What do you think about this?" Liz whispered, once they were below.
"What do you mean? The charter?"
"Yes."
"I
t's going to be fun," Dani said.
"Even though they're boring academics?"
"I like them, Liz. They're not boring. Pass the shrimp."
Liz handed her the bowl of fresh shrimp. She began peeling as Liz started the sauce.
As she picked up the second shrimp, Dani said, "There is one thing, though."
"What's that?" Liz asked, looking over at her.
"I know I can't have everything, but I do wish I'd gotten to help Sharktooth and Marie blow up Aquila."
The End
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A Note to the Reader
Thank you again for reading Bluewater Quest, the 14th book in the Bluewater Thriller series. I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave a brief review on Amazon.
Reviews are of great benefit to independent authors like me; they help me more than you can imagine. They are a primary means to help new readers find my work. A few words from you can help others find the pleasure that I hope you found in this book, as well as keeping my spirits up as I work on the next one.
Bluewater Target, the latest novel in the series, was published in July of 2018. The 16th book will be available in early 2019.
I also write two other sailing-thrillers series set in the Caribbean. If you enjoyed this book, you’ll like the Connie Barrera Thrillers and the J.R. Finn Sailing Mystery series.
The Connie Barrera Thrillers are a spin-off from the Bluewater Thrillers. Before Connie went to sea, she was a first-rate con artist. Paul Russo signed on as her first mate and chef, but he ended up as her husband. Connie and Paul run a charter sailing yacht named Diamantista. They're often drawn into problems unrelated to sailing, usually those brought aboard by their customers.
The Bluewater Thrillers and the Connie Barrera Thrillers share many of the same characters. Phillip Davis and his wife Sandrine, Sharktooth, and Marie LaCroix often appear in both series, as do Connie, Paul, Dani, and Liz. Here’s a link to the web page that lists those novels in order of publication: http://www.clrdougherty.com/p/bluewater-thrillers-and-connie-barrera.html.
My newest series, the J.R. Finn Sailing Mystery series, introduces a government assassin disguised as a boat-bum lazing about the Caribbean Islands.
In February 2019, I published Vigilantes and Lovers, the third novel in the J.R. Finn Sailing Mystery series. A list of all my books is on the last page; just click on a title or go to my website for more information.
If you’d like to know when my next book is released, visit my author’s page on Amazon at www.amazon.com/author/clrdougherty and click the "Follow" link or sign up for my mailing list at http://eepurl.com/bKujyv for information on sales and special promotions. I welcome email correspondence about books, boats and sailing. My address is [email protected]. I enjoy hearing from people who read my books; I always answer email from readers. Thanks again for your support.
About C.L.R. Dougherty
Welcome Aboard!
Charles Dougherty is a lifelong sailor; he's lived what he writes. He and his wife have spent over 30 years sailing together.
For 15 years, they lived aboard their boat full-time, cruising the East Coast and the Caribbean islands. They spent most of that time exploring the Eastern Caribbean.
Dougherty is well acquainted with the islands and their people. The characters and locations in his novels reflect his experience.
A storyteller before all else, Dougherty lets his characters speak for themselves. Pick up one of his thrillers and listen to the sound of adventure as you smell the salt air. Enjoy the views of distant horizons and meet some people you won't forget.
Dougherty's sailing fiction books include the Bluewater Thrillers, the Connie Barrera Thrillers, and the J.R. Finn Sailing Mysteries.
Dougherty's first novel was Deception in Savannah. While it's not about sailing, one of the main characters is Connie Barrera. He had so much fun with Connie that he built a sailing series around her.
Before writing Connie's series, he wrote the first three Bluewater Thrillers, about two young women running a charter yacht in the islands. In the fourth book, Connie shows up as their charter guest.
She stayed for the fifth Bluewater book. Then Connie demanded her own series.
The J.R. Finn books are his newest sailing series. The first Finn book, though it begins in Puerto Rico, starts with a real-life encounter that Dougherty had in St. Lucia. For more information about that, visit his website.
Dougherty's other fiction works are the Redemption of Becky Jones, a psycho-thriller, and The Lost Tourist Franchise, a short story about another of the characters from Deception in Savannah.
Dougherty has also written two non-fiction books. Life's a Ditch is the story of how he and his wife moved aboard their sailboat, Play Actor, and their adventures along the east coast of the U.S. Dungda de Islan' relates their experiences while cruising the Caribbean.
Charles Dougherty welcomes email correspondence with readers.
www.clrdougherty.com
[email protected]
OTHER BOOKS BY C.L.R. DOUGHERTY
Bluewater Thrillers
Bluewater Killer
Bluewater Vengeance
Bluewater Voodoo
Bluewater Ice
Bluewater Betrayal
Bluewater Stalker
Bluewater Bullion
Bluewater Rendezvous
Bluewater Ganja
Bluewater Jailbird
Bluewater Drone
Bluewater Revolution
Bluewater Enigma
Bluewater Quest
Bluewater Target
Bluewater Thrillers Boxed Set: Books 1-3
Connie Barrera Thrillers
From Deception to Betrayal - An Introduction to Connie Barrera
Love for Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
Sailor's Delight - A Connie Barrera Thriller
A Blast to Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
Storm Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
Running Under Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
Sails Job - A Connie Barrera Thriller
Under Full Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
An Easy Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
A Torn Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
A Righteous Sail - A Connie Barrera Thriller
J.R. Finn Sailing Mysteries
Assassins and Liars
Avengers and Rogues
Vigilantes and Lovers
Other Fiction
Deception in Savannah
The Redemption of Becky Jones
The Lost Tourist Franchise
Books for Sailors and Dreamers
Life's a Ditch
Dungda de Islan'
For more information please visit www.clrdougherty.com
Or visit www.amazon.com/author/clrdougherty
Bluewater Quest Page 26
