Sunken Shadows

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Yes, but there’s more. I visited the boys’ small town, too. It’s just right up here. I found reports that William, Timothy’s cousin, had made it to shore before he died from a bullet wound. He told his aunt and uncle, Timothy’s parents, that Timothy had a note for them in his pocket that was important, but he couldn’t get it when he was escaping.”

  “What was the note?” Wade asked as he got into the story.

  “I don’t know. No one does. It was just a small aside I read about and as far as I know, nothing happened after that.”

  “What about when they found his body?”

  “His body was never found. When I was diving last night, I was looking for that note,” Darcy said, lowering her voice even though no one was around.

  Wade had to admire her tenacity. She wasn’t one to give up. “Did you find it?”

  Darcy shook her head. “But I found something.”

  Wade turned slowly so he could look at her. “Really? What did you find?”

  “A very old rowboat. I tagged it with my GPS marker, but I can’t yet verify its provenance. If it’s as old as I think it is, then I might have found Timothy Longworth.”

  Wade knew he was staring. He couldn’t believe it. Shadows Landing was full of tales of sunken treasure, buried treasure, or pirate ghosts. He’d never believed them before. But now . . . they needed to see if what Darcy had found was a centuries-old rowboat or something more modern.

  “Who else knew you were looking for Black Law’s treasure?” Wade asked as suddenly last night was beginning to make sense.

  “No one. At least not that I knew of. But I’ve had a feeling I was being followed. That’s why I thought you were Leon when I saw you underwater. I thought he’d somehow figured out I was onto something big.”

  Wade thought for a moment, but he already knew the answer. “Someone else knows what you’re looking for, and they’re willing to kill for it.”

  * * *

  Darcy swallowed hard. She’d come to that realization as well. It was another reason she wanted Wade to know the truth. “I think so, too. I wanted you to know in case something happens to me.”

  “Nothing will happen to you because I’m not leaving your side until we find out who is behind this. I’m calling in some vacation time.”

  “Vacation time?” Darcy asked as her heart sped up. He wanted to protect her.

  “There are only two ways to end this threat against you,” Wade said as he sped the boat up and veered sharply around a corner. “One, we find the person responsible for killing Leon. However, there isn’t nearly enough evidence to provide a lead right now.”

  “What’s the second option?” Darcy asked.

  “We find the treasure.”

  8

  Wade couldn’t believe he’d said that. Find the treasure. As if there was really sunken treasure people were being murdered for. But there was a part of him that believed it could actually be true.

  “Really?” Darcy asked stunned.

  He’d said it mainly so he could spend time with her and make sure she was safe. They’d dive a couple of times together. See there was nothing at the bottom of the river and he would keep her safe.

  “Sure. So, what do you want to do first?” Wade asked as he approached Shadows Landing. The look of pure happiness on Darcy’s face meant going along with this wild goose chase was worth it.

  “Can you introduce me to Skeeter? I’ve learned there’s a grain of truth in all of the old ghost stories. Tonight I’d like to go back to the dive and see what I can find. I told Olivia and Detective Chambers I would let them know the second I find something.”

  The way Darcy snapped her mouth shut made him realize there was more to this story. Even though she’d told him all she’d done and all of her theories, there was something she was holding back.

  “Sure. At this time of day, Skeeter will be at the bar I was telling you about.”

  “The bar that is rumored to have belonged to Black Law.”

  “Oh, it’s more than just a rumor. Harper will show you.”

  Darcy looked around in awe as they walked out of the Shadows Landing Marina, cut through a park, and popped out on Main Street. The town was small. No more than a couple of city blocks. But it was cute and old. The old buildings are what gave the town a feel that it was stuck between the past and the present.

  Darcy looked to her right and saw Gil’s Grub and Gas. She looked to the left and her stomach rumbled at the smell coming from the Pink Pig BBQ. But it was what was next to the two buildings that caught her attention.

  “Next to the Pink Pig is the historical society. The guy who runs it, Dr. Stephen Adkins, is a stuck-up prick, but he knows his history. It would be a good place to do some research. As well as across the street at the Daughters of Shadows Landing. Some of the members there claim the heritage of a pirate or two,” Wade told her as if he could see her already veering toward the old buildings.

  “My cousin’s bar is there,” he said, pointing to an old brick building painted a dark gray. “And my other cousin, Tinsley, has an art studio directly across the street and next to the historical society.”

  That was great and all, but the chance to explore Black Law’s actual house was too much of a pull. Darcy practically bounded to the door as Wade hurried to catch up. Darcy opened the thick wooden door and stepped into the dim interior. She had to admit it was a disappointment. It wasn’t as if she expected Black Law to step from the shadows, but it was a little of a shock when a big man, well over six feet wearing nothing but overalls and a hat that said COCKS on it, stumbled out of the shadows instead. Apparently, he was a fan of the University of South Carolina football team.

  “Ahoy there!” he bellowed as he waved a hand with a missing finger as an impressive beard shook with his call.

  Darcy stood with her mouth open as he stumbled forward.

  “Ahoy, Gator,” Wade called out in greeting from behind Darcy. “Have a good catch today?”

  “You betcha. Ol’ Bubba is feeling real feisty. He got into Miss Ruby’s kitchen somehow. She came home from church and found him eating her freshly made red velvet cake. She thought he’d eaten a dog or something with all the red, but luckily we figured out it was the cake,” the man who apparently went by the name Gator told Wade.

  “Who’s Bubba?” Darcy asked.

  “A big ol’ gator. Don’t worry. He’s only mean if he’s in a mood. But he was sweet as a kitten after having Miss Ruby’s cake. And Miss Ruby paid me well and even gave me one of her apple pies. I’d do anything for a slice of that pie.”

  “What is it with apple pie?” Darcy whispered as she shook her head in confusion.

  “It’s darn near transcendent, and I don’t mean in Immanuel Kant’s way, but more along the lines of Plato’s ideas on divine objects that transcend this world,” Gator said as he hooked his thumbs under the straps of his overalls.

  “Where the hell did that come from?” a woman from behind the bar asked as she threw a wet rag at Gator that hit him on the side of his face.

  Gator shrugged. “I spend a lot of time waitin’ on gators to show themselves so I went to the library and Miss Allison recommended this book on philosophy. It’s really got me thinking”—he scratched his head—“though it’s not nearly as entertaining as the latest graphic novel. But it got me thinking, all philosophical like, about my legacy. I think I should write a graphic novel about a new kind of hero—Gatorman. He rescues damsels in distress and towns held hostage by mutant alligators from the murky water’s deepest depths.”

  “Go for it,” Wade said with a grin as he placed his hand on the small of Darcy’s back. She unconsciously leaned back into his hand as the bartender’s eyes grew wide.

  “Wade,” the woman behind the bar said slowly. “Who’s the girl you have your hand on?”

  Uh-oh. Darcy never thought to ask if Wade had a girlfriend, but why would she? It wasn’t as if they were together, even if she wished they were.

  “Dar
cy Delmar, meet my cousin Harper Faulkner. Owner of the bar and Black Law’s former house.”

  “Dammit, Wade. Did you bring me another ghost freak? Skeeter’s bad enough.” Harper snapped her head in the direction of a man in worn-out khakis with an I Believe in Ghosts T-shirt. Harper’s brown hair had some blonde highlights in it that stood out under the bar lights along with her don’t-mess-with-me attitude. “The last one tried to get married to Black Law’s ghost here.”

  “Married to a ghost? Are you serious?” Darcy blurted out.

  Harper raised one eyebrow over her dark green eyes and stared her down. “So, you don’t believe you can have sex with a ghost or get married to one?”

  “No,” Darcy said instantly. “Is that a thing?”

  “Oh, it’s a thing. But most ghosts wait for the ghosts of their loved ones and don’t bother mortals. They believe themselves superior to us mere mortals,” the man she guessed to be Skeeter said as he came to the bar to join them.

  “If you’re not a ghostie, then what’s going on?” Harper asked, never once saying it was nice to meet her.

  “Didn’t Ryker, Great-Aunt Marcy, or Uncle Jake tell you what’s going on?” Wade asked, pulling out a wooden bar stool for Darcy.

  “Just that you had a Coast Guard emergency and you saved a woman . . . oh.”

  “Hi. I’m the woman,” Darcy said, holding out her hand to shake Harper’s. “He tried to save someone else, but he’s dead. Luckily they let me out of jail.” Darcy dropped her hand when Harper just stared at her.

  Gator took a giant step backward and Skeeter scooted to a barstool a little farther away.

  “I didn’t kill him. That’s why they released me. I mean, I could have killed the thieving jerk, but I didn’t. I’m actually quite nice. I don’t like killing things.” Darcy snapped her mouth shut. She was blowing it.

  “So, you kill things but don’t like it?” Harper asked slowly as her hand slowly grabbed an ice pick.

  “I mean like spiders! I’ve never killed an actual person. That was my dad. He’s the only one who killed people.” Darcy shook her head. “In the military. Only bad guys.”

  Suddenly Harper broke out in a loud laugh. She dropped the ice pick and poured a shot of tequila. “Here, you need this.”

  Darcy took the shot and tossed it back. It burned, and she sputtered, but it brought her back from the hole she’d dug herself. “I’m sorry. Let me start over. My name is Darcy Delmar. I am searching for a treasure that once belonged to Black Law. I don’t want to have sex with him. I’d rather have sex with Wade—” Darcy’s mouth slammed shut again, and Harper poured her another shot. Darcy grabbed it and tossed it back. It didn’t even burn this time.

  * * *

  Wade was holding back laughter. He felt bad about it, but he’d never seen anyone stumble through a simple introduction so badly before. He found it adorable. And he was also incredibly turned on. Darcy wanted to have sex with him, and the feeling was mutual. Very mutual.

  He also saw the way Darcy plopped onto the stool, took the bottle from Harper and poured another shot. “Okay there,” Wade said, taking the shot from her and tossing it back himself. “Darcy, no one will be stealing the treasure here, right guys?”

  “Are you sure she ain’t no murderer?” Gator asked as he eyed her suspiciously.

  “Fairly sure,” Wade said and then grinned when Darcy skewered him with a look. “You can’t be mad at me. You want me too badly,” Wade whispered for her ears only. Her face flushed bright red.

  “I know all about Black Law,” Skeeter said, moving closer.

  “What about the night his boat sank, and he killed the boy Timothy Longworth?” Darcy asked, clearly forgetting her embarrassment.

  “Ah, I know the story well,” Skeeter said.

  “Well, come on then, Skeeter,” Harper said with a roll of her eyes at Skeeter’s dramatic pause.

  “A beer would go a long way in helping me remember.” He grinned. Harper rolled her eyes and filled up a mug. “Ah, the memory is clear now. The story goes that one night, almost as dawn broke, Black Law and about ten of his men arrived in Shadows Landing in a rowboat. Black Law stormed through town waking people with his ranting. He claimed a boy had sunk his ship.”

  “Timothy Longworth,” Darcy whispered. Wade saw her move to the edge of her stool in anticipation. “What was on the ship?” Darcy eagerly asked.

  “Black Law claimed it was filled with the finest dowry ever seen for the countess of something or another. Said she was the plainest woman ever seen so the dowry was supposed to make up for it,” Skeeter snickered. “Then Black Law proceeded to get drunk, and as people began to question him, he pulled out a wooden box and opened it, revealing the largest emerald anyone had ever seen.”

  That’s right. Wade couldn’t remember all of the story, but now it was coming back to him. “Isn’t there some legend about that emerald?”

  “Yes. They say Black Law hid it in his house. No one has ever been able to find it,” Skeeter answered.

  “But what about his ship? Where did it go down?” Darcy asked, ignoring the fact there could be a massive emerald right here in this bar.

  “The story goes Black Law bemoaned the loss, as it was only two leagues from here off what is now the Isle of Palms.”

  Darcy silently reached for Wade’s arm and squeezed it hard. Skeeter’s story must have meant something to her, and he was excited for her. He could see she was at the edge of her seat, energy humming through her body.

  “Where did you learn this?” Darcy asked Skeeter.

  “It’s all in the historical society. You just have to know where to look in the archives,” Skeeter told her.

  “Can you show me?”

  “Can you get me another beer?”

  Darcy whipped around to look at Wade. “Can I borrow five dollars? I’ll pay you back when my purse gets released from the evidence lock-up.”

  Wade didn’t care about the five dollars. Suddenly her fantasy tale of pirates and treasure was starting to sound a little more real. He pushed five dollars over to Harper who poured two more beers for Skeeter.

  Skeeter toasted Darcy and Wade and then said, “I’ll meet you there tomorrow at ten in the morning.”

  “Do you really think there’s a missing emerald here?” Harper asked after Skeeter and Gator went to play darts.

  “Could be. I’ve found plenty of articles and diary entries supporting the fact that Black Law did steal a massive dowry,” Darcy told Wade’s cousin.

  “We might have to look for it,” Harper said, surprising Wade. Harper had always been a cynic. He was surprised she wasn’t calling the whole thing a stupid story.

  “So,” Wade began as Harper placed her elbows on the bar top, “I have a favor.”

  “Does this have to do with Darcy’s things being in police impound?”

  “Yes. Can she borrow some clothes?”

  Harper shook her head. “Home for homeless girlfriends. I swear. Between you and Gavin, can’t someone bring home a girl that has her own things?”

  He saw Darcy fold under the scrutiny. “Harper,” he said, his voice heavy with warning.

  “Did she murder someone, too?” Darcy asked, referring to Gavin’s new wife, Ellery.

  “She was cleared of it,” Harper said as she laughed. “So, what are you doing in Shadows Landing?” she asked as she held Darcy’s eye. Wade wanted to come to her defense, but Darcy squeezed his arm, letting him know she would handle his cousin.

  “It’s a long story,” Darcy told her.

  “And I want to hear it.”

  9

  Darcy leaned back from the bar after telling Harper about the previous night. Harper hadn’t interrupted. She hadn’t asked questions. Instead, she was quiet until a brilliant smile broke out over her face. “Any woman who goes after my cousin with a knife is a friend of mine. He used to pull my pigtails when I was young.”

  “You’ll help?” Darcy asked way more hopefully than she wanted to admit.
It felt good to be believed.

  “Sure thing. Provided you help me look for that emerald.”

  “I’d love to,” Darcy said, meaning it.

  “I’ll grab some things for you and be right back.”

  Darcy turned to Wade and smiled. “She believed me.”

  “Everyone will believe you. There’s no story too crazy not to be believed in Shadows Landing.”

  Darcy took a deep breath. She was energized and ready to go. She was with people who believed her and weren’t trying to steal the treasure out from under her . . . as far as she could tell. But she was still anxious. She needed to do something and fast. If Black Law’s life in Shadows Landing was common knowledge, whoever did kill Leon would know about the treasure, and it would only be a matter of time before they showed up.

  “Hey, Skeeter,” Darcy called out as Skeeter and Gator both turned around. “What would it cost me for you to not repeat Black Law’s story to anyone for the next month?”

  “How about if you find the treasure, you give a shout-out to me and my ghost tours for helping with your research,” Skeeter suggested.

  “That’s it?” Darcy asked, surprised. She thought he’d want money. All the investors and hangers-on around treasure hunting always wanted a piece of the pie.

  “No.”

  Ah, well, here’s the money angle. “What else?” Darcy asked.

  “A case of beer would be nice.”

  Wade chuckled next to her as Darcy hurriedly agreed. “I can’t believe that’s all he asked for.”

  “No one in Shadows Landing is after your discovery. We’ll help in any way. Speaking of help. I’ve noticed your leg hasn’t stopped bouncing. Are you wanting to dive soon?”