by Caleb Wygal
Once on board, Riddick spread a nautical chart of the Outer Banks over the galley table on his yacht. It showed the many inlets, bays, creeks, streams, and small islands spread from the Pamlico Sound to the Neuse River to the south and on down to Morehead City. The map displayed the area as far east as Hatteras Island and the thin islands of the Outer Banks.
“Now, tell me again what the entry said in the journal,” Riddick said.
Darwin had to try to recall what he had told the man earlier. There was no journal entry. Lucas had just made that up on the spot rather than letting Riddick know that he and Lucas had a crudely drawn map. Darwin thought it would help them all if he showed the pirate the map, although he trusted Lucas’s judgment.
“Um, the entry said the treasure was beside a huge tree underneath the falling sun in the cove to the south.”
“Right,” Riddick said. “Let’s say Blackbeard took the treasure off the Queen Anne’s Revenge when it wrecked. That’s about here,” he said, stabbing his finger at a point in the water near Beaufort Inlet. The exact spot lay just off the shore near Fort Macon, at the eastern end of a skinny island home to Atlantic Beach and another narrow island named Shackleford Banks.
“This site was discovered in 1995,” Riddick continued. “It wasn’t proven to be the actual wreckage of the Queen Anne’s Revenge until 2011. What’s crazy is, is that this spot is in shallow water and within eyesight of where the major shipping lane runs through Beaufort Inlet to gain access to the Inner Banks.”
“So it was there for almost three-hundred years before anyone knew about it?” Darwin asked.
Riddick nodded and moved on. “Blackbeard made for Bath in a sloop after he marooned the rest of his crew. This was around the beginning of June in 1718. Records show he didn’t meet with Governor Eden until sometime in the last two weeks of June. So there’s a fuzzy period there where they could have hidden the treasure.
“Many of these parts were just starting to be settled, and these coves or inlets were probably uninhabited. He could have picked about any spot between the crash site and here to place the treasure.”
“Where should we start?”
Riddick considered for a moment and jabbed at a blue area about twenty-five miles from Bath. “I’d say this area here. Rose Bay and Bell Bay. The sun sets over the west side of the small peninsulas.”
Lucas studied the spot and spoke for the first time. Bell Bay didn’t look quite right. “Let’s try Rose Bay.”
Riddick raised his eyebrows. “Why not the Bell?”
“It doesn’t feel right.”
“It doesn’t feel right,” Riddick repeated slowly. “What makes you say that?”
Lucas shrugged, meeting the pirate’s gaze. “I trust my instincts.”
They held each other’s stare for three full heartbeats before Riddick smiled. “If you say so, lad. Then head out Rose Bay first.”
Darwin looked back and forth between the two men. The makings of a power struggle just occurred, and he was determined to keep the peace. He needed for both of these men to be cooperative. He trusted Lucas when he said he didn’t trust Riddick, although the man seemed to be the person best suited to help them on their quest.
Darwin knew from the drawing that Lucas was probably right. Rose Bay didn’t look anything like the lines sketched on the ancient sheet of paper. “I think I agree with Lucas here, Mr. Riddick. Something doesn’t seem right with Bell Bay.”
“As you wish Mr. Trickett,” Riddick said and then plotted a course to several other areas in the area that looked the part.
“You know Mr. Riddick . . .,” Darwin started to say.
“Please young man. Call me Hugo. I insist,” the pirate impersonator said to the much larger, although much younger man. “I will not accept that formality. If I share my beer and rum with you, you are not to call me ‘mister.’”
Two rows of white teeth appeared in the middle of Darwin’s thick, black beard. “Thank you . . . Hugo.”
“You were saying?” Riddick said to Darwin.
“I was going to say, that this is my first time on a boat.”
Riddick took his hands off the controls and looked over at Darwin in disbelief. “You don’t say?” He clapped Darwin on the shoulder. “Well my friend, you’re going to be in for a good time out there.”
Lucas agreed. “Absolutely, just sit back. I’ll do the piloting. Enjoy the voyage.”
Darwin wasn’t used to having a good time in this way. Growing up with all that went on around him, being able to find a quiet corner and read a book was considered ideal. No one at school ever asked him to do anything with them. He was ashamed to ask anyone to visit him in the squalid conditions in which he lived.
Getting outside—with people—was a rarity. This was his vacation. He didn’t think about it at the time he first called Lucas, although the goal of this trip resembled the career goals he had—going out on archaeological expeditions similar to Indiana Jones and having adventures all in the name of science and history.
Lucas interrupted his thoughts by asking Riddick, “How long will it take to get out to Rose Bay?”
Riddick looked out a window at the sparkling water and stroked his beard while contemplating the answer. “In the jon boat? An hour, hour and a half. Not too far.”
Lucas picked up the chart and he and Darwin made to leave the yacht.
“Thanks for helping us out,” Darwin said to Riddick.
“You’re quite welcome,” he replied. “Least I could do for you lads. You have my card. Give me a call should you need anything. You boys be careful out there.”
Lucas squinted. He didn’t know if the man was being helpful or . . . something else. “Thanks,” he said, and he and Darwin and left the large ship and walked back across the dock to their boat.
“How much do you think that yacht cost?” Darwin asked as they crossed the dock to their chartered boat.
“I don’t know. Couple million?”
Darwin let out a long whistle. “It was definitely nice. That’s for sure. Mr. Riddick—Hugo—must have a lot of money. Shipping business must be good.”
“Must be,” Lucas agreed.
They reached their boat. Lucas hopped in and then extended a hand and helped Darwin climb aboard. Darwin’s bulk caused the boat to dip and the water to slosh on either side. Ripples of water disturbed the otherwise still creek.
“Whoa!” he shouted.
Lucas smiled and kept a hold of Darwin’s hand and arm to help balance him and pull him towards the center of the boat. “Easy there big guy.”
Darwin managed a laugh before taking an uneasy step to the passenger chair. He sat down with relief and said to Lucas who went to the rear to prep the outboard motor. “I must admit, I’m a little nervous.”
Lucas stopped for a moment and turned. “Why? Because of this boat?” Darwin nodded. Lucas smiled. “Nah, don’t be. It’ll be fun. You’ll see. Won’t take long to get you your sea legs.”
Darwin nodded again and faced forward. “Hope so,” the big man said in a tiny voice.
15
The Pamlico Sound was a perfect host to Darwin and Lucas. The water was calm. The breeze just right. Several vessels of varying sizes littered the waterway, on their way to catch fish, carrying freight, or—like Lucas and Darwin—just out cruising.
They made their way at a good pace that didn’t make Darwin feel too nervous. At first, he held on with white knuckles to the green naugahyde of his seat. By the time they reached the open waters of the sound, he no longer feared for his life.
“This isn’t so bad,” he said to Lucas.
“Told ya. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Darwin settled in and basked in the sun.
Lucas wanted to enjoy the ride himself. After what he’d gone through with Kristen leaving him, he needed this trip to get his mind off things. Being around water always had a purifying effect on him. The sound of the waves, the feel of the breeze, and the smell of the air brought him a
sense of tranquility. When it seemed the world around him was too much to bear, the ocean let him clear his mind.
Navigating the small boat along the shore of the Pamlico Sound was exactly what Lucas needed, when he needed it.
When Darwin, Riddick, and Lucas looked over the map of the surrounding area, looking for likely candidates that matched the map they had, Rose Bay appeared to be a strong contender. The one discrepancy between what he saw on the treasure map and navigation chart was that the entrance to Deep Bay to the eastern side of Rose Bay flowed diagonally southeast rather than in a northeasterly line of the mainland as depicted on the old map.
When they were about halfway to their first destination and came around a bend, they saw what looked like a large speedboat with red racing stripes streaking across the sound, leaving plumes of water spraying into the air. It came from the direction of where they assumed Ocracoke Island lay. At first, it seemed they would cross paths. Then the fast boat veered to its right, toward the mainland before disappearing around a finger of land jutting out into the sound.
“Man!” Darwin shouted over the growl of the small engine. “I didn’t know boats could go that fast!”
“That was a fast one,” Lucas agreed. To him, it seemed the speedboat was headed in the direction of Rose Bay, their first destination. When he glanced at Google Earth beforehand, there was only a tiny marina a short distance away. The only thing he could figure was there must be a great fishing spot somewhere in there they wanted to find. Although, that didn’t explain why they’d be in such a hurry.
Lucas consulted his map as they came to an open area of water about three miles wide. This was the mouth to an area containing three small bays: Spencer Bay on the left, Deep Bay on the right, and their target, Rose Bay back in the middle. They rounded a small, rocky island less than two-hundred and fifty feet long that had a few tall clumps of sea grass making purchase among hardscrabble. Hundreds of small fiddler crabs scurried around the island in search of food.
Once past that, they entered into a large open area. The water seemed darker here. More ominous in a subliminal way.
They motored towards the middle of the region. Lucas picked up the speed. Darwin didn’t notice. His thoughts were on what might lie ahead.
“This is it!” he said, grabbing Lucas’s arm. “We might find treasure here!”
For a second, Lucas shared his friend’s enthusiasm. Then he saw the speedboat.
Dead ahead.
• • •
The speedboat sat in the middle of Rose Bay a mile deep into its mouth. The inlet was about a mile and a half wide from point to point. Lucas couldn’t make out any defined details of who was on board, although he saw a glint reflected off something made of glass.
Lucas cut back on their speed and coasted past a small area marked on the chart as Striking Bay and clung to the shoreline of a small peninsula on the west side of Rose Bay. He wanted to keep as much water between them and the speedboat as he could. They then idled past a crease in the shore known as Lightwood Snag Bay that was just over half a mile wide.
Now, they were close enough to make out details of the men aboard the speedboat. There were two men with fishing lines disappearing into the water on either side of the boat. Another man stood in the middle, holding a pair of binoculars to his eyes, staring directly at Lucas and Darwin. From this distance, they looked like a rough crew. All wore doo-rags emblematic of what people imagine pirate crewmembers wearing. The two men with the fishing rods had thick, bushy beards. The roughneck with the field glasses was shorter and slighter in build. He wore a pair of thick framed glasses, had a Van Dyke beard, and wore a leather vest over a bare chest.
Lucas had the impression that the man with the binoculars was the leader of the crew. When the man saw that Lucas had seen him, he hurriedly set down the binoculars and picked up a fishing pole.
Darwin was checking them out as well. “Looks shady,” he said.
Lucas grunted. “Sure does. Keep your eye on them. I’m going to see if I can spot a place near where X would mark the spot on the map.”
According to the notation made by Blackbeard on the back of the map, they were looking for a large oak, about fifty paces from the water’s edge. The first problem, Lucas saw, was a complete absence of trees near the shore. There was a line of birch trees, however, two hundred yards inland. It was currently low tide, so the “shore” was acres and acres of mud flats. Even during high tide, these waters remained shallow. Not deep enough for a heavy boat, one perhaps laden with treasure, to float.
He tried to imagine if there could have been trees in this area three hundred years ago, but doubted it. Recent tides shaped the headland between the water and the trees. This area consisted of thick, muddy brown sand. Simply not enough soil to harbor root systems needed by trees. He pointed this out to Darwin.
The archivist thought about it for a moment, and said, “It could be that a hurricane, or multiple hurricanes, blew through bringing strong tides that simply washed all of the soil and fauna away.”
“You think?” Lucas inquired. He knew his friend was more well versed on geology that he.
Darwin’s eyes narrowed. “No, not really. The shoreline could’ve changed over the course of the years, although I don’t think this is the right place.”
“Should we try to pick out an area where we think the treasure could be if this were in fact the spot? I’d hate to leave out of here without checking, just in case.”
“Yeah. Won’t hurt.”
“Alright then.” Lucas picked a spot a half mile past the northern edge of the Lightwood Snag Bay and grounded the small craft on the narrow beach.
“This looks fine,” Darwin said, getting to his unsteady feet and pulling on his heavy backpack. “See any dolphins?”
“Nah. I see a lot of birds. I think the land on the east side of this Rose Bay is part of the Swan Quarter Wildlife Preserve.”
Lucas looked towards the three rough characters on the speedboat who were doing their best to look convincingly oblivious with three separate fishing lines in the water. He wondered if they had any bait at the ends of the lines. The leader looked their way, then quickly turned and said something to one of his partners when he saw Lucas returning his stare.
Don’t look too obvious, Lucas thought. He looked to Darwin who was surveying the land. “Hey, when is high tide?”
Darwin consulted a tide chart given to him by the marina master for a moment and said, “It’s not supposed to come in for a few hours.”
“Good,” said Lucas.
They climbed off the boat and their shoes sunk in the muck an inch. If they were in the correct place, then any treasure buried by Blackbeard might have washed away long ago. They walked around the muddy area for about twenty minutes, looking for any sign it used to be covered in a maritime forest.
“See anything?” Lucas called to Darwin, who was kneeling down, looking at an oddly shaped rock outcropping ten feet away. “No, not really. Don’t think there would be a way to bury treasure here anyway. The bedrock is only a few inches below the sand.”
“Good point.”
“If it was ever here, then it would have washed away with the rest of the soil.”
“That would suck,” Lucas winced at the thought. He pointed to the solitary line of birch trees more than a hundred yards inland. “Let’s go back there. Maybe the water has receded and that was the original shore line.”
Darwin agreed that line of thought was worth investigating. Just before they plodded back to the tree line, they could see where the farthest point the tide reached. The trees sat up a bank from where the water’s edge would be. The trees were spaced close together. The line of them was no more than fifteen feet wide. Tightly knit branches in the canopy helped the trees to withstand hurricane force winds. Lucas could imagine the lonely group hugging close together when the next Hurricane Hugo roared through.
Beyond that was vast salt marsh as far as the eye could see with a sparse hand
ful of single trees scattered occasionally across the area like small clumpy islands. Currently, it looked like a wasteland. When high tide came in, this area would flood.
On the other side of the trees, coming from the bay, they heard the growl of an engine start. Lucas said, “Sounds as though our friends are leaving.”
Darwin agreed as they stood side-by-side at the edge of the marsh. “I think we should move on. We’re wasting our time,” he said.
Lucas agreed and they began the walk back to their boat. As they stepped out from the trees and back on the muddy ground, several seagulls who had been standing nearby enjoying the soft breeze took flight in alarm. They flew off towards the opposite shore over the heads of the mystery men on the speedboat.
The speedboat was now next to their boat. The engine sound they heard wasn’t for the three men leaving the area. The sound came from them idling closer to their boat.
“Hey!” Lucas shouted, waving his arms at the men. “Get away from our boat!”
They were two hundred yards away from the two boats. The speedboat idled in the water just behind their boat. Although the men couldn’t hear Lucas’s exact words, they caught the meaning and ignored him.
He and Darwin took off running in the direction of the boats. It was slow going as their shoes sunk into the soil with each stride. There were no obstacles between them; only open ground. Lucas thought of this at the halfway point, just before the leader pulled out a gun and pointed it at him and Darwin. Without hesitation, he fired.
“Get down!” Lucas shouted at his friend.
They both hit the ground as several bullets went through the space they had just occupied. The muddy sand made for a soft landing at least.
Lucas thought they were just beyond the range for a pistol to be accurate, although he didn’t want to test that theory. He looked around their immediate area for anything that might help them. He and Darwin had no projectile weapons. If it came to hand-to-hand combat, at least they had some sharp spades and the cultivator in Darwin’s backpack that could double as an insidious weapon if need be.
