by Caleb Wygal
Darwin let out a long, low whistle. “Oh man. How much do you think Blackbeard’s treasure could be worth?”
“That’s difficult to say without knowing where he got it from.”
“True.”
“Which is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. In college, I studied marine engineering. I don’t have a research background. I do a good amount of digging while trying to track down some of these lost ships, although I don’t the first thing about using computers to track down leads or how to prize information from libraries or museums.” He stopped for a moment as a pair of dolphins started jumping out of the water alongside the yacht. They followed for a few seconds before disappearing. “Darwin, I must say I’m very impressed by what you’ve done here. Finding that map and tracing the treasure this far. We’re so close, I can feel it.”
“Thanks.”
“So, my question is,” Riddick said, “how would you like to do that for me? Full-time?”
Darwin’s hand gripped tighter on the steering wheel as the possible implications of Riddick’s question registered. “What? Do you mean you would pay me to look for treasure for you?”
“I would. I’d pay you a base salary of seventy-five thousand per year, plus travel expenses. I’d also set you up with your own office and hire assistants for you if you need them. If you found something promising, I’d finance the operation for you.”
Darwin didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know of anyone as he grew up—friends and family—who made much money. Except for the drug dealers, that is. Getting offered that kind of money was beyond his imagination. He knew going into college that unless you hit it big, archaeologists were rarely rich. They often struggled to get funding for various projects.
This was the offer of his dreams. Riddick made the pot richer.
“Oh,” he said, “you’d also keep ten percent of anything you found.”
The numbers flashed through Darwin’s head. One even halfway large find would make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.
“What do you say?” Riddick asked.
“I don’t know what to say,” Darwin stuttered.
“Just say yes,” Riddick said, standing and holding out his hand to Riddick.
Riddick took it in a firm grip. “Absolutely. Let’s do it.”
So happy was he at the offer, he forgot about Lucas’s instructions.
27
Lucas left the Yacht Club and walked into the blaring sunlight. He shielded his eyes so he could get his bearings in terms of the direction the numbers on the dock slips went. The wood planks spread outward from the shore of the harbor in the shape of a crescent. The yacht club sat at the apex of that crescent, halfway around the water’s edge. Sandblasted plaques hanging on posts displayed the slip numbers prominently. Lucas looked back towards his Jeep and saw the numbers were counting down to one from the number twenty-five closest to him.
He turned and circled in the other direction. The lighthouse now loomed above his head to his left. The eighteenth hole of the famous Harbour Town golf course lay beyond it. The marina was about half-full of vessels of various shapes and sizes. As he looked ahead at where he estimated Riddick’s berth would be, he saw a familiar sight.
He stopped and blinked twice. It couldn’t be.
A large red speedboat with red racing stripes sat tied to a post. It looked like the same one that stole the jon boat.
Lucas got as close as he dared before he ducked behind some bushes. He hadn’t seen anyone around the boat yet, although if someone popped their head up, Lucas didn’t want them to see him. He was certain it was the same boat. The odds that a similar speedboat would be here in the slip right next to where Riddick was supposed to come were too astronomical to comprehend.
Lucas pushed aside a branch from a fluffy azalea to survey the boat. He watched it float up and down in the gentle surf of the harbor for five minutes. No one approached or left it. He didn’t think anyone was aboard unless someone was lying on the floor of the boat taking an afternoon siesta.
Seeing this boat here at this time all but confirmed that Riddick was in cahoots with the guys from the Charger earlier. He looked across the water into the marina parking lot, searching for that dark car. It wasn’t there. Thank goodness for small favors. That would explain how those men got to Hilton Head so quickly after Riddick learned of their changed destination.
If the thugs in the dark car spoke with Riddick after their encounter at the library, Darwin might be in trouble. Lucas cursed himself for splitting up with his younger friend. Darwin was big and smart, although not worldly. He’d lived a sheltered existence. Lucas hoped he was street smart enough to recognize he was in danger.
He hoped Darwin would be ready to move from the boat when it arrived.
• • •
Darwin was happy. A rare feeling. He was so giddy he didn’t know what to do with himself. Unlimited options now lie before him. He’d be able to afford a better apartment and clothes without holes. He could expand on his diet of cheap junk food and maybe, just maybe, trade in his moped for a car. A shiny, new red Camaro perhaps?
What would the people who knew him back home in Concord think of that? Him rolling back into town in a souped-up sports car. One that dishonest money didn’t buy at that. He could imagine the looks on their faces.
Riddick had taken over the controls as they rounded the curve of the island to steer through a higher concentration of vessels emerging from the mouth of the Harbor River. Daufuskie Island passed by to their left. He could see the perfect green grass from a golf course running along the water on the right. Several groups of golfers were playing. The tip of a lighthouse came into view.
The excitement of Riddick’s generous job offer made Darwin momentarily forget why they were here to begin with. Blackbeard’s lost treasure.
“Do you think we’re near it? The treasure?”
Riddick nodded. “I think so lad. In the realm of the search for Blackbeard’s treasure, we’re in virgin territory. Many have come to Bath over the years with what they proclaim to be maps and proof of where Teach hid the treasure. Many dug holes all over Plum Point where X marked the spot. This, this is new.”
“I hope so.”
“And we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. You found something, recognized it as important, and guided us here. You, Darwin. You did his. You must be commended.”
“Thanks,” Darwin smiled.
“Of course, you’ll be well rewarded if we find it.”
“That’d be fantastic.”
“Just need to bring it home.”
Riddick cut back to idle speed as they entered the area just outside the marina. The lighthouse was now in full view, majestic in appearance. They had passed a few on their journey from Bath. Darwin thought this was the finest one he’d seen yet.
Changing the subject, Riddick asked, “Your friend is supposed to be here, right?”
All of the positive thoughts and hopefulness blinked out of Darwin’s mind. What had Lucas’s messages been about? He wished he’d given a few more details.
"Yeah, he sent me a message a little bit ago saying he would.”
“Good. Good.”
The golf course and lighthouse floated by. Riddick angled the yacht toward the entrance of the marina. Just then, Darwin’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
He took it out. It was a message from Lucas: I’m hiding in the bushes behind your boat slip. Riddick can’t be trusted. I’ll explain later. GET OFF as soon as it’s safe.
Darwin looked forward at their destination. An empty slip sat on the left. A speedboat with red stripes was on the right. He could see the top of Lucas’s head protruding from a row of bushes behind the concrete pathway on the bank.
Everything clicked into place. The theft of their jon boat. The speedboat with red stripes. The same one in front of him now. Riddick’s private calls. Lucas’s veiled warnings.
Riddick had somehow engineered this entire scenario. Just after Lucas
and Darwin met with Riddick at the marina in Bath and rented the jon boat, he had called his cronies to either scare Lucas and Darwin or maroon them somewhere. That forced the two to call on Riddick’s services. This morning, once Darwin informed him they needed to go to Hilton Head, Riddick had suggested the Lucas and Darwin split up. Presumably so he could get the younger, more malleable Darwin alone on a long trip. Riddick wasn’t calling his secretary to say where he’d be. He called his henchmen, telling them to get here as fast as they could. Darwin could see the logic. Get his men here quickly so they could keep tabs on Lucas while having a boat in the event they needed to be on the water to find the treasure.
Then, Riddick had buttered him up with the job offer too good to refuse.
And he’d fallen for it. Hook, line, and sinker.
He felt like a fool.
Darwin stood and prepared to head below. He stopped. “Were you serious about that offer?”
Although they were within twenty yards of sidling into their dock slip, Riddick took his eyes off the water in front of him, looked Darwin straight in the eye, and said, “Absolutely.”
Something about that look and that answer gave him away. It could have been the way his right eye twitched, the crow’s feet becoming pronounced, causing the left eyebrow to raise by a fraction of a centimeter. It could have been the way the right corner of his mouth tugged upward in a half-smile that could also be read as a snarl. Or, was it something in the tone of his voice. AB-solutely?
Trying not to let his voice betray his thoughts, Darwin said, “Awesome. I’m going to head down and see if I can spot Lucas anywhere.”
“Great. Grab that rope when you get down there and tie it to the pier when I stop. That way I don’t drift.”
Darwin nodded. He ducked inside the gangway door as fast as he could. He needed to think, alone, and knew he only had a few seconds to make a life-altering decision.
Go with Lucas or stay with Riddick?
28
Lucas watched the expensive yacht approach the dock and slide into the berth beside the familiar speedboat. There weren’t many people nearby. The closest people were a couple of elderly women power walking through the shopping village beyond the yacht club. Lucas almost wished they’d swing by in his direction.
Innocent bystanders had the potential to defuse a volatile situation.
He didn’t know how Riddick would react when Darwin jumped off the boat and the two of them ran off with knowledge of where the treasure might lie. He didn’t know if the pirate was in possession of any firearms. He’d seen a few cutlasses hanging from the wall in the galley. He figured he’d be able to outrun the man who was probably twenty years his senior. Darwin too.
Lucas took a quick glance to the parking lot on the opposite side of the harbor. His Jeep sat alone in a spot at the water’s edge. The black Charger of Riddick’s crew wasn’t in sight. He knew they could make an appearance at any time.
The yacht bumped against the dock as Darwin emerged at the doorway at the stern of the craft.
There was only one choice he could make. He’d seen money make people do bad things in his life. Robberies, beatings, theft, even murder. People stopped at nothing to attain it. They thought that having money translated to security while he often saw the opposite of that. The people who somehow scraped the money together to buy that luxury car were back to driving their old beat-up 1995 Mazda a few months later after their new Mercedes was repossessed. He knew people who had robbed convenience stores—and got away with it—to get the money to make a down payment on a McMansion in one of the ritzy new neighborhoods around Charlotte. He’d seen other spend time in prison for breaking into houses, selling drugs, assault, armed robbery, and worse.
They thought money could buy them security. To Darwin, money didn’t equate with happiness. Sure, he wanted to be comfortable. Not live paycheck-to-paycheck. Someday have his own car. That would come if he were patient. Despite what he’d seen in his upbringing, he held on to the hope that good things would eventually happen to good people if they remained true to themselves and to others.
In the end. He stuck with Lucas. One of the few people on this planet he could call “friend.”
The boat came to an uneasy rest. Darwin reached down and picked up the thick piece of rope. As instructed. It had a loop already made one on end, like a lasso. The other end was attached to the yacht. He dropped it into the water—not as instructed—and watched the end disappear down into the dark green water.
The growl of the big twin-diesel engines died. He could hear himself think again. He knew that with Riddick killing the engines, he would be down shortly to see if Lucas had appeared.
Lucas did appear. He came around the azalea bushes. “Darwin. Come on. We’ve got to get out of here.”
Darwin clutched at his backpack containing his digging gear and printouts from the diary of Mary Ormond. “I don’t know what’s going on, Lucas. But I trust you.”
“Great,” Lucas said, pointing across the harbor. “My Jeep is parked way over there.”
“Let’s go before Riddick comes down.”
Too late.
Riddick appeared at the doorway. The sea breeze made his long beard flutter. “Ah, Lucas. There you are. What did you find out?”
The two younger men shared a look. Time to go.
“I’m not saying,” Lucas said.
Riddick’s face turned red. Then, trying to remain calm, he said, “What?”
“I said, I’m not telling you. I did some research on you. I don’t think you’re as friendly and helpful as you’ve tried to pass yourself as.”
Riddick stood up straight. The redness of his face faded. He held a hand to his chest. “Lucas, son, I have no idea what you’re talking about?”
Darwin looked from Lucas to Riddick. Lucas had found out more than just the location of the treasure, Darwin thought.
He took a quick stock of his surroundings should they need to leave in a hurry. The walkway leading off to the left of them ended in another fifty yards. He thought the golf course was behind the azalea bushes and palm trees. To their right, the walkway circled around past a large building and met another sidewalk coming from around the row of shops forming a sharp V. Then past that was Lucas’s Jeep.
If the harbor was as a circle drawn on a piece of paper, Darwin and Lucas were at the bottom. His Jeep was at the very top. A good distance away.
He turned his attention back to the standoff between Riddick and Lucas.
Lucas smiled. “Does the name Travis Cole ring a bell?”
Riddick blinked twice in rapid succession. Lucas knew he had him.
“I, I, I’ve never heard that name before.”
Lucas smiled again. “Yes you have. You knew each other at N.C. State. You were classmates.”
“I don’t—”
“C’mon. Travis Cole? You know. He was the researcher whose brains you blew out in 1982.”
• • •
Lucas had played his hand. That didn’t mean he didn’t have more aces up his sleeve, though. He knew before he said the name of “Travis Cole” that the situation might escalate quickly from there.
For his part, Riddick remained composed. “That’s quite a serious accusation there. I assure you I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Instead of responding to Riddick’s comment, Lucas turned to Darwin who had yet to say a word. “You ready to get out of here?”
Darwin’s eyes were locked on Riddick. Lucas thought he looked betrayed. He was angry. He feared for Riddick if Darwin got his hands on him. Well, maybe not. Still, he didn’t want to cause a scene in broad daylight.
“Come on Darwin. Let’s get out of here before does something stupid. Like try to kill us.”
Darwin hitched his backpack around his shoulder. “Absolutely,” he said with determination.
“What about my offer?” Riddick pled.
“What about it?” Darwin said.
“I’ll make you rich. All
the money, cars, and women you’ll ever need.”
Darwin waved his hand. “You can keep it. Lucas was right, you can’t be trusted.”
“You don’t believe him, do you?” Riddick said, looking at Darwin and pointing at Lucas.
“I don’t know what all he knows,” Darwin said. “I just know that a minute ago back there, when I asked you if you were serious about the job offer, although you said you were, there was something about the way you said it that I didn’t like.”
Riddick looked as though he was about to blow.
“I’m ready Lucas,” Darwin said, and before Riddick knew what was going on, took his size sixteen foot, placed on the hull of the yacht, and shoved as hard as he could. Without the boat being tied to the dock, and despite its massive weight, Darwin was still able with his enormous strength to make the huge craft float away from them.
Too far for Riddick to jump from the ship to the deck. He was helpless to watch as chasm developed on the water between dock and vessel.
Darwin and Lucas waved. Riddick flipped them off.
The two men rushed off to Lucas’s Jeep.
• • •
As soon as he was back inside, Riddick called his men and climbed the stairs to the bridge up top while the phone rang.
“Yeah boss?” the man answered as Riddick climbed into the captain’s chair and started the engines.
“Where the hell are you?”
“We’re nearby. In Sea Pines. Getting ready to round the corner to the marina. What’s up?”
Riddick let out a relieved breath. There was still a chance he could control the situation. He’d let whatever it was Cole found over thirty years ago get away from him. He wasn’t going to let that happen again.
