by Caleb Wygal
“Great. What then?”
It was Lucas’s turn to smile. “Go find treasure.”
• • •
Before leaving the sleepy town of Walterboro, they stopped at a Wal-Mart that was open 24 hours and bought a couple of shovels, which they stowed in Lynn’s trunk.
From Walterboro, they took mostly two-lane roads to Edisto Island. Thick, dark clouds kept the sun from appearing. The air was thick. They didn’t smell the ocean yet, although Lucas knew they would before long.
The route took them through several small towns. Groups of houses tended to huddle around the many churches along the way. Like oases in the desert. The area wasn’t well populated. At one point during the hour drive, Darwin asked Lucas if he was sure he knew where he was going.
He told Darwin to have a little faith in him. A few minutes later, the car burst out from a line of thick trees and crossed over a long, arcing bridge spanning the Intercostal Waterway. On the other side, a sandblasted wooden sign welcomed them to Edisto Island. For a few minutes after that, the route meandered over and around fields and swampland. The same pattern of churches and groups of houses continued.
Darwin figured that only about ten people attended some of these churches. And some of them were large. Religion must be a large part of these people’s lives.
They rounded a corner and saw another big, white church standing by itself to the left at the edge of one of the many lakes in the marshland. Darwin had his eyes on the church almost until they passed it. As they passed by Botany Bay Road on the left, a dirt road leading past the church, Lucas pointed to their right.
Darwin’s head jerked over just in time to see . . . well he wasn’t quite sure what it was he saw.
About a hundred feet from the road, in the middle of the marsh, a dead tree stood. It had a speed limit sign with a posted speed of “35 miles per hour,” a pink toy Volkswagen Beetle sat on top of the sign. A fuchsia beach chair hung from one limb; orange and pink inner tubes, streamers and other floatation devices dangled from others. On top of everything, an American flag fluttered in the strong salty breeze.
“What in the world is that?”
“They call it The Mystery Tree,” Lucas answered. “Someone has been decorating it for years. No one knows who does it. What is on it changes with the seasons and holidays. I bet if we come back here next month, you’ll see vampires, ghouls, and ghosts for Halloween.”
“And no one knows who does it?” Lynn asked.
“Nope. They must do it in the middle of the night. They’ve never seen anyone messing with it that I know of. It’s dangerous too.”
“Why’s that?”
“There are alligators around here.”
“Oh,” Darwin said and then sunk into silence.
After another few minutes, they passed a gas station with a gift shop and a Domino’s Pizza all in the same building. Businesses and homes became more concentrated as they drove. Although, Darwin thought, there were few recognizable names. He saw an Ace Hardware. That was about all he knew. Everything else seemed locally owned. He wondered if that was by design.
Then, all at once, they were there.
They passed by the Edisto Beach campground on their right and crossed a short causeway. Another sign saying “Welcome to Edisto Beach” waited for them on the other side.
31
Lucas had wanted to reach the island by first light. He wanted to have the entire day to devote to exploring the area on the map and if everything worked out, finding the treasure. As they put the bridge behind them and passed by a grocery store, the sun broke through the clouds and its rays reached down to the ocean as though God was dipping his fingers in the water.
It promised to be a picturesque day. Perhaps they would make history as well, Lucas thought.
A quiet four-lane highway ran the length of the beach, behind a single row of ocean front houses. Only a few vehicles were out at this hour. Men going out to the beach to claim their spots for fishing. Employees of the island’s large timeshare coming from off the island to work. Restaurant workers arriving to prep for the lunch rush.
The densely packed houses along the ocean to their left concealed most views of the ocean. From time to time, Darwin spied green waves over the sand dunes. He almost remembered seeing a few of them as he and Riddick cruised past this area the previous day. He was amazed to find that there weren’t any large hotels along the water. He mentioned that to Lucas.
“Yeah, when tourists started coming to the island years ago,” Lucas said, “the townsfolk kept it unincorporated. They allowed one grocery store and gas station. Everything else had to be small. No neon lights. They knew they were somewhat isolated and wanted to keep the quaint, laid back way of life they enjoyed unlike their neighbors to the north and south.”
“Nice,” Lynn and Darwin both said.
Lucas sat back in his seat. “That’s why I like it here.”
After about three miles, the road narrowed to two lanes and began to curve around the southern end of the island. They passed the different areas of the sleepy resort complex and a few holes of a well-manicured golf course rising out of the marsh as they came around to the sound side of the island. They saw mostly older people out for an early morning walk, jog, or bike ride.
As they approached a large sign for the resort on their right with an entrance road splitting two holes on the golf course, Lucas had Lynn pull into a parking lot on their left. To the right was a squared two-story building with gray siding. The sign above the door read “The Dockside Bar & Grill.”
To the left of that was a small building with blue wood siding covering the top half of the structure. The area below the siding was made of cinder blocks painted white. Large murals of shrimp, a fishing boat, swordfish, and crawfish covered the front of the building. A covered entry way came out from above the door with “Fresh Edisto Seafood” painted in flowy letters across the façade. A wood sign hung down advertising “Fontaine Fishing Charters” in bold white letters.
The lot in front of the restaurant was empty. The smaller building had a few cars parked in front of it. “Pull up right there,” Lucas instructed. “I’ve used these guys a bunch of times. Nicest folks you’ll ever meet. They love to have a good time too.”
Darwin practically jumped out of the car now that he had a chance to stretch out from its cramped confines.
Alone in the car with Lynn for the first time, Lucas said, “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us.”
Her smile made Lucas’s heart skip a beat. “Sure thing,” she said. “I needed a break from the monotony anyway. Glad I could help.”
Lucas reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of twenty-dollar bills. “Look, here’s the five-hundred I said I would give you for bringing us.”
She took the money from his hands and held it carefully. She could almost cry. This was a lifesaver for her. “Thank you,” she said.
“No, thank you. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” He noted for the first time that her eyes weren’t brown. Up close, they looked hazel. “Look, you can go back to Hilton Head if you want. I know some people around here and I think I can get us back to North Carolina.”
She shook her head. “What would I go back to?” she said. “I already told my boss I wasn’t coming to work today. I’m off tomorrow. All I would do is go sit in my apartment and watch sappy old romantic movies. If you don’t mind, I wouldn’t mind tagging along with you guys for a while longer.”
What she said delighted him, but not without reservation. “I just want to warn you, if this Riddick guy comes around, it could get dangerous.”
She gave him a self-assured smile and then said, “What good would an adventure be without a little danger?”
• • •
They followed Lucas inside. The strong smell of fish struck them as they entered. Built-in white shelving containing folded souvenir shirts and other trinkets ran along the left side of the small space. In front of them
was an empty glass case. Lucas knew that later in the day, after the Sarah Jane returned from the waters surrounding Edisto, the case would be full of crab legs, clams, and shrimp as well as other varieties of fish also obtained locally.
The backdoor behind the counter was open. A man of about average height wearing a beat up and sun stained Fontaine Charters hat came through it when he heard the bells above the door chime as it closed behind Darwin.
He smiled and said, “Help you?” Then he recognized Lucas. “Hey man. Good to see you again.”
“Good to see you too Jeremy,” Lucas said, shaking the man’s hand. “Were you able to hold The Marsh Hen for me?”
“I was. Getting into the slow season. It’s around back,” he said, jerking a finger in the direction of the back door. “Got it ready for you.”
“Thanks man. I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, I appreciate you. If you hadn’t of called me last night, she might have sat out there by herself all day today. Not good for business. How long do you think you’ll need it?”
“Dunno. Couple of hours probably.”
“No worries. You can keep it for longer if you need to. I’ll just charge for the two-hour price.”
“Great. Thanks. Every little bit helps. If someone calls wanting to reserve it, call me and I’ll be back.”
He turned his head to the side. “Nah. This morning I doubt it. It could rain and most of the tourists went home on Sunday. But I’ll let you know.”
“One more thing,” Lucas said, “think you’ll be able to do that favor for me I mentioned on the phone if it comes to it?”
“Absolutely, just let me know.”
Lucas led Darwin and Lynn through the back door and onto a dock protruding from the back of the Edisto Seafood shack connecting to the Dockside next door. A 21-foot Mako offshore fishing boat. It had a covered center console behind a clear acrylic windscreen, a swivel helm seat and two seats behind on the port and starboard sides.
“Much better than that jon boat we took out yesterday,” Darwin observed.
“That it is,” Lucas said and climbed aboard, stowing the two shovels in the floor of the boat. He extended a hand for Lynn to grab as she crossed over from the dock. He didn’t extend the same courtesy to Darwin. He could handle himself. The boat dipped when he set both feet in the boat causing ripples to move across the still water.
The opposite bank was about fifty feet away from the dock. Sea grass swayed in the breeze along its length. Two older men floated past in a small fishing boat on their way out to the A.C.E. Basin to catch some crabs. They smiled and waved. A group of kayakers was moving from left to right in search of dolphins.
“This is nice,” Lynn said as she sat down.
“I agree,” Darwin said.
“Just a little slice of paradise,” Lucas said.
“I see why you said you like coming here. A bit of a different pace than Hilton Head. Slower. At least this morning.”
“Truthfully, it doesn’t speed up much from here. Just the way I like it,” Lucas said, smiling.
Darwin reached into his backpack and started digging around. He became agitated after a minute, and said to himself, “Come on, where is it?”
“Where is what?” Lucas said.
“The map. It’s not here.”
Lucas cursed silently to himself. “You don’t think you left it back at the hotel did you?”
“No. I couldn’t have. I didn’t even look at it last night.”
“Have you looked for it since you got to Hilton Head?”
Darwin gave him a vacant look. “No, I haven’t.”
“Damn. You don’t think Riddick stole it did you?”
Darwin shrugged. “I guess he could have. He could’ve done it while I was steering the ship.”
“Hmm. I wonder if that’s why he had you do that. To get you away from your backpack?”
“I don’t know. Probably. He’s manipulated us every step of the way until then.”
“Sounds like he’s a bad guy,” Lynn said.
“You could say that,” Lucas said. “He’s owns a shipping company and it turns out he’s also a treasure hunter.”
“There are still people like that still around?”
“Oh yeah. Some strike it rich big time. This treasure of Blackbeard’s could be his ticket to that.” Lucas paused to start the outboard motor. “See, treasure hunters can start out as honorable men. Then prospect of gold and treasure makes people greedy. It can bring the worst out in people. It causes men to sever friendships and even marriages. When silver and gold mixes with human instinct, it creates a volatile recipe.”
“Oh,” Lynn said, thinking about some of the bad men in her books. Early people in the Canadian West faced similar circumstances during the gold rush. She understood the mindset.
“Trust me, you wouldn’t want to meet him,” Lucas said.
“I hope not.”
“Yeah, I hope you don’t get to either.” He said to Darwin, “Don’t worry about the printout. Remember, I have a picture of it on my phone. I know where we’re going anyway.”
Lucas started the skiff and eased out into Big Bay Creek at idle speed. After they passed the Edisto Marina and the choppy waters of the A.C.E. Basin opened up in front of them, he opened up the throttle. They saw many different varieties of birds flying around the marshes and wetlands.
The broad expanse of water came from the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers combining to create the A.C.E. Basin. It is one of the largest estuaries along the Atlantic Coast. It combines with the larger St. Helena Sound to the south. A private-public partnership was formed in the 1980’s after outside development pressures crept in. The residents of the area petitioned local, state, and federal authorities to help preserve the basin.
That partnership is one of the reasons why Edisto hasn’t become as gentrified as other beaches along the Atlantic Coast. Large development companies couldn’t come in, cultivate the land, and build it up as they wanted to. They took their business elsewhere.
That lack of attention from outsiders may have also kept any would-be treasure hunters from coming around too, Lucas thought.
“Why does the water look like black tea?” Lynn asked, looking at the seawater passing by the hull of the boat.
“I think that comes from the Edisto River,” Lucas answered. “There’s tannins in the water coming from the decomposing tree leaves of the surrounding hardwood forests causing that.”
“Yuck. Is it safe?”
“Absolutely. I don’t worry about it. No one else around here does. When you get in the water on this side of the island, you can see the small, black particles floating around. Don’t worry. They’re not harmful.”
The shore of the approaching island stretched out in front of them, coming closer. They were soon able to make out details. The tide was low, exposing twenty feet of wet sand. Beyond the high tide barrier were clumps of sea grass, rocks, and other bushes. A dense line of palm trees concealed the view of the rest of the flat land. There were not any signs of civilization. It was a barren place.
Darwin pointed a thumb at behind him and said, “If that’s Edisto Island back there, what’s this in front of us?”
“This is Pine Island. It’s connected to Otter Island to our left and Fenwick Island to our right. There’s a creek running through the center of the three that makes it look similar to a big kidney from the air.”
Darwin looked up from his phone. “This is amazing. I’m looking at where we are Google Earth right now. Lucas, this is the spot. It looks almost identical to what Blackbeard drew.”
“Well, you have to imagine the sands shifted some throughout the centuries, although I don’t think Blackbeard was too bad of a cartographer. Seems to have hit it dead on.”
“What about the sun?” Darwin asked.
“What about it?”
“There was a half sun drawn on the map to the left of this island. What do you think that means.”
Lucas
thought about it for a moment. He turned and pointed to the opposite shore of Edisto. Darwin and Lynn turned and looked. “Do you see that resort complex over there? With the palm trees?”
“Yeah.”
“They call that area Dolphin Lookout.”
“Ooo, I love dolphins,” Lynn said.
“Well, if you stand over there on that beach for any length of time, you’ll usually see several. They come into these shallow waters to feed and give birth.”
“Amazing.”
“Wait, did you say dolphins?” Darwin asked.
“Yeah.”
“Remember the notation Blackbeard made on the bottom of the map?”
Lucas’s eyes went wide. “Ah, I’d forgot about that. He said the treasure was ‘where the dolphins gather.’ That means this has to be the place.”
“I want to know,” Lynn said. As she began to realize this could be one of the biggest moments in all their lives, she became excited. “What did the notation say?”
Darwin enlarged the image on his phone so he could read it verbatim. He cleared his throat. “Blackbeard wrote, ‘Treasure buried 23 paces in by the large oak under a falling sun near the cove where the dolphins gather.’”
“Huh,” Lynn said.
Darwin started to tick off the points with his fingers. “One, this area looks similar to what Blackbeard drew. Two, it’s close to where he may have gotten the treasure from the Atocha. Three, it’s got dolphins. This is it. We’re here.”
“Wow,” Lynn said.
“And if you’re over there during the evening,” Lucas said pointing to the beach by the Dolphin Lookout, “you often see a spectacular sunset over where we are now. I bet Blackbeard was here for one of those and drew that half sun to help remind him exactly where to find the treasure.”
“That could definitely explain the half-sun drawn on the map. That seals it.” Darwin looked from where they were and to the left and where the open waters of the Atlantic would be if a hump in Pine Island wasn’t there blocking their view. “You know, if I were running from the Spanish Navy with my holds full of their gold, this wouldn’t be a bad place to hide a ship, tucked here into the crook of this island. Passing ships wouldn’t be able to see them.”
