“So tell me, did you coach her on what to say?”
“All I told her was to speak from her heart. I may have coached her on the curtsy, though.”
“It was a nice touch. Caught everyone off-guard. I wish there was something I could do for her. Something to let her know how proud I am of her.”
Marquetta put a hand on Rick’s shoulder and led him to one side where they stood opposite each other, just inches apart. Her gray eyes glistened as she gazed up at him and his heart pounded at their proximity. Good grief, he’d gone all schoolboy. He hadn’t even given her the candle he’d bought for fear she’d feel the same way he’d felt about Michelle and those stupid cookies. God, what was he, twelve?
“There is something you could do,” Marquetta said. “Let her ride the dumbwaiter.”
“What? No way. It’s too dangerous.”
“Rick, that’s only Devon covering his backside. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? She gets caught between floors and has to have a couple of hot firemen come out and rescue her? She’d tell that story for the rest of her life.”
Rick gazed at Marquetta. “Why’s this so important to you?”
She shook her head. “It’s not important to me, Rick. It’s important to her. She’s been planning this for months. She and Robbie have this whole elaborate scheme set up with cell phone communications and a plan to get access. It’s very well thought-out.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Do you think I don’t hear those two talking? I remember what I was like at her age, and I want her to have the best childhood she can. Besides, if you let her go on her own, it will take the pressure off Robbie. The poor kid’s scared to death of small spaces.”
“So you think it’s safe?”
Marquetta shook her head and laughed. “Is anything in life?”
CHAPTER 48
ALEX
July 28
Hey Journal,
This was the awesomest day ever! Is awesomest a word? I’m not sure, but it is now cause that’s what it was. It all started with the town meeting. Daddy said I could go to the meeting after Marquetta told him how much she thought it would mean to me.
Daddy’s super protective, but Marquetta gets me. She understands me like nobody else. That’s cause we’re so much alike. Me and Marquetta talked about the meeting ahead of time, so I knew what I was gonna say. It worked! We saved the town!
I was kinda scared when I stood up, but I had to do it for Marquetta. She doesn’t get along with Miss Potok at all and if she asked the questions, it would have gotten super nasty. Marquetta said Miss Potok couldn’t get that way with me cause I’m a kid and she needs all the people to like her.
It was totally cool when everybody at the meeting wanted to talk to me after, but that’s not the best part of the day. No way, Daddy let me ride the dumbwaiter! It was fun and scary and bumpy and noisy. What a total rush!
We got home and Daddy said he and Marquetta had a surprise for me. They blindfolded me and led me around the house. Miss O’Connor must have seen us cause I heard her ask what we were doing, and Marquetta said we were playing a little game. I didn’t bump into any walls or anything, so that was kinda fun. When we stopped walking, I heard a sliding noise.
Daddy took my blindfold off and I was looking at the empty dumbwaiter. He told me to get in before he lost his courage. Marquetta winked at me and had this big smile on her face. She said I was gonna love it.
I climbed in and Marquetta closed the door. It was super dark in there. It reminded me of the attic for a second. Don’t tell anyone, but I screamed a little when there was a monster jolt and I started going up!
It was so cool. Once I was going I said “ahhh” for a really long time and my voice got all funny like it does on bumpy roads! When I got to the second floor, Daddy slid the door up and all this light came rushing in. I thought he was gonna pull me out, but instead, he laughed and said, “Peekaboo!” Then he closed the door and sent me back down to the first floor.
When I got out, I gave both Daddy and Marquetta big hugs and told them how much I loved them. At dinner, I couldn’t stop talking about the ride. Daddy said I was a little chatterbox, but I could tell he was happy to see me so excited. And best of all, Marquetta stayed for dinner. She had one more surprise for me, and Daddy didn’t know anything about it until she made him go up to the attic with her.
Guess what, Journal? I’m looking at myself in my new mirror! It’s the one that matches my bedroom set! Marquetta said she couldn’t talk about it yet, but she said it was time she stopped letting the past run her life. I hope someday she’ll be willing to tell me how the mirror got broken. But for now, I’m totally okay with knowing this was her set when she was my age.
It’s hard to keep writing now, Journal. My eyes are all watery and I keep sniffling. But don’t worry. It’s not cause I’m sad, it’s because I’m so happy.
Like I said, Journal. Awesomest. Day. Ever!
xoxo,
Alex
BEHIND THE STORY
Clues in the Sand begins where A Treasure to Die For left off. Treasure from the fictional sunken Spanish galleon San Manuel is, once again, integral to the story. But, unlike the first book, the tale this time has gone a step beyond the discovery. The issue in this book is who owns all that treasure?
It is true that the Manila Galleons, of which the San Manuel would be one, came into existence in the mid 1560s. The ships sailed from Acapulco, which was a part of New Spain, to the Philippines using a southern route. They returned via a northern route which took four to eight months and was one of the most treacherous journeys known at the time.
As pointed out by Mr. de la Guerra in his conversation with Rick in Chapter 3, Spain wielded tremendous power during that time. Spain did set up mints in the New World and there are those who believe the treasure belongs to the country of origin. Another viewpoint, in this case expressed by Reese Potok, is that the treasure should belong to whoever brings it up. A third party are the archaeologists like Flynn O’Connor. They want to study and preserve the past for future generations. And the final participant in this game of treasure are the rogue treasure hunters who perform snatch-and-grab recovery efforts.
This battleground is playing out around the world as ancient wrecks are discovered. The San Jose is one of those wrecks and has an estimated salvage value of seventeen billion dollars. Sea Search Armada is a private offshore salvage company that insists they found the San Jose and are entitled to half of the treasure. The Columbian government is proceeding with offshore salvage efforts despite the legal claims made by SSA. And then there are the governments of Spain and Peru, who have claimed part of the treasure in the past.
You can find the recipes for this book on my website at http://terryambrose.com/treasure-die-recipes/. You’ll be under no obligation to leave an email address or any other personal information.
Clues in the Sand Page 20
