“I found it early this morning along the shoreline when I went looking for any remains of our find down below. There was nothing but this raft. It still had a little air in it and had floated up from all that collapse of the roof.” He reached into the bed of the truck and picked up a small paper bag. He handed it to John and said, “I found these caught in the seams of the raft and put them in a bag for you.”
John opened the bag and let several stones fall into the palm of his hand. They were chalky in color with tinges of green.
“Stones?” asked John.
“Jewels,” said the Captain and Andy, at the same time. She pushed at the objects with her forefinger.
Mouse nodded and said, “You guys are looking at uncut emeralds, mined a few hundred years ago in Columbia.” He grinned. “Some of the stuff Taint tried to escape with.”
“How many are there?” asked John. He counted and said, “Six.”
“I figure just enough,” said Mouse. “Each one of them is worth a pretty bit of change. I described them to a friend of mine in Baltimore right after I found them. He says because of their size, he knows he can get us a hundred grand for each stone.”
“Another pawnbroker?” asked John, grinning.
“No, this guy is in the jewelry business, legit. John, you are the executor so you decide what to do with them. If it weren’t for you, none of us would have been here in the first place,” said Mouse. “And they come from Father Sweeney’s property, so they are part of his estate, so to speak.
He went on, “However, if you agree with me, I figure you could dole them out like so.” He pushed the stones around John’s palm with his large finger. “One for me, one for Andy for her telescope career, and one for the Captain for his treasure expertise.”
Captain Penny smiled and nodded to Hoadley who was standing beside him.
Mouse went on, “One for you, John, for your fee and then I see two more, one for the leader, Guthrie, to help his homeless flock, and one for Father Phillip and his little church, or if he wants, he can give it to the poor.”
Mouse grinned and concluded, “I figure that ought to keep everyone happy. You can spend the rest of the estate on the sister. That is if you agree this is how Father Sweeney would have wanted the money to be spent. I didn’t put in anything for the Cathedral in Baltimore. I figured he had already given them a lot. Anyway, you’re the executor so you decide what the old man would have wanted.”
“Not my place,” said John, looking at his friend. “You found them.”
Mouse said, “We all found them.”
John nodded. “OK,” he said, looking around, at the nodding heads. “I agree if we all do.”
Everyone said yes in a chorus.
John said, “So that’s it. We do it the way Mouse suggests.”
John said, “I was thinking about what your father wrote in his notes.”
She nodded.
“Everything is in balance. The evil force destroys and the good force rebuilds but neither ever takes control because all is in balance.”
She nodded. “That’s just about the way this all worked out.”
John took from his pocket the rosary Father Tom’s sister had given him. He knelt in the soft mud of the tide lap of the new cove. Then, he pressed the crucifix into the ground several times making a little trail of marks.
“What are you doing?” Andy asked, stooping beside him to watch.
“Someone told me that this was the way to show the tracks of God. It’s something that can’t be destroyed by the likes of Taint.”
She didn’t say anything, just moved closer. She put her hand over his and helped him press another cross mark.
“John, I think you’ve realized that something more exists than merely surviving and paying your bills.”
He looked at her and said, “Yes.” He thought for a moment, then said, “All this was like a miracle, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “I don’t know whether it would qualify as a miracle, but I think we got close to the energy of goodness.”
“I’ll always wonder what it all means,” John said, looking out at the river water. “I know I’ll never think of gold the same way again.”
“Me too,” she said.
“You’re going to keep on teaching me about the stars?” John said, looking into her eyes.
“Yes, especially Cygnus.”
“Well, I had decided to stay here in River Sunday anyway.” He lifted the jewels. “This will make it easier.”
“Jewels or not, I knew all along that you would decide to stay. It’s like you to finish what you start, not quit.”
“You’ve got a knack for reading my mind,” John said.
She said with a grin, “Come on, we’ll put on our Nanticoke skirts, get dinner from my mother and study dark places in the Milky Way. I’ll ask her to make you pumpkin pie.”
The ambulance alarm sounded. Its wail seemed to ripple the river surface. “It’s loud today.”
“There have been a lot of ambulance calls ever since the fishing restriction went in force. I think trouble is brewing among the watermen who don’t like government.”
“Some have weapons hidden in the walls of their homes. The town is hosting a big United Nations conference here soon. We’ll have an African speaker talking about fighting for freedom in her country.”
“Well, if there’s trouble, it should be good business for your law practice,” she said.
He found himself staring at her face, loving it. He said, “Something else that you haven’t thought about, Andy. What about the fourth mound?”
“I did think about it.”
John said, “It’s still covered with those mulberry trees.”
“You want to start digging again?” she asked, searching his eyes.
“We could keep it hidden and not tell Father Phillip.”
“Delightful,” she said, her eyes twinkling.
“First let’s concentrate on something more interesting to me,” he answered.
“What?”
He smiled and motioned to her astronomy truck. He felt uncontrollable warmth spread over his whole body that was pleasant even in the hot sunlight. They stopped once more and looked at each other. John held her face in his hands and said,
“Don’t you know by now that you’re all the gold I’ll ever need.”
She whispered with a smile, “I think you’ve learned a lot from those old Incas.”
The End
The adventure continues in Terror Flower, book 5 in the River Sunday series!
http://www.amazon.com/Terror-Flower-Sunday-Romance-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B007H1EUZ6/
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About the Author
Thomas Hollyday brings to life strong Chesapeake characters showcased in their stunning, unique Eastern seaboard landscapes. Reviewers praise his rich sense of place and his respect for the great machines that made our era possible. His stories resonate with a deep awareness of history and legend. The humor in life shines through as Tom draws on a comedic sense honed sharp from an accomplished cartooning background.
In his River Sunday Romance Mysteries series, Tom honors the battles for love of land that have recurred over and over in the Chesapeake Bay. Past victories and defeats created mists of legend and history which shroud the present landscapes. Throughout Tom's stories, he incorporates both the machines that have left lasting imprints and the wildlife that enriches the captivating natural landscape. His modern and timely novels feature memorable characters from the small town of River Sunday, Maryland, and reveals their compelling stories as they search for answers to achieving
love, unveiling mystery, and vanquishing evil.
Tom grew up in the Chesapeake Bay, and his love for his native land shines through in every word.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of Thomas Hollyday fiction and non-fiction goes to support drinking water resources for wildlife.
The River Sunday Romance Mystery series of books:
Slave Graves
Magnolia Gods
Gold
Powerboat Racer
Terror Flower
China Jewel
Easter Sunday
These books can be found in paperback and ebook format from most major online retailers including Amazon, iTunes, and Nook.
For more information, and to talk with Tom, visit:
Web: http://SolarSippers.com
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Twitter: @tomholly
Table of Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
About the Author
Gold (River Sunday Romance Mysteries Book 4) Page 23
