Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (6 page)

Dane, Bones, and Angel all produced identification, but Meade declined Angel
’
s proffered driver
’
s license with a flick of his index finger.

“
Only the gentlemen, please.
”
He examined the licenses.
“
Dane Maddock and Uriah Bonebrake,
”
he pronounced, like a principal calling unruly students into his office. Dane saw Avery glance at Bones when Meade read his name. Bones hated his birth name.
“
You are a long way from home, gentlemen.
”

“
That
’
s not a crime, Sheriff,
”
Dane said.
“
As I
’
m sure you
’
re aware.
”

“
But aggravate
d
assault is a crime, Mister Maddock. As I
’
m certain
you
are aware. I don
’
t know what your relationship is with Miss Halsey, but I can assure you I do not condone beating up ex-boyfriends.
”

Avery started to argue, but Meade silenced her with a cold glance.

“
You and your friend provoked a fight with my son. Were it not for the presence of his friends, his injuries might have been even worse.
”

Now it was Dane
’
s turn to quiet Avery. Meade thought the game was his, but Dane held the trump card. He had to play
it just
right, though.

“
I assume you
’
ve taken statements from witnesses?
”
Dane said.

“
Of course.
”
Meade smiled, leaned back in his chair, and folded his arms across his chest.

“
Witnesses other than your son
’
s friends, I mean,
”

Meade shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“
They all tell the same story. Rodney and Miss Halsey were talking out their differences. You interrupted, my son spoke rudely to you, and the two of you attacked him. His friends pulled you off, both of them sustaining injuries in the process.
”

“
Well, allow me to retort,
”
Bones said, quoting a line from his favorite movie,
Pulp Fiction.

“
Did your son and his friends tell you he was manhandling Avery?
”
Angel snapped, cutting across Bones
’
rebuttal with one of her own.
“
I tried to get her away from him, and was forced to defend myself whe
n one of his friends grabbed me.
Or do you condone violence against women in this count
y
?
”

“
That is not the story as I heard it.
”
Meade
’
s voice remained calm but Dane did not miss the annoyed glance he shot at Rodney, who, beneath his mask of bruises, wore a guilty expression.
“
Can you produce witnesses to support your version of events?
”

“
You
’ve
got four witnesses sitting right here,
”
Bones said.
“
Two of them decorated veterans of the United States Navy.
”

“
You
’
re not in the States, Mister Bonebrake. In any case, your ribbons and medals hold no sway in my county.
”
Meade looked around the table.
“
Do you have any unbiased witnesses who can support you?
”

“
You know everyone in this county is afraid to testify against Rodney,
”
Avery said,
”
because they
’
re afraid of you.
”

“
I
’ll
take that as a no, then,
”
Meade said.
“
I
’
m afraid I
’
ll have to ask you gentlemen to come with me. Please know I have deputies waiting outside should you resist.
”
His smile indicated he welcomed the thought.

“
You
’
re an elected official, aren
’
t you, Sheriff?
”
Dane asked. The question stopped Meade as he rose, his bottom hovering a few inches above the chair.

“
Why do you ask?
”

“
I take
it
you have not
yet
reviewed the security video.
”

Meade eased back into his chair.

“
The video confirms our story. The owner was kind enough to make a
digital
clip of the incident and email it to me. I
’
d rather not post it online and send links to the local news outlets.
”
From the corner of his eye, Dane saw Rodney shuffle away from his father, who had gone stock-still.
“
Let
’
s be realistic,
”
Dane said.
“
We both have the power to make trouble for each other, but why bother.
”
He hardened his voice.
“
I
’
ve been in all kinds of battles, Sheriff Meade, and one thing I
’
ve learned; it
’
s better to avoid them whenever you can.
”

Meade was intelligent enough to see reason.

“
Clearly I was misinformed. But next time you have a problem with someone, let the authorities deal with it. That is our job, not yours.
”

Angel looked like she was itching to make a sarcastic comment,
but
Dane nudged her under the table.

“
We will,
”
Dane said.
“
Thank you for hearing us out.
”

Meade nodded to the ladies and beat as fast a retreat as dignity would permit.

“
I can
’
t believe him!
”
Angel said.
“
Like it
’
s so easy to stop and call the cops when some guy
’
s got his hands all over you.
”

“
We let him save face,
”
Dane explained.
“
That way, maybe he
’
ll stay out of our hair.
”

Angel thought for a moment, then nodded.
“
You know, you
’
re a lot smarter than Bones
gives you credit for
.
”

Dane grinned and called the server over for another round of drinks. Their meals arrived, and they passed an easy
hour of beer
, seafood, and conversation. Angel, who had joined Crazy Charlie
’
s island work crew at the last minute, steered the conversation away from Kidd
’
s treasure, asking about the history of Oak Island and its fabled
Money Pit.

“
It all goes back to 1795,
”
Avery began, when a young man found an old block and tackle hanging above a depression in the earth. This area was thick with pirates back in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and kids around here grew up hearing stories of buried treasure. So, the young man came back with some friends and they started digging. Within a few feet, they hit a layer of flagstones. Not a layer of natural rock, but actual, hewn stones. They kept digging, but
kept
hitting wooden platforms at regular intervals. That, plus the pick marks on the sides of the shaft made it obvious
to them they were dealing with something
man-made.
”

“
Now the story rings a bell,
”
Angel said.
“
I hadn
’
t put that particular legend together with our project. Bones was always more into legends than I was. If I recall, since that first discovery, treasure hunters have tried to excavate the shaft but, no matter how deep they go, they just hit more platforms.
”

“
Correct. And the pit keeps flooding,
”
Avery said.
“
The island is filled with underground channels.
”

“
Which is where we come in,
”
Bones said.
“
Charlie wants us to locate every channel we can find and see if any appear to be man-made.
”

“
Which they don
’
t,
”
Dane
added
.

Bones nodded.
“
He also wants to see if they can be sealed and the water drained out.
”

“
No one
’
s tried it before?
”
Angel asked.

“
They have, but they
’
ve always failed.
”
Avery
shook her head.

“
So why keep trying? It sounds like an impossible task. Has anyone found a single bit of treasure?
”
Angel
’
s brow was knotted and she pursed her lips.
“
Have we signed up for a wild goose chase?
”

“
A few things have been found over the years.
”
Avery stiffened and raised her voice.
“
Seafaring-related artifacts, bits of gold chain, parchment, and, of course, the stone.
”

“
What stone?
”
Angel asked.

“
A stone inscribed with strange symbols,
”
Dane said.
“
The message was translated as
‘
Forty Feet below two million pounds are buried.
’
Its authenticity is questionable, though.
”

“
I have more evidence than that,
”
Avery said.
“
Accounts no one else has seen. I know there
’
s something down there.
”
She turned to Dane.
“
That
’
s why I need to see your father
’
s research.
”
She
held his gaze
.
“
I
’
m not a quack treasure hunter. This has been a scholarly endeavor for me from the start. My colleagues haven
’
t taken me seriously, but I
’
m right on the verge of proving them wrong. I
’
ve got everything I need to publish except...
”
She fell silent and looked down into her half-empty mug of beer.

“
Except proof,
”
Dane said. Avery nodded and looked up at him again. Dane saw the pleading in her eyes.
“
I don
’
t want to get your hopes up,
”
he sighed.
“
I
’
ve been through Dad
’
s papers, and there
’
s nothing there. But I
’
ll take another, closer look. If there
’
s anything at all that might help you, I
’
ll give you a call.
”

“
I suppose that
’
s as much as I could have hoped for,
”
Avery said glumly.
“
Thanks.
”

Dane went out of his way to avoid looking at Bones. He knew what his friend was thinking, but Bones was wrong. This was not the beginning of another of their crazy adventures.