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Authors: Kathy Reichs

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“Because we have to get rid of them.”
“The insane curators should be waking up about now,” Ben argued. “And we still don’t know who tailed us in the Studebaker. We need to protect ourselves.”
I crossed my arms. “What do you know about guns?”
“Plenty,” Ben said. “My father has a whole rack.”
“You willing to hide two semi-automatic pistols at your house?” I turned to Hi and Shelton. “How about you two? They aren’t coming home with me.”
“The guns could stay in the bunker,” Shelton said. “We could hide them in the back room near the old mineshaft.”
“We do
not
need guns.” I caught and held Shelton’s eye. “Are you really ready to shoot someone?”
He looked away.
“I’m with Tory,” Hi said. “I get nervous just talking about firearms. We’ve done fine so far without packing heat.”
“It’s not who we are,” I said. “We don’t need guns to protect ourselves.”
Ben sighed, then picked up both weapons and tossed them overboard.
“Now can we open it?” Hi wheedled.
I flashed a wicked grin. “Try to stop me!”
“Shoot!” Shelton shook a fist in frustration. “I didn’t bring my lock-pick set.”
Ben reached for the excavation tools. “Give me room.”
We spread out as best we could. Ben wedged a chisel against the padlock and began hammering. For five minutes the lock held. Then . . .
Clunk.
The hasp gave.
“I promise to still hang with you guys when I’m super loaded,” Hi said. “The swank life won’t change me. Much.”
“Open it open it open it!” Shelton squealed.
Ben moved aside. “We found it because of Tory. She has the honor.”
“Tory! Tory! Tory!” Hi and Shelton chanted in unison.
After executing a mock bow, I flipped open the latch and pushed back on the lid.
Ancient hinges creaked.
I peered into the trunk’s dark interior, the boys crowding close around me.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
We gaped, dumbstruck, eyes transfixed by the sight before us.
The chest was empty.
PART FOUR:
BOOTY
CHAPTER 57
T
he full moon glowed like a spotlight, illuminating the lonely parking lot below.
Making the job that much easier.
Just one car was present, pulled close to a ramp adjoining an empty dock.
Above, eyes watched.
It was the deepest part of night, that dark period halfway between midnight and dawn.
A rough gravel road descended to the waterfront. On its shoulder, a second car idled, concealed from view.
A match flared inside the vehicle, ignited a tiny red circle. Smoke streamed outward, spread, then escaped in tendrils through a cracked window.
Suddenly, a soft buzzing carried over the water.
Finally
.
Another pull. The circle flamed brighter. A diaphanous cloud swirled within the confined space.
Seconds ticked by. The buzzing deepened, grew louder.
A boat appeared in the blackness and slowly puttered to the pier. Aboard, two figures worked to tie up the vessel. They moved slowly, as though underwater or deeply fatigued.
The pair disembarked in silence and trudged up the ramp. Keys jingled. Headlights flashed on the car beside the ramp. A
whop-whop
disengaged the locks.
On the access-road shoulder, a car door opened.
The fiery circle tumbled through the air and landed in a shower of angry sparks.
Go time
.
Boots crunched downward toward their target.
CHAPTER 58
I
should’ve just banged my head against a wall.
I’d have gotten the same results, only quicker, and with less pain.
“I’m done with this nonsense.” Shelton spread his hands in a wipe-away gesture. “D-O-N-E. Done! Put a fork in me.”
His dramatics startled Coop, who padded over to investigate.
Wednesday afternoon. Another bunker meeting, after another all-night adventure. And, once again, nothing to show for our efforts.
The only good luck I had working was Kit’s heavy sleeping.
“Calm down!” I said. “We shouldn’t rush into any—”
“This thing has gotten
way
out of hand,” Shelton blurted. “We almost got killed. Our powers went berserk. And there’s no treasure anyway! It’s time to throw in the towel.”
“You did it again, Tory,” Hi said quietly. “Telepathy. Forcing us to flare. And for Shelton and me, it was the second burn that night. Did you learn anything?”
“No.” My fist hit the table. “I don’t know how I do it. I tried to connect with you and Shelton when we first saw the wolves with Chance, but it wouldn’t work. Then later, at the dig site, the contact came easily.”
“Any theories?” Hi asked.
I shook my head. “I can’t explain how I reached you guys when the Fletchers showed up. I just did.”
“Terror?” Ben guessed. “Danger?”
“I was plenty nervous when the wolves circled us, believe me.”
“For some reason, Tory seems to flare the strongest.” Hi turned to me. “You can tap our minds, but we can’t return the favor. Only you can flare twice in a row. Only you can
force
the other Virals to burn. And we have no idea why.”
“Did you call those wolves?” Shelton seemed afraid of what I might answer. “Could you talk to them?”
“Yes and no. They might’ve contacted me; I can’t be sure. But I heard White Muzzle’s voice in my head, just like I’ve heard Coop’s before.” Pause. “At least, I think I heard it.”
That was a showstopper. The boys were struck silent.
“I’m getting closer to the answers,” I said. “I can feel it.”
“You don’t even know what you’re doing!” Shelton started ticking off fingers. “Let’s recap. We’re infected with an unknown supervirus. We
cannot
control it. We don’t know what crazy side effects might happen next. Our bodies might be spiraling out of control.”
My gaze hardened. “We can’t hide under our beds.”
“You want to keep treasure hunting?” Shelton sounded exasperated. “Looking for what, exactly? We
found
the damn chest. It’s a blank.”
“We should call the cops now,” Hi argued. “The Fletchers tried to kill us. Since there’s no treasure to hide, there’s no reason not to bust them.”
“With what evidence?” I rubbed circles on my temples. “It’s our word against theirs, and we stole the museum’s treasure map. The Fletchers can turn us in anytime they want. No one will believe our story.”
“We dropped our trump cards over the side,” Ben groused. “Those guns would’ve been useful as evidence.”
“Give me a break. I didn’t know the chest would be empty.”
“Twice we’ve risked our necks, found zilch.” Shelton crossed his arms. “Now insane married treasure-hunter museum curators are stalking us. Tell me the good news.”
“I found the phone they used to track
Sewee
,” Ben said. “Stashed under the life vests. It’s now at the bottom of the Atlantic with their weapons.”
“Chris said they don’t drive a Studebaker.” Hi rubbed a chubby cheek. “Think he was lying?”
I spread my palms. Who knows?
“And don’t forget Chance.” Shelton was in a state. “He saw our eyes. He could cause
big
trouble now.”
Shelton’s words reminded me of a topic I’d been avoiding.
“Chance isn’t the only one,” I muttered. “Two days ago, I made a mistake at cotillion. I flashed my eyes at Madison Dunkle.”
“You did what!?” Shelton popped to his feet.
“Tory, no!” Hiram’s eyes were dinner plates.
“Quiet!” Ben raised a hand. “Tell us what happened.”
I did. Every last detail. When I’d finished, the boys sat mute, considering the implications of my actions.
“Maybe you can play it off,” Shelton suggested. “Pretend it was a trick with the lighting. Or funny contact lenses.”
I nodded, but wasn’t convinced.
“You’re
sure
Courtney and Ashley didn’t see?” Ben asked.
“Reasonably. I leaned close to Madison for maximum effect.”
Hi shook his head. Shelton’s gaze found the ceiling.
“Look, it was stupid. I know that.”
My statement was greeted by vigorous nods.
“But only Madison saw, and she isn’t likely to talk.
Everyone
heard me tell her off, and I was incredibly rude. If she starts saying weird things about me now, no one will believe her. Plus, she’ll look weak.”
“You can smell people’s emotions?” Shelton had retaken his seat on the bench. “Seriously? That’s kind of dope.”
I shrugged. “Sometimes. Hi and I did some research, and it’s not as wacky as it sounds. You just need a crazy-good nose.”
To clean the slate, I told Ben and Shelton about my flare at the yacht club, and how I’d used my sniffing power to read Lonnie Bates.
“How many times
have
you flared in public?” Ben scowled. “Ridiculous.”
“So dogs
can
smell fear.” Shelton scratched Coop’s ears. “I knew it.”
“We need to keep Chance away from Madison,” Hi said. “Both have seen too much, but alone, neither would be believed. Together? Different story.”
“Chance saw the most,” Ben said grimly. “He’s witnessed
two
separate flare incidents. The whole deal. He’s a major threat now.”
“Maybe an alligator ate him,” Shelton joked lamely.
“Plus, Chance is an escaped mental patient,” Hi added. “That’s not exactly the apex of the credibility pyramid.”
“He won’t go to the police,” Ben guessed. “Chance thinks we found treasure.”
“We’ll deal with Chance when he turns up,” I said. “Right now, we need to focus on our next move.”
“Let it go!” Shelton slapped his knees in frustration.
“There’s no move to make, Tory.” Hi pointed to the empty chest resting against the bunker wall. “We found the treasure, and it’s right there. Nothing.”
“We can’t just quit.” I sounded like a broken record. “If we do, I’ll be moving to freaking Alabama!”
That
got their attention.
“That’s right. Kit has accepted an offer. I’ll be gone in a month.”
“Me too,” Hi said quietly. “My dad lined up a gig in Missouri. Some chemical factory. I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you guys.”
“We’re moving, too.” Shelton kicked a tennis ball. Coop scampered after it. “Palo Alto. Next month. But hey, West Coast is the best coast, right?”
Worse and worse. My eyes flicked to Ben.
“
I’ll
still be here. Only over in Mount Pleasant, with my mom. She’s enrolling me at Wando High.” Ben gave a tough-guy shrug. “Could be okay.”
For a long moment, no one spoke. Each Viral was wrapped in his or her own gloomy thoughts. The meeting now felt like a hospital vigil. Our pack was on life support.
“We have to keep at it.” I tried for one last rally. “We can’t allow
anything
to split us up! I’m afraid.”
Hi crossed the room and placed a hand on mine.
“I wish things could be different, too.” His eyes were glassy. “But sometimes you can’t win. We’re just kids.”
With those words, he ducked into the crawl and slipped out of the bunker.
Shelton bailed next, wiping his eyes. Ben followed, unwilling to meet my gaze. That left Coop and me.
I got down and rubbed his snout. Coop rolled to his back, delighted by my attention.
“You won’t leave me, will you boy?”
The tension of the last week finally overwhelmed my defenses.
Anguish rocked me.
I wanted Mom. Needed the warmth of her embrace. The soothing, familiar comfort of her hands stroking my hair, her arms hugging me, her lips whispering that everything would be okay. That I was safe. Loved.
And I couldn’t have it. Not then, or ever again.
I cried and cried and cried, my only comfort the companionship of my loyal wolfdog. We huddled together on the bunker floor, me weeping, Coop licking the tears from my cheeks.
I’d never felt more beaten.
CHAPTER 59
“ G
et a grip, Victoria. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
Coop cocked an ear.
“Not you, big guy.” I scratched his snout. “Mommy’s upset that everyone threw in the towel.”
Maybe the boys were right. What else could we do?
There were no more riddles or poems. No treasure map to follow.
The task was complete. We’d navigated Bonny’s trail of clues and successfully dug up her prize. Five feet from me, a pirate chest rested against the wall.
Totally empty.
So why couldn’t I let it go? Why was I
convinced
the treasure was still out there?
Intuition? Instinct?
Or was it something less pleasant? Delusion. Denial of reality. Avoidance of a hard truth.
Screw that.
I wasn’t quitting until I had no choice. Loggerhead was counting on me.
Save the psychology for someone who cares.
Who knows? Anne Bonny might be my long-lost ancestor. Her treasure might belong to me by birthright.
No backing down yet. Not while I had bullets left to fire.
Palming tears from my cheeks, I scooted over to the chest. It was all I had left to work with.
My fingers traced the trunk’s grime-crusted exterior. The frame was still solid, even after three centuries underground.
The lid seemed flawless in design and construction. Bringing my eyes close, I scanned where its lip met the box frame. Unmarred. No divots, cracks, or gouges.
Conclusion: the chest had never been forced open.
Until we popped the padlock, the contents were undisturbed.
What did that mean?
“Two possibilities,” I said aloud. “One, the chest was buried empty. Two, the chest was buried containing treasure, dug up later, and then reburied empty.”

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