“How did he get access to their… oh, never mind.” Avery took a sip of her tea and pondered this new information. “No mention of a chest?”
“Not in the email. Jimmy would have mentioned it. But maybe in the journal?”
“It’s possible,” she mused. “I’ve researched Vesey and there’s no indication that he ever possessed a sea chest, but maybe Kidd told him where one or more could be found. It’s worth following up on. Anything else on the list?”
“It’s not specifically a sea chest, but there’s a chest connected with the Poe Museum. It once belonged to Edgar Allan Poe.”
“No connection to Kidd?” Bones asked.
“No. I guess he made the connection because I included The Gold Bug in the list of Dad’s research items.”
“Poe was a Kidd aficionado,” Avery said. “But I’ve been to the Poe Museum and there were no chests there that fit the bill.”
“So, cross Baltimore off the list,” Dane said.
“You mean Richmond,” Avery corrected.
“No, the Poe House and Museum in Baltimore.”
“What? That place is tiny. There’s almost nothing there, and definitely no sea chest.” Avery stood and began pacing.
“She’s definitely got that Maddock intensity,” Bones observed before breaking into laughter as Dane and Avery shot dirty looks his way.
“He’s added a link here, let me check it out.” Dane tapped on the hyperlink Jimmy provided and it opened to an article from the Baltimore Sun, in which an director at the Baltimore Maritime Museum bemoaned the city’s refusal to continue funding the Poe House. Dane read it over twice and saw no mention of a sea chest. “I don’t see anything here.”
Avery snatched his phone away and read the article. Frown lines appeared in her brow and disappeared almost immediately.
“It’s in the picture!” She tapped on the image that accompanied the article. “You missed it because it’s so tiny on the screen, but check it.” She held up the phone for both to see and, sure enough, a wooden chest sat on a shelf in the background over the director’s shoulder. “You’ve never seen it, but this is an exact match for the Kidd chest that Dad discovered!”
“Do you think this director guy found this chest at the Poe House and helped himself to it?”
“Could be. Even if this is a Kidd chest, unless you know what’s inside, it doesn’t have much value. I can see how someone who admires Poe and also loves maritime history could give in to temptation.”
“That would explain why it’s never been identified as a Kidd chest. As far as anyone knew, it was just another wooden chest that Poe stored his crap in,” Bones interjected. “Who knows, it might have been gathering dust in an attic somewhere until this guy found it.”
“I think they’re both worth checking out. Which one do we follow up on first?”Avery asked.
“New York’s on the way to Baltimore,” Bones said.
Dane nodded.
“Wall Street here we come.”
“Questioning her will not get us anywhere.” Locke shook his head and closed the door behind him. He had hoped Bonebrake’s sister would be a reliable source of information, but it was not to be.
“Are you certain? I could use some more… intense techniques.” Shears ran his hand over his shaved scalp. He wasn’t prone to the excesses that made Fisher so erratic, but efforts were not needed.
“No. She told me everything she knew, which is not much.”
“With all due respect, where’s the harm in making certain?” Shears didn’t quite meet his eye as he spoke. Clearly, he had more on his mind than gathering information.
“Torture only motivates the victim to tell you whatever they think you want to hear.” Locke kept his tone patient, though frustration was wearing on him. He dreaded his next call to Morgan. He needed a breakthrough. “Besides, if we keep her largely intact, we might possibly make use of her.”
“How do you mean?” Shears asked.
“Never mind. Just keep an eye on her and let me know when she’s fully awake. She and I are going to make a telephone call.” He left Shears to guard the cell. Dane Maddock had stolen the prize out from under his nose, but now Locke had a bargaining chip.
Returning to his office, he logged onto his computer and performed a search on Angelica Bonebrake. He had not expected to find much, perhaps a social networking page from which he could glean a few bits of useful information, but the pages of hits that filled his screen took him aback. The girl was a professional fighter and a minor celebrity.
He stroked his chin and smiled. He did not yet have a treasure to give to Morgan, but this girl’s unique set of skills would make her a perfect plaything for Morgan’s little games.
Chapter 20
“This is most unexpected, Sisters.” Morgan ushered Tamsin and Rhiannon into her private study. “Our next meeting is not for two days.”
“We felt it was necessary for us to come early,” Tamsin said. “We are certain you were eager to share your news with us.”
“Of course.”
Three chairs formed a triangle in the center of the room. They met in the middle, joined hands, and spoke the ritual words. As the ancient speech rolled across her tongue, Morgan felt a strong kinship to their forbears. She could almost feel the power coursing through her veins. How satisfying it would be when the three were made one again, and she wielded a power long forgotten by the world.
When the ritual ended, they took their seats and Morgan began her explanation.
“It’s nothing really,” Morgan said. “I have received yet another request to run for Parliament along with a hint that I would make for a fine Prime Minister.”
“That is not what I’m talking about.” Tamsin glowered at her. “What have you found at the island?”
It was the question Morgan had anticipated the moment they had appeared at her doorstep, and she was prepared.
“I have news, though it is not all I had hoped it would be.” She described in great detail the Templar church that had been discovered beneath Oak Island, omitting the smaller chamber where the lost item, whichever one it was, had been kept. She showed them the photographs researchers had taken, apologizing that she had not assembled them into a proper presentation.
“So you see,” she finished, “the discovery confirms that the Templars did, in fact, reach Oak Island, but we have not recovered any of the items we seek.” She gave a false sigh. “If the news had been better, I would have summoned you immediately but, considering the limited success of our search, I was not eager to give you my report.” There. That should settle them.
“Do we have any leads on the artifact that was stolen from the church, or on the man who took it?”
Morgan froze in the act of shutting off her computer. How had Tamsin come by this information? She knew all of her Sister’s key operatives and their activities and whereabouts. None of them could have possibly known. And Rhiannon’s base of power lay in the church, so she could not be the source. It was a conundrum that would require her attention, but not right now. Now was the time to stand firm.
“Locke is working on it,” she said simply. Maintaining her calm exterior, she returned to her seat, sat with her hands folded in her lap, and smiled at Tamsin. Ordinarily, Morgan would not waste time sitting in silence, but she knew Tamsin put great store in such trifles as not being the first to speak, thinking it somehow gave her power. Let her believe that. Right now, Morgan could use it to her own advantage. She watched as Tamsin’s cheeks reddened and she began to chew on her lip and fidget slightly until finally she could take no more.
“What is this plan?” Her voice was hot with anger.