Jimmy Letson knew, Maddock reminded himself. One of these days they were going to have to give the guy something more than just a bottle of booze.
Bones paused before ducking his head through the opening. “Remember when we were out looking for Blackbeard’s ghost a couple nights ago?”
“How could I forget?”
“Well, that feeling I had that we weren’t alone? I have that same feeling right now. As we went through the woods, I saw a sign or two that something else walking on two legs had been in the area recently.”
“Maybe it was Bigfoot.” Sterling managed to deliver the line without humor.
“Nah, Bigfoot would have left bigger signs. Plus there’s always a funky smell around Bigfoot.”
“I was kidding, Bones.”
“Never kid about Bigfoot.” Bones displayed most of his teeth in a look Maddock couldn’t describe as completely humorous. “That’s okay, I’ll let it slide this time. Anyway, we just need to be extra careful.”
With that he disappeared into the cave. Maddock allowed Sterling to go next and he brought up the rear. All three carried MagLites and Glocks. Sterling had grudgingly provided them with the weapons. The Lieutenant had definitely loosened up somewhat after the initial day or two, probably because they were getting closer to finding the treasure.
The initial chamber was roughly circular, about fifteen feet in diameter, with walls seemingly chiseled from the stone. About four feet into the room, the ceiling rose high enough for Maddock to stand without bending at all.
He noticed surprisingly little moisture on the rocky surfaces and the whole picture made him wonder how such a place could have been created. Water was the only force likely to have done this, but normally that left behind plenty of small channels for ingress and egress, which would have rendered the cave overgrown in short order.
Slowly they moved through an opening on the far side of the room, this one requiring them to get on their knees and crawl through. Maddock didn’t feel like they had searched the initial chamber fully, but he figured Bones wanted to take in the bigger picture before beginning more methodical work. The second chamber was much like the first except about half the diameter, with a maximum ceiling height of about five feet. Unlike the first room, which was clear of pretty much everything, this one contained a number of scattered rocks ranging from pebbles to slabs three or four feet long.
They searched for half an hour, inspecting every inch of the surface. They poked, prodded, and pushed until they finally were forced to admit defeat.
“What now?” Bones asked.
“Maybe go have a beer and regroup,” Maddock said, tucking his MagLite in his pocket as they stepped out into the sun.
“Hold on! You’re just giving up?” Sterling stood at the cave entrance with her hands on her hips. “We can’t do that.”
“We’re not giving up, but we need a new plan. Obviously, the cave is a dead end.” Maddock sighed. “Maybe the treasure was with the wreck and Washington did manage to retrieve it somehow.”
“But if that were the case, he’d have left instructions for Lafayette to find it,” she argued. “Otherwise, what would be the point of leaving him the journal?”
Maddock came to a sudden stop. “You’re right.” He quickened his pace, forcing even the long-legged Bones to double-time it.
“What’s the deal, Maddock?” Bones asked.
“Maybe nothing. We’ll see.”
“Cryptic might work for books and movies, but in real life it’s a big pain in the butt, you know that?”
“So are you.”
“Touché.”
When they reached the car, Maddock grabbed the cipher book in which he had placed the last page of Washington’s journal, along with the translation.
“The last page of the journal had only part of a single line.” He held up the page.
…there you will find the wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
“When I read it, I naturally assumed the Revenge would be the end of the journey. But, like Sterling says, if that’s the case, it doesn’t make sense that Washington would make this the last clue.” He looked at Bones. “Can I borrow your Zippo?”
Bones understood immediately. “If you’re right about this, drinks are on me tonight.”
“If I’m right, we might be too busy to go for drinks.” He popped open the lid of the Zippo and an instant later, flame blossomed in the deep forest shade. Carefully, he held it under the page — close enough to warm it but not so close as to scorch the aged paper.
“Now I don’t know if I want you to be right or not,” Bones said. “I really could go for a beer.”
They didn’t have to wait long to find out. In a matter of seconds, dark lines appeared on the page.
“There’s more to the cipher!” Sterling gasped. “I’ll copy it down.”
“Sorry Bones,” Maddock said with a grin. “I guess drinks will have to wait.”
SIXTEEN
Turn your back to the rising sun.
Let your path be true.
Beyond the whispering waters.
Above the blackness so foul.
Into the mouth of the devil.
The disciples.
The days of creation.
The blessed trinity.
There was found that which pierced the flesh of our Savior.
May God have mercy on me.
“That’s…not very specific.” Sterling ran a hand through her hair. “Why couldn’t he just say, walk that way?”
“He did,” Maddock said. “Turn your back to the rising sun. That means face west.”
“Let your path be true means… walk straight ahead?” Bones offered.
Sterling’s expression brightened. “And there’s a stream not too far from here. That could be the whispering water.”
Maddock nodded. “That’s enough to get us started. I guess we’ll find out what the rest means as we go.”
Beginning from the shore, due west of the wreck site, they began their march inland. The going quickly grew rough as the foliage grew dense. Palmettos, vines, and shrubs stood in their path, and Bones seemed to take their interference as a personal affront. The big native hacked and slashed at them, roughly clearing a path for his companions to follow.
“I’ll bet you were a heck of a football player,” Sterling said.
“Might have been, but I had a habit of getting kicked off of whatever team I joined.”
“There’s a shocker.” Sterling winced as a branch Bones had pushed aside snapped back, cracking her across the cheek. “Did you do that on purpose?”
“Of course not. My humor is more sophisticated than that.”
Sterling flashed her middle finger at Bones’ back.
“I saw that,” Bones said.
Sterling turned to Maddock. “How does he…?”
“It’s a gift. No one can explain it.”
They crossed the stream and continued on. The way grew steeper and they found themselves climbing a gentle slope.
“Man, what is that smell?” The words had barely escaped Bones’ lips when the big man let out a cry and vanished from sight.
“Bones!” Maddock rushed forward but halted as he reached the edge of steep drop-off. Down below, Bones sat in several inches of black mud and stagnant water.
“I think I found the ‘blackness so foul’.” Bones crinkled his nose at the stench.
Maddock struggled to suppress his laughter, but failed miserably. Sterling slumped against his shoulder, tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks, her chest heaving.