She looked at me and smiled. “Right.”
“I mean, even today there’s probably, what, five thousand Libby Vails walking around?”
“Try four.”
“Four?”
She fidgeted with her necklace again and said, “I did an internet search. There are exactly four of us in the whole United States.”
The thin gold chain around Libby’s neck looked new. The pendant attached to it was an old circular piece of metal with what appeared to be ancient etching.
“Tell me about the necklace,” I said.
“I found it when digging in the crawlspace my first day here. I went right to it, was drawn to it the minute we turned the corner. It’s quite old, but there’s no connection to Jack Hawley. Unless he loved playing rugby!”
She removed the necklace and handed it to me. On one side someone had scratched the words, “I Love.” On the other: “Rugby.”
“How old is this?”
“It’s old, at least two hundred years. But it couldn’t date to Jack Hawley’s time. I know, because I researched the sport and no one called it Rugby before 1750.”
“Whatever happened to Hawley?”
“He was captured and hanged on March 25, 1711.”
“You’re positive?”
“One hundred percent.”
I thought about how I had faked my death a couple of times, and said, “How can you be so sure?”
“Two sailors joined Hawley’s crew when they were on shore leave in Charleston, South Carolina. They turned Jack in to the authorities after watching him command the ship for an entire month.”
“How do you know he didn’t bury his treasure in Charleston?”
“Because, according to the traitors, he never left the ship in Charleston. They captured him in St. Alban’s, trying to buy produce for a voyage to Jamaica.”
“Any witnesses at the trial?”
“His best friends, George and Marie Stout, were forced to testify. Under protest, they identified Jack and admitted he used to paddle up the Little River and dock at their place. Their kids said Jack spent a lot of time there.”
“And you searched that area?”
“Every square inch. I thought I had it made when I discovered an old well on the actual tract that belonged to the Stouts. But I got nothing in the way of a vibe.”
We sat silently for a few minutes. Then I said, “How do you plan to explain your disappearance?”
“When I’m ready to rejoin society I’ll have someone drive me halfway across the country and drop me off in the woods near a city. I’ll wander into town and say I’ve been kidnapped, blindfolded, and moved around so much I don’t know where I’ve been all this time. They’ll ask loads of questions, and I’ll get a few things mixed up, but if I didn’t, it wouldn’t make sense, right?”
“The deputy said you were kidnapped.”
“Figuratively, not literally. When the descendants came and talked to me I thought they were crazy, but I promised to think about it. That night, alone in my dorm room, I started whispering my name while thinking about Hawley. And something happened. I know this will sound crazy to you, but I felt him speak my name. Over the next few months it happened several times.”
“You’re right, it does sound crazy.”
“Told you.”
“Any history of insanity in your family?”
“None that I’ve found, and believe me, I’ve looked!”
“So it started as a treasure hunt, and now you’re helping people. If you want the big bucks, why not do a reality show on TV and make millions?”
“As I said, I don’t want my life to be a circus. Plus, I’m deep into my research, and things I’ve dismissed before are starting to make sense to me.”
“Like what?”
She seemed to glow, caught up in the moment. “I think I’m onto something even more valuable than money.”
“What’s that?”
“The secret of my heritage.”
“Meaning?”
“We’re all a product of our heritage, Mr. Creed.”
“And why is that so important?”
She smiled. “Well, I’m descended from a famous pirate.”
“Jack Hawley.”
“Yes, Gentleman Jack, as he liked to be called. And about three hundred years ago—”
It was my turn to hold up a hand. “I know the story.”
Libby’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, no you don’t.”
“I do.”
“Sorry, but you don’t.”
“Maybe not every detail,” I conceded, “but I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on it.”
“Trust me,” she said. “You have no idea.”
“I think I do,” I said, stubbornly.
She flashed a mischievous grin. “Do you?” she said. A little giggle escaped from her throat. “Do you?” she said, louder, and as she said it her giggle grew until it burst through the tiny room and echoed off the walls.
Part Two
THEN
Chapter 1
THE YEAR OF Our Lord, 1710…
The ship was huge.
With three masts, twenty-eight guns, and a crew of fifty-seven men, it carried a cargo of sugar cane, medicine, wild pigs, and Jamaican Rum. Though it pushed more than three hundred tons, it fairly flew through the water. And such water it was! Pure and clean with a light green hue, and when the bow slapped down, sending a light spray over the deck, it stung the eye and tasted warm and salty on the lips.
The ship was surrounded on all sides by sparkling emerald seas, far as the eye could see. Astern, a dozen porpoises frolicked in the wake, performing wild acrobatic jumps and gyrations to the amusement of the twenty-two hardened crewmen currently off duty. While sailors around the world considered it good luck to share their rations with the sleek sea creatures, it was a rare event to do so, since rations were typically meager and meant to last. But for this particular crew, these were bountiful times. With the ship’s hold freshly restocked the day before, the men could finally afford to toss the last of their weevil-infested biscuits overboard.
Amid-ships, a solitary man stood alone on the upper deck bridge. Lean and tall he was, with long black hair and piercing blue eyes that sparkled when he laughed or had a story to tell. But there were no stories to be told today, for he was determined to ride this strong Westerly wind as far as it would take them. He heard a fluttering sound, looked up at the sails, and frowned. Then he barked an order to the nervous helmsman.
The Quarter-Master, a stocky red-haired Welshman named Pim, tugged at his enormous fiery red muttonchops with both hands, as was his habit when annoyed. It was well known among the ship’s crew that the angrier Pim became, the harder he pulled. He’d been tugging his beard with growing frequency this quarter hour, and was in fact a mere tug away from physically assaulting his fellow crewmate. The Captain’s sharp word had probably saved the helmsman from a severe beating. Pim gave a nod of acknowledgment to the Captain before turning his attention to the tireless sailors who had been working the sails two hours nonstop, attempting to fill every inch of silk with wind. Up to now, they’d made great progress despite their semi-drunk helmsman’s poor showing.
But the man’s errant steering threatened to undermine morale.
The Captain glared at his tipsy crewmember, and cocked his head as if to convey a final warning. The Helmsman, sober enough to catch his meaning, immediately apologized to the Quarter-Master and sailors. It was a sincere apology and a wise decision on his part, considering the harsh penalties for drunkenness while under sail. In normal circumstances, when transporting cargo to port, a drunken helmsman would at the very least be treated to five lashes across the bare back with a rope dipped in tar. Had the infraction occurred under battle conditions, he would surely suffer death by keelhaul.
But neither Captain nor crew were in a mood to punish anyone today. As the steering adjustment took effect, both the Captain and Pim checked the sail before catching each others’ eye. The Captain winked, and Pim pumped his fist in the air and shouted to his sailors, “Keep ‘er sheets full, lads! As big and full as the jugs of St. Alban’s.”