Read Online Fallen Mangrove (Jesse McDermitt Series Book 5) by Wayne Stinnett - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Wayne Stinnett
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looking. That said, our only recourse was to sell it to a less-than-reputable collector who probably melted it all down.”
“I’m not sure I follow you,” Doc said.
“If these clues do lead you to a 1566 Spanish treasure ship, the government of Spain is going to declare ownership and the government of the Bahamas is going to declare sovereignty. You’ll be lucky to get a tenth of the actual worth after months in Admiralty Court, but you will have the satisfaction of getting your picture in papers all over the world and you might have a wing to some museum in Spain named after you.”
“The alternative would be what you and Deuce’s dad did? Sell it on the black market?”
“Didn’t sit well with me either, but it was Russ’s find and I left it up to him.”
“The historical value of finding this one ship could be really significant,” Tony said.
“No need on deciding right now,” Doc said. “We don’t know anything about these ships and for all we know, they all were loaded with rum.”
I laughed. “If it had a cargo of four-hundred-year-old rum, that’d be worth keeping secret.”
“Then we’ll wait until tomorrow and see if Chyrel can find a manifest,” Doc said.
I walked up to the deck with the two men and sat down at the table on the rear deck to finish my beer as they headed across the clearing to the bunkhouse. It was clear and cooler than it had been in a while. After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted and the vastness of the night sky revealed itself. Rusty had taught me years ago how to read the timeless and predictable stars to figure my location. Now I didn’t even need a clock. Knowing the month, I could tell the time by where the stars were. The Pleiades were rising out of the east. The Seven Sisters are a winter constellation. Fleeing Orion, they were a reminder to early seafarers to leave their ships tied to the docks and tend the land. It was also a reminder to me that it was late, so I turned in.
Chapter Four
The phone on the desk was ringing as the slight, balding man walked into his office. He picked it up and spoke into the receiver, “Good morning, Florida Historical Society.”
“I think we finally have something,” came a voice over the phone.
“Who is this?” the man said.
“I just listened to the tape,” said the voice. “They have a lead on another treasure find.”
The man in the office was middle-aged and out of shape. Not that he’d ever been in good shape. He was five feet seven inches tall and a flabby one hundred seventy pounds. His skin was chalky from lack of sunshine and his hairline seemed to be in a race with time to see if it could reach the bald spot in back before the bald spot reached it. He walked over and closed his office door before speaking again.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“Listen for yourself,” said the voice on the phone. Then after a couple of clicks, a different voice, tinny and slightly distorted, came over the phone. “ If these clues do lead you to a 1566 Spanish treasure ship, the government of Spain is going to declare ownership and the government of the Bahamas is going to declare sovereignty. You’ll be lucky to get a tenth of the actual worth after years in court, but you will have the satisfaction of getting your picture in papers all over the world and you might have a wing to some museum in Spain named after you. ” Then there was another click and the man’s voice came back on. “The name of the ship is Magdalena . There’s more on the tape. See if you can find out anything on the ship. You should come down here. Today.”
The man loosened his cheap necktie and thought for a moment while checking his calendar. “I can’t get away this morning,” he finally said. “But I can be down there this afternoon.” Without a word, the call was ended and he placed the receiver in its cradle.
Chapter Five
A gentle wind was blowing from the west, my hammock swaying slightly to the beat of the song in my
“I’m not sure I follow you,” Doc said.
“If these clues do lead you to a 1566 Spanish treasure ship, the government of Spain is going to declare ownership and the government of the Bahamas is going to declare sovereignty. You’ll be lucky to get a tenth of the actual worth after months in Admiralty Court, but you will have the satisfaction of getting your picture in papers all over the world and you might have a wing to some museum in Spain named after you.”
“The alternative would be what you and Deuce’s dad did? Sell it on the black market?”
“Didn’t sit well with me either, but it was Russ’s find and I left it up to him.”
“The historical value of finding this one ship could be really significant,” Tony said.
“No need on deciding right now,” Doc said. “We don’t know anything about these ships and for all we know, they all were loaded with rum.”
I laughed. “If it had a cargo of four-hundred-year-old rum, that’d be worth keeping secret.”
“Then we’ll wait until tomorrow and see if Chyrel can find a manifest,” Doc said.
I walked up to the deck with the two men and sat down at the table on the rear deck to finish my beer as they headed across the clearing to the bunkhouse. It was clear and cooler than it had been in a while. After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted and the vastness of the night sky revealed itself. Rusty had taught me years ago how to read the timeless and predictable stars to figure my location. Now I didn’t even need a clock. Knowing the month, I could tell the time by where the stars were. The Pleiades were rising out of the east. The Seven Sisters are a winter constellation. Fleeing Orion, they were a reminder to early seafarers to leave their ships tied to the docks and tend the land. It was also a reminder to me that it was late, so I turned in.
Chapter Four
The phone on the desk was ringing as the slight, balding man walked into his office. He picked it up and spoke into the receiver, “Good morning, Florida Historical Society.”
“I think we finally have something,” came a voice over the phone.
“Who is this?” the man said.
“I just listened to the tape,” said the voice. “They have a lead on another treasure find.”
The man in the office was middle-aged and out of shape. Not that he’d ever been in good shape. He was five feet seven inches tall and a flabby one hundred seventy pounds. His skin was chalky from lack of sunshine and his hairline seemed to be in a race with time to see if it could reach the bald spot in back before the bald spot reached it. He walked over and closed his office door before speaking again.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“Listen for yourself,” said the voice on the phone. Then after a couple of clicks, a different voice, tinny and slightly distorted, came over the phone. “ If these clues do lead you to a 1566 Spanish treasure ship, the government of Spain is going to declare ownership and the government of the Bahamas is going to declare sovereignty. You’ll be lucky to get a tenth of the actual worth after years in court, but you will have the satisfaction of getting your picture in papers all over the world and you might have a wing to some museum in Spain named after you. ” Then there was another click and the man’s voice came back on. “The name of the ship is Magdalena . There’s more on the tape. See if you can find out anything on the ship. You should come down here. Today.”
The man loosened his cheap necktie and thought for a moment while checking his calendar. “I can’t get away this morning,” he finally said. “But I can be down there this afternoon.” Without a word, the call was ended and he placed the receiver in its cradle.
Chapter Five
A gentle wind was blowing from the west, my hammock swaying slightly to the beat of the song in my
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