Caribbean Gold

CHAPTER TWELVE

The team browsed through the various creations Crouch had made. Caitlyn sighed and then laughed a little as she handled the sheets of paper.

“Problem?” Crouch asked.

“I’ve seen better coastline drawings,” Alicia said. “Just sayin’.”

“Nothing wrong with them,” Caitlyn said. “But I’m from the current age, Michael. All the maps I use are digital and can’t be touched. I’m a researcher and might have started off picking through dusty shelves but the only dust I touch these days is on top of my computer. It feels odd, handling real paper research.”

“I have to say,” Russo spoke out, “that I don’t see why we should follow them in order. Are you saying one may be a red herring? Or that they are deliberately jumbled?”

“Probably something to do with this.” Alicia tapped the first map where Crouch had written several lines. “Follow these maps the right way, or you may have to bite the bullet.”

Healey shook his head. “I don’t get it.”

“Basically, a warning,” Caitlyn said. “Many of today’s sayings were born in pirate days. Blood is thicker than water. Bitter end. Calm before the storm. And — bite the bullet.” She pressed a few buttons. “Apparently sailors were given a bullet to bite on during difficult operations before the use of anesthetics. Hence, bite the bullet. Facing up to something rather unpleasant.”

“You’re not suggesting bloody traps?” Alicia moaned. “I hate traps. Healey — you’re youngest. You go in first.”

Caitlyn shrugged. “All we know is there is a warning. Don’t you think we should heed it?”

Russo capitulated with a gesture. Alicia held up the map before her eyes. “Caitlyn, can you get a picture of the Panama coastline up on that screen?”

“Don’t take that sketch as gospel,” Crouch said. “My memory may be bordering on eidetic but it’s not picture perfect by any means.”

“Am I being stupid?” Healey asked, rather dangerously, as Caitlyn and Alicia compared the coastlines. “But why are we just assuming these are treasure maps? Because some diver said so? I mean, how lucky would it be to find these particular maps as they’re searching all five wrecks?”

“You’re suggesting they’re fakes?” Crouch asked him. “Well, anything is possible. But don’t be too cynical. Many chests have been brought up from the depths and they have some kind of radar that can identify objects. It’s believed there could be thousands of bottles of rum on those ships. The real Captain Morgan rum. How cool is that?”

“So they aren’t fakes?” Healey looked confused.

“My gut says not, my head says faint possibility. But I’ve been running with my gut for years.”

“And in any case we’ll soon find out,” Alicia said. “This could very well be the right coastline.”

“It could also be a hundred others.” Russo peered over, playing devil’s advocate.

“Just read the next sentence,” Crouch said quietly.

“Uh?” Alicia looked over to the map’s margin. “The Spaniards were between the devil and the deep blue sea, three forts down and we were in hot pursuit. That place was a rich picking and we used it as our port for as long as we pleased.”

Crouch nodded. “I can’t honestly recall the rest but the next paragraph I do remember talks about going ‘inland with our blood money. ’ ”

“And that leads us to this Porto Bello how?” Russo asked.

“The three forts,” Caitlyn said immediately. “Morgan and his men destroyed them on the way into the town.”

“So you knew all along?” Alicia clucked a little. “Why not tell us straight away?”

Crouch took a seat. “Because I prefer you question my reasoning, come at it a different way. If we all end up with the same answer then it has to be the right one. Besides, I only knew when Caitlyn described the battle for Porto Bello.”

“I guess it could be possible that each site holds a further clue,” Caitlyn added. “Or a portion of the loot.

“Only one way to find out,” Crouch said, holding up a bottle of water in salute.

“Not exactly the drink I’d have chosen.” Alicia placed the maps in a small pile. “But it’ll do. Are we doing this then?”

“Oh yeah,” Crouch said. “If only to catch Jensen and put that bastard out of business.”

Caitlyn pulled a new website up on her computer. “Panama, here we come.”