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  Reid looked at her with an odd expression and opened it, noting a wad of cash with a letter folded around it. She removed the letter and tucked the envelope under her arm.

  Reid,

  Since you can’t be trusted, my most prized possession—my daughter Nadia, is going with you. She’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you don’t screw me over again. If something happens to her, something worse will happen to you.

  Seeing how you are already deep in the hole with me, $10,000 is all I have for you.

  Good Luck,

  Guillermo

  PS

  You either find that treasure, or find my money. Don’t come back here empty handed!

  “That sorry sack of Italian shit,” Reid mumbled.

  “What’s wrong?” Louie asked.

  “She’s coming with us,” Reid sighed, shaking her head. “Go to Blackbeard’s and wait for me. I’ll be back in a few hours. Take her with you.”

  “Wait a second,” Nadia snapped. “I’m not exactly excited about this either.”

  “Where are you going?” he questioned.

  “To get us a boat.”

  “I thought we were taking that one.” Louie pointed to the yacht.

  Reid shook her head.

  “If my father doesn’t trust her enough to paddle to shore in his row boat, why the hell would he give her his yacht?” Nadia said.

  “He trusted me enough to take you with me,” Reid countered, pinning her with a stare. “Look, the sooner we get going, the sooner this will be over with. I don’t want you coming along either. I don’t have time to babysit.”

  “I’m a grown woman, thank you. I don’t need babysitting, and by the way my father put it, it’s you that needs babysitting. Which is why he’s making me spend my vacation traipsing all over these damn islands with you to find some kind of pirate treasure because you owe him money.”

  Reid wanted to tell her how much of a puss her dad was, on top of being a poor business man, and if he hadn’t pissed his money away on bad deals, then the measly fifty grand she owed him wouldn’t be such a problem. Instead, she shook her head and walked away.

  *

  Reid searched up and down the docks in Georgetown, asking anyone if they knew of a boat for sale with the specifics she was looking for. When she was just about to give up and travel up to the next port, a charter boat captain told her he heard about a guy trying to sell a Downeast-style boat called an Eastern, similar to a trawler. He gave her the information and Reid quickly flagged, heading towards Michelson, which was the closest port nearby.

  When she arrived at the dock, she saw the white boat bobbing near the end with the name Lady Pearl written in script across the transom. She hurried down the ramp towards it. A man with red hair and a matching beard stepped off the boat just as she was walking up.

  “Is this the Eastern for sale?” Reid asked.

  “Sure is. I’m Seamus McCreary and this is the Lady Pearl. I’m looking to get rid of her pretty quickly. I got a job as a cargo ship captain out of Ireland, so I have to sell my girl and give up life in the islands for the big seas,” he said with an Irish accent. “She’s twenty-seven feet long with a stout motor and a large fuel tank for long journeys. Do you want to come aboard and have a look around?”

  “I’d love to,” Reid said.

  The motor box for the Mercruiser stern-drive engine was located against the transom in the center of the stern with an empty dive tank rack next to it, but there was plenty of room to maneuver around the motor box. She actually liked the idea of having a motor box instead of having the engine down below where it was difficult to get to.

  “So, she was built in 1997, but had a few upgrades done over the years. The motor is actually only about three years old, and the 150 gallon fuel tank was refitted with a 250 gallon tank,” the man informed as he took the cover off the motor box.

  Reid nodded and looked at the enclosed wheelhouse with teak doors.

  “If you’re familiar with Downeast boats, the weather can be somewhat of a mess up in Maine where these are mostly located. So, the helm is enclosed like a wheelhouse.”

  They stepped inside and Reid noticed a cushioned bench on either side of the boat and a hole for a table base in the floor. The actual helm was just past the bench on the right.

  “These benches sort of form your dining area or galley seating. The refrigerator and freezer are located behind those cabinet doors behind the helm seat. If you look up by the wheel, you’ll see all of the regular electronics. There’s a GPS, depth finder, radar, and a VHF radio. All of the antennas are up on top of the wheelhouse and everything works great.”

  Reid looked at the equipment. She was familiar with the brands, so working the electronics would be fairly easy.

  “The cabin is through this door here,” the man said, sliding back a teak hatch and opening the door next to the helm in the middle of the boat. “On the left side is a small, twin burner stove with the sink next to it. The stove runs off propane and the small tank connects under the cabinet there. A small bottle usually lasts about a week if you use it once a day. There’s pantry storage in the two cabinets on either side of the stove and sink area. Obviously, that’s the v-berth,” he added, pointing to the cushioned bed in the bow of the boat that formed a V. “This other door, opposite the stove and sink, is the head.” He opened it to show the small toilet, sink, and detachable showerhead. “Also, there’s shelving on both sides of the v-berth, as well as a couple of drawers next to the sink cabinet for clothing, dry food storage, and the like.”

  Reid looked around before going up two small stairs that took her back out into the wheelhouse.

  “Space is a little compact, but she’s a great boat. You can sleep two adults pretty comfortably in the v-berth and those two benches in the wheelhouse can be slept on too, if you don’t roll around much. You’re protected from the weather elements, so there is nothing to worry about. It doesn’t leak or anything. There are also three storage compartments in the floor of the stern. One has a couple of deck chairs, a small grill that attaches to a rod holder, and a couple of fishing poles with gear in it. The other one has a small generator inside that will power most of the electronics if you’re at anchor or need to charge the batteries. The vented compartment next to that one is where the gas cans are stored for the generator. Also, I’m not sure if you saw it or not, but the inflatable dinghy is attached to the top of the wheelhouse with davits. It’s eight feet long with a rib bottom and a six horsepower outboard. The fuel tank lasts about three hours.”

  Looking around, Reid knew the space was a little tighter than she wanted for three people, but it was in decent shape, despite needing a paint job, teak oil, and a good scrubbing. The man who informed her about the boat said it was going well below value.

  “What do you want for it?” she asked.

  “Make me an offer,” the man said. “I need to get to Dublin soon, so I’m looking to make a deal.”

  Knowing how much she still needed to get in terms of gas, food, and other items, she calculated in her head. “I have eight thousand. I know you’re probably looking for twice that.”

  “I could probably get twice that if I wait around, and maybe even more if I spruce her up a bit, but my new job starts soon. I need to get on my way.” He went into the cabin and returned with an envelope full of papers. “If you’ve got cash, we have a deal.”

  “Right here in my pocket,” she replied, pulling the envelope out. Thankfully, she’d counted out eight thousand ahead of time knowing that was the highest she could spend. The boat was definitely worth more than she was paying, but she didn’t care about his reasons to sell it in a hurry. The motor was clean and ran good, and the boat was floating.

  The man signed all of the papers, then handed her the title and the keys. “I’ve already moved all of my stuff off the boat, so whatever is left you can have.”

  “Great.” Reid smiled.

  “It’s been nice doing business with you, Ms.
Cavanaugh. The Lady Pearl will be good to you.”

  “Thanks. Good luck in Ireland, Mr. McCreary,” she said.

  Reid didn’t have time to worry about dealing with the process of changing the registration and obtaining insurance. Instead, she took inventory, noting the generator was out of gas and the boat’s 250 gallon fuel tank was only about a quarter full. She started the engine and powered up the electronics. She knew her way around the Bahamas like the back of her hand, but she plotted a course for the Georgetown Marina anyway and untied the dock lines. The boat floated out of the slip easily and Reid pushed the throttle level forward, motoring out of the harbor as she checked her watch.

  THREE

  “Where the hell did she go, America?” Nadia growled.

  Louie simply looked at Fred and shrugged. Before he could say anything, Reid walked through the door of the bar.

  “Ready to go?” Reid smiled.

  Nadia grabbed her bag. “Can’t wait,” she said sarcastically.

  “Wish me luck,” Louie murmured to Fred.

  “With those two, you’re going to need a lot more than luck,” Fred laughed.

  Reid waved goodbye as she followed Louie and Nadia out the door. The marina was only a few blocks away, so they walked over.

  “I take it she didn’t miss me,” Reid whispered to Louie as she snickered.

  “No, and she’s not the most friendly person either.”

  “The ones who look that good usually aren’t,” Reid replied. “Here we go,” she said, stopping at the dinghy tied up to the first dock.

  “You’re kidding me, right? This is our boat?” Nadia huffed.

  Reid rolled her eyes and grabbed Nadia by the shoulders, turning her towards the harbor. “That’s our boat,” she said, pointing to the Lady Pearl bobbing at anchor.

  “Where did you get that?” Louie asked cheerfully.

  “An Irish lad in the next port. Toss your bags in the dinghy. We need to go get groceries and propane cans, then we’ll be out of here. I already gassed her up.”

  “I don’t want my stuff to get stolen. I’ll just carry my bag with me.”

  Reid rolled her eyes and Louie shrugged, tossing his bag down into the inflatable raft.

  *

  The nearby grocery store wasn’t too busy. Reid grabbed a cart and pushed it around the aisles, collecting dry goods. She grabbed two jars of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, two boxes of the healthiest crackers she could find, a couple of cans of sardines—something she knew Louie liked, a case of instant macaroni and cheese, a container of orzo, two packages of chocolate chip cookies, six boxes of granola bars, six boxes of protein bars, a bag of onions, a bottle of fruit juice that didn’t need to be refrigerated after opening, a bottle of sun screen, a bottle of pain reliever, a bottle of biodegradable laundry soap, a bottle of dish soap, two packages of napkins, a box of fast-cooking rice, a small box of trash bags, three packages of dried fruit, four boxes of oatmeal with fruit in it, a package of spaghetti noodles, a jar of spaghetti sauce, a container of parmesan cheese, three packages of coffee, a container of powdered milk, a rack of bananas, an array of seasoning jars, and six 2½ gallon water jugs. She topped off the basket with two gallons of spiced dark rum.

  “If you see anything I forgot, let me know,” Reid said, as she turned to head up to the register. “Louie, the bait and tackle store is a few doors down. Go get whatever you want. There are a few rods and reels on the boat already. They look fairly new,” she added, handing him a couple hundred Bahamian dollars.

  Nadia glanced in the basket. “This looks healthy,” she mumbled sarcastically.

  “Actually, most of it is,” Reid replied as she began loading everything onto the conveyor. “The refrigerator and freezer on the boat are small, so most of our food needs to be in dry storage. We’ll try to catch a lot of our dinner,” she added. “Louie is a hell of a fisherman.”

  Louie was used to catching all of his meals, and living in Zanzibar, food for the locals wasn’t as luxurious as the meals the tourists ate. Reid had actually taught him how to cook a few different things, but she also treated him to dinner in a restaurant whenever she could because the wage she paid him was so low.

  “What about toilet paper?” Nadia asked.

  “I bought that at the marine store. I went there to get a few things we needed for the boat, before going to get you guys,” Reid answered, paying the bill and pushing the cart out of the store. She continued down the road towards the marina like a homeless person.

  At the marina, they moved the bags from the cart to the dinghy, then Louie and Nadia climbed into the inflatable raft as a pretty woman with blonde hair walked down the dock. Reid barely had time to react as the woman locked lips with her in a passionate kiss.

  “You came back,” she said, smiling. Then, slapped Reid’s face. “Three years later!”

  “I never planned on staying in Tanzania, it just happened.” Reid rubbed her stinging cheek. “Congratulations on getting married.”

  “Yeah, well I couldn’t wait forever,” the woman huffed before storming off.

  “Everything good?” Louie asked when Reid got down into the back of the dinghy.

  “Wonderful,” Reid growled.

  Louie sat up front in the rubber raft, with Nadia in the middle, surrounded by bags. It took ten pulls to get the worn-out little motor going, but as soon as it was running, they sped across the shallow, turquoise water towards the boat that was anchored in twenty feet of water.

  Louie tied the dinghy to the swim platform on the back of the boat and began offloading the bags. When he got to Nadia, he helped her aboard, then he and Reid transferred the rest of the bags. After that, she gave them a quick tour of the boat and started putting everything away.

  “Where are we all sleeping?” Nadia asked.

  “Well, that v-berth sleeps two people and these benches out here will also sleep two people, so take your pick.”

  “I’ll sleep out here,” Louie said. “You two take the berth. I’ll be fine.”

  Reid looked at Nadia, who huffed and walked out of the wheelhouse.

  “That girl is something else,” Reid mumbled, shaking her head. This is going to be a very long trip, she thought.

  “I think there is a lot more to her than we know about,” Louie stated.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t know. I just have a feeling,” he sighed.

  *

  Reid sat at the galley table with a pile of charts spread out in front of her. Using a divider and a slide rule, she marked the coordinates for each of the areas that she wanted to search. Then, she plotted a course to San Salvador Island, which was about fifty-eight miles away from Great Exuma Island and thirty miles off their course to her first spot. She put the coordinates into the GPS and called Louie and Nadia into the wheelhouse.

  “Here’s where we are.” Reid pointed in the chart. “These are spots we’re going to search,” she said, pointing to the red X marks. “We’re making a quick detour to San Salvador first to pick up our equipment,” she added before rolling up the chart. “It’ll take about three and a half hours.”

  “Why can’t you get equipment here on Exuma?” Nadia asked.

  “Because your cheap ass father only gave me enough money to buy the boat.” Reid shook her head. “A guy over there owes me a favor. I’m going to collect.”

  “Oh, great,” Nadia replied sarcastically. “Do you do anything legitimately?”

  Reid gave her a wicked grin and put the galley table away, before sitting in the helm seat. Nadia walked out of the wheelhouse as Reid started the engine. She gave it a couple of minutes to warm up, then instructed Louie on how to use the anchor windlass on the bow to lower and retrieve the anchor. A few minutes later, they were underway.

  FOUR

  The warm, spring sun felt more like summer to Nadia. Living in Kilkis, an industrial city in the Central Macedonia district of Greece, she was used to mild winters with temperatures in the forties and
moderate summers with highs in the low to mid eighties. Getting away to the Caribbean to visit her father was well worth the long plane ride. She enjoyed the easy-going atmosphere and eccentric culture of the Bahamas, and the scenery was a welcomed change to the farming countryside she was used to.

  Nadia listened to the chug of the motor and felt the lull of the waves as the boat motored along. She was beyond pissed with her father for sending her on this wild goose chase with an apathetic island bum and her side kick. He was withholding her inheritance as penance for her waiting over two years to see him and planned to pay up when the wild goose chase was over. She figured babysitting the pair, while sunbathing on the deck of the boat as they dove for buried treasure, wouldn’t be so bad after all. If in fact they actually found anything, she planned to tell her father to shove the inheritance he held over her head and run off with his half of the treasure money, giving him a dose of his own medicine.

  Nadia pulled her wavy hair back into a ponytail and stretched her legs out, tapping her feet to the sound of the island music blaring from the stereo speakers. She’d taken her t-shirt off about a half hour into the journey, revealing a baby blue colored bikini top that contrasted nicely with her olive-toned skin. Having an Italian father and a Greek mother had blessed her with beautiful features from both cultures. She had her mother’s light colored hair, high cheek bones, and thin smile, but her father’s golden brown eyes and tanned complexion set her apart.

  “This isn’t so bad,” she murmured to herself as she stared out at the blue water through the tinted lenses of her sunglasses.

  Louie was singing along to the music, bobbing his head as he manned a fishing pole with a trolling line behind the boat. He had a baseball cap covering his bald head, but only a thin, faded red tank top and an old pair of shorts over his dark skin.