Treasured Secrets (22 page)

‘With these solid leads —' Alessandro said.

‘Hold your horses there, Alex,' Archer interrupted. ‘What we have is a couple of interesting facts and ideas that may lead to nothing at all. From my experience, most treasure hunting is filled with days, even months of endless disappointment.'

‘Maybe. But it's going to be one hell of a ride,' Jimmy said. ‘And I can think of much worse ways to spend the summer.'

‘It sounds like fun.' Ginger flipped her thick blonde braid over her shoulder.

‘What're we having?' Jimmy said as Ginger scooped a spoonful of rice onto his plate.

‘Chilli con carne.' Ginger glanced nervously at Rosalina.

Rosalina inwardly cringed at the thought of eating such a heavy dish for lunch, and hoped Ginger hadn't overdone the chilli.

‘I hope you like it,' Ginger said to Rosalina as she dished a spoonful of the dark stew onto her rice.

‘It smells good.' Rosalina couldn't deny the meal had a lovely aromatic aroma, offering up just a hint of garlic. As she waited for everyone to be plated up, Jimmy grinned at her and Rosalina realised he was waiting for her approval as much as Ginger was. She again hoped the chilli didn't blow her mind. She was more of a sweets girl.

Ginger sat between Alessandro and Jimmy and gathered her fork. ‘Dig in.'

Rosalina spooned a couple of kidney beans and a chunk of meat into her mouth and braced for the spicy impact. But, to her surprise, the dish was deliciously spiced and mild in heat. The beef was tender and sweet and a hint of smoky flavour added an interesting twist. Ginger was watching her and Rosalina nodded.

‘This is fabulous. How did you produce the smoky flavour?'

Ginger grinned. ‘My secret ingredient — smoky barbeque sauce.'

Rosalina couldn't help but laugh, and as the others laughed with her, she conceded she and Ginger were in for some interesting times ahead.

‘I told you she's a good cook.' Jimmy refilled their glasses with a generous swish of wine.

Lunch was the reverse of their earlier gathering. The level of excitement had risen several notches and between the three of them, Rosalina, Alessandro and Archer told the story of what had happened in Florence as if it were all just a bit of fun. She was happy with that. There was no point in rehashing it completely. Not only that, but this was the first time she'd heard all the details about what Archer and Alessandro did before finding her in the church dungeons. The way the men told it, disagreeing on every detail and no doubt exaggerating everything else, made it much more enjoyable. Lunch reminded her of mealtimes with her family. In some ways, the people around her were her family now. She smiled at the thought.

‘When we get to Andros, we should split into two teams,' Archer said, getting serious again. ‘Rosalina and Alex, you go to the museum and see what you can find out. And Jimmy and I'll go to the graveyard.'

‘No way.' Jimmy abandoned his knife and fork and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I'm not goin' to no graveyard. What the hell we looking for there, anyway?'

Rosalina felt the need to answer. ‘We believe Archer's parents are buried on one of these islands. If we find their graves, at least we'll know we're in the right area.'

‘Hey Archer, no offence, man, and you know I'll do anythin' for ya, but I can't do that.' He shook his head but maintained eye contact with Archer. ‘I don't do graveyards.'

‘It's okay, I understand.' Archer nodded.

Rosalina wasn't surprised with Jimmy's reluctance. He'd buried both his mother and father in the last twelve months. After each of their funerals, Jimmy had gone on a huge drinking binge and it had taken several nights of serious poker playing to drag Jimmy out of those downers.

‘I'll go.' Ginger put up her hand as if she were volunteering to taste dessert.

Rosalina's mind raced at Ginger's enthusiasm, running through a series of unjustified ulterior motives. ‘It's okay, Ginger,' she said. ‘I'll go with Archer and Jimmy can go with Alessandro.'

‘No.' Archer jabbed his finger on the table. ‘You need to go with Alex. With your language skills you two will be able to interpret everything better than any of us.' He reached for his drink. ‘Jimmy, you can run us over to the island and back. And Ginger, you can help me.'

‘Sounds like fun,' Ginger said.

Rosalina's stomach clenched. ‘I'm not sure searching for Archer's parents' graves is going to be fun.'

Ginger slapped her hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry. I'm such a ditz.'

‘It's okay.' Archer turned to Rosalina, drawing her eyes to him. ‘I'll be okay. The likelihood of this being the right island is miniscule.'

‘I know, but —'

A knock on the door interrupted her. ‘Excuse me, Mr Mahoney.' It was one of the crew.

‘Yes, Tim?'

‘Sir, we'll be throwing anchor in approximately ten minutes. Do you want to check our positioning?'

‘No. I'm sure you know what you're doing.'

‘Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.' Tim nodded and backed out of the room.

‘Does the crew know about the treasure?' Ginger whispered.

‘No,' Jimmy said forcefully. ‘Nobody else must know. I've been thinking we should let them off for a bit anyway. They've literally been working for five weeks solid.'

‘I agree. Patmos Island isn't too far away and it looks like an ideal place for them to stay for a while.'

‘Unless we succeed at Andros Island,' Alessandro said.

Jimmy snorted. ‘If we get lucky at Andros Island, I'll get “Alex is a god” tattooed on my ass.'

Alessandro reddened and Archer chuckled, and the laughter that followed from everyone else, including Alessandro, was loud and genuine.

Not many Greek islands have a marina to suit a motor yacht the size of
Evangeline
and Andros was no exception. With the anchor in position, Jimmy helped Archer with the crane in lowering the tender over the back of the yacht. The small boat was only just big enough to carry the five of them. They were fortunate they wouldn't need to make a couple of trips. Within forty minutes Rosalina, Ginger, Alessandro and Archer were walking along the wooden jetty and Jimmy was returning the tender back to
Evangeline
.

The island itself was quite mountainous and it was one of the bigger Cycladic Islands. Port Gavrio was the main port where the ferries arrived into, and it catered well to tourists with souvenir shops and little outdoor bars dotted along the beach. But on this Tuesday afternoon there were barely any tourists. In fact, there were barely any people at all, and many of the shops were already closed.

As they walked along the jetty, Rosalina tried to pretend she was a tourist and enjoy the scenery, but it didn't matter how much she wanted to explore the vast selection of local produce at the few remaining market stalls, she couldn't release the apprehension she felt for Archer. Even the smell of vine-ripened tomatoes, sitting plump and bright red at the corner of the stall, couldn't drag her mind from what Archer was about to do. She wanted to be with him in case he did find the graves. He seemed okay at the moment — strolling along as if he were enjoying the scenery — but who knew what reaction he'd have when he actually found them.

Archer hired a taxi and Alessandro, Rosalina and Ginger climbed into the back seat. From the front seat, Archer instructed the driver to take them to the Maritime Museum. As they drove along, the driver rambled a monologue of tourist information, but he soon quietened down when none of them responded to him.

The taxi pulled up alongside the statue of the Unknown Sailor and Archer jumped out to help Rosalina from the car. He pulled her close. ‘I'll be okay, babe. Get as much info as you can. Ginger and I'll come back to you once we're done.'

Rosalina's throat tightened but she was determined not to lose control. Archer kissed her briefly and then climbed back into the front seat of the taxi. Her feet were glued to the pavement as she watched it drive away.

‘There it is.' Alessandro pointed at the museum sign. ‘This is going to be fascinating.'

As usual, Rosalina didn't share his enthusiasm.

The Maritime Museum wasn't very enticing for a tourist attraction. It was set back from the street. A large, rusty anchor adorned the narrow doorway. The entrance smelt of dust, ropes and cold cement. Light filtering in from a series of windows fell upon a man who was slumped in an overstuffed chair. Rosalina paused. The man, in faded denim overalls and an off-kilter sailor's cap, was unnaturally still. He was either a mannequin, or he was dead. She was too scared to find out which.

‘Hello.' Alessandro's voice echoed about the sparse room.

The overall-clad man jumped up from his seat and stumbled towards them. ‘Hello, folks.' With eyes as bloodshot as a drunken sailor and cheeks that contorted like malleable plasticine as he rubbed them, she guessed he was pushing eighty. ‘Welcome to Andros Island Maritime Museum.' Even his voice sounded weathered, but when he smiled at her, her perception changed altogether. He may have looked old and bedraggled, but his cheeky grin said he still had a good deal of life in him.

‘Thank you.' Rosalina relaxed. For a brief moment, she'd considered running the opposite way. She'd already seen enough weird men to last her a lifetime.

The man indicated for them to come further into the room. ‘Let me know if I can help you with anything.'

‘As a matter of fact, we're interested in seeing any maps you might have that detail shipping lanes of the thirteenth century.' Alessandro got straight to the point.

‘Ah, treasure hunters.'

Rosalina's mouth fell open.

‘Um, no.' Alessandro tucked his arm around Rosalina's waist. ‘I'm doing a research paper for Florence University and I've convinced my poor fiancée here to help me.'

The man nodded, but his raised eyebrows indicated he didn't believe a word Alessandro said.

‘Why do you think we are treasure hunters?' she said.

‘I've been working here more than forty years. Seen my share of them. Though they're not usually as pretty as you.' He tilted his hat at Rosalina.

‘Have you had many treasure hunters recently? Where were they looking? Did they find treasure?' Alessandro's rapid-fire questions that didn't pause for an answer were proof he'd lost his cool.

‘Whoa, hold up on those questions, my boy. My mind isn't as quick as it used to be.' He walked towards a bank of glass-topped tables. ‘Our oldest maps are over here. Let me show you what we've got and while he's looking' — He nodded at Rosalina — ‘you and I can grab a pot of tea.' The old man winked and Rosalina resisted the urge to burst out laughing. She debated whether the wink was him flirting with her, or if the tea he'd mentioned wasn't the herbal kind.

Either way, it was a great chance to pick the old man's brain about the maritime history of the area. Alessandro's nose was pushed up against the glass cabinet and he didn't seem to notice the old man shuffling her towards the back of the room. ‘My name is Yanis.' He opened a door and a creaking hinge welcomed her into the kitchen area.

‘Rosalina.'

Yanis filled the kettle with fresh water. ‘So what really brings you to Andros?'

Rosalina noticed his trembling fingers as he filled the kettle, and a fleeting image of her grandmother flashed into her mind. It was as if Nonna was telling her it was okay to trust this man. She let out a long sigh, hopeful she was about to do the right thing. ‘You've got me. We
are
looking for treasure.'

‘I knew it.' He did an exaggerated wink at her.

She chuckled. ‘But how?'

‘No camera.'

Rosalina frowned a silent question.

‘Tourists carry a camera. You're not. And if you're going to pretend to be engaged, you should've made him buy you a decent ring.'

Rosalina glanced at her naked fingers and laughed aloud. The old man's ancient appearance was a contradiction to his sharp mind.

He laughed with her. ‘Green or black tea?'

‘Whatever you're having,'

He poured boiling water into a white china cup. ‘Green it is, then.'

He carried the cups towards the table and when he sat beside her, she looked into his eyes with new respect.

‘So what do you want to know?'

‘We're interested in ships that passed through the Greek Islands in the thirteenth century.'

‘It's funny, you know? I don't get too many requests for wrecks that old. But I did have a fella in here a while back looking for thirteenth-century wrecks. We tracked down some information about an Italian ship called the
Flying Seahorse
that disappeared around that time.'

‘Did he find it?'

‘No idea. The poor bugger was killed by a shark.'

A gasp released from her throat and she dropped her cup into the saucer.

‘It's okay, love. He wasn't anywhere near here.' He whipped a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe up her spilt tea. ‘We rarely see sharks in the Mediterranean anyway. He sure was unlucky.'

Rosalina leapt to her feet. ‘Sorry, but I have to go.' She dashed out the door.

‘Are you okay?' Yanis yelled after her.

She raced for the front door. ‘Alessandro, we have to get to Archer.'

‘What? Why? What's wrong? Rosalina…wait!'

She didn't wait. The chances of him finding his parents' graves just went from negligible to possible and she had to be there when and if he did. She ran across the square, squinting against the sun's glare off the whitewashed walls of the surrounding buildings.

‘What happened?' Alessandro reached for her arm.

‘That man knew Archer's father.' She waved at a taxi parked farther up the street.

‘You're kidding. I told you this island —'