Sunken Shadows: Shadows Landing #2

by Kathleen Brooks

  “What is it?” Darcy asked.

  “Well, you’re definitely not alone anymore.”

  Darcy turned to where the street in front of the church was lined with cars. “What does this mean?”

  “It means my cousin or my brother told all of the others.”

  “Others?”

  Wade could feel Darcy begin to freak out. Her body shook slightly, and he felt like killing whoever it was that notified the rest of them. The Faulkners were a tight bunch.

  “My family,” Wade said through clenched teeth. He loved them, but right now he was furious.

  Darcy tried to pull her hand from Wade’s grasp, but he didn’t let go. She looked up and saw that his jaw was tight and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the cars parked in front of the old church with even older stained glass windows.

  “Come on,” he said as he began to walk faster. He was angry for her. And she hated that. She hoped when they went inside there was nothing to be angry about. She had been shocked to find more people there, but she liked Harper, Trent, and Ridge. How many more could there be? Darcy kept her panic in line by telling herself they were going to help her, and they weren’t there to steal what she’d been working on for over a decade.

  The door opened and a man wearing a white robe, clearly the pastor, stood with a Bible in hand at the top of the stone steps. He looked to be in his forties with smooth umber skin. His hair had soft coils on the top and was shaved down the sides of his head. And he had a smile. A big one. A warm one. Darcy’s fears began to fade.

  “Welcome! So glad you could join us as we say a private family prayer for the newlyweds. You must be Darcy Delmar,” he called out to them. “I’m Floyd Winston, the pastor for our town’s beautiful church here. Come in and pray with us.”

  Darcy looked up the steps at him and smiled. For that moment, she really did feel as if they were going to pray together. But then she noticed the people walking the street. People she hadn’t noticed before because she’d been so focused on the church doors and then Reverend Winston.

  “I thought there already was a weddin’,” an old man in a power scooter with a massive engine on it said as he pulled to a stop on the sidewalk.

  “Good evening, Mr. Gann.” Reverend Winston smiled down at the man who had to be in his eighties. “The wedding is done, but we are having a family group prayer tonight to wish blessings on the newlyweds before they leave for their honeymoon in the morning.”

  Mr. Gann harrumphed, and with the twist of the handle of his scooter, he shot off down the sidewalk with a rather loud rumbling coming from what looked to be a muffler. Wade grabbed Darcy and pulled her safely to the side. “He used to build cars for dirt racing. He’s a little speed demon on his scooter. Always watch your toes,” Wade told her as he held her close to him. Oh goodness. Her leg was between his. Her hips pressed against his with Wade’s hand at the small of her back pressing her even closer. Her hands rested on his chest and under her right hand, she felt his heart beating.

  Darcy stared at her hands on his chest, taking in the way they conformed to his muscles before looking up. Wade was looking at her, and his green eyes seemed darker and softer than they had a minute ago.

  “Darcy.” He said her name on a whispered breath, but it was enough to rock her whole body to the core.

  “Yes?” she whispered back, too afraid to break the spell.

  “Lord Jesus, pray for this new couple to find the strength to rein in their passions long enough to pray for their beloved family. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  Darcy jumped back and Wade let go of her except for quickly taking her hand in his once again. How had that happened? She’d been so lost in Wade she’d forgotten, for just a second, her life’s work.

  “Sorry,” she muttered as they began to hurry up the steps.

  “I’m not,” she heard Wade say and felt her heart speed up once again, and this time she knew it wasn’t just because of the possible clue for the treasure.

  “So nice to see you. Come right this way for our prayer,” Reverend Winston said loudly before closing the thick wooden doors that Darcy thought looked as if they were riddled with bullet holes.

  The door closed with a soft thud and then the pastor picked up a freestanding wrought iron candleholder. He blew out the candle, took it off the top of the four-foot tall candleholder, and shoved the holder through the twisted iron door handles.

  “There. No one should bother us now.” He grinned at them both and stepped over to Darcy. “I can’t wait to see what you found. My many times great-grandfather was a pirate who resided here. He wasn’t a big name like Black Law, but they all knew each other. When Granger told me about what you found, I just have to say I couldn’t wait to be a part of it.”

  “Really?” Darcy asked, amazed a pastor would want to hide something for her. Something that as of tomorrow should be turned over to the state.

  “Oh yes. I just love history and puzzles. Right this way.”

  Darcy stopped as he led them to the stone wall behind the altar. Above it was a beautiful stained glass window that had to be at least six feet tall and three feet wide. Reverend Winston pulled aside a wall hanging and pushed on a stone. Suddenly the door swung inward. There were honest-to-God torches on the wall lighting up the narrow hallway with a soft glow that still left plenty of shadows.

  “What is this?” Darcy asked as she looked all around the path that seemed to slope downward rather quickly.

  “It’s one of the many hidden passages in the church. The locations of all of them are passed onto each new pastor when the elder retires. This particular one was used to roll barrels from the river. Behind the church is a cemetery and then the small offshoot of Shadows River where the pirates would hide their ships since it was inaccessible during low tide.”

  “And this is where you’ve hidden my artifact?” Darcy asked as they continued to walk down the corridor, and from what she could tell, away from the church. The stones on the floor were worn and two iron rails, almost like train tracks that ran down the middle of the path, were similarly rounded down with time and use.

  “Yes, there is a large storage room under the garden of the church before it narrows and runs to the river. I had the artifact in a smaller hidey-hole but when more and more Faulkners began to show up, I thought it best to meet down here.”

  “This is amazing,” Darcy whispered more to herself than anyone else as she ran her fingers over the rough stone walls lit with a torch every ten feet or so.

  Wade walked directly behind her, and she felt him near her the entire walk down to the room. Before they made it to the room, she saw the light coming from under a door. Reverend Winston pulled out an old ring of large iron keys and placed one in the old lock. As the keys jingled, Darcy wondered what else they unlocked.

  Then she heard the voices. Men and woman laughing, talking, and then silent in anticipation as the door opened. Reverend Winston opened the thick door and Darcy saw people around an old wooden table. It looked like it used to belong in an old farmhouse and could seat twenty. It was as battered and dented as the two long benches sitting on either side of it. But right in the middle sat the bag that contained Timothy’s jacket.

  “Oh my gosh! Isn’t this exciting? I have painting ideas just flowing out of me.” A cute woman who stood a couple inches shorter than Darcy’s five feet five inches came bounding over to them. Her long, wavy brown hair had something white in it, and upon closer look, her clothes had lots of colors splattered on them. She must be a painter. Either way, she was adorable, and her big bright green eyes radiated kindness. “You must be Darcy. I’m Tinsley, Wade’s cousin.”

  The woman practically threw herself into Darcy’s arms as she hugged her briefly before pulling back. “And this is my brother, Ridge,” she said as she waved over the man in jeans, work boots, and a heather gray T-shirt.

  “We met earlier.”

  Tinsley turned and smacked her brother. “You didn’t tell me!”

 
Even though the meeting room smelled of earth, Darcy caught a whiff of fresh-cut wood and leaned forward to smell it more. Ridge had the same brown hair as Tinsley, but his hair was shorter. It wasn’t buzzed like Wade’s. Instead, it was long enough to be pushed behind the ears.

  “When Harper told us Wade had a friend needing help, and it was the nice girl I met earlier, I had to admit I was curious. Granger didn’t want to let us join, but . . .” Ridge shrugged his wide shoulders and grinned.

  “I tried to keep it quiet,” Granger said apologetically. “But someone sent a text to the whole family.” He shot a pointed look at Harper.

  Harper didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Instead, she smiled. “You said it could be a clue. The more the better, right? My brother, Gavin,” she said, looking over at the man with his arm around a pretty blonde woman, “loves puzzles.”

  “Hi.” He smiled as he held out his hand. “I’m Gavin and this is Ellery, my bride.” Darcy shook hands with both as she smiled. How could she not? They were adorable together.

  Darcy looked around and realized she had met everyone in the room except for the tall brooding man in the farthest chair. Wade saw her looking and introduced her. “And this is my cousin, Ryker.”

  Why did that name sound familiar? “Ryker! You got me Olivia.” Darcy stepped from Wade’s arm and rushed toward the man with ice-green eyes and dark hair. His dark suit made it so he seemed to blend into the shadows. The man’s eyes went wide with surprise, but Darcy wrapped her arms around him anyway. He was so tall that even sitting she didn’t need to bend over much. “Olivia is amazing, and there’s no way I could ever afford her. You are so nice.”

  “Nice?” Harper snorted. “Ryker?”

  “He’s incredibly nice and caring. He’s paying for my attorney, and he doesn’t even know me,” Darcy said, quickly coming to his defense.

  “I was intrigued,” Ryker grumbled. “Now, let’s see what almost got you killed.”

  Darcy took a deep breath as she turned toward the table now silently lined by Faulkners, Sheriff Fox, and Reverend Winston.

  13

  Darcy felt Wade come to stand next to her as everyone quietly eyed the bag. Her heart was pounding, and her hand shook slightly as she reached for the bag that was still damp from the river water. Inside was something three hundred years old. She shook her head slightly as she thought to herself. There was no way there would be anything inside. She was crazy for thinking so.

  “Do you want me to do it?” Wade asked quietly, and Darcy realized she was standing there with her hand hovering over the bag.

  “I got it. It’s probably nothing.”

  Darcy took a breath and let it out. It seemed to echo around the room as she carefully opened the bag and pulled out the wet wool jacket. The weight was still there as she set the jacket, its round metal buttons now covered in algae, on the desk.

  “Wow, that’s really old. It looks like it’s from colonial times,” Tinsley whispered. Because everyone else was so quiet, her words filled the room.

  “That’s because it is. If I’m correct, this coat belonged to Timothy Longworth and has been on the river bottom since 1719,” Darcy said, hearing the trembling in her voice.

  She moved the jacket so it was lying flat and she stared at the obvious lump in the right pocket. Darcy moved her hand slowly to pull back the pocket flap. It was a tight fit, but her fingers came across something hard and slimy. It wasn’t very large and she was able to put her fingers around it. It took work to wiggle it free from the tight pocket. As soon as it was free everyone breathed in and leaned closer.

  In Darcy’s hand was a small metal box. It was probably five inches by three inches and had a small padlock hanging from it. Darcy set it down as if it might break at the slightest touch as she reached into the small bag she was carrying and pulled out a piece of soft cloth.

  “What is it?” Harper asked.

  “Looks like a jewelry box,” Tinsley answered as everyone leaned even closer. Even Ryker stood to get a better look as Darcy wiped the sludge, algae, and slime from it.

  “Silver,” Ryker’s deep voice said. “Do you want me to unlock it?”

  “You can do that?” Darcy asked.

  “I can try. I used to be pretty good at it.”

  “If he can’t, I can give it a try. I’m not too bad myself, but as I remember, Ryker was the best at it,” Granger told her before turning to Reverend Winston. “Can you go see if Kord is here and ask him to bring in the lock-picking set? If he’s not here, it’s in the glove box of my cruiser.”

  “Don’t open it without me,” the reverend called out as he hurried from the room.

  Time seemed to slow. She was so close to finding out if her research and her hunch were right. Everyone seemed to pick up on her nervousness as Ridge tried to talk to her about building practices of the 1700s and how these tunnels could have been made. He talked and talked and his slow southern accent relaxed her as Wade gently rubbed his hand up and down her back in a silent show of support. Finally, an out-of-breath Reverend Winston and Kord, who wasn’t out of breath, came into the room.

  “Is that it?” Kord asked. “I kinda expected a big treasure chest.”

  “Give the picks to Ryker. You saw the bag. There wasn’t any room for something large,” Granger said with a shake of his head.

  “I got carried away thinking about treasure,” Kord said with a shrug. “I wonder what’s inside.”

  Everyone got quiet again as soon as Ryker slipped the small pick into the lock. Darcy was pretty sure her heart stopped beating as he moved the pick around the lock. The click sounded as loud as an explosion, and Ryker froze for just a second before sitting back. “There you go.”

  Darcy swallowed hard and reached forward. By now she almost bumped her head with the rest of the table as everyone was so close. Darcy used her fingernail to pry the clasp loose from the box and lift it up and over the lock. She tried to pull the box top open, but nothing.

  “It could be sealed tight,” Wade said quietly. “Do you want me to try to pry it open?”

  Darcy gave it another try, but it wouldn’t budge. “Yes, but be careful.”

  “Can I have the flat pick?” Ryker handed it over to Wade, and Darcy felt herself shaking with anticipation as Wade cleaned out slime and sludge from around the top of the small box. Then he worked slowly around the top, slipping it in and wiggling it until finally the corner gave way. Everyone gasped as each inch was freed and finally Wade was able to pull the top open.

  Darcy felt the world shift as she looked down at it. The first thing that she noticed was that it was dry. The second was the gold coin blinking up at them.

  “That looks like a gold doubloon,” Trent said as everyone nodded.

  “Go on,” Wade said softly. “Open it.”

  Darcy wanted to, but she was scared. Please let there be more. Darcy reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of soft gloves. They were Harper’s for church, but she’d let her borrow them. Darcy didn’t want any oil to touch any of the treasure. Carefully she lifted the gold coin. “Wade, there’s another strip of cloth in my bag. Can you get it and place it on the table?” As Wade did what she asked, she looked closely at the coin. “The cross on one side and the L and 8 on the other side tell me it’s Spanish.”

  “Is that good?” Ridge asked.

  “Yes,” Darcy said as she gently set it down on the fabric Wade had spread out. “Reports from the story say Black Law took a ship filled with Spanish gold and treasure from a rich count who was delivering his daughter to an even richer man in Mexico.” Darcy knew her breathing was shallow as she was trying to explain while remaining calm. “Black Law killed the family and took the dowry.”

  “What’s that inside?” Kord asked as everyone shifted attention back to the box.

  “Oilcloth,” Darcy told them as she felt the cloth used to keep things waterproof back then. Carefully she tilted the box over the table and gently pulled one corner of the oilcloth until it came out o
f the silver box.

  “Did you hear that?” Reverend Winston said quietly as he raised his hands to Jesus. “Dear Lord, please let that paper sound be the item Miss Delmar is looking for.”

  “Amen,” everyone said together, and Darcy carefully unfolded the oilcloth. Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it. It seemed as though time slowed, and no one breathed as she unfolded the final flap to see the paper inside.

  “Thank you, Jesus,” Darcy said with a whoosh of air as she looked down at a hastily scribbled note.

  “What does it say?” Wade asked next to her.

  Darcy didn’t want to touch it so she leaned toward the table and read the flowing letters that made up the note aloud.

  “If I shall perish, it was Black Law who captured Samuel, William, and me. His ship rides low and lower shall it ride. No amount of gold, silver, or gems will save me. To my family, I shall miss thee, but I leave one last gift. As the snake’s tail sounds, you spin me like a dancing master. He Loves Me So. As I love you. Goodbye and Godspeed. Timothy Longworth.”

  “Darcy, you did it!” Wade said, grabbing her hand as she stood staring at the note in shock.

  “It’s a clue,” Darcy muttered as she stood up and looked around at all the happy faces.

  “You were right. He left a secret message for his parents. You did it.” Wade grabbed her up and twirled her around as he laughed. Darcy hadn’t even breathed yet. Her mind couldn’t process it. After all these years and all of the research, she had been right.

  “What does it mean?” Tinsley asked as Wade set her down.

  “I don’t know,” Darcy said as she looked back down at the note. She pulled out her phone and captured at least twenty photos before standing back up. “But I will.”

  Wade rested his hand on her hip as they read the note again. “When a ship rides low it means it has cargo on it,” he told them.

  Darcy nodded next to him. “And lower shall it ride . . . I bet that means it’s going to be sunk.”