by Bill Myers
"I hope that guy knows how lucky he is. If you hadn't dragged him off the beach, the car would be under water, and his dog would have drowned."
I just nodded.
"Did he even thank you? Nope, he just smiled and drove off."
We turned into the campground, drove around the closed gate, and headed to our campsite.
As soon as Anna parked, I dug the motorhome keys out of my pocket, and climbed out of the Cruiser.
Unlocking the door to the Love Bus, I stepped in, turned to Anna and said, "Shower. You first?"
She smiled, "Shower? That sounds like a great idea. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to go first."
I nodded, "Okay, but I've got to go back and move Bob's box and turn on the hot water."
While I was in the back, Anna stripped down to her bra and panties, leaving her wet clothes and muddy shoes by the door.
Walking back up front, I nodded appreciatively and smiled big.
She shook her head, "Don't get any ideas."
"Hard not to with you looking like that," I said.
Anna smiled, "Remember, I've got a gun."
I pointed to the back of the Love Bus, "Your shower awaits."
While Anna was in the shower, I stripped off my wet clothes and dropped them in a pile near Anna's.
When I did, the coin given to me by the man we had rescued rolled out of my pants pocket and onto the floor.
I picked the coin up, and saw that it wasn't like any coin I had ever seen before. Instead of being round like a quarter, it was rough edged and multi-sided.
The coin was dark and the face was worn smooth. In the center, a large cross surrounded by patterned lines. Around the edges, roman numerals.
I had a suspicion I was holding one of those Spanish reales I'd seen on the internet. A silver piece of eight from the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet. Or a modern-day replica.
Anna would know for sure.
I wrapped the coin in a paper towel and put it in one of the cup holders near the driver's seat.
34
From the back of the motorhome, Anna called out, "Walker, I need some help back here. I'm all out of dry clothes. You got anything I can wear?"
She was standing outside the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.
I laughed, "You look pretty good with just that towel around you. You could wear that all day if you want."
"Yeah sure, I'll do that. Just let me get my gun."
I laughed, "No need for that. Look in the bedroom closet and you'll find t-shirts and shorts. Take whatever you need."
A few minutes later Anna came to the front wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of baggy shorts.
"So how do I look?" She asked.
"Very fashionable," I said.
Anna smiled, and for the first time I realized she had sparkling green eyes.
"Walker, what's the funny look on your face?"
"Oh nothing. Just thinking it's time for my shower."
Anna smiled, "May I suggest taking a cold one?"
I laughed, then walked to the back, found some clean clothes, and took a short shower.
When I came back up front, Anna was going through the kitchen cabinets.
"Need any help?" I asked.
"No, just looking for something for lunch. Maybe some of this Cajun Chicken Gumbo soup you've got here."
I nodded, "Yeah, that does sound good. You want me to do it?"
Anna removed the can of soup and a large Pyrex bowl from the cabinet. "No, I think I can handle making soup. You just sit down and relax."
Five minutes later, we were at the dining table eating.
Anna spoke first, "So, after we eat, you'll be ready to go out again, right? Rescue some more people?"
I smiled, "Sure. But this time, I'll stay in the Cruiser, and you can wade through the water and climb the dunes."
She laughed, "Yeah, you kind of got the short end of that deal. Maybe we ought to just stay inside here until the storm clears. "
I nodded, "Sounds good to me."
After we finished our meal, I put the bowls in the sink, and turned on the TV.
The weather radar showed the storm was slowly starting to move out of the area and the forecast was for the rain to slack off late tonight.
The clouds would hang around for another day or two with some wind and a few scattered showers. Temps would remain in the low sixties.
Anna approved. "Sounds like we'll be able to hit the beach tomorrow morning. As long as the road isn't flooded we can go out and do some detecting. Maybe we'll get lucky."
Remembering the coin the man had given me, I retrieved it from the cup holder and held it out for Anna to see.
35
"Is that the coin the old man gave you?"
"Yep."
"It's not a quarter."
"Nope."
"Do you know what it is?"
"Not sure. But I think it might be a coin from the treasure fleet."
Anna nodded, "Sure looks like it. But it might be a replica. They sell them in the museum over there."
I handed the coin to Anna. "Pick it up. Feel it. Look at it closely. Tell me if you think it is real or not."
Anna took the coin from my hand and examined it. "It sure feels real. And it looks hand-made, like the real ones do. And the color is right, too. Not shiny like a newer coin."
She continued, "The replicas they sell in the museum have the word 'copy' etched on the back. This one doesn't.
"So it could be real. But if it is real, it isn't a recent find. It's been cleaned up a bit."
Anna held onto the coin, turning it over and over in her hand.
"So," I asked, "If it is real, what's it worth?"
She thought for a moment, then said, "Well it looks like it's silver, and it looks like an eight reale.
"I've seen eight reales from the Treasure Coast sell for about three hundred dollars. This one is in pretty good condition, so it might bring a bit more. Maybe even five hundred dollars."
I nodded. "So the guy gave us a pretty good reward for rescuing him."
"Yep," replied Anna. "But he gave it to you. Not me. It's yours Walker. Your lucky day."
I shook my head, "No, that's not the way it works. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been out there in the first place. So this coin is half yours."
Anna smiled, "That's pretty generous of you. You sure you want to do that?"
I nodded, "Yes, it's only fair. And anyway, when we go out to the beach tomorrow, I'm hoping we find a lot more like it."
Anna closed her hand around the coin, leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"What's that for?"
"Because you're a nice guy. Aren't many of them around these days."
36
Anna was still holding the coin when she asked, "When you found that guy on the beach, what was he doing?"
"It looked like," I replied, "he was trying to dig something up. He was scooping sand out of a hole, but the incoming waves kept filling the hole back in. When I grabbed him, he didn't want to leave. He said I had no idea what he'd found."
Anna nodded, "Maybe he discovered a treasure hoard. And maybe first thing tomorrow we should go and check that out.
"Think you can find that spot again?"
I nodded, "I'm pretty sure I can. It was right where the Indian River came up out of it's banks. And directly above where his car was parked.
"We should be able to locate it without much problem. But if the other guy is there in the morning, I don't want to bother him. It's his find, not ours."
Anna didn't reply. She just nodded thoughtfully.
37
It continued to rain hard all afternoon, so we spent the rest of the day inside, talking about treasure, looking at some of the maps I had found on the internet, and discussing our strategy for the next morning.
Anna suggested we put fresh batteries in our detectors and get everything ready for the hunt. Her plan was to get up at the break of dawn, grab a quick breakfa
st and head out to the beach.
Our first stop would be where we had seen the man and his dog. If we didn't find anything there, we'd go to the secret beach Anna had told me about earlier.
The rain finally stopped just after dark, and I suggested we go out on the beach and try some night detecting.
Anna said, "No. No detecting after dark. It's too dangerous after a storm like this one. The heavy rain and high tides can erode away a lot of sand, leaving cliffs instead of dunes.
"With those cliffs behind you, you may not be able to get out of the way of big wave in the dark. You might end up being washed out to sea.
"It'll be better if we wait until the morning."
She had more experience doing this, so I didn't bother arguing.
After eating dinner, we watched TV for a few hours, and then prepared for bed.
As before, Anna slept on the couch, and I slept in the back bedroom.
Bob woke me about two hours after I hit the sack. He was out of food.
I filled his bowl and that seemed to settle him down. He ate a few bites, then went up front and snuggled in with Anna.
I guess he preferred sleeping with a woman.
I couldn't blame him. I preferred that as well.
I woke early the next morning. Well before sunrise. To me, it felt like Christmas morning with all the anticipation of what the day might bring.
As I lay there thinking about the treasures to be found, I heard Anna call out, "Walker, you awake?"
"Yep. Can't sleep."
"Well, get up then. You can cook me breakfast."
The power was still off and I didn't want to run the generator. This early in the morning it might disturb the few other people who had decided to ride out the storm in the campground
But since the the motorhome had a propane stove, I was able to cook scrambled eggs and bacon without starting the generator.
Anna was impressed. A hot meal to start the day out right.
After breakfast, I checked Bob's food and water and made sure he was set for the day. He had decided to sleep in. Under the covers in my bed.
Up front, Anna was ready to go.
I made a final trip around the motorhome, making sure everything was locked up and that we had all the gear we needed.
The sun was just starting to peek over the clouds to the east when Anna and I loaded into the Land Cruiser and pulled out of the campsite.
When we reached A1A, we could see that most of the debris had been washed or blown off the road. It was easy going.
Anna drove south for about two miles, then slowed as we reached the general area where we had pulled the car out of the sand the day before.
The water from the Indian River had receded and things looked different today than they did yesterday.
She turned to me and said, "I'm not sure. Tell me when you think we're there."
Scanning the left shoulder of the road, I looked for the ruts in the sand that would have been left from yesterday's rescue.
Finally seeing them, I pointed and said, "Stop. This is the spot."
Anna nodded, "Good eye. This is it."
Looking around, she said, "We don't want to park here. Other treasure hunters will see our car, and they may decide to join us.
"It'd be better if we park about a half mile down the road, behind the McLarty museum. It's got a paved lot, hidden from the main road. We can walk back up here from there."
I nodded, then said, "Maybe I should get out here, go on over the dune and wait for you. That way, we'll have the exact spot pin-pointed."
Anna agreed, "Good idea. You get out and go over the dune. I'll park, and walk back up to you.
"And Walker, don't find all the gold before I get there. Leave some for me."
I got out and grabbed my detector and scoop from the back. After I closed the door, Anna drove south toward the museum. Crossing the road, I followed the same trail up the dune I had followed the day before.
From the top of the dune I could see Anna had been right about the effect of the high tides on the beach.
Instead of the easy sloping sand dune that had been there the day before, the ocean side of the dune now dropped straight down about twelve feet to the beach.
The erosion had washed away much of the sand from the cliff face, exposing roots of trees long gone. These roots would be useful handholds as I worked my way down the sandy cliff face to the beach below.
With my detector and scoop slung over my shoulder, I climbed down the cliff face, marveling at how the storm had turned the soft dune into a sheer sandy cliff.
Upon reaching the beach, I could see that most of the soft white sand that had been there just two days before had been washed away. The beach surface now was a dark sandy field, strewn with rocks and bits of shells.
It was as if someone had used a road grader to scrape away the top layer of the beach. All the recent sand renourishment was for naught. The new sand, along with most of the old, was gone.
While waiting for Anna to make her way up the beach, I looked for any signs that would help me find the spot where the man had been digging the day before.
But I had no luck. The massive amount of erosion from the storm had removed too much sand. Any holes that he may have dug were long gone.
From behind I heard Anna say, "You didn't have to wait. You could have started detecting without me."
I shook my head. "No, you're the expert. Wanted to wait and hear your plan."
Anna pointed at the wall of sand that I had just climbed down, "Those roots and shells in the cliff are a good sign. It means the beach surface might be back to the level it was hundreds of years ago.
"There won't be bottle caps or pull tabs in this layer. Anything you find is going to be pretty old."
She looked up and down the beach, then said, "We should start at the base of the cliff and work parallel to the beach. We can do a hundred yard grid.
"You go north, I'll go south. After a hundred yards, move over six feet, turn around and come back here.
"We'll do that until we cover the whole beach.
"Before you start, turn off the iron discrimination on your detector. And dig every tone you get. No matter what you find, recover the target and put it in your pouch. And then refill the hole."
I nodded.
She smiled, "Good luck." Then she picked up her detector and scoop, turned and began her first hundred yard path to the south.
I turned north, and did the same.
Thirty yards in, I got my first hit.
38
I had been following the grid line Anna set out, swinging the detector slowly, trying to keep the coil an even distance from the surface.
Listening through the bulky headphones, I strained to hear the tell-tell tone that would indicate treasure.
For the first twenty yards, nothing. Not a single peep from the detector.
I was starting to think that either the detector wasn't working properly, or somehow I had fouled up the settings.
Just about the time I was going to go back to Anna and have her check the detector, the headphones chirped a loud tone. I had finally found something.
The readout on the detector's LCD display indicated an iron target about twelve inches below the surface.
I grabbed my scoop and removed six inches of sand above the spot indicated by the detector. Then I carefully sifted through the sand, looking for any signs of a metallic object.
Nothing.
I swung the detector back over the same spot, and got the tone again. The target was still buried under the surface.
I removed another six inches of sand. And this time, I could see a dark brown object at the bottom of the hole I'd dug.
Carefully positioning the scoop under the target, I was able to retrieve it in one piece.
Dumping the contents of the scoop onto the beach, I examined the item. It was about six inches long, heavily encrusted, looking like an iron railroad spike.