“I’m detaining you.”
Redmond’s shoulders shook and he choked back a sob. Rick started to console him, but stopped when his phone rang. He checked the display before he answered. “What’s up, Marquetta?”
“Have you seen what’s happening at The Treasure King?”
“No. What?”
“Gavin Mancini just forced all the passengers off the boat at gunpoint. Alex saw the whole thing.”
Rick looked toward the marina. The Treasure King had moved away from the docks. Water churned behind the boat and the sound of the engines mixed with the crashing surf from the base of the cliff. Even at this distance, he could see a group of people standing on the docks nearby.
“Adam, The Treasure King is leaving,” Rick said.
Redmond straightened up and peered into the distance. “Are you kidding me? They’re getting away?”
“Not on my watch,” Adam said. “Keep this one under control.”
“Thanks, Marquetta,” Rick said. “Adam needs a hand. I’ll call you back.”
Adam handed Redmond over to Rick, pulled his phone, and stepped away. When they were alone, Redmond’s tone turned bitter, “I don’t believe this. She lied to me and now she’s trying to stick me with the murder. The whole thing. My life’s already ruined, but I’m not taking the fall for her.”
“For Captain Carroll’s murder?”
“That’s right.”
“Who’s piloting the boat?” Rick asked.
“It’s probably Gavin. Heather doesn’t have the skills. I’m not going to be the patsy on this thing. I want to make a statement.”
“That’s good,” Adam said as he returned. “Because I’ve alerted the Coast Guard. Once they board, it’s game over.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Alex
MARCH 30
Hey Journal,
It’s been kinda quiet around here since the Coast Guard brought back The Treasure King. Chief Cunningham and my dad talked to both of the crew members. They confessed, but tried to blame the other one. Chief Cunningham says they have enough to put them both on trial. It sounds like Miss Sanna tricked Mr. Mancini into thinking she was in love with him. That’s like a major bummer ‘cause I kinda liked her.
Chief Cunningham says it will take a long time, but eventually they’ll both ‘go away for life.’ He said that in a deep voice like he was on a movie or something. It was super funny ‘cause he hooked his thumbs in his belt, too.
Writing about The Treasure King now is kind of a let down. I mean, everybody already knows the Coast Guard boarded the boat and searched it. They even found a speargun in the freezer, so it looks like the cops have everything they’re gonna need for their case.
Now the investigation is out of the way, I can start looking forward to Grandma Madeline’s visit. She wants to meet me and Daddy. Isn’t that awesome, Journal? My Grandma Madeline wants to meet me! I’ll have my very own grandma. At least until I get a baby brother or sister. I know, I know, Daddy and Marquetta have to get married first, but I think they’re gonna need all the help they can get.
Uh oh, my dad just knocked.
Gotta go!
Alex
“Come in!”
Daddy opens my door and wiggles his fingers. “Come with me. Flynn O’Connor is with Marquetta in the kitchen. She has something to tell you.”
“Really? Flynn is here? Awesome!” I rush out the door and down the stairs. When I get to the bottom, I go through the living room and dining room and into the kitchen.
“Flynn!”
She’s wearing a camp shirt and khaki shorts, but this time the shirt’s a pretty gray. Her face lights up when she sees me and she gets off her stool. She gives me a big hug. When she pulls away, she says, “Congratulations to the girl who broke things open.”
I look at her, and she’s like, serious. “What did I break?”
“So you haven’t heard? The coordinates for the location of the San Manuel were written on the back of that cheap treasure map you discovered in Captain Carroll’s cabin.”
“Who would do a thing like that?” Daddy laughs and rolls his eyes.
Flynn looks at my dad and raises her eyebrows. “I don’t understand.”
I look at Daddy, then Marquetta. “Can I tell her?”
They look at each other, then Daddy says, “Go for it, kiddo.”
“Captain Jack did almost the same exact thing. He had letters he kept behind a map of Seaside Cove up in his office. Daddy looked at the map for more than a year and never knew what was there.”
“Really?” Flynn says. “Doesn’t seem terribly creative.”
“I don’t know, Flynn,” Marquetta says. “I’ve dusted that map for years and never suspected a thing. It was a very effective hiding place.”
“Hiding in plain sight.” Flynn nods. “I guess it is effective. In fact, that’s almost exactly what happened with the San Manuel. I did a preliminary dive the day I got the coordinates and confirmed we have a wreck of what appears to be an old Spanish galleon. The artifacts are scattered, but we deal with those conditions all the time.”
“How’d he find it?” Marquetta asks, then she stands and looks at Flynn. “My manners. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I’d love one, thanks. It happened after a storm forced The Treasure King to seek shelter down the coast on a previous trip. I guess you’d call it beginner’s luck.”
I climb up on my stool and think about what Flynn said. “I thought Captain Carroll was some big treasure hunter. He wasn’t?”
“Chief Cunningham told me when they checked the captain’s prints in the autopsy, they discovered his real name was Morris Carleton. The name sounded familiar, so I did some research. He was a smuggler. His only relation to treasure was taking pirates out to a site, then returning them and their booty to a port where they could fence it. I guess he decided it was high time he got some of the big money. He was in hock up to his eyeballs because he wangled a loan from a former employer for The Treasure King.”
Marquetta pours Flynn’s cup and hands it to her. “So it was just pure luck that he found the San Manuel? Amazing.”
“Especially because it’s outside the search zone. It’s nowhere near where we thought it was. Now that we know the location, the trick is going to be keeping the treasure pirates from looting the site. And we might not have found it without your help.” Flynn looks at me. “Good job.”
My dad watches Flynn as he leans forward with his hands on the countertop. “When Silverstein told us that Captain Carroll got the coordinates for the San Manuel from an archaeologist working here in Seaside Cove, I was getting worried. I thought maybe you’d gone to the dark side.”
Flynn shakes her head. “Never. I would never sell my soul like that.”
“It was just a rumor Heather started,” Rick said. “When Adam interrogated her, she told him she planted it with Ed because she knew he’d go for it. He was duped just like all the others.”
I feel kinda warm and happy inside. I guess getting in trouble was worth it ‘cause now Flynn’s gonna be able to start bringing up the treasures of the San Manuel. And now I totally have a story I can write for the Cove Talkers.
“I see that smug look on your face, young lady,” Daddy says. “Don’t think you can get away with disregarding the rules. You got lucky this time because it worked for the greater good and Chief Cunningham wanted me to go easy on you. You also got lucky because Deputy Baker responded to your call for help so quickly when you were in trouble.”
“What happened to her, Daddy? Did she quit?”
“See what I have to deal with?” Daddy looks at Flynn and throws up his hands. “She’s a professional at changing the narrative to suit her needs.”
Flynn laughs as she watches me over the rim of her mug. “You do have a challenge on your hands.”
“Why, Mr. Atwood,” Marquetta says as she steps closer to Daddy. “I do believe that’s a gray hair I see.”
Daddy close
s his eyes and shakes his head. When he opens them, me and Marquetta and Flynn are all grinning at him. He’s so in over his head.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Alex
APRIL 14
Hey Journal,
Daddy read my story for the Cove Talkers newsletter and said it was good. He marked it up with a red pen—he says that’s what his editor always did to him—then gave it back to me and said to bring him the next version. Whew! This writing for the press stuff is a lot of work!
We got a postcard today from Mr. West and Mrs. King. They’ve finished their cruise and have decided they’re gonna travel together some more. They might even get married! Can you believe it? That makes me super happy ‘cause me and Marquetta helped bring them together.
I’m totally stoked because it’s Friday night and Grandma Madeline is coming to visit tomorrow. We had to wait a couple weeks ‘cause things got crazy after the Coast Guard brought back The Treasure King, but we had a last-minute cancellation yesterday, so Daddy asked Marquetta to see if her mom could come. I’m all nervous ‘cause I’ve never had like a real grandma before. If Grandma Madeline is anything like Marquetta, we’re totally gonna get along. This is gonna be super awesome!
Xoxo
Alex
PS I caught Daddy and Marquetta kissing in the laundry room again. They got all embarrassed, but I think it’s super cool. Project Baby Sister is off to an awesome start!
AUTHOR’S NOTES
While Secrets of the Treasure King is a work of fiction, I have also woven in historical fact. The San Manuel, the Spanish galleon described in this book, never existed, but it easily could have. The Spanish empire sailed these galleons until 1815, when a four-year voyage by the Magallanes concluded in Manila. For 250 years, these ships were used to bring New World gold and silver from the Americas and exotic goods such as silk, china, ivory, and spices from the Far East.
Manila galleons such as the San Manuel traversed a course from Japan to California, then down the coast to Acapulco. Despite the dangers, the Spanish galleons sailed this eastern course regularly by the 1560s. The journey, which could take eight months, was one of the most dangerous in the world. The waters were unpredictable, the conditions onboard deplorable, and the potential for raids by privateers high.
One of the earliest known shipwrecks off the California Coast is the Santa Domingo. This galleon sank in 1540 near the South Channel Islands according to the California Lands Commission. Another galleon lost along the California coast is the San Augustin, which sank in Drake's Bay north of San Francisco. Altogether, there are more than 1400 other wrecks lying on the bottom of the sea, most from the last 150 years.
The value of a Spanish galleon’s cargo would depend on many factors. However, it’s not unreasonable for that value to be millions of dollars. The ship mentioned by Alex in her conversation with her friends Sasha and Robbie is real. The San Jose lies on the sea floor and is anticipated to have a value of $17 billion. She is the subject of a custody battle between multiple countries and private companies, all of whom claim an interest in the salvage rights. The San Jose typifies the battle between those interested in preserving history and those interested in private gain.
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