The salt had preserved the paper as well, though the ink was quite faded. Olivia read it: “This be the hand of fierce Pirate Gentry Olivant, Captain of the Scoundrel of the Seas, severed by Mlle Marie Delacroix in fair battle this 18th day of November, 1689.” She looked up at Ginny, quite astounded. “Who told you to dig there, Ginny?”
I pinched Ginny’s leg gently and shook my head imperceptibly to the others when she made eye contact.
“Uh…it was a story my grandpappy told me, Miss Vant. Just an old family legend. Yup…just a story, because I didn’t hear it from old Thaddeus himself when he was around in 1699, of course, ’cuz that’d be silly…”
I nudged her again. “It’s really a beautiful tiara,” I said.
Olivia nodded. "French. From royalty, no doubt – Bourbon family, by the look of it. But the real find here is the hand. The tattoo is like his – it even has the ‘G’ and the ‘O’ for the eyes in the skull and sabers instead of crossbones. Perhaps a DNA test can determine if it really belongs to a distant relative of mine. The museum would be willing to pay you a pretty penny for this, Ginny, if it turns out to be genuine.”
Ginny looked deflated. “Oh…well…I was really looking forward to hangin’ that on my wall, maybe above the fireplace when I get me a fancy house.”
“We’ll talk – but those are valuable items, so make sure they are locked in safekeeping.”
“We’ll take care of it, Olivia,” I assured her.
The Sheriff and Olivia left, and Ginny and I slid into the booth with Zach.
“You’ve been pretty quiet, Zach. Have you heard from Cammy Jo?”
“Every day. She might be visiting this place a little more often in the future.” His smile was bright, but he still had a lot on his mind. “But most of the things I want to talk about are either classified police business or else things about the crazy snooping you and Ginny and Cammy have been doing. I know there’s something pretty strange about all of that stuff. I mean, a stone wall nearly took my arm off when it closed in front of me.”
“So, are they going to close the case, Zach?”
“They can’t. It’s a murder, and it will stay open until it’s solved. It sure seems like you and Cammy know a lot of things about it that you aren’t telling me. Like, what did you guys see downstairs when I got shut out of that room? And what happened to you at the underground ship place in Savannah the other day?”
“Did they figure out who those other two dead pirates were, or what happened to them?” Ginny asked Zach.
Thank you for changing the subject, Ginny!
“Not really. They figure they must be the guys who helped dig up the treasure, and then they killed them to keep them quiet. But there are no bodies, no missing persons, and nobody has any idea who they even were, so we can’t arrest Bandersnatch or anyone. He’ll get some time for his white collar crime, though, trying to steal the treasure.”
Zach leaned across the table toward me. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me what happened inside that SoS place.”
“Oh…Look at the time!” I said. “I’ve got to start getting ready for my date tonight. See ya!”
It was dinner at his place followed by a horse-riding date, so I had to dress in my best cowgirl attire. Of course, we were going to the new Swamp Fox afterwards, so I brought a little dress and my newest cowboy boots in a beach bag. I was nervous as could be even though I was pretty sure that Travis wouldn’t care if I wore pigtails and a western shirt, or just wore my hair down with a nice sweater to keep away the evening chill. I went with the sweater. I had never taken so much time trying to look like I didn’t take any time getting ready in my life – but I smelled wonderful and my makeup was beautifully underdone.
I knocked on the door to the ranch house at exactly 5 o’clock.
Travis was there in a moment, with a welcoming smile and a tall glass of raspberry iced tea in his hand for me. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, Jessie. Make yourself at home.”
“How about if I help or maybe just look over your shoulder in the kitchen, Travis?”
“I’d enjoy the company. Come on in!”
I was expecting country music, but Rihanna’s Hate That I Love You was playing softly in the dimly lit room.
“Nice music.” Maybe there was a little too much surprise in my voice when I said it.
“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll hear plenty of country tunes around this place.”
I smiled and inhaled the delectable aroma. “The possum smells delicious,” I teased.
He smiled. “Prairie dog – possum’s too tough.”
He saw the fear in my eyes and lifted the cover of the pan to show me some nice thick pork chops, and there was a pot of chili simmering right next to it.
“You’re in luck; it’s Wednesday,” he said. “Thursdays it’s squirrel on a stick.”
Dinner was relaxed, and we were both very comfortable. It seemed so natural to be there with him, and the time flew by. There were no awkward moments, no lulls in the tempo of the conversation, and no expectations. It was like…living life and not like being on a date. Eventually we started talking about our personal biographies.
“My mother never really told me about my father before she passed away,” I said, “but maybe someday I’ll look more deeply into my past.”
“My dad lives here with me,” Travis said. “I sent him off to help Carson with the grand opening of the Swamp Fox tonight. You’ll meet him later. His name is Percival.”
That got my attention. I had been thinking about how anxious the young man was for me to go on this date tonight. But the shirtless pirate couldn’t be his father – he said he was 25 years old, but 30 years farther into the future than me. He wouldn’t even be born yet.
Travis brought over a family picture with his dad and brother. His father was too short to be the pirate too. “A great man, my father. He taught me everything I know, and raised me and my brother, without a mother since we were young, to be resourceful, successful, and proud.”
“I’d say he did a good job.”
“That he did, Jessie. I decided a long time ago that I was going to name my first son Percival in his honor.”
A warm tingle ran through my body. I guess I had known it all along, but I couldn’t allow myself to think it. Percival was his son – our son. I’m sure of it. And it makes me happy.
“Time to ride,” Travis said with a smile. “We’re getting a late start, so we’ll make it a short ride. Then we’ll have a drink at the Swamp Fox.”
“Travis…”
“Yes, Jessie?”
“I just want to say that this evening has been really wonderful. The food was so good, the conversation was really great – it made me feel so welcome and relaxed – and…most of all, you’ve been a true gentleman.”
The big cowboy smiled, the fire from the stone fireplace glinting off his soft brown eyes. “Oh,” he said, “well, it’s still early.”
I nearly trembled as he stood right in front of me, making me feel so small and delightfully helpless in his presence.
“You’ve made me feel real comfortable too, Jessie. And, for the first time in a long time, you’ve made me real glad that I’m a man. Come on.”
Oh, I’m pretty happy about that myself.
Travis grabbed his hat off the coatrack by the door and put it on. He was wearing his well-worn buckskin boots, but at the foot of the rack was a shiny pair of boots that looked like they were seldom worn.
“What are these?” I asked.
“Oh, those are my good boots for special occasions. I put them out so I wouldn’t forget to change into them before we go to the Swamp Fox. They’re genuine snakeskin. I hope you like them.”
More than you can imagine. This was getting to be a really great night. He held the screen door open for me, and I went out under his arm.
“I hope you’re still feeling like I’m a gentleman at the end of the night,” he said, “because I’m pretty sure you’re going to get kissed.”
He smiled and put his arm over my shoulder as we started toward the stable. “And I’d hate to see you get kissed by some fella who wasn’t very gentlemanly.”
I had to look to make sure my feet were still touching the ground. And I’m pretty sure you’re going to get kissed back, Mr. Yates. Yes, this was getting to be a very good night.
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Jessie Delacroix and the Sanctum of Shadows (Whispering Pines Mystery Series Book 2) Page 15