Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (25 page)

“
That is not what I
’
m talking about.
”
Tamsin glowered at her.
“
What have you found at the island?
”

It was the question Morgan had anticipated the moment
they had
appeared at her doorstep, and she was prepared.

“
I have news, though it is not all I had hoped it would be.
”
She described in great detail the Templar church that had been discovered beneath Oak Island, omitting the smaller chamber where the lost item, whichever
one
it was, had been kept. She showed them the photographs researchers had taken, apologizing that she had not assembled t
hem into a proper presentation.

“
So you see,
”
she finished,
“
the discovery confirms that the Templars did, in fact, reach Oak Island, but we have not recovered any of the items we seek.
”
She gave a false sigh.
“
If the news had been better, I would have summoned you immediately but, considering the limited success of our search, I was not eager to give you my report.
”
There. That should settle them.

“
Do we have any leads on the artifact that was stolen from the church, or on the man who took it?
”

Morgan froze in the act of shutting off her computer. How had Tamsin come by this in
formation? She knew all of her S
ister
’
s key operatives and their activities and whereabouts. None of them could have possibly known. And Rhiannon
’
s base of power lay in the church, so she could not be the source. It was a conundrum that would require her attention, but not right now. Now was the time to stand firm.

“
Locke is working on it,
”
she said simply. Maintaining her calm exterior, she returned to her seat, sat with her hands folded in her lap, and smiled at Tamsin. Ordinarily, Morgan would not waste time sitting in silence, but she knew Tamsin put great store in such trifles as not being the first to speak, thinking it somehow gave her power. Let her believe that. Right now, Morgan could use it to her own advantage. She watched as Tamsin
’
s cheeks reddened and she began to chew on her lip and fidget slightly until finally she could take no more.

“
What is this plan?
”
Her voice was hot with anger.

“
We have taken into custody a young woman who is close to the culprit. When he has finished questioning her, Locke will arrange an exchange. The girl for
what was taken
.
”

“
Details, please.
”
These were the first words Rhiannon had spoken, and her velvety voice betrayed no emotion. Of the two, she posed the greater potential threat to Morgan. Tamsin had no guile, while Rhiannon was cool and calculating. Tamsin had authority, but lacked the ability to capture the hearts and minds of the people. Rhiannon was beloved as a spiritual leader, though if the world knew her true religion, she would be cast down. Fortunately, Rhiannon had never given any indication that her position, a step below Morgan, chafed at all.

Morgan could see no use in prevaricating. She outlined Locke
’
s plan, assuring them
that the long sought-after treasure would be in their hands in a matter of days.

“
Do we know which of the three it is?
”
Rhiannon maintained her calm, courteous manner.

“
No.
”
Morgan had her suspicions, based on accounts of the thieves
’
escape, but she would not share them.

“
Very well,
”
Tamsin sighed.
“
I need not remind you that
the plan
...
”

“
I know, S
ister.
”

“
Then you
understand our concern,
”
Rhiannon said smoothly.
“
The window of opportunity is a small one. If our quest confounds us again, we will be forced to wait.
”

“
Need I remind you that, a few days ag
o, we were utterly without hope?
”
Morgan met their stares each in turn.
“
Now that hope is rekindled,
and
I am doing everything in my power to see to it that we do not miss this o
pportunity. But do not forget, S
isters, the mere possession of
any of
these artifacts is no small thing. We can use them to cement our power and entrench ourselves in the imaginations of the people. We will be queens!
”

“
You
will be
Queen
,
”
Rhiannon corrected.
“
Your bloodline is more direct than ours.
”

Morgan smiled at the thought. Prime Minister was well within her reach, but her aim was higher. She longed for the day they could finally set the plan in motion. A wave of change was about to sweep the world, and she would ride its crest.

“
Sister, do we know the thief
’
s name?
”
Tamsin seemed, if not cowed, at least placated.

“
Maddock,
”
Morgan said.
“
Dane Maddock.
”

Trinity Church
sat
at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway. Its ornate spire, nearly three hundred feet high, stood in stark contrast to the modern buildings all around. A wrought iron fence ringed the property, as if to stave off the intrusion of city life. Dane found it disorienting to look upon the centuries-old brown stone church, the gothic architecture, and the historical cemetery, with its weathered gravestones, crypts, and monuments, then turn his head to see congested streets choked with taxi cabs and sidewalks where pedestrians navigated an obstacle course of vendors
’
carts and gawking sightseers. He, Bones, and Avery paused in front of it, taking a moment to admire the famed landmark.

“
So this was Kidd
’
s church, huh?
”
Bones asked.

“
It was.
”
Avery quickly donned the mantle of lecturing professor.
“
Not this building, of course. This is actually the third Trinity Church. The original structure was built in 1698. During its construction, Kidd even lent the runner and tackle from his ship to help them move the stones.
”

“
That
’
s pretty old, for white Americans, that is.
”
Bones gave her an evil grin and Dane chuckled.
“
The cemetery looks pretty cool. Maybe we
’
ll have time to check it out.
”

“
There are a lot of famous people buried here and in Trinity
’
s other two cemeteries. Alexander Hamilton, Horacio Gates, Robert Fulton, John Jacob Astor...
”

“
Wait, the Jingleheimer Schmidt guy is buried here?
”
Before Avery could reply, Bones laughed and gave her arm a squeeze.

“
Good thing Angel isn
’
t here. She
’
d have punched you for that one.
”
Dane felt a pang of regret and realized how quickly he
’
d grown accustomed to Angel
’
s presence. He missed her easy laugh, her self-confidence, and the way she rode herd on Bones.

“
Yeah. Don
’
t you know she
’
s climbing the walls in that rinky dink jail?
”

“
You don
’
t seem too concerned that your sister is sitting in a jail cell,
”
Avery said.
“
Are you two not close?
”

“
She
’
s fine.
”
Bones waved her concern away like a wisp of smoke.
“
This isn
’
t Angel
’
s first rodeo. She wasn
’
t as bad as me
when we were kids
, but she had her moments. I just feel sorry for her jailer. You think I can get under someone
’
s skin, you ought to see her in action.
”

Dane smiled at the thought, but couldn
’
t escape a
feeling
of guilt that they hadn
’
t found a way to get her out of her predicament.

They spent a moment longer admiring the church and the grounds, soaking in the history.

“
Doesn
’
t it seem like we go to a lot of these places?
”
Bones asked.

“
Yeah, but no complaints here.
”
Dane examined the architecture, its blend of sturdy lines and artistic trappings. He loved these pockets of history that stood against the disposable construction of recent generations
“
At least, not too many complaints.
”

“
You guys keep dropping these little comments about places you
’
ve gone and things you
’
ve done,
”
Avery said,
“
but you won
’
t dish. It
’
s starting to tick me off.
”
She gave them each
the evil eye
and stalked into the church.

Dane grimaced and looked at Bones, who chuckled.

“
She
’
s a spitfire.
”
He started to say something, then hesitated. It was a strange thing for Dane to witness. Bones was never uncertain about anything. At least, he never let it show.
“
Say, Maddock, I
’
ve been meaning to ask you something.
”

“
All right. Shoot.
”
As eager as he was to go inside and begin the search, he was, at the moment, even more curious about what Bones wanted to talk about.

“
It
’
s kind of weird for a guy to have a thing for his best friend
’
s sister, don
’
t you think?
”

Dane felt his face grow hot. All his conflicted feelings about Angel rose anew. Had he been that obvious? How long had bones known?

“
Bones, I don
’
t know what to say.
”

“
Look, if you want me to stay away from her, I will. She
’
s your sister and I don
’
t want to mess up our friendship, but I
wouldn’t mind hanging out with
her. She
’
s cool.
”
He looked at Dane then looked away.

It took Dane a moment to realize what Bones was talking about, and then he laughed.

“
Oh! You mean Avery.
”
Relief flooded through him.

“
Yeah. Wait, who did you think I meant?
”
Bones cocked his head and
looked quizzically at him
.

“
Nobody.
”
He quickened his pace and didn
’
t meet Bones
’
s eye.
“
Yeah, that
’
s cool. I could tell you have a thing for her, and she
’
s only been my sister for a couple of days.
”

“
Dude, you suck at math. She
’
s been your sister all her life.
”

“
You know what I mean. It might be different if we
’
d grown up together.
”

“
Yeah, that might be a little different.
”
Bones sounded thoughtful.