Treasured Lies (6 page)

He raced to the front cabin and nearly bumped into Rosalina. Her hand was over her mouth but her fearful eyes said it all. She knew who it was too. Ignatius had been shadowing Archer's treasure hunts for a decade or so, but long before that he was his father's nemesis. Many moons ago, Archer's father and Ignatius had been friends. Archer knew this from photos of the two of them together that had once hung in the halls of his father's boat. Archer could still remember the anger drilled onto his father's face when he'd snatched those three frames off the wall and smashed them into the waste. After that, every mention of Iggy's name was with a clenched jaw and blatant seething. Rosalina had heard enough stories to be as concerned about him resurfacing as Archer was. The other worrying point was the helicopter. It indicated Ignatius was doing well financially, and this wasn't good.

A crazy treasure hunter with a blatant disregard for others and funds to burn was a dangerous mix.

‘He saluted us,' Archer said through gritted teeth. ‘Who's out there?'

Rosalina's eyelids drooped with concern. ‘Ginger ran out to wave at him.'

‘Why? Does she know him?' He clenched his jaw as horrifying thoughts tumbled into focus. He knew so little about Ginger, but even as he played out several nasty scenarios in his mind, he wanted to deny they could be true. Ginger just didn't seem like a deceitful person.

Rosalina blinked up at him. ‘I guess she thought it was the doctor.'

Jimmy stepped into the room. ‘I thought it was the doc too.'

‘I wish it was.' His gut twisted and turned as much as the thoughts buzzing through his brain. ‘This changes everything.' The chopper was just a faint throb in the distance when Archer strode from the room to get Ginger and Alessandro. They needed to hear what he had to say.

He saw Ginger standing at the railing, shielding her eyes against the sun as she looked up to the sky.

‘What're you doing?' He strode towards her.

‘What? I …' She backed away. ‘I thought it was the doctor.'

The fearful look on her face had Archer ease back on his wary thoughts. He suddenly felt terrible for suspecting her of any form of conspiracy.

Archer just shook his head as he imagined Iggy getting a kick out of the bikini-clad Ginger's friendly welcome. ‘Okay, come inside, guys. I need to tell you who that was.'

By the time they were all seated, Archer's seething had simmered down enough that he was able to consider their options. ‘So the bastard in that helicopter was Ignatius Montpellier.'

‘Who?' everyone but Rosalina asked.

‘Ignatius Montpellier. Treasure hunter. Ruthless idiot. He'd do anything to get his hands on a treasure. He did it to Dad, he did it to me. The last time I saw him he stole a sword right out of my hands. And he bloody well nearly killed himself getting away from me. Wish he had.'

‘Was the sword valuable?' Ginger's eyes lit up.

Archer frowned at Ginger's question. Clearly she missed the whole point of his comment. ‘Not sure,' he said. ‘I never saw it again. The point is Iggy's crazy.'

‘Do you think he knows about the
Seahorse
?' Jimmy bounced his clenched fist on the table.

‘It doesn't matter. He must've seen us on the news and he's obviously curious about what we're doing.'

‘
Non bene
.' Alessandro squeezed his palms to his temples. ‘You think he'll go after the treasure?'

‘Without a doubt.' Archer drove his fingers through his hair, they snagged on his curls and he pushed harder.

‘If he thinks he can just fly on over here and get his hands on our treasure, he'll have to get through me first.' Jimmy jabbed his finger at the table.

Archer knew firsthand what Ignatius was capable of; the man would do anything to get to a treasure and he had the means and ruthlessness to do it. Some treasure hunters were known to be merciless in their race for the prize, and Iggy was no exception. And he was never one to sneak around doing it. His flyby was a message. He wanted Archer to know he was here. The likes of Jimmy was barely a ripple in the rich bastard's grand plans. But Archer had no intention of putting Jimmy near danger ever again. Or any of them for that matter.

‘Let's hope it doesn't come to that.' Archer pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘This means we need to hurry now. My guess is he's getting a boat and dive crew together as we speak. First thing we need to do is moor
Evangeline
away from the dive site. We don't need to pinpoint it for him. We're just lucky we were at the marina and not right over the
Seahorse
when he found us.'

‘But this's our site.' Alessandro's scowl matched Jimmy's.

‘Actually it's not.' Archer shook his head. ‘We haven't legally laid claim to it.'

‘Well, let's do it!' Alessandro said.

‘It's not that easy, Alex. Things like that take time. As soon as we lodge a claim, every man and his dog will be in here digging. Right up to the day we get that piece of paper in our hands. By then, the whole lot may be gone. What we need to do is beat them all to it.'

‘Well, where the hell is that damn doctor? We got things to do.' Jimmy's face was awash with sweat, even with the yacht's efficient air-conditioning.

‘Hey, Jimmy, you need to calm down a notch or two before the doc arrives. Don't want your heart rate setting his alarms off.'

‘Come on, Jimmy.' Rosalina stood and placed her hand under his arm to help him stand. ‘How about you splash some cool water on your face?'

As if on cue, the regular beat of a rotor blade sounded off the port side. Archer glanced out to see the chopper making its approach. With relief he noted it was the doctor this time. Within ten minutes the helicopter had landed on
Evangeline's
helipad and Jimmy greeted him with a charming grin. After small pleasantries, he set about examining both Jimmy and Alessandro's wounds. Doctor Tallaharis was an intense bore of a man who conducted his exam with nothing more than a few indecipherable moans. Waiting for the final result was excruciatingly drawn out for Archer and he had no idea how Jimmy was keeping his cool.

Finally the doctor put his pen down. ‘Looks like you're healing very well. I think—'

‘So am I clear to scuba dive again, Doc?' Jimmy interrupted with a forceful tone.

The doctor eased back on his chair, and devoid of any emotion he assessed Jimmy's determined look. He then cleared his throat. ‘I don't think it matters what I say. I can tell you've already made up your mind. Am I right?'

Jimmy's mouth gaped, as if he was deliberating the right answer.

The doctor was right. After Iggy's appearance everything had changed and Archer was pretty certain nothing short of tying him down would stop Jimmy from getting back in the water.

‘Yes, Doc. You're right,' Archer said. The doctor turned to him and the look in his eyes had shifted from the usual caring concern to resignation. ‘He's a stubborn bugger.' Archer put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder and tried to squeeze the corded muscle dominating it. The man was built like a rock. ‘I'm not sure we can hold him back much longer. So, that said, what should we do to make sure he doesn't do any damage?'

It took some convincing, but eventually the doctor softened. He handed out strict instructions, along with a series of prescriptions and fresh bandages. By the time he was back aboard the helicopter and heading towards Athens for the last time, Jimmy was already messing around with his dive gear, preparing it for his first dive in nine weeks.

Archer moored
Evangeline
two hundred metres from the
Flying Seahorse
wreck and before he'd even dropped anchor, Jimmy was ready at the crane to lower the tender. The small boat was crammed full with their dive gear, leaving little room for four people too. It was a frustrating waste of time having to motor to the dive site, but it was necessary.

Although she hadn't said it, Archer could tell Rosalina was pleased not to be diving. It wouldn't be quite the same without her, but on the other hand he was dying to show Jimmy what they'd found down there. When they'd met a decade or so ago, Jimmy had been wallowing in a world of self-pity and anger over his messy divorce. Not only had he lost his wife to a younger man, he'd also lost all his funds in the fight. His work at the wharf was an unpredictable mix of long hours or nothing at all and Jimmy's spare time was spent drinking, pressing weights and beating Archer at canasta. But from the moment Archer taught Jimmy how to dive, all that changed. Sure, he continued to enjoy the rum and the card playing, but once he'd experienced the pure tranquillity of the ocean, Jimmy was a convert. Any chance he could, Jimmy would come along for a dive and Archer was happy about that.

It took nearly half an hour to get to the dive site and Jimmy was slipping into his gear well before Ginger dropped the anchor overboard. Archer finished putting his scuba gear on and there was nothing more to do than give Rosalina a kiss.

Rosalina looked a knockout in the cotton shirt she was wearing today. The blue fabric accentuated her already stunning cornflower blue eyes. He especially appreciated that a few buttons were undone, showing the swell of her delicious cleavage above her string bikini. If they were alone, it would be impossible not to touch her velvet skin. Maybe later tonight he could satisfy the burning fire that threatened to embarrass him at any moment.

‘Be back soon, baby.' Archer clutched Rosalina's cheeks in his hands, drew her near and their lips met. She clutched him in a hug. Normally Rosalina would be whispering to Jimmy to keep an eye out for Archer. He'd overheard her do it many times. But right now she was in Archer's ear, seeking reassurance that he'd watch out for Jimmy. Not that she needed to, Archer would watch Jimmy like an overprotective parent. It wouldn't be anything for Jimmy to overdo it and he certainly didn't want any more dive incidents on his hands. They'd had enough situations in the last couple of months to fill any logbook.

Archer checked Jimmy's gear in the pre-dive safety check. ‘Here we go, mate. Ready?'

Jimmy's smile was that of an overexcited child. And it was great to see. The poor bugger had been to hell and back.

The best way to get from the small boat into the water was to flip backwards. Archer wasn't sure if Jimmy would be able to, but the tough nut gave a quick salute and flipped overboard with the agility of a teenager. Archer laughed at the look of pure joy on Jimmy's face when he resurfaced.

‘Guess I better catch up,' Archer said to the ladies, before he too flipped into the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea. After the customary okay signal, he joined Jimmy and the two of them sank below the surface. Behind them they unfolded a length of rope, their permanent lifeline to Rosalina and Ginger. Their plan was simple: the girls would tug on the rope if something wasn't right. But if everything went right, then the rope would assist them in raising whatever they find to the surface.

Archer also carried Rosalina's buoyancy vest and tank. He was hoping his idea would work, otherwise they'd have a whole other issue to deal with. Jimmy was carrying a large crate and from what he'd been saying he had every intention of filling it to the brim with treasure. Archer could only dream it'd be that easy. Maybe luck would be on their side this time.

Visibility was excellent. The water temperature was a pleasant twenty-four degrees and he was grateful he'd resisted wearing his shorty wetsuit. He'd be way too hot with that on. Jimmy was fluid in the water, for a big man recovering from serious injuries, he was as elegant as a dolphin. A butch dolphin maybe. Clearly the weightlessness worked in his favour.

Archer led the way, making a beeline straight for the coral fan. Its intense tangerine colour was easy to spot in the distance. He tugged the fan aside and with their torches switched on, he gestured for Jimmy to pass through the gap first. The played out rope snaked a trail behind him as he too swam through the hole into the ancient boat hull. To think this wreck has been in this very position, hidden from the world for seven hundred years, was mind-boggling. It really was a wonder any of it was still intact.

The first stop was the monkey statue. Archer tugged on Jimmy's fin to divert his attention to the side of the entrance. As he'd left it, the statue lay on its side. His torch brought out the warm glow of the gold. But rather than taking in its beauty, Archer watched for Jimmy's reaction and it was a bloody good one too. A puff of bubbles exploded from his mouthpiece and Archer could distinctly hear the words, ‘fuck me', come from Jimmy's mouth. Jimmy wasn't one for subtleties.

Archer watched Jimmy kneel beside the statue and place his hands on the gold, as if drawing power from the precious metal. He cruised up alongside and Jimmy reached out to shake his hand. It felt good to be sharing this with him. Especially as he'd nearly lost his good friend altogether.

The two of them made easy work of lifting the monkey statue upright. Archer pointed out the groove in the monkey's neck and Jimmy's exaggerated nod indicated he understood what it meant. He couldn't wait to get the monkey up top and see what it was harbouring in its big belly. Archer tugged the second buoyancy vest forward and sat the tank against the statue.

Jimmy, understanding what he was doing, undid the clips on the vest and helped to attach Rosalina's tank to the statue. Together they pulled the clasps as tight as possible. Once it was attached, Archer indicated for Jimmy to help him roll the monkey forward onto its belly. Archer crossed his fingers as he inflated the vest. With each pump of air it swelled and he watched for the moment the statue lifted off the sand. It was beautiful to witness. Just as planned, the gold statue eased off the ground and hovered in the air like an act in a magic show.

Jimmy's attempt at a slamming high five was bollixed by the water and he missed Archer's outstretched hand altogether. They both laughed aloud at his clumsiness, releasing precious bubbles from their tanks. It was worth it; seeing Jimmy this happy made this moment all the more special.