Wreckers Island (romantic suspense) (11 page)

‘Right,’ said Dan, as the four of them drank coffee around
the kitchen table. ‘It’s 10am and the sooner we get moving the better. I think
it would be wise to draw up a quick checklist of what we need to take with us,
to save any delays.’

They thought carefully.

‘Ok so I’ve written down: torches, spare
batteries, the small ladder, and a couple of empty crates that we will need to
transport everything,’ said Dan. ‘Anything else?’

‘I nearly forgot to mention – chalk to mark
the walls to and from – in case there’s any chance of accidentally wandering
into different tunnels,’ said Emma. ‘I bought some yesterday from the hardware
store.’

‘Fantastic, that’s a great idea,’ said Dan. ‘The
tunnel leading to the nearest cave is fairly straightforward as we found out
yesterday, but it’s best not to take any chances.’

‘Another thing,’ said Emma. ‘I know we’ve
got torches, but what about a couple of lamps to place on the ground or on the
ledge?

‘Yes, good point. We forgot to buy any. I
suppose we can take a couple of oil lamps, can’t we Louise?’ said Dan.

Louise nodded. ‘Shall we take some snacks or
anything like that?’ she asked, a touch flippantly.

Dan detected the hint of a smirk and he
snapped at her, ‘Louise please try and take this seriously. Either we fetch
that treasure from the cave or before long, somebody else will and it will be
too late.’

Dan suspected that beneath her cavalier
attitude, Louise was embarrassed about her loud and boorish behaviour the previous
night – and rightly so. They had all been naïve and incautious but Louise was
by far the worst offender.

The important thing now was to make sure the
safe removal of the treasure went to plan. There was only so much that he could
do without appearing rude. They were Louise’s guests, and when she insisted on
having another round of coffee, he had no choice but to sit there and drink it.

‘Dan, don’t pull faces at me,’ said Louise,
reproachfully, spotting his irritation. ‘I’ve got a stonking hangover and I
want to try and cure it with caffeine and pills before I go plunging down
tunnels.’

Eventually, with the clock ticking towards
eleven, the four of them finally emerged from the lighthouse and walked to the
outbuilding.

‘Blow, I’ve forgotten the key to the door,’
said Louise. The others glared at her. She hadn’t got her head on the right way
that morning at all. She scurried to get it and opened up. Dan was relieved to
see that everything inside looked as they had left it. Clearly no-one had
attempted to force entry over night and that was reassuring.

‘Right folks, our best bet is for two of us
to go to the bottom of the shaft, one to wait half-way down and we play pass
the parcel with all our stuff,’ suggested Dan. ‘When we return with the
treasure, we’ll try and tie it with rope, then winch it up.’

It took longer than expected to get to the
caves having to lug baggage and equipment along the tunnel.

Dan used the chalk that Emma had bought to
carefully mark a line along the walls. It wasn’t a complex route but it was
better than risking getting lost. For all they knew there might be a network of
underground tunnels.

‘Ok,’ said Dan, looking at his watch once
they were safely inside the cave. It was midday – far later than he had
intended. He placed the small ladder against the lip of the shelf in the hidden
recess and climbed up, taking an oil lamp with him which would allow him to keep
both hands free.

Nothing whatsoever had been touched. The
gold and silver looked understated in the dimmer lamplight but everything was
still there as he had left it – indeed, as Captain Felipe had left it, all
those countless years ago.

‘Everything’s fine,’ he shouted to the
others down below.

‘Hey Dan,’ said Louise, ‘I know I’m being a
pain, but do you think, now we’ve got the ladder, that the rest of us could possibly
come up one by one and have a look before you move it?’

Dan cursed inwardly, drat you Louise!
Nonetheless, it was a fair point. The others were bound to want to see the
treasure in its original state and indeed, he ought to take two or three
photographs of it with his mobile phone to show the archaeological people. It
occurred to him that the authorities would probably prefer them not to shift
the hoard at all as an historical site. Too bad, it would be far too risky to
leave it down here now. They had to recover it, and he would not sleep another
wink until they did.

‘Ok,’ he said, reluctantly. ‘If you’re
careful, we can all squeeze up here, I just don’t want us to take too long over
it.’

The other three went up the ladder, anxious
to see the precious belongings of Captain Felipe in their natural state, as he
had left them.

‘Look,’ cried Dan, noticing something he’d
not spotted before. ‘In the far corner, some sort of clothing!’ He aimed his
torch to the rear of the ledge. ‘A jacket, and boots – was this Felipe’s spare
set perhaps? What’s that alongside? Crikey, an old sailor’s hat, look at it –
the old-style two-cornered sort like Admiral Nelson would wear! And would you
believe it – a cutlass, a real sailor’s cutlass!’

The others were so overcome at the sight of
gold and silver coins and ingots that they glanced across before turning their attention
back to the treasure chest.

But for Dan, this was an emotional moment. He
felt a lump form in his throat. In one sense, finding the captain’s clothing stored
here pending his safe return, was the most astonishing thing of all. He felt
again, a powerful connection with the past and to this unfortunate sea captain
who preserved all that was of value from his wrecked ship, hoping to return one
day. Only he never did and his secret died with him.

Here they were, the four of them,
effectively plundering a site that in a sense ought to be considered a shrine
to Felipe and his crewmen, all of whom undoubtedly lost their lives either
through drowning or possibly, a worse fate ashore.

‘The poor buggers,’ muttered Dan, under his
breath.

‘Are you ok, Dan?’ asked Emma, realising he
was struggling with it all.

‘I’m fine,’ he replied, softly. ‘I just had
a moment that’s all. You know, I don’t think we should take everything. Let’s
take the treasure, because after so long, we are the legitimate finders of it
and it’s too dangerous to leave it here. I don’t wish to take his personal
effects. Let’s leave his long black jacket, and his boots with those amazing
buckles on and this incredible Spanish seafarer’s hat and cutlass.’

‘Of course, Dan, we should leave his
personal effects as a memorial to him and to the crewmen who perished,’ said
Emma, pleased that her new-found love should be so sensitive about such matters.
‘Why don’t we take a coin each, you and me, make a wish, then place them inside
his jacket pocket, as an offering to him?’

Dan rubbed Emma’s arm appreciatively, she
understood him, that’s why they were so good together. They both chose a coin,
blessed it, and placed it in one of Felipe’s pockets.

‘You have given me an idea, something I
would like to do for him,’ said Dan softly. ‘You know, I would like to nip back
to the lighthouse and fetch Felipe’s diary that he took so much care over and
which clearly meant so much to him. I’d like to place it inside his jacket so
that it is somehow reunited with him. Does that make sense?’

‘Yes it does, it’s a wonderful idea, he
would be so touched by it,’ said Emma.

‘I’ll get it now if that’s ok, I want to do
right by him before we help ourselves to that treasure,’ said Dan stepping from
the ledge onto the ladder.

The others fell silent at Dan’s words. John
and Louise did not fully get Dan and his need for such reverence, although they
respected the sentiments behind it. But now they were finally on the case and
their hangovers had virtually disappeared, they were keen to get on with
things. They were getting stiff on the cramped shelf and followed Dan down the
ladder. Emma offered to return with him to the lighthouse but he pointed out
that he would be quicker by himself. She and the others went to sit in the cave
while they waited for him.

‘Shall we make a start boxing up some of the
booty?’ asked Louise.

‘No Louise,’ replied Emma, sharply. ‘Have
some sensitivity. Dan wants to get the sailor’s diary first and place it inside
his jacket before we begin plundering.’

Emma hoped Dan had not entirely lost his sense
of urgency. While she deeply respected his wish to do the right thing, she also
felt it would be good to complete their mission speedily and get out of there.
Seeing him leave the cave and disappear made her feel vulnerable and uneasy.

She, John and Emma sat around on the cave
floor. They avoided the temptation to sit on the old crates which still looked
sturdy after years in perfectly dry, stable conditions – but probably weren’t.

Louise held aloft two gold coins which she
hadn’t been able to resist pinching from the chest. Emma frowned at her and
reflected on how infinitely better suited someone like Louise would be to a character
like John, than someone like herself. How strange that it had taken her so long
to appreciate Dan’s qualities.

‘Oh you beauties,’ called out Louise,
staring in admiration and wonder at her coins. ‘You glittering pair of
beauties.’

‘Well now, it’s a long time since anyone has
called us that, ain’t it, Jake?’ came a harsh, uneducated voice behind them.

‘You betcha Zak my man, but hey, it’s nice to know we can
still turn ’eads. It does wonders for your self confidence don’t it?’ said
another voice.

John, Louise and Emma swung round in horror.

‘Sorry we took a while getting ’ere but some
fool ’ad gone and blocked up the other end of the tunnel,’ said Jake, grinning
a toothless grin that looked ghoulish in the dim lamplight.

‘Anyhow, thanks for waiting for us, we were
worried you’d ’ave been up and cleared the place out hours ago. But I daresay
it took y’all a while to sleep off that skinful you had last night, ain’t that
right missy?’ he said, grinning at Louise. ‘Hey, I hope there’s no ’ard
feelings about me squeezing that nice ass of yours as you walked past last
night, it was too hot to resist.’

‘He’s always been one for the ladies, ’as
our Jake,’ said Zak. ‘And he loves a nice shapely bottom. Now I go more for
boobs, but Jake ’ere, he likes to get his hands round a good firm backside. In
fact,’ Zak said, eyeing up both Louise and Emma, ‘did you pair want to have a
little fun together down ’ere before we take away the long-lost treasure? It’s kinda
romantic under the soft lamp light, wouldn’t you agree?’

The students stared in silent dismay at the
sickening sight of Jake and Zak. Each of them felt angry and stupid to have
been so foolish. Louise felt like hurling herself from the top of the
lighthouse. Emma sat trembling.

‘Talking of the treasure,’ said Zak, looking
around, ‘where is it exactly?’ He strolled around the cave, shining his torch
in all directions. He noticed the lamp placed in the recess and walked over. ‘Aah,’
he said. ‘Jake, come ’ere a minute. Ain’t it strange the way the cave extends
like this – it’s like a fake wall ain’t it? Then if you look up there, above
that ladder our friends have put up, there’s a natural shelf in the rock.

‘You know, Jake, if it weren’t for the fact
that there’s a ladder underneath and a lamp left up there, I’d call that a darn
fine hiding place.’

‘Indeed Zak, but our friends ’ere, they’re
not interested in hiding it from us, they wanted us to find it, that’s why they
were good enough to blurt it all out in the pub last night and now they’ve even
lit up the route,’ said Jake.

This was agony, pure and simple. The men
were not only going to take that treasure from under their noses, right down to
the smallest gold and silver coin, but were determined to play out a nauseating
black comedy routine first.

‘Yep, I can’t fault ’em,’ said Zak, ‘although
I don’t suppose the Spanish captain would ’ave been too impressed. What year
did you say it was kids when ’is ship came a cropper? 17 summat wasn’t it?’

The students, chilled at the extent to which
they had been overheard in the pub the previous night, didn’t answer.

‘Aah, silence is golden, if you’ll forgive
the pun,’ sniggered Zak. ‘Anyway enough chatting, without further ado let’s see
what we’re dealing with. I’m dying to take a peek!’

He climbed the ladder the students had
unwittingly left out for him and poked his head over the top. The piles of
ingots and coins obediently lit up under his torchlight.

‘Phew, will you look at that,’ said Zak, in
astonishment.

‘Yes I will,’ called Jake. ‘Come on, my
turn.’

‘You really are a child at times, Jake,
can’t you take my word for it? Come on, business before pleasure, let’s get
those three drippy students sorted first.’

John, Louise and Emma shuddered when they
overheard these words. What did he mean, ‘sorted’?

‘It’s all right, youngsters,’ said Zak with
a leering grin as he came down from the ladder and back into the main part of
the cave. ‘We’re not gonna ’arm you, this isn’t some TV drama, this ain’t . . .
oh what would it be like Jake, if this were a TV drama thriller? I don’t watch
a lot o’ telly these days – it’s going out drinking most nights keeps me from
being a telly addict you know. Anyhow, all as we propose to do is to tie you up
while we take every last piece of gold and silver. Just don’t want you doing
anything daft while we’re trying to concentrate, does that make sense?’

It made perfect sense, and no way could one
young man, even someone reasonably muscular like John, and two women could
possibly resist those two beefcakes. They didn’t like to think how they had
come by arms as thick and powerful as that but you certainly didn’t acquire
them strolling across the mossy cobbles and quadrangles of Oxford University.

Perhaps it was as well they didn’t know more
about Zak and Jake as the pair pounced, first on John, then the girls. John was
no push-over and struggled but was powerless to stop them. The men pulled his
arms behind his back and criss-crossed thick adhesive tape around his wrists.
They pushed a piece of cloth in his mouth and wrapped tape round it. Emma’s
eyes opened wide with fear as they turned on her next.

They saved Louise until last for a little
extra teasing. ‘Now your turn, my dear, last but not least, so to speak,’ said
Jake, leering horribly at her. ‘Mmm, let me help meself to another piece of
that tasty backside.’ He grabbed her buttocks and squeezed hard.

‘Oh that’s gorgeous, I could do with some of
that. Hey perhaps you’d like to stretch out a bit instead of being tied up? If
you know what I mean,’ added Jake with an evil wink.

Louise wished fervently she could punch the
last of his remaining teeth out, but that wasn’t an option. Yet Jake’s vile
flirting had given her the germ of an idea. She had to think quickly to have
any chance of saving the day. If anyone ought to get them out of this mess, it
should be her.

These men were strong but their weak point was
vanity and their likely sexual frustration. When was the last time they had had
a woman? Not for 20 years or more, she guessed, certainly not without paying
for it. The pair most likely wouldn’t risk raping her or Emma – not unless they
intended to ensure they didn’t live to tell the tale. That sort of crime was
probably out of their league. But would they attempt to take the bait if Louise
appeared to offer it, and perhaps buy a few more seconds?

Their one big hope lay in the fact that Dan
was at large and the men appeared too dumb to realise it. If Dan discovered
they had been taken prisoner without being captured himself, they might stand a
chance.

‘What are you suggesting?’ Louise asked
Jake.

‘I’m suggesting that you and me, you know,
get jiggy on the cave floor,’ he replied.

‘Aren’t you the romantic one,’ replied
Louise. ‘Look,’ she said, desperate to stall the men in whatever way she could,
‘this treasure belongs to me and my family because we are the ones who found it
in a tunnel running directly from the island my family owns.’

‘Aah, my pretty one,’ interrupted Zak, ‘but
we overheard you say in the boozer last night that you weren’t sure whether you
owned this tunnel, and that it might belong to the Crown. What’s more, while
you lot may ’ave found the treasure yesterday, Jake and meself ’ave come along
and found it today.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Louise, ‘under
the law of Treasure Trove we are the finders of the treasure and therefore have
an automatic entitlement to a substantial part of its value. You two are just a
pair of opportunist crooks eavesdropping on conversations you had no business
overhearing. The coroner will have to be informed and will almost certainly
call an inquest to decide the matter. Then, it is a question of awarding the
market value of the treasure to those deemed to be the finders – in other
words, us.’

This was a useless discussion to be having with
two men who Louise knew perfectly well planned to clean out every last ounce of
gold and silver from the cave, regardless of who found what or the provisions
of the ancient law of Treasure Trove.

The others, unable to speak with mouths
taped up, listened to her mixture of knowledge and bluff in admiration – they
knew it was a delaying tactic, pending Dan’s return. Unfortunately, Dan would
most likely blunder straight into the cave and be trussed up alongside them. A chill
ran across them when they realised that there would be no guarantee that these
men would ever let them free. Would they be left here to rot?

Meanwhile the men, content they had the
upper hand with John tied up, were happy to toy with their remaining pretty victim
a while longer. The pair looked hungrily at her young, lithe body. Those skimpy
leggings Louise wore under that long jumper showed off her tapering limbs to
perfection.

‘Right, missy, you’re clearly a spirited
lass, aren’t you?’ said Zak. ‘I’ll concede you seem to know the law somewhat
better than us. All credit to you for that. Now our problem is, not wishing to
cut corners, like, but we don’t really give a stuff about the finer legal
points.

‘Sloppy I know, but that being the case, why
don’t we get you bandaged up along with your mates then we can get this junk
out of your way. Think of us as a sort of removal firm or rag and bone men getting
rid of your unwanted scrap metal.’

‘We do want it, we have a right to it and
you have no right to take it,’ said Louise, her eyes blazing. ‘Now listen, you
set us free and I tell you what we’ll do, we’ll allow you a cut of what we have
found on condition you clear off and leave us alone.’

‘Oooh right, now you’re talking, ain’t she
Jake?’ said Zak. ‘What do you make of this, it’s fun when they negotiate ain’t
it?’

‘Definitely, shows a lot of initiative,’
replied Jake offering his trademark toothless grin. ‘Ok, in exchange for
setting you free, what about we say half the loot for Zak and meself plus a
little carnal satisfaction, missy. Also, we should like to know your name if
we’re going to make love. Zak and I are old-fashioned like that, we’re not the
sort of chaps who ’ave one-night stands and don’t even know the lady’s name.
That ain’t right, is it?’

The others shuddered as the conversation
moved from treasure towards a disturbing sexual interest in Louise. If they
weren’t gagged they would have screamed at her not to negotiate with the men
who undoubtedly had no intention of splitting the find with them.

Louise knew that of course. She knew that
they were humouring her – pretending to agree to an equal division of the
spoils in exchange for sex – then when they had finished with her, they would
take the lot anyway. The stakes were unbelievably high yet she had no choice
but to gamble.

‘I’m not telling you my name,’ she said. ‘That’s
none of your business. However, I’ll agree to your terms on the strict
understanding that we get half the treasure and after you’ve had your fun you
let us go and leave us in peace to enjoy the rest of our holiday.’

She hoped she sounded more confident than
she felt. She looked directly at first Jake then Zak, her vivid green eyes
piercing theirs.

Zak returned her gaze and narrowed his eyes.
Something about her agreement to their vile offer made him slightly suspicious.
Was she playing games with them? He would soon find out.

‘If you’re for real missy, take that jumper
off, let’s see those lovely pins and ass in those skin-tight leggings,’
commanded Zak. The others looked on in horror as Louise pulled her jumper over
her head and stood there in front of them.

‘Hey, will you look at that,’ exclaimed
Jake. ‘Great ass and great legs – as far as I can tell in this light.’

To help him, Jake shone his torch at Louise,
lingering over her breasts then up and down her legs. It was embarrassing and
humiliating but she knew she had to get them focussed on her, and forget the
treasure for a while.

‘Now ain’t that a sight for sore eyes,’
enthused Jake. ‘Hey you two,’ he said, addressing John and Emma, don’t your
friend look gorgeous atop those shapely shanks? Bet you wish you could ’ave
some of that,’ he added, winking at John.

‘I’m not some exhibit in a zoo,’ said
Louise. ‘If we’re going to do something, can we go to the back of the cave so
we’re not in full view of everyone.’

‘Ok, that sounds reasonable to me,’ said
Jake. ‘There’s a nice smooth, flat bit of floor we could rest you on, missy.
I’m sorry, if we’d thought, we’d ’ave brought you a mattress to lie on or
something.’

‘Yeah, we’ll be more organised next time,’
said Zak.

‘Right,’ said Louise. ‘Let’s get it over
with. You had better take off your clothes then hadn’t you?’

‘Ooh she’s keen this one, Jake. Ain’t she
the little vamp! We’re worth it of course. But let’s not forget our manners. Ladies
first, missy,’ said Zak. ‘You strip off first, that way we know you’re for real
and not leading us on. Cos we’re sensitive types, Jake and me, we ’ate being led
on and flirted with only to be left high and dry.’

~~~~~

Dan glanced at the chalk marks he had made
on the walls of the passageway as he returned clutching Felipe’s diary. It had
been an unnecessary trip but somehow he felt it important to reunite the
precious notepad with the captain’s personal effects – a simple act of decency
before they took away his most valued possessions.

Dan was feeling happier. If any criminal
interest had been aroused the previous night in the pub, it would surely have become
apparent by now, he surmised. They should consider themselves fortunate.

Nonetheless, as he approached the entrance
to the cave where he had left the others, he switched off his torch and tiptoed
forwards slowly. No reason, save for pure instinct and his natural caution. He
listened intently for the familiar voices of his friends.

That, unmistakeably, was Louise’s! Calm,
assured, authoritative, as she discussed the legal intricacies of Treasure
Trove as if continuing the conversation in the pub the previous night.

He smiled as he heard her say, with apparent
expertise, ‘under the law of Treasure Trove we are the finders of the treasure
and as finders we have a right to be granted the value of at least half of . .
.’