Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (17 page)

Once again, he found himself feeling uncomfortably warm, and hurried on.

“
It
’
s going to be me and Bones going in. You get it, right?
”

Avery gave a grudging nod.

“
What can you tell us about this spot on the map?
”
Dane asked.

“
We
’
ll have to compare it against contemporary maps and photos.
”
She couldn
’
t hide her guilty expression.
“
I lied. I have no idea what spot on the island this correlates to.
”

Dane buried his face in his hands.
“
Why me?
”

“
Just kidding. I know exactly what this spot is.
”

Bones and Angel burst out laughing and Angel high-fived Avery.

“
Fine,
”
Dane sighed.
“
Fill us in.
”

“
The spot here is in the swamp.
”
She pointed to the mark that denoted what they presumed was the entrance to the passage. The swamp was a triangular body of water that virtually cut the island in two.

“
I thought the swamp had been investigated and dismissed as a possibility,
”
Dane said.

“
Sort of. Back when portions of the island were privately owned, someone tried to drain
it
. As the water receded, he found what looked like a wooden shaft rising up out of the water, but when they investigated it further, it turned out to only be a few feet deep. He gave up his efforts to drain it any further. After that, there were disputes over the swamp between the different people and groups who owned parts of the island. Eventually, the government took control and
, since then,
the swamp has been ignored.
”

“
Do you think this map is pointing to that shaft?
”
Bones asked.
“
If we have to dig, there
’
s no way.
”

“
It
’
s not. Look here.
”
She pointed in turn to six circles.
“
These indicate the locations of huge granite stones that form what we call the Oak Island Cross. The width of the cross,
”
finger hovering millimeters above the aged map, she traced the line,
“
is 720 feet, with the center stone perfectly centered. The distance from the center stone to the bottom of the cross is also 720 feet, and 360 to the top. Everything is perfectly proportioned except for this one.
”
She pointed to a circle between the middle and bottom stones.

“
That
’
s the entrance,
”
Angel whispered.

“
This stone
ought to
be halfway between the center and bottom stones, but it isn
’
t. Researchers have always wondered why it alone is disproportionately spaced. Now we know.
”
Avery looked around the table, her expression triumphant.

“
Is it in the swamp?
”
Bones asked, leaning down for a closer look.

“
It juts out into the water,
”
Avery said.
“
I
’
ll bet there
’
s a hidden passage underneath it.
”

“
What if the stone is covering the passage? They
’
ll never be able to move it.
”
Angel pursed her lips and tugged at her earlobe. It was one of her little habits that made Dane smile.

“
I guess we
’
ll find out.
”
Dane
’
s eyes drifted to the bottom right corner of the page.
“
What are these symbols?
”
A tiny block of glyphs, triangles, circles, squares, some incomplete or slashed through with diagonal lines, had escaped their notice.

“
They look like the
same
glyphs
that can be found
on
the stone that was discovered
in the pit back in the 1800
’
s.
”
Avery gave the symbols a long, appraising look.
“
This uses some of the same symbols, but it
’
s a different message entirely. No wonder no one has ever been able to make sense of it!
”
She sprang from her seat and hurried into her bedroom, returning shortly with a battered briefcase.

Dane
’
s eyes widened when he saw the case.
“
I remember that.
”
It had belonged to his father. Dane could recall being surprised when Hunter Maddock had returned from one of his research trips with a shiny, new briefcase instead of his beloved old one.

“
Dad always had this with him whenever he visited,
”
Avery explained.
“
When I was little I used to like to play with the clasps. As I got older, I guess I came to associate it with the good times we had together. He gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. I hope it doesn
’
t make you feel weird.
”

“
It
’
s cool. He told me the airline lost it. I
’
m glad it
’
s still around.
”

“
Anyway,
”
Avery said, opening the case and extracting a folder,
“
here are some possible translations of the original stone. Maybe they can help us figure it out.
”

“
What about this?
”
Angel held up the other paper that had been in the envelope.
“
It
’
s got a bunch of those weird symbols plus a code.
”
She flipped the paper around for the others to see.

“
That looks like the cipher in
The Gold Bug
,
”
Dane said, reaching for the book that
lay
forgotten on the table. He flipped to the pertinent page and turned it around for the others to see.

“
No way!
”
Avery
’
s eyes grew wide.
“
Do you think Dad translated the runes, and then encrypted them?
”

“
Definitely.
”
Dane was certain of it.
“
He would have thought it added to the fun and made it more secure in case the wrong person stumbled across it. Besides, to the average person, it looks like a long math problem.
”

“
Do either of you know how to break this code?
”
Bones asked.
“
Because I hated C
alculus.
”

“
I’ll bet t
here are plenty of Gold Bug decryption sites online,
”
Avery said.
“
Bones, want to grab my laptop?
”

“
Only if you sit on my lap top.
”
Bones had
scarcely
gotten the words out when Angel hit him over the head with
The Gold Bug
.

“
Get the
computer
, you creep.
”

Ten minutes later
, they had their translation.

“
Shaft south,
”
Bones read.
“
Tunnel divides. Lower shaft. Third tunnel north. Upper shaft.
”

“
What do you make of it?
”
Angel asked.

“
I think there are a maze of tunnels in this part of the island,
”
Dane said,
“
and these are directions for navigating them.
”
He looked up at Bones.
“
You up for a swim?
”

Bones grinned.

“
Let
’
s do it.
”

“
That doesn
’
t look like a deputy to me.
”
Bones kept his voice so low that Dane could scarcely hear him over the gentle ebb and flow of the surf. They were a scant
twenty
yards from shore, floating in the dark waters of the bay under a moonless sky.

“
You
’
re right,
”
Dane agreed. The causeway leading to the island had indeed been guarded by the sheriff
’
s department
—
White and Boudreau to be exact, and they
’
d swam unseen past a patrol boat anchored offshore. He imagined another boat guarded the island
’
s far side. But the man who stalked the shore of Oak Island was nothing like the deputies. He was tall, lean, and
prowled the coastline like a predator on the hunt
, his eyes taking in everything around him. Despite the quiet night and calm surroundings, he was clearly on alert.

“
Let
’
s slip right past him for old time
’
s sake,
”
Bones said.

“
Maybe, but we
’
ll give him a minute and see if he moves on.
”

They watched as the man continued on his way, eventually disappearing around a bend. Dane and Bones didn
’
t wait, but swam for the shore, their powerful kicks driving them through the water like torpedoes locked onto their target. They hit the shallows, slipped their fins off and tucked them into dive bags
—
they
’
d need them again soon.

There was no need to speak. They
’
d done this so many times Dane had lost count.
Hi
s
eyes took in everything to the e
ast, while Bones scanned the island to the west. At first glance, all appeared clear, but then the smallest of glimmers caught his attention.
The scant starlight flashed off
a badge as Sheriff Meade himself strode out of the forest.

Dane needed only to incline his head a fraction of an inch to indicate the man
’
s presence. Bones scowled and nodded once. Moving as one, they submerged and worked their way along the coastline, moving in the opposite direction.

They emerged in a pool of darkness on the rocky beach a stone
’
s throw from the swamp. Meade had positioned himself on the sea wall that separated the swamp from the beach. The sheriff stood with his thumbs in his belt, gazing out at his patrol boat.

Dane led the way, creeping wraith-like through the deepest shadows and noiselessly moving through the undergrowth that surrounded the swamp. He paused when he reached the edge of the brackish water. Here they would have to cover ten feet of open ground before reaching the swamp. He glanced at Meade, who had not moved, and then back to Bones. It was unlikely the sheriff would spot them, but Meade just might be mad enough to take a shot at them.

Bones held up a fist, thrust his chin in Meade
’
s direction, and gave Dane a quizzical look. The question was clear
—
Want me to knock him out?

Dane shook his head. He wanted to slip in and out with no one the wiser. If they harmed the sheriff, the finger would point either to them or to Charlie and his crew. They didn
’
t need that. Besides, this way was more fun.

After slipping back into his fins, Dane stretched out on the ground and slithered forward, keeping his eyes on Meade, who shifted his weight, but continued to gaze out at the bay. He aligned himself with the stone that marked their destination, and entered the swamp. The water, warm after
chill of
the bay and the night air, enveloped him as he vanished into its dark depths. Visibility was almost zero, but he navigated the tangle and muck with ease. Finally, he arrived at the stone, Bones sliding up beside him.