CHAPTER 18

An hour later, Theo was clean, dry, caffeinated, and ensconced in his usual seat at the Star Harbor Historical Society.

He read steadily through the morning until Branford Weld came in at around ten-thirty. It was a good time for a break, so Theo stood up to greet him. In his mid-fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and deep brown eyes, Bran was currently a professor of American history at Boston College. The tall, heavy-set man looked intimidating for a reason: he was a former Navy SEAL with many years of combat experience under his belt.

“Bran,” Theo said warmly, holding out his hand for a shake. “Good to see you.”

“And you,” the big man responded, clasping Theo’s hand in a firm grip. “Your reading was a big hit. I was sorry I couldn’t stay for all of the questions, but I had class early Wednesday morning. Still, I wasn’t going to miss your talk.”

Modestly, Theo dipped his head. “I’m glad you came. And thanks again for allowing me access to the materials when you aren’t here.”

“Not at all,” Bran said with a smile. “And feel free to continue to check out whatever books you want. No need to sit here all day if you’d rather work elsewhere. Lord knows the chairs aren’t the most comfortable.”

“Not everyone is so accommodating,” Theo said, thinking of his visit to the Bostonian Society the previous week. They had an excellent collection, but unfortunately, it was on-site access only and the stacks were closed. Anytime he wanted to get anything, be it a book, a map, or a pamphlet, he had to ask the librarian.

“I hope you’re finding what you need.”

“I am. Some of the materials you have here rival those of the finest libraries. How did you get your hands on them?”

Bran grinned. “I have my sources, of course. And some are from my own personal collection.”

“Ah.” Theo wasn’t surprised. Bran was from an old, distinguished Boston Brahmin family, and he undoubtedly had more than a few connections in the world of antiquities.

“So,” said Bran, walking over to the table where Theo had his research spread out. “Find anything of interest?”

“Always. But this time I’ll actually be able to use some of it for my book.”

Branford laughed. “History is great, isn’t it?” He flipped a book over so he could see its cover. “The Pirates of the New England Coast, by George Francis Dow,” he read. “Good reading. And this,” he said, flipping over another. “Heaton’s The Legend of the Pirate Ship Lorelei. Excellent work. The map was useful, wasn’t it?”

Theo raised a brow. “Yes. Sounds like you’re familiar with the wreck.”

“You can say that again. I wrote my dissertation on it.”

“So you believe it’s for real.”

“I know it’s for real. Someday, someone’s going to find it and get very, very rich.”

“But the treasure—”

“Was supposed to have been picked clean by looters. True, but the hull of the ship—and the untold riches inside—is still lying beneath the waters in our very own Vineyard Sound, just waiting for someone to find it.”

“I have to admit that I’m less interested in the treasure and more interested in the story behind it.”

“Yes, of course,” Bran said, looking slightly disappointed that Theo didn’t want to go on a treasure hunt. “Well, what I can tell you is that you should definitely look at another book in conjunction with this one. Hmm.” He cast his gaze around the room until it settled on the cartography section. Pulling a huge, double-sized book off the shelf, he brought it over to the table. “Some room, please.”

Theo hurriedly cleared a space for the large volume and Bran gently set it down on the table. Then he opened it to the index, its spine groaning with effort. “Pages twenty-six and twenty-seven. Ah, here.” He flipped through the book and pointed to a map. “Star Harbor’s coastline, circa eighteen hundred. Wish I could do better for you, but this reproduction is the earliest map I have of the area. You might find something of interest here.”

“Thanks. I’ll take a look at it,” he said, scanning the map. “I’m going to have Jimmy Bishop take me out on the water this afternoon. That is, if he’s willing and if the weather holds.” He turned to look out the small window.

“The wind’s not too bad and it’s not snowing. I think you’ll be all right. Are you going to the tree lighting tonight?”

Theo nodded. “I was planning on it.” If only to see Avery again. He wondered how she’d react to him in public. Would she shy away, or embrace him with open arms?

“Great,” Bran said, breaking into his thoughts. “Well, I was just stopping by to check up on you. I’m off to have lunch with Sally. We’re only out here for the weekend, but Sally’s going to come back on Wednesday to do some household things.” While technically Boston residents, the Welds wintered in Star Harbor. As much as they could, anyway, given Bran’s rigorous academic schedule during the school year.

“Thanks again, Bran. I’ll see you tonight, but come by the Nail next weekend and we’ll have a beer. My treat.”

“I’d like that.” He walked to the door. “Have a good one, and don’t forget to lock up when you’re done.”

“Will do.”

After Bran left, Theo worked until his stomach started to rumble. On his way to the LMK, he called Jimmy, who agreed to take him out on the boat after lunch. The restaurant was buzzing with a brisk brunch-time crowd when he got there, so he took a seat at the counter. Though Lexie spent most of her time in the kitchen, she still dashed around the place as if someone had lit a spark under her. She never seemed to stop, but as she whizzed by to refill the pastries at the front counter, she paused to give him a peck on the cheek.

“Seb’s in the back. I’ll have him come out and join you.”

Theo gave her a quizzical look. “What’s he doing back there?”

“I’m sure he’s still trying to reverse-engineer my coconut cake. He’s going through the pantry right now trying to figure out what my secret ingredient is. He’s convinced he can do it by narrowing down the possibilities.”

“You could just tell him,” Theo offered.

“But what would be the fun in that?” she retorted before zipping back to the kitchen.

In a few moments, Seb came out, a glower on his face. “She won’t tell me that damned recipe before we get married,” he muttered, throwing himself into a seat right next to Theo. “I need to know what’s in that cake. It’s driving me crazy.”

“You’re probably driving her crazy, asking about it all the time.”

Seb snorted and flashed a devilish grin. “She loves it.” That was his twin, all right. Arrogance and charm, all rolled into one appealing package. A light dawned on Seb’s face. “Hey, why don’t you ask her? She’d probably tell you.”

“No way,” Theo said shaking his head. “I’m not getting in the middle of this one. Just quit bugging her and she’ll cave.”

“What makes you an expert on women all of a sudden?” Seb asked. Good question. Nothing, other than the fact that he was learning to read Avery Newbridge like a book.

Theo coughed into his hand as he saw Lexie heading toward them.

“He’s plotting with you, isn’t he?” she demanded of Theo, foot tapping on the floor.

“Um,” he said, stalling.

“You two,” Lexie said huffily, but she didn’t look angry.

Seb snared her around the waist and pulled her close. “You have to marry me. Now.”

“Why? So you can get your paws on my recipe? No, thanks.”

“Because we’ve been talking about it for weeks. Because you promised me I wouldn’t have to wait for you. Because I’m tired of not being married.”

She gave him a coy half-smile. “Well, here’s some news that will make you happy. I invited my parents out. They’re coming on Friday.”

Seb looked stunned. “Are you saying—”

“Yes.”

Seb’s expression was one of indescribable happiness. “Done. I’ll arrange everything.” Then he kissed her so passionately that the entire restaurant stopped and turned to stare. Once things had settled down and Lexie had disappeared back into the kitchen, Theo turned to him.

“What’s done?” he asked.

Seb smiled. “Did you happen to bring a suit with you to Star Harbor?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Because Lexie and I are getting married next weekend.”

“I’m really happy for Seb,” Jimmy Bishop shouted over the noise from his boat’s motor. “Lexie’s great, and he deserves to be happy.”

“She’s good for him,” Theo shouted back. “I think he’s crazy for trying to plan a wedding on such short notice, but he doesn’t care. He wants her, bad. Told me he’ll be back on Thursday to finalize the plans for everything.” Theo shook his head. “By the way, thanks again for taking me out.”

“No problem, man. I got the time and I’m happy to help with the research for the book. I’m just sorry that your brothers didn’t want to join us.”

“Cole’s on duty, and I never know where Val is.” Theo turned to look back at Star Harbor as Jimmy swung the small vessel—a twenty-foot motorboat—out into Vineyard Sound. The day was mostly cloudy, the weak sunlight casting a gray pall over the little town. Still, it looked beautiful from a distance, blanketed in white, boats bobbing up and down in the harbor.

As was typical in wintertime, the water was choppy, so as Jimmy drove the motorboat beyond the shoals, Theo leaned back against the cabin wall, happy to be inside and out of the brisk wind. He took the photocopies of the two maps out of his shoulder bag. One was from the book about the wreck, and the other from the cartography book.

“What’s our position?” he asked.

Jimmy checked his GPS. “I’m showing 41N 37′ 21.46″ by 70W 17′ 43.20″. We on target?”

“Yep.” He patted the cartographer’s map. “These old-timers really knew their craft. Now let’s compare this map to the one from the Lorelei book.” He studied the two for a moment and pointed to a spot. “I think this is it. What do you think?”

Jimmy glanced over. “Looks about right. So you want me to go east for what? Two miles?”

“That’d be great. Then we can head back west toward the mouth of the sound to check out the other area.”

“You got it.” Jimmy motored east, while Theo’s gaze scraped the shoreline and scanned the waters. They made it to Star Harbor Point in a few short minutes. At four in the afternoon, it was almost low tide, and Theo could see the entrance to the caves at the base of the cliff. Speeding on, they made it to the end of the wreckage site, then circled around to view the other end. Jimmy also took him to the mouth of Vineyard Sound, where the strip of land between Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod was at its narrowest. It was interesting to see the place where the ship had been moments before wrecking. Theo could almost imagine the dark, stormy night, the captain’s struggle with the too-heavy ship, the crew’s desperate attempts to stave off an accident, and the certain death a shipwreck would bring. Madly, he jotted down notes—snippets for scenes, bits of dialogue that popped into his head, and evocative descriptions of the water. After an hour, he had a good bit of material. When Theo gave him a nod, indicating that he’d seen enough, Jimmy turned the boat to head back. It was growing dark, and the wind was picking up.

“Get what you needed?” the big man asked, just as they entered the calmer waters of the harbor.

“Yeah,” Theo said, making a few more notes in his book. “Quite a bit. Thanks again for taking me out.”

“No problem, man. Hey, you want to grab a beer? I promised Emma I’d be back for dinner before the tree lighting, but I don’t need to be home until six-thirty.”

Theo checked his watch. Five o’clock. He could spare an hour. “You bet. And I’m buying.”