Justice Read Free Page A

originally called La Concorde , but you would know it as the Queen Anne’s Revenge .”
    Washington did know the ship, and his hand went to his pistol again. The next sound that came from Hands’ mouth was either a cough or a laugh. “Put away your pistol. I am no threat to anyone, least of all a man from Virginia.”
    Washington’s eyes went wide, and his hand stayed put. “You know of me?”
    This time, the laugh was more pronounced. “I do not. But I have an ear for accents, and I spent much time in Virginia. I was nearly hanged there.”
    “From what you’ve said so far, that is not surprising.”
    “Don’t be so quick to judge, young sir. When you hear the full story, you will…” Hands began coughing again, expelling red gobs large enough to be seen even by dull lantern light in the rain. He collapsed onto his side and drew his knees to his chest, his chest heaving with every cough.
    Washington knew some people found him cold, but he was not without compassion. He dropped to his knees and put a hand on the man’s forehead. The heat radiated even before their flesh touched. Washington kept his hand there until the coughing subsided.
    Hands didn’t move from a near-fetal position, but he spoke again. “I have come so close, but I have failed. Listen if you will about one of the greatest treasures known to God and man. I was pardoned over three decades ago when I was but a step from the gallows. Since then I have dedicated myself to finding the treasure. I’m sure you heard rumors about it and dismissed them as the fantasies of the weak-minded. I spent many years without a single clue, but I finally retraced our steps to this island. To be honest, I held out little hope.”
    “The island has given me two things. The first is the location of the journal. Yesterday I tracked down Cyrus Vane, a sailor on the Revenge, one hell of a fighter and a scoundrel. With a tongue loosened by rum, he told me of the journal.”
    Washington felt his pulse quicken. Hands had referenced the very thing which had piqued his own interest. Washington believed in God in the same way many rational men of his standing did: as a distant entity whose existence was certain but whose role in day to day life was largely irrelevant. For the first time in his life, he wondered if he had received a sign from God.
    “What was the other thing the island gave you?”
    Hands still had not moved, but his voice was clear enough. “The other thing the island gave me was smallpox. Sometimes I wonder if our Lord has a sense of humor.”
    Another coughing fit began, and Washington stood quickly. Smallpox was not common in Virginia, and he had never been exposed. But he’d heard enough of its horrors to experience fear at seeing an infected man lying before him. In fact, it took most of his willpower not to back away.
    “Why are you telling me this?”
    “The secret can’t die with me. The treasure, it is so much more than I believed…”
    What is in the journal? And what is the treasure?”
    Hands raised a single finger and spoke in wracked breaths. “Cayman Brac… beneath the eagle…”
    Another cough, wet and weak, and Hands breathed no more.

ONE
     
    Dane Maddock had always wondered whether a single finger could support one hundred and ninety pounds of Navy SEAL. Clinging to the edge of a rock face fifty feet above the ground, he suspected he was about to find out.
    His left hand was extended as far as possible with a solid hold. His left foot and right foot each rested in the slightest of indentations, providing mostly friction instead of actually carrying his weight. As climbing positions went, it was almost comfortable, and Maddock could have remained there almost indefinitely. The problem was where to go next.
    He ran his right hand along the rock at the furthest extent of his reach, confirming what he already knew. Smooth as a baby’s bottom except for one protrusion. A protrusion which provided room for a single finger.
    “Sucks