Chapter 2

"What is it?" Elvira, completely disregarding Pete's warning, muscled her way in next to them.

The others all gathered around, gazing into the opening.

"We need to take a closer look." Elvira turned her headlamp on and made a move to climb over the wall.

"Hold on." Wempley stopped her. "You need to use caution."

"Caution smaution," she said. "I've been patient long enough. It's time to get to the good stuff."

The others followed her, crawling over the wall and entering what could only be described as one of the largest entirely enclosed spaces Carlita had ever laid eyes on. "It's huge."

"It's incredible." Pete beamed his flashlight along the perimeter. To the left was what appeared to be a brick wall covered in a thick layer of mud. Straight ahead and to the right were more layers of concrete and brick, similar to the materials used to build the city's tunnel system.

Luigi let out a low whistle. "It's nothing but a huge empty space."

"Man, what a letdown." Elvira kicked at a pile of rubble, disappointment clearly etched on her grimy face. "I was so sure we were onto something."

"It was a longshot," Carlita said. "We knew there was a chance we wouldn't find anything. At least there are solid support beams in place."

"Poor Elvira," Dernice tsk-tsked. "It's a good thing you didn't sign on the dotted line for the new business loan, thinking you could pay it off with the riches."

Stuart Wempley eased past Carlita and shined his light along the perimeter. He cautiously crept toward the wall facing the river. Balancing the flashlight in one hand, he removed his cell phone from his jacket pocket and knelt on the ground.

Curious to find out what he was doing, Carlita made her way over. "What is it?"

"It looks like something was dragged through the dirt."

She followed his gaze. "You're right. Whatever it was went that way, toward the river."

Pete caught up with them. "It's consistent with the shape of a boat keel."

"From an old wooden pirate ship?" Carlita asked.

"It's possible."

Elvira ran over. "Did I hear someone say ship?"

Pete's arm shot out, almost clotheslining her. "Stay back. We don't want to disturb the area."

"It appears something big was dragged out of here toward the water," Carlita said.

Elvira's eyes lit. "Seriously? Like a pirate ship or treasure chest?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news." Wempley shifted his feet. "It's going to take some time to analyze what this might have been."

"Time? How much time? Hours? Days? Weeks?" Clearly, Elvira was becoming unhinged.

Carlita stepped in front of her, forcing her to meet her gaze. "It will be all right," she said in an even tone. "Tromping around here will destroy any clues about what it may have been."

"I was so sure we were onto something."

"And we still may be, but it might take a little longer." Carlita led the distraught woman back toward the tunnel. The others exited and gathered near the opening, leaving Pete and the engineer inside.

She could hear them talking in low voices, but not what was being said.

"It's gonna be okay." Dernice patted her sister's shoulder. "There could be more to this than meets the eye."

"Meaning it could be buried under the soil." Elvira brightened. "Yeah. I mean, if I was a pirate and wanted to hide my treasure, I wouldn't leave it sitting on top of the ground. Pirates bury stuff."

Carlita wagged her finger. "We need to excavate the area in an orderly fashion."

"What we need is an expert in archaeology. I have a possible connection to a famous Biblical archaeologist. Maybe she could point us in the right direction," Elvira said. "Her name is Randi Colbane. I met her at a treasure hunting convention."

"The same convention where you met Damon Wells and Jamie Grift from your Agamerian fiasco?" Carlita pointedly asked.

"Nah." Elvira waved dismissively. "She has nothing to do with those two clowns."

"Thank goodness."

"Seriously, we need to call in an expert. I'll get right on it." Elvira began shoving her tools back inside the duffel bag.

Pete and Wempley emerged.

"Although some of us are gung-ho to start digging, we need to figure out what was behind this wall before we excavate," Pete said.

"You're right."

His jaw dropped. He stared at Elvira. "You're agreeing with me? Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. I know an archaeologist. I'll get on the horn as soon as I leave here to see if I can convince her to come down and check it out." Elvira repeated the woman's name.

"I've heard of Randi Colbane," Wempley said. "She's well-respected in the archaeological field."

"We definitely need an expert opinion," Pete said.

"You can bet I'll get right on it. Have you ever heard of the Shifting Sands Medallion? Colbane helped authenticate it."

"Actually, I believe I may have heard something about it recently in the news," Carlita said.

"Which means she might be hard to reach. If not, I have a few other people in mind." Elvira zipped her bag shut. "In the meantime, you might want to secure the tunnel door."

"To prevent someone like you, who might be tempted to swing back by, from sneaking down here?" Pete teased.

"I'm gonna do my best to rein myself in. Who knows? This could be the find of the century." Elvira elbowed Autumn. "You need to keep this under wraps until we figure out what we have."

Autumn made a zipping motion across her lips. "My lips are sealed."

"Good. I'm heading out now. I'll send a group text as soon as I have confirmation." Elvira scurried off.

Carlita motioned to Dernice. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Elvira will be fine. At first, I thought she was going to have a major meltdown, but I think she realizes this could be even bigger than her finding a little treasure."

"Perhaps much bigger," Wempley said. "A piece of Savannah's history could be behind the tunnel wall. We need to be good stewards and go about this with the utmost care."

Luigi swiped at the dust on the front of his shirt. "I'm not saying she would do this, but you might want to triple lock the door just in case."

Mercedes finished Luigi's sentence. "Elvira changes her mind. The temptation is too great, and she sneaks down here."

"I completely agree. You never know with her."

Pete and Carlita accompanied the others through the tunnel, up the stairs, and out into the parking lot. "I'm sorry to drag all of you over here for nothing," he apologized.

"I don't think it's nothing," Pete's daughter, Kris said. "I think there's a good chance something significant took place beneath the Parrot House Restaurant, which only adds to the charm and character."

"True." He scratched the stubble on his chin. "This might work to my advantage, helping attract new customers who are curious about the potential find."

"The Parrot House is already a legend. I have to admit, I'm intrigued." Carlita changed the subject. "How's the apartment, Kris? Have you and Monty the python settled back in?"

"Yes. Thanks again for letting us stay with you during my apartment repairs. Although I think Monty misses you."

"How can you tell?"

"Every time I mention your name, he hisses at me."

Carlita wrinkled her nose. "Hissing is a good thing?"

"It's what he does when he gets excited. We'll swing by soon to visit," she promised.

"We would like that."

Autumn turned to go. Carlita stopped her. "I haven't seen your brother, Steve in a while. How's he doing?"

Autumn tipped her hand back and forth. "The tattoo business has been a little slow lately. In fact, his girlfriend, Paisley, is looking for work. If you know of anyone who needs help, please send her their way."

Carlita thought about her food delivery business and food truck, both of which had picked up, thanks to Autumn featuring it on her Divine Eats in Savannah show. Perhaps she could return the favor. "I'm always looking for drivers for my delivery service. Not to mention the music festival is starting and we have a spot reserved for our food truck."

Autumn jotted Paisley's cell phone number on a slip of paper and handed it to Carlita. "She might not have a lot of experience in food service, but she's a fast learner."

"I'll definitely keep her in mind." Carlita tucked the piece of paper into her pocket.

The others headed out while Stuart Wempley lingered. He shook Pete's hand. "Thank you for entrusting me with this project. If it's all right with you, I would like to remain in the loop."

"Absolutely. If not for your sharp eye, we might have trampled over the top of what could be a significant historical discovery." Pete escorted him to his vehicle while Carlita hung out on the porch.

She waited until he got back. "I think we should heed Luigi's warning to triple lock the tunnel door."

"I have several I think will do the trick." Pete and Carlita made a beeline for the workshop out back. It took a little searching, but he finally found two more sets of locks. The second was a heavy-duty deadbolt that no amount of hairpins or twisty ties could bypass.

"We should also check to make sure Elvira's floodlight is unplugged," Carlita said as they made their way back downstairs.

"Good idea. We don't need the cord shorting out and setting the place on fire."

"Bite your tongue." Carlita picked her way along the uneven floor, trying to imagine what it had been like hundreds of years ago when pirates roamed the river, lived in the restaurant, plundered and pillaged.

It was hard to envision her husband being a direct descendant of such a rowdy bunch. Although it was one of the things she loved about Pete. He was, at least in her mind, a charming swashbuckler.

Perhaps Carlita was attracted to bad boys. Her first husband, Vinnie, had been a mafia shylock. Mafia men, pirates. Despite her deceased husband's less than legal or legitimate line of work, he had loved his family, his wife and children. Had loved them until the day he died.

Pete was the same. A devoted husband and father. Carlita remembered the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." It fit the two men who had captured her heart perfectly.

He slid the lock in place and tested the combination. "After all these years, I still remember the combination."

"Which is?"

"My birthdate."

Carlita tapped the side of her head. "As long as Elvira doesn't figure it out."

"We have two more locks in case she does." Pete started to pull the door shut.

"We were going to make sure the spotlight was unplugged," she reminded him.

"You're right." Pete, with Carlita close behind, trekked along the narrow corridor. They reached the gaping hole and found the spotlight unplugged. "We're good to go."

She lingered, curiously peering into the dark abyss.

He followed her gaze. "I have to say, I'm intrigued."

"Me too. Do you think some sort of pirate ship was dragged through here?"

"It could be." Pete plugged the light back in and turned it on. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to take another quick look around."

"As long as we steer clear of the markings in the dirt."

"Yes." Pete climbed over the wall and turned back to give his wife a hand.

She let him help her reach the other side, shivering involuntarily at the shadowy walls and dark corners. "It's kinda creepy down here all alone."

"Can you imagine being a Savannah local, having a big night at the bar? You pass out only to discover when you finally wake up you're on board a pirate ship bound for who knows where?"

Carlita placed her palm against the wall, feeling the cool, damp bricks. "If these walls could talk, I'm sure they would have tons of interesting tales to tell."

"Without a doubt." Pete began walking along the wall, careful to steer clear of the disturbed earth several feet away. "I suppose it's possible a pirate boat got marooned and was eventually dragged back out into the river."

The couple reached the wall, the one facing the water. "How far away is the river?" Carlita asked.

"Literally only a few feet. If the wall was gone, you could take a stone and toss it in the water."

"So, it's only a stone's throw away," Carlita said.

"Correct."

"I hope we can get an expert down here to check it out."

"We will. I have someone in mind," Pete said.

"Other than the person Elvira mentioned?"

"Of course. I have no doubt she would love for me to let her handle this. However, this is my property, which means I control who does what."

"But you're letting her try to get her expert over here." Carlita chuckled. "To keep her busy and out of your hair."

"Precisely. I'll have an expert here days before she does," Pete predicted.

Creak. The ceiling made a loud creaking sound.

Carlita stumbled back, clutching her chest. "That was loud."

"The support beams in here are solid. The ceiling isn't going anywhere. I've seen enough for now. Let's head back up." Pete motioned for Carlita to go ahead of him, both of them mindful to stay as close to the wall as possible.

Reaching the opening, Carlita shifted to the side, intending to hop up on the ledge and swing her legs over.

She twisted her foot. A loose pebble became wedged in her shoe. "Crud. I picked up a rock." Carlita plucked the pesky pebble out and started to toss it on the ground.

"Wait." Pete stopped her. "Let me see it."

She handed it to him.

He pinched it between his fingers and held it up to the light. "My dear, it looks like you found our first clue about what may have been behind the tunnel wall."