Cast Off by Wayne Stinnett

Author:Wayne Stinnett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wayne Stinnett
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Doug rode in front with Paul, and as the Frenchman maneuvered the small utility truck through traffic, Melanie explained to him and Lynne what had been going on during the last two days since Frieda had disappeared. The couple knew the fashion designer only slightly, as Frieda was rarely on the island. But Doug and Paul both enjoyed fishing and had spent quite a bit of time on Paul’s small boat, fishing the edge of the deep drop-off.

“Will you be going out again this afternoon?” Doug asked him after Melanie’s recap of their morning search.

“Yes, but we plan to look over on the other side of Île Frégate.”

“Why?” Lynne asked.

Paul turned right on Rue Samuel Fahlberg, at the south end of the harbor. “Melanie and I thought of something,” Paul said. “We were talking about Ms. Vogel while we waited for the plane, and she mentioned that Ms. Vogel did not have a good sense of direction.”

“I assumed she meant the east side of the island,” Melanie added. “In the recorded Zoom call, she said the cave was on the side where the waves were rough.”

“A logical assumption,” Doug said. “Except in the case of Frigate Island. Because of its shape, waves wrap around the windward side and can batter the lee shore with equal intensity—at times, even greater.”

“When a storm comes out of the northeast,” Paul said. “The western tip will get the worst pounding. And there was a terrible storm not long ago.”

Doug turned in his seat, facing his wife. “It’s a shame a certain person didn’t come with his friends. If anyone can find something that’s lost, it’s Buck Reilly.”

“Who is he?” Paul asked.

“He’s an archaeologist,” Lynne said. “A treasure hunter who thinks he’s God’s gift to womankind. Doug and I have worked with him on a few occasions. He’s uncovered immense treasure troves.”

Paul glanced back at Melanie in the truck’s rearview mirror. She nodded. Then he turned to his fishing partner and said, “Ms. Vogel found something before she fell.”

“She…found something?”

“Yes,” Paul said, waiting at an intersection. “Let me ask you something. If a treasure is found in international waters, I know it makes it harder for any one government to claim it. But what if a clue to its whereabouts is found on French soil?”

“You’re jumping around here,” Doug said. “What treasure?”

“Daniel Montbars’s gold.”

“You mean that legend is real?” Lynne asked, sitting forward in her seat.

“I have always thought it to be,” Paul replied.

Doug turned to address his wife. “Paul is a direct descendant of Montbars— the legendary St. Barts pirate leader.”

“And you think Frieda found it?” Lynne asked.

“Answer my question first,” Paul said. “Can the French government lay claim to the treasure if it is outside the territorial waters of St. Barts, simply because a clue to its location is found on French soil?”

Doug sat back in his seat and looked out the side window at the bay for a moment. “That is a very good question. The owner of any precious articles that are lost has first claim, obviously, and entirely.

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