operate the yacht, and a “state-of-the art” GPS for which no fish would be undetectable. There was a kitchenette extending beyond the captain’s chamber on the right, facing the bow of the boat, which contained a miniature range and oven. Next to it was a four-foot refrigerator, with cabinets above containing dishes and glasses. On the other side of the kitchenette, extending from the captain’s chamber, there was a pantry and long granite bar with six barstools made of white leather. From the kitchenette, there was a thirty-foot open wooden deck which contained six more matching white leather chairs with three white circular side tables between them. The tables appeared to be designed to hold drinks or hors d’oeuvres. The chairs and tables were in horseshoe fashion facing out to the stern of the boat.
While John, Logan, and Lucy helped with shoving the yacht from the pier, Mary excused herself with the pretense of “the call-of-nature” to check out this expensive floating cruise-mobile. There were about ten wooden steps that led down to the lower deck. About four feet continuing forward from the steps, there was a door that when opened, displayed one of the most beautiful bedrooms Mary had ever seen. The king-sized bed covered in a gold and royal blue silk bedspread was flanked on either side by night stands of knotty pine furniture. The two porthole windows were also stylishly decorated with gold and royal blue silk window-treatments. On three walls there were impressionistic framed pictures, Mary surmised in the style of Van Gogh or someone similarly renowned. There was a bathroom to the right which contained a vanity with golden faucet handles, a commode with a golden flushing handle, and a tan tiled shower with sliding glass doors and golden hot and cold water turning handles. To the right was a walk-in closet already donning a few of John’s khaki slacks and multi-colored shirts. Going back out of the room and going behind the steps, Mary saw a trundle bed on either side with gold and royal blue striped silk bedding. On each side of the beds were four-drawer knotty pine chests with mirrors above them. Another large bathroom, with a whirlpool tub, vanity, commode, and a closet with towels and toiletry supplies, was at the end of the lower deck.
She gasped when John spoke softly behind her, “Do you like my boat?”
Startled, she said, “Oh! Yes! It is magnificent! I haven’t ever seen anything this extravagant on the water before!”
John smiled at her reaction. “I liked it the minute I saw it. The man I bought it from wanted to down-size. His two daughters are now in college so he and his wife wanted a smaller boat to keep docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Let’s go back upstairs and enjoy the scenic view and ride. I am beginning to understand why my uncle loved visiting this area.”
They walked up the steps in companionable silence and joined Logan and Lucy who were sipping on their drinks and laughing at Prince, who was barking at a fish that jumped high out of the water.
They enjoyed the scenic ride, the wind blowing gently on their faces, and took the route along the Intracoastal Waterway, and then going underneath the Shave Bridge. John took out an old map that belonged to his deceased uncle and saw that they were getting close to Tiger Island, which was north-northwest of the Fernandina Beach city dock. None of them had ever been on the small island, so they thought it would be a good place to stop and explore.
John put down the anchor and dropped down an inflatable dinghy with a small motor which seated all four of them, plus Prince, comfortably. They brought along a medium-sized red cooler iced down in order to keep the bottles of water, soft drinks, and sandwiches cool.
Once they reached land, Logan pretended he was “Blackbeard,” the notorious pirate who terrorized many vessels during the 1800’s for any valuables that he could keep for his own coffers. John, Mary, and Lucy played along as his first mate and wenches,
respectively. They decided they were the first people to have explored the island.
Actually, Tiger Island, and Amelia Island had been discovered by the French around the mid 1500s, and been hangouts for pirates since the early 1800s.
The old map belonging to John’s deceased uncle had been found inside a trunk in his uncle’s attic. He had inherited his uncle’s house in Boston, Massachusetts after his uncle had died at age fifty-six from lung cancer. Knowing how much his uncle loved to sail and travel down the eastern coastline had piqued John’s interest in the islands, especially Amelia Island, Florida. John did a lot of research regarding the weather, population, and things to see and visit on Amelia Island and decided he wanted to buy a home there. Looking again at the old map, John saw that Tiger Island had a small skull and crossbones symbol on the southeast side of the island, so he figured that might have been a place where pirates stayed.
John said, “Let’s go exploring where the skull and crossbones are. Who knows, we might fight some buried treasure left by the pirates.” They all laughed at this prospect, but decided it would be a fun experience. Prince led the way.
Chapter Six
When they had walked halfway between where the dinghy was on the island and the place marked on the map with the skull and crossbones, they began to get tired and sweaty. The heat from the sun and the gnats were making them feel miserable.
All of them had brought bottles of water with them, so when they found a shaded area with about four palm trees close together, they decided to sit down, drink some water, and rest.
Mary commented, “This heat is so intense, and it is September! I wonder how the pirates made it through the summers!”
John stretched his legs out and said, “They also must have been in really good shape. The short jaunt to this side of the island has made me think I should get back to the gym and get on an exercise regimen.”
Logan sidled closer to Lucy and said, “We were planning an outdoor wedding next spring. After being in this heat, maybe we should consider getting married indoors in a church. What do you think?”
Lucy looked lovingly into Logan’s eyes and said, “I’ll get married wherever you think you’d like. Maybe by then, we will have decided to just get married by a public-notary and cut out all the fluff and expenses”.
Logan smiled lazily and said, “Now, that’s a thought”.
Lucy jabbed him with her elbow.
John got up and pulled Mary up and said, “All for all, and all for one. Let’s go, mates.”
They all began trekking to their destination with Prince panting along.
When they travelled about fifty more feet, Prince started barking and digging in the sand.
“What’s going on, boy?” John asked.
Prince seemed agitated and intent on finding something where he was digging.
Mary replied, “Let’s help him out. Maybe he’s found some pirate’s loot.”
Lucy screamed, “Look! Is that someone’s hand?”
Mary also screamed and Logan exclaimed, “Oh, no!”
John spoke in a breathless voice, “Someone’s been here before us, and it hasn’t been that long ago, either. This looks like human remains.”
Chapter Seven
Tiger Island, Florida
John called 911 on his cell phone and told the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher what they had uncovered on Tiger Island. Sheriff Earl Benson and Sergeant Joe Haddock- both
