"Did you get any sleep?" Coral questioned walking out onto the back porch where Pope and John B were both lounging on separate chairs and Kie was laying across the sofa looking like she was asleep.
"Not really," John B responded.
"Well I made breakfast. I suggest you get it before JJ devours it all," she told them jumping to the side of the doorway as all three of them jumped up and ran in the house, "Good God, you're like a pack of rabid wolves!"
After breakfast everyone returned to their original places out on the back porch with JJ following them out while Coral cleaned up the kitchen.
"How did I get to be designated mother of this group?" Coral muttered as she scrubbed the dishes, "I cook and I clean and do I get so much as a thank you," she continued to rant.
"Baby Girl!" JJ yelled from the back porch, "Leave that shit till later we gotta go!"
"Crusted egg on plates aren't fun to scrub, JJ!" she called back.
"Coral, Sarah's here. She found the island room," JJ said appearing in the kitchen doorway.
Wide eyed, Coral dumped the plates into the water to soak before hurrying after JJ, "Well why didn't you say that!"
"Guys, listen to this," Pope told them looking at Denmark's diary as John B drove them towards Tannyhill, "The diary says the cross holds the most holy relic in all of Christendom, the Garment of the Savior."
"So wait he's saying there's a holy garment inside the cross?" Kie asked.
"Yeah. It says the garment is capable of healing the sick from any malady," Pope answered reading from the diary.
"Mmmm,yeah. 'If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well'," JJ chimed in.
"Where did that come from?" Coral questioned as everyone turned to JJ looking confused.
"What? I went to Sunday school," he retorted as Coral laughed.
"Well, that explains why Limbrey would want the cross so bad. She thinks it can heal her," Pope realized.
"What else does the diary say?"
"Many feel that we have sinned to steal such a sacred thing, and God will strike His vengeance down on us," Pope read.
"Thing is, God did have His vengeance," Kie said.
"He sent a hurricane to sink the ship," Coral remarked as Kie nodded, "And only Denmark survived."
Pulling up to the front door of Tannyhill they climbed out of the van and headed inside.
"This place is kind of freaking me out," Coral muttered as JJ took her hand as they followed Sarah down one of the many hallways. "I got you," he whispered back.
Walking into the room with the others she looked around at the walls, "Holy shit."
"Welcome to the Island room," Sarah said, smiling as she motioned around the room.
"Yo, this is a map of the whole island," John B realized as they spread out around the room to study the paintings on the wall.
"Yeah, John B, I think you're right because this is Rixon's right here," JJ said, as Coral ran her fingers over the drawings.
"Guys, look, Parcel 9 and the well," Kie called from the other side of the room.
"Okay, so if that's Parcel 9 and that's Rixon's," John B was saying as he pointed to each wall, "Then this has to be the surf break at Mase," he realized turning to the wall between the two.
"Denmark drew all of these," Coral remarked, "He painted this entire room. Look at the drawings in the diary. They match the walls."
"The question is why? What's he trying to tell us?" Kie questioned.
"It's gotta have something to do with the key, right?"
"Yeah, but what?"
"How did you know to uncover this?" John B asked Sarah.
"I didn't," she responded, "It was like this when I got home."
"Then who did this?"
"The freaks," came a voice from behind them causing them all to jump in fright.
"Wheezie," Sarah hurried across the room to hug her sister.
"What freaks are you talking about, Wheeze?" JJ asked.
"Uh....that sick lady and her guard dog," the girl responded, "They showed up last night and wanted to talk to Rafe."
"Okay, wait. Pale blonde lady?" "She have crutches?"
"Yeah," Wheezie responded to JJ and Coral's questions.
"It's gotta be Limbrey," Pope said as John B asked Wheezie what exactly happened.
"First, they searched the whole house looking for something, and then Rafe sent me upstairs. But I didn't want to miss out, so I listened through the grate," she told them, "They started ripping the wall paper saying they found it. They were talking about getting across the sand flamingo."
"That's code. That's code for something."
"It's not code," Coral told him before turning to Wheezie, "Do you mean the cross? The Cross of Santo Domingo?"
"Yeah, maybe," the girl replied with a shrug, "Oh, and they were talking about angels. A lot of angel talk, I don't know."
"Denmark's famous last words. He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel. They're looking for an angel. We have to find the angel in the room," Pope told them.
"Start looking."
"Spread out."
"There's a church over here."
"Yes, check the church."
"Wait could this be an angel?"
"Guys, what is going on?" Wheezie questioned as the six of them scattered around the room searching the paintings on the wall.
"Hey, yo! I think I found it."
Hurrying over to JJ who was running his fingers over a painting of a large tree Coral gasped, "That's the tree out on Goat Island," she realized.
"Yeah, and you know what it's called?" he asked, smiling at her.
"Angel Oak," she laughed reaching up and kissing him, "Good job, Baby."
"Look, there's the keyhole," Pope said reaching out and tracing what looked like a key hole painted into the tree.
"So what does that mean?"
"It means the cross is buried at the foot of the angel," Pope answered Sarah, "We gotta go!"
"Guys, I'm like Sherlock Holmes," JJ declared as they hurried from the room and back down to the Twinkie.
"Yeah, hurry up Sherlock!"
Jumping back into the Twinkie John B drove them out towards Goat Island, "Guys, we're coming up on Freedman's Church," Pope told them, "That's the church that Denmark built for all the slaves he freed."
"You can see the Angel Oak from here," Kie said, pointing out the front windshield as John B sped down the dirt road.
"Oh shit! Tide's coming in," John B announced as he stopped the Twinkie right before they hit a stretch of the road that was covered in a thin layer of water and mud.
"Look, they already came through," Pope said, pointing to the ruts in the road made by tire tracks.
Humming JJ looked at John B, "What do you think, Chief?"
"I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey," he responded.
"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with that statement."
"Okay, clearly they made it though," Kie pointed out.
"We're in two wheel drive, Kie," Coral said, "We may not make it across."
"Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyways?" Sarah questioned, "Like when have y'all ever done the safe thing?"
"Girls, gotta a point," Coral smiled as JJ and John B looked at one another.
"Alright, speed is your friend," JJ told John B, "So, put her down in second and hammer down, brother."
"Stick to the high ground in the middle," Pope suggested.
"Alright, ready? Here we go," John B told them, gripping the steering wheel as he pressed on the gas.
"Come on. Punch it. Speed up. You're not going fast enough."
"We're gonna slide!"
"I'm in second!"
"I can feel you fish-tailing, JB!"
"I know!"
"Not to put any more pressure on you, but if you don't make it through, we'll be stuck here forever," Pope said, sticking his head between the driver and passenger's seats.
"Yeah, yeah, put your head back, okay," John B replied shoving the boys head back.
"No more backseat driving!" JJ called over his shoulder, "Because we made it through!
"I told you we'd make it," John B laughed as he continued driving towards the Angel Oak.
Parking the van the group jumped out deciding to walk the rest of the way instead of risking being seen by Limbrey and her henchman.
"Okay, so definitely know that gators nest back here, so keep your eyes peeled," JJ told them, "You don't wanna step on a mama gator."
"They have nests?"
"Yeah, you don't want to be a Pat Womack."
"Pat Womack? Do you mean the girl who was in a car accident?" Coral questioned, looking at JJ confused.
"No, Pat Womack had her calf chewed off by a gator," JJ contradicted, "You know that."
"Umm....no. Pretty sure it was a car accident."
"Fine live in ignorance, but I'm telling you she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. They like the brackish water," he told her gesturing to the swamp water they were walking past.
"Wait, I see something," he said, picking up a large branch and slapping the water.
"Right. Wake them up. That's smart," Sarah called sarcastically.
"I was just making sure it wasn't a gator."
"Okay, well let's keep going and get out of the gator infested area," Coral declared as she led the way down the path.
Pausing as the sounds of people talking and machinery being used was getting louder the closer they got to the Angel Oak, "Shush," Pope whispered as they crept closer. Hiding behind a bunch of bushes they watched as men dug at the foot of the tree with a backhoe.
"There's Limbrey and her little man," John B whispered seeing Carla and the man who'd come by the Chateau the night before.
"Rafe is here too," Coral whispered, catching sight of the tall kook amongst the men working by the tree.
"What are they doing?" Kie questioned as the men began dragging out something from the hole the backhoe had created.
"It looks like a casket," Pope whispered, watching as they pulled a large black box out of the hole before taking a crow bar to it and popping the lid open.
"Well she doesn't look happy," Coral muttered watching Carla's face.
"What do you think is in there?"
"It doesn't seem to be what she was after," Coral answered Sarah as Carla struggled to stand up looking upset. Using her crutches she walked away from the casket talking to herself.
"We just have the wrong place. We'll go back to the Island room. We're going back!" she yelled, "We're going back! It's not over!"
Waiting until Limbrey and her crew cleared the area the group of six made their way out from behind the bush they'd been hiding behind and approached the casket still sitting open at the foot of the Angel tree.
"Cecelia Tanny," Pope read the name plate inside the open casket, "It's Denmark's wife. He wasn't talking about the cross. He buried her at the foot of the angel."
"She's the true treasure," Coral whispered, blinking back tears.
"His wife," JJ stated, taking her hand and squeezing as she leaned into him.
Sniffling Pope knelt on the ground next to the casket as the others followed suit, "Denmark was hung for burying his wife and now they defiled her grave."
Reaching into the casket Sarah picked up a ring.
"This must've been from Denmark. Her wedding ring," she smiled looking around the group letting her gaze linger on John B.
"We can't leave her like this."
"We won't," JJ decided, kissing Coral's hand before standing up and with John B's help put the casket lid back on. Using the forgotten crow bar JJ nailed the coffin shut before he, John B, and Pope moved the coffin back into the hole that had been dug.
Gathering wild flowers from around the area the girls placed a bouquet on top of the casket before JJ began throwing dirt back over it using a left behind shovel.
"Here, hold this," he said, handing Coral his jacket while he worked. Taking the jacket she hung it off the side mirror of the Twinkie after John B went back and got the van, pulling it right up alongside the tree.
Once JJ was done piling the dirt back over the casket Coral placed another bouquet on top of the fresh grave. Smiling up at JJ as he held his hand out to her to help her up she took it and let him pull her up, "I love you," she whispered, kissing him.
"I love you too," he replied, kissing her again before going to get his jacket hanging off the side mirror of the Twinkie.
"I just don't get it," Pope suddenly said as he paced, "He hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years. And then he sends a message to his son Robert to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him," he ranted, "Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like."
"Like we missed something?" JJ interrupted as he stared up at the tree, "Guys, come here," he told them as he started to climb up on top of the van.
"Baby, were are you going?" Coral questioned as she followed him up.
Leaning down he helped her up before standing and pointing to a knot in the tree, "What does that look like?"
"The painting in the island room," she realized, looking down at the others smiling.
"It's worth a shot," he said before pushing her towards the hole, "Go for it."
"No freaking way," she responded stepping back.
"You do it," Kie told him from the ground.
"Sorry, I nearly drowned in a hurricane and then I had to use cpr to save Sarah's life so I need my hands," Coral stated.
"She's the only one here who knows cpr so we may need her again," Sarah called from the ground as JJ rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. No, I'm gonna do it. It's just."
"He's scared," Coral whispered to the others.
"I'm not scared!"
"You seem scared," Kie laughed from the ground.
"Shut up," JJ said before taking a deep breath and sticking his arm into the hole in the tree, "There's something in here," he told them before he began screaming and flailing.
"JJ!" Coral grabbed a hold of his waist trying to pull him away from the tree as the others on the ground started to scream. John B was halfway up the van when JJ started laughing hysterically.
"Gotcha!"
"You asshole," Coral hissed, smacking him.
"Oh man, I got all of you on that one," he laughed.
"What is the matter with you!"
"You're real original!"
"Wait, but seriously, there's something in here," he told them pulling out what looked like a red and gold canister.
"Give it here," Pope said, reaching up and taking it from him. Wiping the dust free Pope read the name plate on it, "HMS Royal Merchant."
"Here give it to the captain," JJ said, jumping down from the top of the van and taking the canister, "It's a spyglass," he told them stretching it out to look through the end.
Sitting down on the top of the van Coral pointed towards the end of the spyglass, "There's something on the end."
"It's an inscription," John B realized, "Look at that shit," he said handing it to Pope.
"What does it say?" JJ asked as he reached up and helped Coral back down to the ground.
"You've come this far, do not falter, the cross is on the freedman's alter," Pope read, "Freedman's alter! The cross is at the church!"