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“And you had a golden key, what was that all about?” Magnus follows up.
CJ exhales as if dealing with a bunch of low-IQ students who’ve been sitting in the back row all semester. “The golden key belongs to the treasure chest. Mom and Dad were looking for it.That’s not to be confused with a skeleton key or the Salty Skeleton, though it is a key.”
The shared confusion is real.
“Let me lay this out for you. We have all three stones, but no crown. The barque, aka the Crimson Tide, isn’t where it’s supposed to be, but after a treacherous climb up the lighthouse, we have another place to look.”
I bite my lip. “Ryan, this might not be the best time to tell you this, but I almost fell that night.”
His eyes widen.
“The cement and railing were busted up on the widow’s walk. I slipped, um, over the edge. CJ saved me.”
Face somewhere between as white as a sheet and as red as a lobster, I’m not sure if Ryan is going to implode or explode.
Magnus plants a hand on his shoulder. “She’s okay, brother.”
“CJ saved you?” Royal asks. “I was there. I thought I heard something.”
I nod guiltily.
Royal looks at his little brother with newfound respect.
“Thank you, CJ,” Ryan says, extending his hand and then pulling him for a hug.
“Okay, where were we? The found stones. The lost crown. The possibility of the ship. Will that lead us to the map which will lead us to the treasure chest or something else?” CJ says, getting us back on track.
“Now we have this postcard from your Aunt Lorena. Who could she be referring to?” Isla asks.
“There’s also the map on the wall at the Sip & Scoop. Isla, your restoration of it was magnificent,” Lally says.
“Even after staring at it and tracing it for hours, I can’t quite make sense of it.”
“It’s safe to say the Pirate Defense League might know more,” Royal says.
“We’re rereading Chip’s portion of the diary too, in case there’s anything we missed,” Ioffer.
“Do any of you remember Chip mentioning a man named Kurt Jerkovic? Apparently, he was Chip and Glandman’s business partner early on,” Ryan says.
“There was someone else?” Magnus asks.
“I guess that answers that question,” Royal says.
“Never heard of him, but he’s worth looking into.” CJ shakes his head.
“About Glandman...” I tell them about my encounter and his warning.
“Nugget, I told you, just ignore the old man. He’s all bluster.”
Isla scrunches up her nose. “Glandman warned me to be careful about getting involved with the McGregors when I painted the mural over there. Little did he know it was too late. I was already happily married.”
“You’re both spunky, you can handle Glandman,” Lally says. Gazing down at her hands, she adds, “Magnus, don’t be upset, but there was something else.”
He stiffens, fists clenching like he’ll tear anyone who hurt her limb from limb.
Pumping her hands, she says, “It was harmless. But I was afraid if I told you, you’d stop me from going on the ship and I knew, I just knew we had to.”
“Nothing is worth risking your safety, Love Muffin.”
