“The whole thing has turned my stomach.”
The women followed Bane and Ron to the trays that held their illegal booty. “Get me a sieve,” Ron ordered Logan.
The technician nodded and went below. He came back a few minutes later with a large sieve, two feet square. Ron took it and the small shovel the man had brought him and began to move the dripping-wet mixture onto the sieve. Bane took it, and with great care, began to sift the debris into buckets. He frowned when two round, encrusted objects lay open to his gaze. He picked one up and rubbed it. Caked-on mud began to loosen, and the round, flat object looked familiar.
“It’s a gold doubloon,” Ron murmured. He picked it out of Bane’s palm. “We’ve found her for sure.”
Twelve
Darkness blanketed the water, but moonlight glimmered on the whitecaps. Leia left the research vessel behind and aimed her boat toward the lights along the quay. Even though it was late, Pete would likely be jogging along the shore. He ran every evening about this time.
She had docked the boat and started toward the town lights when she saw Pete’s familiar form running toward her. “Pete, is that you?” she called. The figure slowed, and the man raised his hand. The restaurant lights illuminated his face, and she relaxed when she saw he was smiling.
“You’re just getting back?” he asked.
“They took the sub down. I waited until they got back. It’s there, Pete. Look.” She showed him one of the gold doubloons.
He picked it up and turned it over in his fingers. “I never would have guessed it would actually be found. You’re sure?”
“This proves it.”
He looked up with a frown. “I told Bane there was to be no excavation. How did they get this?”
Too late she realized her error, but she wasn’t going to lie to him. “They found it down on the shelf I told you about. They didn’t disturb anything.”
“We can’t take any chances, Leia. The possibility of an ancient burial site is big—huge. If I’m right, this could be as big as the Kawaihae Cave discovery on the Big Island.”
“And your ticket to fame,” she said.
His smile faded. “That’s hardly fair. You’ve always been with me on the importance of preserving our culture. Since when did money get to be so important to you?”
“I don’t care abut the money,” she protested. “The shipwreck is part of our culture too. Our culture didn’t end when the Europeans came.”
“It was the beginning of the end.”
The slap at her own heritage made her straighten. “All cultures have a part in what the islands became. Look at me—I’m a mongrel myself. Most people who call themselves Hawaiian have mixed blood. Even you, Pete. You’ve got some Japanese blood in your lineage. We can’t discard part of what makes us Hawaiian.”
He flushed and looked away. “I didn’t mean to sound so judgmental. Look, let’s not argue. This will all work out. Be patient.”
“I’d like you to see if you can withdraw the injunction. There’s a cave down there. That’s probably where your artifacts are located. This ledge where we found the ship has nothing to do with your site. Please trust me.”
“It’s not in my hands.”
She stopped and put her hand on his arm. “I’m going to be too busy to teach for a few days.”
“Why? You can’t dive on the wreck. I have nearly fifteen students lined up for you next week. Will you be back by then?”
“I don’t know.” She tried not to let his impatient tone bother her. She wasn’t his employee. “I want to help Candace, and I have some personal business to take care of.”
“Let me know if you’re going to make it back in time. If you can’t do the class, I’ll see if I can get someone to take your place, if you’ll give me the key to your house.”
Everything in her tightened. He was acting like he was in charge. It was her house, her life. “I don’t loan out my supplies. Whoever you find will have to use their own facilities.”
“What’s got into you? I thought this was important to you.”
“It is. But people are more important than even our heritage. Candace needs me.”
“I really need to use your shop, Leia. You have the supplies, and there’s nowhere else to take the kids. Would you disappoint the children because you’re mad at me?