2 Dead & Buried by Leighann Dobbs Page B

velvety material—worn and faded over the years. She could barely make out the pattern, oddly shaped diamonds in gold.
    A jolt of electricity shot through her heart as she remembered the last line of the poem “ and under the rhomb ”. She jerked her head in Jolene’s direction. “What shape is a rhombus?”
    Jolene made a face. “I think it’s like a diamond with equal sides or something. Why?”
    Morgan didn’t answer. She was too busy ripping out the velvet lining. Her stomach flip-flopped when she saw the aged parchment underneath. Gently, she reached into the box and pulled it out.
    Celeste, Fiona and Jolene gasped as she held it up by the corner.
    “It’s the map!”  
    “Careful, that looks awfully brittle,” Cal said. “Let’s bring it over to this bureau.
    He indicated a large Eastlake style bureau a few feet away and Morgan carried it over and spread it out on the marble top.
    The dry parchment was tattered on the edges, the ink faded, but there was enough for them to make out a small map and some writing. The map depicted a point of land with water on three sides. Arrows pointed toward a large tree and the writing gave further directions.
    “That looks like our land.” Fiona looked out the window.
    “Yes!” Jolene pointed excitedly. “Here’s the Atlantic on this side and the channel leading to the cove on the other … there’s no big tree there though.”
    “Maybe there was a tree three hundred years ago,” Celeste offered.
    “We need to copy this so that we don’t damage the original,” Cal said.
    “Right,” Morgan agreed, looking around for a paper and pencil.
    “There’s a paper and pencil over by the bookcase, where I copied some of the journal,” Celeste said and Cal started off in that direction.
    “Do you really think this is our yard?” Fiona asked.
    “Sure looks like it.” Jolene’s eyes sparkled as she studied the map.
    “There could be buried treasure right out there.” Celeste pointed out the window.
      Morgan looked out to where Celeste was pointing, a familiar tingle forming in her lower belly. Even though her logical brain kept telling her the thought of pirate treasure being buried in her yard was ridiculous, her gut instincts were telling her something big was about to happen.

Chapter Fourteen

    The sun was about to set by the time Celeste had copied the map. They stood in the side yard, huddled around the copy, shovels at the ready. The wind from the ocean licked at the edges of the paper, threatening to tear it from Cal’s hand.
    “It says start at the tree. Anyone know where the tree was?” Cal asked.
    Morgan didn’t remember any tree, so she tried to figure it out by looking at the map.
    “Meow.” Belladonna sat off to the left, her tail twitching in the grass.
    “From looking at the map, it looks like the tree was right about where Belladonna is.” Morgan was getting used to the cat showing up in the exact right spot and at the right time.
    “Okay, it looks like it says thirty paces east.” Cal walked over to Belladonna’s spot, then turned east and took thirty steps.   Everyone ran over to stand beside him.
    “Then ten steps toward the point. What’s that mean?” Celeste asked.
    “I assume the point of the cliff.” Cal took the ten steps.
    “Now three quarter turn as the sun rises.”
    “Does that mean toward the east? That’s where the sun rises,” Jolene said.
    “I guess so. Let’s try that.” Morgan watched Cal turn then take a few more steps indicated by the directions on the map.   After a few more turns and paces he stopped.
    “Well, if I followed the directions correctly, this is the spot.” Cal pointed to an area of grass right in front of him.
    The five of them looked at each other uncertainly.  
    Should they start digging?
    Jolene broke the ice by plunging her shovel into the grass and the rest followed suit.
    Morgan jabbed her shovel into the rocky ground. It wasn’t as easy as she thought it was going to be and