But to think it could’ve been somewhere in or near Sarcasm this whole time…
“Annika says Bailey’s loving college life,” I say while I mull over their suspicions and think back to what I know about the history of the two towns.
“There’s not a thing either one of my girls can’t do,” Maria declares. “She’s killing it.”
Maria’s two daughters are pretty far apart in age, but watching their relationship has made me wish I had a sister.
My brother’s wife isn’t quite it.
Lovely woman. We just have different outlooks and goals for life, and she doesn’t always appreciate that about me, and I don’t appreciate her judging me for not wanting to be just like her.
Grandma loves her.
Naturally.
She loved Patrick too, which I was thrilled about at the time, but now—ew.
Justew.
“Now, what we need to know,” Roger says, “is if you’re willing to be Team Sarcasm to help us find the treasure. And since people seem to think you know where it is…”
I spread my hands in exasperation. “Until this week, I haven’t had the barest belief that it even exists. Why am I going to know where it is if we switch the town name where it’s buried?”
“You’ve lived in this museum for the past year,” Maria says. “You know more than you think you do, and everyone around you but you knows it.”
Davis said more or less the same thing.
But how am I supposed to know what I don’t even know that I know?
“Sarcasm was founded by Thorny Rock’s first mate,” Roger says. “Thorny Rock tried to poison him.”
Right.
Right.
It’s well-documented that Thorny Rock tried to poison Walter Bombeck, the founder of Sarcasm.
I’ve seen enough old letters referencing it to believe it’s true.
Probably.
Gossip is as old as time, and all it takes is one person in authority to say something for people to believe it’s true, apparently even without evidence.
“But why would Thorny Rock poison the one person who knew where the treasure was?” I ask.
Maria faces me. “Exactly that. Because he knew where the treasure was. We think Thorny was afraid Walter was going to go after it. Even back then, relations weren’t great between the two towns.”
“Because Thorny refused to let Walter have the better land when they split up,” Roger adds.
“That’s a pirate captain for you,” Maria sniffs.
Roger nods. “Only looking out for himself when his crew is the whole reason he made any pirate coin in the first place. Couldn’t have done it without them.”
I need time to think about this and figure out what it all means. “Do you have any idea approximately where in Sarcasm it might be?”
“That’s where you come in.” Roger claps me on the shoulder. “We think Thorny Rock kept a diary, and we think Grady’s shithead grandfather’s hiding it.”
I wasn’t allowed to cuss when I was growing up—it was unladylike and would send you to hell to boot—but there’s once again a long string offucks going through my head right now.
