“And you know this because you previously dealt in the same?”
“You have me all wrong, son. I wasn’t there for the same reason. Regardless, everyone on board theSpecter’s Bountyis dead, except me. I was there too, looking for treasure of a different kind.”
Braden stumbled back, and not because the waves knocked the hull around. “Youwere on theSpecter’s Bounty? Why did you lie about it?”
“Too dangerous. I told Ms. Dane it was all too dangerous to talk about. Her father died because of it, after all, and I knew I was done after that. I thought she deserved answers, but then I realized that I would only be putting her in danger and changed my mind. I told her not to come that night, and you both showed up.”
So, sounded like Diggins had informed Alaric Dane, after all.
“What happened to the crew?”
Diggins spared him barely a glance. “Maybe if we get your girl out alive, and we both survive, I’ll tell you.”
“Is that why you don’t need the coordinates?”
“Oh, I need them. We never made it to theVanguard. I wasn’t given the coordinates.”
“Then how did Alaric Dane learn the coordinates? Where did he get the information?”
Wait. Braden couldn’t move. This had been staring him in the face from the start.
Octavia Dane had known all along what was on the ocean floor. That’s why she steered Cressida away. She’d known the coordinates of theVanguardas well, and Alaric had somehow discovered the coordinates, or maybe he, too, had known all along. Perhaps even Evelyn had suspected he could learn the truth because his wife—now ex-wife—had known.
He held on to the rail.
“You getting your sea legs, buddy? You okay?” Diggins asked.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever be “okay” again. Nor was he surethat giving the location of a sunken vessel holding who knew what to someone who had allegedly sold artifacts on the black market was the best idea. But to find Cressida, he’d do it.
He showed him the coordinates on his cell via the pictures Cressida had taken.
“I can’t be sure that Malloy took her. I could have it all wrong. She could be back at the Pirates’ Bash, but I found evidence to suggest that she’d been taken. Tell me, what do you know about Malloy?”
“Oh, he took her, all right.” Diggins dipped and bobbed his chin. “If she has the coordinates, he’s the one.”
“Care to shed some light on that statement?”
“Malloy has been working this angle for years. Waiting for the moment when he’d get his big payday.”
Braden hated how in the dark law enforcement was on all of this. He hadn’t learned anything about Malloy. But now he’d take a moment to look at the image that had finally loaded via the text he’d gotten from Thatcher just before he’d boarded with Diggins.
“Hold on. I got this before we left the chandlery. I’ve been waiting on the image to pop up.” He looked at his cell.
The text was from Thatcher. It read,Look closely.
Braden expanded the image of a group of sailors posing for the camera.
He didn’t know what he was looking at. All the men were young, and this appeared to be an old image.
Diggins shot Braden a squinty pirate eye. Right. Okay. But he might know something or have some input. Braden stood next to him at the wheel and showed him the image. Diggins nodded and focused back on steering.
“Do you recognize anyone?” Braden asked.
“That’s Malloy. Take a closer look at the guy standing to his right.”
Braden rubbed his eyes, then peered again. The man next to Malloy. Was that ... Trent Riker?DeputyTrent Riker and Malloy?
Trent had been feeding Braden the information, including finding Harlan’s prints—was it all a lie? Braden had been relying on him too much. He slowly looked up.
