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.‘Two flights booked consecutively.Both of them flying to Florida, and then the girl heading for Costa Rica on her own a day later.Carlo found out that she’s booked passage on a fishing trawler near Espadilla Beach to Cocos Island.’Jacob felt a smile growing on his face.He knew Cocos Island well.It was paradise for treasure hunters.Idiots, more like.He’d spent much of his childhood there, exploring the region with his father.She may not know it, but Ellie Phillips was heading straight into his world.She didn’t stand a chance.‘Get the plane ready.I want to dock in Cocos before she does.Call the rangers and ask for a pass.’‘Yes, sir.’ Bill nodded.‘And Bill, pack a bag.You’re coming this time.’Bill turned and stared at him.‘I am fucking not.You know I don’t fly.’‘I need you on this one.I don’t know shit about hustlers.You used to be one.You’re coming with me.No arguments.’Bill looked as if he wanted to argue, but he shook his head instead.‘You totally suck.’‘It’ll be fun.You’ll get a tan on that pasty white skin of yours.’ Jacob grinned.Bill lived in his small local world.It was about time he embraced some global culture.‘What, so I can be a pretty boy like you? No thanks.By the way, real men don’t wear shirts like that.’ Bill offered him a sweet smile before leaving the office and stomping down the hall.Jacob peered down at the brown T-shirt he wore, which had a picture of Animal from the Muppets emblazoned across it.‘Sure they do,’ he told himself warily.Chapter FiveEllie wiped her brow with her free hand as she steered the boat across the crystal waters surrounding English Bay on Cocos Island.She’d managed to pay her way on a fishing trawler from Costa Rica, and then rented their motor boat.They were due to pick her up in five hours.She checked her watch.It was midday.Only mad dogs and Englishmen.The sun burned her bare shoulders from the clear blue skies above.The blue-green water surrounding her looked so inviting that she was tempted to stop the boat for a moment to cool off.She was certain she’d sizzle when she plunged into the sea.She shook her head.This isn’t a pleasure trip.You’ll be in the water soon enough anyway.She glanced back at the diving gear she had tossed in the stern.I hope I remember how to use that stuff.You just have to clear your ears and come back up slowly, right?She turned to peer at the map that was pinned to the small windshield of the boat, and then squinted at the shoreline behind her.The craggy rocks matched the drawing on the map, but the angle was wrong.She slowed the boat and turned it, heading along the shoreline until what she saw on the shore matched the rough line drawn on the map.She stopped the boat and turned off the engine, staring at the symbols and numbers etched into the map.They didn’t always make sense to her, and she wasn’t an expert in nautical navigation, but Jimmy had used Google maps to plot a rough idea of the journey she would have to take.All she had to do was use her phone to find matching scenery nearby.After scanning the map and the coastline, then consulting her phone, she nodded.The craggy rocks that looked like a woman’s face were to her left, and the mountains rose above the trees on the island ahead of her.This must be it.She dropped anchor, glancing around for any sign of other boats.The sea was an untouched azure blanket.At this distance, she wouldn’t even be noticed from the shoreline—not that there was anyone there to notice her.The island was a national park, home to a few rangers.She plucked the map off the dashboard and rolled it up before putting it into her backpack and clipping a padlock around the zip.That should keep it safe.There were no instructions on the map about where to go next, so she could only assume that the answer was below her.Jimmy had told her it was a fool’s quest, but the Heart of Fortune was priceless.It had been lost long ago to pirates in this region, taken with a big haul of Spanish gold.The treasure had never been recovered, and the captain of the Henry Rose had never been seen again [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]