here?
He sensed Allie shift in her seat.
She was looking at him, her knees swivelled toward him. Raymond had read about
that in a book on body language. If they cross one leg over the other or face away
from you, they were unconsciously saying they didnt want to screw you. Allie
wasnt saying that. She was saying she wanted him, clear as day. Raymond almost
didnt hear Vallance say:
We need a ship we can live on in
comfort for a few days. Something with a winch and a fair-sized deck and hold
area. Well need different types of metal detectors, sonar gear, underwater
video, an airlift, underwater scooters, maybe even a prop wash.
Those were just words to Raymond. He
was more interested in concealment. I get the impression you dont want anyone
knowing about this expedition, so how do you propose to outfit it and spend a
few days searching without being noticed?
Youre right, Vallance said
smoothly. Why should we arouse the curiosity of others? I intend to hire a
good boat in one port, the gear in a range of other ports around Victoria and
Tasmania.
Do we need all that gear?
That coin youve got there is one
of a handful I found on a quick dive. The rest have been buried by the action
of the tides. Theyll need some getting at. Its been a hundred and seventy
years, after all.
Ive scuba dived, but thats all,
Raymond said.
Thats good enough for tomorrows
dive. Its just exploratory. I guarantee you wont be disappointed. When the
time comes to mount a salvage dive, Ill do the diving. Ive got hours of
experience.
How long?
The salvage itself?
Raymond nodded.
Several days, maybe a couple of
weeks. We have to locate the wreck first
I thought you already had.
What I found were loose coins
shaken free by the tides. The actual wreck, where the majority of the treasure
is, could be some distance away after all this time. It might have broken up
and be scattered over several hundred metres. So we locate the wreck, then make
a plot chart of the overall site, then we start excavating, marking all our
finds on the chart. Thatll give us a better picture of the spread pattern.
They were off the freeway now,
heading south on the Dandenong-Hastings road, past waterlogged farmland.
Raymond looked at his watch. Almost time for lunch.
When do we go out?
First thing in the morning, Allie
said, her soft growl almost in his ear as she shifted to get comfortable.
Raymond liked her voice. So I stay
the night at your summer place.
Be it ever so humble, Vallance
said.
Do you have your own boat?
We have a friend who runs a charter
operation. Hell take us out in the morning.
Good old Quincy, Vallance said.
Good old Quincy, Allie agreed.
Raymond frowned. How many people
are in on this?
Allies cool fingers touched his
wrist. Its all right. Quincys not involved. So far weve lined up three of
the four investors.
Raymonds draw dropped. Three of
the four? Already? Who are they?
Vallance seemed to close down. Youll
understand that they dont want their identities revealed. These are
professional men. Theyve paid their fifty thousand.
What if I say no?
Then no hard feelings. Well
approach one of our other contacts. Its just that you appeal to us.
These are old geezers were talking about. To them its just another
investment. Theyve got no soul, no romance in their veins. Someone like you,
likes to hear the stories, willing to come out and dive with us, willing to
have an open mind and not tie us up with lawyers and accountantsthats what we
want for our fourth investor.
Raymond was silent. He felt a
gut-clench of anxiety, a feeling that he might miss out entirely if he didnt
act soon.
They drove over the railway tracks
on the outskirts of Hastings, Vallance directing Raymond to a run-down flat in
a block of four, several streets back from the waterfront. Again, Raymond
couldnt work them out. It was an ugly little flat. They unpacked and drove to
a cafe at the marina. One hour passed. Two. They made small talk.
He sensed Allie shift in her seat.
She was looking at him, her knees swivelled toward him. Raymond had read about
that in a book on body language. If they cross one leg over the other or face away
from you, they were unconsciously saying they didnt want to screw you. Allie
wasnt saying that. She was saying she wanted him, clear as day. Raymond almost
didnt hear Vallance say:
We need a ship we can live on in
comfort for a few days. Something with a winch and a fair-sized deck and hold
area. Well need different types of metal detectors, sonar gear, underwater
video, an airlift, underwater scooters, maybe even a prop wash.
Those were just words to Raymond. He
was more interested in concealment. I get the impression you dont want anyone
knowing about this expedition, so how do you propose to outfit it and spend a
few days searching without being noticed?
Youre right, Vallance said
smoothly. Why should we arouse the curiosity of others? I intend to hire a
good boat in one port, the gear in a range of other ports around Victoria and
Tasmania.
Do we need all that gear?
That coin youve got there is one
of a handful I found on a quick dive. The rest have been buried by the action
of the tides. Theyll need some getting at. Its been a hundred and seventy
years, after all.
Ive scuba dived, but thats all,
Raymond said.
Thats good enough for tomorrows
dive. Its just exploratory. I guarantee you wont be disappointed. When the
time comes to mount a salvage dive, Ill do the diving. Ive got hours of
experience.
How long?
The salvage itself?
Raymond nodded.
Several days, maybe a couple of
weeks. We have to locate the wreck first
I thought you already had.
What I found were loose coins
shaken free by the tides. The actual wreck, where the majority of the treasure
is, could be some distance away after all this time. It might have broken up
and be scattered over several hundred metres. So we locate the wreck, then make
a plot chart of the overall site, then we start excavating, marking all our
finds on the chart. Thatll give us a better picture of the spread pattern.
They were off the freeway now,
heading south on the Dandenong-Hastings road, past waterlogged farmland.
Raymond looked at his watch. Almost time for lunch.
When do we go out?
First thing in the morning, Allie
said, her soft growl almost in his ear as she shifted to get comfortable.
Raymond liked her voice. So I stay
the night at your summer place.
Be it ever so humble, Vallance
said.
Do you have your own boat?
We have a friend who runs a charter
operation. Hell take us out in the morning.
Good old Quincy, Vallance said.
Good old Quincy, Allie agreed.
Raymond frowned. How many people
are in on this?
Allies cool fingers touched his
wrist. Its all right. Quincys not involved. So far weve lined up three of
the four investors.
Raymonds draw dropped. Three of
the four? Already? Who are they?
Vallance seemed to close down. Youll
understand that they dont want their identities revealed. These are
professional men. Theyve paid their fifty thousand.
What if I say no?
Then no hard feelings. Well
approach one of our other contacts. Its just that you appeal to us.
These are old geezers were talking about. To them its just another
investment. Theyve got no soul, no romance in their veins. Someone like you,
likes to hear the stories, willing to come out and dive with us, willing to
have an open mind and not tie us up with lawyers and accountantsthats what we
want for our fourth investor.
Raymond was silent. He felt a
gut-clench of anxiety, a feeling that he might miss out entirely if he didnt
act soon.
They drove over the railway tracks
on the outskirts of Hastings, Vallance directing Raymond to a run-down flat in
a block of four, several streets back from the waterfront. Again, Raymond
couldnt work them out. It was an ugly little flat. They unpacked and drove to
a cafe at the marina. One hour passed. Two. They made small talk.
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