Part 20 (1/2)

aIam telling you, there was a boat,a I insisted.

aI believe you. You need to rest for a while. You scared me to death.a aI did?a I asked. Maggie closed her eyes and I heard her mumbling.

I grinned and held her hand. aYou want to smack me right now, donat you?a aYou have no idea how much,a she agreed and laughed as she held my hand.

Chapter 28.

When I was tired of lying in bed, which was all of one hour, I went downstairs and avoided Dr. Winfieldas glare. Peter looked ill and I wasnat sure if it was because he found out Bridget was a lying conspirator to murder and whatnot or that the historical find was safe and sound. Either way, he looked as if he was about to vomit.

There was a busload of archaeologists, historians, and museum curators from Ireland, Scotland, and England on their way to Mac and Terias. Now they looked ill.

Peter sat there staring at the trunk that sat in the middle of the living room.

aShouldnat this be in a museum or someplace safe?a I suggested quietly. Mac and Teri shrugged in confusion.

aYes, it should and it will, but for now, I want to make sure where this trunk will end up. As it stands, itas Macas property,a Peter said and looked at Mac.

He shook his head. aNot mine, Peter. You deserve to decide where it belongs. Itas the least we can do for Brian.a I glanced around the living. aWhere are Maggie and Charlie?a I hadnat seen either of them.

Teri gave me a cautious glance. aMaggie received a phone call from Hannah. Docas been called away, he needs her at the clinic as soon as possible.a My heart dropped. aReally?a I then let out a wry chuckle. aWell, the woman couldnat stay here indefinitely.a aShe couldnat?a Teri asked. I noticed the maternal smirk.

With that, Maggie and Charlie walked into the living room. aI cannot believe how this turned out,a Charlie said. aAnd I really canat believe Bridget Donnelly. She certainly had me fooled.a Peter looked up then; the sadness evident on his face. aShe fooled everyone for a long time. I still canat believe ita”just for money.a aHow do you suppose it all came about?a Mac asked and looked at me.

ah.e.l.l, I donat know. Itas one convoluted mess,a I said and figured Iad give it my best shot. aIt looks like Bridget, Tim, and Russell were in it from the get go. Bridget said Russell was sent to take care of Peter. Iam a.s.suming he was to do more than just injure you back in Chicago, Peter.a Peter frowned deeply. I could tell he still couldnat believe any of this.

aBridget was then supposed to take care of Brianas will,a I said. aWhen she found out head changed it and left everything to Mac, she knew it called for drastic measures. The problem was Russell Devine. Iam thinking after Tim showed Russell the contract he had signed with Omega, Tim and Bridget offered him a piece of the action. I donat think they realized how greedy Russell really was.

aI think Russell stole that contract and took it to Brian, looking for more money by telling him of the double-cross. Russell saw a great opportunity to working both ends. He didnat count on Brianas devotion to the people of the village or his part in securing the legendary treasure for Ireland. Brian hid the contract in the clock and changed his will immediately, which tipped off Bridget that something was wrong.

aIam sure Brian planned to expose the double-cross when Mac came to Ireland. Poor Brian probably never considered Tim to be a murderer. He certainly never suspected Bridget. It would never have occurred to Brian that money, no matter how much, would drive a man to murdera”but murder he did. He threw Brian over the cliffs, killed Devine because he knew too much, and murdered James to complete the deal with Omega and get Jamesas signed contract.

aUnfortunately, for them, Iam sure Omega wanted no part of the deal when people started dropping like flies. They pulled out, and Iall wager you wonat be hearing from them again. And that, as they say, is that,a I said.

aI cannot believe Bridget was in on this. I never, ever expected it,a Peter said sadly and let out a huge sigh. He smiled then and gave me a kiss. aThank you, Kate.a He glanced at his watch. aThe media and the museum folks will be here shortly. Iam sick to my stomach.a Mac patted him on the shoulder. aI donat blame you one bit. This has been one crazy ride.a On schedule, the media did indeed arrive. The house was buzzing as men and women, all snapping on rubber surgical gloves, surrounded the old trunk, which still sat in the middle of the living room. I was itching to see if there was anything of value in it. After what seemed like hours of discussion, the powers that be decided to open it.

I was amazed. aYouare gonna open this thing in a living room?a I asked.

Peter laughed as did the others. aYes, I donat want to take the chance of anything else happening to this,a he said and took a deep breath.

Cameras started flas.h.i.+ng. I held my breath and glanced at Mac and Teri who were wild-eyed. Maggie was smiling and holding Charlieas arm as we all stood back and let Peter continue.

Peter nervously knelt down and snapped his rubber gloves in place. He had some instrument that looked decidedly like a crowbar and gently pried the trunk open.

aThe paraffin did its job of sealing this nicely,a he said.

Everyone held his or her breath as we watched. aUnbelievable,a he said in amazement.

I stood on my tiptoes to get a look. I only caught a glimpse, but what a glimpse it was. I heard Teri exclaim softly and knew she must have seen the same thing. There were jewels, gold and silver coins, necklaces. It was amazing, like something out of an old pirate movie. I expected to see Errol Flynn waltz in at any moment. The bounty looked very tarnished but still and all, it was amazing.

Peter and the rest of his colleagues logged and categorized all that was in the trunk. Then at the bottom of it, they found a smaller box, also sealed in paraffin. Peter gingerly took it out as we all looked on. Mac leaned forward, his arm around Teri. I stood there and watched.

There they werea”several small etchings, all perfectly preserved. Peter now donned a pair of soft, white gloves and handled the etchings as little as possible, laying them out, describing them to the others, who were taking notes and recording the event as cameras continued to click wildly.

The look on Peteras face was priceless. He grinned like a kid at Christmas as he gingerly held the etchings. aAll signed by El Greco in fifteen sixty, before he became a master. These were thought to be lost. Phillip of Spain had commissioned his work but later rejected it. What an idiot,a he said and everyone laughed.