Seizure(22)

“Buy her?” I couldn’t keep the irritation from my voice. “He tried to purchase Anne like cattle?”

Shelton shrugged and grinned. “It was a simpler time.”

“And that was before Anne’s ‘lady friend’ entered the picture.” Hi’s leer aimed for lecherous, nailed it. “You know Bonny swung both ways, right?”

My look conveyed that I did not.

“He’s telling the truth,” Shelton chuckled.

My eyes swung to Chris, who nodded with a grin.

Why do boys find this topic so thrilling?

“The Neanderthals are referring to Mary Read, another female pirate.” Sallie rolled her eyes at Chris, whose palms rose in innocence. “Read joined Calico Jack’s ship, Revenge, also dressed like a man. Anne took a shine to the ‘new guy,’ but eventually discovered Read’s deception. Nothing changed. From then on, Read and Bonny had a special relationship of an undisclosed nature.”

“Pillow fights,” Hi fake sneezed, then danced away from my elbow.

“Mary and Anne were two of the toughest sailors on board,” Sallie said. “The crew all knew their secrets but accepted them as equals.”


“Pirate ships were very liberal, almost complete meritocracies,” Chris said. “Bonny and Read could sail, fight, and handle themselves, same as the men. Nobody messed with them.”

“Tell the capture story,” Shelton urged. “Didn’t they shoot up their own guys?”

“Only because the men wimped out.” Sallie looped my arm as if we were confidantes. “In 1720, Captain Jonathan Barnet, a pirate turned pirate hunter, attacked Revenge while she was anchored. The crew was passed out, having celebrated the capture of a Spanish trading ship the previous night by getting bombed.”

“Barnet sailed close and blasted Revenge with cannon fire. Badly hungover, Calico Jack and his men refused to fight. Only Anne and Mary resisted.”

Sallie threw a classic “men stink” look at Chris. I was starting to like her.

“Legend goes, Anne screamed, ‘If there’s a man among ye, ye’ll come out and fight!’” Sallie snorted derisively. “The men cowered in the hold like beggars. The two ladies were so incensed they began shooting at them, killing one and wounding several others, including Calico Jack.”

Chris grinned at his wife. “In the end, only Bonny and Read stood their ground against Barnet’s crew. Though they fought like hellcats, everyone was captured. Eventually, the whole crew was hanged.”

“But not Anne.” I remembered Rodney Brincefield’s story. “She may have escaped.”

“So you do know a little.” Chris looked impressed. “Back in Port Royal there was a trial, sensational because two of the accused were women. Read and Bonny were reviled for rejecting polite society and defying traditional female conventions.”

“Polite society?” Sallie scoffed. “More like uptight prigs.”

“When found guilty of piracy,” Chris continued, “the ladies played their trump card.”

“Which was?” I asked.

“They pled their bellies.”

“Come again?” Hi said.

“Each claimed to be pregnant,” Sallie clarified. “English law forbade the hanging of a woman with child, so Anne and Mary couldn’t be executed. While the others swung, they were spared.”

“Calico Jack was hanged, then disemboweled,” Shelton said. “The governor propped his body in a cage at the port’s entrance, where every ship could see. Nasty.”

That stopped conversation for a moment.

“And?” Ben’s first words since entering the building.

“That’s the mystery,” Chris said. “Mary Read succumbed to a fever in prison. No one knows what happened to Bonny.”

“Some say she died in jail. Some say she was hanged after giving birth the following year.” Sallie shrugged. “Others insist her father paid a ransom and brought her back home to Charles Town. Still others argue that Bonny escaped altogether, and went on pirating. No one knows for sure.”

“One crackpot book claimed that Bonny became a nun,” Shelton said. “Another swore she got back with her husband. It’s all bunk. Straight-up guessing.”

I glanced at Bonny. The fine clothes. The jewels. The braided hair.

What happened to you? I wondered. Was yours a happy end, or a terrible one? “So where’s her loot?” Hi blurted out. “Bonny was a badass, kick-you-in-the-mouth boat jacker. What happened to all that cheddar?”

Chris grinned. “I figured you’d get around to that.”

“Buried. Somewhere. If it ever really existed.” Sallie smoothed her hair with both hands. “For years, everyone thought her treasure was on Seabrook Island, but that was a hoax. Then the popular choice became Johns Island, because certain features match up with the map.”

“Map?” I said, innocent.

“Yes, map.” Chris checked his watch, then strode to a dark wooden bureau on the far side of the room. “Over here.”

I tried not to sprint.

“We’ve got only a few minutes, but you have to see it.” Chris tugged keys from his pocket. “It’s amazing.”

Behind the heavy doors were rows of drawers. Chris worked a second lock, then pulled the bottom one out as far as it would go.