Blue Moon Read Online Free Page A

position from the log and copies of the letters, which really tell more than the log itself.”
    â€œMighty decent of them, considering the gift you dropped in their lap.”
    â€œYou see, Captain Ortiz reported to his Spanish authorities that his ship was lost due to a storm, which was partially true,” she said, undaunted by his cynicism. “But a storm flared up after the Blue Moon . . . Luna Azul ,” she amended, “had gone off course, outgunned and pursued by pirates. The storm caused the pirates to give up their chase, and the Luna Azul crashed onto a reef. Ortiz and his men escaped to a small elbow-shaped island and tried to salvage the wreck when the storm broke. But only a small portion of the treasure was recovered.”
    â€œHow much?” Gabe asked. Already his blood had made course toward the island at full speed. Visions of ducats and doubloons danced in his mind. The symptoms were all too familiar.
    â€œLess than an eighth,” Jeanne answered, unconcerned at the possible loss of loot.
    And she was in it for the find more than the money. It was a strange strain of the fever, but fine with Gabe. The motivation was strong, and that was what counted most in choosing a partner for this kind of endeavor—as long as shares were made clear from the start.
    â€œAnother storm, worse than the first, forced Ortiz and his men to seek shelter, from which they watched as the ship broke apart and washed away.”
    An elbow-shaped island. Gabe knew the Yucatán coast well and there was only one that he knew of. “There is an uninhabited barrier island south of Chinchorro Reef called Isla Codo. Too small to develop. Great fishing there, though.”
    â€œExactly,” Jeanne said, turning to her stuffed shirt companion. “Remy?”
    With a grudging look, Remy pulled a map from the inside of his jacket and handed it over. Dr. Madison spread the map on the table, her enthusiasm fading as she shot a doleful look at the cantina lighting.
    â€œNo worries,” Gabe said, producing a small penlight attached to his key chain. He’d have conjured a tiki torch to get a look at that map.
    â€œThe position given to the authorities was way to the south of Isla Codo,” she told him, moving her hand over the printout to the exact spot he’d pictured in his mind. “But the island has to be the location of the wreck based on Ortiz’s letters to his brother and wife. And I don’t think it’s an accident that it’s located off Punta Azul. Blue Point. ”
    For someone so young and obviously green, the lady had done her homework. It wouldn’t be the first landmark named after a shipwreck. “So you’re going to set up your base in Punta Azul?” He pointed to the nearest village, one of few remaining on the coast, he knew, that hadn’t been consumed by tourism from the north.
    Jeanne nodded. “The company has rented cottages from an ecolodge that was all but destroyed a year ago by a hurricane.”
    Beside her, Remy winced.
    â€œBut it’s rebuilding,” she added, brightening. “It’s just not ready to open to tourists. Las Palapas?”
    â€œBeen there, Je . . . er . . . Dr. Madison.” Las Palapas had been built for the native experience, so she obviously wasn’t hung up on comfort, which was hard to find on expeditions like these. Or she hadn’t been there yet.
    â€œJeanne,” she said. “Please call me Jeanne . . . and this is Remy.”
    â€œFine then . . . Jeanne .” Gabe was delighted to have that out of the way, although he doubted she spoke for her tight-lipped companion. “But you know you’re talking remote when it comes to Punta Azul.”
    â€œBlasted galleons never sink in a convenient place, do they, Avery?”
    Jeanne allowed Remy’s attempt at humor a short laugh before answering. “It’s the closest village to our intended search area, and