The Devil's Triangle Read Online Free Page B

mother. Is there a problem with it?’
    ‘They bring bad luck, Callum,’ he replied, his tone more civilised, but still tight with anger.
    ‘Oh, Dad, that’s just an old superstition,’ Niamh said, looking at him reproachfully.
    ‘Tell that to the Queen,’ he told her, his eyes hard. ‘Callum, I’d very much appreciate it if you stored it somewhere outside, please. There’s a lockable cupboard on the boat if you want to secure it. Personally, I’d sell it to another tourist and buy a different gift for your mum if I were you.’
    ‘No problem, sir. I’ll do it right away.’
    After Callum had taken the shell out and locked it in the boat, the atmosphere in the living area remained awkward for a while. Sam and Niamh tried to make light of their father’s strange reaction, but the incident left an uncomfortable feeling in the room that was difficult to dispel.
    ‘What was that all about?’ Callum asked Sam a bit later when they had slipped back outside to the poolside. ‘Your dad really freaked out when he saw the conch.’
    ‘Conk,’ Sam replied.
    ‘Sorry?’
    ‘It’s pronounced con-k , not con-ch.’
    ‘That could cause some interesting misunderstandings,’ Callum observed. ‘Oh, my! That’s a big conk you’ve got there.’
    They both laughed.
    ‘So why did your dad flip? And what did he mean by “Tell that to the Queen?”’
    ‘Well, Dad’s always been a bit superstitious and according to local folklore, it’s bad luck to bring a conch shell into your home. There’s a story he heard from the local historian down in the library at Key West about the Queen that he’s told us a few times, but it’s been a while since I’ve heard it. It supposedly happened before we were born, back in about 91, I think. The Queen visited the Dry Tortugas – they’re a group of islands off the end of the main line of inhabited Keys. Believe it or not, the nearest thing to royalty here in the Keys is the position of Queen Conch . . .’
    ‘You’re havin’ a laugh! Queen Conk!’
    ‘No,’ Sam said, shaking his head. ‘Dead serious. Ask Niamh if you like. She probably remembers more about this stuff than me. Anyway, from what I remember, the reigning Queen Conch met Queen Elizabeth at the Dry Tortugas and presented her with a conch shell. Within about a year of the Queen’s return to the UK, a whole load of bad stuff happened.’ Sam closed his eyes as he recalled the list of misfortunes and ticked them off on his fingers. ‘First Prince Andrew and Fergie separated in early 92,’ he began, ‘Then the next month Princess Anne and Mark got divorced. A couple of months later, the tell-all book about Diana was published and then, to top it all, Windsor Castle burned down.’
    ‘Really? But the castle’s still there! I saw it from the M4 only a few weeks ago.’
    ‘Yeah. Well, I guess they must have rebuilt it. Apparently, it was a local joke in the Keys that Queen Conch’s gift caused all the bad luck. Some of the locals were more than a bit serious.’
    When they went back inside after their dip, Callum sat and wrote a postcard to his parents. Chuckling, he waved Sam over to look at what he had written.
    ‘You can’t send that!’ Sam exclaimed, his eyes widening as he read the card.
    ‘It’s a joke, Sam. Lighten up!’
    ‘I know it’s a joke, but what will your mum and dad do?’
    ‘They won’t do anything,’ Callum laughed. ‘They know what I’m like. I’m always fooling around. Don’t worry, I’ll send them another one in a couple of days spelling it out as a joke if you like.’
    ‘Yeah you’d better,’ Sam said. ‘For goodness’ sake don’t let my dad see it though. You saw what he was like about the shell. He’d really do his nut if he saw this!’
    There was a haunted look in Matthew Cutler’s eyes that afternoon. Sam recognised it immediately, as he had seen it all too often during past trips. To his frustration, the next morning his dad went off on his own for much of