Page 79 of Shakedown in Savannah

Gigowski and Poindexter stood huddled in the corner, their heads close together. “We should have something soon.”

The minutes continued to drag by. Carlita could see Elvira becoming increasingly agitated.

Finally, they finished talking and returned to where the others stood waiting. The woman held up what appeared to be a piece of driftwood. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is a piece of history.”

“Is it worth any money?”

Carlita elbowed Elvira, shooting her a warning look. “Go on.”

“We both believe with 99% certainty this was once part of a pirate boat, dating back to possibly the 1700s.”

“Sweet,” Elvira squealed. “Let’s start digging.”

“Not so fast,” Poindexter cautioned. “The markings in the dirt are consistent with a smaller vessel, a jolly boat used to ferry pirates from the ship to shore. Although surface excavation could reveal some important artifacts.”

“Valuable artifacts like gems and jewels?”

“Of course. Any deeper excavation would require special equipment to be brought in considering the location of the potential dig site,” Janet Gigowski added.

“We’ll figure it out.” Elvira waved dismissively. “But for now, we can sift through the surface soil.”

“Yes.” Arvid Poindexter nodded. “I will ask, however, considering the potential treasure trove you might have, that you allow a qualified team to work with you.”

“But whatever is found belongs to me,” Pete said.

“To us,” Elvira quickly corrected.

“To us.”

“Yes.”

“I think…”

Elvira grabbed Pete’s arm and pulled him off to the side.

Carlita could only imagine what she was saying. Pete nodded a couple of times. He shook his head. The conversation ended, and they joined the others.

“We agree to allow a team to work alongside us. Access is by appointment only and we’ll be present at all times.”

“We don’t want excavators to get sticky fingers and pocket something not belonging to them,” Elvira added.

“As you wish.”

There was some discussion about a timeline, mainly Elvira pushing to get a move on, with the experts suggesting a little more caution.

Finally, a tentative start date was reached. Poindexter and Gigowski packed up their equipment and left.

As soon as they were gone, Elvira let out a loud whoop and began shimmying around in a circle. “We’re gonna be rich, rich, rich. We’re gonna be rich,” she sang.

“We haven’t found anything yet,” Pete cautioned. “I wouldn’t break out the bubbly just yet.”

“It’s only a matter of time. I can feel it in my bones.”

Tony made a timeout with his hands. “Now that we have the preliminary results in hand, it’s time to chat about Morton Street and Barnie Ziffra’s arrest.”

“First of all, I want to thank my son for dropping everything and coming down here to help.” Carlita hugged him. “Maybe someday soon Brittney and little Vin can come for a visit.”

“A visit not revolving around a family crisis,” Vinnie teased.

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