Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Gram Hathaway's living room was crowded with people. Spike and Chip sat at a small table with the box in front of them. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose perched on the stairs.

"Thank you all for coming!" Gram told everyone. Then she smiled at Spike. He stood up. "Thanks for inviting us," Spike said. "Chip and I have been diving for a few years now. A couple weeks ago, we found a sunken ship." Chip opened the box. Spike reached in and pulled out a gold cross, about eight inches tall. The gold shone warmly in the sunny room. Someone said, "Oh, my goodness!" Spike gently laid the cross on the table. Next he brought out a shiny hunk of silver, about the size of a big bar of soap. Then he spread a handful of gold coins on the table. "There's a lot more down there," he continued. "We've found chains, silver goblets, even jewelry." Gram's friends got out of their seats and crowded around Spike and Chip. "May we touch it?" one woman asked. Spike laughed. "Can't hurt it, ma'am. It's been on the bottom of the ocean for almost four hundred years!"

Josh was standing up so he could see. Gram Hathaway's friends were passing around the gold and silver. "Um, Spike?" Josh said. "How did you get it so clean? Wouldn't it have barnacles and stuff all over it?" Spike grinned. "Good question," he said. "First we soak the pieces, then we rub them with regular old vinegar. You'd be surprised how easily it cleans up."

Ruth Rose's hand shot up. "Can I ask a question?" Spike nodded. "Ask away." "It took Mel Fisher twenty years to find his sunken ship," said Ruth Rose. "How did you find yours so quickly?" Spike smiled. "I guess we were just lucky," he said.

"And we had good maps," Chip added. Spike turned back to the group. "I hope you'll all consider investing with us," he said. "Once we can buy some more equipment, we'll start bringing up some serious treasure." Ruth Rose's grandmother stood up. "Why don't we have refreshments now?" she said. Everyone began talking and filling small plates with cookies. Ruth Rose went into the kitchen for the lemonade. Dink and Josh stayed on the stairs, near the table of goodies. Spike and Chip stepped over to the refreshment table. Dink watched Spike take a few cookies. "'These cookies are loaded with chocolate chips," Spike whispered to his friend. Dink was about to say something to Spike, but he stopped. He knew he had heard those words before! Dink closed his eyes and tried to remember the voice he'd overheard in the airport. Dink was positive the man had said "…those cookies are loaded." Dink was almost sure it had been the same voice!

He looked down for a tattoo, but Spike's pants covered his ankles. The sandals looked the same. But a lot of people in Florida wore brown leather sandals. "What's the matter?" Ruth Rose asked Dink. "You look like you smelled something rotten." Dink stood up. "Come outside," he whispered. "It's important!"