“I am not going to quit this,” Anna bluntly started the conversation. Rock had arrived at her place a few minutes ago and now sat across from her in the living room.
“I didn’t think you would. But I have to tell you a few things and it seemed in person would be the best way.”
“I’m listening.”
Rock leaned forward. “I was approached by a man in Miami. He told me you were in over your head.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“That the man you work for, Delega is it?” She nodded. “That he is a less than a desirable person. He told me that if you succeed in finding whatever is here to find, then Delega would have you disposed of.”
“As in killed?”
“That was more or less what he implied.” She checked his face for lies. Rock’s nostrils flared when he was being less than honest. It was something she had picked up during their brief six-year marriage. She didn’t see that now.
“What was his reasoning?”
“He didn’t have any, other than he said he used to work for the Delega Group. I didn’t believe him but I suppose it could be true. He said his client didn’t want anything found and it would benefit everyone if nothing was all that came from this.” Rock shrugged.
“That’s it,” Anna figured there was more. She knew Rock had found himself in worse situations and didn’t balk at this type of threat.
“I thought so, but then he gave me a proposition. He wanted me to sabotage your effort, for money.”
“Isn’t that taking it a little far?”
“He wanted me to mess up your readings, break the equipment, anything to stall you efforts. He tried to convince me this was in your best interest and then promised cash at the end. Oh, and he led me to believe that the past efforts, here on Oak Island, were all failures due to some form of sabotage.”
“What else,” she pushed.
“Well, I told him no, of course. Then, once out of the meeting I had Sayla follow him so I could try to find out who exactly this guy was. I didn’t want anyone messing with you.”
“How sweet.”
“Not really. They beat her up, if you noticed she still has a small bruise around her eye and that was weeks ago.”
“You shouldn’t be involving her in something like that.”
“I know,” he said quickly. “Then they pulled a gun on me, held it to my chest and told me to stay out of it.”
Anna sat forward. “Are you ok?”
“They didn’t fire if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Not funny, Rock.”
“I’m fine,” he said. “I just don’t want anything more to do with this, and I don’t think you should either. You’re in the middle of two rich snobs, and now they’ve proven to be violent. That’s not a good spot to find yourself.”
“No it isn’t,” she admitted.
“So you think whoever they are, will come to Nova Scotia?”
“Yes, I do.”
“They might already be here. Someone left me vague notes about Delega in my room. They climbed in through the window.”
“Do you know who left them?”
“I do now,” she answered hesitantly. “I met with him a couple nights back.”
“Alone?”
“I know it wasn’t smart.”
“Yeah, it was downright stupid!”
“And having Sayla following this guy wasn’t,” she shot back.
“Well who is he?” Rock asked in a softer tone, seeming to concede her point.
“His name is Malcolm Cooper and he told me pretty much what you were told.”
Across from her, Rock smiled. “Malcolm Cooper,” he repeated back.
“Do you know him?” Rock slowly shook his head from side to side.
“No, not Malcolm, I know Michael Cooper. He’s the guy in Miami. Tall, blonde, squinty eyes.”
“Yeah that sounds like Malcolm. Could they be the same guy?”
“Could be, or brothers.” Rock fell silent and she could see him thinking. “So where does this leave us?”
“I’m going to continue working.”
“You’re not even worried. There will always be other digs and those will be without any threat to you.”
“I’m fine,” she stated to him again. “Nothing’s going to happen to me. I am surrounded by security at all times. There’s even security watching the house. Besides, we start all facets of the operation tomorrow.”
Rock jumped on the change in subject. “You’re digging this quickly, that’s not like you.”
“We’re going to start drilling and digging in three spots surrounding the money pit and we’re beginning the construction of two dams, one in Smith’s cove and the other in Toudrey’s cove.”
“Wow. Damming the cove will be difficult.”
“That’s not my priority. Previous analysis of the soil and geology coincides with the analysis we have done up until this point. That specifically means the flooding of the holes is a natural process that seeps in from the anhydrite below, which makes up a good portion of the geological composition. And from our GPR, which worked amazingly, we have great 3D pictures of the entire land beneath us, and we never found any flood tunnels from either beach. The idea that there are flood tunnels that were constructed and artificial beaches is probably a great fib told by those who failed in the first place or they just caved in over time and have been lost.”
“Then why are you damning the beaches?”
“There’s a percentage that says we could be wrong and even fanciful stories often times have a factual basis to them, though we find no real hard evidence. I’m saying what if we missed it,” she shrugged. “And I’m taking no chances, if there are tunnels, I’m drying them up.”
“You’re sure the money won’t dry up first,” he smiled.
“Oh, pretty sure,” she returned his smile.
“So how are you dealing with the water?”
“We’re going to freeze it. There was talk before of freezing all the ground and then extracting it in previous ideas in the past decade but that’s going too far. We only need to freeze the portions of the ground where the water is entering and then drill into and freeze the anhydrite. Keeping the small caverns in the anhydrite frozen is the key.”
“Interesting. And what if that doesn’t work?”
“We will also have plenty of the most advanced pumps here to get rid of whatever seeps through. We are enlarging all the dig holes and not stopping until we reach the bottom. The holes are all being reinforced with steel studs. We have details of the entire ground, and we actually know where we are going. There are five places of interest, and we only need to open them up for a small period of time and nab what is there, if anything.”
“That’s just it Anna. There’s nothing there.”
“You don’t know that and anyway that’s what I’m being paid to find out.”
“The money pit’s own creation is illogical.”
“Illogical but still lucrative, for me at least.”
“Money’s not worth...”
She held up her hand before he continued. “I know what you have to say, you’ve said it,” She shook her head trying to ease the tension. Rock stood up. He wasn’t making eye contact any longer.
“Ok then. I guess I should go. Be careful,” he said with his back to her.
“I will. And Rock.” She paused until he turned around. “Is there any possible way to get you to come on board? Help us out. I could use your input.”
“I don’t think so. I’ll be around for another few days but then I’ll head back to Miami. I want no part of this. There’s nothing down that hole, and even if there is, you’d never get a look at it. Even if you find it, it’s a paycheck, nothing exciting.”
“What do you mean?”
“If there’s something actually down there, which I doubt. When you pull it up, Delega security will confiscate it i
mmediately. You won’t even see it. Good night Anna.”
“Good night, Rock,” she returned.
“Actually, one last thing, could you do me a small favor.”
“Sure.”
“Nate’s good at research, right?”
“The best.”
“See what he can find out about a solid gold ring with a flower engraved on the top, maybe a rose. Or a group that wears them. Some form of secret society, cult, corporate group, anything. I have a curiosity.”
She nodded, “yeah, I’ll get him on that in his spare time.”
“Thanks. It was good to see you.” He opened the door and left.
Anna put down the report. She picked up her legal pad and quickly scribbled, ‘gold ring, engraved flower, rose.’ Tomorrow she would make that Nate’s first priority. Malcolm Cooper, she recalled, wore that very same ring.
Chapter 7
Nova Scotia, April 2012