“Wait, I think I know this one.” I said a bit too excitedly practically bouncing. They just looked at me as if I was crazy. “I mean it. A Chef that cooks and has a pan.”

“I assume most chefs cook and wear shoes/boots.” Kyle said with zero faith in me.

“Well I’d like you to bring up the map of the good ole USA.”

My exuberance went away the moment Kyle understood. “Ohh you mean that chef. That could work.”

“Come one dude did you have to do me dirty like that. You guys had your moments. I just wanted mine.” I was truly bummed.

“I did find something at the tip, it's called The Tennessee Point. Except nothing is there. If we aren’t sure then it would be a wasted trip.”

Realization hit. “Another fucking roadtrip. And back the way we came too. Fuck dude….” I was super bummed. “First we eat and get supplies. Don’t know what we could need.”

I was minding my own business picking up bags of chips when a burly man walked up to me. “You need to come with me.”

“No I don’t.” Why did this man look familiar? “Who the hell are you even? And why do you look-” He just picked me up by the collar and half dragged me out. The clerk just looked the other way. Thanks dude. I saw my friends with 2 more. They were at a table near a coffee shop.

Wait, that's where they were at the monument too. They went up after us.

“Connor, you are okay.” Michelle hollered but was quickly shut up with a harsh slap to the shoulder. “Ok fine. Not so hard.”

“Sorry ma-”

“Hello.” Another man said, pulling up a chair. “My name is Mr. Bright.”

“Who are you?” I asked calmly, not wanting to be hit. I’m fragile.

“I just said. Mr. Bright. I’m an interested party in the Saint Marcus.”

“How did you know about that?” Kyle asked, flinching a bit.

“We have been looking for that ship for many years. Now tell us what you found. Or else-”

“That's fine, I've seen movies. It said ‘The chef cooks a clue. And hides it in the tip of his boot. Hidden for later use’ We think that it means that it is in Louisiana. The boot of the chef on the map of the USA.”

I said it so fast he seemed confused and lost his eerie aura for a moment. “That was- Thank you for telling us without the need for force.”

“Yup I don’t like force. I truly don’t even want to be doing this. Have fun, we will just head back home.”

“Oh you misunderstand. My friends Mark and Tanner will keep you company while I find the treasure. When that happens you will be released. Anyway, I need to make sure what you told us was true. Can’t do that without you now can I.” He smiled the same way Tinner his lawyer did but a bit less evil somehow. “Men take them to the hotel and secure them.”

We were led oddly to the same hotel that we previously were staying at. The crooks having good taste. That was until I realized that they were putting us into our own rooms. Cheap bastard. We were sat in the living room. One posted outfront one inside with us. I needed to go. “I need to use the restroom.” I said pleadingly.

“No, now shut up.” The rude man immediately replied.

Fine I thought. I’ll just piss myself maybe the smell will get me out.

It was an hour later of silence until it was broken. “I need to use the restroom.” Michelle said pointedly. The guard didn’t even argue.

“Really dude I ask-” A stare from both Michelle and the man shut me up.

Not 20 seconds later she came bursting out of the corridor and they went into yelling,”Lets go lets go.” The stupid bastard didn’t even tie us up. We escaped through a window in a room and ran to my truck. They were chasing after us as we sped down the road.

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“Fuck yeah. Let's never do that again.” I looked back to see one holding up a phone and another held an envelope and was pulling out cash. Huh. He did have a black eye though so I took it as a win. Not including the escape.

Another grueling road trip later. We arrived at the end of a road in the middle of nowhere. “Why the hell would they hide a clue all the way out here. Did it have some importance in a war or something?”

“From what I can find…that would be a no.”

After looking and hiking for gods knows how long we found it. It wasn’t that hard, we just didn’t take it literal enough. There was a bunker hidden in a hill. It was locked tight. “Ok why didn’t they just tell us to go here. Truly if it was kept hidden for this long just out right saying he go here is only just a few steps away from the riddles.” I complained for the umpteenth time.

“Incase the evil people are dumb?” Kyle shrugged.

“How do we open it? I see no handle.” Michelle said inspecting the metal door. “Wait I found a keyhole…and we never found a key. Please tell me the who ‘patricia’ and ‘key’ thing actually meant she had a key with her.” She said this staring daggers at West who had said their was no key.”

“Well I could have been wrong. But we all stared at that thing did you see one?”

“No” they all answered.

“Well I still have the house key?” I said lamely.

“Why not. Maybe we can come back and blow the doors up.”

I walked up to it and no it wasn’t going to work. “Yeah sorry I-”

“Think that is a great idea. Don’t you? Good thing we came prepared with explosives.” the scaly voice I knew from before vocalized his arrival.

“You think your little trick would work? This isn’t a game Connor.”

Shit. “Huh I did think that would have worked. Well sorry?”

“No need to be sorry. I knew you’d lead us to it sooner or later. Set up the explosives.” A truly creepy guy in burnt overalls walked up with what I had to assume was C4.

“You all should b-b-back up. Hehehe.” I took that as an order quickly moving away.

We watched the creepy dude set up the explosives and waited for him to detonate. I covered my ears for a loud bang. It never came. I did see a small flash of light that seared a spot in my eye. Other than that it was quiet.

“We hire the best. Why risk destroying stuff when controlled demolition works best. No follow along.” Bright ordered. The burly men pushing us forward. Mr. Bright pushed with his finger and the door fell over. “I alway-” He sounded weird again but got his composure back. “I always get what I want, Connor.”

Inside was a small room. With just a table and a machine. “Why don’t you be a good pet and figure it all out for me again.”

“Yes will do. Just don’t hurt us.” I said quickly.

“No.”

“Michelle,” I hissed. “We should just do what he wants.” then even quieter. “He has guns this time.”

Michelle didn’t waver. “We won’t if you think you could do it without us then do it.”

“Fine. I’ll get my hands dirty.” He walked over to a large lever and pulled it. The place lit up like a christmas tree. The machine started clicking immediately. “Ahh I see morse code.” He said as if it was common knowledge. “Simple.” He then started to write out numbers.

“Honestly I didn’t expect that.” Michelle walked up to see what he had written.

“That’s not how this works darling.” He swiped it away into a pocket.

The thing was that I too knew morse code and had too deciphered it. “So you’ll just let us go this time? We don’t have the information and you do. So this time you have the upper hand.

“Yeah you should just let us go.”

“Fine but first.” he picked up the morse code machine and threw it to the ground. The intricate machinery breaking. “Now I have the upper hand. Tanner make sure we have a few hours headstart. Don’t want to risk them tailing us.”

They left us with Tanner who had a black eye. Odd choice in my opinion to leave behind. I tried a tactic I couldn’t believe I didn’t try before. “Hey big guy, how much does Bright pay you? I can pay you a lot for letting us go early.”

“What are you doing?”

“Getting us there.”

“How?”

“I have the location.”

Shocked filled her eyes. And she nodded.

The big man didn’t say anything but looked behind me. “Dude I’m the one trying to bribe you pay attention to me.”

“50k take it or leave it.”

Damn that was way less than I thought it would be. “Deal. I of course don’t have it on me but do you have an app to transfer with?”

We were off back towards where it all began. The mansion. I knew there was a sailing boat docked there. One of the few things that got used at that place. And I knew where we needed to go.

“You can explain now.” Michelle told me for the 3rd time.

“I know morse code. And I know the coordinates.”

“Ok that’s cool and all but where?” Kyle pipped in his voice oscillating from the speeds I was going.

“All I know is that it is somewhere in the Atlantic ocean.”

“The Atlantic?” West asked, puzzled.

“How am I the only one who thought of this? A ship goes missing and we have been looking on land.” I typed in the coordinates onto my dashboard computer. Michelle yelped at the action. “See it's somewhere there.”

“As in nowhere.”

“Yes.”

“I feel like we have lost Connor. Maybe-”

“No way Kyle, you are doing this to me. You three dragged me into this. I’m going to finish it.”