THE GOLDEN ROSE

Chapter 17 - A Beautiful Life

Zacatecas, Mexico – present day

Camila woke with a gasping breath and Shawn sat up panting at the same moment. They looked at each other and then laughed, embracing and kissing and then snuggling together.

"They heard us!" she exclaimed in amazement.

"I know, how is that possible?" Shawn shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't know, I just know that what just happened has over-written what we dreamed about last time. In that one, Clara drowned, she thought Sebastaio was dead and lost her will to live I think, she didn't seem to even try to save herself."

"Sebastaio thought she would have been unconscious as soon as she hit the water, he didn't think for a moment he would get there in time to save her, otherwise he would have jumped in after her the first time."

"So now they're on their way to Hispaniola, that's where Haiti is isn't it? Although it might not have been called that then." Camila was excited, they were getting closer to solving the mystery.

"Don't ask me, I have no idea. But I know someone who does. Looks like we have some more research to do!"

***

Shawn opened the door to welcome Diego who was wearing a big smile. He had called their new friend that morning and Diego had been hard at work ever since. Now it was evening and he had turned up with his laptop, a pile of old books and papers and a big smile.

Camila ran up and gave him a big hug. "Thank you for coming Diego, by the look of it you have some news!"

"I do!" he exclaimed. "But I think there was a mention of dinner?"

"It's all laid out waiting for you!" she said, clapping her hands. She led him into the kitchen and he stopped in his tracks.

"Dios mio!" he exclaimed. "Que Susto!"

Laid out on the kitchen counter were burgers and all the toppings. Camila had wanted something to keep busy with during the day so they had decided on burgers and then gone to the market to buy ingredients as per the recipes from the internet. She had remembered Diego mentioning on the car trip that one of the things he missed most about living in the US were burgers, not the fast food variety, but good old Mom and Pop burgers. He hastily divested himself of his research equipment and was first in line to build himself a burger. It was so high he could barely get into his mouth and Shawn and Camila watched affectionately, laughing with him as juices ran down his chin and onto his shirt. Shawn gave him a clean t-shirt to wear and he went and changed after he finished eating.

While he was doing that, Shawn helped Camila clean up, and a thick silence fell between them as they realised Diego would now tell them what he had discovered about Clara and Sebastaio and the pirate Henry Smith aka Black Harry.

"I kind of want to tell him to come back tomorrow, so we can go to bed and sleep and find out what happened to them," she said. He nodded. He felt exactly the same way. He wished he had not asked Diego to do the research, but his big smile when they opened the door made him think it was good news and so he was tempted to find out.

"We could tell him to leave everything here and we'll look at it later, and then, if we want to...."

"I could do that, if you wish, in fact I have compiled a short report for you summarising everything I have discovered," Diego had walked in without them hearing, so engrossed were they in their conversation.

Camila looked at him apologetically. "Would you mind so much? I know you probably want to see our faces when we read it, and we'll no doubt have questions."