Chapter 9 #2
Back in the kitchen, Amy returned to her roasted vegetables and quinoa while Nash set the table, moving with the same easy comfort they’d established over the past two days. It felt natural, like they’d been doing this for years instead of hours.
“This looks amazing,” Nash said as Amy plated their food, the colorful vegetables arranged artfully beside the perfectly grilled steaks.
“Don’t sound so surprised.” She smirked, carrying the plates to the table. “Some of us don’t survive on takeout and string cheese.”
Nash pulled out her chair before settling into his own. “Mind if I say grace?” he asked quietly.
“Please do.”
Nash bowed his head, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.
“Heavenly Father, we thank You for this food and for Your protection today. We ask for Your guidance as we try to solve this mystery and for Your wisdom to see the truth when it’s hidden.
Thank You for bringing Amy back into my life in such an unexpected way. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Amen,” Amy echoed softly.
When Nash opened his eyes, he found her watching him with a curious expression. “What?” he asked, picking up his fork.
“Nothing,” she said, looking down at her plate. “It’s just … nice. How naturally that comes to you.”
Nash took a bite of steak, giving himself a moment to consider her words. “It is natural. I try to talk to God a lot.”
Amy smiled. “Me, too.”
He liked hearing that.
They ate in companionable silence for a bit.
“Will you tell me about the conquistador gold chase?” Amy asked after a while. “I’ve read some online, but I’d love to hear your family’s perspective.”
Nash sat back in his chair, considering where to begin.
“It all started with the Stone family, actually. Trey Stone—the oldest brother. But when it became concrete was when his brother, Trent found a piece of gold with a palm leaf inscription on it after his parents died. That was evidence that the conquistador gold wasn’t just a legend. ”
“I’ve read up on their story,” Amy said, her eyes bright with interest. “I can’t believe it ended with that Mr. Banks blowing up half of their house.”
Nash shook his head, taking another bite of food. “Banks was obsessed with finding that gold.”
“But he died, right?”
“He did.”
She sighed. “Wow.”
He stabbed at a roasted brussels sprout. “But that wasn’t the end of it. Not by a long shot.”
“What happened next?”
“As you know, after my father passed away, Porter inherited the ranch.”
“And that’s when the letter between your fathers surfaced.”
“Right. And you know we were suspicious it was in the missile silos we found—ones that weren’t on any official maps. They had the broken arrow symbol on them.”
“Like the one we found in the cave today,” Amy murmured.
“Exactly.” Nash took another bite, savoring the perfectly seasoned meat.
This was easily the best meal he’d had in months.
“We have never found the gold in a missile silo, but a woman named Ms. Connie from the Windsong Reservation near our ranch had been melting down bars of gold and passing them to the grandparents of Chance’s wife, Kelly. ”
Amy leaned forward, setting down her fork. “What were they doing with it?”
“Selling it on the black market, then using the money to fund projects on the reservation.” Nash shook his head, still finding it hard to believe. “All this was happening right under our noses for years, and none of us knew about it.”
“That’s incredible,” Amy breathed. “So where did the hunt go from there?”
“My brother Blaze tracked some of the melted gold to Kentucky. They were selling it through horse-racing circuits. That’s where he met his wife, Eden.
” Nash smiled, remembering his brother’s whirlwind romance.
“But the trail seemed to go cold there. We couldn’t find the main cache of gold anywhere. ”
Amy took a sip of water. “What about the Stones? Were they still involved?”
“Always,” Nash confirmed. “Our families have been working together on this from the beginning. Brooks Stone is FBI, and he’s been unofficially tracking the gold through various channels.
Marshall’s a pilot—he’s flown us all over the country following leads.
And Trey, Trent, and Hunter were all Navy SEALs at one point.
They keep a close interest in it. Plus, their sister, Kensi—Trey’s twin—is an attorney.
She had a lot of interactions with Banks before he blew the house up.
Her husband, Tim, is also a sheriff in South Port, and they’ve all been in on this. ”
“Dang.”
“Dang is right.”
“What about Cheyenne?”
Nash couldn’t help the proud smile that crossed his face. “She was supposed to be on spring break in South Port, but she ended up helping Micah Jamison—he’s Trey’s stepson—track down the next clue.”
“Which was …?”
“A letter from Truman Birch to his brother, Raine.”
Amy’s confusion was clear. “Who?”
“Raine Birch came to South Port and was a good friend to the Stone family. Then his stepbrother, Truman, was another gold hunter—a dangerous one. He died during a confrontation at our ranch.”
“Oh my gosh, I think I read about that. This is so crazy.”
“It is.”
“But wait, he’s the one that had the letter from Bill or with Bill, right? What did it say again?”
“It pointed to Salt Lake City.” Nash set down his fork, his plate nearly empty.
“Specifically, it mentioned Porter Rockwell and a possible connection to the broken arrow symbol we’d been finding everywhere.
That’s why I got involved—I was already living here, so it made sense for me to check it out.
But the letter was from a long time ago.
Like twenty years ago, when both of our fathers were alive. ”
“Wow.” Amy was quiet for a moment. “And now we’ve found one of the symbols in a cave on Mount Olympus, which is owned by a foundation connected to the Ferrantes—the same family my father was going to testify against.” She shook her head in disbelief. “It can’t be a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Nash said firmly. “Not when it comes to this gold. Too many people have died over it.”
A shadow crossed Amy’s face. “Like my father. Like Bill.”
“Yes.” Nash reached across the table, taking her hand again. “Hey, we’re going to figure this out. All of it. I promise.”
She gave him a sad smile. “Your promises.”
“Like I said, we have resources the Ferrantes don’t. We have the Stones, we have Brooks’s FBI connections, and most importantly—” He squeezed her hand. “—we have you and your research.”
“And we have an attorney who cooks a mean steak,” Amy added, her smile turning more genuine.
Nash laughed. “I’m a man of many talents.”
They stared into each other’s eyes.
She squeezed his hand. “And we have God.”
Nash liked that she’d brought that up. “We do. We do.”
“So what’s our next move?” she asked.
“I think we need to look more closely at the foundation’s property records.
There might be something in the original land transfer that gives us a clue.
” Nash tilted his head, considering. “And we should try to figure out what Dr. Martinez is up to. Did he follow us to the cave, or was he already there? Does he know about the broken arrow symbol?”
Amy nodded, absently pushing her remaining vegetables around her plate. “I have access to the university’s archives. There might be something there about Porter Rockwell’s connections to the area.”
“Tomorrow, then?” Nash suggested. “We can start at the university, then check the county records office for information on the Olympus Foundation.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Amy smiled; then her expression turned teasing. “Is that our first official date, then? Digging through dusty archives and property records?”
Nash grinned. “I’m pretty sure our first date involved bats and a creepy professor stalking us, but sure, let’s call tomorrow the official one.”
Amy laughed, the sound warming Nash’s heart. Then her expression sobered slightly. “Nash? What happens when this is all over? When we either find the gold or … don’t?”
The question hung in the air between them, loaded with implications neither of them was ready to fully address. Nash’s life was in Salt Lake, his career just beginning to take off. Amy was in witness protection, her very identity contingent on staying hidden.
“I don’t know,” he admitted honestly. “But I think we’ve been given a second chance here, and I’m not about to waste it.”
Amy studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “Neither am I.”