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mention it. Her sudden death hit him hard—apparently he stopped speaking, got left back in kindergarten, and suffered years of nightmares. Beau wasn’t much help, either, stripping all her things from High Point Bluff. Aside from Cooper, this picture’s pretty much the only proof she ever existed.
    The bathroom door opens, and Cooper steps out, freshly showered and smelling of sandalwood soap. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but whew, that felt good.” He plops down on his bed. His eyes look baby blue now to match his new, clean shirt. “So what’d you find?”
    Not a hidden picture, that’s for sure. I swivel to face him. “Pretty much what I thought. Ointment, bandages. He’ll be fine.”
    Cooper laughs. “Good, because I don’t think I can take much more of his crying.”
    I snicker. “Yeah, he’s the biggest baby on the planet. But still, that was weird, wasn’t it?”
    “Totally.” He scratches the small patch of stubble on his chin. “You know, with all his hollering, I expected that burn to be much worse.”
    “Me, too. But I guess the booby trap freaked him out. It was scary.”
    He shakes his head. “But that’s the thing that keeps bothering me. My military history teacher said those traps were used in war against enemies. That letter doesn’t say anything about that. I mean, why would a pirate ask for help and then lead someone to an explosion? It doesn’t make sense.”
    An odd, almost pinging sense of foreboding crawls around the base of my scalp. “I don’t know.”
    “Let’s take another look at that letter.” He bounds off the bed, pulls a geometry text off his bookshelf, and opens the front cover. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but this isn’t the time for math. He must read the expression on my face because he chuckles. “It’s the perfect hiding place. No one would ever voluntarily open this book.” He lifts the letter from behind the front cover.
    I laugh. “You’ve got a point.”
    He plops down on the bed and motions me over. “Come here.” He waves the thick yellow parchment.
    As if he needs to ask. I spring from the office chair and ease down next to him, willing my heart to stay in my chest.
    But the giddy tingles stop as soon as I start reading. Just like the first time, the words make my gut sink. Sure, Bloody Bill offered to share his treasure, but only after someone helped him break the curse . The one an old Gullah hag imposed after his crew plucked a flower. The same curse he said was heinous and gruesome and ravaged that crew. How can something called “The Creep” be anything but bad, especially if it leaves behind a bundle of dry bones? An eerie, unsettled sensation fills my chest.
    “I don’t care what you and Jack think. That letter freaks me out.”
    “Hey, I wasn’t the one who was all gung ho. That was Jack.”
    My brow crinkles. “Are you kidding? You guys saw the word ‘treasure’ and totally forgot about the curse part.”
    “Listen, I don’t want to argue, Emmaline.” The creases on Cooper’s face soften, soothing all the weirdness I’m feeling. “I don’t understand what Bloody Bill wrote any more than why that box was booby trapped. Nothing makes sense. All that matters is Jack is safe.”
    He’s probably right, but that spooky feeling clings. Cooper flashes his easy grin, shooting a fresh set of goose bumps over my skin. The good kind.
    I look out his bedroom window and notice it’s pitch dark. My dad’s probably home by now. “It’s late. I’ve got to go.” I suppress a sigh.
    He pops off his bed. “Let me take you home.”
    There’s no way I’m turning down a personal escort. We tiptoe down the stairs, hoping to avoid Beau and Missy. We’re nearly at the front door when Beau’s voice carries down the hall into the grand foyer. “Cooper? Emma still with you? Bring her on in here.”
    Cooper rolls his eyes. “I’m taking her home. Be back later.”
    Even though the cut on my foot still twinges, we sprint for the