Publication Date: September 2014 Mystic Harbor Press
Formats: Ebook, Paperback
Genre: YA/New Adult/Adventure/Suspense/Historical
Age: Young Adult, New Adult
In 1845 200 gold coins were minted to commemorate Texas? entry into the United States. Slated to be given to all major players that helped Texas into the Union, the coins were loaded onto a wagon on a rainy night, near Dallas, Texas and never seen again. Over a century later, traces of the coins resurface, after a couple of kids stumble upon what appeared to be one, in a Southeast Texas creek. News of the find reach Parks Leslie and Stan Atcher, treasure hunters and historians, always looking for their next big find, and long-time seekers of these coins. Parks and Stan's interest proves to be an unexpected journey, tangled with blood history ties, new friendships and near-death experiences, calling for sacrifices no one could have predicted.
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About the Author
Jason Bradshaw has had a passion for adventure, history and writing for most of his life; culminating in the writing of his first novel, Beneath Creek Waters. Besides writing numerous articles for various newsletters and publications, Bradshaw is currently completing his second installment to his novel series, titled Beneath Gulf Waters, after which he will begin work for a new series, The Hobbyist, to be completed in 2015. Bradshaw has also co-written two screenplays in conjunction with Todd Rodgers, titled Red Eye and Shadow Ops.
Bradshaw is an avid diver, enjoys flying, hiking, surfing and has a general love for the outdoors. He currently resides in Texas with his wife and two young sons.
For more information please visit Jason L. Bradshaw's website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Sign up for Jason's Newsletter.
Beneath Creek Waters Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, July 6Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, July 7
Spotlight & Giveaway at Unshelfish
Thursday, July 9
Guest Post at What Is That Book About
Tuesday, July 14
Review & Guest Post at Jorie Loves a Story
Thursday, July 16
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Sunday, July 20
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Thursday, July 23
Review at Just One More Chapter
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Friday, July 24 Review at Book Nerd
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER SIX
Parks dialed the number given him by Professor Duncan. The
phone rang many times and just as he was going to hang up, someone answered.
“Hello, Mrs. Johnson?”
“Yes, I’m Mrs. Johnson,” the woman on the other end
answered.
“Mrs. Johnson, I’m Parks Leslie with AVHR Inc., Artifacts
Valuables Historical Recovery, and I understand that your son has come across a
coin or something similar in one of your local creeks?”
“Yes, sir, he sure did, about a week or so ago.”
“Does he have it in his possession by chance?” Parks knew it couldn’t be that easy, but he
had to ask. “Well, that’s the issue, Mr. Leslie. The boys were removed from the
area against their will by a couple of locals. I would have filed a police
report, but Cameron and his friend were actually near their property and I
wasn’t sure who was in the wrong or if they were trespassing, so I just left it
alone. Cameron’s friend was only slightly injured, but they were just really
shook up about it.”
“Would your son happen to be there?” Parks asked. “He’s at
work right now, but I will have him call you when he gets back in.” “Okay,
sounds great, Mrs. Johnson. I’ll be looking forward to his call.”
“Parks, was it?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.”
“Mr. Leslie, Cameron did sketch a picture of what he found
if you would be interested in seeing it. I could fax or email it.”
“If it’s not a problem, faxing it would be the best way for
me to get it.”
“No problem at all. Just let me have your fax number and as
soon as Cameron gets home from work, I’ll send it over.”
“I look forward to seeing it and thanks again, Mrs. Johnson.
We’ll be down there in a couple of days.” Parks turned to Stan, “Maybe by the
time we get back to the warehouse, she’ll have sent it.”
A few of hours later, Parks and Stan rolled into the
warehouse driveway.
“Damn. The older I get the tighter and tighter my legs get
on these long trips”, Parks said, as he stumbled out of the Land Rover,
stretching to loosen fatigued muscles.
“What the hell would you know; you slept the whole way
back?” Stan responded.
“Let’s go see if anyone has stolen anything while we’ve been
gone. Not that there is anything in there worth stealing - anything worth a
damn is packed in this rolling heap.” Just as the two were opening one of the
bay doors, Parks’ phone started ringing.
“Parks Leslie?” The voice said over the phone. “Mr. Leslie,
this is Cameron Johnson, the guy who found the coin. My mom told me that I should call you,”
Cameron sounded uncertain.
“Yes, Cameron thanks for calling back. Is there any way you
can meet us near the site sometime within the next few days? I’d like to talk
to you personally.”
“I really don’t want to go back to the site if that’s cool
with you. But I will take you back to the old bridge, that’s pretty close to
where we were.”
Considering the beating that Cameron had taken earlier,
Parks wasn’t surprised that he did not want to meet at the location. “That’s no
problem at all. I just want to chat a bit and have you guide my partner and me
in the right direction,” Parks replied.
“Okay Mr. Leslie, just call me when you’re ready to meet up
and I’ll be there.”
“I’ll call you before we get there, Cameron. I look forward
to meeting you and thanks again for the help. Your mom told me that she would
fax me over your drawing so I will be waiting to check it out.”
“No problem, Mr. Leslie. I’ll see you then.” Cameron hung up
the phone remembering the coin he had held in his hand for a brief second. It must really be something to have someone
like Mr. Leslie interested in it.
The warehouse was one hundred feet width by fifty feet deep.
Inside, there was a small office where Parks and Stan stored all their
paperwork, computer gear and extra supplies. They had built a cleaning room
where all the treasures they recovered received the proper care.
Although Parks and Stan didn’t stay in the warehouse often,
there was a small room located in the back that held bunk beds and a tiny
bathroom. They used it to grab a few hours of sleep, while they worked on
cataloging, and in some cases, restoring artifacts in between locations. Each
time they returned, they both were surprised at how much the old place felt
like home—but it was far from that.
Parks was eager to check the fax machine hoping Mrs. Johnson
had sent the sketch that Cameron had made of the coin. Parks made his way to
the portion of the warehouse that contained the office equipment; flipping on
all the lights as he entered the area.
To his disappointment, there was nothing
from Mrs. Johnson on the fax machine. “Well, Stan, it looks like everything is
still here.”
Stan was tired and ready to relax. “Yep, it seems that way.
I’m going to go grab a shower in the RV and then get to work for a bit.”
Parks started digging through an old file cabinet that was
stuffed into the corner of the room. His office area looked as if someone had
ransacked the place, but that was of his own making. He knew where everything
was. Stan had cleaned it once, but it had annoyed Parks so much he vowed never
to try that again, recognizing a lost battle when he saw one.
Parks, not realizing he was talking to himself, voiced, “Where ya at in here, folder? I know you’re
in here somewhere, and I remember making it a point to stuff you way back here.
There ya are!” He pulled out a folder labeled “S Coin” and started flipping
through the old notes.
Parks quickly found what he was looking for; a drawing with
some writing on it that had been sketched in the late 1800s hundreds making the
claim that there were a couple hundred of these coins stolen immediately after
they were minted. The paper alleged that production was stopped because the
expense of making such a valuable coin was too high. The coin measured two
inches in diameter with a star in the middle and was said to be made of solid
gold with a small jewel in the center that appeared to be a diamond. The sketch
made it hard to tell.
The lettering across the bottom read Union Strong – 1845 and along the top in bold letters was the word TEXAS.
Parks had wasted eight years of research concerning these coins and
never came up with anything concrete. Legend told that in 1845 when Texas
became part of the United States, two hundred coins were made. The coins were
to be distributed to the major players who were instrumental with the birthing
of Texas and its joining into the union. Parks had also heard rumors that
immediately after these coins were finished; they were loaded into a wagon to
never be seen again. After production, the mint supposedly destroyed all of the
molds, and it seemed that once the coins left the Dallas area, they had just
completely vanished.
Stan showered, finished a report to the investors and
returned to the warehouse office. He was refreshed, but ready to take a much
needed break.
“Hey Parks, I am getting
some paperwork ready to send out to our investors showing them that
we’re not just out playing games with their money. I finally had a few minutes
to get some stuff done for them. I’ll finish the rest of it later and then
shoot it over.”
“Wow, you’re handier than a pocket on a shirt, Stan. I’m
glad you’re so good at it; hopefully it is all positive stuff, right?” Parks
answered, thankful that Stan was gathering all the information for the investor
reports. When Stan noticed that Parks had the folder containing the “S” coin
information in his hand, he just smiled and shook his head, without saying a
word.
Parks was again reviewing the papers when he said to Stan,
“I’ve tried putting this to rest so many times, but it just seems to keep
popping back up. I’ve run into scores of dead end stories and scouted out way
too many locations. It just makes me weary to think about wasting our time and
money.”
Not hearing all that Parks just said, Stan replied, “Parks,
what are you ranting about in there?”
“Nothing… nothing at all. I just want to start being sure
about what we take on in the future. I’m tired of chasing these bogus claims
and sketches and maps and family and friends and…” suddenly becoming aware that
he was tired, dropped the subject and said, “You know what? Let’s pour a drink,
Stan.”
Stan swirled the clear amber liquid in his glass, the ice
making a tinkling sound against the side. “You’re too late, Parks. I mixed me
up a whisky and water after my shower.” He sipped the rather strong drink. Stan
knew he would get the sleep he needed this night. Because of the busy schedule
over the past few weeks, he and Parks hadn’t rested much and they both now,
desperately needed it.
Parks tossed the folder onto his desk and went to the RV to
mix himself a cocktail. The notes could wait until morning. “Alright Stan, this
one is for Houston,” Parks sounded in a loud voice.
Stan raised his empty glass. “I could care less about going
to Houston but here’s to finding those gold coins that have never existed!”
“You nailed it, Amigo. Now let’s get ready and head out
first thing tomorrow morning.” Stan
looked perplexed, “Seriously? I thought we were going to give it a couple of
days, Parks.”
“Professor Duncan hasn’t called me in a very long time,
Stan, and he just called out of the blue to give me some info on that coin. The
professor doesn’t usually give out that kind of information, so that’s enough
to for me to get my ass down there to check it out.”
“Okay, Parks,” Stan said, raising his glass. “Here’s to
finding something that might still exist.”
Parks and Stan continued to pour whiskey with the paperwork
that Stan had intended to finish tossed aside. It was late into the night when
Stan leaned over to pour his last shot for the evening. He tipped over the
bottle of Jim Beam, spilling what little was left all over an investors update
sheets. Aware that he probably had a few too many, Stan said, “Well Parks, if we’re
gettin’ up early, I’m gonna retire and sleep this off.”
“Yep, to brothers,” Parks slurred a bit grabbing the folder
off of the desk. He flipped through the folder, going over every page in his
head. “I’m going to bury this damned folder once and for all.”
Stan was already snoring by the time Parks made his way to
the other small bed. They were both sound asleep when the fax machine came to
life, the paper printed and then slowly fell off the tray; silently drifting
underneath the adjacent file cabinet. The fax was the sketch that Cameron
Johnson had made of the coin he found. It was close, if not a perfect match, of
the Texas “S” coin.
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