PIRATE GOLD

#158 - The old boat had no identifying numbers. He pushed it out into the bayou to go where it would. It might even make it to the Gulf. Even if found no one would think much of it.

James Ron

Jul 05, 2026

Welcome to Before I Forget . .

I’m glad you are here. Thank you for your time.

PIRATE GOLD

Ronnie continued downriver and at a section of levee that had been repaired with riprap rock, he loaded stones in each of the dinghies.

A short distance further, he deflated one of the boats and cutting its tow rope, it sank into the murky depths. A little further on and he sank the second one. He tossed their air pumps overboard.

He went up Big Muddy Bayou near the community of Hackett’s Corner to an old landing where his truck was parked behind high bank brush and a stand of gum and black willow trees.

He landed the Jon boat and opened up the tonneau cover on his pickup. Pulling the motor and gas tank, and the trolling motor and battery, he loaded them up.

The old boat had no identifying numbers. He pushed it out into the bayou to go where it would. It might even make it to the Gulf. Even if found no one would think much of it.

He changed clothes, locked up the back of the pickup, and got on the road.

It was 2 am.

North to Lake Charles at I-10 and east to New Orleans.

At 7 am, he met Christi at the Cafe Du Monde for breakfast and then got a few hours’ sleep at her place.

That afternoon, they drove to the Cherokee Casino in North Carolina arriving at 10 pm. After checking in, Ronnie hit the sack and Christie hit the poker tables.

It was three days of cash games for Christi and a tournament for himself. He busted out early. Carla made money. “It pays better than a 9 to 5er,” she says.

The next Saturday afternoon, Ronnie was at Holly Beach with Johnnie and Jimmy and Carla. Jimmy and Carla would be leaving in a few days.

They were at the table talking as Carla was grilling top sirloin and redfish shish kabobs on the driftwood fueled fire in the firepit. Pearl stood by at the ready.

“Hey, guys,“ he said. “I have something for you. A bonus, as it were.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out three 2-escudo doubloons. He handed them out. “One for each of you. For a job well done. Our contact adds his thanks.”

They smiled.

Jimmy asked, “Who is paying for all this, Ronnie? Someone spent a good bit of money carrying all this out.”

“Good question, for sure. I’d like to know the answer myself, but I don’t know.

”Money doesn’t seem to be a concern for whoever it is though. I think someone has a beef against Jules.”

And Johnnie wanted to know “What happened after we left?”

He thought about giving them a rundown of what he did after seeing them safely leave Jules’s place—the boat train escape and trip across the open water. How he dropped the workers off near Scotty’s place in the marsh telling them that they could get help there. But then thought better of it.

“I’d like to tell you, believe me I would. But as my contact says, ‘It’s best you don’t know any more than you do. That way, you can’t say anything that might link you or anyone you know to the goings on.’ I believe that’s a good policy.

“We heard he got his men down to his place early the next morning and no one was there. No workers or caretakers. No vehicles or belongings. The yard was all torn up.

“Don’t know much more than that. Maybe those guys left after seeing the workers were gone. Maybe they found more gold, decided to keep it for themselves, and high-tailed it out of there.

“What still isn’t known is if Jules knew that the workers were illegals and that they were being trafficked.

“Running for sheriff, he would know that a group of them were found over in Cameron Parish. The news reported it. They’ve been taken to the New Orleans facility.

“He probably suspects they were his. No more is known about those who had the lease on the land. Turns out he knew nothing about them but that they had the money to pay the lease. They have vanished.

“Poor Jules. Pretty funny though.”

“Hey, Ronnie,” Johnnie said. “Maybe those guys found something and took off, but they didn’t find this.“

From a canvass bag he pulled out a cigar box sized tin canister and placed it on the table.

“We found it early on in the dig*. I was able to slip it into my equipment sack when Jules arrived, and the foreman went out to meet him.

“I put it in my van when taking a coffee break.”

“It was wrapped in eroded, shredded oil cloth and tar paper when I found it. We cleaned it up a bit.”

Smiling from ear to ear he opened the lid and they looked down at the box of shining gold doubloons.

“What the—? Are you kidding me?!” Ronnie exclaimed, standing up, staring down, then looking at the others. “His grandmother was right!”

Carla said, “Jimmy researched them on the internet to get an idea of their value. They are King Carlos IV coins in excellent condition minted in Madrid in 1800. They’re rare, high value collector coins. Pirate gold.”

Johnnie jumped in, “The way I see it, it’s finders’ keepers.

“We’re rich, Ronnie!”

The End