“Renowned for his support of the sciences. He funds a research vessel, the largest of its kind, that’s currently off this stretch of the coast.”

“Ah.” At last, all would become clear.

“Marine biology and geology, meteorology, any kind of science that can be best studied from a ship are carried out aboard. The equipment—telescope, current sensors, underwater unmanned crawl vessel and the single-occupant submarine—are all top-notch. Scientists fight to be rewarded time on the Arcturus.” She looked around as if seeking something to keep her hands occupied.

Adam followed her as she charged toward the blanket. “You did say you were a scientist. You knew the story of what rested in the depths of the ocean. Are you a marine archaeologist?”

“No.” She started packing up. “I’m an archaeologist who had familial knowledge of the wreckage and a perceived claim to the lost treasures.”

“Perceived?” Now it was getting interesting.

“The artifacts belong to the peoples of Peru. When Stephen Penderghast came to me and offered me a spot on the Arcturus and a chance to search for the lost Moche artifacts, I explained that to him.”

“He agreed?” Adam took the lunch container away from her, extracted half a caprese sandwich and handed it to her.

She looked at it as if she’d never seen filling between two pieces of bread. “Yes. He badly wanted to recover the sunken boat. Locating lost treasure, known treasure, is the kind of find every archaeologist dreams of. The added interest of knowing my great-grandparents risked their lives to save those artifacts... I should have asked more questions. Done all the research on Stephen Penderghast.”

“What did he do?” Adam asked as he ate.

“First, it’s what he had done thirty-some years ago. As a young man, he discovered the Caribbean location of a sunken seventeenth-century Spanish treasure ship. Massive amounts of precious metals, particularly coins, were recovered, along with jewelry. Colombian emeralds—”

“Right. I get the idea. A valuable find.” Adam sat on the blanket.

She sat beside him.

To Adam, it seemed as if her newly returned memories had so overwhelmed her, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She could only copy him. So he finished his half of the sandwich, watched as she consumed hers and asked, “What happened after Penderghast found the sunken treasure?”

“He was seventeen, rich and handsome, and he catapulted into fame. He was on the nighttime talk shows and featured in the science magazines. His fame grew even greater when, after a legal fight that awarded him the find, he gave most of it to the Smithsonian.”

“The value must have been...”

“Unimaginable. He kept only a few mementos—very expensive mementos, but nothing compared to the value of the whole treasure—which he displays at his Florida home.”