A telegram for Mr. Jack Stark.
I'm his secretary.
OK. Sign here.
Have a good day. Thanks.
Good afternoon, Nadine. Hi. Did you have a nice lunch?
No, I didn't. I went to an Itallan restaurant in North Beach, and I ate too much.
Do we have anything for a stomach ache? I'll Iook.
Here you are. Thanks.
Oh, I forgot. You received a telegram.
A telegram? When? It came a few minutes ago.
What do have we here?
Let me guess. A strange message from an old friend in an exotic country.
Nadine, your intuition is amazing!
"Jack of Hearts. Remember me? I found the Captain's gold. Can finally pay you. But need your heIp."
Signed, Steve wild, Island of Barbudos.
What does it mean?
TroubIe! people bring me Iots of probIems... big probIems, little probIems. But, this is not my kind of probIem.
Who's Steve wild?
He's an old friend. We worked together in the merchant marines. We salled from Maine to Mexico. And from Mexico to Cairo.
Those were the good old days. Not exactIy. We drank too much and pIayed too many card games.
Poker?
That's right. He Iost and he couIdn't pay me. Then he disappeared. The last time I saw him was 20 years ago.
A ghost from the past, eh. Let me see the telegram. "Jack of Hearts" is your nickname.
Nadine, you're a very good detective.
He says "I found the Captain's gold". What is the Captain's gold?
I don't know and I'm not interested. This is not my kind of probIem.
Nadine... You answer it. It's aIways for you!
Hello. A Iong distance phone call for Mr. Jack Stark.
Speaking. I'll connect you.
Be carefuI, Mr. Stark. Stay away from Steve wild. Don't come to the Island of Barbudos.
Who was that? I don't know, but I know one thing.
What's that? We're Ieaving on the first pIane to Barbudos. Make the reservations.
Are you taking me with you? Well, you did a fantastic job on the last case...
You have good Iuck.
OK, Jack, but I want to be your partner. I don't want to be your secretary.
My partner? Are you serious? Yes, I am.
OK. Try your Iuck. Cut the cards. High card wins.
Queen of Diamonds.
Jack of Hearts. You win. You're not a secretary. Now, we're partners. So, Iet's get to work. Where's the atIas?
It's on the sheIf. Where's Barbudos?
Look. Here it is. It's southeast of FIorida, between Cuba and Haiti.
Tell me more about your friend Steve wild.
He was born in New York. His parents were poor. His father was a factory worker so he didn't earn very much money.
There were seven chlldren in the famlly.
So llfe was hard.
Yeah, he went to schooI and he worked at the same time. He joined the merchant marines when he was eighteen.
Did you meet him in the merchant marines? Right again, partner.
The Island of Barbudos offers a marveIous opportunity for tourists. Captain Kidd once hid in its mountains. He was a famous pirate.
Captain Kidd watched the Spanish ships from Devil's Rock. You can take a boat trip and see Devil's Rock...
We are now entering the Bermuda TriangIe. In 1958 a DC-3 was fIying from FIorida to the Bahama Islands.
It entered a cIoud and it never came out.
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo ho ho and a bottIe of rum. Drink and the Devil killed the rest. Yo ho ho and a bottIe of rum.
Are you Iooking for something?
Where's the gold ring?
It's in my jacket pocket. Give me the jacket, sIowIy.
Mmm. It smells good here.
Wow, that was a Iong trip!
Jack! You Iook just the same.
Hello, Steve.
Well, not exactIy. Who's this?
I'd like to introduce you to Nadine. She's my sec... my new partner.
WeIcome to Barbudos. Let me take your bag.
I can carry it.
Taxi.
Waterfront HoteI.
Americanos? Si senor.
Twenty dollars. Two dollars.
OK.
When did you come to Barbudos, Steve?
About twenty years ago. I Ieft the merchant marines. First I worked on fishing boats.
Then I saved enough money to buy a boat.
Did you buy a fishing boat?
No, I didn't. I bought an excursion boat. It has gIass windows.
You can see the tropicaI fish under the water. I take tourists around the island. We go to sunny beaches.
They go swimming. It's not an exciting llfe. But the island is beautifuI, the food is dellcious, and the people are friendIy...
Am I boring you, Jack?
No, you're not. I'm a professionaI llstener... It sounds like you found your island paradise, Steve.
And I found the Captain's gold.
What is the Captain's gold?
Be patient.
You had a Iong trip. Why don't you rest, then meet me at my boat.
Good idea. Where is it?
WaIk one bIock down to the port and turn Ieft. The GIass Boat.
Right. We'll meet you in an hour.
See you Iater, aillgator.
Bye.
Mr. Stark and his partner are staying at the Waterfront HoteI. They're going to meet Steve on his boat in an hour.
Good. I hid a microphone on that boat last night.
See you in an hour, Jack. Have a rest.
Thanks. Are you having fun?
Yes. It's a great adventure. But your friend's a little strange.
He was a little strange twenty years ago.
I had a mysterious visitor last night. As I was out enjoying the night llfe, a woman came into my room.
You aIways had troubIe with women, Steve.
When I got back she was hiding behind the door.
I tried to stop her, but she escaped. I think she was Iooking for the Captain's gold!
Listen, Steve. We understood your telegram, except the Captain's gold. What are you taIking about?
Captain Kidd. You're kidding!
No, I'm not. I'm serious. I found his skull and a strange gold ring.
A few days ago, I made a fascinating discovery. I was taking some tourists around the island.
We went to a cove. As I was Iooking through the gIass I saw something strange.
I returned the next day and jumped into the water.
I swam down about 20 feet and found this skull.
I was Iooking at it when I noticed something shiny. It was this gold ring.
You brought us all the way to Barbudos for this? To be or not to be. That is the question.
Why do you think it's the skull of Captain Kidd?
Because I took it to an expert. It's two hundred years old.
I'm teillng you, it's Captain Kidd's skull. And the ring is pure gold. Be carefuI, it's broken.
It's not broken. It's an earring.
A pirate's earring? This is getting more interesting.
Jack, Iook at the writing inside. The Ietters Iook like bones. I think it's a code!
They're not Ietters. They're numbers, Roman numeraIs. You see, Steve, but you don't observe. 23/73.
Maybe they're Iatitude and Iongitude lines.
That's it! They're coordinates! They indicate a beach.
It's fifteen miles north of St Augustine. I found the ring very near there!
You two are amazing.
Teamwork.
Two heads are better than one.
This is the pIace, right on top of this rock.
Or under it.
I can't move it!
We'll heIp. Come on, Nadine. Push!
This is just like Treasure Island. We're going to be rich! What's inside?
The Captain's teIescope!
I can't see anything.
I'll cIean it. Let's go back to the boat.
They're going to take us straight to the treasure.
Then we'll take it from them!
Look at this!
It's a map of the island.
What does the message say?
Look and you will find. At midnight on the Devil's throne, llsten to the Devil's moan.
It's a riddIe! "Look and you will find."
That's from the BibIe.
St. Luke. Chapter eIeven, verse nine.
How do you know that?
I'm a detective, remember?...
Listen, midnight is 12 o'cIock. On a map that means north.
It's a cIue. Start at midnight means start in the north.
But, where in the north? At the North poIe?
The Devil's throne? Wait a minute! There's a pIace called Devil's Rock.
"Captain Kidd watched the Spanish ships from Devil's Rock."
Where is it?
Here, on the island. On the north end.
How far is it from here?
EIeven miles north. Nine miles west.
Chapter eleven, verse nine.
Bingo!
Lucky I stopped smoking.
I'm going to stop soon.
Look! It's the Devil's throne.
Look and you will find. Start at midnight on the Devil's throne.
Listen to the Devil's moan. Who's the Devil?
Captain Kidd.
Listen!
The Devil's moan!
It's just the wind.
Look and you will find.
A cave.
Anybody home?
Just a few bats. We'll need flashlights.
Come on.
Be carefuI.
This is it.
Eureka!
We're finally going to find the treasure.
With a little heIp from Ios americanos.
What was that? The Devil's laugh?
Don't worry. No one saw us come in here.
And no one's going to see you leave.
Keep working. Don't move or I'll shoot!
The same old Steve. You aIways were a cheat!
You needed our heIp and now you're going to leave us here and take the gold!
Just like a pirate.
Be quiet and keep digging.
I'm digging my own grave.
Open it!
Gold and jewels!
I don't think you're going to enjoy this treasure, Steve.
This treasure beIongs to the people of Barbudos.
Take him away.
Come on. Let's go.
I recognize your voice. You teIephoned me in San Francisco.
An expensive teIephone call.
Who are you?
Maria Moreno. Government Agent. Island of Barbudos.
What are you going to do with us?
I'm going to send you back to San Francisco.
Well, the vacation's over.
Did you enjoy your visit to the Island of Barbudos, Mr. Stark?
"The Island of Barbudos offers a marveIous opportunity for tourists."
Why did they name it Barbudos?
Well, I'll tell you. A Iong time ago it was called Sugar Island.
When the Engllsh came to the island they burned the forests and pIanted sugar cane.
Then what happened?
The sugar cane destroyed the Iand. Then, Engllsh pirates used the island, pirates like Captain Kidd.
Why did they use this island?
Because Spanish ships salled by here. They carried gold and sllver from the mines in Mexico.
When was that?
About two hundred years ago.
So, Captain Kidd robbed the Spanish ships. How much is the treasure worth?
SeveraI million dollars.
What are you going to do with the money?
The government of Barbudos will bulld schooIs and hospitaIs.
So, why did they name the island Barbudos?
Sorry I forgot to tell you. Barbudos means "bearded men" in Spanish.
The Spanish sallors called the pirates "barbudos".
That's right.
Thank you both for all your heIp.
Our pIeasure.
How are you going to pay for your trip?
That's a good question.
Maybe this will heIp.
The gold ring.
The pirate's earring.
Bon voyage, Mr. Stark. Goodbye, Nadine.
Adios.
What are they going to do with Steve?
They're going to Iet him go free.
Why?
Because I won't testify against him...
He's a llar and a thief, but I don't think he's really dangerous.
Jack of Hearts.
Oh, I have something for you.
A souvenir.
I don't wear earrings.
Thanks, partner.