Synopsis
It begins with Dr. Kit Conners’s fortieth birthday — and the gift only her science-teacher husband would think of: a top-of-the-line metal detector. Their son, Ty, shares Paul’s excitement; his sister, Jade, quietly sides with their mom. Father and son test it on the beach (Paul explaining the science behind every beep) and come home with a pocketful of change and unsettling news: Hurricane Karl has shifted course, now heading straight for their town of Sunset Cove.
The Conners batten down and ride out a dramatic night of violent, hurricane-force winds. In the aftermath, Kit hurries to check on her clinic and Paul to help at his school’s emergency shelter — leaving Ty and Jade to clean up the yard and babysit their inquisitive little sister, Maggie. Bending a few rules, Ty races through his chores and slips off to the beach with the metal detector and his best friend, Derek.
Among the storm debris they unearth a locked metal box that rattles — and their daydreams balloon from splitting the loot to buying a boat they’ll name Treasure Hunter. But when Kit comes home early and gets to the bottom of Ty’s secrecy, the consequence is clear: Ty must find who the treasure belongs to. The clues lead to Mr. Chet Baker, a ninety-nine-year-old World War II veteran who lost his keepsakes in the storm.
What the boys discover is worth far more than treasure. Chet’s account of his daring rescue from enemy territory — when he was barely older than they are — becomes a gift of survivorship, courage, and triumph over tragedy that neither boy will forget.
Read the opening
Chapter One
Dr. Kit Conners stared nervously at the large box covered in wrapping paper on the dining table. This obviously wasn’t jewelry or the new tennis outfit she had picked out.
“Go ahead and tear into it, honey. I told you to expect something very special for your fortieth birthday,” her husband, Paul, said. He was so excited he had trouble containing himself. Unfortunately, Paul, who has a deep passion for science and nature, has always had rather unusual ideas when it came to gift giving.
Kit surveyed the room. Fourteen-year-old Tyler shared his father’s excitement, while twelve-year-old Jade looked nervous. Maggie just couldn’t wait any longer, yelling, “Can I please help you open this ginormous box, Mommy? Maybe it’s a slide to go with the swing set I got when I turned four!”
Kit sighed and said, “Well, Maggie…if it’s a slide, you better help me get this paper off,” which was all Maggie needed to hear before tearing off a big sheet of paper covered in shiny pastel balloons.
“Wow, awesome!” exclaimed Ty.
Paul was beaming and jumped in with, “It’s the newest in the line of Treasure Trove metal detectors, complete with an arm band and a headset. It has the most detailed screen I’ve ever seen, and it can give you accurate depths and even differentiate the types of metals it’s detecting. I know how much you love to walk the beach, and this will give you something to do while you’re walking. Isn’t it great?”
Kit was momentarily speechless but could see how excited Paul and Ty were. Paul had obviously wanted to please her, although this seemed to be something he would love. She took a deep breath and said, “I wouldn’t have guessed you’d get me a metal detector, Paul. I’m sure all of us will be excited to see what’s buried in the sand, but you know I love to walk for relaxation and exercise, don’t you?”
Something I love about your dad, Kit would tell Jade later, is his desire to keep learning and sharing. It was a gift, really, to watch him light up — even if it came wrapped around a metal detector instead of a tennis racket.
What none of them knew yet was that the clear, cloudless sky outside would not last the week. Far out over the warm Atlantic, something was beginning to spin.
— continued in The Eye of the Storm. The complete manuscript is available to editors and agents on request.