Jekyll Island: A Paranormal Mystery (Taryn's Camera Book 5) (30 page)

Ellen’s
face flooded with relief when Taryn walked into her office.

“Oh my dear, I was going to come to you. You didn’t have to come all the way over here,” she said as she ran out from behind her desk.

Taryn shrugged, embarrassed. “I needed to give this back to you,” she said and handed Ellen the diary.

Ellen took it in her hands and smiled. “All these years. The answers were right in front of our noses. Who knew? You’ve provided a valuable service to us, Miss Magill. And poor Mr. Hawkins.”

“Poor Mr. Hawkins,” indeed. He hadn’t murdered his wife at all. It had all been a terrible accident, and he’d been a willing victim to the gallows, fearing for his child’s life and protecting the ones he loved.

“It’s a sad love story really,” Taryn mused thoughtfully.

Ellen nodded her agreement. “It truly is. We might never know who threatened him, and why. But what a fine man he was to do what he did. How brave.”

Taryn concurred. “And the ghost story about the candle on the grave…”

“To protect his poor little wife from the dark she was so very much afraid of,” Ellen murmured. “Our island is a place of beauty and mystery. But also of sadness. You can’t have a place full of this much history without getting the bad along with the good.”

Taryn knew that to be true.

A knock on the door came then and Amy stuck her head in the office. “The gentlemen are here to see you Mrs. Russo,” she said nervously. Amy still acted nervous around Taryn, as though she wasn’t sure how to behave. Taryn hoped in time she’d come to realize that she was just as much of a pawn as everyone else.

“Show them in, Amy,” Ellen ordered. She then turned to Taryn. “I was going to bring them to you but now that you’re here…I am sure you’ll want to hear what they have to say.”

The men who entered the office were dressed in business suits and impeccably groomed. Taryn recognized expensive clothes and quality leather Italian shoes when she saw them. They shook Ellen’s hand first and then Taryn’s. Once they were all seated, the older of the two began to speak.

“Miss Magill,” he began in an authoritative tone, “we’re from the Richfield Group and own the hotel and condo property going up on the other side of the island.”

Taryn nodded, confused. She had no idea where this was going.

“We’re aware of your situation and have spoken to Mrs. Russo here. Between us, we’ve all tried to come up with something that can repay you for your suffering.”

The younger man, a pale gentleman with a thick head of light blond hair spoke up quickly, “Although we know nothing we can do would ever repay you for everything you went through…”

“Yes, well,” the other man continued. “We think we’ve reached a conclusion that might help. Mrs. Russo here would like to extend you the opportunity to stay in the hotel until Labor Day if you’d wish, free of charge of course.”

“All your meals, access to the water park, carriage rides, whatever you’d like would be covered,” Ellen smiled warmly.

Taryn’s heart nearly stopped beating as she looked back and forth at the other adults in the room.

“If that is not to your liking, we would also like to offer you accommodations at one of our properties,” the older man resumed his speech. “We have hotels and rentals all over the world. Or, you could choose to remain here on the Golden Isles. We have fourteen rental homes over on Saint Simon’s and I am positive we could find something that would suit you.”

Taryn’s heart began to beat furiously. Stay there until Labor Day?

“Of course, we would also like to provide all your meals and entertainment, wherever you go,” the younger man added.

Taryn tried not to show any excitement. After all, they were offering this because, between the two companies, their employees had tried to kill her.

While they let the proposition sink in, the older man reached into his briefcase and pulled out an envelope. “And this, of course, is for your trouble,” he said, handing it over to her. Taryn accepted it in trembling hands. “Of course, this is not to replace the previous offer. This is in addition to it.”

Not to be outdone, Ellen fumbled around on her desk and produced an envelope of her own. “And this is from us,” she declared, handing it to Taryn.

Taryn, dumfounded, sat in her leather chair holding both envelopes in her hand. She had no idea what to do. Was she meant to open them then and there? “So do I need an attorney or something?”

The three of them laughed then, quick nervous sounds that amused Taryn. Yes, she probably did need an attorney. But Taryn wasn’t that kind of person.

Rather than opening the envelopes there in the room, she stuck them in her knapsack. “I appreciate your offers, but I’d like some time to think about them if that’s okay.”

“Perfectly fine,” Ellen replied.

Taryn stood then and, in a daze, said goodbye to everyone. She was still in a daze as she walked across the grounds towards San Souci, the annex that held her hotel room.

David was waiting for her on the porch.

“Hey there,” he said shyly as Taryn neared the steps.

“Hey,” she replied, feeling awkward. She still felt terrible about accusing him of setting fire to the house.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Taryn nodded and then grinned. “I think I just got paid off for everyone’s workers trying to kill me.”

“How’d you make out?” he teased.

“I don’t know yet,” she replied. “I’m still too surprised to look.”

“Listen, about what happened…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Taryn said. “I owe you an apology. I’m sorry. Are we good?”

“We’re good,” he said.

“In that case, there’s someplace I want to go. You up for a ride?”

“You’ve still got your wheels, I see,”
David laughed as they turned out onto Riverview Road.”

“Yep. They gave them to me,” Taryn grinned.

“Dang. What do I have to do to get one of these babies?”

“Well, you apparently have to wake up with a snake in your bed, get chased by an alligator, and have someone try to burn you alive.”

David shrugged, his long hair streaming behind them as Taryn picked up speed. “Eh, I’ve done worse for money.”

“That’s what this was all about, wasn’t it?” Taryn mused. “Money.”

“That’s what most everything is about these days it seems. So hey,” David said lightly, changing the mood. “I’m staying on a few more months. I’m going to head the excavation here.”

“What?” Taryn asked in surprise, glancing over at him in delight. “Well, that’s awesome! So were the remains they found native?”

“Depends on your definition of ‘native’,” he joked. “It looks like they were pirates. Either way, they’ve been here longer than us.”

“I thought you worked with Native American history though.”

“I’m an archeologist. I work with all of it. It’s just that Creek Indians are my specialty. This is a major job. It wouldn’t normally go to someone low down on the totem pole, no pun intended, like me. So I guess helping you out of the fire had advantages to me as well.” David reached over and patted her on the leg. “Not that I wouldn’t have tried to save you anyway, of course.”

“So why were you at the house that night? It was two in the morning. I hope you weren’t trying for a booty call,” she teased him.

He might have blushed, but his face was so dark it was hard to tell. “If I tell you, you might not believe me.”

“Try me,” she challenged.

“Someone had broken in on me that evening. I’d spent most of the night at the police station. They really ransacked the place. I’m guessing they were looking for the artifacts, but I’d already taken care of that. I spent the afternoon over in Brunswick, renting one of those climate-controlled storage units and putting them someplace safe.”

So that’s why I couldn’t find him all day, Taryn thought to herself.

“I came back home wiped out and fell asleep. I was just getting into the middle of the most excellent of dreams when a sound woke me up. I thought someone was coming back in on me again so I jumped up and grabbed my knife. It wasn’t the intruder, though. It was a woman. She had long dark hair and was wearing a white dress. She just stood there at the foot of my bed and pointed out the window. ‘Look,’ she commanded. Just ‘look.’ That was all. She disappeared. I felt like a fool, let me tell you, standing there in the middle of the floor in my underwear, brandishing a knife. But that’s when I smelled the smoke. I ran to the window and saw the flames. I don’t know what made me think it was your house. The thought just popped into my head.”

Taryn shouldn’t have been shocked, not after everything she’d seen and been through, but she was. “Damn.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me,” he muttered. “Do you think it was that Mary-the-Wanderer?”

Taryn shook her head as she pulled into the parking spot in front of the Horton House. “I don’t think so,” she replied. “There are many spirits here. I think it might have been Georgiana. She’s also told me to ‘look’ a few times. It seems to be the only word she knows.”

“Well, you’re lucky to have a spirit watching out for you,” he said. “She was adamant that I help.”

“Thank you for what you did.” Taryn hopped from the vehicle and then reached behind her, feeling for Miss Dixie. It took her a moment to remember that she was no longer there. Taryn’s face fell and for the second time that day she felt her eyes welling up with tears.

“It’s your camera isn’t it,” David said sympathetically. He walked around the golf cart to where she stood and rubbed her lightly on the back. “I’m so sorry. If I could’ve gotten inside…”

“I don’t know what to do without her,” Taryn cried. “She’s always with me. I know it’s stupid to be so attached to an inanimate object, but it’s like–“

“She’s not just your camera; she’s also your eyes,” David finished. “It’s okay to grieve something you love.”

Taryn nodded miserably and wiped at her eyes. “I want to show you something,” she said, trying to compose herself. “It’s over here.”

She led David through the trees on the other side of the road, towards the tiny cemetery. “See that wall up there?” she pointed.

David nodded.

“It’s where Rachel is buried. There’s a legend on this island that says each night a candle appears on her grave. That her husband placed one on it while he was in jail and now he continues to do it in death. I thought he did it out of guilt.”

“But he didn’t?”

“No, Matt was right. It was out of love.”

They’d almost reached the enclosure when Taryn stopped walking and turned to face David. “She was afraid of the dark. Deathly afraid. Her nanny used to lock her in a small closet when she was a child. Her fear was so strong that each night she lit dozens of candles at home. Her husband and maid would ensure they kept burning until morning. He brought her the candle so that she wouldn’t be alone here in the dark.”

“So the fire at the hotel was an accident?” David prodded.

“Just an accident. She must have knocked one over and it caught her gown. Maybe she did it in her sleep,” Taryn added. “Her husband took the blame for her death. There were lots of reasons he did that, but the important thing to remember is that he loved her. He wouldn’t have hurt her.”

They began walking again.

“And you found all this out?” There was a touch of amazement in David’s voice as they reached the gate.

“With a little help,” Taryn smiled. “I hope his name will be cleared now and that, wherever they are, they’re happy.”

“So it wasn’t her ghost trying to give you a message this whole time?”

Taryn shook her head and undid the latch. “No, I think her spirit has passed on. It was Georgiana’s. I think in some ways she loved William. She kept the diary safe for him until she died. She kept his secrets. But now that time has passed she knew it was time to talk. Hopefully, her spirit will be at peace now as well.”

Rachel’s grave was on the other side of the small enclosure. Someone had placed fresh flowers on it. It wasn’t the flowers, however, that caught Taryn’s eye. It was the glint of sunlight, reflecting off of something shiny.

“What the hell?” David exclaimed as she rushed forward.

Taryn, who thought she’d never be surprised by anything ever again, felt her mouth drop open. The gate closed behind her with a loud “bang” as her hand dropped limply to her side. She was unable to move.

“Taryn,” David’s voice quavered as he dropped to the ground by her headstone. “Taryn, you’d better come here.”

Taryn moved slowly across the patchy grass, unable to take her eyes off the object in front of her. She was a little beaten, a little black from the smoke, but resting right under the inscription on the stone was Miss Dixie.

Taryn fell to her knees and grabbed her camera, clutching it to her chest. She wasn’t even warm from the sun. She hadn’t been there long.

“Well,” David said in a strangled voice as he smoothed back his hair and shook his head in disbelief. “It seems as though Georgiana wasn’t the only one looking out for you.”

Taryn’s bags were packed and in her car. Her laptop, which had been safely tucked away in her trunk the night of the fire, was untouched. Her newly recovered memory card was where it belonged, in her camera, and Miss Dixie was buckled into the seat next to her.

“I’ll come visit in a few days,” Amy promised.

Taryn shut her door and rolled down her window. “I’m planning on it,” she smiled.

“When’s your boyfriend coming back?”

“He’s on his way right now. He should be here in a few hours.”

Amy nodded and smiled. “It will be good to have someone there with you for awhile. But enjoy yourself! No work!”

“No work,” Taryn agreed but thought that maybe she’d do some painting for herself. It had been a very long time since she’d done it for the simple pleasure of creating something.

“I can’t believe you gave up Paris and London for Saint Simon’s,” Amy teased her. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

Taryn laughed. “I like it here. I’m looking forward to settling in over there and resting. I’m feeling more like myself than I have in a very long time.”

As Taryn pulled out she saw Amy behind her, standing in the road, waving. She raised her hand and sped off, feeling good about everything that had happened.

David would work with the hotel group and ensure that no graves were disturbed and what artifacts they did discover would be properly labeled and given to the right places. Amy and Carla both still had their jobs, Johnny and Steve were in jail–along with the project manager and general manager of the new hotel.

Taryn had enough now to get her aunt’s house fixed and then some. Matt had acted happy for her, but there was something in his tone that made her feel like a part of him was hurt as well. She thought maybe he’d been looking forward to taking care of that for her. She’d need to work on that, on letting him get closer and not just act like her research assistant when she was on the job.

As Taryn sailed over the Sydney Lanier Bridge, she rolled her windows down and slipped on her cheap sunglasses. With Dwight Yoakam’s “Secondhand Heart” cranked up, the sun in her eyes, and her hair whipping across her face she laughed with happiness.

There was a new chapter starting in her life; she could feel it. And it felt wonderful.

The End