The Ghost from the Sea (21 page)

D
anielle finished running
her errands sooner than expected. Before leaving the museum earlier that afternoon, Ben had given her a key, explained the alarm system, and shown her where to find Ethel Pearson's diary. It was possible for Danielle to return to the museum before it closed without having to use the key, since the museum was open until 5:00 p.m. But Danielle wanted to wait until it closed for the evening. When meeting Eva Thorndike again, she didn't want an audience.

Instead of going back to Marlow House, Danielle decided to stop by and visit with Marie. Danielle knew she would tell Walt about seeing Eva, but considering their initial meeting was so brief, she preferred to postpone telling him until she could have a real conversation with the spirit.

When Danielle pulled up to Marie's house, she found Adam's car parked in the driveway. Marie hadn't mentioned her grandson was there when Danielle had called a few minutes earlier to see if Marie was up to a visit.

“Adam brought brownies, help yourself,” Marie explained when she led Danielle into her living room a few minutes later; a platter of chocolate brownies sat prominently displayed on the coffee table. Adam, who lounged on the easy chair, gave Danielle a lazy hello wave.

“Adam, where are your manners?” Marie reprimanded.

Letting out a weary sigh, he started to stand up but was stopped when Danielle walked by his chair and gave him a little nudge, pushing him back into the recliner. “He doesn't need to be a gentleman,” Danielle said as she reached for a brownie. “He brought chocolate.”

Marie chuckled as she shook her head and sat down on the sofa. Patting the cushion next to her, she nodded for Danielle to join her.

Holding a napkin under the brownie, Danielle took a bite. Closing her eyes a moment, she savored the decadent treat. “These are from Old Salts, aren't they?” Danielle asked after she swallowed the bite.

“Yep,” Adam answered, his feet propped upon the recliner's footrest.

“I love that bakery,” Danielle said, taking a second bite. “Their pastries all taste like something your grandma would bake.”

“Not like what my grandma would bake,” Adam said with a snort.

“Oh hush, you!” Marie scolded, suppressing a laugh.

Danielle scowled at Adam. “That's not very nice, Adam.”

Marie laughed and patted Danielle's knee. “Adam's right, dear. I grow a mean garden but I've never been one for baking. Which is why I do appreciate Adam's regular treats from the bakery.”

“I suppose I'm just the opposite. I love to bake, and if it wasn't for Lily and our gardener, I imagine the yards surrounding Marlow House would look like a blight.”

Marie patted Danielle's knee again and looked at her grandson. “Adam, go get Danielle a glass of milk.”

Sighing, Adam lifted his head and looked at Danielle, their eyes met. Danielle smiled. “No, I don't need any milk. Thanks.”

Adam smiled. Just as he rested his head against the back of the chair again, Danielle said, “But a glass of iced water would be terrific.”

Rolling his eyes, Adam begrudgingly got from the chair and made his way into his grandmother's kitchen. When he returned with the ice water, Danielle and Marie were discussing that morning's radio show.

“I met with Ben this afternoon, after he was interviewed by Paul,” Danielle explained. “I took the Thorndike emerald over to the museum for the exhibit. I missed the interview, but from what I understand most of it was about Walt Marlow's business partner, Jack.”

“I guess that mystery is solved,” Adam said, snatching up another brownie from the plate.

“We know where he went. Why he was there, that's another question,” Danielle said.

“That's why Adam's here. Trying to soften me up with brownies,” Marie teased.

Licking frosting from her fingers, Danielle glanced from Marie to Adam. Her gaze met Adam's. Curious, she arched her brows.

Looking away from Danielle, Adam said, “Gee, Grandma, you're always so suspicious. Can't a grandson do something nice for his grandmother?”

Marie laughed.

Danielle looked back to Marie, still curious.

Giving Danielle a quick wink, Marie said, “Adam has all kinds of questions. I guess he figures chocolate will trigger my memory.”

“Memory about what?” Danielle asked.

“Grandma—”

“About Walt's partner, Jack. He lived at my parent's house. Adam wanted to know if I knew what room he stayed in.”

“Grandma I just—”

“Oh posh, Adam. I listened to that radio interview too! You want to know if those missing gold coins are still in my house.”

Danielle quickly wiped the edge of her mouth with the napkin, before crumpling it in her hand. She looked from Adam to Marie. “Jack's missing gold. It could be. A treasure hunt!”

Dejected, Adam slumped back in the chair. “Seriously Grandma, did you have to say something to Danielle?”

“Don't be silly. Why not tell Danielle?”

Adam groaned. “Because if the coins are there, I'll have to give them to her now. Now that you said something.”

Danielle laughed. “Why would you have to give them to me?”

“Because dear, they would belong to you, since the money belonged to Walt Marlow. That is, if they're still there. Of course, Adam would have given them to you even if I hadn't mentioned it.” Marie looked at Adam. “Wouldn't you, dear?”

“Don't worry Adam; I wouldn't try to claim the money. For one thing, I doubt it would be legally mine. You could argue it was Marlow's ill-gotten gain. Not sure if they broke any laws transporting people out to the booze ship, but considering he hosted a few of his own parties, and was running moonshine, I suspect whatever money Jack and Walt shared might be considered a little like drug money is today. You'd probably be smart to keep it a secret if you do find it.”

“You can't mean that!” Marie gasped.

With a shrug, Danielle said, “Actually, yeah. I don't need the money, Marie. And it doesn't belong to me anyway. The house is yours. As far as I'm concerned, if that money's still there after all these years, it belongs to you.”

“You're sweet dear, but I'm sure that money is long gone. It's probably what got Walt's partner killed.”

“Perhaps.”

“Now tell us all about the new exhibit,” Marie said.

“Actually, I was hoping you could help me understand Jolene Carmichael.”

“What about her?” Marie asked.

“She really does not like me.”

“I bet it's because of Renton,” Adam said.

Danielle and Marie looked over at Adam.

“You're probably right,” Marie agreed. “Ever since Clarence went to prison, there's been talk around town, speculating on how long he'd been bilking his clients. More than a few wondered about Doug's involvement in all those shenanigans. And now with Jolene back in town, and Clarence getting killed, there's plenty of whispering going on, if you know what I mean. I imagine Jolene knows, and she's just defensive. Has to blame someone, and unfortunately, you're her target.”

“Not just me. She blames Walt Marlow for her great-uncle's death.”

“Did she even know him?” Adam asked.

“No, dear. But she was close to her grandfather.” Marie looked from Adam to Danielle. “I suppose she blames Walt because it was his boat?”

Danielle shook her head. “No. Something more ominous. She insists Walt was having an affair with her great-uncle's wife, and that Walt ordered the murder of all those people to cover up the affair, or some such convoluted reason. I don't know exactly. But I'm going back to the museum later and reading the diary of the woman who wrote about it, to see if I can figure it all out.”

Marie shook her head. “Ridiculous story. And I'll tell Jolene that to her face.”

“And here I thought those were more innocent times,” Adam mused from the recliner.

“Her great-aunt was Thelma Templeton, wasn't it?” Marie asked. “The one she claims was having an affair with Walt?”

“Yes.”

“You sure love to get wrapped up in these old soap operas,” Adam said with a chuckle. “Who really cares after all these years?”

“You seem to, dear,” Marie reminded. “When gold's involved.”

Adam conceded with a shrug and continued to listen.

“I remember my mother talking about Thelma Templeton, one of the women who went missing on the Eva Aphrodite. Of course, back then we all thought they died in the storm. After Paul's radio show today, I suppose everyone in town knows that wasn't true. According to mother, Thelma got romantically involved with an actor.”

“An actor?”

“Quite scandalous.” Marie smiled. “Mother told me the story. She and Father happened to run into the Templetons at the theater in Portland. Mother stepped away from Father for some reason, turned down the wrong corridor, and witnessed Thelma in a rather passionate kiss. The man wasn't Mr. Templeton, and later, Mother recognized him in the cast.”

“This really is a soap opera,” Adam mumbled.

“Rather bold of her,” Danielle said. “Fooling around when her husband was nearby.”

“That's what my mother thought too. She told Father about it, but he insisted it must have been a woman who just looked like Thelma Templeton.”

“What did your mother say?” Danielle asked.

“I don't believe she argued the point with him. Yet she told me—of course, years later when I was an adult—that it was either Thelma, or Thelma's twin wearing the same dress as her sister. Of course, Thelma didn't have a sister. I believe the first time Mother told me that story was when we went to that same theater in Portland.”

They chatted for another twenty minutes, and when Danielle glanced at her phone, she saw she had missed several calls from the chief. She had forgotten to turn the cellphone's ringer back on. He had also sent her a text message, asking her to call or stop in the station if she was downtown. Curious, Danielle ended her visit with Marie and Adam and headed to the police station.

“
I
thought
you were ignoring me,” the chief said when Danielle entered his office late Monday afternoon. Sitting at his desk, he leaned back in the office chair.

“I've had a busy day,” Danielle said as she flopped down in a chair facing him. “And it's not over yet.”

“I wanted to talk to you privately about Jolene Carmichael.”

“Jolene?” Danielle groaned.

“She really does not like you.”

“Umm, yeah, I sort of noticed that.”

The chief then went on to tell Danielle about his visit with Jolene. In turn, she told him about her afternoon, excluding the encounter with Eva Thorndike. Telling the chief she had seen Eva before telling Walt did not seem right.

Finally, Danielle asked, “Well, are you going to give them to her?”

“The jewelry?”

“Those pieces do match what her aunt was wearing in those photographs. Of course, who's had them all these years and why they returned the pieces to the boat—assuming that's where they came from—is the million-dollar question.”

The chief stood up and walked around the desk. Sitting along the edge of the desk front, he faced Danielle, his arms folded across his chest. “That's what I've been trying to figure out. When you told me a diver—according to your ghost friend—left that box on the boat, I decided to call someone I know in Seaside.”

“You do know, I hate it when you say ghost friend. His name is Jack.”

“Why?”

“Why is his name Jack?”

The chief rolled his eyes. “Why does it bug you when I say ghost friend?”

Danielle shrugged. “I don't know. Just feels like you're mocking me, I guess.”

“Sorry. I'm not mocking you. I promise. But this still all feels very strange to me.”

“Fair enough. So what about this friend of yours?”

“You and I know that boat's been under the water all this time—it wasn't a ghost ship like some people claim. The guy I called, in Seaside, he's a diver I know. I told him we were trying to figure out where the Eva Aphrodite had been all this time, if it was possible she was under the water for all these years, and then maybe some earthquake unsettled her. No one's ever claimed to have come across the wreckage before.”

“What were you really asking him?”

“I wondered if some of the local divers had come across the wreckage and we just didn't know about it.”

“And?”

“He told me an interesting story. About a month ago, he was contacted by a woman who was looking for someone to do salvage work. The conversation didn't go far, because she asked if he would be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

“Non-disclosure agreement?”

“Yes. She claimed to know the location of a sunken ship, and before she hired him—or disclosed the location of the ship—he would need to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”