by K. T. Tomb
Just then Mansfield came in with the coffee tray and placed it carefully on the desk in front of them. The butler moved to lift the pot.
“I’ll serve it, Mansfield,” Manny said. “Thank you.”
Manny turned over one of the cups and poured coffee for Jeffrey, who watched in amazement.
“How do you take it?” he asked the elderly attorney.
“Black, thank you.”
Manny placed the cup before him and then poured himself some coffee.
“Anyway, back to the matter of the proviso.”
Manny’s eyes widened at the mention of the vaguely familiar legal term.
“I remember that. It was something Grandpa said on the DVD. What did he mean?”
“Ah, he wanted to be sure that in the event you turned out to be a more enterprising person, you would receive an inheritance from the estate that was more in lines with your status as his grandson. In this case, that comes to the tune of approximately thirty million dollars in cash, real estate and investments. Didn’t you wonder why there was no mention of who would inherit McMillan Manor?”
Manny suddenly burst out laughing. He shook his head disbelievingly.
“Well, that ought to make your life a bit easier, now that everything has been properly allocated at last.”
“You wouldn’t have a clue how much so, Manny.”
“Well then. Here’s something to complicate it again,” Manny said as he stood up and opened the steel box that sat on the edge of the desk, revealing a fortune in gold and silver coins and large gemstones of various colors.
“Tell me what you think we should do with these.”
The End
Return to the Table of Contents
THE HONEYMOONERS
A novel by
K.T. TOMB
The Honeymooners
Published by K.T. Tomb
Copyright © 2014 by K.T. Tomb
All rights reserved.
The Honeymooners
Introduction
Aberdour Castle,
Fife, Scotland
Blips on the radar, Donovan thought as he picked another folder off the top of the sky-high pile on his desk.
Blip. Blip. Blip.
There had been a lot of action recently in the world of amateur adventurers and one way or another the details of each individual or group ended up in a folder on the desk of one of the administrators at Quests Unlimited.
Like Donovan Harvey.
It was their job to review the cases. They ran background and personal checks on each individual involved and decided based on club criteria if it was something that needed to be moved higher up the chain.
Mostly, the administrators moved the folders to another pile for digital filing. That meant the person was at least worth keeping an eye on for further action.
Applicant’s Name(s): Charlie and Ella Colton, Colton & Colton Incorporated.
Occupation: Preservation and restoration of ancient artifacts.
Key Accomplishment: Recovery of a Pre-Columbian Mayan necklace
Proof provided: Yes
Type of proof: Artifact returned to the museum
Applicant status: Pre-selection
As soon as he opened the folder, Donovan was intrigued. It was an amazing story.
While on their honeymoon in the Cayman Islands, the two newlywed archaeologists attended a cultural dance performance and Charlie spotted what he thought looked like an ancient Mayan jade necklace circa 500 A.D.
He had discovered earlier that the resort they were staying at routinely played host to artifacts on loan from the prestigious Museum of Ancient Cultures. But no one at the hotel was prepared when the two honeymooners revealed that several of the pieces were replicas... the necklace included.
Pandemonium ensued, and the newlyweds were approached by a private antiquities collector to solve the mystery connected with the museum. And what a mystery it was...
Donovan read the file, transfixed. Wow. Just wow.
And then he read it again...
Chapter One
The Elysium Resort shone like a diamond in the sun on the azure shores of the Cayman Islands.
Multilevel buildings connected by glass-covered walkways that led to and from the private beach. The shore was dotted with large blue umbrellas all bearing the emblem of the Elysium. Tan vacationers frolicked in the dancing surf, some tanning on the lounge chairs above the tide line, hiding behind large sunglasses and even larger hats. Beyond the edge of the sand where the grass began to grow butted the edge of several of the resort pools, blazing bright blue in the tropical sun. Swimming in one of the pools closest to the shore, Ella and Charlie Colton were enjoying the first days of their honeymoon and marriage.
Ella broke the surface of the water, rubbing chlorine-filled water from her eyes and brushing auburn hair away from her face. She adjusted the spaghetti straps of her red bikini as she paddled her way over to the poolside bar. She nodded to the bartender; a pretty blond woman pushing fancy drinks bedecked with colorful straws, umbrellas and various pieces of fruit. Ella smiled as she took the bright green drink and lifted the sweet concoction to her lips, leaning against the edge of the pool. The sweet liquid warmed her body as she swallowed, relishing the flavor. The large swimming pool was one of three. Ella leaned against the far left edge of the area bar. She scanned the crowd of other vacationers, all enjoying the offerings of the Elysium. Occasionally, the morning sky would brighten with a scheduled eruption from the faux volcano, casting a golden glow over the sun-browned skin of the vacationers.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a pair of strong hands grabbed Ella’s waist beneath the water, threatening to pull her under. Her adrenaline quickly gave way to laughter when her new husband broke through the surface of the water, his face inches from her own.
“Well, hello there, Mr. Colton,” she said with a smile.
“Hello yourself, Mrs. Colton,” he returned, punctuating his reply with a light kiss.
They had been married all of three days. Five years prior, they met at the archaeology department where Charlie was a teaching assistant. They had noticed each other almost instantly that first day of class. Ella Berger had been a student in the class where he worked. They flirted for a few weeks, eventually acknowledging their attraction for one another. Charlie went so far as to form a study group for the class under the hopes that Ella would show up. It met every Tuesday after the lecture. She did show up, of course; she and her group of girlfriends who suppressed giggles and exchanged glances behind the back of the gorgeous teaching assistant. Despite the instant attraction between Ella and Charlie, at her insistence, the two held off on dating until after her graduation. She did not want any rumors going around as to how she earned her grade point average. She graduated with honors and spent the following summer on a two-month internship studying ancient shipwrecks off the coast of Haiti. After this whirlwind adventure, her first action after landing back in the states was to call Charlie Colton to ask him out for a cup of coffee.
“Why now?” he had asked her, glancing over the steam coming off his Turkish Black as they sat on the patio of the sunny coffee bar. “Why did you call me?”
“I like you Charlie, but ours was an attraction of convenience,” she explained, sipping her latte. “We were not equals. I couldn’t date you while still a student, Charlie. You already know that. Besides, I had to figure out if I actually liked you or if I just thought I liked you.”
“What do you mean?” Charlie asked. “I think it was pretty evident.”
“Oh come on, Charlie,” Ella replied. “Who doesn’t look sexy while running a slide show on historical inconsistencies of ancient artifacts? I had to make sure my attraction to you was viable.”
“And is it?” Charlie asked, his ego slightly bruised from the two-month absence.
Ella leaned across the table, peering at him from under her full eyelashes. “I asked you for coffee, didn’t I?”
They had moved in together wi
thin the year.
Another two years after that, they decided to combine their intellectual prowess and open their own business dedicated to the preservation and restoration of ancient artifacts, Berger and Colton, Inc. When questioned about top billing on the name, they both insisted that they had gone in alphabetical order. Life sailed along for the two of them, working cases and developing a sterling reputation in archaeology circles. Six months ago, Charlie had gotten up early and arrived at the office before Ella. When she arrived, he had the entire office garnished with white candles. He stood in the center holding a single red rose and had a small package tucked under one arm.
“Charlie, what are you doing?” Ella asked when she opened the door.
“I want to show you something,” he said. He handed her the rose and lead her to one of the chairs in the waiting area. He unwrapped the package, revealing a gold plaque engraved with the words “Colton & Colton, Inc.”
“I don’t understand,” she’d said. She did understand perfectly, but she wanted to hear him say it.
“Marry me, Ella,” he had said. “I love you, you love me. We should take the next step. I can’t imagine ever waking up without you there with me.” When she didn’t seem particularly moved by his romantic gush, he added, “Besides, it would be such a benefit to the business, you know. Combine our assets, allow us some tax benefits. All we would really have left to do is change the signage. It certainly would save us from all those wretched conversations of explaining the alphabet method.”
“That is true,” Ella said, with a mock serious look on her face, her fingers tracing the lettering of the gold plaque that she held in her lap. “That is definitely true.”
Charlie went down on one knee and pulled a black silk ring box out of his pocket. He opened it and the candlelight illuminated the diamond cluster that was nestled inside it. Despite herself, Ella gasped. In the months between then and now, they had planned a wedding, arranged the honeymoon and even took on a few cases, including a week-long symposium on Spanish shipwrecks in the Dominican Republic.
Though they were used to traveling quite a bit with their job, the atmosphere of the Elysium still allowed for a much needed respite. No cases, no shipwrecks, no artifacts to find or relocate. Just a poolside bar, a luxury hotel, and days of relaxation stretched out ahead of them. Ella closed her eyes, resting her head on the edge of the pool and letting the water support her as she floated at the edge. She had not felt this relaxed in years.
“Are you two enjoying yourselves?” Mitch Berger, Ella’s uncle stooped down at the edge of the pool to greet the couple. He was the senior technical analyst for the resort and had gotten them in at a hefty discount despite the extensive waiting list.
“Yes, Uncle Mitch,” Ella replied, opening her eyes and squinting up at him. “Very much so,”
“What do you think of the place?” Ella’s uncle was a kindly looking man, with laughing gray eyes and a large mustache. She thought he hadn’t changed in appearance since she was a child.
“Mr. Berger, we can’t thank you enough. This place is amazing,” Charlie added.
“Please, call me Mitch. Welcome to the family,” he said.
“Thank you,” said Charlie.
“Excuse me, sir.” The blond bartender leaned over to get Charlie’s attention. She slid a dark beer toward him on a small napkin. “This is from the lady across the way there.”
Both Charlie and Ella turned to look. A severe but attractive woman lounged at one of the tables in the patio-themed restaurant along the other side of the pool. Across the table from her sat two men wearing jeans and hard hats, looking over a detailed blueprint laid out in front of them. The woman wore her dark hair short and feathered around her face in a pixie style, offsetting her bright red lipstick. She raised a glass toward them, and Charlie raised his bottle slightly to acknowledge her purchase of the drink. Her dark blue business attire seemed out of place among the swimsuit-clad resort occupants.
Mitch gave a low whistle under his breath and exclaimed, “Well, I’ll be...”
“Who is she?” Ella asked.
“Carol Chapman,” said Mitch. “She’s the lead designer for the hotel, Benjamin Lee’s go-to arts and antiques dealer. Charlie, didn’t you work with her during the acquisition of the Museum of Ancient Cultures?”
“I sure did. Wait a minute, Benjamin Lee,” said Charlie. “He’s the owner of the Elysium, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” said Mitch. “Along with several other resorts and hotel chains.”
“I remember him,” Charlie continued. “There was some scandal a few years back about him being suspected of smuggling relics on the black market and selling forgeries to the museums. They couldn’t make the accusations stick, though. He walked on it. It’s a shame how much of the world today is built on dirty money.” Charlie shook his head at the thought.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” said Ella. “That’s all we have to go on. Besides, why exactly are we talking shop right now? You’re ruining my zen. I haven’t felt this relaxed in years.” She draped her arm around Charlie’s shoulder and he grinned back at her.
“No business talk; you’re right, Ella, we are on our honeymoon after all.”
“Listen, if you two need anything during your stay, let me know,” Mitch said.
He stood up and rubbed his hands along the tops of his work pants.
“Oh, and I almost forgot. Tonight is the inaugural dinner celebrating the re-opening of the Museum of Ancient Cultures.”
Ella gasped and turned to Charlie.
“That’s right! One of the reasons I wanted to come to the Cayman Islands in the first place! They’ve renovated your museum, Charlie. Will we see you there, Uncle Mitch?”
“No, I’m afraid all that hoity-toity stuff isn’t my scene. But I know how much you love the ancient arts. You’ll have a great time, I’m sure. They always put on quite a show for these sorts of things.”
“Thanks, Uncle Mitch.” Ella smiled up at the man she had known since childhood.
“I’d better get going,” Mitch said
“I wonder why she bought me a drink...” Charlie pondered.
Ella grinned and lightly splashed some water in his direction.
“Maybe she thinks you’re cute.”
Charlie flexed his arm with a playful smile.
“Yeah, I am pretty cute. Aren’t I?”
Chapter Two
Later that afternoon back in their hotel room, Ella stood in front of the full-length mirror adjusting her diamond stud earrings. She had styled her hair into a dramatic swirl, pulled into a soft bun in preparation for the evening. She still wore the blue sundress and sandals that she had changed into after their swim.
“I really can’t believe the nerve of her buying me that drink,” Charlie said as he sat on the edge of the bed, buttoning his cuffs.
“Don’t worry about it, honey. It was probably just a professional gesture,” Ella replied.
“It just irks me. I mean, when I was here for the acquisition I could tell that nearly half the stuff in the museum had to be forgeries. Most of the paperwork was nonexistent. It was a mess.”
“Why would they get forgeries? It doesn’t make sense,” Ella said.
“Black market,” Charlie continued. “The real artifacts are sold to private collectors; probably sitting in the possession of one Mr. Benjamin Lee. That guy’s got enough money to buy the world, but the fact remains those artifacts belong to the people of Cayman. They should be preserved and protected, not passed around like a bunch of overpriced baseball cards!”
“Honey,” Ella said to him, “there’s probably a lot that we don’t understand. The Caribbean is a different animal when it comes to the acquisition and preservation of antiquities. We shouldn’t rock the boat while we are here. You never know if we may need these connections later and in that case, you wouldn’t want to burn any bridges. Besides, your help with the acquisition is half the reason we were pushed past the waiting list.” She w
alked over and ran her fingers lightly through Charlie’s hair. “Let’s forget about it and try to have fun tonight. Okay?”
Charlie took a deep breath. Then he let his eyes roam over her as if seeing her dressed up for the first time. “You do look pretty smashing in that dress.”
“That’s more like it,” Ella said with a smile.
“I’ll bet you look even better out of it,” he half-joked.
Ella placed a dramatic hand at her throat and spoke in a mock southern accent. “Why, Mr. Colton! I do declare! I’m a married woman!”
Suddenly her smile dropped and Ella stumbled backward, catching herself on the edge of the dresser behind her. Her face had gone ashen.
“Are you okay, Ella?” Charlie reached to try and steady her. He had seen these dizzy spells before. In fact, after last year’s trip to Belize for the Mayan temple excavation, she had gone for an MRI. The results had been inconclusive and the doctors had sent her home with a diagnosis of unexplained vertigo.
“I’m okay,” Ella said, but her voice had taken on the wispy tone it did before when she had these bouts of vertigo. “Probably just the combination of the heat and drinks from earlier.”
“Honey, I’m going to get you some medicine from the gift shop, okay?”
He steadied her arm and helped lower her into the chair.
“Charlie, I’m fine. I probably just need to eat something.”
Despite her protest, she rested her forehead on her arm and let him give her a glass of water. Charlie reached over to the bag and unzipped the inner pocket where they had packed the cash. He reached around for a minute or so.
“Um.”
Ella lifted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find the money.”