Shawn parted her lips, fully prepared to argue only to see Faith stepping out of the shower.
“Good morning,” she cheerfully greeted her with a kiss. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, my mother did that.” Shawn grumbled as she picked up her phone and checked the time.
“Did she call? Texted?”
“No, not my Mom,” she confessed before yawning. “My bio Mom.”
“Didn’t she die a long time ago?”
“Yes, she did.”
“And she’s visiting you now because?”
“Because she wanted to give me some advice. And to tell me that I come from a long line of Carnies. Also, she felt a need to inform me that she named me after one of the Hardy Boys. Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.”
“You’re right, it’s not funny,” Faith seemed to agree. “It’s freaking hysterical!”
Muraille Island
The following morning
“I have a picture of the cauldron. Milo included it in his book. I asked him to send it to me.”
“Did he have anything to offer in the way of help?” Faith asked as they climbed onto the dock.
“He said to be extremely careful.”
“As helpful as ever,” Faith snorted with disdain.
“He’s making some calls. Gathering up a prayer circle if you will.”
“A what?”
“He’s sending out the call for reinforcements. When we find this thing, we won’t be trying to get rid of it on our own.”
“Good to know. After you fell asleep I did a quick internet search. The diameter of the Gundestrup Cauldron was 69cm or 27” and 42cm or 17” in height. However, according to what I read last night that one was the largest example of European Iron Age silver work. So, this one would be smaller.”
“I picked up on something Temperance had said when she first saw it,” Shawn explained. “That it was bigger than she thought.”
“Well, if the specs we’re looking at are correct then it is about the size of that gaudy punchbowl your mother is constantly trying to unload on us.”
“You don’t like the punchbowl?” Shawn gasped.
“What? No. I love it.” Faith quickly blurted out before darting out a head of them.
“Why did you do that?” Ro shook her head. “You don’t like the punchbowl either.”
“Of course not, it’s awful! Teasing Faith on the other hand, a whole lot of fun.”
“Unless the next time your mother offers it to you, Faith says yes.”
“Well, crap. Didn’t think of that.”
“What’s your hurry?” Delia asked when Faith caught up with her.
“You never said, how did you get Doug to help out with the new crew?”
“He said he felt bad about the way things had gone and so long as he didn’t have to come back here he was more than happy to help. In addition to the women who already work for him, he had some contacts that helped fill in the gap.”
“So, some of the ladies are the same ones that walked because the men were off the charts?”
“Yeah. In addition to them he has an outreach program in place with Windham.”
“Windham?”
“The Women’s correction facility. I like giving people a second chance.” Delia explained. “This is the first time I’ve hired convicts as a way to cut cost. I don’t feel good about that.”
“You’re still giving these women a chance to learn a skill aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then you have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“I hate the way this is going. I’m worried that if things keep circling the drain, I’m not going to be able to meet my payroll or I’m going to come up short with the vendors.”
“We will find it.” Faith promised.
The moment they passed through the gate, they laid down salt and holy water in order to prepare for the crew. Delia went off to go over her plans. The others headed towards the woods.
“Hold on the two of you,” Shawn called for their attention just as they were about to split up. “I’m glad each of you are carrying a bag.”
“My camera,” Ro explained holding up the small bag. “I feel naked if I don’t have at least one with me.”
“I brought my notes and some salt.” Faith tapped the messenger bag hanging from her shoulder.
“Good,” Shawn reached into the equipment bag she was carrying. She handed the Scorpion to Faith and The Eye of Horus to Ro. “I’d feel better if you had these with you. If you find the cauldron, place the bobble on it.”
“What about you?” Faith demanded.
“I have my crystals and training.”
“I don’t like this.” Faith fumed.
“I’ll be fine,” Shawn argued. “It is playing on our fears. Just remember, none of it is real.”
“It grabbed me!” Faith shouted, scaring the birds that had been lingering by the fence “Grabbed me and dragged me to the ground. I seriously doubt staring it down and calling it a poser is going to stop it.”
“It plays with your mind,” Shawn asserted. “Just be careful. Please?”
“Fine,” Faith growled. “But you need to promise to do the same.”
“I promise.”
CHAPTER 41
“Well, hey there,” Faith greeted the older man who was seemed preoccupied with the television.
His attention quickly turned to her as he stood. “Afternoon, Miss”
“I was looking for Kirby.”
“Had to go back to the mainland,” he offered with a shy smile. “I’m his Uncle Nate.”
“Maybe you could answer my question, Nate.” She carefully began. “Were you by any chance around when Miss Muraille passed away?”
“I was just a whippersnapper back then.”
“Did you know a Michael Davis from those days?”
“That would be my Dad. Everyone called him Mike.”
“By any chance do you recall him saying anything about the police questioning him about the night Miss Muraille died?”
“Made him madder than hell,” Nate happily supplied.
“Really?”
“Police asking if there was a chance Miss Ella had anything to do with it,” he clicked his tongue. “All because her brother and his wife wanted to get their grubby hands on her money. I’ll tell you what he told them. He ferried Miss Ella to the mainland and saw her off at the train station before Miss Temperance fell down that staircase. In fact he saw Miss Temperance earlier that night running around the woods. He thought it was strange to say the least. Now, the way my Dad tells it, Miss Ella had left hours before.”
“Thank you, Nate. You just made me feel a whole lot better.”
“You’re Miss Shawn’s lady aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.” She boasted.
“Red Sox fan are ya’?”
“Die hard, Fenway faithful.”
“Smart and beautiful.”
“You charmer, you.”
Shawn wondered about searching for some small clue as to where the cauldron might have been hidden. The darkness that encompassed the island made it difficult to get a clear image.
‘Find it and my master will reward you.’
“With eternal damnation? I think I’ll pass.” She shrugged off his attempts to jump her. Turning, she looked at the cinders that had once been a grand home. Her skin prickled and the hair on the back of her neck rose. Out of the debris she watched in horror as small hands reached up out of the soil. Children’s voices called out for help, begging to be saved.
Shawn sniffed and rubbed her nose. “Not again,” she scowled removing a tissue from her jacket pocket. Pressing against her nose she hoped the bleeding would quickly cease. Her vision blurred as she stumbled towards the gate. Once she passed through she instantly felt better. Knowing that she needed time to recuperate she headed down to the small beach.
Shawn sat down on the sandy beach. It was nice to take a moment to sit back only
hearing the sounds of the surf and the seagulls hovering above her. The only disturbing sounds were the crew dismantling the iron fence. The cool crisp air suddenly turned to a bitter cold.
“You hang around down here as well?”
‘This beach holds a lot of happy memories for me.’
“I know.”
‘Of course you do.’
Shawn extracted her phone from her pocket and released a heavy groan. She didn’t know why she thought she might get a signal.
‘What is that? Everyone seems to have one. They seemed angry with them. People are doing the oddest things. What is a designated smoking area? It’s just cigarettes it’s not like they are harmful.’
“You have been gone for a long time,” Shawn fought against the urge to laugh. “Actually, cigarettes are extremely harmful. You can get cancer from not only smoking them but you can give it to the people around you who inhale your smoke.”
‘Cancer?’
“Yes, lung cancer. This by the way is a telephone,” Shawn explained as she watched the battery icon shrink. “People are frustrated with them out here because they can’t get a signal. That will change once they finish building the tower.”
‘Telephone?’
“Not only can you make phone calls but you can search something called the internet for information that may or may not be the truth. I’d show you but you just sucked the life out of my battery and again we don’t have a signal out here. A lot has changed since you passed. Did you know that if you were alive today, you and Ella could get married?”
‘To one another?’
“Yes.”
‘Simply astonishing. The President must be an amazing person to have helped guide the country into such discoveries and understandings.’
“Let’s Not go there,” Shawn choked. “Temperance, will you tell me where the cauldron is?”
‘No. It’s dangerous.’
“Fine. We are going to find it.”
‘Staying?’
“Yes, I’m staying. To be perfectly honest you are far more pleasant than the last entity I chatted with.”
‘Who?’
“Lizzie Borden,” she responded, matter of factly. “You laugh? It’s almost the truth. The last one before coming here was your sister in law, Helena.”
‘Lizzie, probably possessed more manners.’
“As a matter of fact, she did,” she confessed. “What was the deal with Helena? She certainly has an attitude.”
‘Never understood.’
“Everyone seems to think the two of you had a history,” Shawn tossed it out there simply because she was confused by the assumption. She just couldn’t see it. “You’re laughing again.”
‘The only romance was in Helena’s mind. Never touched her.’
“That makes much more sense.” Shawn admitted as she watched Temperance’s image fading. “You’re getting weak, again.”
‘Challenge keeping up with him.’
“Gerhard?”
‘No, his mad master.’
“Please let us help?”
‘Girlfriend.’
“What? Oh,” she sighed as she watched Faith approaching her. “What are you doing down here?”
“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” Faith admitted taking a seat in the sand. “It’s so beautiful.”
“I know. I was just sitting here admiring the view, which got a lot better when you arrived.”
“Smooth talker. Speaking of which, I just had a short conversation with Uncle Nate.”
“Did he flirt with you too? I thought I was special.”
“He’s a flirt all right. He did clear something up for me though,” she offered with a slight hesitation. “At one point Ella Westbrook was a suspect in Temperance’s death.”
“That got her attention.”
“She’s here?”
“We were having a little chat when you arrived,” Shawn tried to explain. “Why would anyone think Ella did it?”
“If you look at the facts, she was a prime candidate,” Faith tried to explain. “She was one of the last people to see her alive, they argued and she stood to gain financially from Temperance’s death.”
‘She didn’t know.’
“We know that,” Shawn tried to placate the irate spirit.
“She had an alibi,” Faith quickly supplied uncertain of how the conversation Shawn was having. “The only people who thought she did it or more precisely the only people to accuse her were her brother and his wife.”
‘Vipers!’
“I am inclined to agree with you,” Shawn confessed. “Helena, her sister in law is knee deep in this. I just know it.”
‘She’s a demon. She was the one who asked me to bring them here.’
“How did she meet them?”
‘Vacationed with her, for a lack of a better term, maid in South America. Claimed they needed help. Foolishly, I believed her.’
“You flew down to South America and brought them here?”
‘Yes. Mistake.’
“Care to share?” Faith prompted.
“Helena met the boys in South America and somehow convinced Temperance to bring them here.” Shawn explained. “Temperance, did either Helena or Reggie use drugs?”
‘Drugs?’
“Cocaine for instance?”
‘Reggie. Helena on occasion. Both couldn’t control their vices.’
“Both,” she informed Faith. “What is that?”
“Must be the barge for the plane. Looks like they’ve taken down enough of the fence to get it out.” Faith glanced up the hill confirming her suspicions. “Look at the size of that flatbed. I hope they can get it up the hill. Can you ask her,-“
“She’s gone.” Shawn grimly informed her. “Vanished the moment you mentioned the plane.”
“According to Ro, she didn’t want anyone touching it. Can’t say that I blame her,” Faith confessed as she stood and brushed the sand from her clothing. “I need to get back to my search. You should stay here.”
“No, I need to get back to it as well.”
“This is getting to be way too much for you. I think we should consider pulling the plug soon.”
“I am not giving up.”
CHAPTER 42
Later that day
“The flatbed driver had a devil of a time getting it up the hill,” Katherine informed Delia. The architect was busy watching her crew tear down the doors to the barn. “Damn, it got cold all of a sudden.”
Delia shrugged off the cold hoping that it was just the season and not a visitation.
“I need to warn you that my Aunt came with me.”
“Where is she?” Delia nervously questioned.
“She said that she wanted to have a look around. What that means, I don’t know. I have to warn you, her mood is best described as agitated.”
“That’s just freaking fabulous.”
“Don’t worry, things seem to be moving along,” Katherine tried to placate her. “Who knows, maybe coming and seeing that progress is being made will put her mind at ease. Although, she’s still pretty ticked off about that whole psychic thing.”
“It probably won’t help my cause that Dr. Williams is on the island.”
“Oh?” Katherine blanched. “Well, why don’t we just focus on getting this bird out of here?”
Delia nodded before she gathered a few members of her crew. The others she sent back to work in other areas. She instructed them as to the problem of moving the airplane with its tires deflated. She turned the reins over to the burly man who had managed to get the flatbed up the hill.
“Ladies,” he politely began before wiping the sweat from his brow. “First things first, I need to get this bird up on the spares that I will attach to the existing wheels. It’s a one man job so why don’t you take a break.” His words drifted off as his eyes dimmed.
“Crap,” Delia muttered. “Mr. Allen are you all right?”
“Not really,” he admitted before kissing the
crucifix that was hanging around his neck. “But I have a job to do.”
“Just so you know if you need to scream or run, you wouldn’t be the first.”
“I’ve heard.” He answered with a gulp. “But with Jesus as my copilot I should be okay.”
“All righty then.”
“I did hear that you’ve been sprinkling holy water around,” he stopped her retreat. “Would you mind giving it another dousing?”
“Bethany and Mary could you grab a couple of jugs of water and clear a path for Mr. Allen.”
The two women just smiled and nodded before doing as they were asked.
“Are those women wearing prison uniforms?” Katherine squeamishly questioned.
“Holding down a workforce is getting a little difficult,” she confessed. “Every day fewer and fewer workers show up. I’ve used inmates before. It’s not like there’s anything to steal out here and they can’t quit. Plus, I like sharing what I know and helping the ladies learn a trade. The only restriction I have is no sex offenders.”
“Still the funkiest detail I’ve ever worked, Miss St. James.” Bethany called out.
“Me too.” Delia agreed. “So, Katherine where is the Black Swan heading to?”
“Back to New York. She’s going to an aviation museum to undergo a full restoration.”
It took over two hours to get the airplane out of the barn and loaded onto the truck. They had the plane strapped to the bed which had been lowered to an incline. All that was left to do was lift the bed back to a horizontal position and completely secure the plane.
“All that’s left is straightening her out,” Confirmed, Mr. Allen who still looked shell shocked.
Muraille Island Page 26