Roche Harbor Rogue

by D. W. Ulsterman

  “I don’t think so. It makes you an honest one. I guess until you learn more about the status of the sale, we should put the article about it on the backburner.”

  “Yeah,” Roland said. “I suppose we should.”

  The two hugged briefly and then Adele was walking on the dock looking behind her. Roland stood outside leaning against the yacht’s railing with a drink in his hand watching her go. There was a cold bite to the early evening air. Tilda’s hotel appeared busy. All the lights were on and Adele saw several guests moving along the second-story balcony. The prime tourist season was fast approaching. Tilda wasn’t inside though. She stood at the top of the marina dock. As Adele came closer, she saw the concern on her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Fin,” Tilda said. “He received a message from Ireland.”

  Oh no, Adele thought. What now?

  Tilda put her arm around Adele’s shoulders. “I believe it concerns his mother. About what exactly he wouldn’t say. He took the call, ended it, and then left. I think he went to the chapel.”

  The Roche Harbor chapel was a small, white structure built on the side of a hill overlooking the water about a hundred yards from the hotel. Its original construction dated back a century earlier to the time of the harbor’s founder, John S. McMillin.

  “Do you think I should go see how he’s doing?”

  “Yes, I do. He looked pretty upset and I fear the worst. As you know his mother is in very poor health. I believe he left the hotel because he didn’t want his grief to make the guests uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean he should be forced to process such a loss alone though.”

  “No, of course not,” Adele said as Tilda’s arm slid off her shoulder. “I’ll go see how he’s doing.”

  The partial moon helped to light the way to the chapel. When Adele stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up, she was reminded of the funeral service for Lucas’s father, Dr. Edmund Pine. It was both sad and beautiful as Lucas brought out a guitar and gave a somewhat clumsy yet heartfelt rendition of Warren Zevon’s Don’t Let Us Get Sick. The love and respect for the longtime island doctor by those who filled the little chapel that day was something she would never forget.

  As soon as Adele’s foot touched the first step a raven landed on the chapel roof and squawked at her. “Hello again, George. Shouldn’t you be over on Orcas keeping Mr. Bloodbone company?”

  The raven’s obsidian eyes swallowed the moonlight and reflected it back at Adele. She continued the climb up the stairs to the chapel door, pushed it open, and found Fin sitting in the middle of the back pew with his head down.

  “There’s no need to check on me,” he said without looking up. “I just needed a moment to process and gather my thoughts.”

  Adele sat. The darkness inside the chapel made it difficult for her to see Fin’s face. She decided to stay quiet and let him decide when he wanted to say something more.

  Fin looked up. “It was an infection in her lungs that did it. Not her heart but a damn cold.”

  “I’m so sorry, Fin. Does this mean you’ll be going back to Ireland?”

  Fin wiped his eyes and sniffed. “Yeah. I should be there to make the arrangements. Her death will be a big deal in the traveler community. There’ll be a thousand or more coming from all over to pay their respects. I’ll be leaving on the first ferry out in the morning.”

  “Is there anything you need until then?”

  “Sure,” Fin growled. “A cure for dying.” He got up and went to the door. “I want to thank you for being such a gracious host during my time here. I won’t ever forget it, Adele. I’m forever in your debt.”

  Adele joined him at the door. “I was just helping a friend. There’s no debt to be repaid for doing that.”

  Once outside Fin held up the crystal he had taken from Orcas Island. “What a stupid thing to go chasing such nonsense. What a waste of time. I should have been at my mother’s side. Instead I was here chasing the ghost of a father I never knew and thinking I might somehow bring some magic back to save her with.”

  He threw the crystal away. “A damn fool is what I am.”

  “Hope,” Adele said, “is never foolish no matter how desperate or unattainable it might seem.”

  “Maybe so, but it in this world hope too often becomes hopeless.”

  “Not always, Fin. And not here. This place really is different.”

  Fin looked up at the moon. “I won’t argue that. I’d like to return someday.”

  “You better. The islands have accepted you. You’re one of us now.”

  The raven swooped down from the chapel roof, landed at the bottom of the stairs, took two hops, clicked its tongue, and then grabbed hold of Fin’s crystal in its beak.

  “Will you look at that?” Fin grinned as he watched the raven fly off toward Orcas. “Old Bloodbone wants his rock back. I suppose it’s fitting that all things be returned to their rightful place. That bit of crystal was never mine to take.”

  “Well put.”

  “Yeah? Coming from you that’s high praise.” Fin went to take the first step down and then stopped. He shook his head and sighed. “Damn it hurts knowing she’s really gone. The one thing in my life I could always count on isn’t there anymore. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone as I do right now. It’s like one of my limbs has just been ripped away. I don’t feel whole. There’s something missing from deep inside me and I fear I won’t ever get it back. I’m headed for extinction.”

  Fin’s words reminded Adele of Roland’s struggle to come to terms with his own familial disconnect. Though they were two men from different sides of the world they now shared a very similar kind of pain.

  Fin turned toward Adele and hugged her tight. He put his face into the crook of her shoulder and began to sob. “Please don’t let go,” he whispered. “Not yet. I think I might just float away into the abyss right now.”

  “That won’t happen. I won’t let it.”

  Fin pulled away and stared into Adele’s eyes. “Promise?”

  “Yeah. I promise.”

  “I’m gonna hold you to it.”

  Adele smiled. “Good.”

  33.

  F in and Adele stood together and watched the arriving passengers unload from the morning ferry. A light drizzle covered everything in a layer of cold mist. Fin stared up at the heavy, slow-moving clouds.

  “Reminds me of home.”

  “I hope you’ll consider the islands your second home,” Adele said. “You’ll always have a place here.”

  “That I will. And I wasn’t kidding last night. Don’t you dare forget. You ever need my help with anything, anything at all, just call.”

  “I won’t forget.”

  “You’re one of the few good ones, Adele Plank. A true friend in a world of mud. And please tell Ms. Ashland thank you again for her hospitality.”

  “I will.”

  Fin checked the time. “Well then, I guess this is it.”

  “I guess so.”

  The two embraced. Fin stepped back, took a deep breath, and nodded. “You take care, young lady. Until next time.”

  The drizzle turned to rain as Fin walked onto the ferry platform. Despite the wet and cold Adele didn’t move. She waited for Fin to look back and then waved goodbye. He flashed the same mischievous smile as he did the first time they had met. “Until next time,” Adele shouted. Fin tipped his cap and then he and the departing ferry were both swallowed up by the mist.

  Adele was nearly drenched to the bone. Her phone rang. It was a call from Lucas. He sounded even more tired than she was.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” Lucas replied. “Not really, but there are some things I think you should see.”

  “What things?”

  “It’s kind of hard to explain. I’m at home. Can you stop by?”

  Adele started to walk back to her car. “Sure. I just got done bringing Fin to the ferry. You want me to come over now?”

  “Th
at’d be great. I’ll put a pot of coffee on. See you soon.”

  “Dammit.”

  “Huh?”

  “Sorry. I just stepped in a puddle. I don’t know about you, but I say bring on the summer. I’ve had my fill of cold and wet. Be there in a few.”

  Adele put her phone away and took out her car keys. The sound of footsteps behind her made her turn around.

  “Hello again, Ms. Plank,” a familiar voice said. “Do you have a moment?”

  It was Randal Eaton, the FBI agent who was causing Roland so much trouble. He looked the same: mid-30s, average height and build, light hair parted to the side, and glasses. The air of bureaucratic superiority was the same as well. His tone made it clear he wasn’t asking Adele for her time but demanding it.

  “I’m actually on my way to a meeting, Agent Eaton. Are you here about Roland?”

  Eaton’s thin, arrogant smile made his face appear even more punchable. “Among other things, yes. Who was the man you were standing with at the ferry?”

  “Have you been following me?”

  “No, I was driving off and noticed the two of you together.” Eaton pointed to a black SUV on the other side of the street. “That’s my vehicle over there.”

  “Who I’m with is none of your business. Now, like I said, I have a meeting.”

  Eaton reached out and grabbed hold of Adele’s wrist. “Ms. Plank, I’m not the enemy. I came here to get some more information because I want to prevent trouble.”

  Adele pulled her arm away. “Are you talking Liya Vasa kind of trouble or something else?”

  “Yes, the Russians continue to be a threat to you, your friends, and this community.”

  “I have faith in our local law enforcement’s ability to keep us all safe.”

  “All due respect, Ms. Plank, but Sheriff Pine and his two deputies are hardly up to the task of taking on the Russian mob.”

  “We’ll manage.”

  When Adele went to open her car door, Eaton pushed it closed. “How well did you know Marianne Rocha?” he said.

  “Just enough to feel sorry about her passing. Why?”

  “But not enough to call her a friend?”

  “No.”

  “Did you two ever fight?”

  He already knows the answer, Adele thought. He’s testing me to see if I’ll lie to him.

  “Ms. Plank?”

  Adele shrugged. “We had our disagreements.”

  “Disagreements? Would you care to elaborate?”

  “No.” Adele got behind the wheel, started the Mini, and drove away. When she glanced into the rearview mirror, she saw Eaton still standing where she had left him. He was talking into his phone. She arrived at Lucas’s home a few minutes later and found him wearing sweats and a T-shirt on the covered front porch sipping from a cup of coffee. By the time she reached the porch he had gone inside and then returned with another cup for her.

  “I tried to make it dark enough. I know that’s how you like it.”

  “Thank you,” Adele said as she took the coffee. “I ran into Eaton on my way here.”

  Lucas’s coffee halted halfway to his mouth. “He’s on the island?”

  “As of this morning if what he told me is to be believed. He was asking about Marianne Rocha. Wanted to know if she and I had any problems.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Not a damn thing.”

  “Good. Unless he throws a subpoena at you it’s best to ignore him. He should have let me know he was here. Was he alone?”

  Adele nodded. “Appeared to be.”

  “Huh. That’s odd. He’s acting like a lone field agent, which would be highly unusual.” Lucas opened the front door. “Then again that’s how he was acting last time he was nosing around here. Whatever. I’ll chase him down later today and feel him out on what he’s up to. Right now, you need to get inside and dry off and check out what I found.”

  Adele was grateful for the warmth inside of Lucas’s home. He hung her coat up and then motioned toward the stairs. “I left the files in the attic. I can bring them down or you can come up—your choice.”

  “Up is fine. What files are you talking about?”

  “You’ll see,” Lucas called out as he took the stairs two at a time.

  That attic was dry and well lit. Adele spotted a few rather large webs that stretched across some of the rafters. Along with bats, spiders held a prominent place at the top of her avoid-at-all-cost list.

  “Sorry for the mess,” Lucas said. “You should have seen it before I started cleaning up. When Dad had to retire because of the Alzheimer’s he had the clinic staff deliver all his patient files here. For a while he promised to organize it, but that never happened and then I’m pretty sure he forgot all about it. More than thirty years of records. It was a disaster, but it wasn’t all his fault. I contributed to the mess as well. Shortly after I first came on as sheriff, the state police dropped off copies of their files on the Speaks investigation. I thought they were just duplicates of what we already had at the station, but actually what they gave me was more—a lot more. I didn’t bother to look at them until last night. Here. See for yourself.”

  Lucas handed Adele a file folder bursting with paperwork. “There are photos in there I’ve never seen.”

  Adele held up a picture of Martin Speaks’ room. Her eyes were immediately drawn to two books on the nightstand.

  “You see the reading material by the bed, don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” Adele said with a nod. “I do.” One was a copy of Delroy’s The Mystery of the Lekwiltok Crystal. The other book was Decklan Stone’s Manitoba. She continued to thumb through other photos and then stopped when she came to one that showed the writing on the inside of the secret cellar door.

  Be a slave to the truth or know freedom from the lie.

  “Did you notice the writing on the door when you first found the cellar?”

  “No,” Adele replied. “I pushed back the freezer, opened the door, and Calista crawled out. Then we both ran outside to escape.”

  Lucas put his hand on the file folder. “Wait. The next few photos, well, they’re pretty gruesome.”

  “I’m fine.” Adele looked down and saw the bodies of Martin and Will Speaks lying next to each other. The gun Martin had used to shoot his son in the head before turning it on himself was still in his hand. A second photo was a close-up of Will. Adele turned it over quickly, sickened by the amount of blood that had pooled out the side of the fractured skull. The next photo was a similarly disturbing close-up of the death wound of Will’s father. Adele was about to turn it over just as quickly when she stopped and looked at the image more closely.

  A blood-spattered crystal necklace hung around Martin Speaks’ neck. Adele closed the folder and gave it back to Lucas. “Is that it?” she asked.

  “No. That wasn’t the most interesting find I made last night. What made me call you over here was one of my father’s patient files—this one.”

  The folder smelled as old as it looked. The name written in elegant cursive on the side tab read, D. Soros. “The D is for Donatella,” Lucas said. “She was Roland’s grandmother. Both she and Charles Soros were longtime patients of my father’s.”

  “I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “Read the first page.”

  Adele’s eyes widened as she scanned the information. She read it again and then looked at Lucas. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “That’s exactly what I said when I first saw it. My father’s notes are very clear. Donatella Soros never had children.”

  “But she had Roland’s father.”

  “Not according to the medical records. She was incapable of getting pregnant, which leads me to believe Roland’s father was adopted.”

  Adele considered that possibility. Then she considered another. She handed Lucas the folder.

  “Here, I have to go.”

  “Where?”

  “To talk with someone who I
’m now certain knows a lot more about this.”

  Lucas put the file down. “Who?”

  Adele paused right before she reached the stairs and turned around. “Roland’s biological grandmother.”

  “Say what now?”

  Adele hardly heard the words as her feet scampered down the stairs almost as quickly as her mind raced. She sprinted to the Mini and took off for Roche while silently praying that her hunch was, in fact, true.

  Roland Soros wasn’t the last of his kind after all.

  34.

  M other Mary Ophelia didn’t appear too surprised when Adele came right out and asked her if Roland was her grandchild. Instead, she merely stiffened slightly, closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then motioned for Adele to follow her as she walked away from the convent.

  “This is my business not the church’s.”

  It was the same path to the lookout Roland had taken Adele on. The early afternoon air was warm and the sky clear. The old nun moved through the tall grass quickly. When she reached the lookout, she stopped, turned around, and stared at Adele until Adele looked down.

  “How long have you suspected?” Ophelia asked.

  “Not long,” Adele answered. “So, it’s true?”

  “Yes, it’s true. I’m Roland’s grandmother. His father Jack was my son.”

  “But you’re a nun. I didn’t think that having children was allowed.”

  Ophelia’s lips pressed tightly together. “I’m also a woman. At the time it happened I was young like you and Charles Soros was, well, a very remarkable and charismatic older man. We were infatuated with each other. It happened. I don’t regret a single moment of that time and I certainly don’t regret bringing Jack into the world.”

  “The church didn’t excommunicate you?”

  “My superiors didn’t know about my condition. We’re largely on our own out here. I took a leave of absence and had my child in secret. Charles promised to take care of it all and he did. I gave birth on Orcas Island.”