by Kathi Daley
“It’d be fun to check it out,” I said to Kyle.
Kyle looked at Meg. “How long does it take to get there?”
“It depends on the speed of the boat you’re using to make the trip, but I’d say three to four hours. Most of the folks who visit the island do so in boats with cabins so they can anchor and spend the night before heading back. It’s worth the trip even if there isn’t any treasure there. The variety of birds alone makes it worth your time. And then, of course, there are the turtles, as well as an abundance of sea life.”
“It sounds wonderful,” I commented.
“Maybe this weekend?” Kyle looked at me. “If I can arrange for a boat rental.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“If you’re really interested, I have a friend who has a fleet of yachts he rents out. They aren’t anything elaborate, but I know they all have kitchens and spacious living areas. My college roommates and I rented one two summers ago, and it seemed like it could sleep eight. If the two of you are going alone he has smaller boats as well.”
“It might be fun to bring the girls. I don’t see Grandpa wanting to make that long a voyage—Doc either, for that matter.”
“If you have a number for your friend I’ll look into it,” Kyle said to Meg.
She jotted down a name and phone number. “Tell Drake I sent you. We go way back. In fact, I was married to him for a brief moment in time.”
“Married?”
“Long story.”
I wished I had time for that long story, but Kyle and I really needed to get over to the town hall so that everything would be ready in time for the meeting. We thanked Meg and promised to let her know how everything worked out.
The town hall was empty at that time of day, but I’d called Betty Sue Bell to explain what we wanted to do and she’d arranged to have someone let us in. The room where the meeting would be held was a multiuse space where rows of folding chairs facing toward a stage with a podium and six additional chairs already had been set up. I imagined the chairs could be removed to make way for banquet tables in the event that a meal of some sort would be served, and the podium could be stored if the stage was needed for a performance of some sort.
“This meeting has me feeling nervous,” I said to Kyle as he strung wire to hook up the large monitor we’d borrowed from the local library for the evening.
“It’s natural you might feel that way, but it seems to me Garrett is still in the driver’s seat. Norton seems to know what he’s doing and it does seem like he’s garnered quite a bit of support, but if you ask me, the idea of invoking eminent domain in this specific situation is probably no more than a threat.”
“Do you think he might have something else? A tool we aren’t aware of?”
“Like what?”
Kyle walked to the back of the room to check out the angle of the monitor.
“When I spoke to Toby yesterday he mentioned he’d seen Norton at the resort with Buck before he died. When I saw Norton earlier today I asked him about it and he declined to comment. I’ve been trying to figure out why he would have been at the resort with Buck in the first place. They don’t seem like they would have had enough in common to form an alliance of any kind. Then it occurred to me that perhaps Buck knew something that would help Norton and he decided to cash in on that knowledge.”
“You’re losing me. What could Buck possibly know that would be of value to Norton?”
“I don’t know exactly, but we know Buck was after the map and we know he believed Garrett had it, and we suspect he was in the attic looking for the map when he died. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if Buck had been in the attic looking for the map on an earlier occasion and in the course of searching for it he came across something else?”
“Something Norton might be interested in?”
“Exactly. I have no idea what; maybe he found a deed or some environmental reports, or even an old will or other document Norton felt he could use against Garrett. There are boxes and boxes of paperwork up there; it makes sense Buck would look through all those boxes for the map.”
“So Norton went to the resort with Buck to see what he had,” Kyle said.
“Exactly.”
Kyle didn’t seem convinced. I couldn’t really blame him—my theory was really nothing more than a random thought that had taken root the longer I considered the idea.
“Supposing that this scenario is true and Buck really did find something he thought Norton might want, we’ll need to figure out what that something is. It could be anything, really. Where would we even start?” Kyle asked.
I leaned against the podium. “I don’t know. Maybe the attic where we suspect Buck found the damning evidence in the first place?”
“If there ever was something valuable in the attic we have to assume Norton has it now, so it isn’t there anymore. Let’s just get through this meeting and take things from there.”
Chapter 14
By the time seven o’clock rolled around, the room in the town hall was completely packed. The mayor and the other town council members sat on the stage, while Greg Norton and another man in a suit I didn’t recognize sat in the first row facing them. Kyle was waiting on the stage near the monitor for the go ahead to dial Garrett in, while I stood off to the side near the door. Apparently Betty Sue had spoken to Garrett on the phone earlier to make him aware of the meeting procedure she would be asking everyone to adhere to.
“I see you made it,” I greeted Frank as he walked in.
“I always did love a fireworks show.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you may not be getting the fireworks you’re hoping for.”
“You aren’t going to give up without a fight?”
“Me? No.”
“Should be interesting.” Frank winked and took a seat.
“If we can all take a seat we’ll get started,” Betty Sue, who was dressed tonight in a sharp business suit, said into the microphone. As soon as everyone sat, she nodded at Kyle to make the connection. “Because tonight’s meeting concerns property owned by Garrett Hanford, we’ve decided he really should be here.” There was an audible gasp as Garrett’s face appeared on the screen. “Welcome, Garrett. Can you see us okay?”
“I sure can.”
I glanced at Norton, who was whispering something to the man sitting next to him. I smiled at the scowl on his face.
“Before we begin I’d like to go over the rules for tonight’s meeting,” Betty Sue continued. “I realize that the topic up for discussion tonight has all the ingredients to quickly escalate out of control, but I’m here to tell you that I am not going to let that happen.” Betty Sue paused and looked at the crowd, making eye contact with several individuals, including Norton and his guest. “We’re going to discuss the matter before us in a civilized manner. Mr. Norton will begin by outlining his plan, after which Garrett Hanford will have the opportunity to respond. Anyone from the audience who would like to comment will be given the opportunity to do so at the appropriate time. Anyone who speaks out of turn or is rude or combative will be removed from the room. Is everyone clear on this?”
Everyone nodded or murmured that they understood.
“Mr. Norton has the floor. Garrett, I’m going to ask that you refrain from responding until after he’s finished speaking.”
Greg Norton got up in front of the crowd armed with a slideshow, graphs, drawings, and charts. He’d certainly come prepared. I couldn’t help but notice the interest on a lot of faces as he showed us drawings of the proposed megaresort. It really looked like a beautiful setup, if you were into that sort of thing. After he got everyone’s interest with the drawings and photos he brought out charts that predicted the economic growth the island as a whole would achieve once the megaresort was opened. He emphasized the fact that the increase in the tax base would allow for upgrades to the isl
and’s infrastructure: roads, public buildings, community parks, and other common areas. I was forced to admit he’d really done his homework and his presentation was impressive.
When he was finished, the floor was turned over to Garrett. I watched as he seemed to study the faces of the people he called friends and neighbors before he began to speak. “Mr. Norton has put together an excellent presentation,” Garrett began. “He has provided some fascinating information and made some interesting promises. While I applaud his efforts, the fact of the matter is that while a megaresort, such as the one his company has proposed, may bring certain things to the island, including a stronger economic base, it will also take away from the island much of what makes Gull Island the sort of place where we’ve all chosen to live.”
Garrett continued to make eye contact with those seated in the front of the room. “We all know that an increase in tourism will drive away the wildlife. I don’t think that even needs to be stated. What you all may not have taken into consideration, however, is that a megaresort will change the very nature of our community.”
Garrett paused and looked around the room as he let that point sink in.
“I’ll return to the idea of the nature of our community in a moment, but first I’d like to address the negative impact that such a resort would have on local business. Mr. Norton talked about the influx of dollars to the local economy, but what he didn’t mention was the fact that most of those dollars would be spent at the resort and not at your businesses. How many of you have visited other resorts of the type proposed by Mr. Norton? Of those who have, how many of you have actually left the grounds of that all-inclusive resort from which you’d purchased a lodging and meal package to patronize other businesses in the area?” Garrett paused again for effect. “I’m sure those of you who have vacationed at such properties are realizing that you actually spent very little money outside of the package you’d already paid for.”
After another moment, Garrett continued. “And what of the need for employees for this resort? We already have something of a housing shortage. Where are the men and women Norton will need to hire going to live? And with such a large increase in the area’s population, how is our current infrastructure going to hold up? Will the additional tax dollars that are brought into the area provide a windfall, or will those dollars be sucked up providing upgrades to roads and utilities and other overloads to our current infrastructure that a resort of that size will create? Furthermore, is it not true that the island already deals with issues regarding water shortages? What do you think a large resort with hundreds of rooms, landscaping, pools, and restaurants will do to this already sensitive issue?”
I looked around the room as Garrett continued to speak. I’d pretty much assumed his plan was to simply state his refusal to sell and leave it at that, but I could see now that he’d taken the time to provide his friends and neighbors with a differing perspective from the one Norton had been presenting to them. Once he’d finished tearing down the plan Norton had presented, he began to present his own plan for the land and his vision for the future.
“Gull Island isn’t just a destination; it’s a way of life. It isn’t just a place to live, it’s a place to raise a family. The men and women from whom you buy your groceries and who fix your car when it breaks down aren’t strangers who share a zip code; they’re friends many of you have known your entire lives. Gull Island is a place where you can step back in time to an era where things were easier. It’s this small-town flavor that the visitors who return to us every year are looking for. The world is full of destination resorts, but there’s only one Gull Island. It’s with those visitors in mind that I want to renovate my resort so that we can continue to attract people with the desire to embrace that which is unique to our history, our culture, and our way of life. The movies on the beach, fireflies in the summer, and turtles nesting along our shore.”
As Garrett continued I noticed smiles on the faces of some neighbors who had come to fight. By the time the mayor opened the floor for comments from the audience it was apparent that Garrett had managed to steer the majority of the room to his way of thinking without having to resort to digging in his heels or challenging the desires of those he called friends. I wasn’t certain Norton would pack up and go away immediately, but by the end of the meeting I felt confident that Garrett’s plans for his resort would find a way to survive.
“Garrett really nailed it,” I said to Kyle after the meeting as we took down the equipment we’d installed a few hours earlier.
“Yeah, he really did. And he managed to keep his cool.”
“Do you think Norton will go away and find another community to pick on?”
Kyle paused as he wound up the electrical cord. “I’m not sure. All I can say for sure is that Garrett managed to suck the wind right out of his sails.”
“I’ll go as far as to say that if Buck did dig up something Norton could use in his fight to buy the resort he would have used it here tonight. If that theory didn’t hold water and Buck didn’t find anything, do you still think Norton could have killed Buck?”
“I honestly have no idea. Do we have any other suspects left?”
“Not many. Toby suggested I might want to consider Digger as a suspect. He didn’t seem like a killer when I spoke to him, but Toby told me Digger and Buck had a history of skirmishes that took place whenever Buck decided to dig for treasure too close to a turtle nest.”
“I’d be willing to buy that if Buck’s body had been found on or near the beach, but why would Digger be in the house?” Kyle and I exited the building and then began loading the equipment into the car.
“I thought of that as well. It doesn’t make sense that Digger would be in the attic.”
“Do you think we might have narrowed our suspect list too much by focusing on the map?” Kyle asked. “Could there be another reason Buck was in the attic?”
“You mean besides giving something to Norton?” I asked as we returned to the auditorium for the next load.
“Yeah. I’m not sure how we’ll be able to prove or disprove that unless Norton admits Buck gave him something or we find evidence that he has something that was known to be in the attic. Can you help me move this table back against the wall?”
Kyle and I picked up the table and returned it to its original location before I continued. “I guess the one thing everyone has said about Buck is that he befriended people easily. It also seems he managed to make some of his newer friends angry on a fairly regular basis. Both Toby and Gil had nothing but negative things to say about him. Toby did tell me Buck lost the map they’d bought together in a poker game. I suppose it’s possible Buck was in the attic looking for something to sell if he ended up losing to the wrong people. The attic didn’t seem to be a treasure trove of valuable items, but there are some antiques up there that could have value.”
“Okay, so if we assume Buck was in the attic to find something of value in general, does that open up our suspect pool?” Kyle asked as we gathered the next load.
“Not really,” I answered as we headed toward the car. “The problem is, we never met the man, so we really have no idea who he might have been hanging out with. Although…”
“Although?”
“Blackbeard seems to have a knack for communicating. He continues to repeat the words ‘Charlie bad.’ What if Blackbeard was in the attic when Buck was killed? Do you think the bird is smart enough to actually name Buck’s killer?”
Kyle frowned.
“I don’t know. The bird does seem to be smarter than average, but to actually identify a person by name? Have you ever heard him call anyone else by name?”
“He calls you Captain Kyle.”
“That’s true. But even if he recognized someone named Charlie in the house, the concept of bad versus not bad is pretty advanced for a bird.”
“Garrett told me the other day that Blackbeard seemed t
o understand it.”
“We need to ask around to see if there’s anyone named Charlie on the island who might have had reason to be with Buck on the night he died.”
“Exactly. We’ll ask Gertie, Meg, and a few others tomorrow. Garrett already said he didn’t know anyone named Charlie when I asked him about it after the first time Blackbeard said it.”
“Should we return this stuff tomorrow?” Kyle asked after we finished loading the car.
“Yeah, it’s late. We should probably head back to the resort.”
I climbed into the passenger seat while Kyle slid in behind the wheel. It was another beautiful night. The air was warm, the stars were bright, and there was a gentle breeze. Even in the middle of summer it was cool after dark at Paradise Lake. I missed my mountain home, but it was nice to mix it up a bit.
“You know, after everything Garrett said about home and hearth I find I’m a little homesick,” I commented as we drove.
“Yeah, I had the same feeling. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying my time here and am looking forward to the rest of the summer, but I think I’ll be ready to go home when the time comes.”
“At least you know where home is,” I grumbled. “I still haven’t made up my mind about where the girls and I should live once we get back to Paradise Lake.”
“I doubt your dad plans to kick you out.”
“He doesn’t. In fact, both he and Rosalie have said we’re more than welcome to stay indefinitely. But I have a feeling that when it comes to the needs of a newly engaged couple, more isn’t necessarily merrier. I’ve considered getting an apartment in town for the girls and me, but we have two dogs and three cats between us, so that may not be as easy as it sounds.”
“Come and live with me,” Kyle said. “I have plenty of room for you and the girls and the animals, and even Ben, if he wants.”
I looked at Kyle. “Yeah, you have room, but not enough where we won’t be in your way.”