by Kathi Daley
I went on to explain that residents of the high-security unit did at times manage to sneak away, and given Savage’s father’s condition, he might not have even known what he’d done. Kyle agreed that this theory would explain why Savage was covering up the murder. When I then told him I’d confronted Savage the previous evening and found out that I’d only been partially correct and it was actually Garrett’s father I now suspected of killing Buck, he was as shocked as I had been.
“Wow. That’s some story.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe it when Savage explained it to me. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unanswered questions, due in part to the fact that almost everyone in the know is either dead or suffering from dementia.”
“Okay, so if Buck is dead and Max is basically an invalid, who plowed you down last night?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. It’s totally possible Buck had an accomplice; we just aren’t sure who it could be. Initially I assumed that if he had an accomplice it wouldn’t be a local because the locals knew Buck well enough not to get pulled in his schemes. But what if he managed to convince someone that the man who had last been seen with the map had returned to the island and with a little help he thought he could get him to give it up? Couldn’t that be enough to get someone to take a few hours out of their day to find out if Buck was really on to something?”
Kyle took a sip of his coffee. “I guess that makes sense. He did manage to get Adam Joyner to take leave from his job to help him. You don’t think the man you saw was Adam?”
“No. He had the wrong build.”
“What did you recognize about the man? Heavy? Thin? Tall? Short? Anything?”
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” I assured Kyle. “It all happened so fast that I didn’t have time to think then, but I’m pretty sure now that my attacker was a male of average height and weight. I know that doesn’t narrow things down at all. Savage said the paneling on the back wall of the attic was pulled away, so the person knew exactly where to go to look for the map. If they’d found the map the night Buck died, why not take it then? Cuervo found the flaw in the paneling which led me to find the map, and it was obvious it had been tampered with. It seems as if someone found the map, put it back, and then went back for it last night. The problem with that theory is that it makes no sense from a time management standpoint.”
“It really doesn’t. Even if he didn’t take the map with him for some reason on the night Buck died, he had plenty of opportunities to go back for it before we arrived. It makes no sense to wait until there was a house full of people.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I leaned my head back and listened to the sound of the waves. Kyle was right. The person who’d barreled into me last night must have just found out about the map, but how was that even possible? Buck Barnes was dead and Max was safely tucked away in the senior home. Only people who were authorized to do so had been able to speak to him since he’d been returned after he managed to wander away.
“More coffee?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah, thanks.”
Echo put his head in my lap as I continued to listen to the waves. I was so incredibly tired. I knew that between the slight headache that lingered and the fact that I’d gotten little to no sleep the previous night, I was going to have a hard time getting through the tasks I’d assigned myself for the day. Not that I had anything all that urgent to attend to. One of the nice things about living on Gull Island for the summer was that my list of responsibilities had decreased enormously. If I were home at Paradise Lake, I’d most likely spend the day helping out at the resort and planning the big Fourth of July blowout we held each year.
“Yo ho, me hearties.”
I opened my eyes.
“Blackbeard?”
“He was awake when I went in for the coffee, so I brought him out.” Kyle had tied him to a perch that had been set up on the deck for just that purpose.
I smiled. It was sweet the way Kyle doted on the bird. “Good morning to you as well, Blackbeard. I hope you slept well. I’m surprised we didn’t wake you with all the commotion.”
“Grog and wenches, grog and wenches.”
Kyle laughed. “Where did you learn that?”
“That’s what I asked him last night. I suppose he could have picked it up from a movie or maybe the person who owned him before Garrett. Garrett doesn’t seem like a grog-and-wenches type of guy.”
“This is the first parrot I’ve ever really had any exposure to, but he seems really smart.”
“Yeah. I mean, the whole ‘Charlie bad’ thing turned out to be really true. I wonder what other clues are buried in his little mind.” I turned and looked at Blackbeard. “Did you see who was in the attic the day Buck died?”
“Charlie bad, Charlie bad.”
“Did you see who was in the house last night?” Kyle added.
“Grog and wenches, grog and wenches.”
“I wonder if that’s a clue,” I commented to Kyle. “Maybe I should call Garrett to see if he knows what it means.”
“Good idea. It’s a little early yet, but maybe in a couple of hours.”
Kyle made a wonderful breakfast for the entire clan, and then I went upstairs to call Garrett. I felt like we were getting close to something; I just didn’t know what. Maybe Garrett had some insight he wasn’t even aware of.
“Morning, darlin’. How are things on Gull Island?”
“Things are good. It’s a beautiful day, although I think it might be cooler than it has been. Before I forget, I wanted to congratulate you on your very persuasive performance on Thursday. I haven’t spoken to a lot of people yet, but the ones I have chatted with seem to think Norton will roll up his blueprints and go away.”
“Glad to hear it. I’m not really in a position to deal with a big legal battle.”
“I assume you want to continue with the renovations?”
“I do. Jack sent over his drawings.”
“And…?”
“And although they’re very well thought out, I would still prefer to sell to a single owner who will run the place as a small family resort.”
“Did you tell him that?” I asked.
“Not yet, but I will.” I could hear depression mixed with resignation in Garrett’s voice. “In the meantime, don’t say anything. I don’t want to leave him with the impression I came to a decision without giving his idea fair consideration.”
“I won’t say a thing,” I promised. I had two practices next week with Jack for the softball tournament, so I just hoped it wouldn’t come up. I was a pretty lousy liar; if put in the position in which even a white lie was necessary, I’d usually fidget and hem and haw. A dead giveaway, or so those who knew me well had assured me.
“How’s Blackbeard doing?”
“Really well. He has a new saying I’m curious about: ‘grog and wenches.’ He’s repeated it several times.”
Garrett laughed. “I take Blackbeard to Sully’s with me sometimes. Frank always has a treat for him and the locals get a kick out of him, so he loves to go. When we first pull up to the bar he always says ‘grog and wenches.’ I’m not sure how that started, but everyone gets a laugh out of it.”
The bar. Now that I thought about it, it did seem as if my attacker last night had had the stench of beer on him. Could it have been someone who had been in the bar prior to coming out to the house? If so, maybe whoever was tending bar would know which of their patrons had spilled beer on himself the previous evening.
“I must say, Blackbeard is the smartest bird I’ve ever seen.”
“He is. Did you know he was the one who called for help when I had my stroke?”
Garrett has an old corded phone in the kitchen. “He can dial a phone?”
“No, but he can knock the handset off the receiver and peck at my speed-dial buttons. He ha
ppened to call Rick, although even I don’t think that was intentional. When Rick answered, he said, ‘Man overboard,’ and Rick came running.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It really is. Blackbeard is a special bird. I’m glad he’s at home and you’re willing to take care of him. It means a lot.”
“I’m more than happy to do it. He’s really something special and everyone is having a wonderful time with him, with the exception of my cat Cuervo, who isn’t fond of him in the least. Are things going well with your therapy?”
“It’s going okay, but I have to admit that even though the circumstances weren’t ideal, seeing everyone via video feed the other night has made me even more homesick than I was. This damn stroke has really made a mess of things.”
“I’m so sorry. I know this must be hard on you.”
“I hate to complain, but it really has. Not only do I miss Blackbeard and all my friends, but I haven’t been outside of this darn center in days. After a while it gets pretty depressing.”
“Don’t they have nurses who’ll take you outside for some fresh air?”
“Sure, there are nurses who will take you out. In a wheelchair. I can walk just fine. I don’t need to be wheeled around in a chair. Damn nurses want to coddle me like I’m a babe in swaddling.”
“You did have a major stroke,” I reminded him.
“No need to remind me. My body does that every day.”
I wanted to say something comforting, but the reality was that Garrett was going through a major life change that would most likely leave him with permanent disabilities for the remainder of his life. It must be a very hard reality to come to grips with.
“Have you thought about transferring to the Gull Island Senior Home? It seems like you could get the care you need and be near the people you care about.”
“I may be an invalid, but I’m not a senior. I just turned fifty-eight on my last birthday.”
“Do they have an age requirement?”
“No. Not really. Colin called me early on and we chatted about it. At the time, I told him I wasn’t a fan of the idea because I’d be the youngest one in the whole place, but he said there were advantages to being close to folks I know. Guess he might have a point, but I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I may never be able to live on my own again.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through and I’m certainly not suggesting I’m in a position to offer you advice, but I’m sure your friends would welcome the opportunity to spend time with you, and I’d be willing to bet that not one of them would think any less of you for being in a wheelchair.”
Garrett didn’t answer right away, but it seemed as if he might be considering the situation. When he did reply, he changed the subject, leading me to believe he needed more time to consider his options.
“I need you to make sure that Jack knows that the cabins closest to the turtle eggs aren’t to be touched until after hatching season. We don’t want to disturb the little darlings.”
“I’ll tell him, and I know Digger has been keeping an eye on the nests and I will as well. The turtles are in good hands.”
“Thank you, darlin’. It looks like it’s time for my therapy. Let’s talk again soon. It helps pass the time to listen to your cheerful voice.”
I didn’t feel like the conversations I’d had with Garrett to date had been particularly cheerful in nature, but if he found comfort in them, I’d make a point to call him every day.
Chapter 19
After I finished speaking to Garrett I headed into town. He’d said Blackbeard referred to Sully’s as “grog and wenches,” and so far the bird had been spot on, so I figured it was worth it to talk to Sully. I doubted the bar would be open that early, but perhaps Sully would be around and would know who might have taken a beer bath the previous evening. Luckily for me, there was a delivery truck unloading supplies through the alley entrance, so I let myself in to the bar through a back door. The only person there, however, was Frank, who was speaking with the delivery guy and hadn’t seen me come in. I waited while he completed his conversation.
“It’s been real nice working with you,” the delivery driver said. “I’m sorry to see you go.”
“I never intended to work here for more than the few months it would take to earn bus fare west, but things happen, if you know what I mean. Guess it turned out okay though; I was here long enough to buy an old car to get around in, so no more buses for me.”
“I’m not a fan of the bus myself. Hopefully your new ride will get you to where you want to go. What direction you heading?”
“West. Don’t even have much of a destination in mind, just as long as it isn’t here. Can’t say I’ll miss the place. Hanging out with drunks all day gets old real fast. Worked the day shift yesterday and some guy was so smashed by five o’clock that he dumped his entire glass of beer on me. Luckily, I had a fresh shirt to put on.”
Frank? No. He was such a nice guy, although he was sounding a bit less than nice at the moment. He had admitted to knowing Buck. Could they have teamed up?
“Well, good luck with your venture.” The delivery driver set the invoice on the counter and reclined his hand truck in preparation to depart. “I’m sure Sully will miss you.”
“He’ll survive.”
After the deliveryman had gone I debated whether to continue on inside to speak to Frank or sneak out and regroup. I was leaning toward leaving and returning later when Frank’s phone rang.
“Yeah?” Frank walked over to the bar with his phone to his ear, poured a shot of whiskey, and downed it. “No, I didn’t get it. A whole month of kissing up to the old guy and when I finally got him to talk, he sent me on a wild goose chase. I’m beginning to think Buck’s treasure really was the myth everyone said it was. Talk about a waste of time. Guess I’m headin’ out today. Managed to buy myself a car, so the traveling will be a lot faster than expected. It’s a junker, but it runs.”
I watched as Frank poured himself yet another shot.
“No. The deputy hasn’t figured out that I was the one who hit the guy, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time, which is why I’m heading out while I still can. I’ll call you when I get there.”
Frank had killed Buck? I was trying to make sense of what I’d heard when I decided it was time for me to go. Unfortunately, I tripped over a discarded beer bottle, alerting Frank to my presence.
“Who’s there?” Frank called after he downed the second shot.
I stood perfectly still. I could feel my heart pounding as I waited for Frank to find me or not.
He did.
“What are you doing here?”
“Just saw the door open and stopped by to say hi, which I’ve done, so see ya.”
“Hang on a minute. How long have you been standing here?”
I tried for a light and airy tone, but I suspected the panic I felt was evident in my voice. “Not long. I just got here. Really. So like I said, I’ll be going.”
Frank grabbed my arm. “What’s your hurry? You wanted to pay me a visit, so let’s visit. Want a drink?”
“No thanks. I really have to go.”
“Sorry, dear, but you ain’t going anywhere. I’m not sure if you heard anything, but I can’t take that chance.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Of course not. I’m just going to lock you in the walk-in refrigerator. Don’t worry. It’s cold but not freezing. Sully will be by in a bit to open up for the afternoon and will let you out, but I’ll be long gone by then.”
“Wait.”
Frank paused.
I realized I needed to stall. I wasn’t sure what time Sully would be in, but I did know the less time in the refrigerator the better. “Maybe I will take that drink.”
“Too late, sweetheart. Now move it.”
“Why are you doing this?” I tried to free myself of his grasp while he pulled me toward the kitchen.
“Like I said, I need time to get off the island, and I suspect your little visit may have to do with more than just a friendly stop-in. I wondered if you recognized me last night. I thought not, but I can see I was wrong.”
Frank opened the door to the cooler.
“Can you at least tell me what you were doing in the attic?”
“I was looking for the map. I figured you knew that.”
“I did. Sort of. What I don’t know is how you knew where to look. Did Max find it on the night you killed Buck and you waited to retrieve it for some reason?”
“No, Max didn’t find it. And now I know there was nothing to find. I checked last night and the hiding spot was totally empty. I should have known Buck was full of baloney. Now get in there.”
Frank shoved me inside. It didn’t seem that cold. Yet. I knew that would change.
“The least you can do is tell me how you got hooked up with Buck.”
“Now why should I do that?”
I didn’t have an answer for him, but I still felt motivated to stall. I really didn’t want him to close that door. “Please? If I’m going to die in here, you may as well assuage my curiosity.”
Frank tossed me a sweater. “You aren’t going to die. Sully will be here in an hour. But for reasons even I can’t explain, I like you, so I’ll tell you. Like I said when we met, Buck and I were friends. I took this job intending only to stay for a few months, but near the end Buck and I were chatting while he was helping clean up and he saw some guy come into the bar and went berserk. When I asked him about it, he said the man who’d just come in was a ghost. The guy didn’t look dead to me, but I played along and asked him whose ghost we were looking at. He said Max Hanford. He went on to tell me about the treasure map the man supposedly had, and that he’d died while looking for the treasure. Max only stayed for one drink and then left, but Buck and I devised a plan to track him down and make him tell us where the treasure was. Problem was, the guy got arrested, and the next thing we knew he was checked into the old folks’ home.”