A Touch of Gold

by Joyce Lavene; Jim Lavene

  Gramps gave us all a look—so far so good. He started into the room, and the rest of us followed, with Celia and Vicky bringing up the rear.

  “You brought flowers!” Agnes exclaimed. “How nice. And Dae, you’re here too. And that nice man from the Blue Whale. It’s wonderful to see all of you.”

  When we were in the room and the door was closed, I felt a twinge of frustration. This wasn’t the way I’d planned it. I wanted to speak to Agnes alone about the gold coin she’d given me.

  “How are you feeling?” Gramps made small talk with her.

  She frowned at her daughters, who were cowering in one corner. “You brought them back in with you? How could you?”

  Neither girl spoke, but Gramps patted Agnes’s bandaged hand where it rested on the bed. “Now, you know these girls want what’s best for you. I don’t know what the feud’s about, but this isn’t a good time to be fighting over anything.”

  “Easy for you to say.” She sniffed. “You’re not a prisoner in this death trap they call a hospital.”

  “I hear you might be going home,” Gramps said. “I think that’s some good news. Celia and Vicky were worried about you. You gave us all a fright.”

  “And I’d be dead if it wasn’t for him.” She pointed at Kevin. “How can I ever repay you for what you did for me? I thought my time was up when I was on the roof.”

  Kevin shrugged. “No thanks necessary. We were doing our job, Mrs. Caudle.”

  “Thank heaven!” Celia called out, then put her hands over her mouth. “Sorry, Mom.”

  Despite this touching family tableau, I was wondering if there was any possibility that all of them would leave so I could get on with talking to Agnes.

  I know it was a little cold—my only excuse was the pressure I felt from the information I’d seen when I touched the gold coin. It made me nervous and a little irritable. Not my usual cheerful self. And I realized it was my own fault—if I’d considered the problem sooner, I would’ve come alone.

  Gramps brought Celia and Vicky to Agnes’s bedside, where they all hugged. Kevin joined me near the window where I was skulking. “Are you going to ask about the gold?” he whispered.

  I glanced around like a nervous cat in a new home. “I can’t. Not with everyone here. I need a few minutes alone with her.”

  “Maybe I can help with that.”

  I didn’t have a chance to ask how before he wandered close to the bed again. What could he possibly say or do that would make everyone leave?

  “Is there anywhere around here to get a good cup of coffee?” he asked Celia. He smiled at her—I can’t describe it, but if he’d given me that smile and asked me to go out and find a whale for him to ride, I would’ve tried to do it.

  “Sure.” Celia giggled a little. “I’d be glad to.”

  “I went to get the coffee this morning,” Vicky reminded her. “I think I could show him better than you.”

  “For heaven’s sake,” Agnes intervened, “why don’t you both take him to get some coffee—my treat.”

  I was amazed that both the girls were willing and eager to go with Kevin. He held out an arm to each of them. They giggled again and latched on to him like fish on a hook. Gramps seemed to catch on right away and suggested that he’d like coffee too. It made me feel guilty that I hadn’t told him about the gold coin Agnes had given me.

  I needed to have a talk with him later about everything that had happened so we were back on an even keel with each other. I didn’t like things this way. I enjoyed having Kevin to talk to—but he wasn’t Gramps.

  Kevin looked at me as he walked out with the girls, his gaze shifting to Agnes. I nodded. I wondered if he could teach me to smile that way. It could certainly come in handy. Did they teach that in the FBI, or was that something he’d learned on his own?

  The door closed behind them, and without waiting for me to speak, Agnes said, “Okay, Dae. You can ask me what you need to now. I know why you’re here.”

  “I didn’t know if you remembered.” I stood beside her bed, and she touched my hand.

  “Of course I remember. I was in a fire. I’m not senile!”

  She smiled and her eyes welled with tears. “I wish you could hold my hands and tell me where to find everything I lost. Maybe I could get it all back.”

  I squeezed her unbandaged hand a little. “I wish I could do that too, Agnes. I lie awake at night and wonder if there was something I could’ve done to stop what happened to Max. I’m so sorry about everything.”

  “I know you are. You’ve always been a good friend. Max thought the world of you. Remember that time you helped him find the old compass he’d lost? He was so amazed at what you could do.” She studied my face for a few seconds. “That’s why I told you about the gold.”

  “What did you mean about it causing all of your problems?”

  She pleated the pale green sheet between her fingers and looked away. “Three years ago—when I had to have that open-heart surgery—do you remember?”

  I nodded. “Of course. I helped keep the bakery open while you were in the hospital. Max wouldn’t let me help him at the museum, but he said I could sell cookies.”

  She laughed a little at the memory. “He always took great pride in that little museum. I know you know it was his life. Not that he didn’t love me and the girls—but the museum was his heart.”

  I agreed silently, not trusting myself to speak without crying.

  “We didn’t have the money for the surgery, Dae. We sure didn’t have insurance. I had resigned myself to dying—and I was all right with it. I felt like Max and I had made our choices. It was too late to get all maudlin about it. Max felt differently.”

  “Then you found this gold?” I laid the coin on the bed beside her.

  “Not found.” She stared at it. “Max got it from someone. There was a whole chest of it. I’m not sure who gave it to him. He never told me. I thought it was a godsend, and I agreed to have the surgery. But I was wrong. It was a curse.”

  “How so?”

  “Max changed. He started going out at odd hours of the night—no explanation. At first I thought it was another woman. I don’t expect you to understand, Dae, but when a man and woman go through something like one of them being very ill, it can take a toll on the relationship. That made sense to me. I decided to follow him and confront him with my knowledge. I wanted to make things right.”

  “But it wasn’t another woman?”

  “No. It was a man.” She smiled, tears in her eyes. “Not that way either! It was a fisherman—ordinary looking, ratty clothes. Max met him at one of the local bars. He took Max out on his boat, and they didn’t get back until after two A.M.”

  “What did he say when you confronted him?”

  “I’ll never forget the way he looked or how he reacted. He got real quiet—like he was scared that I knew about it. He made me promise never to say anything to anyone unless I wanted him to die. He said we’d be taken care of as long as he kept quiet.”

  I was completely mystified by her story. “Are you saying that you think the person who gave Max the gold blew up the museum?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t say anything. I was too afraid. I’m sorry, Dae. I thought he might come after me. I was worried about the girls too. Then I found out yesterday when he set my house on fire that it didn’t matter if I kept quiet. He wanted me dead too.”

  I thought about the older man I’d seen in my vision after touching the coin she gave me. The man I’d seen was too frail to go around blowing up buildings and setting houses on fire. Maybe someone who worked for him had done the dirty work. “You keep referring to a man. Do you know for sure that it’s a man?”

  “Max always referred to him as a man. I guess that’s why I do it. I don’t know what happened with Max. I can’t believe he’d tell anyone the secret he was keeping. He certainly never told me. He was so terrified of what would happen. The only thing I can think is that he somehow gave it away without realizing it.” She stopped and
put her bandaged hand to her face. “I don’t know what to do now. I’ll have to leave Duck. I’d be glad to give back the rest of the gold if he’d leave me alone.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I comforted her as best I could in the situation. She didn’t want to tell her daughters for fear one of them might unknowingly give it away. She couldn’t tell the police without fear of further reprisal.

  What was the secret that Max had died for? What could be that important? And was Sam Meacham somehow involved in all of it? Maybe he’d died for his knowledge of whatever it was.

  Later, when the girls came back with Kevin and Gramps, the doctor was right behind, shooing all of us out of the room. He seemed hopeful that Agnes would be released later today, but I wasn’t sure that was such a great idea. They could all be on a hit list.

  “I’m sure she’s upset,” Gramps said while we waited in the truck for Kevin to fill the gas tank at a busy station. “But that’s not the same as someone trying to kill her, Dae. People get paranoid sometimes when scary things happen. They even make up stories to protect themselves.”

  “You think Agnes made up all of this?” I took the gold coin from my pocket. “This is real, Gramps. She got this from someone. Whoever set her house on fire could be ready to do something else if she comes home.”

  “She can stay with me,” Kevin said as he got back in the truck. “She’ll be safe that way.”

  I wasn’t sure about that. “What if that person finds out she’s at the Blue Whale? And let’s face it—the chances are pretty good. You’ll all be in danger.”

  “Possibly.” He headed back out into traffic. “But I have two things going for me that she doesn’t—an extremely good security system and experience protecting people in trouble. I think I can handle it.”

  What could I say? It still didn’t sound like a good idea to me, but I couldn’t say so without casting doubts on his abilities. “What about the man I saw in my vision? He has to be involved. It was his gold. He gave it to Max. Maybe we can find him and rough him up a little until he agrees to leave them alone.”

  “I like that idea,” Kevin said, “but how do we look for him? It sounds like you’d either have to hold hands with every fisherman in the area or touch every fishing boat. Are you up for that?”

  “I don’t like that idea.” Gramps frowned at him. “You know interfering in a police investigation can be dangerous—not to mention illegal.”

  “It’s not a police investigation yet,” I countered. “Chief Michaels doesn’t know about any of it.”

  “A good reason to tell him as soon as possible. You know I’m right, Kevin. Back me up on this.”

  “I know.” Kevin grinned. “But it’s contagious.”

  “What?” I asked, not liking the look on his face.

  “Playing private detective. Maybe I should find out about getting a license.” He sobered when he looked at me. “Your grandfather is right, Dae. We should tell the chief about all of this and let him take care of it.”

  I ignored both of them, annoyed with their verdict. “I guess I don’t have much choice. But if Chief Michaels feels like the case is closed with Sam’s death, will you help?”

  “We’ll see,” Gramps promised in the same tone he’d always used to put off doing things he didn’t want to do.

  We got back to Duck finally, and Kevin dropped us both off at the Duck Shoppe’s parking lot. I promised to let him know what Chief Michaels said when I could get in touch with him.

  “I’d like a promise that you won’t try to do any of this without me,” he added.

  “I’d like snow for Christmas this year,” I joked, “but we don’t always get what we want.”

  “Then I’m headed over to the sheriff’s office before I go back for that delivery of wineglasses at the Blue Whale.”

  “No! Okay. I won’t do anything even if I happen to touch the right fisherman or boat. I’ll call you first.”

  Fortunately, Gramps had already gone on to meet his friend at the Coffee House so he didn’t hear the conversation. I would never have heard the end of it if he had. Kevin took me at my word, and he kissed me before he left.

  I went up the stairs to the boardwalk, trying to get back to more mundane things—like wondering if Trudy had made any sales this morning. There was an enclosed area that formed an open-ended walkway between town hall and several other shops. Visitors had to pass through there before reaching the boardwalk that faces the sound and leads to the other stores. It’s always a little dark here—even during the day. Sometimes teenagers hang out here at night, and store employees take advantage of the spot to smoke.

  I was walking through the area when someone called my name, interrupting my thoughts and making me jump.

  Brad Spitzer stepped out of the shadows. “Mayor O’Donnell? I have a few questions for you.”

  Chapter 14

  “Sorry. Did I scare you?” Brad asked when he saw me jump.

  “That’s okay.” I forced a smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone. What did you want to ask me?”

  “Mind if I walk a little with you?”

  “No, of course not—I’m only going to my shop.”

  “That’s fine. It won’t take long.”

  I started walking again, and he fell in step with me as we emerged into the watery sunlight that filtered between the fast moving clouds over the sound.

  “Mayor, have you spoken with Agnes Caudle about the fire?”

  I felt a little nervous, so my words were carefully chosen. “Yes. I got back from the hospital a few minutes ago. Agnes is doing okay. They might release her today.”

  “Good news! Does she recall anything about the fire—anything unusual?”

  “We didn’t get into that. I’m sure she’d be glad to talk to you.”

  “Maybe. People share things with friends and neighbors—things they won’t tell the authorities.” He paused and leaned against the railing, looking out over the water. “Mrs. Caudle’s house fire could’ve been a deliberate attempt to kill her. My report will state that a mixture of gas and oil—the same type you might use in a lawn mower or a chainsaw—was used as an accelerant.”

  I didn’t know what to say. It was unusual for someone in Brad’s position to give out information like this—unless there was a reason. “At least there was no cannon this time.”

  I was sorry as soon as I’d said it. It sounded flip and uncaring. I didn’t mean for it to, but that’s the way it came out.

  He straightened up and looked directly into my face. “True. The source isn’t as strange. Do you have any idea who might want to hurt both Max and Agnes Caudle?”

  “No! Everyone loves both of them. I can’t imagine who’d want to do this.”

  “Sometimes people have a hard time expressing a problem. Mayor O’Donnell, I have to ask—did you have a problem with the Caudles?”

  I knew something was up. I hadn’t expected him to question me about what happened, but now I understood why he was here. “Are you suggesting I had something to do with either incident?”

  Brad shook his head and smiled a little, like he was trying to throw me off. “No, ma’am. But it seems mighty strange to me that you were at the museum when it blew up. You were at the house during the fire. I might even consider it odd that you were at one of the last places Sam Meacham was seen alive.”

  I lost my mayor’s smile and glared at him. “I haven’t killed anyone recently, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “You know, we thought everything was tied up with this feud between Max and Sam. But that’s off the books now. We know it was someone else.”

  “Mind telling me why?” The wind blew my hair into my face. I scraped it aside with angry, trembling fingers. Was he really thinking I had killed two people?

  “Sure. This is still confidential information, mind you. Mr. Meacham was dead long before the house fire, according to the medical examiner’s office in Manteo. Even if he was responsible for the first event, he wasn’t t
here for the second.”

  “I can’t deny that I was nearby when the explosion and the house fire occured, or that I found Sam Meacham’s Segway,” I responded. “But I have no motive for hurting anyone.”

  “Although you did have opportunity.”

  I was a little scared and very angry at the same time. I could continue to defend myself to him, but what was the point? If he planned on getting a confession from me, he was going to be disappointed. He would have to continue his investigation to find out anything else. “I won’t talk about this with you any further.”

  “You certainly have that right. Maybe you should consider talking with your grandfather. I understand he was an excellent sheriff. He might be able to give you some guidance. Otherwise, you might need an attorney.”

  “This is a stupid waste of time and energy, Mr. Spitzer. The real killer is out there somewhere. My only crime might be that I tend to be in the wrong places at the wrong time.”

  “I’ve also heard that you like to investigate a little here and there.”

  “I don’t think that makes me a killer.”

  He took a card out of his wallet. I hoped he didn’t notice that my hands were shaking when he handed it to me. “This is my cell number. If you need to talk, I might be able to help you with the DA. Cooperation goes a long way in my book. You help me and I’ll help you. Thanks for talking with me, Mayor.”

  I didn’t—couldn’t reply. As I walked quickly away from him, my phone started ringing. It was Nancy. She was at town hall and had news about Adelaide, the woman whose dress had floored me when I touched it at the Blue Whale.

  “I looked up anyone named Adelaide who’d drowned in recent history,” she told me when I got there. “There was a woman in February 1955—Valentine’s Day. They found her washed up on the Atlantic side only a few miles down from the Blue Whale.”

  “What was her whole name?” I took out my notebook.

  “Adelaide Reynolds, twenty years old. She was married and had a young daughter.”

  “Reynolds.” I mulled the name over. “Could she be related to Floyd Reynolds, Agnes Caudle’s father?”