I leaned back after notating that entry, plus Jake’s and Evan’s comments about Sindia, the girl, and Sindia, the ship. I followed up with Pete Edling’s info. What bothered me was why Edling was sniffing around my rental property in the first place. I’d gone through the house looking for the slightest hint of what he might be after but came up zero. Now I understood exactly what he was after: that note.
But what made him think it was hidden at my house?
I had to get Sindi to give up that note.
I decided to invite her to lunch at my house, where I could feed her and also ply her with wine to loosen her lips. We wouldn’t be able to do that at a restaurant because Ocean City was a dry town, not even allowing, BYOB: bring your own bottle. No, I would have to cook lunch at my house to make that plan work.
So I arranged for Evan to talk her into joining me for lunch on my terrace in a more relaxed setting to ease her anxiety about me possibly getting involved in helping them with the threats regarding the note. She might be more open to another woman assisting, maybe let me see the actual note itself.
I had to at least give it a try to move ahead on what to do next in dealing with Edling. Without that note no progress would be made. Besides, what could possibly be in the note? The actual location of the treasure as Evan suggested? Both Evan and Jake were now convinced of that. For Edling to be making threats, they were probably right.
Surprisingly, Sindi agreed.
She showed up right on time. I guided her to the upper deck to a table set under the shade of an umbrella and poured her a glass of wine then checked the grill. “I’m so glad you decided to come for lunch. I hope you like grilled teriyaki salmon.”
Sindi inhaled the smoky flavor. “It smells scrumptious.”
After she drained her first glass while looking out at the ocean as I cooked, I set out salad. I then refilled her glass and sat down to join her.
“St. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with salmon.”
She abruptly giggled. “It’s excellent. I’m just not used to having wine this early in the day.” She took another sip.
After she set it down on the table, I topped off her glass.
“Can we talk, Sindi?”
“Go for it,” she said, with an open and trusting smile.
I reassessed all the aspects explaining her behavior and suddenly felt guilty for plying her with wine. The best route was honesty. So I changed tactics. “I know about the note.”
A moment of silence hovered. I braced for hysterics.
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, looking me straight in the eye. “I need your help, Samantha.”
I blew out a breath, relieved. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“I figured as much when you invited me here today.”
“You did?” Maybe she wasn’t as naïve as Evan thought.
“I’ve read your mysteries. This lunch has a purpose.”
“And you guessed Jake and Evan know why.”
“Exactly, but please don’t tell them that. They think I’m a weakling about to crack up. I was merely stalling them as long as I could until I deciphered that note, but I can’t.”
“You mean the one your parents mailed you?”
“I was hoping you’d help, but would never admit this to Jake and Evan, who are obsessed with protecting me.”
“So why the pretense on your part?” I asked.
“Like I said, I was stalling with any tactic I could think of, hoping I could figure out the coordinates myself.”
“The coordinates?”
“At least that’s what I think they are,” she said.
“Decipher? Coordinates? Clarify, please.”
Sindi leaned in. “Trust me, their note is very cryptic.”
“How so?” I asked.
“They used odd phrases instructing me where it is.”
“Where what is?” I asked.
“That’s just it. They didn’t say, just that it’s hidden.”
“Where?” I asked, leaning forward, fascinated.
“That’s where I’m stuck. I could really use your help.”
“Why are you willing to let me help you?” I asked.
“Because I now realize how foolish I was to believe this Pete guy would eventually give up and walk away.”
“I agree, I don’t think he’s going anywhere soon.”
“So will you help?”
“Meaning you, Evan, and Jake, right?”
“Yes. This accident tainted their diving reputations. My parents’ deaths weren’t accidental, but premeditated.”
“What makes you think that? How did they die?”
“Official word? They didn’t check their oxygen tanks before the dive. But they’d never let that happen. Their meters must’ve been tampered with, showing full, but weren’t.”
“Who would do that?” I asked, but then knew.
“Subcontracting for P. Edwards Salvage throughout the week, my parent’s weekends were theirs. Disturbing facts precluded their last dive that no one even questioned.”
“What was that?” I asked.
“My parents’ new car breaks down. Suspicious. Out of the blue, Edling pulls up. Too convenient. He had to be following them. He offers them a ride with their equipment and takes them to their boat. The whole thing smelled.”
“So what did you suspect happened after that?” I asked.
“Edling swaps identically rigged tanks at the dock.”
I remembered suspecting Edling deflated his own tire.
“Your skepticism makes sense. Too convenient,” I said.
“He must have overheard them earlier in the week talk about their dive the weekend before. I bet they mentioned their plan to send me a note explaining what they found. He followed, intending to eliminate them by making their last dive appear like an accident. Then he could keep what they found for himself. They must’ve reconsidered delaying sending their note, hence it was sent to me sooner rather than later.”
“That’s a lot of supposition on your part. Are you sure about this? How would he know where to find it?”
“Edling told Evan he knew of their written note being sent to me. What my parents never considered was that Edling would resort to switching their tanks in his trunk.”
“How did he find out it was already mailed to you?”
“Right after their fatal dive I returned home to find their desk and belongings rifled through. I guess that was when Edling figured out they must’ve already mailed it to me. He knew the note was out there, but not its contents.”
“What further convinced you he was responsible?”
“Knowing Evan would never let anything happen to his baby sister, Edling went straight to my brother. I overheard Evan tell Jake what Edling said at their last meeting. When my brother confronted me, I acted crazy, refusing to speak of the incident to protect us. I thought if Edling never got hold of my parents’ note that said where it was buried, he’d leave us alone.”
“Did Pete make threats to Evan about you in any way?”
“He said an unfortunate accident might happen to me if Evan didn’t hand over that note. He wanted what was hidden.”
I recapped the gist of it. “So, your parents, not trusting Edling, hid what they found then sent you the coordinates to find it yourself to safeguard it for them just in case.”
Sindi nodded. “Unfortunately, just in case happened.”
“Edling had to be livid it wasn’t with their belongings.”
A tear slid down Sindi’s cheek. “He was. And nothing was ever proven. My parents’ accident was chalked up to their negligence in checking their personal tanks. And since they subcontracted for Edwards Shipping during the week only, and this incident happened on their own time, and they also owned their own equipment, no liability could be claimed against P. Edwards Salvage for monetary damages.”
“So you are convinced Edling caused their death?”
“Yes! Edling tampered with their tan
ks, killing them!”
“But you have no concrete proof of that,” I said gently.
She shook her head, deflating with a sigh. “No proof, only Edling’s behavior that day and what he said to Evan.”
“Which he’ll never admit to,” I added.
Sindi pleaded desperately, “Can you help?”
I considered. “We have to figure out what, and then where it’s buried. But in order to do that, first we need your parents’ note, Sindi.”
Instead of more venting, Sindi surprised me. “I just love that cliché,” she said cunningly, her mouth tipping upward, like a Cheshire cat with a secret.
I had no idea where this was leading. “Which one?”
She reached into her bra and pulled out a folded paper.
“‘Never leave home without it’!”
I grinned broadly, laughing. “An apropos cliché.”
I couldn’t believe it had taken this long for that note to be revealed and read. But I was dealing with someone who was stubborn and hadn’t trusted anyone, including her brother and Jake because of the risks involved to them. I had to accept the timing of this. You can’t choose the when or where, but you can work with it when it’s finally handed to you.
Sindi had perceived a potential threat and had taken precautions.
Journal lessons learned?
Be aware for potential danger. It could lurk anywhere.
Chapter 44
Deciphering The Ambiguous
Sindi called Jake and Evan to join us to hear what the note said. We sat on the upper deck, hidden from anyone down below. Two more glasses of wine were filled. Sindi then opened the note and read its contents aloud.
Sindi,
Warning: he covets this golden opportunity
Overheard myth was true
Evil has no boundaries
Hastily buried east side of perimeter
Cobbled first in the pattern
Placed as corner stone
A brief respite to save it
Facing same direction as her bow
But at the stern, beneath the sand by hand
Potential target? Sindia
Saving her vital
Last resort? Yours to make...
No matter how many times Sindi read it, or we handed the note around to read separately, we couldn’t decipher it.
“Maybe Jake and I should walk the beach to see if there are any landmarks to go by relating to this note,” said Evan.
“How about this?” I suggested. “Let’s take a photo with our phones to keep for reference. Then if anyone of us comes up with a possible location we can notify the others for their feedback and pursue it further together.”
“Makes sense to me,” said Evan, warming to the idea.
“This is so frustrating,” said Sindi. “I thought for sure between the four of us, we’d come up with something.”
“Think of it this way,” I offered. “It’s a cryptic puzzle. Clearly, they were obscure about it in case it got into the wrong hands. What they didn’t count on: being overheard.”
“I agree,” said Jake. “Somehow they knew the odds of it ending up in someone else’s possession, but for now, it’s in our court to solve.”
“Edling clearly knew that note was the key,” said Evan.
“Now all he can do is sit back and wait,” said Jake.
“For one of us to come up with an answer,” I mused.
“I can’t bring our parents back from the dead. But I don’t want their deaths to be for nothing,” whispered Sindi.
No one contradicted her. We were too preoccupied with our own thoughts, as we silently parted company.
Would we actually find what was buried?
Where it was located?
Were we searching for the impossible?
Or...
Were some myths meant to linger forever?
Chapter 45
Now What?
I stepped out for a walk on the boardwalk after everyone departed. I needed to think. I kept reading my photo of that note from my phone to reread, but it still wasn’t resonating with me as far as making sense. Before I realized it, I was approaching the Sindia gazebo where Jake visited often. Maybe if I sat there, staring out at where the Sindia rested below the ocean surface, I might get some inspiration.
I frowned. A solitary occupant was already sitting there, looking out to the ocean. He turned, hearing my footsteps haltingly approach. It wasn’t Jake, reflecting with Charlotte, like I first suspected. It was Andy. His invalid wife, Carla, was in absentia. Someone else must be taking care of her. Which didn’t surprise me. Everyone needed a break from caregiving now and then.
I stopped several feet away noting a depressed frown instead of his usual smile. I considered excusing myself to let him be alone.
But he spoke, asking, “Do you believe in fate?”
“Years ago, no. Now? I suspect there’s some truth to it.”
“I’ve spent my whole life chasing dreams that weren’t meant to be, I guess. And now with Carla the way she is, it’s taken everything out of me, putting a permanent pause in the scheme of things. I spend my days taking care of her. The cruelest joke? I don’t think she even realizes I exist.”
My breath caught at Andy’s raw honesty. The poor man probably had no one to confide in. It was obvious his wife, Carla, didn’t grasp anything, even Andy, her own husband.
I wondered briefly why he was confiding in me, a complete stranger. But maybe that was why: I didn’t know him so wouldn’t judge him.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Maybe on some level...”
He cut me off. “At my age, a man becomes impatient.”
I didn’t get his point, so I simply asked, “For what?”
“I’m aging and don’t have time for dreams anymore.”
I stood there in silence, saddened by his forlorn outlook.
What happened to that glint in his eyes? It was gone.
I sat tentatively. He turned to the ocean. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”
He turned distressed eyes to me. “This all gets to me.”
It wasn’t my place to pry, so I sat there, waiting.
“You’re a patient one, aren’t you?” he asked, sharply scrutinizing me after noticing my silence.
I nodded. “Oh, I have my moments of pure impatience.”
He turned back to the ocean. “I’ve tried to be patient. I had no other choice. You know, Carla was once a vibrant woman. I met her long ago when I worked at a local boat yard. She caught my eye right off and I fell hard. She was the best scuba diver...”
His voice trailed off, his remaining thoughts left unsaid.
“A shared interest?” I asked, surprised with his segue.
“You could say that. But several years ago, she went too deep, surfaced too fast, and ended up the woman everyone sees sitting in that carriage. She just aged overnight. I don’t even recognize her sometimes. I have to try real hard to find her, to see the old Carla hidden behind that mask of indifference that blankly stares back at me day after day.”
“Oh, Andy, I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine...”
“I’ve put my life on hold taking care of her. But I still sit here looking out and dream what it could have been like.”
I took a chance, asking, “I guess you know of Sindia.”
“Which one?” he asked, turning back with interest.
I knew word travels fast among locals. He’d know about them both. “Either one will do for a starter.”
“Sindia, the girl, is a wretched case. It’s terrible how she and her brother lost their parents. But it’s too bad she’s still so bitter and angry, though. I lost that attitude long ago. You can’t change history. You live the life you’re given and make the best of it. You can’t rewrite it to suit your own purposes.”
His frankness caught me off guard. “You think so?”
“She’s chasing something that isn’t ther
e. I was too.”
He stood up abruptly. “Setbacks are merely hurdles you outmaneuver. Sindi hasn’t learned that yet.”
“What about...” But then I never got to finish.
He simply turned and walked away, not turning back.
I sat there then glanced to the ocean. It was calm, barely audible from where I sat and flat as a pancake, harmless-looking. But I knew better. It held secrets, painful ones.
Sindi hasn’t learned yet? Learned what?
Chapter 46
Go Back & Check Again
That evening, right after logging in my journal the unexpected visit with Andy in the gazebo, I set it aside and opened my computer. I figured I’d try to find out more about the Sindia disaster. I especially wanted to know exactly where it rested beneath the surface of the sea.
Within minutes I came to a site with picture postcards taken of the Sindia in various stages of sinking: while she could be seen above the surface, then sinking, then in a 1939 postcard with a sole mast starkly projecting upward from the beach with its crow’s nest dangling from the top.
The final one mesmerized me. It was the ghostly, dark shadowy shape of Sindia below the water surface reflected from an airplane overhead, looking directly down at the ocean and the sunken ship. You could see the length and breadth of her underwater. The ship literally went from 16th Street all the way to 17th Street. It took my breath away at the scope and size of the silhouette as seen from above.
It was an enormous cargo ship for that era.
Of interest to many, an obsession to others. How many countless hours and dollars were spent by individuals seeking treasure and fame from it? Had lives intertwined, or were they each pursuant to their own individual desires, lusting for those legendary riches rumored to be on board.
Was there a conspiracy sailing those seas all those decades ago? Was hidden cargo still locked in the holds of the ship? Was it true only a part of it was removed before the hull broke into pieces from the weight of the water and sand, joining forces against the unsuspecting captain and crew after that bitter winter storm?
With all the technology and science that was available today, they still hadn’t found a way to extricate the Sindia cargo buried over twenty feet below heavy sand and the violent forces of the unpredictable Atlantic. Was the Sindia destined to be entombed with all her secrets and legends?
Saving Sindia (Samantha Jamison Mystery Book 10) Page 11