The Ferryman (The Guardians Series 1 Book 2)

by Wendy Saunders

  He handed her the bouquet of flowers they’d bought for Charlotte and watched silently as she tucked them into a small copper urn which sat at the footplate of the headstone. Her expression was troubled as she lay her hand lightly on the headstone in a moment of silent contemplation. She turned towards Theo, who was waiting patiently.

  Satisfied the pup wasn’t going to start digging again, Theo dropped Beau back down to the ground and they headed off down the hill to the small cabin where a small wisp of smoke rose from its chimney.

  ‘Thought you’d be by,’ Jed smiled as he opened the door and stepped back allowing them to enter.

  ‘I’d like to ask you some questions if you don’t mind,’ Olivia replied as he shut the door behind them.

  ‘Figured you would,’ he nodded as he turned up the heat under the small tin kettle. ‘Would you like a hot drink? I got tea or coffee?’

  ‘Tea would be great thanks,’ Olivia answered.

  ‘Coffee,’ Theo spoke up as Jed turned to look at him.

  ‘Take a seat then you two, might as well be comfortable.’ He picked up a small bowl and filled it with water before setting it on the floor for Beau.

  Olivia unhooked Beau’s leash and settled herself into a hard wooden chair next to the small wood burning stove as Theo took a seat next to her.

  ‘So you found Miss Charlotte’s grave then?’

  ‘Yes I did,’ she replied, ‘and its strange that she has a white marble headstone with gold lettering and as for the inscription on it, well its seems like an odd thing for her father and her sister to have put.’

  ‘Well I don’t know as it was them.’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘That wasn’t her original headstone,’ he answered handing them a steaming mug each.

  ‘It wasn’t? Are you absolutely sure?’

  Jed turned to a low table covered in a blanket and tucked into the corner of the cabin. But when he pulled up the corner of the blanket it wasn’t a table at all but a small heavy looking safe. He opened it and pulled out a fairly large leather bound book. He limped over and placed the book on the table in front of them and began to leaf through the dry dusty pages.

  ‘Are you supposed to have that in here?’ Olivia asked in horror. ‘That should be locked up safe in the town archives; what if there’s a fire?’

  ‘Don’t you worry about these,’ he chuckled, ‘what the council don’t know won’t hurt them and besides the safe is fireproof.’

  Olivia shook her head in disapproval.

  ‘Here we go,’ Jed read aloud, ‘plot 347. Charlotte West, grey stone marker reading beloved sister and daughter, rest in peace.’

  ‘That’s not the one she has now.’

  ‘No,’ Jed agreed, ‘but there’s no record of it being changed. I’ve been here myself since 1974 and my predecessor was here from 1952. I asked him once about that particular grave and he couldn’t recall it being moved either. So sometime between ‘24 and ‘52 that marker was changed, but when and by who I couldn’t say.’

  ‘Do you know who planted the flowers?’

  He shook his head.

  ‘They’ve just always been there.’

  ‘It’s a bit odd that they bloom in winter though,’ Olivia persisted. ‘They’re poppies; they’re not supposed to flower in winter.’

  ‘That I can’t answer,’ he shrugged, ‘alls I can tell you is that they bloom all year round.’

  ‘That’s not possible.’

  ‘But it doesn’t stop it from being true,’ he took a sip from his mug and studied Olivia’s puzzled face. ‘You look like her you know.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Your Grandmama, Alice.

  ‘You knew her?’ Olivia asked softly.

  ‘Aye, knew her and your Granddaddy.’

  ‘She never spoke of him.’

  ‘No she wouldn’t, hurt her too much when she lost him but Sam Jones, he was a good man. Jonesy and I went way back, came up through school together and were both assigned to the same unit when we shipped out to Nam.’

  ‘That’s where he died wasn’t it?’

  ‘It was,’ Jed nodded. ‘Boy he sure did love Alice. Her and little Izzy was all he ever talked about and that when he shipped back home he was going to teach his little girl how to ride her bike. He adored them.’ Jed sighed deeply, ‘he didn’t deserve the way it went down.’

  ‘What did happen?’ Olivia asked curiously.

  ‘Shot, by a kid if you can believe that.’

  ‘A child?’

  ‘Yeah, barely more than a babe, nine years old and already a killer, Jonesy took four bullets before I could get to him. Died, right there in my arms, in the rice paddies of North Vietnam. Less than a week later our unit was caught in the crossfire…Napalm,’ he frowned, ‘last thing I remember was an explosion and a bright light. Next thing I know I’m being shipped out. Jonesy came home in a box and I came home minus a leg.’

  You lost a leg?’ Theo frowned staring down, obviously confused by the fact that the guy very clearly still had two legs.

  Jed smiled and lifted his pant leg to reveal his prosthetic limb.

  ‘It’s a false leg?’ Theo gasped, clearly fascinated, ‘what is it made from?’

  ‘Carbon fibre and covered with silicone,’ he told them, ‘it’s a hell of a lot more comfortable then the first one I had, but then again they’ve made a lot of advances in artificial limbs since Iraq and Afghanistan,’ he sighed. ‘It seems we never learn from our mistakes.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ he shrugged, I was a lot luckier than some guys I knew.’

  He stood and pulled out a bottle of Devil’s Cut.

  ‘Anyone?’ he offered the bottle before pouring a shot into his own coffee.

  Swirling the mug, he inhaled deeply and sighed.

  ‘To Jonesy,’ he lifted his mug, ‘and all the others.’

  ‘To Jonesy and the others,’ they all lifted their mugs as they toasted the dead.

  Chapter 5

  Olivia sat at the island in her kitchen idly twisting the flower in her fingers. It was still pristine. Even after being stuffed into her pocket for the last few hours the petals showed no sign of bruising or wilting. Theo sat opposite her, scrubbing away at the coin with a rag and a bottle of metal polish.

  ‘There’s something about this flower,’ she murmured.

  ‘You mean apart from the fact it seems to be unnatural and indestructible.’

  ‘Apart from that,’ she frowned, ‘something about poppies in general that I’m missing, or forgetting, I’m not sure which. I know that they are used to symbolise the dead soldiers of the World Wars.’

  ‘World Wars?’

  ‘World War I and World War II.’

  He stared at her blankly.

  ‘Oh, I guess we haven’t covered that yet,’ she pursed her lips thoughtfully; ‘those were pretty major points in history. We should really take some time to fill you in on them.’

  ‘But not today?’

  ‘No, not today,’ she shook her head, ‘it would take too long and it’s getting late.’

  ‘Here,’ Theo handed her the coin, ‘that’s the best I could do. It’s not just tarnished it’s corroded so it’s pretty hard to make out the details but it’s definitely some sort of coin, probably made of bronze or copper.’

  ‘Let me see.’

  He dropped it into the palm of her hand and she studied it intently before cupping it between her hands and whispering.

  ‘Little coin of brass or steel,

  Make it whole make it real,

  Turn back the seasons turn back time,

  Bring back what is mine,

  Its original form let me see,

  As I will it so mote it be…’

  She opened her hands slowly and the coin sat glimmering in her palm like a shiny new penny, with no hint of a patina or any kind of corrosion. Theo snatched it up and turned it over in
his fingers.

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘It’s a simple housewives charm.’

  ‘You could’ve just done that from the start,’ he stared at her accusingly.

  ‘I could have,’ she shrugged, trying not to smile, ‘but you seemed to be enjoying yourself.’

  He shook his head not trusting himself to speak, returning to his perusal of the coin.

  ‘Do you remember that film we watched the other night, the one with Achilles in it?’ he murmured after a moment.

  ‘Of course,’ she replied, ‘who could forget naked Brad Pitt?’

  ‘That was Greek wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well this sort of looks like him.’

  ‘Wow a coin that looks like Brad Pitt, seriously?’ she snatched it back from him and turned it over in her hands to look at it.

  ‘Not Brad Pitt, Achilles.’

  ‘You’re right, look at the markings. It does look Greek doesn’t it.’ Her brow furrowed thoughtfully, ‘I wonder.’

  She turned to her laptop and brought up the search engine.

  ‘I knew I was missing something about the poppies,’ she looked up at Theo. ‘Listen to this, its original name is the Greek Anemônê. It’s sacred to the Goddess Aphrodite, it’s said she created the red anemone flower from the blood of her lover Adonis after he was slain by a wild boar.’

  ‘So the flower’s Greek in origin,’ Theo replied, ‘and the coin.’

  ‘It could be a Greek drachma, maybe even an obolus or danake. I guess it depends on how old the coin is.’

  ‘What about the inscription on the headstone. If it’s not Latin, maybe it’s Greek.’

  ‘That’s a good point,’ Olivia mumbled turning back to the laptop and bringing up an online translator. ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

  She pulled out her phone and scrolled through to the photo she had taken earlier of the grave and typed in the inscription slowly letter by letter.

  ‘Well I’ll be damned,’ she murmured sitting back, ‘you’re right it is Greek. The reason I didn’t recognise it is because it was the Greek language, but written using the English alphabet not the Greek one.’

  ‘So what does it mean?’ Theo asked curiously.

  ‘It says, “Beloved lost, come back to me”.’

  ‘That sounds more like something a lover would say, not a father or sister.’

  ‘I wonder if she did have a lover,’ Olivia replied thoughtfully, ‘she was certainly old enough but there’s really no way to find out. Anyone who would have known Charlotte will be long since dead and buried.’

  ‘Did she have a journal?’ Theo asked. ‘The women in your family seem to be obsessed with writing journals.’

  ‘If she did I haven’t come across it yet.’

  They both looked up suddenly, at a knock on the front door.

  ‘I’ll get it,’ Olivia slid off her seat and disappeared down the hallway.

  She opened the door to find Jake, holding a six pack and a deck of cards.

  ‘Hey Olive,’ he grinned. ‘Is Theo around, we thought we’d teach him how to play poker.’

  ‘We?’

  She looked around him and climbing the steps was a cute dark haired guy wearing a dark khaki jacket and army fatigues. He reached the top step and shifted the six pack and bag of chips he was holding.

  ‘Hello Olivia,’ he smiled shyly, his dimples winking to life. ‘It’s been a long time.’

  It took her a moment to place him. ‘Tommy Linden?’ she smiled at Jake’s brother in law. ‘Louisa didn’t tell me you were coming home.’

  ‘I wanted to surprise her,’ he scratched his shaved hair. ‘I’ve been back a couple of days now and she’s working the night shift tonight so Jake thought he’d introduce me to Theo.’

  ‘Well come in then,’ she smiled stepping back, ‘he’s in the kitchen so go on through.’

  Shutting the door she turned to follow them when her phone rang. Pulling it out of her pocket she hit connect.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hi Olivia, its Veronica from the museum. I hope you don’t mind but Renata gave me your number.’

  ‘No, I don’t mind at all, what can I do for you Veronica?’

  ‘Um, well again I hope you don’t mind but I kinda got caught up the other day when we were researching your ancestor Charlotte. I did a little further digging into the records and I have some information for you. I was just wondering if you wanted to meet me for a drink at the pub tonight, I know its short notice.’

  ‘Actually,’ Olivia interrupted her nervous ramble as she listened to the raucous laughter coming from the kitchen, ‘it’s perfect timing. I can be there in about half an hour.’

  ‘Great, I’ll see you then.’

  Olivia hung up and headed into the kitchen. Picking up her laptop she shoved the flower and coin into her pocket.

  ‘So as it’s guy night we need you to make yourself scarce, no girls allowed’ Jake grinned.

  ‘Yeah, yeah I get it,’ she rolled her eyes.

  ‘You don’t have to go,’ Theo frowned.

  ‘It’s okay,’ she smiled, ‘I have plans.’

  ‘Since when?’

  ‘Since Veronica from the museum phoned and asked me if I wanted to meet her at the pub for a drink. She’s only just moved to Mercy and she doesn’t know many people yet.’

  ‘Oh,’ Theo replied sliding his arms around her and pulling her close. ‘Are you sure you’ll be alright.’

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ she smiled, ‘it’s okay. Go have fun with the guys.’

  ‘Put her down and get over here,’ Jake cracked open a beer. ‘It’s time you learned the most sacred male bonding ritual and poker be thy name.’

  ‘Amen brother,’ Tommy raised his own beer in salute.

  ‘Should I be worried?’

  ‘Probably,’ she laughed as Theo leaned down and kissed her. ‘Don’t let them take all your money.’ She leaned around him and glared at Jake, ‘and don’t get him drunk.’

  ‘Can’t make any promises Olive.’

  She shook her head and let out a long sigh.

  ‘I’ll see you guys later and don’t feed chips to my dog,’ she called over her shoulder as Jake snatched his hand back guiltily.

  By the time she reached The Salted Bone, it was dark and the pub was already starting to get busy. She eased her way through the crowd and spotted Veronica at the bar.

  ‘I saved you a seat,’ Veronica smiled as she approached. ‘I’m afraid there weren’t any booths left when I got here.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Olivia climbed up onto the stool and smiled at Jackson who threw her a wink in response. ‘These are the best seats anyway; we can share a bowl of chips and stare at Jackson as he’s so pretty.’

  ‘Well I don’t like to brag,’ Jackson grinned as he placed a fresh bowl of chips in front of them. ‘What can I get you Olivia darlin’.’

  ‘A large coke and something delicious to eat, I’m starving.’ She turned to Veronica, ‘have you eaten yet?’

  ‘Um, no I haven’t,’ she confirmed quietly.

  ‘What have you got for us tonight Jackson?’

  ‘Guinness stew and mashed potato with green beans.’

  ‘Sounds amazing,’ she turned back to Veronica, ‘trust me, Jackson’s cook Owen is a genius. I don’t usually like Guinness, I don’t know what the hell he does with it but I swear it turns out incredible every time he cooks with it.’

  ‘Uh alright then.’

  ‘What do you want to drink with that darlin’’ Jackson asked.

  ‘Coke please,’ Veronica blushed.

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ Olivia whispered dipping her hand into the bowl and nibbling on a chip. ‘It’s not just you, the man is ridiculously good looking.’

  ‘It's the baby blue eyes and black hair,’ Veronica agreed.

  ‘Just your type?’

  ‘No,’ she blushed agai
n, ‘I don’t have a type. I’m not very good at talking to guys if it’s not work related.’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with that,’ Olivia laughed.

  Suddenly the door to the kitchen swung open and a heavily pregnant red haired waitress stepped out carrying a tray of food. The minute she clocked Olivia she threw her a vicious glare before heading to a nearby table.

  ‘She doesn’t seem to like you very much,’ Veronica murmured.

  ‘That’s an understatement.’ Olivia sighed as Veronica turned to look at her curiously, ‘and a very long story.’

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about it too much,’ a familiar voice spoke from behind them.

  ‘Hey Shelley,’ Olivia turned around and greeted her warmly, ‘how’s things?’

  ‘Not too bad,’ she nodded dropping her tray of empties down on the bar. ‘Like I said, I wouldn’t worry about the death glares Kaitlin’s throwing you; she seems to have a problem with everyone these days.’

  ‘She’s looking very pregnant, are you sure she’s only got the one in there. She just seems to have gotten big, really quickly. It’s only been, what, three months since Adam died?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Shelley sighed, ‘well it seems she was actually quite far gone when she finally did a pregnancy test. She’d missed a lot of the early warning signs.’

  ‘So how far along is she?’

  ‘About seven months,’ she replied uneasily, ‘it hasn’t given her much time to get used to the idea.’

  ‘Did you order food?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Olivia nodded.

  ‘I’ll go hurry it along for you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she replied as Shelley disappeared.

  ‘What was all that about?’ Veronica asked curiously.

  ‘Well I guess you might as well hear it from me, you’re bound to hear it from the town gossips sooner or later,’ she sighed. ‘Did you hear about the murders a couple of months back?’

  Veronica nodded.

  ‘It was on the news, my mother nearly had a cardiac arrest when she found out I was planning to move to Mercy.’