“Friends, we’re leaving Key West Harbor and flying at an altitude of five hundred feet over the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the mangrove islands we pass are charted but many of them are unnamed and unoccupied. We’re now flying over the flats where the water is shallow—five to eight feet deep and extending some twenty miles west. Please take time to look down.”
What a needless command. The sea water was clear as empty space, and everyone sat with forehead pressed to glass. I saw the dark shape of a stingray, its ‘wings’ undulating in a no-hurry mode that propelled it like an underwater leviathan over sands that looked like a submerged desert.
“Portside, you’ll see a shark,” Teach announced. “Starboard, two dolphins jumping and diving.”
He didn’t bother to tell us that port meant left and starboard meant right. After a few more minutes of engine sound, he spoke again. “The water below us here is about thirty feet deep and the islands are the Marquesas—a coral atoll.
“It’s near this spot that treasure salvor Mel Fisher discovered the ancient Spanish galleons The Atocha and The Marguerita along with over an estimated billion dollars in gold, silver, and emeralds scattered over an eight-mile area. The area’s still a treasure site where divers with the know-how and the proper legal permits continue to seek their fortunes. Look carefully portside and you may catch sight of some sea turtles swimming at the surface. From the size of their heads, I’d say they were loggerheads.”
“Their heads are the size of footballs!” Hogan exclaimed.
“Hence their head-oriented name,” his wife said.
Teach pointed out a World War II ship, The Patricia, that the Navy had sunk for use in bombing target practice, and also the sunken Arbutus, one of Mel Fisher’s old treasure-hunting boats. Target practice? Was this pipsqueak of a man trying to make me feel like a target?
“Okay, folks. We’re almost there. We’re going to make a low pass over Fort Jefferson and then touch down for a water landing. Our flight time has been thirty-five minutes. Once we’re on land you’re free to enjoy your day in any way you choose. Hike. Swim. Tour the fort. Whatever.”
The minute we landed gently into the sea, Teach eased the plane toward the shore. Park rangers splashed into the shallow water, grabbed the plane’s struts and pulled us onto the beach. Teach deplaned first, thanking the rangers and then helping each of us onto dry sand.
“Please report here to the plane at eleven-thirty,” Teach said. “I’ll have you back in Key West around noon.”
Key West. Of course we had to go back. But for over half an hour I’d been so occupied with our ride over this exotic area I hadn’t once thought about Abra Barrie. Nor had I thought about Rasty Raymore lying near death in Iowa due to my impulsiveness. How could I live with my guilt?
“Great trip, man,” Phil Hogan said, reaching into his pocket and producing a tube of sun screen.
“Loved every minute of it.” His wife smiled and donned a sun hat.
“Right,” I agreed. “It was a wonderful flight.”
“Every bit as wonderful as you’re always telling us.” Hella laughed and shook one foot to remove sand from her shoe. We all slathered on sunscreen and secured our beach hats, then watched the Hogans for a few moments while they headed for the swimming beach hand in hand and then arms around waists. They stopped a ways from the water’s edge to shed their cover-ups, don masks and fins, and wade tentatively into the sea.
“What would you ladies like to do first?” Teach asked.
“What do you suggest, Fearless Leader?” Hella asked.
“You’re in charge,” I agreed. “I’m already fascinated with this place.” I looked at a frigate bird soaring high overhead.
“Then if you agree, we’ll tour the fort, and then pause for a snack before we hike the perimeter of the structure.”
And that’s what we did. We crossed the bridge over the moat and entered the dark brick structure through the front gate and then walked into the open area inside the walls. A bevy of gulls screamed from their perch on the ramparts. Palms and seagrapes shaded parts of the lawn that was sparsely covered with coarse grass. In Iowa we call it crabgrass, an unflattering term. Not sure what the locals call it. I could imagine troops drilling—or troops in parade formations led by a brass band before some general’s reviewing platform.
A little farther on, Teach began his lecture by telling us Fort Jefferson was the largest brick building in the Western Hemisphere. I didn’t care about statistics. In my mind I planned questions to ask him about the Thursday night before Abra Barrie’s murder. I wished now that I’d written out a list. What had they argued about? I guessed the subject matter of their talk concerned more than whether she had time for a trip aboard The Osprey.
“In 1812, the government began building a chain of coastal defenses, that if things went according to plan, were to reach from Maine to Texas. Their purpose was to control all navigation headed for the Gulf of Mexico and thus to protect Atlantic-bound Mississippi River trade.”
I found everything Teach said interesting and I was glad I’d made a special effort to read some of his handbook before we made this trip. But I kept glancing at my watch, eager for snack time when he might store his facts for a few minutes and allow me time to talk to him about Abra Barrie. I could hardly guess at what they might have had to say to each other that resulted in an argument.
“How big is Garden Key?” Hella asked, when Teach stopped talking a minute to clear his throat.
“Sixteen acres. And the fort covers eleven of those acres.”
“Who lived behind these walls?” I tried to be interested in his answer.
“The fort served as a military prison during the Civil War. Its cells held deserters. And it was home away from home, or maybe I should say home away from jail for four men supposedly involved in President Lincoln’s murder. Dr. Samuel Mudd was the most famous of the four.”
We walked on and on through the fort, and I found it interesting that one level of floor was about a foot higher than the other. Hella stumbled as she stepped down onto the lower level and Teach grabbed her arm to offer support while he grinned.
“I’m not laughing at you, Hella. I was about to explain that the upper level we just left housed officer’s quarters. Enlisted men lived on the lower level. Even in the austerity of the fort, the officers chose that one foot of elevation to make it clear they were in charge.”
“However, in spite of all the money and the thirty years of work that went into its construction, the fort remained uncompleted.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Typical government project.” Hella snorted. “Spend. Spend. Spend. Even in those days.”
Teach interrupted. “Workers weakened by outbreaks of yellow fever slowed building progress, and so did the invention of the rifled cannon. Cannon balls could penetrate the fort’s thick walls. Those guns were the chief reason for Fort Jefferson’s incomplete state.”
We had carried our snack lunches with us, and when Teach suggested we take a break and enjoy our sandwiches, I was first to volunteer to buy us drinks from a nearby concession stand.
“Grape soda for me,” Hella said.
“I’ll have a Coke” Teach said.
I chose bottled water, and once I returned with our drinks, we settled ourselves at a small picnic table in a shady area. Before Teach could regale us with more info on Garden Key and Fort Jefferson, I changed the subject.
“Teach, Janell and I have been thinking a lot about Abra Barrie’s murder, trying to figure out who the culprit might be. You have any ideas?”
Teach shook his head. “Don’t tell me you suspect me.” He scowled at the idea. “The night the police questioned everyone at The Poinsettia I offered proof that I’d been working all day on that Friday. I even gave the detective the names of the patrons I brought here to the fort—Key West addresses as well as their home town addresses up north. Michigan. Wisconsin.”
I said nothing about his returning to Key West for a b
usiness appointment. “Be real, Teach. Janell and I never suspected you or anyone else at The Poinsettia, but Janell said you spent some time talking to Abra Barrie when the combo took a break.”
“She visited with all of us, Kitt.” Hella said. “But, Teach, she followed you to the bandstand for more conversation after the rest of us were enjoying Mama G’s sandwiches. Looked to me like you two were having an argument. I’m guessing you were trying to talk her into a flight to the Fort and maybe she was resisting. Am I right?”
“A wrong guess,” Teach said. “Totally wrong.”
I wished I could see the expression in his eyes as he denied Hella’s words, but his sunglasses made that impossible. “Teach, will you tell me what you did talk to Abra Barrie about? Why keep it such a secret since you have an alibi for the crucial time in which the ME says she died?”
“No reason you shouldn’t know, I suppose.” Teach shrugged. “You probably won’t believe it.”
“Try us.” Hella clipped the words, and Teach’s face flushed.
“Ms. Barrie wanted to book a flight over here,” Teach said. “She was quite interested in making the trip, but I—turned her down.”
“Were you already booked?” Hella asked. “Why refuse a paying customer? She didn’t expect a freebie, did she?”
“No. She was willing to pay—even said her company might give me a bonus if I could arrange to fly her here on such short notice. She knew I had a waiting list and that she had no reservation.”
“Why did you refuse?” I laid my sandwich aside and gave him my full attention, hoping he was looking at me. “That makes no sense. Surely, under the circumstances, you could have worked her into your schedule.”
“I had my reasons.” Teach lowered his head and I guessed he was staring at his sandwich as if he intended to say no more. I refused to let him get by with that.
“And what were those reasons? It would have meant money in your pocket, would it not?”
Teach sighed and pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head. “You’re right. I seldom turn down a chance to earn more money, but I didn’t want that woman to see Fort Jefferson. I figured that if I wouldn’t fly her here, maybe nobody else would either and maybe she wouldn’t have time to take the ferry.”
“You’re avoiding the issue, Teach. Why didn’t you want her to see Fort Jefferson?” He replaced his sunglasses and I knew from his tone that he must be glaring at me. “Come on, Teach. Give.”
He ducked his head and kept his voice so low we could hardly hear him. “The woman wanted to scope out locations suitable for her company’s wind turbines. That’s why her company sent her here. When off-shore turbines are set in place, companies face the great expense of working underwater. That means building structures strong enough, steady enough to hold the above-ground turbines in place.”
“Sort of like sinking the underwater pilings for a bridge?” I asked.
“Right. Something like that. Miss Barrie wanted to come here to see if Garden Key might be a potential spot for a wind turbine. If her company could set one up here on land, it would save them thousands of dollars, and at the same time they’d reap the advantage of strong off-shore winds.”
“And why were you so against that?” Hella asked.
“Give me a break, Hella. My flights are low altitude ventures. There’s no way I’d want to risk flying The Osprey near one of those huge turbines. I don’t want to see them anywhere near here. And I’m not the only one. Ace agrees with me, too. Ask him if you don’t believe me. A huge contraption like Barrie’s company is promoting and selling could make changes in this area—all of them changes for the bad.”
“But you aren’t sure of that,” I said. “I’m all for renewable energy sources. I think we need to give new energy saving ideas a try—unless we want to be dependent on the Arabs forevermore.”
“No way.” Teach said as if that were the end of the conversation. “I say no to turbines on Key West, Garden Key, or anywhere else in this area.”
“Teach, why do you have such a closed mind when it comes to turbines?”
“The government has a way of telling the people all the advantages of a thing and glossing over, or sugar-coating what can turn out to be major disadvantages. Take this war, for instance. There were no weapons of mass destruction, not even any plans for such weapons. We taxpayers were taken in. Gullible. And now we’re in a war we can’t get out of. I didn’t hear Abra Barrie mention any negative aspects of having wind turbines in our waters.”
“Maybe because there really aren’t any,” I said.
“And maybe there are lots of them. I’m afraid my potential customers would think several times before booking a flight that went anywhere near an off-shore turbine or an on-shore turbine if it were located on Garden Key.”
“On the other hand, maybe they’d be as curious about a turbine as they are about the sunken Arbutus, the sting rays, the underwater dessert. Many people are curious about things they don’t see every day in their own back yards.”
“Ace is afraid the vibrations created by such gigantic machines would scare shrimp as well as other fish into a different area. You can’t blame either of us for wanting to protect our businesses.”
“It’s a moot point now, isn’t it? Hella asked. “Abra Barrie’s company is unlikely to sponsor any more feasibility studies in this area anytime soon.”
Had Teach agreed to fly Abra Barrie to Fort Jefferson, he might have saved her life. But I wasn’t about to mention that. I might have saved a life, too, had I refused to fire my gun in that Iowa pet store.
“Let’s not let this talk spoil the rest of our morning,” I said. “Thank you for answering my questions, Teach. I’ll say no more about the subject.”
And I didn’t. I tried to act interested as Teach told us about the army abandoning Fort Jefferson in 1874 and its becoming a wildlife refuge to protect nesting birds and their eggs in 1908, and its being proclaimed a National Monument in 1992. Luckily, nobody would give me a test on those dates.
The Hogans sat in the sand waiting for us at the plane at eleven-thirty and Teach helped everyone board the craft. Park rangers shoved The Osprey into the sea, and I watched sun glint on water that sprayed briefly around the floats when Teach took off and lifted us into the sky. I wondered what kind of an aura Hella saw around Teach. Probably neither white nor black. Gray? Did she see a black aura around me because I’d shot a man? Maybe that was why she felt reluctant to talk to me about auras.
Chapter 18
Once we were home, Hella headed for the B&B and when I saw Rex and Phud in work clothes and relaxing at poolside, I joined them. My mind was still spinning from the plane ride, from all I’d heard, seen and done in the past few hours. I welcomed the peacefulness of the garden.
“Glad you’re back.” Rex wiped sweat from his bald head with a bandana. “Been putting up new awnings on the café. That makes it a hot day here—at least for me. How was it at the fort?”
“Pleasantly warm and breezy. We had a great trip, and Teach’s a good guide. He must have spent years studying about that area.”
“Kitt means he’s been talking her ears off all morning.” Phud laughed and I wondered why he was still here. Noon was his usual go home time. He glanced at the headlines on The Citizen Rex had laid aside. “Guess the police still have no leads on the Barrie murder.”
Rex picked up the newspaper, folded it, and tucked it under his arm, clearly not interested in more discussion about the murder.
“Kitt, how about driving Phud and me to Marathon this afternoon? Feel up to doing that? We’d both like a ride in your new car. Janell’s going to be busy helping at West Martello, and before I knew she’d need our car for hauling bags of potting soil and fertilizer to the Garden Club, I called the woman in Marathon who bought that pelican painting.”
“She’s willing to part with it?” I sat in the empty chair beside him.
“Money talks,” Phud said. “In this mercenary world today, there’s a p
rice on everything.”
Rex ignored his comment. “Didn’t mention the painting. Just told her I wanted to talk to her on a business matter. Thought if I drove to her door and made my plea in person, I might be able to persuade her to sell.”
“Janell doesn’t know this?”
“Right. I’m still trying to make it a surprise. And Phud and I are still interested in a ride in your Prius.”
“Right,” Phud said.
I didn’t mind taking a ride with Rex, but I wished Phud hadn’t been included. Something about him made me uneasy. Maybe the fact that he’d followed Janell and me. Or maybe it was Hella’s attitude toward him. I sighed. Why was I letting their differences over a neighborhood cat bother me? Too late to worry about that now. I saw no graceful way to refuse Phud a ride without being rude to a long-time friend Rex and Janell liked and respected—and needed.
“A ride up the Keys’s fine with me. How soon do you want to start? Give me a minute to freshen up, and we’ll be off.”
“Great day for a ride,” Phud said, “Could I talk you into stopping at the Big Pine Key library on the way? It’s only a block or so off the highway.”
“Don’t know why not,” Rex said, “unless Kitt has a need to be back here quickly. How about it, Kitt?”
“No problem.” I hoped my lie sounded sincere.
“There’s a tropical foliage guide in their reference room that I’d like to look at—Reference Room only. No check outs. I’d like to snap an indoor pic of the library, too. They have a special window treatment that our local library might find interesting as well as practical.” Phud pulled a camera from his pocket, studied it for a second or two then thrust it back into his pocket.
“Sure, Phud,” Rex said. “It might pay me to stop at the art gallery and talk to the artist who painted The Pelican. She might have some tips for me on how to approach the buyer in Marathon.”
I ran upstairs, brushed my hair, and slipped into a fresh shirt before I joined Rex and Phud at my car. Phud had eased into the passenger seat before I slipped beneath the wheel. I wondered if he and Rex had discussed who was to ride up front. Rex was opening the front gate for our exit when his cell phone rang. I knew from his scowl and terse words that our plans might change. Relief flooded through me. Maybe we wouldn’t be going to Marathon after all.
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