by Tracy Kiser
“Hello?” Aiden answered. Lana could hear the grogginess in his voice. She hesitated, momentarily feeling badly for waking him up. Then she remembered why she had called. Could she classify this as an emergency?
“Hey babe, sorry for waking you, it’s me. I need you to come over,” Lana said in a rush.
“Is something wrong Lana?” Worry had replaced the grogginess in Aiden’s voice. He was immediately awake. Probably sitting up in his own bed imagining Lana hurt somewhere.
“No, nothing’s wrong, but I found the logbooks.” Lana smiled as she said this, feeling more than accomplished. She felt…wonderful. The kind of wonderful a detective must feel when he cracks the case.
“You did? That’s awesome, Honey! Let me get up and dressed and I’ll head over there.” Lana heard Aiden shuffling in his room. At least she knew he wouldn’t fall back asleep, even if she had scared him a little bit.
“Alright, I’ll see you soon.”
Lana clicked end on her cell phone and placed it back on her nightstand. She stretched out her muscles, refreshing her body, finishing off her wake-up routine with a yawn. Lana swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. It was time to figure out what her dad’s trip was really about.
* *
Aiden and Lana sat on the carpeted floor of the den with the logbooks scattered around them. The lid to the antique coffee table still hanging open. Aiden had arrived in a mere twenty minutes and they had, literally, run to the den. The had pulled out every single one of her father’s logbooks and had swam in his written word for hours.
“Listen to this,” Aiden broke the silence. Lana bookmarked the page of the journal she was on and looked up at Aiden, waiting with a smile.
“July eighth, saw something strange in the water today. It looked like a sea bass but was as big as a human. I caught a glimpse of the back fin and the bones were outlined under the silver scales. Evolution I suppose – the fins had five bones on each side stretching out with webbing between them. I’ve read before that some fish have remaining bones in their fins from earlier generations. I’ll have to do some research to figure out what species of fish this is. Location: slightly northwest of Puerto Rico, southeast of Florida.”
“Is that all it says?” Lana asked hoping there was more so they could connect the trip to the logbook entry. Maybe it already did connect though. Perhaps, this was the first time that her father had ever seen this species. That could have been the sighting that started the whole shebang.
“Yep, afraid so.” Aiden looked up from the page, a questioning look adorning his face.
“I can’t find anything in these about Puerto Rico. That may be the only logbook that mentions it, so far.”
The clock in the corner of the den chimed four o’clock. Lana’s head snapped over to look at the massive timepiece. She couldn’t believe that they had spent the entire day in the den pouring over the logbooks. Where had the time gone? And why did only one logbook have anything written about Puerto Rico? If that was the only mention, then Aiden and Lana would be stuck. Again.
“Uh-oh. My mom will be back from the gallery in any minute. We have to put these back.” Lana jumped up from her sitting position on the carpet, feeling the stretch of her legs. She had been sitting for so long in the same spot that she could feel the cramps relaxing one by one.
Lana dog-eared the page of the logbook she held. She then shifted the top of the coffee table so she could place the book spine-up in the corner, starting the first row. Lana saw the bottom of the chest shift. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Had her dad hidden something else? Why did he have to be so secretive? This would be a lot easier if he would have just left everything out for us, Lana yelled internally.
“Aiden, come here.” She reached out and motioned Aiden to move closer to the antique.
Aiden stood up holding four other logbooks and took two steps toward the coffee table.
“What is it?” He said, looking down into the hidden compartment that Lana had found. He didn’t see anything that looked unusual.
“The bottom of the chest just moved.” Lana pointed at the wooden bottom of the compartment as if it would move again on demand.
“The bottom? Is it removable or something?” Aiden questioned shifting his weight and almost dropping all of the logbooks he held in his arms.
“I don’t know,” Lana answered honestly. She removed the journal she’d just put in the coffee table and placed it on the leather couch. Lana’s hand reached into the chest and gently pushed down. The opposite side rose up away from the real bottom of the chest, revealing a deeper compartment. Lana grabbed the section that had risen and pulled out the false bottom. Underneath laid a single leather journal. Lana and Aiden stood staring at the one book that they hadn’t gone through. Simultaneously, they turned their heads to look at each, mouths open in bewilderment.
* *
“This has to be it.” Lana stared at the logbook she had found hidden in the chest. Her concentration broke when she heard a car engine outside. Her mother was home. Lana tossed the logbook onto the couch and replaced the false bottom of the chest. “Mom’s home. Hurry, help me.”
Aiden and Lana grabbed logbooks and began putting them in the chest. Aiden threw them to Lana and she arranged them so that the lid would shut correctly. The last thing they needed was an interrogation from her mother. A car door slammed beyond the walls of the house. The two replaced the books in the antique chest as quickly as they could. They had all of them in the chest and Lana slowly shut the lid, hearing the latch catch.
Aiden and Lana left the den and went up the stairs. Lana paused mentally cursing herself. She had forgotten the book. The one book that she hadn’t had time to read today. The one journal that her father had separated from all of the rest. Lana ran back down to the den and grabbed the secret logbook off of the leather couch. Her mother’s high heels clicked against the wooden front porch. Lana panicked as she tugged the door of the den shut behind her. Lana sprinted to the staircase and took the steps two at a time, looking up at Aiden who was waving her on. The front door opened and Sarah entered the house at the same moment Lana and Aiden entered Lana’s bedroom.
“That was close,” Lana sighed, unable to believe that her mother hadn’t caught her running up the stairs. She couldn’t imagine what Sarah would do if she found the other logbooks. It would probably be worse than just simply throwing them away in the kitchen trash can.
“Does your mom not know what’s going on?” Aiden posed, eyeing his girlfriend skeptically.
“Not exactly…” Lana shrugged, her face showing pure guilt and apprehension.
“Lana.”
“Okay, no. She tried to throw the book away, the one Dad sent me. So I’m just… I’m just keeping her out of the loop. I don’t want her to get upset again.” The sound of Sarah sniffling and the image of her crying in the bathroom over her missing husband melted into Lana’s mind’s eye. She couldn’t put her mother through that again. Lana didn’t want to.
“Maybe she could help us though,” Aiden reasoned.
“She won’t Aiden. I heard her say she didn’t want to go through anymore of this. Everything we find out has to stay between us.” She looked at Aiden, completely serious, silently forcing him to agree that he wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
Aiden shrugged, his eyes moving away from Lana’s.
“Seriously Aiden, promise me.” Lana reached out and took Aiden’s hand in her own, squeezing it softly.
“You better know how important you are to me since I’m going through all of this with you,” Aiden tried to tease.
Lana’s gaze turned stern. She didn’t want to be teased. She needed to know that she could trust Aiden with all of the information they would soon find out, if this logbook was the one that held the answers.
“Okay, okay. I promise. Just don’t look at me like that.”
Chapter 8
Lana walked around the Weston Gallery admiring her mother’s paintings, hand
in hand with Aiden. The paintings delicately hung on the walls, all waiting to be purchased. They were all beautiful. Lana had known that her mother was an exemplary artist her whole life. The specific piece that Lana stood in front of depicted her father on his blue and white sailboat. The sun was rising in the background with hope shining down in rays around him. The sky was dashed with pink clouds and purple undertones. The usual sky blue was just beginning to peak in from the top of the canvas, daring the other colors to outlast him. The plaque on the wall read “Memories. Oil on Canvas. $600.” Lana smiled at the painting, blinking back her own memories, while she and Aiden walked to the next piece.
The small room held a total of twenty paintings, five on each wall. Placed in specific points throughout the gallery were groups of candles that stood upon tables made of mirrors. The glow of the flames sent soft light to illuminate the paintings while the mirrors echoed the soft glow, lighting up the middle of the room. The Weston Gallery was decorated to perfectly portray the artwork. No doubt Lana’s mother had planned it, her delicacy over such matters known to all.
“So what do we think?” A soft voice whispered from behind, the tone layered with excitement and wonder.
Lana turned to see her mother in an elegant black gown. She had her long brown hair tied up in a curly mess atop her head. With a few curls left out, her face was beautifully framed. Sarah held a champagne glass in both hands and gracefully shuffled forward, closer to her daughter.
“Mom, your paintings are amazing,” Lana said whole-heartedly, gesturing her hands around the entire room. The turnout for her mother’s show was a good one. There were at least fifty people standing in the small, yet quaint gallery admiring the skill her mother used to convey emotion.
“Well, only three offers so far, but thank you dear.” Sarah released the champagne glass from one of her hands and crossed her fingers to show that she was hoping for more, much more. Twenty paintings with price tags and only three had been claimed. Lana could tell her mother was a little nervous. She was always nervous when it came to showing her art. However, Lana also knew that everyone that saw her art loved it.
“I’m positive you’ll sell more than three Mrs. Winters. Everyone’s oohing and ahh-ing your work,” Aiden chimed in, a huge smile on his face. “Maybe I’ll even buy one…if I can afford it,” Aiden laughed, Lana joining in.
“Thank you, Aiden.” Sarah said slightly giggling. “That’s really sweet of you to say.” Sarah turned outward from Lana and Aiden to face the crowd. Her eyes scanned through the people who were closest to her pieces. She quickly turned back to Lana. “Oh Honey, I forgot to tell you. A letter from the bank came for you. It’s on the kitchen counter. You need to grab it when you get home. You didn’t overdraw again did you?”
Lana saw the scrunched brow that now adorned her mother’s face. “No, Mom, of course not. I’ll open it as soon as we get back,” Lana promised. She couldn’t imagine what the letter said. All she could think of was a simple statement balance.
“Alright, I guess I’m off to sell more pieces. I’ll see you kids later but I’ll probably be home quite late. Still have to clean up after the show’s over,” Sarah said softly, hoping that she was actually going to sell more of her work.
“Good luck, Mom,” Lana smiled, mimicking her mother’s earlier gesture and crossing her fingers for good luck.
Sarah kissed Lana’s cheek and walked over to a lady perched by one of her paintings and immediately struck up a conversation. Lana could hear her mother’s soft voice inquiring why the lady liked the piece. Lana looked around the gallery at all of the work her mom had done, wondering if the piece depicting her father was one of the three that had already been purchased.
* *
Lana picked the slim white envelope with her name on it up off of the kitchen countertop. She slowly slid her finger underneath the flap of the envelope, opening the letter. She pulled out a single piece of paper that had been folded into thirds. Lana carefully unfolded the letter, angling it toward the light, and read through it, her eyes wide with surprise.
Lana Winters,
We request your presence at the soonest possible time to review your inheritance. The account numbered 17536-42-18802, containing $150,000 will become available to you as of June 2nd, 2011. Thank you for your valuable patronage and we’ll see you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
The Bank of North America
Lana stared at the short letter, her mouth hanging open. Inheritance? She wasn’t aware that she had an inheritance. Her mind scrambled to grasp onto what the inheritance could be from…or who. Her eyes darted across the script a second time. Then a third time. June second? That was her birthday. Lana didn’t know what to think. Her mind went blank. Somehow she had just inherited one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
“I guess a trip to the bank in the morning is in order,” Lana whispered to herself, still not believing the words that riddled the page. Could this be some kind of joke? But then again, why would the bank be playing practical jokes. Lana struggled to accept the fact that she had an inheritance. And a large one, at that. Her mother had to know what this was all about. But why hadn’t Sarah mentioned anything? She hadn’t given Lana any hint for an unexpected birthday present.
Lana considered staying awake until her mother arrived home from the show at the gallery, but her eyes were already drooping with exhaustion. She knew that as soon as her head hit the pillow she’d be asleep, excitement coursing through her veins or not. Lana left the letter open on the kitchen counter so that her mother would see it when she came home. Walking towards the staircase she wondered again why her mother hadn’t mentioned this.
* *
Lana and her mother sat in front of Lisa Taggert’s fake wooden desk at the Bank of North America the next morning at ten a.m. Lana had asked her mother what the letter was as soon as she had woken up but, to Lana’s disbelief, Sarah had no idea. Not even an inkling of an idea why Lana would have such a large inheritance. As far as her mother knew, the only account her and Tom had opened for Lana was one for college, and this was not that account. The college account held about twenty thousand; this account was more than quadruple that.
“Looks here like the account was opened June third, 1994 by Thomas Winters and arranged to pass to Lana Winters on June second of 2011.” Lisa Taggert explained, her fingers clicking on the keyboard. The banker paused to look at Sarah and Lana. She saw the confusion painted on both of their faces.
“So my husband opened the account the day after our daughter’s first birthday?” Sarah questioned, laying both of her hands on the desk of Ms. Taggert.
Lisa’s eyes re-skimmed the computer screen before nodding her head. “It looks that way, yes.”
“I seriously just got $150,000?” Lana still couldn’t believe it. Her father had kept this secret her entire life, even from her mother. Lana felt the droplets of sweat forming on the palms of her hands. Was this really happening? Why would her father leave her this much money? Where did he get all of this money? Not to mention, why hadn’t he told anyone? Lana’s mind flip-flopped back and forth between multiple questions and confusion.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ms. Taggert nodded again. “We’ll just need you to sign this to indicate you accept the transfer of this account into your name.” She slid a piece of paper across the desk and held a silver ballpoint pen out to Lana. Lana’s eyes met the banker’s and then shifted to her mother who sat silently beside her, clinging to the edge of the desk.
Lana’s hand shook slightly as she took the pen and scribbled down her signature beside the black ‘X’. Lana looked back at her mother whose face had drastically paled.
“Mom? Are you okay?” Lana moved her arm over to her mother and grabbed Sarah’s hand. It was clammy, just as Lana’s was. Lana slightly squeezed her mother’s palm, tightening her hold, bringing Sarah out of her internal self and back to reality.
Sarah nodded, “I just can’t believe your dad never tol
d me about this.” Her voice was a whisper that barely reached Lana’s ears. Out of the corner of her eye, Lana saw Ms. Taggert shift uncomfortably. This probably wasn’t the reaction the banker had in mind when she was told to deliver this news.
“I know. I guess he wanted it to be a surprise? Maybe?” Lana tried desperately to spin the unbelievable news in a positive direction. She hadn’t known her father for that long of a time period, but who didn’t like surprising their loved ones?
“It’s definitely a surprise to both of us,” Sarah mumbled, color slowly returning to her cheeks. She let out a deep sigh and raised her gaze to meet that of the pretty young banker.
“The account is set up as a checking account. You should receive your checks and debit card in the mail in no more than ten business days,” Lisa Taggert said smiling, fighting back the uncomfortable air of the situation at hand.
“Thank you,” Sarah replied with an even tone, not indicating any emotion at all.
“Anything else I can help you with today?”
Sarah and Lana both shook their heads, the ability to speak momentarily evading them. Sarah and Lana still sat holding hands, her mother’s grip much firmer than Lana’s.
“You ladies have a great rest of your day,” Lisa said cheerfully, gesturing them toward the open door of her impeccably neat office.
“I’m not sure it could get much better,” Lana whispered to her mother as they stood up and left Ms. Taggert’s office.
* *
March 14, 1990
The species in question has an odd form for a fish. The length of the body seems to range from 48” to 72”. The scales that line their bodies are silver with a tint of other various colors. From the anatomy that I’ve been able to study, the males of the population have three stripes of brightly colored scales lining their back. The fore fins look like hands with light blue webbing between the bones. The back fins are similar yet longer. What are these creatures? There is still so much to figure out and a discovery like this one … God, it could change everything if the species is anything close to what I think it is.