Time to get serious. I had a couple of hours before meeting up with Axel. I would spend the time searching through the files. I took a deep breath and slapped my hands on the top of the box, then cringed at the loud bang. No need to wake the cats!
“Yowzer! What was that?” Latifa asked.
Oops. Too late. Cat number one was up.
“Sorry, Latifa. I didn’t mean to wake you,” I whispered.
“If you didn’t mean to wake me, you shouldn’t be playing bongo drums on that box.”
“Go back to sleep.” I used a kind voice to take the edge off my words. “I have work to do.”
“Too late, Honey Pie. I’m up now.” I heard her moving around on the bed. “Aww. Look at this cutie patootie sound asleep. Isn’t she precious?”
“Um, hmm.” I was already removing files from the box.
“Hayden! I said look at the cutie patootie!”
To keep her quiet, I stood up and looked at the bed. “Ah, yes. She’s the sweetest little thing.”
“And look at Chanel. She’s like a sleeping angel.”
I sat back down until I heard Latifa clear her throat. That meant a reply was necessary. I stood back up and looked at Chanel curled up on the bed. Her pristine, white fur a contrast to Lola’s rich, black fuzz. “My, she’s such a pretty cat. You can feel the softness of her fur without even touching it.”
Appeased, Latifa lay back down, yawned, and closed her eyes.
The brief exchange with my cat helped to calm my spirit. I felt a touch more back on earth. I pulled more files out of the box. I opened the two folders with the payment ledgers. Then noticed there were two more just like them. There had to be fifty pages of names altogether. The lack of dates was odd.
The large dollar amounts had me thinking. These were not normal boat fares, not that anything in Destiny Falls was normal, but the prices in stores and restaurants here seemed typical. Using that as a gauge, these were excessively high. I’d traveled on many ferry boats back in Seattle, and even the most expensive trips were just a fraction of these amounts. The cruise ship idea popped back in my head, but it made no sense. Perhaps this all had to do with the island of Gladstone. People would pay sizeable sums to achieve the fountain of youth. Many would risk dangerous situations to find it.
I noticed that they often wrote one column in different color ink, so it was likely filled in at a different time. It was the column that showed either Approved or Denied. Why would you need approval for a journey? And who did the approving or denying?
Then there was the column for Agent—either A, K, or V. And finally Paid—to either L or M. And every person showed paid, whether approved or not.
I scanned the pages of names. Mostly, the names were common enough. There were a few that sounded foreign, but not an excessive amount of those. The names were handwritten, printed first, and then a signature as if the people themselves had signed in on the page. Interestingly, I noticed that a few names were listed more than once—sometimes just a few pages apart, other times in an entirely different folder. I was speeding through the pages now, not seeing anything unusual, until my eye caught the name Caldwell.
I rubbed my eyes, then leaned closer to the page to decipher the curvy handwriting. As the name became clear to me, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and my throat went dry.
Shock and confusion washed over me. I could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. I sucked in a breath and bolted upright. The file dropped off my lap onto the floor. It lay there, looking like a normal file, filled with normal papers. But I knew that it wasn’t. I reached out to the desk for support and stared down at the papers. There was nothing normal about this at all. Clear as day, the name on the page was Emily Caldwell . . . Denied.
23
Why was my mother’s name on this page? I ran my finger over the curvy, bold signature. Was this really her? Did she sign this page? Was she trying to leave Destiny Falls or trying to come here? She had been denied. There was no date. Was this recent or from years ago? Was this one of the secrets that the ferry captain was warning me about? Was my mother in danger? Or . . . was she the danger?
Emotions traveled through my body in waves. My mother who disappeared when I was two days old. My mother who never explained why she left or where she went. Was she somehow tied to the mystery of the ferry?
My father’s life originated in Destiny Falls, and he had escaped from here to Seattle as a young man, where he met and married my mother. They had a wonderful life together. They lived with my nana and gran. They had Axel and me. Then he disappeared without a trace on the day of my birth, not to be heard from again. I now knew that was when he and Axel were captured and transported to Destiny Falls, where they were trapped, unable to return to us.
My mother had disappeared two days later. We had always assumed that because she was a young mother with a new baby, suddenly without a husband, that she was overwhelmed with panic and fled. Perhaps we didn’t know the truth? Was there a similar mystery to the disappearance of Emily, my mother?
Inexplicably, I started to laugh, then it turned into crying. Then I was laughing and crying at the same time. Could people even do that? Apparently, they can. For a while, I rode my roller-coaster of emotions without even trying to control them.
Finally, I lay on the yoga mat and did a series of movements that I often use when I want to relieve stress, and oh, did I feel stress right now. I ended up with the corpse pose (worst name ever for a yoga position) and lay flat on my back, my arms spread out at my sides. Instead of closing my eyes, though, I looked up at the ceiling, my mind spinning with possibilities and questions.
I snapped a photo of the section of the page where my mother’s name was written. Then I took a photo of the entire page, plus the ones before and after it. I’d look up some of the names at the newspaper office or maybe the library. Perhaps it would lead to a clue about when these pages had been created or information about the people listed.
While dressing to meet Axel, I made the decision that at lunch I would show him and Jaxson the photos of the mail carrier’s attack scene and point out what I’d discovered. I also decided not to share anything about the box or finding our mother’s name on the ledger. It terrified me to think it might cause dangerous repercussions, based on Nakita’s warning, and the very real occurrence of her death. What if I opened a literal Pandora’s Box and allowed danger into our family? I couldn’t risk that.
Axel led the conversation on our drive to the hospital with an update on Han’s condition. “Han can’t remember the accident. He has no idea what happened. The doctor said it’s common to be unable to recall events immediately before, during, and after a head trauma event. All that Han remembers is being on a hike up to the lake. He’s very frustrated because he’s done that trail many times, and he’s an experienced hiker and climber. He doesn’t know why he’d put himself so close to a cliff edge, so he’s angry at himself and confused.”
“It’s not his fault, I’m sure!” I instinctively jumped to Han’s defense.
“The doctor said feeling responsible for the accident is normal. Also, that a patient’s frustration with the inability to remember is normal. So, he suggested we don’t ask him any questions about the accident right now.”
“Okay, that makes sense. Does he have any other injuries?” I asked.
“A bump and gash on his head, which aligns with the concussion. He also has a broken arm and, of course, it would be his dominant arm. And apparently some cuts and scrapes consistent with a fall through the brush. He’s an active guy, so being laid up and injured doesn’t sit well with him. On top of that, he’s dealing with another of the concussion symptoms—general mental fogginess and forgetfulness.”
“I’m sure he’s struggling with that,” I said.
“Yeah, but the doctor says that trying to tough it out can make the concussion symptoms worse, so his sisters tried to convince him to stay with one of them for a few days. He was stubborn about that, so, app
arently, they’re going to take turns staying at his place. The doctor said his attitude is normal for a person suffering from these kinds of injuries, but that ignoring the symptoms can slow his recovery. So, he grudgingly agreed.”
“Did the doctor say if he’ll recover his memories of the accident?”
“It’s possible. Thought it could be weeks or even months. Some people never regain the memory of their accident. Only time will tell.”
We pulled up to the hospital, and it impressed me to see a rather large, normal-looking city hospital, rather than more of a clinic, which is what I expected of a small town. Destiny Falls seemed to provide the best services for the people who lived here. The odd way that it moved parks and buildings around, the enchanted library, and the fact that it ‘provided’ Poppy’s Extravaganza, I wondered if the town simply zapped the hospital in or if humans built it in the usual way.
We checked in at the front desk and they gave us directions to Han’s room. We walked in to see him standing in front of the closet, gathering his belongings, apparently ready to high-tail it out of there.
“Hey, dude,” said Axel. “Did the doctor give you the okay to be up and about like this?”
“Hello to you too,” said Han, clumsily shoving his clothes into a backpack with his left hand, his right in a cast and sling. Then he saw me, and his face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Hayden!”
“Hi. How’re you feeling?”
“Well, now that you’re here, I’m a 100 percent better.”
“Woah,” said Axel, “What about me? Doesn’t my presence rate?”
“Not when you come charging in like one of my sisters. I’ve had quite enough nagging from them, thank you very much. I don’t need any more from you.” But he softened his words by giving Axel a smile and a playful punch to the arm. After which Axel moaned and held his supposedly injured shoulder.
“They’re granting my freedom later today. I’m waiting to clear the paperwork with the doctor Yanay and Mei are on the way here to drive me home. They feel like they need to babysit me for a few days, and the doctor is fueling their motherly instincts.”
“Well, if your mother was still here, she’d be doing the same,” said Axel. “Let them take care of you, Han. It’s good for them.”
“But it will be the death of me!” laughed Han.
Every time someone mentioned death these days, even in jest, it made me shiver. I was a little hypersensitive since the captain’s unsolved murder, not to mention dealing with the murder case from a month ago. That was exactly two more murders than I’d ever dealt with in my life.
We convinced Han to climb back into the bed while we packed up the rest of his belongings for him. He started to look tired, so Axel suggested a nap. Han first complained about being treated like a kindergartener, but Axel reminded him that the doctor had said that he would need much more sleep than normal during this recovery. Finally, he succumbed to the tiredness. We left, entrusting his care to the capable hospital staff and his two sisters, who were on the way.
As we left his room, we passed a volunteer pushing a flower cart, delivering flowers and balloons to all the patients on the floor. She waved cheerily as she passed us. I did a double-take and knew in an instant who the volunteer was. Not too many hospital volunteers looked like this. She was a tall woman, wearing a white mini-dress with a flowing pink cape. She rocked white, knee-high socks and pink, patent leather stilettos. She had a white-blond ponytail cascading down under a red and white cap festooned with sparkles. Yep, Cleobella volunteered at the hospital.
When Axel and I arrived at Vessie’s, Jaxson was already seated at a booth. Vessie was standing beside it chatting with him. They both looked up and waved as we came in.
The café today looked pretty much the same as the last time I was here, which in Destiny Falls was quite a surprise. I had come to expect the subtle— and sometimes not-so-subtle—changes in the buildings around here. It’s like they had a mind of their own. I didn’t blame the café for remaining the same. It was charming and cheerful, exactly as it was, in all its beautiful, pink glory.
Vessie gifted me her usual warm hug and kind welcome and did the same for Axel. She took our drink orders (tea for me, of course) and went off to the kitchen, while we settled in with Jax. Axel slid into the booth, sat across from Jaxson, and plunked himself right in the middle, while Jax scooted over to make room for me on his side. He put his arm around me for a quick, friendly hug. I found that Jaxson was feeling more like a brother to me—or more accurately, a brother’s best friend—than a potential date. That was really for the best, though. If we dated and it didn’t work out, it might forever be uncomfortable between us. And I enjoyed being with these two far too much to jeopardize the friendship.
We scanned our menus, and all agreed that the special of the day was the winner. Quarter-pound bacon and avocado burgers with fries and a milkshake. Luckily, I was taking a hike with Olivia after our lunch, so I could work off the extra calories. Knowing what great food she served here, it would be well worth it.
While we waited for our food, Jaxson gave us an update on the case of the ferry captain’s murder.
“We were certain this was a crime of passion tied to the captain’s contentious divorce and affair, but we’ve hit several roadblocks. We’ve been unable to unearth the name of the man involved in the supposed affair; all we’ve heard so far is hearsay. The captain’s husband is apparently out of town and unreachable. We’ve yet to be able to contact him to notify him of the death. His timely disappearance raises questions, of course.
“We’re looking for other family members or next of kin, but again, finding nothing. We’ve done a complete search of the victim’s home and office and came up empty. There is little information under the name Nakita Morozova, so that leads us to believe it was an alias, or perhaps her maiden name, but not her legal name. At first glance, this was a simple case, but it’s gotten complicated. The investigation is still underway.”
“Wow, that’s crazy,” said Axel. “You never know what people are hiding under their nondescript, everyday exteriors.”
That seemed to be my opening, so I dove right in. “Speaking of hidden things, I have something to show you.”
Both men looked my way and gave me their full attention. It made me squirm.
“The day that the mail carrier was attacked at Caldwell Crest was the first day I had my Observer work camera. I had it with me at that moment and snapped a few pictures at the scene. In the panic of the situation, I had forgotten I took the shots. I was looking at them this morning and noticed something odd.”
I pulled out my phone and clicked on the photo I had copied and saved in a separate file.
“Look right here. I realized that there were no red flowers in the yard, but there was one bright splash of red.” I turned the phone their way. Then I opened the next photo, which was an enlarged section of the first, and pointed at the red-haired person in the bushes.
“That’s definitely Kerbie, the helmsman. He’s unmistakable,” said Jaxson. “And is that one of the ferry mechanics? Gronk or Shrek? Why were they at Caldwell Crest?”
“There’d be no reason that I know of,” said Axel.
As they were looking at the pictures, I reminded them of another fact. “Remember that even though they were known to be friends, Nakita appeared nervous around the mechanics the first day that I met her. And the two of them, plus Kerbie, were at the scene when they removed her body from the ferry that day.”
“That’s a few too many coincidences. Hayden, can you forward that photo to me, please?” asked Jaxson. “We’ll look into it. Thanks for lunch, guys. I’m going to get this info over to the station.”
Jaxson hustled out of the café. We finished up and said our goodbyes to Vessie. Axel offered to drop me off at Olivia’s for our hike through the park. I was looking forward to it. Perhaps Olivia would share new gossip and spill a few more secrets today. Maybe I could prod her into telling me what she knew abou
t my mother because I was sure she knew something.
24
With all the madness around me lately, I’d gotten away from my usual jogging and hiking routine. I was feeling anxious about it since I did not want to slip back into my old patterns of exercise avoidance. I was grateful that Olivia was a hiker, and since she was retired, she was always up for a hike. In addition, she was chatty as she walked, and today that might come in handy.
The day, as always, was perfect. A bright blue sky held a smattering of perfectly spaced, white clouds lit by bright sunshine. Hmm. How did Destiny Falls control its own weather? That seems like high-level magic to me. And it must rain some time to maintain all the gorgeous vegetation. Maybe it rained in the night while I slept and brought out the sun with the morning? Another question about this peculiar place.
Olivia, Hercules, and I were slowly making our way down the path at the entry to the park. In this area, the path was wide enough for the three of us. They made it out of woodchips and gravel, so the level surface enabled us to focus on our conversation instead of our feet.
I told Olivia about my visit with Han and gave her an update on his condition.
“It surprised me to hear that Han had a hiking accident,” Olivia said. “With his background, you would think he’d be pretty much indestructible!”
“What background do you mean,” I asked.
She stumbled around her sentence. “Well, umm, I just mean, umm, he’s done so much hiking here, he should have the routes memorized by now.”
I gave her the side-eye. “What aren’t you telling me, Olivia?”
“Oh. Well. That’s not for me to tell,” she said. “If you get to know Han well enough, he might share some of his background. But it’s not for me to say.”
She’d already started to say, but there was no point in pushing her. I really loved Olivia, but she had a way of slipping just bits of information into a conversation and then backpedaling when she realized she had said too much, which was not unusual. Once she clammed up, that would be it. I changed the subject.
The Disappearance of Emily: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 2 Page 12