“This is all her doing!” Mike was insisting. “All she said I had to do was help her bring coins up from some sunken ship. She was going to do the rest. I swear!”
“In his defense,” I began, “Mike didn’t know anything about the death of Jack Carlton. That was all her doing.”
The two teens were quickly cuffed, pulled to their feet, and led away. As for us, we were guided away from the water and led back to our hotel, where a couple of familiar faces were waiting for us. I nodded at Officer Adolphson, and her grouchy partner, Officer Lewis. Also present was Jon Hawk and a few other aquarium officials I didn’t recognize.
“Mr. Anderson, Ms. Cooper,” Jon began, as he caught sight of us coming through the hotel’s lobby, “tell me you’re okay.”
“We’re fine,” I assured the aquarium director. “We have a couple of questions for you, though.”
We were led to a sitting area near the hotel’s front desk, where we all took a seat. Sherlock and Watson curled up by my feet and watched the proceedings with disinterest. Every couple of minutes or so, both dogs looked longingly back the way we had come. I think both of them would much rather be outside, playing in the water with their otter friends.
“How did you know we were in trouble?” I asked, as Jon took a seat next to mine.
“It’s easy. We were already watching that beach. As soon as we saw what was happening, we phoned for the police.”
“Why were you watching that beach?” Jillian wanted to know.
Jon laughed and shook his head, “Kids. When will they ever learn that sound carries? Ms. Williams was in such a rush to fill several buckets with otter food that she didn’t stop to consider how much noise she was making. Several of our staff reported what they saw to me, and noticing the striking similarities to the experiment I personally instructed you to try with the otters earlier, knew immediately what she was going to try and do. We watched, we waited, we filmed,” Jon said, throwing emphasis on the word, “and when we had what we needed, we notified.”
“I don’t think we were in any danger,” Julie said. “I work at the police department in Pomme Valley. I’m no police officer, but we still have a lot of training. The boy, Mike, was showing no signs of aggression, or hostility.”
“Let’s agree to disagree, Jules,” Harry sputtered. “He had a gun. He pointed it at us.”
“For only a brief time,” I recalled. “Then, for the most part, Mike had it pointed at the ground. And, he refused to let Beth have it, citing lack of experience. That must be why the dogs never barked. They somehow knew we weren’t in any danger from those two kids.”
Jillian nodded, “That’s true. I had forgotten about that. Go easy on him, will you?”
“I’ll pass that information on,” Jon promised. “Now, about San Augustin, did you hear Ms. Williams say she located the wreck?”
The four of us nodded.
“Did she, perhaps, say where it was? Did she give exact coordinates?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “But, we do know it’s not far from where those otters are. They keep pulling coins off the wreck. Apparently, they really enjoy using those sparkling rocks.”
“Come Monday,” Jon began, “I’ll be dispatching several teams of divers to McAbee Beach. If that girl can find a sunken Spanish ship, then so can we. We’ll find it, document it, and preserve whatever treasure is left.”
“Good for you,” I said. “Hey, let me ask you something. Whatever happened to Sherry? She was the one hiding in the bushes when we found Jack’s body.”
“She hasn’t reported for her duties at the aquarium in the last few days,” Jon solemnly reported. “We contacted her employer and discovered she hasn’t shown for work there, either. To say we’re concerned is an understatement.”
“Do you think Beth found her?” Jillian asked.
Jon shrugged, “Officer Adolphson said she personally drove by Sherry’s apartment, but her roommate also stated she had been missing.”
“I sure do hope she turns up safe and sound,” Jillian wistfully said. “I’d hate to think that something happened to her.”
I nodded, “You and me both.”
“That goes for us, too,” Jon said.
The aquarium director then reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out four envelopes. He handed one to each of us. Opening my envelope, I could see an ID card and a printed letter, with Monterey Bay Aquarium’s logo on it. Skimming through the letter, I started smiling. Jon was giving the four of us lifetime memberships to the aquarium. There’d be no more charging us admission whenever we came for a visit.
“Wow,” I said, as I placed the ID card and letter back into its envelope. “I appreciate that. I really do. You didn’t have to, but I believe I can speak for the four of us when I say, I’m glad you did.”
“It’s not often we can reward members of the public for helping our facility,” Jon explained. “Consider this our way of saying thanks. Plus, Sherlock and Watson did find the missing dive log. And… you and Ms. Cooper are helping us with our security issues.”
Jillian and I both nodded.
We all stood and shook Jon’s hand. After the aquarium’s team left, we filled out statements for the police, answered enough questions to be able to write a novel (trust me on this one), and ended up sitting back down in the same seats we had been sitting before. After all, it had been a harrowing day.
Detecting movement in my peripheral vision, I could see the manager of the hotel waving at me. He was behind the counter and gesturing at a package that had recently been delivered. My eyebrows shot up, my pulse quickened, and suddenly, I found myself out of breath. It was here? Was it Saturday already?
It was time to reveal my surprise.
ELEVEN
“Are you ready to do this?” Harry asked me, using a low voice. He was uncharacteristically serious as he handed me the one item I had asked him to hold on to for the duration of this trip. “You can still change your mind, bro.”
“Do you honestly think I should?” I asked, as I dropped my voice and matched his sincerity. “I thought you said I was making the right decision.”
“I did,” Harry insisted, “and I still do. I’m just worried about you, man. You seem all flustered, like you’re nervous.”
“Who wouldn’t be nervous about something like this?” I stammered. “I never thought I’d be asking another person this particular question. I mean, after I lost Samantha, I would’ve sworn I’d never feel this way about another woman. It’s just… well, it’s… I mean…”
Harry placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, “You have nothing to worry about, man. Jillian is crazy about you. Besides, I think you pulled off this little surprise quite well. Jules doesn’t even know what’s gonna happen, and you know how much she hates me keeping surprises from her.”
“I’m hoping she’ll understand this one time.”
“She will, bro. She will. Okay, they’re sitting right over there, near the bar.”
“And her parents?”
Harry pointed at an elderly couple sitting nearby, with conveniently placed menus obscuring their faces.
“Oh, that’s not obvious at all,” I groaned.
“They’ll be fine,” Harry said.
“Was Vance and Tori able to make it?”
Harry turned and pointed at another table on the other side of the room. I glanced over just in time to see Vance give me a thumbs up. His wife, Tori, was there, and smiled warmly at me. Then, I saw Vance glance over at Jillian’s table, say something, and just like that, their faces were hidden behind a couple of menus, too. Jillian must have looked their way, but thankfully, didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“Are you ready for this?”
I opened the ring box. Inside was a platinum tanzanite engagement ring with diamond accents, set in a classic setting. The stone was just over two carats, which if you’ve ever shopped for those pricey bluish purple stones, you’ll know that it wasn’t cheap. Both the met
al and stones had been polished to a radiant shine. Snapping the box closed, I pocketed it, looked at my friend, and swallowed nervously.
“You bet. Let’s do this.”
Harry nodded, “Roger that, bro. All right, give me just a few minutes, and I’ll get Jules out of the way.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
Harry then strode up to the table, pulled out his chair, and plunked his butt down.
“Where’s Zachary?” Jillian worriedly asked.
“I think he’s back there,” Harry confided, pointing in the completely opposite direction. “I think he’s trying to arrange to secretly pay for tonight’s dinner. Little does he know I already took care of it.”
“That’s awful sweet of you,” Jillian proclaimed, placing a hand over Harry’s and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Right then, I arrived. I gave Jillian a quick kiss, knocked fists with Harry when the girls weren’t looking, and gave Julie a smile.
“Hey, guys,” I began. “I have to be honest here. I’m really starting to enjoy going on vacation with other people. I mean, this trip is gonna be one for the books.”
Jillian started ticking off points on her fingers, “It’s not often you solve a murder, uncover an illegal treasure hunting operation, solve a stolen coin case, and then become lifelong members of what is probably one of the most famous aquariums in the world.”
“I’d like to know what we’re all gonna do next year, man,” Harry added. “How are we gonna top this one?”
“Excuse me,” a British female voice interrupted. “Mrs. Julie Watt?”
We all turned to stare at Julie, who was staring incredulously at the waitress.
“Yes? That’s me. What can I do for you?”
The waitress held out a slip of paper.
“I am the general manager of the hotel, Mrs. Watt. I was told I could find you in here. Do you recognize this charge, madam?”
Curious, Julie accepted the slip. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the amount.
“No, I don’t. What’s going on? Has someone got ahold of one of my credit cards?”
“If you’ll come this way, madam,” the British lady was saying, holding out an arm and indicating which direction she needed to go, “then I’m sure we can get to the bottom of this.”
“What? Oh, of course. Would you excuse me? I need to find out what’s going on here.”
Harry also pushed away from the table.
“I’d better go and see what the problem is. Someone is trying to use her personal card? That can’t be good, man.”
“We’ll be fine,” I assured our friends, as – together – they walked away from the table. Had Jillian been studying Harry’s face, then the jig would have been up, since she would have seen him sporting a huge smile.
“I hope everything is all right,” Jillian said nervously. “Maybe Harry used the wrong card? What do you think, Zachary? Oh! Wh-what…?”
When Jillian turned to look back at me, I watched her eyes widen with surprise as she saw me down on one knee, with the ring box open and held out to her.
“Jillian,” I hesitantly began, “I never thought I’d be in this position again. Uh, literally. I was always under the impression that lightning just wasn’t capable of striking the same person twice. Yet, it happened. To me. And, I like to believe, to you as well. So, here we are, in Monterey, California, and I have a question for you.”
I saw Jillian’s mouth open, as if to say something, but nothing came out.
“Jillian Leigh Cooper, will you marry me?”
Jillian’s mouth opened again, but as before, nothing was heard. With her eyes open wide, she frantically looked at the table and reached for her water. Finding it low, I slid my glass over to her.
“You’re… I… oh, my. I can’t seem to speak!”
“While I would ordinarily take that as a good sign,” I said, as I grinned at my girlfriend, “I kinda need an answer here.”
Jillian slid her chair back from the table and rose to her feet. The moment she did, she threw her arms around me and hugged me tight.
“Of course I’ll marry you! I love you, Zachary! I think I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you in my store!”
Grinning like a love-struck teenager, I pulled the ring from its box and slid it on Jillian’s left hand.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Jillian whispered, as she held her hand this way and that, so she could admire the ring from every direction. “And is that tanzanite?”
I nodded, “Yep. I know it is your favorite.”
Jillian hugged me again. She started to sit back down when she saw Harry and Julie coming towards us. Harry was holding a bottle of champagne. A very expensive bottle of champagne, Crystal Rose. I had special-ordered a bottle of Jillian’s exquisite champagne and it had been delivered earlier today. I figured, if I didn’t chicken out, then it’d be the perfect way to celebrate.
Harry was all smiles, “Congrats, you two! Seriously, bro, it couldn’t happen to a nicer dude. I know you two will be very happy!”
Jillian turned to look back at the direction Harry and Julie had just come from. There, walking toward her, holding a tray of crystal flutes and the second bottle of Crystal Rose I had later added to my order, was my second confidante, namely the British lady from before. I only knew her as ‘Maggie H.’, and that was because it was on her nametag.
I pointed at the second bottle of bubbly, “That’s a good idea. I’m thinking we’re all going to need it.”
“I have two other bottles in reserve,” Maggie confided. “When you’ve hosted as many events as I have, you get a feeling for how many bottles of champagne are needed for a party this size.”
I shrugged, “If you say so. Just leave me the…”
“It’s already taken care of,” Maggie assured me. “Compliments of the MPD.”
“I’m definitely going to have to send them a case or two of wine,” I mumbled to myself.
“A party this size?” Jillian repeated. “Excuse me, Maggie, is it? What did you mean by that?”
Maggie smiled, and then turned away.
“What’s going on?” Jillian suspiciously asked, as she turned to look at me. I grinned at her and shrugged. Jillian then looked over at Julie. “Is everything okay with you and Harry?”
“It was, just as soon as he explained what Zack was about to do,” Julie confided. She and Jillian embraced. “I’m so happy for you. No one deserves to be happy more than you and Zack.”
Maggie set the tray of flutes on the table and began pouring champagne. Also at that time, a group of four waiters and waitresses appeared, and rapidly slid several other tables next to ours, effectively increasing our seating by eight. Jillian turned to me and pointed at the tables.
“I don’t understand. ‘A party this size?’ Additional tables? Is someone else joining us?”
I nodded, “I couldn’t ask you to marry me without asking your dad first. And, they asked if they could be included.”
“You talked to my parents? Where? When? They’ve been gone to…” Jillian trailed off as a shocked smile appeared on her face. “Omigosh! Is that why they said they were coming back early? Did you arrange this?”
I pointed at a table three spaces away. Jillian gasped as she recognized the faces of her parents, who slowly rose to their feet. Her mother, a kind, caring woman in her mid-seventies, pulled her daughter in for a hug.
“Mom?” Jillian squeaked out, between sobs. “What are you doing here? How long have you known Zachary was going to do this?”
“About three months now,” Jillian’s father answered, as he stepped forward to pull her in for a hug. Wyatt Cooper was a stern-looking, older gentleman in his late seventies. “Zack called me up out of the blue, asked permission to marry you, which I heartily gave, mind you, and wanted to know if we’d like to witness the proposal, here in California. Who was I to turn that down? We cut our trip short and hurried home.”
Jillian held up her hands in a time-out, “Wai
t. Just wait a moment. Are you saying you’ve been back for over two months?”
“And it’s been very hard not telling you anything,” her mother, Clara, said. “I don’t like keeping secrets from anyone, but for this? I could see fit to bend my own rules.”
Wyatt approached me and held out a hand, which I immediately took. The older man’s handshake was firm and resolute. He looked me in the eye and nodded.
“I’m happy for you two. And, if I’m allowed to say this… it’s about damn time. What took you so long, you knucklehead?”
“Dad!” Jillian cried, embarrassed.
“Oh, I’m just teasing the boy,” Wyatt assured her, giving me a wink.
Jillian placed a hand on her head and immediately sat down, “Oh, my head is spinning. This is almost too much to take in at the same time. I… now I know I’m losing it. Those two look like Vance and Tori. They… Zachary Michael, you didn’t!”
We all turned to see my detective friend, Vance Samuelson, and his wife, Tori, approach the table. They were both grinning. More handshakes ensued, and more tears were shed.
“I cannot believe Zachary had the fortitude to pull this off without me knowing anything about it!” Jillian exclaimed, as she looked around the large table filled with our family and friends. “I’m surprised you didn’t invite your parents to come up here. I would have liked to see them again.”
I grinned and jammed my hands into my pants pockets, “Who says I didn’t?”
Right on cue, two more people approached the table and slid out chairs. Jillian gasped again as she looked into the smiling faces of my father, William Anderson, and my mother, Dana.
“Were you hiding somewhere in here, too?” Jillian mock-accused.
My father grinned and pointed at the other end of the restaurant.
“We saw it all, my dear. Zachary, we’re proud of you.”
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to take that, since I wasn’t a child anymore. Smile and nod? Sure, that ought to work.
Case of the Ostentatious Otters Page 17