She swam forward just enough to get a good look. She never knew there were caves in the cliffside and this one was a whopper. She couldn’t see very far in though—it was too dark.
The ghost tilted his head toward the back of the cave in a motion that Celeste took to mean he wanted her to follow. She remembered the warning Morgan had given her before the dive and she floated in place, every muscle telling her to go back to the boat.
The ghost glided out to her, reaching out for her wrist but she pulled away. Her eyes wide inside the mask, shaking her head “no.” A look passed over his face—sadness? He floated back into the cave, and his body disappeared slowly as if it was evaporating into the water and Celeste was alone.
Her heart kicked when she checked the gauge on her air tanks. She had just enough air to get back to the boat. She turned back in that direction wondering just what was in the cave and why the ghost seemed so intent on leading her in there.
Chapter Twelve
“How was the scuba dive?” Jolene paused with a forkful of carrot cake midway to her mouth, as she looked at Morgan and Celeste in the kitchen doorway.
“Unusual,” Morgan said sliding into the chair next to Jolene at the kitchen island.
Jolene’s mouth was busy chewing cake, so she simply cocked an eyebrow at Morgan in response.
“I saw a ghost underwater,” Celeste said as she hunted in the fridge.
“Underwater? I didn’t know they could go underwater.” Jolene scraped a thick blob of cream cheese frosting from the top of the cake and licked it off the fork. Earlier in the summer, she’d been a bit taken aback when Celeste had mentioned she had seen their grandmother’s ghost, but after several reported sightings it didn’t really phase her much anymore. Especially after what happened in Skinner’s garage earlier that day.
“Apparently they can.” Celeste pulled her head out of the fridge, a bag of spinach and a plastic container of mixed fruit in her hand. “And he led me to a huge underwater cave out by the point.”
“What was in it?” Jolene asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t go in.” Celeste dumped the ingredients into the high powered blender along with ice cubes and water and turned it on.
“Oh and I found this," Celeste yelled over the motor as she dug the coin out of her pocket and put it on the island in front of Jolene.
Jolene picked up the coin noticing how smooth it felt as she turned it over in her hand.
“This looks like a Spanish treasure coin—like the one we dug up in the yard this summer,” she said after Celeste turned off the blender and she was able to hear again.
Celeste nodded as she sipped her drink.
“So there is a treasure down there.” Jolene glanced out the window toward the ocean. “We’ll have to watch out for those guys from the Knotty Mariner and their underwater metal detectors.”
“Yeah, Luke has some guys on watch over there to make sure no one comes in by boat,” Morgan said.
“What about you? Did you have any luck with the search for Mateo?” Celeste asked Jolene.
Jolene blanched. “Not really, but I think I ran into the pirates.”
“Ran into them? Where?” Morgan’s eyes were clouded with concern.
“Well … I happened to drive by Skinner’s house and I noticed the side door to the garage was open,” Jolene started.
“Why did you go there?” Celeste cut in.
“Just checking the house, you know to make sure no one broke in.” Jolene looked down, pushing the crumbs on her plate around with her fork. “Anyway, there were two gigantic guys with beards taking a notebook out. I thought it might be from Skinner’s journal. I tried to stop them and something very strange happened.”
“You tried to stop them?” Morgan’s eyes were wide. “That seems dangerous.”
Jolene shrugged. “Yeah, I probably should have run away but I put my hand up to ward them off and I felt this rush of energy through my palm. Then one guy flew backwards and crashed against the wall. It was weird," Jolene said wiping her tingling palm on her jeans.
Celeste narrowed her eyes at Jolene. “You mean like some sort of paranormal force?”
“Yes. Exactly. Why not? You see ghosts, Morgan has intuition and we all saw what Fiona’s healing crystals did for my arm.” Jolene looked down at her arm which had been cut badly when the treasure hunters had broken into their home earlier in the summer. Fiona had wrapped it for her and put one of her crystals—a carnelian—in the wrapping. The next day, the cut had been totally healed. “So, I don’t think it’s so weird that I have some special ability too, is it?”
“Not at all.” Celeste pressed her lips together. “I wonder if that’s what Nana meant.”
“Huh?”
“I was talking to her—well her ghost—this morning and she said we were stronger than we know. I wonder if she was talking about our strange abilities. Maybe there is more to them than we realize,” Celeste said.
“Well, I don’t know how useful it is,” Jolene said. “I have no idea how to make it happen again.”
“Is that how you got away from the pirates, then?” Morgan asked.
“No. At least I don’t think so. After the guy got slammed into the wall, they were coming after me and I tried to run, but I slipped and blacked out. The next thing I knew, I was outside and some pervert was feeling me up.”
“What?” Morgan and Celeste gave her identical looks, their brows rising to meet their hairlines.
“Yeah, some weird guy was there and I felt him touching my butt.” Jolene put her hand on her backside, right where she remembered the man touching her and heard the crunch of paper. Her forehead creased as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of note paper. She didn’t remember putting anything in there.
“What’s that?” Morgan asked.
“I’m not sure.” Jolene spread it out on the top of the island.
“It looks like some sort of maze.” Celeste bent over the paper which showed a series of passages laid out like a maze along with lines and arrows. It was recently hand drawn in pen on white lined paper. “And a map of how to navigate it.”
Morgan reached out, picking up the paper and holding it in her hands. She closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, Jolene felt her heart skip at the serious look they conveyed. “We’re going to need this. I don’t know why but I have a feeling that it’s important.”
“Do you think it has something to do with the treasure?” Jolene asked.
Morgan nodded.
“We better keep it safe. Maybe you can put it with the Journal, Morgan,” Celeste said.
“Okay. I’ll take it up right after we’re done here.” Morgan put the map back down on the counter so they could study it some more.
“Meow.” Belladonna stole their attention from the paper.
“Hi, Belladonna.” Morgan slid out of her seat to pet the cat who sat in front of the basement door staring at them and flicking her tail.
“I have no idea why but she seems to be obsessed with that basement," Celeste said.
“Maybe it’s because of this.” Fiona came into the room holding a dustpan out in front of her like it was filled with toxic waste. Jolene craned her neck to see what was in it and understood why her sister was holding it that way when she saw the two headless mice.
“Ewwww.” Celeste, Jolene and Morgan scrunched their faces.
“Where did you get those?” Celeste asked.
“They were on the front porch. Neatly lined up in front of the door. Like a gruesome present.”
The four of them looked at Belladonna who puffed up her chest proudly.
“You think she’s getting mice from the basement?” Morgan asked.
“Maybe.” Fiona shoved the mice into a trash bag securing it tightly and heading in the direction of the outside trash barrels. “We should have one of the guys check it out and see if she is getting in from some window or opening and secure it. We don’t want the treasure hunt
ing pirates to have an easy way in.”
“I’ll talk to Luke,” Morgan said as Fiona shoved the bag outside.
“What’s that?” Fiona joined them at the island, pointing to the map of the maze.
“We’re not sure … a map of a maze or something.” Jolene told her what had happened at Skinner’s.
“So you think that guy put it in your pocket?”
Jolene pressed her lips together. “Maybe that was why I woke to find his hands on my butt.”
“Who is he?” Fiona asked.
“No idea." Jolene shrugged.
“What did he look like?”
“He had a dark complexion. Like maybe he was from Brazil, or Cuba or something. Dark wavy hair and dark eyes. And a slight accent.”
Jolene saw Morgan and Celeste exchange a glance. “That sounds like the mysterious Mateo.”
“Well if it is, I think he’s following me because I also saw him staring at me in the museum parking lot,” Jolene said.
Fiona’s forehead creased. “Why would he follow you?”
“Who knows. Apparently he must be connected to this whole treasure thing somehow,” Jolene said.
“Sure seems that way,” Fiona agreed.
“Yeah it sure does,” Celeste added. “But the question is, whose side is he on?”
***
“I didn’t find any openings where someone could get into the basement.” Luke shoved a pair of thick gloves halfway into his back pocket and bent down to brush dirt from his knees. He motioned for Celeste and Morgan to get up from where they sat, on the front steps of their porch, and follow him around the side of the house.
He pointed to the granite slabs that sat under the cedar shingle siding. “Your foundation is really old. There’s no windows or even a bulkhead. There’s really no way for a person to get in, but there might be some cracks a cat could wriggle through. Anyway, I don’t think we need to worry about pirates getting in that way.”
“Speaking of pirates,” Celeste said. “Did you have any luck at the motel where Jolene took the pictures?”
Luke rubbed his hand over his chin, the day old stubble making a rasping noise as he passed over it. “As a matter of fact, we did. You won’t have to worry about those two, but more will be coming. From what little information we could get, it seems there is some big deal about a really low tide. I guess they have some plan that centers around that.”
A shiver crawled up Celeste’s spine. “Low tide? I read that Friday there’s going to be an unusually low tide—the lowest one in almost three hundred years. Dead tide, they called it. Something about the alignment of the sun and the moon.”
“We figure they’ll be coming from the open ocean. I guess there really is some treasure sunken out there.” Luke thrust his chin toward the Atlantic.
“So we only have three days?” Morgan squinted at Luke.
“Seems that way. I have my men positioned to watch the Atlantic so if anyone comes in that way, we’ll know about it.”
“What about that underwater cave I saw the other day?” Celeste asked.
“We’ll check that out too. I have some guys that know how to dive and we’re going to scour the area tomorrow,” Luke said. “Do you want to dive with us?”
Celeste made a face. “I’d like to, but I have Yoga classes most of the day. What’s with this whole low tide thing, though?”
“Maybe the treasure is too deep at high tide?” Morgan offered.
“Maybe, but if so that would mean it was further out—not near the cliff,” Celeste said.
“I’ll make sure my guys check the deeper waters—even if we can’t get to it until Friday, we should be able to see if something is there," Luke offered. “But in the meantime, we really need to start trying to figure out what Skinner knew so I can get an idea of what those pirates have planned. It could help us ward off the attack.”
“Do you think that map of the maze is a clue?” Morgan raised her brows at Luke. They’d shown him the paper that had been placed in Jolene’s pocket earlier and he’d been as mystified as they were.
Luke shrugged. “Possibly. But where is this maze?”
“Could it be underwater? Maybe Isaiah hid the treasure in the rocks or something and that map shows how to get to it,” Celeste said.
Morgan wrinkled her brow. “The maze seemed a little too geometric to be from the natural rock, but maybe Isaiah rearranged the rocks or carved out crevices.”
“That would make sense. I’ll look for any abnormalities in rock structure while we are out there.” Luke draped his arm over Morgan’s shoulders and nuzzled her neck.
Celeste took the hint and turned back toward the front of the house, cautiously looking for dead mice as she walked up the steps. She pulled the door open, taking one last glance out over the ocean, all the while her stomach sinking, an imaginary stopwatch ticking off the seconds in her mind until the treasure hunting pirates descended on them.
Chapter Thirteen
The next day, Celeste found it difficult to concentrate on yoga. She finished her classes early and headed home right after. Slipping in through the front door, she shrugged out of her light jacket and slipped off her shoes. The yoga classes she’d taught earlier in the day had left her feeling an odd combination of drained and refreshed. She needed some wheat grass juice and an apple before she relaxed into her afternoon meditation.
Padding into the kitchen in bare feet, her heart stopped when she looked toward the basement door. It was wide open. Was someone down there?
Celeste crossed cautiously to the door. Neither her nor her sisters ever went into the basement, the door was never open like this, in fact they usually kept it locked. Maybe Luke had opened it yesterday when he was inspecting it? She was sure the door had been closed tight last night and Luke hadn’t been back since.
She peered down the stairs into the darkness.
“Hello?”
“Mew.” The sound was so faint she wasn’t even sure she’d heard it.
“Belladonna?” Was the cat down there hurt?
“Mew.” Another pathetically soft meow filtered up from below.
“Are you hurt, kitty?”
Celeste felt a tug at her heart. The cat could be down there stuck or injured. She could have fallen in the well or gotten into something. She had to go down—no matter how scared she was.
She groped along the wall lightly looking for the light switch, her shoulders tensing, her arm getting ready to pull back if her fingers encountered anything crawly or slimy. She found the hard plastic switch and flicked it, peering down into the basement which was now slightly dim instead of pitch black.
She stepped lightly on the first step, then the second. The cold air of the basement came up to surround her as she slowly descended the steps. The damp musty smell tickled her nose. Her eyes strained to get used to the dim lighting.
“Belladonna?” She stood with her left foot on the bottom step, her right hovering in the air, uncertain whether she should continue or turn and flee back up the stairs.
“Meeew.” The sound came from her left. Celeste’s heart crunched—Belladonna sounded weak as a kitten.
Looking in that direction, she could barely see something white in the corner. The cavernous basement was lit by one low-wattage bulb which hung from the ceiling about twenty feet away, the arc of light barely reached the area from where the sound came.
Her stomach fluttered as she stepped off the last step. The compacted dirt floor of the basement felt damp and clammy on her bare feet. She realized she should have put shoes on before venturing down. Too late now, she thought as she tip toed her way across the floor toward the cat.
“Mew." Belladonna greeted her as she approached. The cat was wedged behind something big and round. It was almost as tall as Celeste and about three feet wide. It sat against the wall.
“Belladonna, are you okay?” She bent down to pet the cat and was rewarded with a loud purr. “Did you get stuck?”
She stood up t
o inspect the offending piece. It was hard to see the details in the dark but she could make out that it was wooden and round like a barrel with metal bands. A big giant wine cask. She tried to move it, but it wouldn’t budge. It looked ancient and she wondered if there was still wine in it. Why else would it be so heavy?
She peered around to where it was wedged against the wall, her heart jerking when she came face to face with a swirly white mist. A ghost. And not just any ghost, the very same one that had lured her to the cave entrance during her dive.
She jumped back and the ghost looked insulted. His long dark, wavy hair hung down to his shoulders. Who was he?
“Hi,” she ventured, still keeping a safe distance.
He waved then reached out his hand, causing her to jump back a little further. Then he inclined his head toward the wall, beckoning to her with his index finger just like he had when he was trying to get her to swim further into the cave.
Celeste frowned at him. Did he think she could go through the wall like he could?
He reached out and grabbed her wrist. Her heartbeat picked up speed as she felt a cold mist wrap itself around her hand, the chill working its way up her arm. Her pulse drummed in her ears as she tried to pull away while he tried to pull her toward the dark crevice where the cask met the wall.
She heard a faint knocking. Was that coming from the cask?
The ghost nodded at her. The knocking got louder. She peered around the edge of the cask, feeling along the wall. It was wet and not all that pleasant. She jerked her hand away. Her heart beat faster.
The ghost glanced up, then said, “Ooops,” and disappeared into the dark crack between the cask and the wall leaving only a slight swirly mist in his wake.
“What the heck?” Celeste looked up but didn’t see anything, then realized the knocking was turning into a pounding and it wasn’t coming from the cask. It was coming from upstairs … the front door.
She glanced over at Belladonna who slipped out of the crevice and ran upstairs.
“Stupid cat wasn’t even stuck,” she muttered as she headed toward the front door to stop the incessant pounding before it gave her a migraine.
Dead Tide (Blackmoore Sisters Romantic Cozy Mystery Series) Page 7