by Tara Ellis
Finally closing her eyes and breaking the contact, Grace nods her head slowly. Handing the phone out to Sam, she again looks at her, this time with an obvious amount of respect. “I believe you are right. You’ve managed to solve a six-year mystery in a matter of days.”
Blushing furiously, Sam suffers an odd mixture of relief and anxiety. She wasn’t exactly sure what kind of reaction she expected, but this certainly wasn’t it. Confused, she takes the offered phone back, and tries to figure out how to respond.
“We’re sorry if this is upsetting,” Ally offers, saving Sam from the awkward moment. “We thought it might help in some small way, to finally find the wreckage.”
“My dear, you have nothing to apologize for,” Grace says, visibly putting her emotions in check. Sitting up straighter on the lounge, she tugs at the hem of her shirt, as if pulling out the wrinkles will further convince them of her strength.
“Quite the contrary. I am impressed with you all, and this discovery does help. It really does. In ways you can’t imagine.”
The statement ads another layer of mystery to the ones already rolling around in Sam’s head, and she looks questioningly at Grace. What could she possibly mean by that?
“I do have a favor to ask of you all, though.” Standing, Grace walks to the mantle, and then turns to stare out the large windows that line the wall behind them. The storm has progressed outside, and rain whips at the glass, tapping out a song of random chorus.
“If you haven’t already shared this with anyone, I would prefer that we keep the discovery quiet for now. I’m afraid that the news would bring … unwanted attention. I’ve been at a bit of odds with Mr. Kingsman,” she confides, looking away from the view outside and back at the girls seated in front of her. “We don’t agree on how he practices business, and I’ve rather enjoyed not having to deal with him lately. This would not only cause all sorts of media exposure for me, but it would undoubtedly force me back into a confrontation with Gregory.”
This declaration produces an explosion of questions that forces Sam to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from asking them. Now isn’t the time. Mrs. Potts is clearly having a hard time talking about it, and pressing her for more information would not only be rude, but could possibly cause a rift in their new friendship.
“Our brothers are the only other people that know,” Sam confides. “But don’t worry, they don’t believe me anyway, and they won’t say anything if we ask them not to.”
“I would never suggest that you keep something from your parents,” Grace says, going back to sit beside Sam. “I didn’t mean that I want to you to keep a secret, only that it not be shared with the media, or anyone that doesn’t need to know.”
“Of course!” Cassy adds. “We understand. We would never go to the media! This is your information to do with what you want. We just wanted to try and help.”
“And you have!” Grace then turns and starts cleaning up the remnants of their snack, a sign that perhaps they’ve reached the end of their visit.
Looking outside, Sam discovers the rain has let up considerably. “We should probably get going,” she states, helping to brush some crumbs off the table and onto the plate. “It looks like the storm has passed.”
“Do keep me updated on the progress of the haunted house.” Walking from the room, the three girls glance at each other before following Grace out to the foyer.
Once there, Sam suddenly realizes that with all her worry over the revelation of the boat, she was forgetting one of her other goals. Feeling a twinge of guilt, she turns to Grace, instead of putting her shoes on. “Do you think I could have a small glass of water before we go? I probably shouldn’t have eaten that last cookie,” she adds, almost hoping that her ploy to see further into the mysterious house will fail.
Hesitating only briefly, Grace smiles warmly at Sam. “Of course you can! Follow me.”
Leaving Ally and Cassy to finish putting their shoes and jackets on, Sam scoots through the same hallway she explored before. Not knowing what she’s looking for, she keeps an eye out for anything odd or out of order. In her limited experience with clues, Sam has learned they often present themselves when you least expect it. Noting that she doesn’t detect any cologne this time, she continues moving forward.
Stepping through the mud room (this time vacant of any men’s boots or raincoat), she emerges into a large, bright kitchen. True to the style of the rest of the house, everything is grand and meticulous. Other than some dishes in the big double sink, it’s spotless.
Mrs. Potts grabs a glass from a cupboard and fills it from the tap. Going to stand next to her, Sam can’t help but glance at the items in the sink: two small plates, two forks, and two teacups.
The implication doesn’t sink in until she’s halfway through her drink, and Sam nearly chokes. Two of everything!
Seeming to notice Sam’s wide-eyed expression, Grace steps in front of her, and begins to busy herself with loading the dishes into the dishwasher. Suddenly noticeably anxious, she starts rambling about how she was so busy the past couple of days that she was falling behind on her housework.
Reaching to set the now empty glass on the counter, Sam is about to comment on how much cleaner her house is than theirs, when she glances at the open dishwasher. Sitting on the bottom rack are two bowls, and two large dinner plates. In the utensil rack are two spoons and two forks.
Unless ghosts are into sitting down to a meal, Sam thinks, backing away and crossing her arms across her chest, it would seem that Mrs. Potts doesn’t live alone!
8
MOUNTING CLUES
The rest of the week crawls by. Sam has a hard time concentrating on math and science when all she can think about is what to paint on the walls of the haunted house, and what the clues at the Potts’ estate mean.
Cassy and Ally aren’t convinced that they mean anything, and maintain the belief that Grace simply prefers her privacy. Sam considers discussing it with Lisa, but decides that it feels too much like gossip. Instead, she focuses on recruiting more help for Halloween night, and succeeds in finding four other kids to act as characters inside the haunted house.
The club meets twice after school during the week, but is forced to use the library since the gym is tied up every night for sports. They come up with a plan for a paint party on Sunday. The boys even seem interested in helping more, and Sam is feeling encouraged that they might actually pull it off.
Friday finally rolls around, and Sam, Ally, and Cassy file onto the bus together, laughing and making plans to have a sleepover. They eventually settle on Ally’s house, because her Mom has a rare night off, and has offered to supply pizza and movies. She’s an Intensive Care nurse at the nearest hospital, and normally works overnight shifts on the weekend. In all the years they’ve been friends, Sam still doesn’t feel like she really knows Mrs. Parker, they’ve spent such little time together. She’s looking forward to what should be a fun night!
The bus rumbles through the small town of Ocean Side, making frequent stops. They used to be able to walk to the elementary school, but the middle school is too far, and it would still take them close to half an hour to reach on bikes. Sam is daydreaming about the time when they’ll finally be at the more centralized high school, when she can’t help but notice a very large, new billboard sign set along the side of the main road.
Staring out at her with dark, serious eyes is a middle-aged man in a business suit. His head is cocked to one side, with an ‘I-told-you-so’ expression on his face. Below his crossed arms are large, bold words:
I’M THE MAN YOU NEED IN OFFICE
VOTE
GREGORY KINGSMAN
Your next Washington State Congressman
Turning her head to watch the sign shrink behind them, Sam wonders about the man in the advertisement. Grace certainly doesn’t like him. What did she say about him? Sam taps at her chin, trying to remember. That they didn’t agree on how he practices business. And Kingsman is the one who bought out
the boat company after Mr. Potts died.
Settling back into the hard bench seat, Sam is vaguely aware of the animated conversation Cassy and Ally are having beside her. Glancing at the girls, she catches movement beyond them, and looks around to see a young boy of about eight waving at her from a seat across the aisle. She recognizes him from the afternoon school program. She believes he was the pirate who made her walk the plank into the ball pit. Smiling, she waves back, and is reminded of the dire situation that the charity is in.
Business practice, Sam repeats to herself, staring down at her hands now. The teen helping out at the program said it was a shock to find out they were in financial trouble, and the news came from Gregory Kingsman!
“What are you thinking about, Sam?”
Sam jerks her head around at Ally’s question, and then blushes when she finds that both of her friends are staring at her.
“I’m thinking that it’s time we did a little snooping.”
***
“Move aside,” Cassy orders. Tossing her half-eaten piece of pizza back onto a paper plate, she shoos Sam off the office chair, and slides in front of the Parkers’ computer. “Let me have a shot at it.” Cracking her knuckles dramatically, she begins tapping at the keyboard.
They’re gathered at one end of a large rec room, the most kid-friendly area of Ally and John’s impressive house. It’s nearly ten at night and they just finished watching a movie on the large flat screen TV with Ally’s parents. While Sam enjoyed the time, and getting to know Brandon and Elizabeth Parker better, she was itching to start looking for information. It was with a mingled sense of guilt and relief that she told them goodnight just a few minutes ago.
Watching over Cassy’s shoulder, Sam is impressed with the different ways she’s coming up with to search for Gregory Kingsman. All Sam found were information pieces on his political campaign. After a few creative inputs, Cassy was stacking up pages of past articles on various topics.
Sam was encouraged earlier when her friends agreed to try to connect some of the dots. She just knows there is something questionable going on with Mrs. Potts, Kingsman, the afterschool program, and the boat company. And it all goes back to the disappearance of Mr. Potts.
Pausing, Sam considers her use of the word disappearance, instead of death.
“A body was never found,” She says aloud without realizing it.
“What do you mean?” Ally looks at Sam for an answer, her normally pleasant face appearing rather alarmed.
“Mr. Potts was never found, and was presumed dead,” Sam explains. “But what if he wasn’t?”
Cassy pivots the chair around to face Sam. “Why would he hide? What would be the point? And poor Mrs. Potts. I can’t imagine him doing that to her.”
“Their business was going bankrupt,” Sam answers slowly, thinking things through as she says it. “Remember? Grace said that Mr. Kingsman saved it by bailing it out after Mr. Potts’ death. But something obviously happened since then, to make her distrust the man. There has to be more,” she continues, running her hands through her hair and staring up at the ceiling. “I wonder,” Sam continues, still more to herself than anyone else, “If Mr. Potts had a large life insurance policy. And … if he prefers a certain pricey cologne.”
“Sam!” Ally gasps, alarmed. “How could you suspect such a horrible thing of Grace? Do you really think she would lie about her husband’s death? I agree that there’s some odd stuff going on, but that’s a stretch.”
Before Sam has a chance to defend herself, the doors to the rec room burst open and John and Hunter make a loud entrance.
“What’s the heated discussion all about?” John asks, looking from his sister and back to Sam. It’s unusual for the two girls to disagree so strongly, and Sam can see the concern etched into the lines of his dirty face.
They had a football game tonight, and they’re still wearing their sweaty gear. John’s jersey is notably marked with the colors of the opposing team, while Hunter’s is nearly clean. As a junior at the high school, John is on the varsity team, but Hunter is just a freshman and it’s his first year playing. It would be unusual for him to do anything on a Friday night, other than warm the bench.
The girls normally go to the games, but with another wet and chilly evening predicted, they chose the dryer option of movies and pizza, instead.
Sam quickly brings the boys up to speed on the investigation, filling them in on the details they were keeping from them. At this point, she figures they can use all the help they can get.
“Ally, please don’t be upset with me.” Now that Sam has recapped everything that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, she’s more certain than ever that her hunch is right. “I like Grace as much as you do, and I’m sure that if I’m right, that she has a good explanation for it.”
“Well, this Gregory Kingsman guy does seem a little shady,” Cassy interrupts, pulling up one of the first articles she found. “This one is from fifteen years ago, before he was even into politics. Says he was indicted for illegal trading on the stock market. But … ” Cassy scans over the rest of the publication. “He was never charged. I’m guessing he used the money to buy his first company, which is what this article is about.” Clicking on the next tab, she reads the title aloud. “Previous resident, Gregory Kingsman, returns to Ocean Side and purchases local business.”
“Which one?” Hunter asks, already on his third piece of cold pizza.
Sam wrinkles her nose at the combined smell of pepperoni and body odor. The guys really need to go take a shower.
“The restaurant on the marina,” Cassy answers. “You know the really fancy one that always has fresh crab and lobster? I’ve never actually eaten there, just stared at the tank full of lobster in the lobby.”
“We go there on special occasions,” Ally says, nodding her head. “But I don’t think he owns it anymore. My mom knows the owners, and it definitely isn’t him.”
“Well, I guess that isn’t surprising.” Cassy continues to click through the other records, most of them about his continuous purchases and sales of various types of businesses. “Looks like he got into politics about ten years ago, and the Potts used to be big supporters. And here is the one about the boating accident,” she continues, more subdued. “Mr. Kingsman launched his own private search party, too. And then there’s a whole piece here about how he saved Mrs. Potts from losing everything, by salvaging the failing boat business.” Cassy reads that one out loud in its entirety.
Sam’s frown deepens as they learn that while Mrs. Potts still maintains a connection as a limited silent partner, Kingsman is now the majority shareholder and owner. In exchange for the bailout, Grace gave up all control, and any money she makes goes to the charity organizations.
“It sounds like he really helped her out,” John says a little reluctantly. “Why do you think she’s opposed to him now?”
“What’s the name of Boat Company now?” Sam asks, looking over Cassy’s shoulder again. Together, they go over the whole article, but don’t see it mentioned anywhere.
“Hold on!” Ally shouts, and sprints from the room. A minute later, she returns holding an open phonebook. Running her finger down the page, she finds what she’s looking for. “Kingsman Custom Boating Supplies.”
Sitting down next to Cassy, Sam enters the name and is rewarded with an instant result. A professionally designed webpage displays the most popular products under an elaborate banner, which includes the same picture of Gregory Kingsman that was on the billboard.
“I’m already getting sick of seeing that fake smile,” Ally complains.
Sam hopes it’s a sign that Ally is starting to come around, and she turns a curious eye to the first item on the page. There are bold, red words flashing ‘Best Seller’ above it and Sam clicks onto the icon. The page is then filled with a large image that practically takes Sam’s breath away.
“Hey!” Hunter shouts, pausing midway through his fourth piece of pizza. “Isn’t that your mystery wo
od from the Pirate Cove?”
“Yes,” Sam mumbles, leaning close to the monitor. There is little doubt that the ‘unique and unbreakable wood’ advertised as the Kingsman Custom Boating Supplies bestseller, is none other than Mr. Potts’ invention. Smaller lettering details that it was first introduced five years ago, one year after Benjamin Potts’ disappearance.
“I wonder,” Sam says to her friends that have all crowded in close behind her to get a better look, “If the noises in the basement feeding the current ghost stories started about six years ago.”
A moment of uneasiness passes as they all look at each other, wanting to dispute the possibility but unable to come up with a reasonable argument against it. Could it be, that after faking his own death, Benjamin Potts began returning to the one place he felt safe as a child?
Sam is the first to break the silence.
“Who’s up for some ghost hunting?”
9
HOW TO CATCH A GHOST
By Sunday evening, Sam is so wound up that she can hardly concentrate on painting. They have a great turnout, which includes the three students that originally signed up for the club, and the four others Sam recruited earlier in the week. With the additional help of Hunter and John, they already have all of the panels decorated before the end of the day.
Sam’s main concern is how to orchestrate a repeat of last Sunday, with just the five of them left alone in the building. This is critical to their plan working. She would never lie to Lisa, but Sam knows that if she were to tell her what’s going on, Lisa would shut them down. She might be more open to mysteries than most adults, but Lisa understands how Sam’s parents feel about it.