by Laura Ruby
She looked at the flames atop the white dinner candles. “Why do you think Max set all those fires?”
“Lily!” said her mother.
Uncle Wes choked on his roast and had to sip his water. “Doing a little digging into the past?”
“Just curious,” said Lily.
“So your mother has been teaching you a bit of history?”
Lily glanced at her mother and caught her beetled brows. “No. I found out on my own. At the library.”
“A person can find out a lot at the library,” said Uncle Wes with a tiny, almost imperceptible smirk. “If you know where to look.” Lily was sure he was taking about Ms. Reedy.
“Wesley, we don’t have to discuss this—” Lily’s mother began, but Wes cut her off.
“No, no, Lily is interested in her family. It’s understandable. So you want to know about my brother?”
“Yes,” said Lily as firmly as she could with his strange mismatched gaze pinned on her. “I do want to know.”
Uncle Wes patted his lips and threw the napkin next to his plate. “Maxmillian also had the best things a family could give a child. But, as with your mother, it wasn’t enough for him. I was older, six, when he was born, and I knew right away that there was something strange about him. He feared nothing, wanted to try everything. Max craved excitement. When he couldn’t find it climbing trees or swimming in the ocean, he read about it. He was especially fascinated with adventurers. He read about Sir Francis Bacon. Magellan. Lewis and Clark.
“He was also fascinated by criminals. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when he finally committed his own crime, when he set that first fire in our barn.”
Lily dropped her knife to her plate with a clatter. Uncle Wes’s icy blue eye passed over her. “You didn’t know the fire was in our barn, did you? My mother kept our name out of the paper. She knew it was Max, you see, but she wouldn’t admit it.” His face hardened, darkened. “He was her favorite, her baby, her special boy. A dandelion from Max was like a bouquet of roses. The cheap plastic baby doll he won at a fair was like the finest antique. The next time it happened, when that boat burned in the harbor and the concession stand burned on the beach, I tried to tell her, I begged her, but she wouldn’t listen.”
There was a slight tinkling sound, and Lily looked up to see some of the crystals on the chandelier brushing against one another, like a wind chime in a summer breeze.
Lost in the past, Uncle Wes did not seem to hear. “Then came the fire on the third floor, in his bedroom. No one knows why he did it. I don’t suppose there is a reason. Max just wanted to see what would happen. But we’d always had a problem with his door sticking. Max set that fire and then couldn’t escape. By the time we smelled the smoke downstairs, it had suffocated him.
Lily shivered involuntarily, still eyeing the chandelier. “What about your mother?”
Uncle Wes gave her an empty smile. “You read about that, too?” Lily nodded.
“She blamed herself.” He stood, agitated. “Grief and guilt overwhelmed her. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t eat. She sat at this table every day staring at that.” He pointed to the chandelier above them. “She liked the lights. She said it reminded her of a tiny solar system.”
The phone shattered the ensuing silence. Nobody moved until Uncle Wes said, “Well? Is anyone going to answer that?”
Lily stood quickly and went to the phone. “Hello?”
“Lily!” Vaz said. “I’ve been calling you for days!”
She didn’t know whether to be relieved or furious. She chose furious. “Look, I’m busy right now.”
“You’ve been busy for days and days. What’s going on?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“Sure you do. She’s short and blonde.”
“What? Who?”
“Forget it.”
“I’m coming over,” said Vaz.
“You can’t,” said Lily, glancing into the dining room. “My uncle Wes is here.”
“He is! Did you tell him about the ghosts?”
“None of your business.”
“I’m definitely coming over,” he said.
“I’m hanging up. “
“Wait! Remember that model we found in Burton’s library? The Quedah Merchant? I looked it up. Guess what it is?”
“I have no idea.”
“Captain Kidd’s ship.”
Her brain screamed, but she kept her tone cool. “So?”
“So! It’s a pirate ship, Lily. What do pirate ships carry?”
Lily made a face at the receiver and put it back in the cradle. Then she walked back into the dining room and sat.
“A friend of yours?” said Uncle Wes.
“No,” she said. Ship! In the reading at the Good Fortunes Shoppe, Max had tried to tell her about a ship. Was it Captain Kidd’s ship? She put a hand to her throat, under her collar, to check to see if her pendant was still there. What if the coin was a part of some sort of treasure? What if that was what Uncle Max wanted her to find?
“What are you doing?” Uncle Wes said, staring at her neck.
Lily dropped her hand to her lap. “Nothing.”
“You have something around your neck.”
“So she’s wearing a necklace, Wes. What’s the matter?” said Lily’s mother.
“What kind of necklace? Let me see it.”
“It’s no big deal,” said Lily.
“Let me see it!” Uncle Wes yelled.
“Show him, Lily,” said her mother, her face a mask of worry.
Reluctantly, Lily pulled the chain from beneath her collar. Uncle Wes’s green eye looked almost yellow, like a snake’s. “Where did you get that?” he hissed.
“Nowhere,” said Lily. “Mom found it.”
“Where did you get it!” Before she knew what was happening, Uncle Wes had lifted her out of the chair by her shoulders.
“What are you doing?” her mother said. “Let her go!”
Wes ignored her, shaking Lily like a rag doll as her mother pulled at his arm. “You tell me where it is!”
Lily was so surprised at his actions, at the strength of his grip, she could only gasp, “Where what is?”
He grabbed the silver coin and yanked the necklace from her neck. “The rest of it!”
The doorbell rang. Uncle Wes, still holding the necklace, shoved her away. “Answer the door,” he said coldly.
In shock, Lily shuffled to the door like a robot. She heard her mother behind her: “Wesley, have you gone crazy? What’s the matter with you?”
Lily opened the door. It was Bailey Burton gazing up at her, a predatory gleam in his piggy eyes.
A smile cut into the moist, doughy face. “I hope I’m not too late for dinner.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bailey Burton followed Lily back to the dining room, his hand around the back of her neck.
“What took you so long?” said Wesley.
“What in the heck is going on here?” Lily’s mother said.
Wesley sighed. “Sit down, Arden.”
“Get your hands off my daughter!”
“Let go of her, Burton,” said Wesley. Bailey Burton let go of her and Lily went to stand by her mother, rubbing her neck. “I’m sorry, Lily. We’re just a little excited.”
Lily scowled at him. No one had ever grabbed her like that before, and she was surprised at how angry she was. She wanted to punch someone.
“Now, where were we?” said Wesley. “Ah, the treasure. You were about to tell me where it is.”
Bailey grabbed the bowl of green beans and popped one into his mouth. Then another.
Lily licked her lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie, little girl,” Wesley spat. “We know what you’ve been doing. Your little investigation? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did you know breaking and entering is a serious charge?” He thrust the necklace in her face. “Where did you get this?”
/> “I gave it to her,” said Lily’s mother.
Wesley’s eyes narrowed. “I knew it,” he said. “I knew that’s why you were here. I knew you could lead us to it.” He paced the floor as Lily and her mother exchanged glances.
Wesley pointed at Lily’s mother. “Where’s the rest of it?”
“The rest of what?”
“The coins! The coins!”
Lily’s mother tossed her curly hair and looked at Wesley as if he had completely lost his mind. “That’s it,” Lily’s mother said. “I only found the one coin. The cat was playing with it. I don’t know where she found it.”
“Liar!” barked Wesley. “I know you came here to claim it.”
Lily’s mother gazed at him. “We only came here to get back on our feet.”
“Then why did the child talk about being rich when you can barely afford to clothe her?”
Lily’s mother took a deep breath. “She always says things like that. It…hasn’t been easy for her. I haven’t made it easy for her.” She looked sadly at Lily.
“Stories! You refused the money when I offered it.”
“What does that prove? When was the last time I took money from you?” said Lily’s mother. “From anyone?”
Wesley stared at her, hard, but as there was nothing but confusion and anger on her face, he seemed to relax. He sat down at the dining-room table and reached into his jacket, pulling out an engraved silver case and a lighter. Without taking his eyes off Lily and her mother, he lit a slim brown cigar and took a few deep drags.
“Terrible habit,” he said. “Gives me horrific sinus problems, but I can’t stop.”
Lily stared at him. He was crazy. She wished Vaz would come. Maybe he picked up some karate in junior high.
“Sit down at the table, Lily,” Wesley said. “Go on.” Bailey Burton pushed her forward, and she sat, facing her uncle.
He put the necklace on the table, nudged it to her with a fingertip. “You know what that is, don’t you.”
Lily didn’t look at the coin. “Yes,” she said. “It’s a an Indian rupee. It’s very old.”
“That it is,” said Wes. “I told you that my dear brother liked to read of the exploits of adventurers and criminals. There was one in particular that caught his attention. Do you know who it might be?”
“No,” said Lily.
“William Kidd. Captain William Kidd. Have you ever heard of him, Lily?”
Lily nodded slowly.
“Of course you have. And do you remember what Captain Kidd was famous for?”
“He was a pirate.” Bailey reached around her and grabbed a couple of biscuits. She could hear the dry scrape of his teeth against the bread.
“Clever girl,” said Wesley. “As I was saying, my brother was particularly interested in the story of Captain Kidd, a man who began his career as a privateer — that’s a person who has been given permission by his government to legally plunder the ships of other countries — and ended it swinging from a rope.” He blew a ring of smoke. “It is a fascinating story. And you can’t imagine how excited my brother became when he read of Captain Kidd’s last voyage.”
Uncle Wesley stood and moved around to the opposite side of the table, as if it were a lectern and he a professor. “It seems that in the beginning of 1698, Captain Kidd managed to capture a ship, the Quedah Merchant, while prowling the Indian Ocean.”
Bailey squeezed Lily’s shoulder. “You remember the Quedah Merchant. You and your friend left your greasy fingerprints all over it.”
“Down, Bailey,” said Wesley. “Let me finish. Now, the Quedah was a huge prize, a four-hundred-ton ship carrying silk, muslin, calico, sugar, opium and other goods. Kidd sailed it to Caliquilon, a city on the Southern tip of India, and immediately sold most of the cargo. But that’s not the most interesting part of the story. The most interesting part is what happened after the Quedah Merchant crossed the Atlantic and Kidd exchanged it for a sloop called the Saint Antonio, and set sail up the U.S. coast.”
Lily twitched in her chair. “Where did he sail to?”
“Ah, a good question. Don’t you think that’s an excellent question, Arden?”
Lily’s mother didn’t move a muscle as Wesley put both hands on the table and leaned forward toward Lily. “Some say that he hit landfall somewhere in the lower Delaware Bay, then proceeded on to Long Island, where he buried some of his treasure. Others have it that he landed on the bay side at Cape May Point and buried his treasure there.” He stubbed out his cigar in the mashed potatoes, though he’d smoked only half. Bailey, who was reaching for the potatoes, looked upset.
“Have you ever been to Cape May Point, Lily?” Wesley asked.
“No.”
“No?” Again he made the tsk, tsk sound with his tongue. “It’s quite beautiful. An old lighthouse, a bird sanctuary. A lake too. It’s called Lake Lily, can you imagine? What a coincidence! Unfortunately, the lake is dying. Apparently there’s some sort of nutrient build-up. A shame.”
He laughed, reached for another cigar, lit it. “For over three hundred years, people have been looking for Captain Kidd’s treasure on Cape May Point. If he had buried it there, I’m sure someone would have found it by now.”
“But he didn’t bury it there,” said Lily.
“No, you clever, clever girl. He didn’t bury it there. He buried it somewhere else. My brother found it. You have a piece of that treasure in front of you.”
“You’re kidding,” said Lily’s mother, her words almost a snicker.
“No pun intended, I assume?” said Wesley. “No, I’m quite serious, Arden.” He walked around the table and sat in the chair next to Lily. “And I would very much like to speak seriously with you, Lily.”
“I thought we were.”
“What a delightful little fox of a girl!” said Wesley. “Burton, wouldn’t you say that she’s a clever little fox?”
“A beautiful pink fox.” Bailey’s hot breath churned in her ear, and Lily longed to shrink away. Where was Vaz? Where was Max?
“Maxmillian made a map before he succumbed to his own sick passion for crime. A treasure map. I know because he taunted me with it before he hid it away. He enjoyed taunting me. He was very ill. Exceedingly ill. Did you see the portrait on the wall in the TV room? Then you understand how sick he was. I had that portrait commissioned after he died.”
“Well, that explains why it looks that way,” said Lily’s mother.
Wesley spat a cloud of smoke. “I let you stay here because I knew you could lead me to the map. We know you’ve been looking for something. Mr. Burton’s been keeping an eye on you for some time. He’s seen you running around your yard with that boy, and he knows you’ve been searching his library.”
“And digging on the beach,” said Bailey Burton, in a cloud of coppery breath. “I have a powerful telescope. And I read lips.”
“He reads lips!” Wesley said.
“Hit the road, Odysseus!” Bailey Burton hissed.
“His idea of a joke, though I had to ask him to refrain from any others. An unusual talent, Bailey is. So I need to ask you, you sneaky little fox of a thing. Where is the map?”
Lily opened her mouth to speak, to tell him that she didn’t know what he was talking about, to tell him that he was crazy, to tell her mother to call the police, when the doorbell set to cheeping like a irritated parakeet.
Wesley straightened with a snap. “Who could that be?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Wesley jerked his chin in Bailey’s direction. “Get rid of whoever it is,” he said. “Make it quick.”
Bailey trudged off obediently. They heard the door open and Bailey say, “What are you doing here? You can’t come in here!”
Footsteps coming closer. Wesley scooped the necklace from the table and shoved it in his pocket.
“Well, it looks like a regular party,” said Ms. Reedy, dragging Vaz into the dining room by the elbow. She was wearing a plush, shiny fur coat, and fire-engine red lipstick ag
ainst which her teeth glinted like pearls. “I found this one lurking around the windows. I’m surprised that you weren’t looking out for him, considering how much time these two have spent together. Then again, I suspect they might be having a lovers’ spat. The little girl came to see me alone today.”
Bailey grabbed Vaz and sat him down in one of the dining room chairs. Vaz looked around wildly, the crazy curl on his forehead standing at attention. He stared at Ms. Reedy as if he’d never seen her before, then he turned and gazed at Lily, his big eyes getting even bigger.
“Lily,” he said. “What happened to your hair? What’s going on?” He pointed at Ms. Reedy and shook his head in amazement.
“Aurelia,” said Wesley warily.
“Wesley,” said Ms. Reedy. Feeling Lily’s stare, she smiled. “Hello, Lily. I meant to ask you earlier, an accident at the salon?” Then she saw Lily’s mother. “And you must be Arden. It’s lovely to meet you.”
She removed the fur, unveiling a slim cut red dress that perfectly matched her lipstick, tall black boots with an elegant heel. She looked as if she’d just walked off a movie set. “So!” she said, rubbing her hands together. “What have we discovered here tonight?”
“I don’t think this is any of your business,” Bailey Burton began, jowls quivering. “I think you should go.”
“Is that any way to talk to family?”
“As you can see, Aurelia, we’re a bit busy,” said Wesley. “Perhaps if you come back another time?”
“Let’s skip the nonsense, shall we?” said Ms. Reedy. “I saw the girl wearing the coin.”
“She doesn’t even know where it is,” Bailey grumbled.
“Shut up, Burton!” Wesley said.
“Of course she knows where it is!” the woman said. “You’re just not asking her the right questions.”
“Oh?” said Wesley. “And which questions would you ask?”
Ms. Reedy shooed Wesley from his seat and sat next to Lily herself. “You must ignore him. As you can see, he’s a bit overzealous. It’s probably all his financial troubles. It turns out his mother may have been correct in assuming that his was not a head for business after all.”