“That also means the alibis for Silverstein and Longstreet are out the window. They were supposed to be with Redmond. We basically have a whole bunch of people who lied to cover themselves and all they did was make things worse.”
“I think Mr. Jenks’s photos are the key,” Adam said. “They’re not going to lie.”
“Agreed. Do you mind giving me a copy of those photos, Adam? I’d like to put them on my laptop so I can look for more details.”
“No problem at all. I need to do the same thing when I get back to my office.”
“I’ll go grab it. Be right back.” Rick hurried out of the kitchen and made his way to the front stairs. He climbed to the second floor, did an instinctive check of the coffee station, determined that it was fully stocked, and continued on to his office.
When Rick opened the door and stepped inside, his breath caught. His legs felt as though they’d been cemented in place. Marquetta and Alex were both sitting at his desk. They both looked like they’d been crying, and there were papers and a picture frame laid out before them. Across the room, the wall where the Seaside Cove map had been was empty.
Marquetta started gathering up the papers. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Rick. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come in here without asking.”
“No,” Rick blurted. He rushed across the room. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t want to interrupt. I just needed to get my laptop.” He forced a polite smile and did his best to not sound hurt. “If you two want to do this without me, that’s fine…I mean…it’s okay with me.”
“I didn’t know if I was strong enough to actually have you here,” Marquetta said.
Alex stood and squared her shoulders. “It’s my fault, Daddy. I talked her into breaking in.”
“You did not,” Marquetta countered. “I won’t let you take the blame for my decisions, young lady.”
“Wait.” Rick held up both hands. “Nobody’s in trouble. Honestly, I don’t mind you coming in here. I told you before, anytime you wanted to see those letters, you should feel free. My only regret is barging in on you. That’s all.” He quickly added, “And if you don’t want to talk to me about what’s in them, I’ll understand.”
Marquetta reached up and stroked his chin. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “You should know everything. These letters were written by your grandfather. Captain Jack was a hard man, but I realize now that all that gruffness was really a cover for his insecurities. Do you have time to read them?”
Suddenly, Rick remembered why he’d come upstairs. He groaned. “I wish I did, but I’m supposed to be getting my laptop so Adam can transfer photos to me. No, wait. You two are my first priority—I’ll text Adam to let him know I’ll be a few minutes.”
Alex took a step forward and looked up at Rick. “I can tell him.”
Rick decided to let Alex keep Adam occupied while he and Marquetta talked. He sat in the chair Alex had been using. Marquetta showed him her letter first, then the one to her mother. When he handed the second letter back to her, he let out a long, slow breath.
“Wow. I never suspected he was so tormented. I don’t think anybody did.”
“Except Joe Gray…or maybe my dad.”
Rick was afraid to ask his next question, but knew he had to. “Where do we go from here?”
Marquetta didn’t answer, but was watching him, her brows knitted, her eyes intense. “What do you mean?”
“Do you still want to marry me? Based on what’s in these letters, if it wasn’t for my grandfather, your dad might still be alive.”
Butterflies fluttered in Rick’s stomach as he waited for her answer. It almost felt as though time had stopped. Finally, Marquetta shook her head and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
“All Captain Jack did was give my dad information. I suspect he also was giving my parents money to help us live. My father chose to be a treasure hunter. He chose to go out that day. Not for the reasons I’ve always thought, but because he knew he’d run out of time. If he didn’t find that treasure, he was going to lose everything. At least he died proud and doing what he loved. And for once in my life, I think I’m going to be able to accept that.”
“So you’re okay with this?”
“Very. I’ve finally found the answers I always wanted.”
“Then you haven’t changed your mind?”
Marquetta’s mouth dropped open and she shook her head. She put her hand at the back of Rick’s neck and pulled him closer. When she kissed him, it felt as though time had restarted and all was suddenly right with the universe. Captain Jack wasn’t a problem. The mystery surrounding Neal Weiss’s final voyage was solved.
“No. I haven’t changed my mind,” Marquetta said. “Now, you have the Chief of Police waiting for you in our kitchen.”
“Wait—you said ‘our kitchen.’ I like the sound of that.”
“You’re right. I guess I did. Now, go, already.”
“We’re supposed to be trying to find Will Shelley, then we also need to talk to the two crew members.”
Marquetta kissed him again and whispered, “Then what are you waiting for? You have a job to do, boss.”
“I’m waiting for this to stop.” Rick smiled and kissed her again.
There was a gentle knock on the door. Adam peeked into Rick’s office, then stepped inside when Rick motioned for him to enter. Alex followed him.
“Hey, you two. I hate to interrupt what looks like a nice moment, but I really need to find Mr. Shelley.” Adam peered at Rick. “Should I leave you two alone? We can catch up later/”
“That won’t be necessary.” Marquetta pulled away from Rick, then stood and put each letter into its respective envelope. She clutched the letters to her chest. “I’d like to take the afternoon off. I need to go to San Ladron to see my mom.”
“Of course,” Rick said.
“I’d like to take Alex with me. It’s about time they met.”
“I’m gonna meet Grandma Madeline?” A large smile spread across Alex’s face. “That’s awesome!”
“If your dad says it’s okay, Sweetie.”
Rick didn’t hesitate to make his decision. If Alex stayed here, she’d be alone. She’d probably do more investigating. If she went with Marquetta, she’d be too busy to get into trouble. And in San Ladron, which was a good hour away, she’d be perfectly safe. The choice was clear.
“I think that would be wonderful,” Rick said. “I’d like to meet her, too, at some point.”
“We’ll bring her back,” Marquetta said.
Rick felt himself trying to stutter out a reply, but the only thing that came out was, “What? Here?” Oh, God, he sounded like a complete idiot.
“That’s a great idea, Daddy! She can stay in the Jib Room. Mrs. King is gone and we don’t have anyone coming in.”
Marquetta smiled. “What do you think, Rick? I was planning on having her stay with me, but if she stays here at the B&B, it will give you and Alex time to get to know her. And while she’s here, you can also ask her for the ring.”
“The ring?” he croaked. Oh, God, he’d definitely gone brain dead.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Alex
MARCH 28
Hey Journal,
Me and Marquetta are on our way to meet Grandma Madeline. This is so awesome. I can barely sit still ‘cause I’m so happy. This is the first time I’ll get to meet one of my grandparents. My dad’s parents died before I was born and my mom’s never wanted to travel to see us. So this is like a really big deal.
Marquetta’s driving right now while I write. It’s kinda hard ‘cause the road over the mountains is super bumpy in spots, but none of that matters. Just wanted to let you know things are awesome, Journal. Totally awesome!
Alex
“It was nice of your dad and Adam to help us get packed up,” Marquetta says.
I put down my pen and tuck the journal in my backpack. I can’t believe I’ve used up over half the pages in it already. “Daddy
and Chief Cunningham sure do get along good. I guess with Deputy Baker leaving, they’ll be doing that more.”
“Let’s hope that’s not necessary. We don’t need more murders in Seaside Cove. By the way, you should be watching the scenery. This is such a pretty drive.”
“I remember it from when Daddy drove us to Seaside Cove. That was the only time I was ever in San Ladron.”
“Maybe you’ll get to see it more often now. I can bring you over when I come to see my mom. Would you like that?”
“For sure,” I say absently. I wonder if Marquetta wrote in her journals as much as I do. “Marquetta, how many journals did you have when you were my age?”
She laughs and taps the brakes for the turn. “A lot,” she says. “After my dad died, I poured my heart out to my journal. It felt like the only place I could be myself. That’s why I thought it was so important for you to have one.”
“I totally feel the same. Did anyone ever read yours?”
Marquetta shakes her head. “I never wanted to share those thoughts.” She bites her lip and frowns as she looks at me. The car veers toward the side of the road and Marquetta pulls the wheel back. She’s got her eyes on the road when she asks, “Has someone tried to force you to let them read yours?”
“No.”
“Good. Those are your private thoughts, Sweetie. Don’t you ever let anyone pressure you into letting them read it.”
“Did someone do that to you?”
“There was one person who tried.” Marquetta sucks in a breath and blinks a few times. “We’re on the other side of the mountain. We only have about thirty minutes to San Ladron.”
I can’t think of one person in Seaside Cove who would read her journal without permission. Marquetta gets along with everybody…well, almost everybody. I suck in a breath. I know who the person was.
She looks at me a couple times like she’s super distracted. “What’s up, Sweetie?”
“It was Deputy Baker, wasn’t it?”
There’s another long pause and after a couple of turns, Marquetta says, “She wasn’t Deputy Baker then. She was Pamela. My best friend. And she stole my journal to get back at me.”
Marquetta’s eyes are all watery. Her breath is ragged. “She threatened to tell everyone what was in it if I didn’t do what she wanted.”
Deputy Baker blackmailed Marquetta?
We come around the turn. Flashing red and yellow lights block the road.
Marquetta slams on the brakes. The car skids. It goes sideways.
I scream, but we don’t stop.
We’re sliding towards the cliff.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Rick
“I’M SORRY FOR the delay.” Rick regarded Adam from the passenger’s seat of the police cruiser. “You didn’t have to help us get Marquetta and Alex ready. They could’ve handled it.”
Adam flicked on his signal light, checked his mirror, then pulled the police 4x4 out onto Front Street. His right cheek inched up in a lopsided grimace. “What? And have you worried they wouldn’t get out before dark while we’re pussyfooting around with Will Shelley? No way.”
“I just hope I can stay focused. That can be a nasty drive to San Ladron.”
“Marquetta’s a good driver. She’ll be fine. If I were you, I’d be more worried about how you’re going to handle tomorrow morning’s breakfast rush all on your own.”
Rick slumped back in his seat. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to handle the rush without Marquetta, but her presence made it so much more enjoyable. “The same way I’ve done it before when she’s been gone. I’ll put in an order at Crusty Buns, buy fruit at the market, and put out the waffle maker.”
“Glad to hear you’ve got a plan. This talk with Shelley shouldn’t take too long—unless he tries to lie his way out.” Adam paused, then added, “If he does, I’ll throw him in the cooler overnight so you can get on with your shopping duties.”
“Pussyfooting? Cooler? You really are turning into a seasoned cop.”
Adam chuckled. “And don’t you forget it.”
They turned up Main Street and drove the few blocks to Crusty Buns. As Adam parked, he asked, “What do these guys do, spend their entire day eating donuts?”
“Don’t let Angus or Mary hear you call their baking mere donuts. You might be banned for life.”
Adam winced and turned off the ignition. “You’re right. That is not a fate I want to suffer. I love their cinnamon rolls too much.” He patted his stomach. “Way too much.”
They entered Crusty Buns and Rick scanned the tables. He spotted Shelley at a two-top near the rear of the store, leaning back in his chair, a scowl on his face. If Rick didn’t know better, he’d say the man had been expecting them.
When they were a few steps away from the table, Shelley stood. “I was just leaving. Table’s all yours.”
Adam held up his hand, then motioned for the man to sit. “We’re here to ask you a few questions. It shouldn’t take long.”
“I really need to be going.”
Shelley tried to sidestep them, but Rick and Adam blocked the two exit paths.
“I’d like to do this quietly, Mr. Shelley,” Adam said.
Shelley’s craggy face contorted into something of a cynical smile. “Have a seat, then. By all means.”
Rick pulled a chair from a nearby unoccupied table. He and Adam sat, then Adam deliberately pulled his notepad from his pocket, flipped through it, and jotted a quick note. “Don’t want to forget anything. Mr. Shelley, why did you book yourself on this cruise?”
“Are you kidding me?” Shelley laughed. “How many times are you people going to ask that? For a chance to make millions from the San Manuel, of course.”
“So you’re tired of being a line cook?” Rick asked.
“I’ve been trying to work my way up, but there’s a lot of competition. I thought if I could get enough money out of this venture, I could start my own restaurant. Or just retire.”
Having been in Seaside Cove for a year and seen how cutthroat and difficult treasure hunting was, Rick found Shelley’s logic overly optimistic at best. “Have you ever done any treasure hunting before?”
“Done some dives,” Shelley said casually. “Mostly offshore stuff. I’ve explored a few wrecks.”
“How did you hear about this one?”
“It was on one of those treasure hunting message boards. There was a lot of skepticism in the comments, but enough people said it could be a huge score.”
“How many people is ‘enough people’?” Rick asked.
“Maybe…a half dozen. A couple of them are on this trip. That’s Ed and Isaac. After we set sail we all started comparing notes. You know, kind of like one of those how-did-you-get-here moments.”
Adam looked up from his notepad, scrutinized Shelley, then made another note.
“Did you feel this cruise lived up to your expectations?” Rick asked.
“Not even close. Captain Carroll had us all sold on how he knew the location.”
“Is that why you hacked the GPS on the boat? To find the location of the San Manuel?” Rick asked.
Shelley’s face fell. “The GPS? I wouldn’t have any idea how to do this hacking thing.”
Adam pulled out his phone and held the screen so Shelley could see it. “Looks kind of like you knew what you were doing to me. Are you sure about that?”
“I…um…okay, fine. I tried. Christopher must’ve been prowling around taking photos. Should’ve known.” Shelley sighed. “The reason I tried is I thought I might get lucky. The night before, Ed was talking about how these GPS things keep track of all your previous locations. The more I thought about it, the more I got curious. So the next day I waited until Gavin wasn’t on the bridge. I snuck up there expecting it to be easy, but I couldn’t figure out where anything was. All I got for my trouble was a bad case of nerves.”
Shelley looked to be so sincere. Was he telling the truth now? Or weaving a story? And what about Ed Silver
stein? His name had surfaced again. Rick suspected he and Adam would be talking to Silverstein soon. “Did anyone else besides Mr. Jenks know what you tried to do?”
“I doubt it. The last thing I wanted to do was let it get back to Ed that I’d had a shot and blown it. He would have made my life miserable.”
“Were you aware that Mr. Jenks probably shared this photo with Mr. Silverstein?” Adam asked.
Shelley groaned and buried his face in his hands. “No, I wasn’t. But it explains why Ed was acting all high-and-mighty.”
“It sounds like nobody on the boat really believed Captain Carroll knew the location of the San Manuel.”
Shelley let out a heavy sigh. “He said he’d gotten it from a reliable source.”
Adam looked up quickly, his interest obvious. “Did he tell you who this source was?”
“No. One thing about Carroll, he never gave specifics. He said it was a security measure. All he told us was that he had a source in Seaside Cove.”
“Here?” Rick exclaimed.
“Are you deliberately trying to obstruct justice, Mr. Shelley?” Adam asked flatly.
The look of annoyance Shelley had been wearing turned to worry. “Okay. Fine. I heard it was an archaeologist who wanted to make some money on the side.”
The hairs on the back of Rick’s neck rose. He and Adam made eye contact. They both frowned. There was only one archaeologist Rick knew of who might have that kind of information. And she claimed she didn’t.
“Captain Carroll told you he got the information from an archaeologist? When?” Rick demanded.
Shelley cleared his throat. “Well.” He crossed his arms. “He didn’t exactly say it to me directly.”
Adam inched closer to Shelley. The move was subtle, but seemed to have a profound effect on the man’s confidence. Beads of sweat formed on Shelley’s forehead; he looked back and forth between his questioners nervously.
“Then how did you hear about this mysterious source?” Adam asked.
“Ed was talking about it. I don’t know where he got the information. Really. I don’t.” Shelley looked at Adam. “Can I…can I go now?”
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