Secrets in a Bottle

by Shelly West

  Abigail paused as she passed her mother’s desk, and decided to take one last look at the diaries. She skipped a few years’ worth of notebooks, going straight to the final one. She had to do the math on her mother’s age compared to the date on the first entry, concluding her mother must’ve been sixteen.

  The entry was full of unfamiliar names, some girls, mostly boys.

  ‘I’m sick of this town,’ it read. ‘I bet everyone’s less boring in the cities. Stacy’s life has gotten more exciting since she moved. Her letters go on and on about Broadway, cruises, bands she gets to see live. Meanwhile I’m wallowing away in a one stoplight town.’

  Abigail stopped reading and moved on to the next entry. It was dated a year later.

  ‘Mike’s got a place in Providence. I’m moving in with him the second I get my GED. Yup, I’m graduating early. Why waste another year of my life here, right? You’ve seen what it’s done to me. I don’t want to end up like Mom and Dad, working endlessly, not doing anything exciting.’

  Abigail saw that the rest of the pages were blank. Her mother must’ve left soon after.

  “What a little—” Abigail stopped herself. “I’m calling her up,” she told Thor, then dialed her mother. She didn’t know exactly what she was going to say, but she had to say something.

  She waited for the inevitable redirect to voicemail.

  But this time, her mother actually answered. “Abigail?”

  “Yeah, hey Mom. You’re up early.”

  “I switched shifts with Jessie. Are you back?”

  “No, I’m still with Grandma, though I have to leave today.”

  Her mother didn’t respond immediately. “Oh. Well. I hope she hasn’t told you too many tales. Wallace Point is a drag, isn’t it?”

  “If sneaking aboard a historical ship and solving a murder is a drag, then jeez, I guess so.”

  “What?”

  “Grandma’s doing fine, by the way,” Abigail stated, her tone carefully measured.

  “Good. I’m glad you two are getting along.”

  Abigail somehow doubted that. “You should talk to Grandma. There’s no good reason for cutting her off.”

  Her mother sighed loud enough to distort the sound coming out of the speaker. “Yeah, well, I have to go. I need to catch the bus.”

  “She misses you, Mom.”

  Her mother said nothing for a long moment, before saying, “All right, I really am running late.”

  Abigail decided not to push it. “Okay. Talk to you later.”

  “Bye, hun.”

  Her mother hung up. Abigail wondered why her mom never gave an inch. Was she really that rotten, or was she just ashamed? Embarrassed? Her mother had, after all, informed Abigail about Grandma’s accident. That had to show she cared, if only a little, right?

  Abigail decided she had dwelled enough on her mother. As much as she liked to think there was a direct cause to everything, she worried that some people were simply no good. Ernest, Antonio, her mom… She just hoped her mother never ended up like the other two, and instead would patch things up before it was too late.

  “C’mon, Thor,” Abigail said, heading for the downstairs kitchen.

  *

  Abigail sat at the table in the kitchen, moping over a bowl of cereal as Thor snaked his oafish self around the table and chair legs.

  “You don’t wanna go, huh, boy?”

  Thor sighed.

  “Yeah, me neither.”

  Abigail’s cereal was getting soggy, but she didn’t have the appetite to eat it.

  That was when Grandma came in, holding a newspaper. “Oh, good morning. You’re up.”

  “Yeah. Procrastinating packing my things.”

  Grandma smiled softly and sat across from Abigail. “When do you think you’ll have another week of vacation time saved up?”

  Abigail shrugged. “Sometime later next year.”

  “Maybe you could take a week unpaid, and I’ll cover the costs?”

  Abigail forced a smile. “That’s nice of you, Grandma. But if I take too much time off, the company might start seeing me as dispensable.”

  Grandma squeezed the newspaper, crinkling it. “I just can’t stand the way hard workers are treated these days. If you worked for me—”

  “I doubt that’d be smart for your bottom line. I mean, adding on an extra employee isn’t going to net you enough sales to be worth it.”

  “Oh, I hate that kind of talk. I just want to see you more. And if you’re really concerned about my bottom line, well, just this one week of you being here has brought in more customers than I normally see in a year!”

  Abigail paused. “Really?”

  “You’d be doing me a favor.”

  She looked away. Now she was running out of reasons to say no. “You know what, Grandma? I’ll think about it. It’s a big decision, but I’ll really think about it. As long as you’re sure you won’t get sick of me and my moaning dog.”

  Grandma chuckled. “I’d be the happiest old coot in town.” She unfolded the newspaper, looking over the front page. “Oh, looks like Lee has been cleared of all suspicion. Antonio fessed up to the murder, with Ernest being charged as an accomplice. I guess it’s safe to leave the doors unlocked again.”

  Abigail almost dropped her spoon. “What’s with you people? Keep your doors locked, murderer on the loose or not!”

  “Oh, that’s just the city girl in you talking. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Abigail groaned at Grandma’s lack of concern. Then, as if to prove her point, the bell above the door rang to alert them of somebody’s entrance.

  Grandma frowned and stood. “Oh, a customer? This early?”

  Abigail followed her out to the front, seeing Gregory, the late Reginald’s cousin. His features were softer now, not the suspicious on-guard demeanor he had all the other times Abigail had seen him.

  Gregory cleared his throat. “I hope I’m not intruding?”

  Abigail gave Grandma a sideways glance. “Not at all. The door was unlocked, which means anyone’s welcomed.”

  Gregory laughed and looked away sheepishly. “I just came here to say thanks. Thanks for figuring out what happened to my cousin. When I had heard that the cops thought he got killed over some petty dispute, it didn’t sit right with me. So I’m glad you looked deeper and discovered the real reason.”

  Abigail let herself take in the praise. “What can I say? It seemed like too easy of an answer. And if I had accepted it—well, a couple of pirates might’ve gotten away with murder.”

  “I know my cousin could be a bit… unpleasant to deal with, but he had an insatiable curiosity. Always wanted to uncover some grand mystery, some deadly secret. Just before he disappeared a few weeks ago, he had told me he was onto something big. And, as we see now, he was right.”

  Grandma commented, “Shame he had to die to uncover this secret, regardless of how pushy and persistent he was.”

  “He crossed the line when he broke into your store to grab the ship in a bottle. Not that I think anyone deserves to die for a mistake like that, but at the same time, I get the feeling he knew the risks, and pursued it regardless.” Gregory let out a sigh. “Anyhow, if you ever find yourselves in New Jersey…” He handed Abigail a business card, this time without any information scratched out. “That’s our antique store. Well, my antique store now.”

  Abigail smiled at him. “Thank you. I wish things didn’t have to happen the way they did for us to meet though.”

  “It’s all right. Time to move forward.”

  He was about to turn when Grandma put a hand on his shoulder. “Wait,” she said, before turning to a display where the bottleless ship sat. She picked it up gingerly, before offering it to Gregory. “The Sheriff released this from evidence. I want you to have it, in honor of your cousin.”

  Gregory blinked and stuttered. “I, uh—Are you sure?”

  “Just promise not to sell it, okay?”

  “Of course,” Gregory said, handlin
g the ship model with care. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

  Gregory bid his farewell and headed out, seeming to be holding back some tears. Grandma shook her head as she watched him drive off, saying, “I wish Reginald could have learned his lesson without dying.”

  “He did sorta cross a line, though.”

  “Regardless.”

  Abigail changed the subject. “I want to pay Lee a visit. See how he’s doing. He must be pretty frazzled, learning that his father had been alive all this time.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it’d boost his spirit to see you. Let me make another batch of cookies for him.”

  Abigail laughed and finished up her cereal. “Yeah, I’ll leave you to it to make your famous homemade cookies.”

  “Yes, you’d better.”

  Abigail grabbed the newspaper for her own perusing and headed out of the kitchen.

  Chapter 30

  Once Abigail had a fresh batch of cookies to deliver, she walked down the street to Lee’s house. To her surprise, she found him outside tending to his garden, looking more carefree than ever before. And here she thought the guy would be devastated!

  Lee’s cat was out with him, and Blackbeard meowed lazily in greeting. Lee turned around, his gloved hands full of dirt, and he smiled. “Hey there, you swashbuckler.”

  Abigail lifted the tray of cookies. “I thought I’d find you in low spirits, so I brought these cookies.” She paused. “But it seems like you’re doing okay.”

  “Yeah. I’ll still take the cookies though.”

  Abigail laughed and set them down on a porch table.

  Lee nodded at his cat. “Meet Blackbeard.”

  “I already did. I found him out roaming the streets yesterday, after your apparent kidnapping.”

  “Oh. Well, uh, thanks for bringing him back home.”

  “What happened to his leg?”

  Lee shrugged. “Found him that way, when he was just a kitten. He had taken up residence in a boat I was repairing, and when I discovered him, I just had to bring him back home.”

  Abigail sat on the steps next to him. “So what about your father? That must be quite the shock, huh?”

  Lee ripped out a weed. “Not really, when I think back on things. He had a lot of debts, a lot of enemies… Dying was a good way to absolve himself of all that. I just wish he had cued me in on his new identity. He must’ve known I couldn’t keep a secret like that, though.”

  “What did he plan on doing with you after he got the treasure?”

  “I kinda wonder that myself.”

  “And Antonio?”

  “A distant relative, apparently, one just as slimy as my dad. The two of them had been planning this for years. Can you believe that?”

  “That’s crazy. So how’d you guys find the treasure chest? Did X really mark the spot?”

  “Yeah, the map had a few landmarks drawn on it, so my father figured it out from there. They left me on the ship as they went on the island to dig it up. Guess they knew I was stranded and couldn’t escape if I wanted to. When they brought the chest on board, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It really was a full-blown treasure chest. Lucky for me, they had a lot of trouble figuring out how to open it using the key on the ship wheel.”

  “At least it’s all over now. What about the ‘good lawyer’ Ernest said he’d get?”

  “I don’t know, but the lawyer’s going to have his hands full, because Sheriff Wilson told me the gun does in fact match up to the bullet found in Reginald. I don’t think Ernest or Antonio are going to see the outside of a jail cell for a while.” Lee paused and sighed. “Sometimes I wish I had a normal, boring family history.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

  “Well, if you end up kidnapped by pirates or something similar, I’ll have your back. I owe you one.”

  Abigail laughed. “I hope it never comes to that. So what’s going on with the boat repair shop, now that you’re down an employee?”

  Lee’s answer was swift and sure: “I’m selling it. Before yesterday, I felt like I had an obligation to keep the business in the family—you know, in memory of my late father. But now, after I sell the place, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

  “Which is?”

  Lee smirked at her. “I always wanted to be a lighthouse keeper. The local one needs a caretaker, and you know what? It has a garden. Or, well, it used to, back in the day. When I was a kid, that garden was one of my favorite places to visit. It’s all dead now, but I like a challenge, so I’m going to see about restoring the property.”

  “That sounds awesome.”

  “And what about you? You going to stay here?”

  Abigail stumbled over her words. “I-I—well, you know.”

  “What?”

  “I have a job back in the city.”

  “Oh.”

  She looked away, taking a moment to sort her thoughts. “But you know what, Lee? I’ve been thinking…”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m gonna take that job—and shove it!”

  Lee got up to his feet. “Yeah! Life’s too short to do what you hate. Take it from me; I got kidnapped by literal pirates!” He held his hand up in the air for her to high-five.

  Abigail smacked his hand so hard, she about knocked the twig of a man over. “I have a feeling you’re gonna be seeing a lot more of me, Lee. Whether you like it or not!”

  “I like it!” Lee said, rubbing his hand.

  Abigail turned, eyeing the antique store out in the distance. “I’m gonna go tell Grandma. You enjoy those cookies, skinny boy.”

  “O-okay, I will,” Lee responded as Abigail hurried off.

  *

  Abigail returned to the antique shop, in a much different mood than when she had left it. She noticed an antique Ford in the side parking lot, so she wasn’t surprised to find Piper talking to Grandma inside.

  The two were talking breathlessly, rambling on about the ship, the treasure, and the drama between the Fischers and the Lebeaus.

  Piper turned to see Abigail. “You! I’m going to want to record your side of the story sometime, for historical accuracy. This ship heist has been the most exciting thing to happen in our town’s history since that one time Lebeau pirates hoisted a cow up into the church bell tower.”

  Abigail quirked her head. “What?”

  “They did it to distract the entire town while a few Lebeau pirates stole from the unattended stores. It was quite the scandal, though not as big a story as this!”

  “And here I thought this was a sleepy little town.”

  Piper shook her head. “This will be quite the attraction. I’m going to donate everything related to the Lafayette’s history from my family’s collection to the ship’s museum. I’d rather share our history with the world rather than keep it to myself anyhow.”

  Abigail commented, “That’s awesome,” then noticed Grandma looking at her strangely. She asked, “What?”

  “Speaking of interesting stories,” Grandma segued. “Piper was just telling me something interesting before you walked in.”

  Abigail frowned. “And what’s that, Grandma?”

  “Apparently my shop has recently started instituting a banning policy.”

  Abigail got shifty-eyed, unsure how that got out. “Oh, that. Yeah, well, Lee had it coming. I unbanned him, though.”

  “It’s not such a bad idea,” Grandma mused. “Perhaps if I had banned Reginald, he’d still be kicking.”

  “So what, did Lee snitch?” Abigail asked, ready to ban him again.

  Grandma laughed. “No, he didn’t rat you out. He confided in Piper here, and she thought it was so funny, she had to tell me.”

  Abigail turned toward Piper. “Did she now?”

  Piper laughed and slowly backed away toward the store’s entrance. “Uh, on that note, I’ll see you two later. Bye, Grandma. Uh, Abigail.” She waved and left the store, as if fearful of her own potential banning.

  Grandma and Abigail burst out laughing. Abiga
il asked, “I hope you aren’t mad at me.”

  “Actually, I quite like the idea of banning certain folk. It sounds like fun!” Grandma clapped her hands together in merriment before asking, “So, how is Lee doing?”

  “Great, actually. It’s like he’s free now. He’s selling the boat repair shop and plans on taking care of an old lighthouse in town.”

  Grandma cocked her head. “The abandoned one?”

  “I guess so.”

  She smiled softly and looked off. “I’m happy for him.”

  “He’s not the only one making drastic changes in his life…”

  Grandma frowned. “Who else is?”

  Abigail laughed and wrapped an arm over Grandma’s shoulders. “I think I’m done with the city, Grandma.”

  Grandma gasped so suddenly, she nearly choked. “Y-you mean…?”

  “I want to take you up on your offer, if it still stands.”

  Grandma stood up and gave Abigail a bear hug, almost lifting her off her feet. “Of course it still stands!”

  “Easy, Grandma, you’re gonna sprain something!”

  Grandma stepped back. “It’s such a big move though. Are you sure?”

  “This past week has been more exciting than my entire life. I’m not about to miss out on what happens next in this town. That—and I want to make up for all the lost time we could’ve had together.”

  Grandma sniffled and wiped her eyes. “I’m so happy to hear that, dear.” She looked down at Missy, who was guarding her doggy bed, yipping at Thor every time he passed by. “You’re going to have to make nice with Thor, Missy. You two are about to become roommates.”

  Missy groaned as Thor licked her face, messing up her perfectly coiffed hair.

  Chapter 31

  The move took Abigail less than a week to sort out. She had left Thor with Grandma, not wanting to subject the poor dog to the cramped confines of her car again. She also wanted him to keep an eye on Grandma… just in case.

  By the following Thursday morning, she had her VW Beetle packed to the brim. She didn’t need to bring any furniture, as her mother’s childhood room was fully furnished, so all she had to bring were her clothes, books, and a few other things.