Andi was very loyal to Jim. And he intended to support her. But Jim also knew Andi was unlikely to let her investigation go until she could see for herself there was no story. Just a sad mystery about a man who made some bad life choices.
Jim had an idea. He picked up his phone and put it down again. He frowned, picked it up and tapped in the number before he had time to change his mind again.
“Andi, it’s Jim here. You’re late. I’ve got an assignment for you. Call me back — or better still, meet me in the office.” He ended the call.
He took a deep breath. Andi had convinced him it was better for her to get back in the saddle. He hoped she was right.
Chapter Four
Katie Dagg unlocked the door to the Coffin Cove Museum. The outside of the wooden-framed, one-storey building was freshly painted. The contractors had finished the day before and a new sign was due to be installed at the end of the week. Katie was pleased with the progress.
She stepped inside and smiled. The interior was unrecognizable from the cluttered, dusty space she’d inherited from the previous curator.
Katie and her father, Lee, had invested hours of sweat equity to transform the dark musty interior into a spacious, open-plan layout, with the appropriate lighting to accentuate the exhibits.
Along the two main walls of the museum were the permanent glass cases with artefacts and photos which all told the history of Coffin Cove. The centre of the main hall would house the revolving themed exhibition.
This was temporary accommodation for the museum. A brand-new home, complete with art galleries and a separate theatre room, was planned for the new waterfront development. Until then, Katie had to make the best of this space on a limited budget. But she was delighted with the results so far and confident she could make the museum a success, even in this old building.
Katie called her father from her office, to tell him Harry Brown was on board, quite literally, with her plans.
“I knew Harry would help,” Lee Dagg said. “He knows quite a few old stories about the smuggling racket at Coffin Cove. He’ll keep your clients entertained.”
Katie was looking forward to welcoming visitors to the Coffin Cove Museum, but she was sad the renovation phase was coming to a close. It had been fun working with her dad.
Katie smiled again when she ended the call. Lee sounded so happy for her. It had been a while since she’d heard him so upbeat. She knew it was because she’d moved back home and taken her first job after university in her hometown. She could tell her father was ecstatic although he’d argued about it. “Why not get a job in Vancouver?” he’d implored. “Get off the island, see the world. You’re wasted in this backwater!”
But Katie had always loved Coffin Cove. She was a homegirl at heart, and the chance to start her career telling the stories of this isolated, overlooked town was more than she could ever have hoped for. Katie didn’t see dilapidated houses and the deserted fish plant. She could almost hear the noise of a busy fishing port, the fishermen cussing and women laughing as they gutted and cleaned the catch. In her mind’s eye, children were playing in the yard until the bell pealed out from the old, one-room schoolhouse. She knew the town was famous for the boom days of coal and once attracted workers from all over Canada to work in forestry and fishing. Coffin Cove was also infamous for smuggling, the rum runners using the disused mining shafts as escape tunnels to move illegal moonshine across the border to Prohibition America. Katie also wanted to tell stories from before the European settlers found the resource-rich paradise. She intended to include the little-told history of the indigenous people who called the island home. Katie had reached out to descendants of the first people who had lived in the cove and pieced together the island’s stories from their perspective. She had comprehensive plans, and she knew Mayor Thompson would support her.
Katie had enthusiastically described her ideas to Mayor Jade Thompson at her interview.
“History should be alive,” she’d explained. “How exciting to imagine the stories of Coffin Cove as you stand on the very spot where history was made! Much more interesting than glancing at a few old exhibits in a glass case.”
Mayor Thompson had agreed with her, especially when she’d laid out her business plan. She’d hired her immediately. For the first year, Katie would clean up the old museum, which was currently housed in a boarded-up converted cottage, and when the new development took place on the waterfront, Mayor Thompson promised her a new state-of-the-art facility.
This was Katie’s dream job. She didn’t care about the tiny salary, though the mayor had also promised to double it if Katie could make the museum profitable in one year.
Katie had already heard from her father about the new mayor. He’d said things were changing in Coffin Cove, and Katie could see this quiet woman had a determined air. She thought they’d work well together.
Katie also had personal reasons for wanting to return. She was worried about her dad. Katie couldn’t remember a time when the Dagg family were happy together. She had memories of summer camps, days at the beach and rare wonderful occasions when he would beckon her to jump in the truck and go to work with him on a Saturday morning. But even when she was a small child, she’d sensed tension between her parents. Katie had little in common with her mother, Nadine. This hurt her when she was very young, but Lee had made up for Nadine’s indifference. Katie had always been a daddy’s girl.
Katie wasn’t sure if Nadine would welcome her back when she took the curator’s job and moved back permanently to Coffin Cove. She wished they could find some common ground. But Nadine had always seemed to resent her. She talked about ‘missing out on her best years’ and was obsessed with appearing youthful. Katie knew her mother had spent a fortune on plastic surgery and dental work in recent years. It was money Lee and Nadine could ill afford. Although Nadine earned a decent wage working for the city, she’d always spent every penny, leaving it to her husband to pay the household bills. Nadine also hated living in a rented house.
The Dagg family home belonged to her father’s brother. Katie had never met Uncle Wayne, but she surmised he was successful because Nadine would often throw the same vicious comment at her father when they were arguing: “I married the wrong brother — I should never have settled for you!”
Katie was certain Lee needed her. During her last year at university, she’d heard the strain in his voice every time they spoke on the phone. She rarely talked to Nadine. Katie knew the business was struggling. Lee was under constant pressure from Nadine’s spending.
Nadine had said little when Katie moved back. “You must pay your way,” was her only comment. “Your father barely provides for us now.”
“Of course,” Katie had said, giving her mother the expected kiss on the cheek. “Until I get my own place.” And I’ll take Dad with me, she thought to herself.
She was sad about her relationship with Nadine but had long since come to terms with it. Luckily, she’d had a lot of positive female influence in her life, so she hadn’t felt the lack of maternal love too badly.
When Nadine was working or just couldn’t be bothered to watch over her, Katie spent most of her time with their neighbour, Terri South. She and her husband Doug didn’t have children of their own, and Terri loved to fuss over Katie.
It had been Terri who first sparked Katie’s love of history. On rainy Saturday afternoons, Terri would pull out all her old photographs of Coffin Cove and tell Katie stories of when she had been young. Katie was fascinated with the past. She’d visited the old museum when the curator was Clara Bell, an elderly, grim-looking woman who did little more than scold children visitors and smack their hands if they touched the dusty glass display cases. Old Clara also had boxes piled up everywhere, so the tiny museum was cluttered and dirty, and only two or three people could visit at a time.
Katie was daydreaming about Terri now. She couldn’t wait to show her friend around the new Coffin Cove Museum. Terri had hugged Katie tight when she’d arrived home
. “I’ve missed you so much, honey,” she had whispered to Katie. “And I know your dad has too.”
How different life would have been, Katie thought, if Dad and Terri had got together. It had been a childhood dream. She knew Terri loved her husband Doug, although Katie had always been slightly afraid of him . . . Her phone dinged and interrupted her thoughts.
She glanced down. She’d set an alarm to remind her of her schedule today. Katie had a meeting with the Historical Society at noon. The Heritage Festival was starting soon and she was planning a series of tours. Harry Brown was now on her list, and she’d been enthralled by his stories of Coffin Cove as an infamous haven for smugglers.
This afternoon’s meeting was a little different, although the historical site in question was in her own backyard. Katie was excited. She’d discovered an old Coffin Cove legend by chance.
When she’d arrived at the museum two days previously, she’d found a man trying the door and peering in through the window.
“Can I help you?” Katie had asked.
The man was tall and well-dressed, in a sports jacket and smart trousers. He was clean-shaven, and Katie caught a whiff of aftershave as she walked up the steps to unlock the door. He smiled at her.
“Just wondering if the museum was open,” he said, still smiling. “Do you work here?”
“I’m the curator.” Katie enjoyed saying that, and she smiled back. She explained about the renovations and invited him in to look around.
“Wow, this is amazing,” the man said. “You’ve done wonders with this place.”
“Oh, have you been here before?” Katie asked. “I don’t think I know you. But then, I’ve been at university for the last few years,” she added, feeling silly. Of course there were new people in town.
“I was here years ago,” the man said. “I’m back because of business. I’m a real estate developer. Always been interested in this little place. I visited the museum once before, but it was cluttered and a fierce old lady told me off for touching the glass.” He laughed.
Katie smiled. “Clara Bell. She is quite the character.”
She gave the man a quick tour, explaining how and where the exhibits would be presented. Remembering her sales pitch, she said, “The Heritage Festival starts soon. We’ll be ready for that, and I’m arranging a series of historical tours around the town, if you’re interested?”
“Sounds fascinating. If I’m here, I’ll certainly make time. Actually . . .” The man looked at her and then murmured, almost to himself, “No, probably just an old legend,” and shrugged.
“What is?” Katie asked, instantly curious.
“Well, I heard an old story once about how Coffin Cove got its name and I always wondered if there was any truth in it. It was about a priest who built a chapel in the woods.”
“A chapel? I don’t know of any chapel . . . There’s an old church in the valley. Could it be that one?” Katie asked.
“No, it was built of stone, but if it still exists, it will be derelict now, I’m sure. It’s supposed to be haunted by the ghost of a child. Apparently, the priest insisted on carrying out burials beside the chapel, even though he was warned that the area was too wet. He dug a grave for a small child who died, but before they could fill the grave, there was a tremendous storm. The coffin was dislodged by massive waves and washed out to sea. The child still haunts the chapel because he or she didn’t get a proper burial, or so the legend goes. And hence the name of the town . . . Coffin Cove, see?” The man laughed again. “Don’t mind me. It’s only an old story I heard once.”
Katie shook her head. “I’ve never heard that one. Where is the chapel supposed to be?”
He thought for a minute. “I think it’s somewhere in the wooded area by the gravel pit. There are some trails down to the beach. Do you know where I mean?”
“I do,” Katie said, surprised. “I live right by the gravel pit.”
“Oh, so you would know those woods?”
“Well, I was never allowed to play on the trails. There are so many old mineshafts around there my dad was always worried I would fall in one. So apart from one main path to the beach, I’ve never explored much.”
“Well, as I say, probably just an old tale.” The man cocked his head to one side and looked at her. “If the chapel exists, it would be a fun addition to your tour, don’t you think?”
Katie beamed. “What a good idea! Maybe I’ll take a hike out there.”
She could hear her dad coming through the back entrance of the museum.
“That’s my dad, I’ll ask him about it,” she said.
“You do that.” The man held out his hand. “Here’s my card, Miss Dagg. Good luck with the new venture. I look forward to those tours.”
And he was gone.
Katie shoved the card in her pocket.
She asked Lee about the chapel, but he looked at her blankly.
“Sounds like an old wives’ tale to me,” he said. “Ask someone in the Historical Society. But be careful if you go hiking out there. Those old mineshafts are overgrown and bloody dangerous.”
He and Nadine had been in the midst of another row. He’d been drawn and preoccupied, so Katie left it at that.
Mr Gomich, Katie’s old history teacher and president of the Coffin Cove Historical Society, had chuckled when Katie called.
“I haven’t heard that old story for years,” he said.
“So there’s really a chapel?” Katie asked, amazed.
“Supposedly. But I don’t think it dates back that far. I think the Whilley family built it. They used to own the property your house is on, and that stretch of land down to the beach was in their family for years.”
Katie said, “Mr Gomich, do you think the society members would be up for a field trip?”
Chapter Five
Nadine admired her newly constructed breasts in the mirror. Cautiously, she lifted each one and checked underneath. The scar lines had faded. That was a relief. On Friday, for the first time, her new breasts would be on public view. Well, not uncovered, of course, but the belly dancing outfits were quite revealing, and she expected that her enhanced chest would get quite a lot of attention. Nadine liked attention. She turned from side to side to admire her profile, focusing on her upturned nipples and ignoring the rolls of belly fat that obscured her nude crotch.
Nadine had “invested” a considerable amount of her husband’s money in the renovation of her chest and the removal of all body hair.
Hair, when it wasn’t growing on a head, revolted her. So did fat, and that was the focus of her next expenditure.
As she advanced through middle age, Nadine was making her body a project, with four main objectives — remove wrinkles, fat, body hair and “cankles”.
She couldn’t stop time, but she would defeat the gravitational pull and effects of aging on her body, she had decided, using her husband’s bank account as her main weapon.
What next, she thought? Liposuction?
As she mused in front of the mirror, the bedroom door swung open.
Lee Dagg marched in, pulling off a grubby sweater. He looked at his naked wife. “Are you getting dressed? You’ll be late for work. I can’t get your car to start. I’ll get Doug South to look at it. Take mine. I’m using the van today.”
“Come here and look,” Nadine demanded, ignoring her husband’s words altogether. “What do you think?” She stood, posed with her hands on her hips, her head on one side, thrusting her chest towards him.
“Expensive, that’s what I think.”
Undeterred, Nadine gyrated her hips, and she sashayed towards him. “Come on, I bet you want a feel, don’t you?”
“For fuck’s sake, Nadine.”
To Nadine’s annoyance, Lee appeared unimpressed.
“Pathetic,” she hissed.
“Get dressed. You’ll be late.”
Lee disappeared into the bathroom, and seconds later, Nadine heard the shower running.
She spent a few moments more ex
amining herself in the mirror and then dressed for work. Short skirt, tight blouse — also expensive and paid for by Lee, even though he seemed determined to ignore her efforts. Dennis had been appreciative, but he wasn’t at the office to admire her anymore. She sighed.
She told herself her husband’s rejection didn’t bother her. She had unfettered access to his bank account (she didn’t make much from her city clerk position) and she desired nothing more from Lee. Just his money. The problem was, the cash was running out. The electrical business was barely able to sustain itself, let alone provide the quality of life she deserved. Now Katie was home, and all Lee could do was run around after her. All the hours he was spending at that dusty old museum and he wasn’t even getting paid. It didn’t matter what she did, Lee acted as if she didn’t exist.
Nadine felt her anger rise.
What did Lee expect? Of course she’d gone looking for attention elsewhere. Well, it was time. She was going to make a decision, once and for all. It had been OK, carrying on with Dennis at the office. It had been fun. Made her feel warm inside, the way it had been when she was young, even before Lee. Before she’d settled for second best. But it wasn’t enough now. Dennis wouldn’t mess her about anymore. After all these years, she thought, I deserve better.
* * *
Lee stared at himself in the mirror without smiling as he picked up his razor blade.
Just one swipe, he thought. It would all be over. He visualized lying down on the tiled floor and just letting the life seep out of him.
He shook his head to get rid of the thought.
He couldn’t do that to Katie. His little girl needed him, and he would be there for her, no matter what. The only love left in his life, he reckoned, was for and from that girl.
The only reason he stayed with Nadine was . . . well, where else would he go? And Nadine would make sure she took every penny to start over with a new man. He knew that. His wife, shaking her flabby stomach and oversized breasts, disgusted him. He knew that her new hobby, belly dancing, was just an excuse to spend evenings rubbing herself up against as many men as possible. She probably had her next partner lined up already.
HELL'S HALF ACRE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 2) Page 4
