Although they were walking in the shadows of the undergrowth, Katie caught glimpses of sun lighting up the path.
“Not far now!” Clara called out, sounding confident.
There was a sharp descent, and then all three of them were standing in brilliant sunshine. The trees had parted above them, and they were standing in a clearing.
“Here,” Clara said triumphantly.
Katie looked around. She didn’t see anything at first, except tall fireweed and yellow yarrow.
“I don’t . . .” she started to say, but Clara pointed out a mound at one side of the clearing. When Katie got nearer, she could see it was a pile of stones, covered with wild grass. When she looked closer, she could see the vague rectangular remains of a structure.
“I see!” Katie said. “This is amazing!”
She visualized telling the story to small tours of visitors.
“How old are the ruins, Clara?” Katie asked.
Clara shrugged. “Maybe a hundred years,” she said. “I’ve never found much on the chapel. Probably all the old paperwork burned when Art did.”
“Was it just a family chapel?”
Clara nodded. “Back in those days, people in Coffin Cove were either one way or another. They were drunkards or churchgoers. The drunkards were serious about their drinkin’ and the churchgoers were serious about the Lord. There was no meetin’ in the middle. Noah Whilley was serious about the Lord, and so he built his own chapel. Probably because he thought it was easier than pushing through all the drunk folk in town to get to the Lord. I dunno what he’d have thought ’bout his place bein’ Hell’s Half Acre. Probably turn in his grave.”
Katie was alarmed. “Are we walking on family graves?”
Clara’s answer was drowned out by a sudden screeching sound that made Katie grab Mr Gomich’s arm.
“What on earth?”
Clara chuckled. “Maybe it’s old Noah, telling us to get off his holy ground.”
Katie stared at her, not knowing what to think, but realizing Clara was enjoying her discomfort.
“You never heard ravens before, girl? You’ve been too long on the mainland.”
Katie smiled, relieved. She’d forgotten about the ravens. The “tricksters” of the forest, Lee had told her. They can make all kinds of noises — sometimes it sounds like a person laughing or a baby crying.
“Oh, that fits with the old story,” she said. “People weren’t hearing the ghost of a child, they were hearing ravens.”
“Exactly,” Mr Gomich said. “Wonder how that old story came about?”
“Probably to stop young ’uns falling down mineshafts,” Clara said. “No point telling ’em it’s dangerous, makes ’em want to explore all the more. But frightening them with ghosts and bogeymen — well, that’ll keep most kids away.”
“And the graves?” Katie asked.
“Not likely. None of the Whilleys, that’s for sure,” Clara said. “I’ve checked, they’re all in the cemetery in town. Except Art. There was nothin’ left of him.”
Katie wanted to know more about Art Whilley and his demise, but Clara had found a stick and was poking around at the edge of the clearing.
“There used to be a corner of the chapel still standin’,” she said, “somewhere around here, I think.”
Katie took some pictures with her phone.
“What do you think, Mr Gomich? Would this make a good tour for visitors?”
She and Mr Gomich chatted about making the trail wider or seeing if there was easier access from the beach. But Katie broke off her conversation when she heard Clara exclaim, “Oh my Lord!”
Katie hurried over. Clara was bent over and peering into a part of the ruin which must have once been the corner of the chapel. It was obscured by brambles, but Clara had found two stone walls joined at an angle.
The old lady was on her knees as if she were praying. She was motionless, and for a second, Katie thought she might be having a heart attack.
“Clara, are you OK?” Katie rested her hand on the woman’s shoulder.
“There,” was all she said. Clara had freed a brownish round object that at first glance seemed to be attached to the stone wall. Katie leaned closer, confused. Moss and brambles obscured Katie’s view, so she reached out her hand to pull the undergrowth away.
Clara grabbed her wrist. “Don’t do that, girl.”
Annoyed, Katie pulled away from the old lady’s grasp, and got on her knees to have a better look.
Then she realized she was looking directly into the empty hollow sockets of a human skull. She covered her mouth to stop her scream and stumbled backwards away from the sightless gaze.
Chapter Eight
“This is your assignment.” Jim handed Andi a sheet of paper.
“The Heritage Festival?”
“That’s what you get for being late. Go and interview the mayor and then write something nice about the celebrations here in town. We need copy by Thursday afternoon. I promised the mayor a mention before the launch party at the Fat Chicken.”
“How is belly dancing part of Coffin Cove’s history?” Andi asked, casting her eye down the festival schedule.
“No idea. It can be your first question,” Jim said cheerfully.
Andi shoved the paper in her purse and eyed Jim with suspicion. She got up to leave, saying, “I thought you were interviewing the mayor.”
“Sit down, Andi.”
Jim’s tone was serious, so Andi did as she was told, but didn’t look happy about it.
Jim looked at her for a moment.
“You look like shit,” he said, always direct. “How are you doing?”
Andi sighed. “I’m fine. I just slept badly,” she admitted. “A nightmare.” She shrugged and then sat silently.
He softened. “Look,” Jim said gently, “you went through a terrible time last year. The occasional nightmare is to be expected, isn’t that what the counsellor said? I know you’re bored with this stuff—” he gestured at the paper in Andi’s hand — “but it keeps your mind busy. Routine is good for you. Cover this festival, and then, if you’re sure you’re feeling up to something more . . .” He took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t think you have any evidence at all to link the Thompsons with Ricky Havers’ disappearance. But I will help you. We’ll start from the beginning and see if we can re-interview everyone connected with Ricky and go where the story takes us.”
Jim got a smile, a spark of the old Andi.
“Sure, sounds good.”
She got up to go and then stopped.
“Jim, there’s something I haven’t told you.”
Here it comes, Jim thought. The envelope. The illegal search.
“Go on,” he said calmly, although he wasn’t sure how he would react.
“About Ricky Havers,” Andi said, “I’ve been helping someone.”
“Who?” Jim said, surprised. He wasn’t expecting this.
“Sandra Havers,” she said.
“Sandra Havers?” Jim echoed. “What do you mean?”
“She came to me after the police couldn’t find Ricky and had no clue where he’d gone. They didn’t close the file, but you know what happens. The file just sits in a box somewhere, and every so often they make an appeal for information. Sandra . . . well, she wasn’t happy about it, and nobody would be. I mean, Ricky Havers was a bit of an asshole, even she says that, but she’s his mother. She’s not going to give up on him. Even if it means the worst-case scenario. So . . .” Andi took a breath as if about to make a confession. “I’ve been helping her. At least, I’ve been trying. So far, I haven’t found anything, and she’s losing hope.”
“Did she come to you, Andi?” Jim asked. “You didn’t go chasing her for a story?”
Andi shook her head. “She said if I could solve the Sarah McIntosh murder, I could help her find out what happened to Ricky.”
“I see.” It was making sense to Jim now. “So, all this obsession with Ricky Havers . . .”
“S
orry, Jim. I know I should have told you, but Sandra wanted everything confidential. You see, she thinks Dennis Havers has something to do with it.”
“Her own husband?” Jim said incredulously. “I know Dennis is . . . well . . . slimy. But to abduct his own son? Why on earth would he do that?”
‘Well . . . here’s the thing,” Andi said slowly, “and we have to keep this to ourselves, Jim — Ricky isn’t Dennis’s son.”
“Shit,” Jim said, stunned.
Andi nodded. “I know. Sandra has never told Dennis, but she thinks he may have found out. He was acting weird before Ricky went missing. Sandra said even the Smoke Room thing was strange. Dennis was always complaining Ricky was lazy and useless, and then he suddenly invests thousands of dollars into a business for Ricky. And it’s weed. Dennis hated weed.”
“Hmm. I thought Dennis was trying to buy the trailer park. The weed shop was a ploy to get the property value down. Smoke ’em out.”
Andi smiled at Jim’s weak joke.
“Sandra originally thought that too. But now she thinks Dennis had an ulterior motive. Maybe he didn’t mean to hurt Ricky, but . . .”
“Something went wrong?” Jim finished for her. “Sounds harsh, though. He raised Ricky. I mean, even if he wasn’t Dennis’s flesh and blood . . .”
“Sandra says it would have humiliated Dennis. He wouldn’t have been able to stand being deceived all these years. She thinks he was furious. She thinks it’s all her fault and now all she can think of is finding Ricky. Alive or dead.”
“Seems hypocritical,” Jim said. “All these years Dennis had his affair with Nadine Dagg. Surely Sandra should be the one who feels humiliated. Has she confronted him about Ricky?”
Andi shook her head. “Not really. She tried when Ricky first disappeared. Dennis didn’t seem concerned. He denied knowing anything about it. But now she’s convinced he knows something. She’s afraid and distraught.”
“So if Dennis isn’t Ricky’s father, who is?”
Andi sighed. “I asked that. It might have been a potential lead. Maybe Ricky found out somehow and went looking for his biological father. It’s a bit of a stretch, and Sandra claims Ricky had no idea. She doesn’t know how Dennis found out either. But she says the identity of Ricky’s father doesn’t matter and can’t be connected to the case. So I had to take her at her word. And I promised to keep it to myself, although I said if you helped me, I’d have to tell you.”
Jim nodded. “You know I’ll keep that confidence. What else have you got so far?”
“Not much. Sandra’s given me a lot of information about Dennis’s business dealings, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.”
The envelope, Jim thought. Now it made sense. He was relieved. It was one thing for a source to hand Andi sensitive material, quite another for her to break the law to get it.
One thought came to him. “Do you still think the Thompsons are involved? Has Sandra shed any light on that?”
Andi shrugged. “I still think they’re both hiding something. Sandra seems to think Summer Thompson and her husband have some history. I haven’t got that far yet.” Andi smiled suddenly, her face lighting up. “It’ll be good to have your help.”
Jim couldn’t help grinning back. “Sure. Go do this interview with Madam Mayor, and we’ll get on with it. Off you go,” and he made a shooing gesture towards the door.
“Just one other thing, Jim.” Andi hovered for a moment.
“What? More secrets?”
“No, I need my cheque.”
“What cheque?”
“My cheque for last week’s articles.”
“Article, singular,” Jim corrected her, “and you can have it when I get a thousand words about the Heritage Festival by 5 p.m. today.”
* * *
When Andi left the office, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She hated keeping secrets from Jim.
He’d been her saviour when she needed help and she owed him a lot. Andi had taken the job at the Coffin Cove Gazette because it was her only option. She’d left her old job at a national media company in disgrace, and her married lover — who also happened to be her boss — had dumped her.
Andi felt no heartache for the ruined relationship. She had known for a long time that Gavin would never leave his wife, and she had hated the lies and deceit and sneaking around. It had just about finished her as a journalist until she hammered that nail into the coffin of her career all by herself. Once a rising star on the investigative reporting team for a large newspaper, where Gavin was the deputy editor, her upward trajectory had come to a crashing end when she had failed to corroborate a tip-off from a source. She had gone ahead and written the article, sure that everything was fine and assuring Gavin that the source was solid. Neither would turn out to be true. The tip-off had been bogus, and a prominent businessman had threatened to sue. It had been a horrible mess. The newspaper had had to rescind the article and print a full-page apology.
Andi’s face still burned with anger as she remembered being called into the editor’s office. Gavin had stood there, stony-faced and furious, as the editor fired her and issued him a warning.
He didn’t look at her when they were out of the office, just muttered, “We’ll talk later.” They never did.
Eventually Andi stopped calling and texting and focused her attention on what to do next. Having been publicly disgraced, she knew that no media outlet would even accept a restaurant review from her.
Getting frantic, and with her bank balance dwindling, she saw an advertisement for a position at the Coffin Cove Gazette. In desperation, she applied, hoping Jim Peters, the owner, wouldn’t find out about her humiliation
He already knew.
He’d offered her the job anyway, warning her not to screw up or lie to him ever, and then he said, “You know, there are more than just bake sales in this town. Give it a chance. It might surprise you.”
His words had been prophetic.
Andi rubbed her face. She was tired of feeling sorry for herself.
This morning, Andi had felt the first spark of energy in a long time when Jim promised to help her investigate Ricky’s disappearance. Andi had been touched when Sandra approached her. She had felt so sorry for the broken woman, begging Andi to help. Andi didn’t have the heart to say no, but the pressure to find something, anything tangible was getting to her. But now, Andi smiled to herself, her old mojo was coming back.
She got out of the car and decided to walk to City Hall. Fresh air would do her good, she thought. It would give her a chance to think through all she had discovered so far and get it straight in her head, before she presented her investigation to Jim. She’d better be ready for his interrogation.
For once, the sun was shining.
As Andi took the scenic route towards City Hall via the ocean front, she thought about Mayor Jade Thompson. She was glad Jim had assigned this interview to her. She was convinced Mayor Thompson played some part in this unfolding story. Andi had interviewed the mayor when she was running for office, and she’d thought then that Jade kept her most interesting personal facts to herself. Jade Thompson was an enigma. She played everything close to her chest. Andi both admired her and was intrigued by her. Until Jade’s candidacy, Dennis Havers had been mayor of Coffin Cove for ever, it seemed. Nobody seemed to like him, but nobody ran against him either. Jade was the first female mayor that Coffin Cove had ever elected, and she had also ended Dennis Havers’ reign. Overall, Andi decided, it was a good thing. Jade had new ideas and seemed dedicated to serving the community. Andi had only just started digging around about Dennis Havers, but already she’d found out that the previous mayor had been more interested in helping himself than helping Coffin Cove.
Andi had first met Jade Thompson around the same time Ricky Havers disappeared. Andi didn’t believe in coincidences. She had been convinced right from the start that there was some sort of a connection between Jade Thompson and Ricky Havers.
As
she passed Hephzibah’s café, Andi remembered that first encounter. She and Jim had been enjoying an afternoon coffee. Andi had immediately noticed the tall, serious woman at the counter. Andi had lived in Coffin Cove long enough to recognize most faces, and she was sure she hadn’t seen this lady before. Yet Hephzibah not only seemed to recognize the woman, she also knew her coffee order.
Andi and Jim had been discussing Ricky Havers and the Smoke Room, the first ever legal marijuana store in Coffin Cove. Ricky was the proprietor. He was forty-two years old, and according to everyone Andi spoke to, he had never held down a job for more than a few weeks in his entire life. Still, most people agreed that if Ricky were suited to any kind of work, it would be running a marijuana store. Apparently Ricky had perfected the art of smoking weed. Most people assumed Dennis had fronted the cash for the store. Sandra Havers had always spoiled Ricky, but Dennis made no secret that he was ashamed of his layabout son. Dennis had acquired the deserted Coffin Cove strip mall, with its empty stores and overgrown parking lot, and paid for the renovation of the Smoke Room.
Not everyone in the community was happy about the Smoke Room. The legalization of weed was a hot topic, and Andi was planning a series of articles around the subject. She had only just got back to work, and Jim had thought it would be easier to meet at the café. Andi had still been using a cane, and there was a long narrow staircase up to the office.
Andi had been aware of the woman thanking Hephzibah and moving towards the back of the café, with the low comfy seats by the wood stove and the bookcases. She didn’t like to stare and so turned back to Jim. She couldn’t remember exactly how their conversation went, but she knew she’d said “Ricky Havers” just before she heard a slight gasp followed by the sound of china smashing.
The woman was white and shaking. The mug of coffee had fallen from her hands and shattered over the floor. For a moment, she seemed unaware she was splashed with hot coffee, and only moved when Hephzibah came rushing up to help. Jade had denied being startled in the coffee shop, making some excuse about cramp, but Andi had seen Jade’s face. She’d been in shock. Completely white.
HELL'S HALF ACRE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 2) Page 7
