“Must have overslept,” I said. “Well, time for us to get moving.”
We rode the tender to the main pier and took in the main street in downtown Sitka. As in Juneau, jewelry stores prevailed, one after the other. We stopped in one that Willie had visited, but no one remembered having waited on her.
“Just as well,” I said after we left the shop and stood outside, constantly having to move to avoid knots of tourists walking three and four abreast and taking up the entire sidewalk. “Obviously, the answer to her whereabouts won’t be found in the shops she visited. Let’s find a quiet spot for coffee or tea where I can call Trooper McQuesten and Detective Flowers.”
I first reached Flowers, who reported that there was no new progress in the search for Wilimena. He did say, however, that he would be in Ketchikan when the ship arrived, and he looked forward to spending time with us.
McQuesten had said he would be in Sitka when we arrived, and so he was.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“A coffee shop on Lake Street. Highliner Coffee.”
“I know it well,” he said. “Be there in a jiffy.”
He walked through the door a few minutes later and joined us at a tiny table near two computer stations that patrons could rent by the half hour.
“How was your sail?” he asked.
“Uneventful,” I said.
“For which you were grateful, I’m sure,” he said.
I agreed with his assessment.
“Is there anything new?” Kathy asked.
“No,” he replied. “Afraid not.”
“Did you drive here overnight?” I asked.
“Drive? You can’t reach Sitka by road. Only boats and floatplanes. One of our pilots flew me in this morning. I’ll be going on to Ketchikan later today.”
“I’ve never been on a floatplane,” I said.
“Jessica has her pilot’s license,” Kathy said.
“Do you really?” McQuesten said, obviously impressed.
“It’s a bit of a joke back in Cabot Cove,” I said. “I don’t drive, don’t even have a driver’s license, but I’m licensed to fly a single-engine plane.”
“We pretty much use floatplanes for everything up here in Alaska,” he said.
“So I’ve read. Maybe I’ll have a chance to fly on one before we leave,” I said, seriously doubting that I would.
“Hopefully, we’ll find an answer to your sister’s disappearance in Ketchikan,” he told Kathy. “Retracing her steps on the cruise was a good idea, but Ketchikan is where she was last seen. I have a feeling that we’ll do better once we’re there.”
“Are you working the case?” I asked. “I thought Detective Flowers was, and that you were only offering a hand as a friend. At least that’s what Mort Metzger told me.”
“That’s the way it was,” he answered, “but things have changed. The gentleman who was following you ends up very cold and dead in Glacier Bay, and Maurice Quarlé is a murder victim. There’s now more to this case than just Ms. Copeland’s disappearance. Flowers is still following up on the missing-person aspect. I’ve been assigned to investigate those deaths.”
“I never thought Wilimena’s disappearance would end up being linked to murder,” I said.
“No one did,” McQuesten said.
“Have you time for coffee?” I asked.
“Sorry, no, but thanks for the offer. I’m due at a meeting.”
As we stood on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop, he asked, “What’s on your agenda today?”
“Whale watching,” Kathy replied, “and a visit to the Raptor Center.”
“Wish I could join you. They say the whales are plentiful this year, even orcas. Orcas don’t usually show up for another couple of weeks.”
“Wilimena took this same whale-watching excursion and went to the Raptor Center when she was in Sitka,” I said.
He smiled. “Knowing your reputation, Mrs. Fletcher, I was sure you had more on your mind than simply playing tourist. Well, good luck. Hope you see plenty of whales. See you in Ketchikan.”
We joined dozens of other passengers waiting for the bus to take us to where the whale-watching boat would depart. The expectation level was high. So often, going on a whale watch can be disappointing. You can spend hours on a boat and never see one of the magnificent creatures. In any case, Kathy and I had dressed appropriately: sneakers, jeans, sweaters and rain slickers, hats, gloves, and an extra sweater in case it was needed. Everyone else in the group was dressed similarly.
A large, modern bus pulled onto the pier, and we boarded. The ride to the embarkation point took longer than I had anticipated, considering Sitka’s relatively small size. As Alaska’s fourth-largest city, it has a permanent population of under nine thousand. But there are many who say it is Alaska’s most beautiful seaport, rich with natural scenery, including lush and stately spruce forests that stretch all the way to the water’s edge.
We pulled up next to a substantial-looking modern vessel. A young man and woman directed the boarding, and Kathy and I found seats at the front of a spacious enclosed center section. There was also a sizable deck at the stern, from which we could indulge our desire to see whales and other wildlife—provided there were any to be seen. A narrow deck that ran along either side of the enclosed space also provided vantage points, although I wasn’t sure I would want to be on it if the weather got rough.
We received a safety briefing from the captain over the PA, including an admonition to be especially careful when on the slippery decks. He also suggested that if we saw someone fall overboard, we should yell for help and keep our eye on the person in the water. He assured us that when the vessel approached wildlife, he would maneuver it to give us an optimal view and asked that if we were on the deck we move slowly and quietly to avoid startling the animals. He further asked that we close doors gently and speak in a low tone of voice. Flash attachments on cameras were to be turned off or covered with a tiny piece of tape that one of the crew members would supply. He ended his welcome by pointing out that there were snacks and soft drinks for sale and that a naturalist was on board to keep us informed over the PA of any sightings.
We were soon under way, slowly moving from the calm waters of the small harbor and picking up speed as we reached the open sea. It wasn’t long before we began to enjoy the purpose of the trip. We passed a rocky formation on which hundreds of stellar sea lions lolled, rolling on their backs, splashing down into the water, and in general putting on a show for us. At one point, the captain brought the ship close to a shoreline as the naturalist pointed out a huge eagle’s nest atop a clump of tall evergreens. “That nest,” she said, “has been there for years. Eagles mate for life and return to the same nesting areas year after year. That particular nest, as you can see, is more than six feet across. Eagles build the largest nests in North America. They lay one to three eggs per year, and their hatchlings mature very quickly, just in time to feed on the salmon runs that occur late each summer. Interestingly enough, female eagles are larger than male eagles. We have approximately fifteen thousand bald eagles living in south-eastern Alaska. We are really blessed to have so many of these magnificent creatures to enjoy.”
We’d no sooner moved back into open water than the first whale sighting was announced over the PA. We headed in the direction of the “blow,” a stream of water dozens of feet high exhaled by the whale. By the time we reached where it had last been seen, a whole pod of humpback whales suddenly was visible, displaying their flukes, or tails, before diving after having surfaced for air. There was palpable excitement as everyone spilled out onto the rear deck. Kathy and I, like everyone else, had brought binoculars and used them to get close-up views of the humpbacks as they cavorted only a hundred feet from the boat. A few children on the boat were giddy with glee, and their parents had to remind them of what the captain had said about keeping voices low.
Moments later, the naturalist announced that a pod of orcas—or killer whales—could be see
n on the opposite side of the ship. “You can recognize the orca becauseof its prominent dorsal fins and distinctive black and white markings,” she said. “Orcas have teeth and are very efficient hunters. They can bring down large prey, even gray whales. The humpbacks, on the other hand, feed by straining water through baleen, which acts like the teeth of a comb. The baleen traps krill and other small fish.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” one woman said excitedly to her husband. “There are dozens of them.”
Her enthusiasm was shared by everyone.
The captain announced that it was time to turn around and head back to the dock, then asked if anyone wished to visit the bridge. Naturally, the children wanted to, and their parents obliged. I started a conversation with one of the young crew members, who’d made me a cup of tea. By this time, I’d reached the conclusion that showing Wilimena’s photo around while in Sitka wouldn’t accomplish anything. But I pulled it out of my shoulder bag anyway and showed it to the young man. “Do you recognize her from a previous whale watch?” I asked.
His response was totally unexpected. He laughed loudly.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
“I think you’d better go up and talk to the captain about it, ma’am.”
“I just may do that,” I said, and headed for a flight of narrow iron stairs leading to the bridge. A family with children was just leaving, and I took their place alongside the captain, a strikingly handsome, bearded man who I judged was in his late forties or early fifties.
“Enjoying yourself so far?” he asked.
“It’s been wonderful,” I said. “I’m from Maine. I’ve been on whale watches there, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“We always know we’ll see some whales,” he said. “In fact, we guarantee it. But this was a particularly successful run. The humpbacks and orcas are out in droves today.”
“My friend and I are in Alaska looking for someone who has disappeared.”
“Is that so? Disappeared? Really disappeared?”
“I’m afraid so,” I said, reaching for Wilimena Copeland’s photograph. “I showed this to the young man downstairs and he had an unusual reaction. He laughed and said I should show it to you.”
He took the photo from me, turned, and said through a big smile, “So you know the gold digger, too.”
“Gold digger?” I said.
“Just a nickname I gave her,” he said, handing me back the picture. “No offense.”
“None taken. Obviously, you got to know her.”
“I guess I did, sort of. She’s quite a character. I mean that in a nice way. After the trip she was on, I met up with her in town. We had a drink and a quick bite to eat before she got back on the ship. That’s the last I saw of her. Say, did she ever get the gold she was going after? It was left to her by some distant relative.”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “You see—”
“Hey, wait a minute. Is she the person you said was missing?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Her sister and I are trying to find her. Did she say anything to you that might help us accomplish that?”
“I don’t think so. I mean, she told me about this aunt of hers who used to own a brothel in Ketchikan, Dolly Arthur. We all know about Dolly Arthur here in Alaska. She’s our most famous and colorful madam. According to your friend, as I remember it, some boyfriend of Dolly’s stashed a bunch of gold with her, took off, and never came back. Willie—that’s the name she liked to be called—Willie said she had found out where Dolly hid the gold and was going to collect it.”
“Did she indicate where that was?” I asked.
He answered with a knowing laugh. “I’ve never in my life met a person who talked as much as your friend,” he said, “but she was smart enough not to share that information with me. For all she knew, I would’ve raced down to Ketchikan and grabbed the gold for myself. Not that I would, mind you. Let me ask you a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you think she told a lot of people about this gold she claimed she was going to collect? If so, that might explain why she went missing.”
That analysis certainly didn’t elicit any disagreement from me.
“Did she come on the whale watch alone?” I asked.
Another laugh from him. “If she didn’t, she sure dumped whoever was with her. I never saw her with anyone else. If I had, I wouldn’t have asked her out.”
“Well, Captain, I really appreciate your taking the time to talk to me. And thank you for a wonderful experience.”
I recounted for Kathy the conversation I’d just had with the captain. “What is it about your sister that makes her so incredibly attractive to every man she meets?” I asked.
“Her attitude, I suppose,” Kathy said. “Not that Willie isn’t a beautiful woman. She’s always worked hard on her looks and her figure. But it’s more than that. She makes sure every man she meets knows that she’s interested in him. Call it constant flirtation, I suppose.”
“Well,” I said, “whatever it is, she certainly has never wanted for male companionship. I just hope that need of hers didn’t lead her into a situation that she couldn’t find her way out of.”
Kathy nodded. “I know,” she said, turning to the large window splattered by the boat’s spray.
She said nothing all the way back to the dock.
Chapter Twelve
We got back to the ship barely in time for its four o’clock departure for Ketchikan. Security Officer Kale looked on disapprovingly as we ran up the gangway and handed our shipboard ID cards to the crew member scanning them into a computer.
“You just made it,” Kale said.
“But we did make it,” I said pleasantly. “We spent more time at the Raptor Center than we’d planned.”
He walked with us to the elevator.
“I’d appreciate a few minutes of your time, Mrs. Fletcher,” he said.
“Of course.”
“Come to my office?”
“Now?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
“You go ahead,” Kathy said. “I’ll see if I can find Bill.”
At his office, Kale closed the door and indicated the chair I should take.
“What’s this about?” I asked.
“It’s about Maurice Quarlé.”
“What about him?”
“I understand that it was you who discovered his body.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that since you came aboard in Seattle, there have been two violent deaths—the passenger who went overboard in Glacier Bay and now Maurice.”
I almost laughed, but caught myself. “Are you saying that my being a passenger had anything to do with those deaths, Officer Kale?”
“Did you cause them? No, of course not.”
“I’ve jinxed the ship?”
“No. But as I told you on your first day here, I don’t want the other passengers to be disturbed or upset because of your—”
“Because of my what?”
“Because of your tendency to ask too many questions, and to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Murder, She Wrote: Panning For Murder: Panning For Murder (Murder She Wrote) Page 17
