Clues in the Sand

by Terry Ambrose

  Rick breathed a sigh of relief, and a bit of regret. He stared into the corner for a moment.

  “Why the glum face?”

  “I’ve been dreading the day I’d have to explain to her how the female body works, but now that the event has passed, I feel kind of left out.”

  Marquetta picked up a measuring cup and began to dry it. “And they say women can’t make up their minds.”

  CHAPTER 23

  ALEX

  July 21

  Hey Journal,

  Me and Marquetta just finished making some coconut macaroons. We both tested one from the first batch so we could make sure they came out okay. Marquetta said they were perfection. I gotta agree.

  While we were baking, I found a paper bag on the counter. It was full of chocolate chip cookies. Marquetta told me they came from Michelle Steele! When I asked why Michelle brought them, she said Michelle’s mom wanted her to marry Daddy. Holy moly, Journal. Now I got another problem to deal with! I’m gonna do some online investigation and see what I can dig up on Michelle Steele.

  I tried asking Marquetta more questions, but she didn’t wanna talk about when she lived here. I’m bummed because she made me promise to not tell Daddy about it. I totally want Marquetta to marry Daddy and be my mom someday, so I guess I gotta keep the secret for now.

  Robbie’s gonna be here in a few minutes so we can test to see if a cell phone works in the dumbwaiter. Wish me luck! If it works, we’re gonna rock the dumbwaiter on Friday!

  Alex

  Robbie’s dad drops him off at almost the same time I get downstairs. The last couple weeks, Robbie’s been here so much he’s become almost like one of us, so it’s no big deal. The first thing we do is go up to my room. When we start talking about the dumbwaiter ride, Robbie gets kinda worried.

  “Here’s the plan, Robbie. We’re gonna go to the dumbwaiter. You’re gonna FaceTime me on your phone, and we’ll put the phone inside. We should be able to watch the whole ride on mine.”

  Robbie’s frowning at me. “Why are we doing this, Alex?”

  “So we can be sure we have communications during the ride.”

  “You still wanna do that?”

  “Totally!”

  “Okay.”

  “Robbie, it’s gonna be awesome. Marquetta said this was the most fun she ever had when she was our age.”

  “Sounds scary.”

  “Yeah! You’ll be cool.” I give him a little jab to the shoulder. It’s become our little way of showing we like each other.

  “Awesome.”

  I don’t get why Robbie’s not more pumped about this. We’ve been planning Operation Dumbwaiter for a couple months and it’s gonna happen tomorrow.

  I grab Robbie’s hand and tug him into the hallway. “I’ll push the button. Make sure you turn on your flashlight so we can see what happens when we send it downstairs.”

  Robbie nods. That’s kinda the way he always is. Daddy says Robbie’s a man of few words. I think it’s kinda lame, but I like Robbie a lot and his blue eyes make me get all mushy inside, especially when he smiles.

  All the guests must be out doing stuff ‘cause the hall is empty. My dad and Marquetta are busy downstairs so we go straight to the dumbwaiter. It’s on the left by the stairs that go up to the attic. There’s one of those fancy ropes like they use in a museum to keep people out of an exhibit at the bottom of the stairs. The rope is new and somebody hung a Keep Out sign on it.

  The dumbwaiter opening is right under the stairs. If the car thingy is on this floor, all I have to do is open the door. I tug on the handle. The door slides up. We’re in luck.

  I pump my fist. “Yes! Turn your phone on.”

  “Are we gonna send it downstairs?” Robbie asks.

  “That’s the plan.” And then I get what Robbie’s gotta be thinking. “Rats. What if Marquetta’s down there getting ready to send some towels up?”

  “Won’t she see the phone?”

  “Tell you what, follow me.” We go around the corner and I point at the top of the stairs. “You wait up there and I’ll go see where Marquetta is.”

  “What about the sign?”

  “You can step over it. That’s new. It must be to keep the guests from going up there. Besides, Captain Jack put a lock on the door a long time ago and my dad never wanted to bust the lock. We’ve never been in the attic.”

  Instead of climbing over the rope, Robbie shakes his head and says, “I don’t know, Alex.”

  I look up and down the hall. “There’s nowhere else to hide. If you climb over the rope, you can get up there where nobody can see you.”

  Robbie doesn’t look happy about it, but I lead the way and he’s right next to me. On the third step, we freeze.

  “What was that?” Robbie whispers.

  “The step. It squeaked.” I try to sound real confident, but the noise creeped me out, too. We climb the rest of the way holding hands. When we get to the top, I stop and stare at the lock. It’s hanging loose. “Holy moly, this is awesome!”

  “It’s just a door, Alex.”

  “Somebody broke the lock, Robbie. This must be what my dad said Mr. Van Horn was gonna fix next week.” I turn and look at the bottom of the stairs. “That’s why they put the rope and the sign! This is so cool!”

  The door is open. It’s not like open open, but all we gotta do is lift the lock off the hinge.

  “I can wait here while you go check the dumbwaiter on the first floor,” Robbie says.

  “No way. I wanna see what’s in here!” It’s kinda creepy up here on the third floor, but I’m not gonna tell Robbie ‘cause he looks freaked out already.

  “Let’s check this out.” I pull the lock off the hinge thingy. We wait a few seconds to see if anybody heard it ‘cause it was so noisy. Nobody comes, so we’re cool. “This totally rocks. Let’s see what’s inside.”

  Robbie nods and we give the door a little push. The door creaks open. We both turn on the flashlights we have on our phones.

  “It’s like super dark up here,” I whisper. My eyes adjust kinda slow until I can see little cracks of sunlight streaming through in places. There’s a light bulb with an old-fashioned pull-down string. Robbie gives it a tug. The noise is like a gunshot going off. It doesn’t even add much light.

  The room is still dim, but I can make out boxes. There’s one filled with old toys, another with some old pots and pans, and one with a bunch of photos. The floorboards are covered in dust. The walls have wires and pipes sticking out everywhere. My flashlight lights up what looks like an old motor. It must be for the dumbwaiter ‘cause there’s a shaft below it, and when I look down the shaft, it goes on forever.

  When I turn around, Robbie’s messing with a box of old Christmas decorations. “Look at this, Alex.” He holds up a tangled mess of wires and bulbs.

  “Are those Christmas bulbs?”

  “This is really old, Alex. It’s got a couple broken bulbs. You think it still works?”

  Robbie’s really cute when he gets so excited about stuff. He doesn’t know we’re getting married yet—as long as he doesn’t die up here ‘cause he cut himself on one of those stupid bulbs. “Careful, Robbie, you don’t wanna get hurt on one of those.”

  He cranes his neck to one side and looks past me. “Is that for the dumbwaiter?”

  Oh man, I don’t want Robbie looking down there. It’s a black hole so scary he’ll never go for a ride. I shrug. “It’s no big deal.” But it is. It’s totally a big deal. “C’mon, let’s see what else is up here.”

  The floorboards creak and send up little clouds of dust when we walk. There are pipes and wiring all over. The string from another light bulb brushes my face and I almost scream. Then I swallow hard and swat at it. The string flies away and comes back to hit my cheek. This place is totally creeping me out.

  “Look at this!” Robbie points at an old-time model train in a box. It’s next to other boxes with a few dolls and more Christmas decorations. We both kneel next to the one with the
train. At least we found something up here Robbie really likes. To me, the box he’s looking through is kinda boring. But I can sit here and explore with my flashlight while he does his thing. Across the room, the light reflects off something bright.

  It’s a mirror. And it’s broken.

  I’ve never seen it before, but I recognize the frame right away. I can’t take my eyes off it.

  I get up and take a few slow steps.

  The boards squeak with every one, but I don’t care. I can hardly breathe.

  My eyes tear up and I swallow hard.

  My whisper sounds like a ghost talking in the darkness. “It’s my mirror.”

  Robbie is next to me now. He’s frowning. Has his head tilted. “It’s broken, Alex. You can’t use a mirror somebody broke.”

  He’s right. The glass looks like a spiderweb with all the cracks. “The frame, Robbie. It’s exactly the same as the rest of the furniture in my bedroom. The mirror in my room is the only piece that doesn’t match.”

  “So?”

  Really? How can he not see this? “Robbie, the furniture was in my bedroom when we got here. Me and Marquetta went shopping for all the other stuff. The only piece in the whole entire room that doesn’t match is the mirror. It must’ve been up here the whole time.”

  “So?”

  “So? Marquetta said my bedroom set didn’t come with a matching mirror. But there it is, Robbie! Why would Marquetta lie to me? About a mirror?”

  CHAPTER 24

  RICK

  After Rick and Marquetta finished the last of the clean up, Rick decided to check on the Jib Room. He walked through the dining area and into the lobby, where Mr. de la Guerra and Flynn O’Connor sat on opposite ends of the couch with their laptops before them. Rick busied himself at the front desk, but listened in on their conversation.

  De la Guerra asked, “What do you do for a living, Miss O’Connor?”

  “Please, call me Flynn. I’m a freelance archaeologist. I’m currently working for a museum that has interest in the history of the San Manuel. My job is to preserve as much of the ship’s history as possible.”

  “Ah, before the treasure hunters and scavengers start taking souvenirs.”

  “Exactly. Those people are despicable. They steal the past to make money.”

  “You are quite passionate about preserving the past, I see.”

  “I am. I can’t stand those who see it as a way to make a profit.”

  “There have been many changes in salvage laws, have there not? The bounty of a sunken treasure is extensive. It costs a great deal of money to retrieve such treasures, no? Surely you do not believe every artifact should be preserved in the warehouse of a museum?”

  Flynn squared her shoulders as though preparing for battle. “You said you worked for the Spanish government. Why are you defending these modern-day pirates?”

  “You are most correct, Flynn. These scum should suffer immense pain followed by a grisly death.” He held her gaze, then winked at her.

  “Sorry.” Flynn let out a heavy sigh and her shoulders fell. “I get carried away sometimes. I wish more beachcombers made notes when they found an artifact like that rice bowl. If we knew the exact location, the time, and the tides, we could calculate the path. The computer models are getting very good at calculating a wreck’s location based on such information.”

  De la Guerra smiled and nodded eagerly. “Yes, such records would be most helpful.”

  Flynn scooted closer on the couch and set her laptop aside. Her voice became much more animated. “Are you familiar with the controversy over Sir Francis Drake and his secret trip in fifteen-seventy-nine? Beachcombers helped find important clues. They can do so much for us, don’t you agree?”

  To Rick’s surprise, Mr. de la Guerra stood abruptly and looked at his watch. “Ah, the time. I must be going. It has been a wonderful pleasure speaking with you. Until we meet again, perhaps.”

  When Flynn was alone, she picked up her laptop and started to stand, but immediately slumped back on the couch when she saw Rick approaching. “Now what, Detective Innkeeper?”

  Rick sat on the opposite end of the couch, hoping the distance gave her space to not feel intimidated. “I’m sorry for everything you’re going through. I wish you could see I’m on your side. Anyway, I’m not going to ask any questions about the murder. I’d like to understand a bit more about this rivalry between you and Reese.”

  Flynn leaned back and folded her arms in front of her. “Oh, so now you want to know what I think about Reese. After she’s ruined my life. Sure. Why not?” she snapped.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you,” Rick said. He watched Flynn’s face for a moment. Her jaw was tight, her eyes hard and cold. “I really am sorry all this has happened to you.” He reached out, hoping to console her, but she pulled away.

  “Her type of company spends millions to bring up an old wreck. They turn around and auction off whatever they can. It’s all about the money. Whoever has the deepest pockets wins.”

  “And the private sector has much deeper pockets?”

  “Exactly.”

  “As Mr. de la Guerra said, you’re quite passionate about archaeology, aren’t you?”

  “I thought I saw you over there listening. He’s a strange man. Anyway, preserving the past is my life. It’s how I’ve built my reputation.”

  “Reputation,” Rick said. “What a dangerous word.”

  Flynn leaned closer to Rick. Her breaths quickened as she shook her head. “Dangerous? No. Powerful, absolutely. For an archaeologist, their reputation is exactly like the past. In both cases, once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Look, I don’t care about fame or glory. What I want is to see the next generation study the past with new technologies we can’t even imagine. Let their minds soar. Let them uncover ancient secrets.” Flynn’s lower lip trembled and she winced. “I get carried away. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. My daughter is the same way. She’s quite interested in a project you worked on in Cartagena.”

  Flynn laughed, and for the first time in their conversation, Rick thought she sounded happy. “She’s quite enthusiastic. That’s the San Jose. It was part of the fleet of King Philip the Fifth. The English sunk the ship during the War of Spanish Succession. Reese thinks the private investors deserve their fair share of what they bring up. That’s seventeen billion dollars. Can you imagine how much profit they’d make?”

  “A lot. Now I understand why the rumor mill is buzzing with speculation about all the money Reese has been spending.”

  “Exploration International has deep pockets. They’re always finding new investors.”

  “Are you sure she works for them?”

  “Positive. She’s their new project manager, which means her job is on the line. If she can’t produce the San Manuel, she’s done. From what I understand she promised great things for Seaside Cove. ”

  “Like?”

  “A private museum.”

  “How would they do that? There’s not enough land here to build something that large. All we’ve got is a little town…” Rick stopped and stared across the room. “Of course, that’s why they’re trying to buy local businesses.”

  Flynn leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I’ve suspected EI has been wanting to legitimize their operations for several years. Reese has promised them they can do it here.”

  “That’s an enormous investment of their resources,” Rick said. “Why bother?”

  “This is money laundering on a whole different level, Rick. The laws have been tightening in recent years. Back when undersea recoveries began, there were no restrictions on what companies could do. Now, it’s becoming more difficult for them to get away with snatch-and-grabs. A museum, though, would make it harder to prove what was going on. Believe me, they have the money to buy your entire downtown, clear it, and build from the ground up.”

  “The town would never be the same.”

  “Now you have an idea of what’s at stake.”

  �
��That’s why you’re so much at odds with Reese.”

  Flynn pursed her lips and frowned. “I’ve told you. My job is to preserve as much of history as possible.”

  “Before people like Reese start taking souvenirs. Or towns.”

  They fell into a silent lull, the tables suddenly turned. Rick felt Flynn watching him, judging his reaction, perhaps even trying to figure out how much more she could tell him without destroying her life. Or incriminating herself?

  “The woman who was killed—which side of this battle do you think she was on?”

  Flynn’s eyes misted over as she stared silently at a corner of the room. Her chin quivered until she blurted, “Dani was on Reese’s side.”

  Rick sat back in his seat, unable to believe what he’d just heard. It wasn’t the conviction, but her emotion—as though she were harboring more secrets. “I know I said I wouldn’t ask questions about the murder, but how well did you know this Dani?”

  “Do you realize what you’re asking? If this gets out, it could ruin me.”

  “It might be the only way to save your life. You don’t want to go to prison for a crime you didn’t commit, do you?”

  Flynn nodded, resigned, then spoke cautiously. “Dani Collins and I met on an archaeological dig in Belize at Paynes Creek National Park. This was back in the late nineties. We were both starting out in the field. It was obvious from the get-go she’d come unprepared.”

  “The last time we spoke you said you didn’t really know her.”

  “I knew how it would look. Me, very vocal about preserving history, and a woman who burned me once is killed right after we have a big argument.”

  “Burned you? How? What argument? The one here in town?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Flynn, please, I’m trying to help you. If Reese is telling a one-sided narrative, you know how it will turn out. Help me. Help yourself.”

  She gazed off into nothingness. Just when Rick thought she was going to walk away, she started to talk. At first, her words were halting, then the story came faster and with more intensity.