by Mute80
“When you got married you stole my leather pouch and the map was in there, you stupid girl. Where did you put it?” Jeremiah was angrier than ever.
“The only things I took when I got married were the few rags your wife couldn’t stuff herself into anymore,” Sophia said coldly.
“You witch.” Elsa lunged at Sophia, but Sophia set her jaw and held her ground. Elsa looked to Jeremiah for help, but he just shook his head.
“I’m telling you the truth. I want nothing more than for you to leave me alone. If I had any clue whatsoever about where this mysterious map was I would tell you. I swear it,” Sophia pleaded.
Nick cleared his throat. “If I might say something, sir, when I worked for you I know that Paul, your first mate, used to talk sometimes of mutiny when he was drunk. I once heard him say something about getting your treasure before you had a chance. I had no idea what he was talking about and ignored him since he was drunk. I honestly don’t think Sophia had anything to do with this. Perhaps you should take a closer look at your other crew members.”
The room was silent, except for the thudding of my heart and a few random sobs that still escaped from Camille. Jeremiah and Elsa exchanged glances and kind of nodded at each other. I was scared to breathe.
Jeremiah stepped closer to Sophia. His face was just inches from hers. “You probably wouldn’t have been smart enough to steal anything back then anyway. We’ll go for now, but if we ever find out that you double-crossed us, it will be the end of your little living friends here—and don’t think I won’t do it. I have nothing to lose anymore.”
“Really? I can’t imagine you killing anyone,” Nick said sarcastically. Jeremiah glared at him and then took Elsa’s hand. Together they vanished from my living room as quickly as they’d appeared.
CHAPTER 20
I didn’t dare move after the Goodwins vanished. Luckily, Peter still had has arms wrapped around me. Nick and Sophia both ran to the window and looked out.
Nick was the first to speak. “I can see their auras. They’re actually leaving.”
I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Camille started crying again and Sophia knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around the girl’s shaking shoulders.
“I’m so sorry, Cam. I should never have gotten so many people involved in this mess. You can go home without feeling bad. I’ll stay away from you from now on,” Sophia whispered to her.
Camille looked up. I was surprised to see fire in her eyes as she spoke slowly and deliberately. “I am not leaving now. We are going to get revenge on those jerks.”
“That’s the spirit.” Nick grinned.
Much to my dismay, Peter released me from his grip and I felt oddly alone. “You okay?” he asked gently.
“I’m fine—or at least I will be.” I tried to smile at him.
Nick still stood at the window and kept glancing out every few seconds. “They’re gone. I can’t see them anymore.”
“I honestly have no idea what map they’re talking about,” Sophia said. “I can’t believe they’ve been trying to track me down for all these years over something like that.”
I stepped to the middle of the room where Jeremiah had let the letter to the mysterious Catherine slip from his fingers and slide to the floor. I was thankful that he hadn’t crumpled it up in his rage. I began to read the letter aloud again.
Dearest Catherine,
I am afrayd that Things have taken a Turn for the worse. I now feare for my Life as many before Me did as well. As much as it hurts Me, I do not wish you to be invollved any more than you already have been in my Affayrs so I will no longer have any Contact with you. I have hidden It all and left Instrucshuns for you. Do with It what you will. Please know that I am sorry for any Harm you may come upon because of your Invollvement with Me.
Love, your dearest Friend, H
“What do you think she hid? She said she left instructions so I assume it was the map Jeremiah was talking about, but she doesn’t really say what was hidden. Do you think it was some sort of treasure?” I asked.
“Maybe. It could have been anything. I’m sure the Goodwins believed they were on the verge of some big find when they found that letter,” Peter said. “How do we know that ‘H’ is a she? Couldn’t it be a he?”
“That’s a good point. Does it make a difference, though? We still don’t know anything,” I pointed out.
Nick left the window where he’d been standing quietly, walked to the couch, and sat down. “Guys—I think I know where the map is.”
Four heads whirled to look at him. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and nodded his head as he spoke.
“The night before Sophia and I were supposed to run away together I decided I should have more insurance for us. I thought if I could find proof of Jeremiah’s illegal dealings I could use it as blackmail if he ever found us.”
Sophia’s mouth dropped open. “You did?”
He nodded. “I’d seen Jeremiah tuck the leather pouch that he always carried his important papers in behind that old writing desk just outside your kitchen. I thought there might be something useful in there. I grabbed it and headed to the barn. My plan was to quickly look through the stuff and then return everything exactly how it was when I found it. I heard Paul’s voice outside calling for Jeremiah and I was scared he’d come into the barn so I pried up one of the loose planks of the floor and stuffed the pouch under it. That was about the time they came into the barn and knocked me out. I still don’t know how they found out about our plan, Sophia. I hadn’t told anyone.”
“I swear I didn’t tell anyone, either,” Sophia insisted, taking Nick’s hand.
“Maybe it was just a good guess or insurance on their part. They knew you were in love and that Sophia didn’t want to marry Michael Mason,” I replied.
“So was there a map of some sort in that pouch?” Peter asked.
“I don’t know. I never got the chance to open it before I was attacked, but I took it only a couple of days before Sophia was married. Maybe Jeremiah didn’t notice it was gone until after that and assumed Sophia took it with her. By the time he realized it was gone she would have been dead.”
“And so were you,” Sophia added.
I was almost scared to ask the next question. “Is the barn still there?”
Nick and Sophia looked at each other and shrugged. “It’s been decades since either of us has been to the old house. I have no idea what remains.”
“I guess there’s only one way to find out. Who’s up for another vacation?” Peter said as he plopped down onto the couch next to Nick.
“You can’t be serious,” Camille gasped.
“Of course I’m serious. The last thing I want to do is spend my summer sitting around talking. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having a blast so far.” Peter put his arms behind his head and leaned back against the cushions.
“I think someone needs to go check, but maybe Nick and I should go again so that you guys aren’t in any more danger,” Sophia responded.
“You know, humans don’t have auras accompanying them everywhere they go. If we send the living ones, it might not tip off the Goodwins as quickly,” Nick added.
“But if by some miracle the house and barn are still standing, ghosts can snoop around without alarming the current occupants far better than a living person could,” Sophia countered.
“I think we should all go.” I couldn’t believe the words had come out of my mouth. I must have gone crazy.
“I’m definitely going. How about you, Camille?” Peter prodded.
She was a little more hesitant. “I don’t know. I want to go, but what if Jeremiah and Elsa follow us?”
“If we find the map, and the Goodwins come back, then we give it to them. They’ll leave us alone,” Sophia stated.
“No way am I giving them the map. I thought we were here to get revenge,” Nick answered back.
Sophia sighed. “Nick, no matter how badly we want to move on, we can’t
keep putting others in harm’s way.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it . . . if we come to it.”
“So, how do we get to Virginia?” Peter was definitely the most excited for the trip.
“First we have to get permission to go traipsing off by ourselves. I know that Nick and Sophia have been around for a long time and are much older and wiser than they appear, but my Dad’s still not going to agree to this unless we have a really good cover.”
“Tell him I invited you to my family’s estate in Virginia. It’s mostly true. You can do the same thing, Cam,” Sophia suggested.
“That sounds fine, but what happens when Dad insists on meeting and discussing it with your parents first?”
“I guess that’s when Jack and Rita become useful. They offered to help if they could. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal to them to pretend to be my Mommy and Daddy.” Sophia perked up. I think she realized there was a good chance our plan would work.
“What about Peter?”
“We just won’t tell your Dad that I’m going with you guys,” Peter said. “I’m sure he’ll automatically assume it’s a girls-only trip. My parents aren’t going to be home for another week or so. I’ll tell them I’m headed to Virginia with a friend. They won’t care at all.”
“There you go. Problem solved. Any more questions?” Nick asked.
“I have one.” I raised my hand. “Will you and Sophia please stay here with me tonight?”
Sophia laughed and came over to hug me. “Of course we’ll stay here. I’m not letting my soul saver out of my sight.”
*****
The afternoon had faded quickly with all the excitement. Those of us who were living were famished. We made dinner with the groceries we’d picked up and devoured it. Peter and Camille went home, promising to start packing.
Nick, Sophia, and I worked together to get the trunk upstairs to my room. Considering its age, it was in surprisingly good shape. I thought it would look nice at the foot of my antique bed. Someday I would finish going through its contents—if Jeremiah and Elsa didn’t decide to come back for their remaining possessions. We made sure to put Dad’s den back in order and then returned to the living room. By that time it was dark outside, but I was far from feeling tired.
I spotted the candlesticks and serving platter that we’d pulled from the trunk earlier in the day still sitting on my coffee table. Deciding that then was as good as any time to polish them, I took them to the kitchen and went to work removing years of tarnish. Sophia and Nick watched me work, impressed that I knew so much about antiques.
“My mother owned a silver hair comb. You know, the kind that women leave in their hair as decoration?” Nick reminisced. “I took it with me when I left home and went to work for Jeremiah. I only carried a few things, but since it had been my mother’s prized possession, I couldn’t part with it. I would love to know where it is now. I also had my father’s pocket watch. It didn’t work anymore, but it was the only thing of his that I had. He carried it with him all through the Civil War. I have no idea what the crew did with all my stuff after Jeremiah killed me. I hope some of it made its way to a museum somewhere, but more than likely they tossed my entire trunk over the side of the ship along with my body.”
It was astounding how much the past still meant to them, even though they’d been living as ghosts for far longer than their short mortal lives. I hoped that I could help them find closure soon.
I slept soundly that night. I trusted Nick and Sophia to keep watch all night and they faithfully reported the next morning that there had been no ghostly activity—other than themselves—around my house all night. I hoped that meant Jeremiah and Elsa were gone for good.
I expected Dad to be home by lunch. Sophia was so sure that he was going to let me go that she’d gone ahead and booked airline tickets for Peter, Camille, and I to fly to Newport News, Virginia, the next day. She and Nick planned to drive to Philadelphia in her car and meet up with us on a connecting flight there. We hoped our plan would throw any unwanted followers off our trail. It would be hard for the Goodwins to follow Nick and Sophia on a six-hour car ride without them noticing. Camille called around eleven to tell me excitedly that she’d gotten permission from her parents to go on the trip. That was a good sign for me. Dad would be more willing to let me go knowing Camille would be along for the journey, too.
Precisely at noon I heard the sound of the garage door being raised. I looked out the living room window and saw him pull into the driveway. I quickly shooed Nick and Sophia away. I wanted to talk to my dad without them there—at least not in their human form. Besides, Dad would have no idea who Nick was or why he was in our house.
“Dad. You’re back,” I shouted, a little too loudly. I was a really bad actress.
He looked surprised. “I am. You seem pretty happy to see me. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s great. How was Chicago?” My voice was still loud.
“About the same as it always is.”
It wasn’t my Dad’s favorite place to visit and he found himself having to go there for work-related reasons a lot. He walked into the kitchen and parked his luggage at the bottom of the stairs. I saw him look around at everything expectantly. He knew something was up. I’m sure he thought I’d ruined something and was trying to butter him up before I broke the bad news.
“What have you been up to?” he finally asked.
“Oh, you know, the usual. Hanging out with Camille. And Sophia.”
“And Peter?”
“A little.” I blushed.
“He seems like a nice young man.”
I took that to mean that Dad was giving his blessing for me to pursue my relationship with Peter. I didn’t know yet if anything would even become of our relationship. So far all of our more intimate moments had been in the rush of panic or when we had made some great find. I didn’t know if “we” would happen in the normal world. I’d have to see after Sophia and Nick were gone.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Jamie?”
“I know you’ve been gone for a few days, and you just got home, but . . . I was kind of hoping I could go on a trip. Sophia invited me to her family’s estate in Virginia for a few days and I would love to go. Oh, and Cam’s already got permission to go, too.” I had to throw that last part in.
“Virginia?”
“Yep. That’s where she’s from.”
“I don’t know, honey. Sophia is nice enough, but I’ve never even met her parents. That’s a long way to go, isn’t it?”
“It is, but it would be a good experience for me. And it would be nice to have something to do that’s exciting for a few days.”
Dad sighed. “How would you get there? Are her parents driving?”
“No, actually, we would all fly.”
“When are they leaving?”
I was beginning to sweat—he wasn’t giving in very easily. “Uhh . . . tomorrow morning. I really want to go, Dad. Mom’s met Rita—I mean Sophia’s mom.” I hated playing that card. Dad tried so hard to be a good parent and I hated making him feel like Mom had done something more than him.
“She has?”
“Yeah. When Mom was here the other day, Sophia’s mom stopped by.”
“Oh.”
“Sooo . . .?”
“Invite her family over for dinner tonight and I will discuss the trip with them. If they’re decent people and can assure me that your going won’t be a problem for them, then I guess you can go.”
“Yes. I love you, Dad. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I threw my arms around him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. It totally wasn’t like me, but it made him smile and he hugged me back.
I ran up to my room and barged through the door. Sophia sat on my window seat watching the street below while Nick lay on my bed, making himself at home amongst my blankets and pillows. Dad would have freaked out if he knew they were up there. I locked my door behind me.
“Well?” Sophia stood up
and crossed the fingers of both her hands.
“If Dad can have dinner with Jack and Rita tonight, and they pass his ‘decent people’ test, I can go.”
“Yay,” she squealed.
“Shhhh.”
“Right. Sorry,” Sophia whispered.
Nick threw a pillow at me and I picked it up and threw it back. Before I knew it the three of us were in a silent pillow fight, trying to smother our giggles. It was nice to feel that at ease again.
Jack, Rita, and Sophia arrived promptly at six. It was a good thing, too, because promptness was one thing that Dad firmly believed defined one’s character. Rita wore a retro blue cocktail dress and open-toed pink pumps. It was like a blast from the past. I imagined her in the same outfit at her diner a half century before. I wished I could pull off her look. Sophia looked stunning as always in a gray skirt with a sea foam green blouse. Jack was in a suit, just like I’d seen him the other day, only he was going without a tie that night and the top button of his cream-colored dress shirt was unbuttoned. The three of them made a gorgeous fake family. All they needed was the handsome Nicholas Trenton to be on the arm of Sophia and the picture would be complete.
After introductions were made all around, Rita wandered through the downstairs complementing Dad on all his choices in antiques. He loved it. The funny thing was that Rita had probably lived when some of the items she pointed out were new. He didn’t need to know that, though. We soon retreated to the patio where Dad had hors d’oeuvres—little crab cakes—waiting. It was a good thing he could entertain on the fly since we’d only had a couple of hours to prepare. He wanted to make sure we served something nice, but I knew the food would all taste the same to our ghostly guests. At least Rita would appreciate the effort in food choice. Sophia and I whispered at the table while we dined on roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and steamed asparagus—courtesy of a local deli.
“Do you think it’s working?”
