The Winter Sea

by Morrissey, Di

  ‘Is something wrong? Is your mum okay?’

  ‘She is at the moment. I’m not sure how she’ll feel when I tell her what I’ve just discovered.’

  Geoff reappeared. Trixie let Cassie regain her composure and then said, ‘Geoff, Cassie’s had some news that’s upset her.’

  Geoff was immediately concerned. ‘Anything we can do?’

  Cassie shook her head. ‘I feel so terrible. It concerns me and Mum and also Michael. I’ve just had a visit from Frank Aquino.’

  ‘And he said something that upset you?’ asked Trixie with concern.

  ‘It all sounds so bizarre, so unbelievable . . .’ said Cassie and told Trixie and Geoff what had happened. ‘I didn’t even know that my father knew the Aquinos, let alone that he was sent to prison. He would never kill someone. He was not that sort of person,’ she added vehemently.

  The older couple stared at Cassie in astonishment, then they exchanged a glance.

  ‘We’ve heard the story about one of the Aquino brothers being killed,’ said Geoff slowly.

  ‘What? What was the story?’ asked Cassie quickly.

  ‘It all happened long before we came to Whitby Point. But yes, we heard that there had been a fishing expedition and that there had been a fight and that one of the Aquino brothers had been stabbed. Evidently the man who did it confessed and went to gaol. I can’t remember his name. What was your father’s name?’ asked Geoff.

  ‘Patrick Sullivan,’ whispered Cassie.

  ‘Patrick, yes, Patrick Sullivan. That rings a bell. Yes, that could have been the name. What do you think, Geoff?’ asked Trixie. Her husband nodded in agreement and Trixie continued. ‘So, have I got this straight? You never knew anything about any of this until Frank told you?’

  ‘I knew nothing. Dad mentioned to Mum that he’d spent time down here at Whitby Point and said that it was a lovely place, and that was all. He never talked much more about it and never brought us here. And he certainly never mentioned the Aquinos.’ Cassie was suddenly thoughtful. ‘Not that Dad ever talked much about his past. I don’t know what I’m going to say to Mum. I can’t get my head around it. Dad was the last person who would do anything violent.’

  ‘What a shock for you, Cassie. When will you be able to talk to your mother? Maybe she will know something, and be able to clear the matter up,’ said Trixie comfortingly.

  Cassie shook her head. ‘Mum’s playing bridge and has her phone turned off. I’ll wait till she gets home. Trixie, I just don’t know what to say to Michael.’ She looked at them, distraught. ‘I can’t stay here! If this is true . . .’

  ‘Nonsense, Cassie. We won’t let you go. Everyone in Whitby Point loves you!’ said Geoff firmly.

  ‘Maybe not when they know my father was Patrick Sullivan.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ soothed Trixie.

  ‘Talk to your mum,’ said Geoff. ‘She might be able to tell you more. Then you can talk to Michael.’

  ‘I don’t know what I’m going to say to him. Surely the family would have told him by now about the will. What if he won’t have anything to do with me once he knows?’ said Cassie fearfully.

  ‘Don’t underestimate that man,’ said Trixie. ‘He’s an independent sort of person. Remember, he trained as a vet instead of going into the fishing industry with the rest of the Aquinos. Of course it was his grandfather who was killed, but it was all so long ago. I can’t believe he would blame you for that. He’ll do the right thing, you wait and see.’

  ‘But what about all that money that his uncle Ricardo left me? What’s he going to say about that? I’ve got no explanation for it,’ exclaimed Cassie.

  ‘Can I ask how much we’re talking about?’ said Geoff.

  ‘A quarter of a million dollars.’

  Both Trixie and Geoff stared at her again.

  ‘That is a lot of money,’ said Geoff. ‘And you have no idea why?’

  ‘None at all,’ said Cassie miserably.

  ‘That certainly is a conundrum then, isn’t it?’ agreed Trixie.

  ‘That’s the kettle whistling. Am I making tea or coffee?’ asked Geoff as he got up.

  ‘I’ll help you,’ said Cassie.

  ‘Me too. I’ll cut this cake I brought,’ added Trixie.

  Over their tea they tried to chat about less serious matters, mainly the restaurant, but Cassie remained distracted.

  ‘Will you be all right? Do you want us to stay? Come and stay at our place, if you like. Anything to help, Cassie,’ said Geoff sympathetically.

  ‘Thanks, you’re both so kind. I’ll take Bill for a walk and call Mum.’ Cassie gave a wobbly smile. ‘I’m glad the restaurant doesn’t open tonight.’

  When Cassie finally reached her mother that evening, Jenny was on a high. She’d had excellent cards and, what was more, she had played them well. But her chatter quickly slowed and she said, ‘Cassie, you don’t seem very thrilled for me! In fact you sound quite down, is something wrong?’

  ‘Mum, I have to tell you something and you’re not going to like it at all. One of the Aquinos, Frank – you might remember him, he supplies the fish for the restaurant – came to see me today. He was pretty wild and had an outrageous story, which involves us. It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s about Dad. Did you know that he knew the Aquinos? Is there anything you’ve never told me about him?’

  ‘Like what, for heaven’s sake? He never mentioned the Aquinos to me. Such a small world. Your father told me that he went to Whitby Point when he was young. I assumed it was for holidays. Maybe he met the Aquinos then.’ Jenny sounded faintly amused. ‘Don’t tell me there’s childhood gossip surfacing. How odd.’

  Cassie could tell from her mother’s voice that Jenny had never heard about Patrick’s dark past.

  ‘Mum, this is pretty serious. I know why he never brought us here for a holiday, even though he said that he liked the place. He didn’t want to come back.’

  ‘You’re making this all sound such a big deal, how serious is the gossip you’ve heard? And does it really matter anyway? It would have been such a long time ago.’

  ‘I know, Mum,’ said Cassie miserably, ‘but it’s not that simple.’

  ‘Darling, what is it? Are you all right? Who’s upset you?’ asked Jenny, sounding concerned.

  ‘Frank stormed into the restaurant this afternoon. It was after lunch so there was no one else around, thank goodness. He told me that his uncle Ricardo had left me something in his will.’

  ‘Good heavens, no wonder you’re surprised. Is that the lovely old fellow who died recently?’

  ‘Yes. I went to his ninetieth birthday party. But Mum, that was the only time I ever met him. Michael introduced us and we had a bit of a chat. And now Frank said that he’s left me a quarter of a million dollars in his will. Why would he do that?’

  ‘What! Cassie, that must have been some chat, what did you say to him?’

  ‘Mum! Listen, that’s not all.’ Cassie heard her mother start to exclaim, but she pressed on. ‘Frank was very angry, not just because of the money but because I was Patrick Sullivan’s daughter.’

  Jenny caught her breath. ‘So what?’ she asked.

  Cassie started to cry. Between sobs she blurted out what Frank had said to her and the story Trixie and Geoff had heard.

  ‘No!’ shouted Jenny. ‘No way! That’s not true! There is no way that Pat did any such thing. Good Lord, what a cesspool of lies everyone is swimming in down there! Never. Never ever. You know what sort of a man your father was. They must have the wrong Patrick Sullivan.’

  ‘Mum, Mum, I know. That’s how I feel too. Dad was so special, but . . . what if . . . what if there is something to it? When he was young? I mean, I don’t know all that much about his past, do you?’

  ‘Well, no,’ agreed Jenny. ‘He was not a man for looking over his shoulder at the past. He always told us to look to the light ahead. I never had any interest in his past because he didn’t. Maybe that’s one of the things I liked about him, he didn’
t come with any of that family baggage that can drag you down. He always said it was just the three of us against the world . . .’ She started to cry.

  ‘I agree with you, Mum. It’s just too unbelievable . . .’

  ‘What does your Michael say?’

  ‘I haven’t spoken to him. I texted him to call me but I haven’t heard from him yet. I feel so awful. I don’t know how he’s going to take all of this. I mean, my father . . . his grandfather, it’s such a terrible coincidence. I can’t get my head around it all. No matter how I try to sort it out, I can’t make any sense of it.’

  ‘One thing’s for certain, we need to find out more. I have to come down. Patrick was my husband. I need to know what happened,’ said Jenny, her voice sounding firmer. ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

  ‘Okay then,’ said Cassie. ‘Mum, before you go, do you have any old letters from Dad tucked away that could give us a clue as to what this is all about?’

  ‘No, no old letters. You know how your father hated to keep junk. He always said how much simpler life is without accumulating anything that isn’t necessary. I have nothing of his past at all.’

  ‘I remember.’

  ‘As far as your father was concerned, if it didn’t involve either of us, it was irrelevant to him. He was so devoted to you and me, Cassie,’ said Jenny.

  ‘I know, Mum. He was a fabulous father. He was always there for me. That’s why I can’t believe what Frank told me.’

  ‘All I really know about your father’s background is that his parents came from Ireland and his mother died in a traffic accident and as soon as he could he went out into the world on his own. He never mentioned anything else about his family so I assumed he had none.’

  ‘Mum, I can only think that all of this is a horrible mistake and the mess will sort itself out.’

  ‘You might be right, Cass. Why don’t you try to contact the solicitor who drew up Ricardo’s will? Maybe he can explain everything.’

  ‘Good idea, Mum. I’ll have to find out who it is though. Anyway, I’ll let you go. See you soon.’

  For a few minutes Cassie felt buoyed by her mother’s suggestion, but then she thought of Michael and spent a restless night wondering what she could say to him. Surely by now he would have heard about the will. Probably the Aquinos were already planning to contest it.

  In the morning sunshine, watching Bill chase the seagulls dive-bombing around his morning toast, Cassie began to think about the big picture. Why had she been left so much money in Ricardo’s will? She thought back over the five-minute conversation she’d had with him after his party. It had been completely inconsequential. She was pretty sure Michael had introduced her only by her first name. He had never mentioned the name Holloway, let alone Sullivan. Would Ricardo have known from that brief meeting that she was Patrick Sullivan’s daughter? It seemed unlikely. To him, she had been just another guest.

  She finished breakfast and pulled out the phone book and started to make a list of the local solicitors. One of them must have drawn up Ricardo’s will.

  ‘How’s it going, boss? Anything special you had in mind for today?’ Steve appeared with a notepad, ready for their discussion of the menu.

  ‘Not really. Are you heading to Frank’s for seafood?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘Yeah. Thought I might check the wharf, too. See if anyone has come in with something they want to sell on the QT. Been a few casual fishing boats passing through.’

  ‘Well, if you do that, keep your head down. We don’t want to upset Frank, our main supplier, by buying from someone else,’ said Cassie.

  ‘No worries. There seem to be a lot of mussels around at present. Always popular.’

  ‘How well do they freeze? Is it worth stocking up?’ asked Cassie.

  ‘Why would we want to do that? We pride ourselves on food fresh from the sea.’

  ‘You’re right. My mistake. Take no notice. I’m a bit out of sorts today. Give me a call if you have any questions. See you when you get back.’

  ‘Righto. It’s not like you not to be on top of every detail,’ he said, giving her a puzzled look as he walked towards the door.

  Cassie gave him a weak smile as he left and poured herself another cup of coffee as her mobile jangled on the table next to her. She stared at the caller’s ID. Michael.

  She took a deep breath. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Hi to you.’ There was a pause. ‘Cassie, the whole family knows about Ricardo’s will. Can I see you?’

  ‘Oh God, Michael . . . I knew nothing about any of this, I swear. I’m just so shocked . . . I can’t believe it. I don’t know why Ricardo left me all that money. I had no idea that my father was connected with your family. You have to believe that he was a good man.’ Cassie could hear herself babbling but she couldn’t stop.

  Eventually Michael said, ‘Yes. You’ve told me that many times. Can I come over?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, please.’

  Cassie hung up, and started replaying the conversation in her head. Was he going to take Frank’s side and think that she had done something to extort the money from Ricardo, or was he going to believe her when she said that she had no idea what was going on? Michael had sounded calm, but maybe he was too calm. Perhaps he was being detached.

  She rushed upstairs, threw off her old T-shirt and put on a clean blue silk shirt over her jeans. She smoothed her hair and added a touch of lipstick and mascara and the jasmine perfume Michael liked. She didn’t want to look too contrived, especially first thing in the morning, but neither did she want to appear as wretched as she felt.

  Michael rapped at the door rather than wandering around the side to the deck as he normally did. The formality alarmed Cassie but she tried to sound casual and normal.

  ‘Hi, the door’s open. We’re around the back.’

  She was throwing stale bread over the railing of the deck, and watching the small mullet leap for the crumbs as Bill splashed about in the shallows, attempting to catch the fish or at least a chunk of bread.

  ‘Hi.’ Michael gave her a smile and then there was a momentary hesitancy on both their parts. Cassie stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek.

  ‘I’m so glad you came. Coffee?’

  ‘Sure.’ He leaned down and called to Bill. ‘Mate, there’s bread over there, forget the fish!’

  But Bill was over the whole exercise. He sploshed rapidly from the water and dashed around to the deck to greet Michael, who fussed over him.

  Cassie brought two mugs of coffee, handed one to Michael and then sat in the deckchair beside him.

  Michael sipped his coffee and eyed Cassie over the rim of his mug. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘I feel terrible! I can’t work out what’s going on, and I’m scared you’re going to hate me for what’s happened.’ She knew her voice was rising but she was close to tears.

  Michael leapt to his feet and went over and wrapped his arms around her. ‘This is a nightmare, isn’t it? My poor darling. Of course I’m not going to hate you. My grandfather died more than fifty years ago, long before I was born. Neither of us can be held responsible for something that happened so long ago. It had nothing to do with us. I should have come over straight away last night, but I was dealing with a cow in labour and I couldn’t leave it. I was very surprised when I learned that Frank’d told all the other members of the family, including my mother and my sisters that you must have said something sinister to Uncle Ricardo on the night of his party to make him leave you all that money. I was with you all the time you were talking to Uncle Ricardo. It was a nothing conversation. You didn’t say anything to him of significance, unless you were talking in some obscure code. I’ve let all my family know that.’

  Cassie smiled at Michael, relieved that she had his support. Trixie was right, he was the sort of man who would make up his own mind and not be persuaded by the opinions of others. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  ‘Michael, I’m so glad that you’re okay with this,’ she said. ‘C
an you tell me, does anyone in your family know the connection between your family and my father? Did he work for them? He never mentioned their name to either my mother or me, but there has to be something – otherwise why would Uncle Ricardo leave me so much money?’

  ‘My mother has no idea. She was way too young to remember the death of her father and later on no one in the family ever wanted to talk about it. She thinks that was because no one wanted to upset my great-grandfather Joe, who was devastated by what had happened.’

  ‘Michael, what am I going to do? I can’t just accept the money if I don’t know why he wanted me to have it. I feel as though I’m stealing from your family.’

  ‘Cassie, that’s nonsense, but we need to find out why you were left the bequest. Don’t you agree?’

  ‘I do. I desperately want to find out, too. I don’t want it to come between us.’ She looked at him with tears welling in her eyes.

  ‘It won’t come between us, Cassie. Are you sure your mother knows nothing about this?’

  ‘Positive. Mum and I have racked our brains. Dad never talked about his childhood, his past. Now I guess we know why. We have to find the answer through your family.’

  ‘And for the moment none of them are saying anything. That’s not surprising, I suppose. They’re as stunned by Uncle Ricardo’s will as you are. But Uncle Ricardo must have had a good reason for leaving you all that money. We just have to find out what it was. Sweetheart, I can’t stay here any longer. I have a surgery to open and you have a restaurant to run. I’ll see you as soon as I close up. But I was thinking, Uncle Ricardo’s solicitor is Bruce Walker. He’s worked for Uncle Ricardo for years. He might have an idea why you were left the money.’

  ‘Thanks, Michael. I’ll give him a ring and set up a meeting. I’m sure he’ll tell me I’m the wrong Cassandra Sullivan and that all this is someone else’s nightmare.’

  ‘Chin up, Cass. We’ll work it all out eventually. And remember, I’m on your side,’ he said as he tenderly kissed her goodbye.

  Michael was right, she did have a business to look after, and, as if to prove it, her mobile phone rang almost as soon as he had driven off.