Castle Cay (5 page)

The weekend weather was warm and beautiful,
part sun, part clouds. Thanks to an erroneous forecast of rain,
they had no trouble finding a space to spread out their blanket. It
was high tide, and frothy whitecaps dotted the sea here and there
like bits of snow after a thaw.

Alan took their drink orders, and went off to
the snack bar at the end of the beach, leaving Julie and Marc lying
side-by-side on the blanket, enjoying the salty air. Marc sat up,
hugging his knees, looking down at Julie.

“Well…what do you think of Alan?”

“Isn’t he a little old for you?” she
said.

And that was that.

Julie was actually delighted to see Marc
relaxed and happy. They talked about his progress at the Art
Institute in Brookline.

“It’s fabulous, Julie. I’m learning so much.
I’m using all different mediums: pastels, oils, watercolors,
acrylics, inks…and different surfaces, too. I’m working on a
sculpture; it’s okay, but drawing and painting, that’s what I want
to do.”

Shielding her eyes from the sun as it emerged
from behind a cloud, Julie looked up at him. “How are things with
your parents? Any better?”

“Not bad. My mother’s okay with the gay
thing, but I don’t think my Dad knows. I don’t think my brother
does, either…but he might.”

“Your brother?” said Julie, wide-eyed now and
sitting up. “You have a
brother?
I can’t believe you never
told me! How come you never mentioned him?”

”I just don’t like to talk about him. We
don’t get along.
At all
,” said Marc. “He’s three years older
than I am. You’ll probably be seeing him at the dealership. He just
finished school. He’s an accountant.”

“Oh, my God, I think I met him. Is his name
Avram? Dark hair and eyes, tall, kind of…brooding? “

“That’s him. He looks more like my father. I
look like my mother.”

“He asked me to lunch…”

“Did you go?”

“No. I was too busy at the time,” said Julie.
She stared at Marc. “I can’t believe you’re brothers.”

“Yeah, sometimes I can’t believe it,
either.”

They sat for a moment, watching some teenage
boys riding the breakers while the gulls swooped and squawked
overhead.

“Not to get too personal, Marc, but who else
knows you’re gay?”

“Well, my friends at school and some
teachers, and …you’ll never guess who else, Jules.”

“A sister you didn’t tell me about?”

“No. I don’t have any other siblings. Give
up?”

“Yes.”

“The Divine Dan!”

“Really…How did that happen?”

“He just asked me. He’s very straightforward,
you know. Actually, I like him a lot. He’s a terrific guy. Too bad
he isn’t gay.”

Just then Alan came back with their drinks,
and Marc quickly changed the subject.

“So, Julie, did you enjoy the Pops Symphony
and the fireworks?”

“Oh, yes…especially the fireworks…”

* * * * *

September 18, 2007
Salem, Massachusetts

“
J
ulie. Wake up, Julie.” said
Joan.

“Hmm?” Dreaming, Julie tried to orient
herself.
It’s not Marc; he’s gone. It’s Joan.

“I’m sorry to wake you, hon. It’s late; you
must have needed the sleep. There’s a phone call for you. It’s Joe
Garrett. Here’s the phone. I’ll be downstairs.”

“Thanks, Joan,” said Julie, taking the phone
and rubbing her eyes. “Joe?”

“Hi, Merlin. Sorry. Guess I’m waking you up.
I got the number from Luz…you weren’t answering your cell…”

“Oh, that’s okay. Did you find out something
else?”

“Yes, and no. Jake said the police still
think it’s a suicide; there was no forced entry into the house. But
there’s been some artful reporting in the local papers that you may
not have seen up there. Jake said that if it became necessary, he’d
represent David Harris.”

“David? That’s ridiculous! He loved
Marc!”

“Julie. They found an empty syringe in Marc’s
hand. Even though the police only found Marc’s prints on the
needle, there’s a lot of speculation about David. Some have gone so
far as to suggest a ‘mercy’ killing. And of course, they’ve checked
the Key West public records about the house. The fact that David
has survivorship rights to a mortgage-free, waterfront home worth
$2 million
…well, that’s definitely more grist for the rumor
mill.”

Julie was wide-awake now.

“That’s crazy. David already owned half the
house. None of this makes sense, Joe. Marc just didn’t seem that
sick to me. Not for any of these stupid scenarios.”

“I know. It’s only sensationalism, Julie. Key
West is a small place; the local media are trying to hang on to the
spotlight. Jake and I thought you should know, in case the story
heats up beyond Florida. And we thought you might see your friend
at the funeral…”

Of course. Poor David,
thought
Julie.

“You’re right, Joe. I haven’t talked to David
yet. Frankly, what you’ve just told me, what they’ve suggested,
that was the furthest thing from my mind. I can’t imagine what
David must be feeling. Especially if he knows about this.”

“Yes. Well, that was one of the reasons I
called. How are
you
doing?”

“I’m doing okay, I guess. Thanks for asking.
We met up here, Marc and I. Being here is bringing back a lot of
memories.”

“Well, concentrate on the good things.”

I’m trying to,
thought Julie.

“Listen, Merlin. You’ve got my cell number.
Call me if you need me, all right?”

“Okay, Joe. Thanks. I will.”

They hung up, and Julie sat there for a
while, thinking about that.
No. There are other
investigators…maybe in the Keys.

Shaking her head with resolve, she got up and
pulled on her jeans and a sweatshirt. She twisted her hair up into
a ponytail, brushed her teeth and headed downstairs. Joan was by
herself in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher. It was a cozy room,
filled with sunshine and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and
bacon.

“Hey, sleepyhead, welcome up! Want some
breakfast?”

“Maybe some coffee and toast? Guess I missed
everyone this morning.”

“Yep. Pete’s gone to work, and the boys have
gone to school. But that’s good. We can catch up on old times.”

“Joannie, speaking of that,” said Julie,
sliding into the breakfast nook, “it’s been a long time since I’ve
been up here. I thought I’d go for a drive later. Would you mind if
I met you and Pete at the wake?”

“Of course not.”

“Good. Thanks,” said Julie, accepting the
coffee Joan set in front of her.

“So, how do you like being a stay-at-home
Mom? Do you miss work?”

“Not at all. I haven’t worked since Pete got
transferred. Frankly, I was glad to get out of there, you know? I
just hated working for Avram Solomon when he took over our payroll
department.”

“Why?”

“Well, we’d expanded to two dealerships at
the time. There’s three now, of course. But there’s only one
central payroll department, Julie. It’s still at our old place, you
know? So, for one thing, my workload had
doubled.
And you
know Milton Solomon! He doesn’t like to spend ‘unnecessary’
money
,
so of course they didn’t enlarge our space, or hire
extra help. So I was really overwhelmed, you know?

“And then Avram, well, he thinks he’s always
right
,
you know? Well, get this… on more than one occasion,
we actually had paychecks bouncing! Can you believe that? With all
the money the Solomons have?”

“How could that happen?”

“Well, it was just a matter of them, you
know, putting a reserve into the payroll account. But, no, every
month we’d have
just enough
. So if there were an error, even
a small one, the checks would bounce, you know? Can you imagine how
embarrassing it was for me, as payroll manager? People like Bill
and Red that have been there for years, you know, friends of ours,
coming in to tell me their checks bounced? Of course, we honored
them right away. But, there was just no need for it, you know?”

“Did you talk to Avram about the
reserve?”

“Yes, and you know what he said? He said it
was ‘none of my business’ how they handled their money; that my job
was, you know, ‘just to cut the checks”! He did apologize the next
day, but it was humiliating, you know? Anyway, Pete got promoted to
GM of the Lynn store right after that, and we moved here to Salem.
I wasn’t going to commute all the way from the North Shore to
Boston…especially to work for Avram.”

“Marc never got along with Avram,” Any idea
why?” asked Julie.

“No, I don’t. But it sure didn’t help for
Miriam Solomon to leave everything to Marc and put Avram in charge
of it, you know?”

* * * * *

T
he crisp chill of fall in
Massachusetts was bracing, a nice change from the long Florida
summer. It was good, though, Julie thought, that she had chosen to
wear her dark brown pantsuit and turtleneck, rather than the black
dress she’d brought specifically for the occasion.

The park was filled with colorful elms and
maples, accented by paper-white birch trees. Some of the dried
leaves had already fallen to the ground, and they crunched beneath
her boots as she walked along the single-lane road. She knew the
pond was just around the curve up ahead.

The wooden bench was still there, in the
clearing overlooking the water. Some Canadian geese swam in a
V-formation on the pond, sending ripples across the surface.

Julie sat down on the bench.

Now what?

Memories came flooding back.

They were unstoppable, like her tears.

* * * * *

July 11, 1992
Boston, Massachusetts

D
an slid the ring on Julie’s
finger.

“I, Daniel Patrick O’Hara, take this woman,
Julia Danes, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this
day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health,
until death do us part.”

He turned his head toward Julie then, and it
was her turn.

Julie’s eyes never left Dan’s face as she
made her vow.

“I, Julia Danes, take this man, Daniel
Patrick O’Hara, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from
this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in
health, until death do us part.”

They held hands tightly.

“In the eyes of God, and before this
congregation,” intoned the minister, “with the power invested in me
by the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you, Daniel and
Julia O’Hara, man and wife.”

The bride and groom kissed for longer than
they should have, while the little church exploded with clapping
and cheers.

•

They had already bought a home and a sunset
reception was held there. A dance floor was set up in the center of
the rear lawn while a live trio played on the deck attached to the
house. Patio tables with floral centerpieces surrounded the pool,
and candles in lily pads floated on the surface of the water.

Julie’s parents were there and they seemed
genuinely happy and proud. To her relief, they didn’t over-indulge.
Dan’s Dad, a tenor, sang at every available opportunity, and Julie
was forced to admit to herself– with not a little guilt about her
own
mother - that she simply adored her new Irish
mother-in-law.

The rest of Dan’s extended clan attended as
well: grandparents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.
It was a bit overwhelming for Julie, coming from a family of three,
but she was sure she’d get them all sorted out…sooner or later.

The real treat was when Julie saw her friends
from Solomon Chrysler…Milt and Miriam Solomon with Avram and Marc,
Laura Bennett, Annie Tiegs, Joannie DeAngeles and Pete Soldano.

“You look beautiful, Julie,” said Pete. “We
miss you at the store.”

“Oh, I miss you guys, too. But I’m really
enjoying school; Dan was right about that.”

“I went to Boston College, Julie,” said Joan.
“It’s a huge campus. Do you like it?”

“I do. I’m certainly getting plenty of
exercise walking from class to class. “

“What’s your major?”

“Psychology. I’m not sure what I want to do
with it, yet. Right now, I mostly use it to figure out Dan,” she
said with a laugh.

“Oh, yeah,
right
,” said Dan. “She had
my number the day she met me!”

Julie was glad they had a few days to recover
before flying to the Caribbean. Still, she was excitedly looking
forward to their honeymoon.

Castle Cay, their destination, was an outer
island in the Abacos chain, a group of cays - or
“keys”,
as
Marc pronounced it - in the Northeast Bahamas. The island was
privately owned by the Solomon family, who had made the whole trip
a fabulous wedding gift.

Marc had raved about Castle Cay:

“You’ll love it, Julie. It’s so beautiful!
It’s wild and rugged on the Atlantic side and so lush and different
where our house is, on the Caribbean side. That’s where our
caretaker’s farm is, too. The water’s not deep at all there and
it’s as clear as your swimming pool.

“And it’s completely private,” Marc added,
winking. “There couldn’t be a better place for a honeymoon!”

* * * * *

J
ulie and Dan flew from Boston to
Miami, where they changed planes for Treasure Cay in the Abacos. It
was just a short flight from Miami; it seemed that they no sooner
had gotten on the small plane, than they were getting off
.
The passengers descended an open staircase, swept by the warm
Bahama breeze.

“Oh, Dan, look! Look at the palms!”

The tall trees swayed gracefully, swishing in
the gentle trade winds like exotic dancers, filling Julie with
wonder.

“Boy, it sure is warm,” said Dan. “It reminds
me of Hawaii, only flatter.”