tj jensen 01 - barkleys treasure (10 page)

“Okay, so what are we thinking? Are we thinking this is a different map from the one Garrett’s grandfather claimed to have found or are that he’d found the map and just jumped to the conclusion that it was the one referred to in the legend?”

“I don’t know. I don’t suppose we can know.”

I paused as I considered what, if anything, my discovery of the map meant. Kyle was right; there was no way for us to know if the map I’d found in the wall was the same one Garrett’s father and grandfather believed once belonged to Captain John Barkley, but we did know someone had recently accessed the hiding place in the wall. Could it have been Buck Barnes? Might he have found the map and then heard someone come into the house from his vantage point in the attic? Could he have replaced the map in order to protect it from someone who’d come in after him?

Or could Buck have been killed by someone who somehow had knowledge of the whereabouts of the map and committed murder to prevent him from finding it? In this scenario, it made sense that the killer could have checked to make certain the map was still nestled safely in its hiding place.

The question was, who could possibly have not only known about the existence of the map but also have known where it was hidden? Garrett believed his mother had destroyed the map that had been passed down from his grandfather to his father. I had no reason to believe he was lying. If he didn’t know of the whereabouts of the map, he couldn’t have shared its location with anyone. Unless the map in the wall was something else. Something Garrett might have had knowledge of. It was too late to call him that night, but I planned to do just that first thing in the morning.

“It looks like the movie is about to start. Should we head back?”

“Yeah, let me just say good-bye to Willow and Riley. I was talking to them when I got the phone call.” Kyle took my hand and led me through the crowd.

“Riley?”

“Willow’s boyfriend. He’s a really nice guy; you’ll like him. I thought the four of us might go sailing one day soon. They rent boats in the marina and I’ve had an urge to go out ever since we’ve been here. I mentioned it to Riley and he said his father used to own a boat and they went out frequently until he passed away a few years ago.”

I smiled. Suddenly I was in the best mood. “That sounds like fun. I imagine sailing in the ocean is quite a bit different from sailing on the lake.”

“It can be. The experience is similar, as long as you go on a day when the water isn’t too rough.”

Kyle was right; I liked Riley the moment I met him. He was friendly and funny and seemed to be totally taken with both Willow and her daughter. I had a feeling that, now that my ridiculous feelings of jealousy were out of the way, the four of us were going to be great friends. He even talked me into volunteering for the annual Fourth of July celebration that was held on the island every year. The event was similar to the ones held all over the country. There was a pancake breakfast, a parade, a community picnic, a kiddie carnival, and fireworks in the evening. What made the celebration on Gull Island unique was the mock treasure hunt, when teams signed up to follow a map to a treasure that was planted by the island council. 

It was well past everyone’s bedtime by the time we got home. Kyle carried Ashley up to her room while I followed with Gracie. I tucked both girls in while Kyle took the dogs out for a quick walk. Both Grandpa and Doc had turned in while I was seeing to the girls, so I poured myself a glass of wine and went out onto the deck to wait for Kyle.

It really was a beautiful evening. The stars looked like diamonds in the moonless sky. The air temperature had cooled from the heat of the day, so it was quite comfortable with a light sweater to ward off the chill.

I relaxed on the lounger and let the sound of the waves lull me into a state of semiconsciousness. It was hard to believe we’d only just arrived on the islands three days earlier. We’d barely finished unpacking when the friendly locals had made us feel like a part of the family.

I opened my eyes when I felt a wet kiss on my cheek. “I love you too, Echo.”

Echo wagged his tail while Kyle, Pumpkin, and Trooper made their way toward me.

“I figured you would have headed straight to bed,” Kyle commented. “It seemed like you could barely stay awake during the movie.”

“I just wanted a few minutes to unwind. How was your walk?”

“Nice. I love how warm the water is. I might try a moonlight swim one of these nights. Tonight, however, I’m going to head in. I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah, me too.” I yawned as I shifted my body into a more comfortable position. “I’ve been thinking about the map. Riley mentioned that the town uses a process to make the maps that are handed out for the annual treasure hunt look old. Do you think the map I found could simply be one of the maps from the local event? Riley said the treasure hunt had been held for almost fifty years.”

I couldn’t see Kyle’s face in the dark night, but I could sense a frown as he considered my theory.

“I’m fairly certain the map isn’t old enough to have belonged to Barkley, but I do think it’s older than fifty years. Still, you have an interesting theory that might be worth looking into. I wonder if anyone keeps copies of the maps that have been used in the past.”

“That sounds like a Meg thing. Maps from past treasure hunts sound like something the museum might keep on file.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll take it over to the museum tomorrow before I send it off to Brian. If it’s just a prop, finding out sooner rather than later will save everyone some time and energy.”

“I’ll go with you. We can go after we drop the girls off at camp in the morning.”

“Actually, I talked to the girls about sleeping in and heading to camp in the afternoon for the beach day. We can pay Meg a visit after we get up. I think the museum opens at ten.”

“Sounds good. I want to call Garrett in the morning. Maybe he knows all about the map in the wall and can tell us what we need to know himself.”

Chapter 7

Thursday, June 16

“Good morning, darlin’. So nice of you to check in on me.”

“How are you feeling today?” I asked Garrett as I walked over to the window with my cell phone to my ear. It was another beautiful day, the sun shining and the waves in the distance rolling gently onto the sandy beach.

“Not bad. Not bad at all. I have my good days and my bad ones, and it looks like this one is going to be a good one.”

I opened the window and waved to Gracie, who was playing with the dogs. “I’m so glad. It’s so beautiful here, although I saw on the news that you’re having a heat wave where you are.”

“Could be. To tell you the truth, I haven’t been outside of this darn center in days, so I have no idea what the weather is or isn’t doing.”

“Don’t they have nurses who’ll take you outside for some fresh air?”

“Sure, there are nurses who will take you out. In a wheelchair. I can walk just fine. I don’t need to be wheeled around in a chair. Damn nurses want to coddle me like I’m a babe in swaddling.”

“You did have a major stroke,” I reminded him.

“No need to remind me. My body does that every day.”

I wanted to say something comforting, but the reality was that Garrett was going through a major life change that would most likely leave him with permanent disabilities for the remainder of his life. It must be a very hard reality to come to grips with.

“Have you thought about transferring to the Gull Island Senior Home? I don’t know a lot about the facility, but what I’ve heard is very complimentary.”

“I may be an invalid, but I’m not a senior. I just turned fifty-eight on my last birthday.”

“Do they have an age requirement?”

“No. Not really. Colin called me early on and we chatted about it. At the time I told him I wasn’t a fan of the idea because I’d be the youngest one in the whole place, but he said there were advantages to being close to folks I know. Guess he might have a point, but I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I may never be able to live on my own again.”

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through and I’m certainly not suggesting I’m in a position to offer you advice, but I’m sure your friends would welcome the opportunity to spend time with you, and I’d be willing to bet that not one of them would think any less of you for being in a wheelchair.”

Garrett didn’t answer right away, but it seemed as if he might be considering the situation. When he did reply he changed the subject, leading me to believe he needed more time to consider his options.

“How’s Blackbeard doing?”

“He’s doing just great. Kyle has taken a real liking to the bird. Gracie too. The three of them have been playing pirate.”

Garrett chuckled. “Blackbeard loves to play pirate. When I got him he didn’t talk as much as he does now, but the few things he did say had to do with pirates and pirate ships. I have a feeling his previous owner purchased him for the purpose of acting out his pirate fantasies.”

“So you aren’t Blackbeard’s original owner?”

“No. He was still a young bird when I found him, but I wasn’t his original owner.”

“You found him? I just assumed you purchased him.”

“Nope. I was out in the yard one day and the bird flew up and landed on my shoulder. Talk about startled. Luckily, I had the presence of mind not to totally freak out and scare the poor guy. I said something to him—I honestly can’t remember what—and he responded with ‘find the treasure.’ I took him inside and called the local veterinarian. I asked if anyone was missing a parrot, but no one was. I ran an ad in the paper, but no one ever claimed him, so I kept him. We’ve been together ever since. He’s been the perfect companion. He talks but not incessantly, and he loves to watch old movies as much as I do. He’s the one who turned me on to pirate movies, but now we both love them.”

I smiled. “What a great story. We’ve had a lot of fun with him. He seems to actually be communicating and not just parroting words back to us.”

“Oh, Blackbeard can communicate. Don’t doubt that for a minute. He uses words he knows, but the meaning is clear. When he’s hungry he’ll say ‘feed the bird,’ and when he gets mad at me he tells me to ‘walk the plank.’ He’s very intelligent.”

“Any idea what ‘Charlie bad’ might mean?”

Garrett didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “I don’t have a clue. We like to watch Charlie Chaplin movies, but I’ve never heard him refer to Charlie as bad. I’ve heard him mention ‘Charlie’s hat.’ He seems fascinated with that hat. We watched
Charlie’s Angels
, but Blackbeard usually would just say ‘pretty girl’ or ‘what a babe.’ I can assure you he learned that from his previous owner as well.”

Garrett and I talked about Blackbeard for a while longer before he asked about my meeting with Jack, which I’d told him had gone well.

“I spoke to Jack about his idea to subdivide the land,” Garrett continued. “To be honest, I’m not sure what I think about the whole thing, but I told him I’d be willing to look at his plans. It’s going to be really hard on me to have to sell the resort. Seems like cutting it into small pieces will be even harder.”

I crossed the room and sat down on the sofa. “Yeah, I get that. Change in any form is difficult, and the more severe the change the harder it can be. I wish this was easier for you. I grew up on a resort, so I understand how you can become invested in every little aspect of the property. You have your favorite spots where you like to take time for yourself, your favorite traditions with the changing of the seasons, as well as your favorite customers who return every year and feel like family. I know it would kill my dad if he were forced to carve up Maggie’s Hideaway. The resort is almost like a second child to him.”

“Exactly. I knew I chose the right person to oversee this project.”

“Having said that,” I added, “Jack has a point. It’s going to cost a lot of money to renovate the resort as it now stands. Probably more than you would be able to recover.”

My statement was met with silence. I could hear Garrett breathing, so I knew I hadn’t lost the connection.

“I know my health issues are going to most likely prevent me from living a long life. I most likely only have a few years left on this earth. I’ll need money to take care of my needs, but I don’t need a lot, and I don’t have any heirs to leave the rest. The most important thing to me is to find a buyer who will love the resort as much as I do. I need to know that the land and wildlife that make their home on the beach and in the marsh will prosper long after I’m gone.”

“Are you saying you’d be willing to take less money from the right buyer?”

“Absolutely. If I had kin, I’d be passing it down and not selling it at all. Making certain the integrity of my great-grandfather’s vision stays in tact is the most important thing to me.”

“Okay.” I was glad to have that clarified. I had no idea how much money Garrett had or how much he felt he needed, but I did feel that I completely understood his priorities. “I’ll make certain we find you the perfect buyer who will love the land as much as you do.”

Garett let out a long breath. “Thank you. It means the world to me.”

Poor Garrett sounded depressed. I could understand that, but I wished I could do more to make his life a little easier.

“I decided to let the discussion about the resort rest for another day. “I have some news you may find surprising.”

“Could use a surprise.”

“I was in the attic yesterday, trying to straighten up a bit, and I found an old map hidden in the wall.”

“A map? What map?”

That seemed to answer the question as to whether Garrett knew about it and could even have put it there himself. “I’m not really sure. I thought you might know.”

“Don’t know nothin’ about any map. My mother told me she destroyed the one to Barkley’s treasure, and that’s the only map I ever heard anyone mention.”

I tucked my feet up under my legs to make room for Echo, who’d chosen that moment to sit directly in front of me. “We don’t know what this map leads to, but we’re certain it isn’t old enough to have belonged to a pirate who lived in the seventeenth century. My friend Kyle knows someone who works at a museum. He’s going to take a stab at dating it for us.”