The Ghost from the Sea Page 7

  Brian shrugged. “And if there is, why do you care? I thought you were with Kelly.”

  “Doesn’t mean Danielle isn’t still my friend.”

  “You two didn’t seem very friendly a moment ago. And if you are friends, why would you be opposed to her being with someone like the chief? I’d think you’d see it as an improvement over Glandon. That guy might have money, but I’m still not convinced he didn’t have something to do with that woman’s disappearance.”

  “I just thought she should know he was on the phone, that’s all. How did I know she was the one he was talking to?”

  “So what came up?” Danielle asked the chief as she sat down in a chair facing the desk. “Why’d you have to come back here right away?”

  “We found something interesting on the boat. I’d like to get you down to the beach, see what you can find out from your ghost.”

  “I said he isn’t my ghost.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” the chief waived his hand dismissively. “You know what I mean. But I’d love to see what he knows about this.” MacDonald pointed to a metal box sitting on the center of his desk. Danielle then noticed there were two metal boxes, sitting side by side. Next to them was what appeared to be a handkerchief, spread out and draped over something lumpy.

  “You found that in the boat?”

  “One of them anyway.” He pointed to the other box. “This one is mine. I bought it not long ago at Walmart. The other one, we found in the boat this morning. According to the sticker still affixed to the bottom of the box, it’s also from Walmart.”

  “Are you saying someone recently put that on the boat?”

  The chief nodded.

  “What’s in it?”

  The chief reached for the handkerchief and lifted it from the desk. “This was.”

  Danielle’s eyes widened. She stood up and took a closer look at the vintage jewelry arranged on the desk. “Is it real?”

  “I don’t think it’s costume jewelry. Joe’s giving that jeweler from Astoria a call, to see if he can come appraise this stuff and help us figure out where it may have come from. I have to assume it’s stolen. But how it got on that boat, that’s the mystery. I didn’t notice right away, but there was a little saltwater in the bottom of the box. Makes me think it was submerged for a while, and a little water leaked in. The lid fits tightly, but I wouldn’t call it watertight.”

  Danielle pulled her iPhone out of her purse. “Do you mind if I take pictures of it?”

  “Go ahead, but I’d prefer you keep this between us for right now.”

  Danielle gave him a nod, and then proceeded to photograph the jewelry. When she was done, she kept her attention on the phone’s screen while she sat back down. She opened her picture app to see how the photographs had turned out.

  Danielle stood abruptly, her eyes still on her iPhone as she flipped through the photos stored on the device. “I don’t believe this!”

  MacDonald frowned. “What?”

  She looked up at MacDonald, her heart now racing. “Before I came over here, I went to the museum, to see if Ben was there.”

  MacDonald leaned back in his chair and studied Danielle. “You wanted to talk to Ben yourself?”

  “Ben wasn’t there, so I looked through the old newspapers.”

  “And?”

  “There was a picture of three women who’d been on the boat when it disappeared. The photograph was taken at some charity event, a few weeks before the Eva Aphrodite went missing. They were all dressed up.”

  “I remember seeing that photograph. I looked through the newspapers too.”

  “And you don’t remember anything…interesting?” Danielle practically smirked.

  He leaned forward, studying Danielle’s curious expression. “Interesting how?”

  “Here, you look again.” Adeptly, Danielle’s fingers located the photograph of the three women. She enlarged it and handed the phone to the chief.

  Holding the cellphone by its edge, so as not to accidentally touch the screen and close the window, he studied the picture. For a moment, he stared at it wondering what Danielle could possibly be seeing. Letting out a bored sigh, he continued to study the picture, when suddenly he saw what she was talking about.

  Abruptly, he stood up, looking from the iPhone in his hand, to the necklaces arranged on his desktop. “No, that’s impossible.”

  “If nothing else, a bizarre coincidence.”

  “How could it be the same jewelry?” he muttered.

  “The necklaces those women are wearing in that photograph certainly look exactly like what you found on the boat. Now, if it was just the pearl necklace, well maybe I’d think it was just two similar looking pearl necklaces. But those other two—especially the cameo…” Danielle shook her head in disbelief.

  The chief looked again from the phone to the jewelry. After a moment, he handed Danielle back her phone and then sat back down. “Finding their necklaces on that boat would not be unusual—considering that’s the last place those women were seen alive. Yet, finding the jewelry stored in a box purchased from Walmart—that makes no sense.”

  “What, no Walmart in the 1920s?” Danielle teased. “Maybe Jack can shed a little light on all this.”

  MacDonald glanced at his watch. “I can’t leave right now.”

  Danielle stood up. “Then I guess I’ll have to go down to the beach, and see if there’s someway I can talk to Jack’s spirit without looking insane.”

  “Or you can wait for me.”

  “What if Jack decides it’s time to move on before you can get down there and tell your officer he can leave?”

  MacDonald nodded. “Okay. I suppose if another one of my officers thinks you’re a little crazy, no harm.”

  “Ha, ha. Funny.”

  He leaned back in his chair again and looked up at Danielle, who stood before his desk, prepared to leave. “You know, if it wasn’t for that metal box, you might have some more jewelry to sell.”

  Danielle frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “For all intents and purposes, you’re Walt Marlow’s heir.”

  “I was my aunt’s heir.”

  “And if Renton hadn’t been caught embezzling from her estate, it may have never been established that you were her sole heir, except for several specific donations to charity.”

  “I still don’t see where you’re going with this, or what it has to do with the box.”

  “Your aunt, through her mother, was Marlow’s sole heir. That inheritance was passed to you. Therefore, technically speaking, the Eva Aphrodite belongs to you.”

  “Yes I know. You mentioned I might be responsible for hauling it off.”

  The chief chuckled. “One might argue anything left on the boat would belong to you. It’s not like the boat was discovered on the bottom of the ocean—so not sure how marine salvage laws would apply. Now, had someone else discovered the jewelry, they might be able to claim it under treasure trove laws, which in Oregon are more generous towards trespassers.”

  “Trespassers?” Danielle asked.

  “Take for example the Missing Thorndike. Had someone like Joanne found the necklace when she was cleaning the house, or even Adam or Bill, when they pulled that stunt and broke in, they may have had a legitimate claim to the necklace under Oregon law.”

  Danielle shook her head. “That doesn’t seem right.”

  “If Ian hadn’t uncovered that old will, showing Walt had been the legal owner of the necklace, and since there doesn’t seem to be anyone from the Thorndike family still around, it’s entirely possible the courts would have awarded the Missing Thorndike to whoever found it. And that could have included Adam and Bill.”

  Danielle considered his words for a moment. Finally, she said, “Hmm, interesting. So what about this treasure? Not that I’m staking any claim to it. As it is, I already have a ridiculously expensive necklace sitting in my safety deposit box.”

  “Considering what we found it stashed in, I don’t believe the jewelry fal
ls under treasure trove laws. My guess, we’re looking at stolen property.”

  “How did it get on that boat?” she asked.

  “I’ve been thinking about that. I know by the condition of the boat’s interior, one would think it had been under water. But I don’t think that means sitting on the bottom of the ocean somewhere. That doesn’t make sense. A sunken ship doesn’t just float to the top and then find its way home after a hundred years.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Most likely scenario, it was a ghost ship. We know the people on board were murdered, and it didn’t go down in the storm. So it could have been floating around on the ocean all these years. I’ve heard of that happening before. Maybe along the way it settled in some hidden cove and was discovered by modern day pirates, who stashed their loot there. Maybe the tide took it back out to sea, and it eventually ended up here.”

  “I noticed a pretty big hole in its stern.”

  “Which could have happened when it was beached somewhere, hitting against the rocks. Could also explain the water damage inside, which makes it look like it had been underwater for years.”

  “All good theories, but tell me chief, how is it your modern day pirates got ahold of jewelry belonging to the passengers of the Eva Aphrodite?”

  The chief considered the question for a moment, and then smiled. “Perhaps these pirates didn’t have to look far to find their treasure.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Danielle asked.

  “Perhaps our ghost ship was tucked away in some hidden cove somewhere, and was discovered by someone who explored the ship—and found the jewelry.”

  “And they just left it there?” Danielle asked.

  “Maybe they weren’t done exploring the ship, and didn’t think it was going anywhere. So they stored their found loot in a metal box they brought down to the ship, and intended to remove it later.”

  Danielle considered the chief’s suggestion. Before responding, she studied the jewelry laid out on the desk. “There is just one problem with that scenario.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Look at that jewelry. It certainly doesn’t look as if it’s been exposed to the elements for almost a century—and it definitely hasn’t been under water."

  Chapter Eleven

  Danielle parked her car in the side drive at Marlow House. Turning off the ignition, she glanced up toward the attic. Walt was probably waiting for her, she thought, wondering where she had been all this time.

  Just as she got out of the car, she heard Lily call her name.

  Danielle looked down the drive, toward the street. She saw Lily walking in her direction; she assumed from Ian’s house.

  “Where’ve you been?” Lily asked when she reached the car. Danielle continued to stand by the Ford Flex, her keys in one hand and the strap of her purse draped over one shoulder. She was trying to decide if she should go into the house first and let Walt know what was going on, or head straight to the beach.

  “Stopped at the beach, over by Chris’ house. The chief was at the wreckage with Joe and Brian. Then I went to the museum and stopped at the police station.”

  “Wow, you’ve been all over the place. What’s up?”

  Danielle glanced at the kitchen door and then decided what she wanted to do next. Dropping her keys into the front pocket of her purse, she looked at Lily and asked, “Would you walk down to the beach with me?”

  “Sure, what for?”

  “I’ll explain on the way.”

  Together Lily and Danielle headed down the driveway to the street. As they walked, Danielle told Lily about her day since the two had returned from Marie Nichol’s house.

  “So what do you want me to do?” Lily asked.

  “I never got around to asking the chief who he has watching the Eva Aphrodite. But who ever it is, I was hoping you’d help distract him, keep him busy—strike up a conversation, ask questions, whatever, while I try and get Jack’s attention. I’d like to convince him to come back to Marlow House with me. I have some questions for him, and I think Walt needs to talk to him. I keep thinking of me and Lucas.”

  “You and Lucas?”

  “Sure. We had unresolved issues. When Lucas first showed up, I didn’t want to talk to him. But Walt and Chris convinced me I needed to see what he had to say. They were right. As for Jack and Walt, there must be some reason Jack showed up at Marlow House yesterday.”

  “I still can’t believe the chief thinks Walt is dangerous.”

  “Something about what Ben told him made him wonder if Walt was responsible for those murders.”

  “That’s another thing; I can’t believe those poor people were all murdered like that.” Lily cringed.

  “Hey, remember, you can’t say anything to anyone, not even Ian. I promised MacDonald.”

  Lily chuckled. “Did he say you could tell me?”

  “No. But I tell you everything.” Danielle flashed Lily a guilty yet not remorseful grin.

  “Foolish man,” Lily said with a laugh.

  Just as they got to Chris’ house, a police car passed them and pulled behind the other Frederickport squad car already parked down the street.

  “It’s Joe,” Lily said, when she saw him get out of his car.

  “What’s he doing here?” Danielle groaned. “Why would the chief send him down here; he knew I was going to try and talk to Jack. How does he expect me to do it with Joe here too?”

  By the time they reached the squad cars, the officer who had been watching the wreckage climbed into one of the vehicles and drove off.

  “Hi Joe. What are you doing here?” Danielle asked when she and Lily reached him.

  “Eddie’s wife called; their kid broke his leg, and she had to take him to the hospital. I came to tell him.”

  “Does this mean you’ll be standing guard?” Lily asked.

  Joe smiled. “Not a bad way to spend the afternoon. But it could be a little warmer. So, why are you two back down here?”

  “Thought we’d come have another look,” Lily told him.

  Joe nodded toward Danielle. “Danielle was down here a couple hours ago.”

  “This is practically my back yard. Plus, I wanted to check on Chris’s house,” Danielle lied.

  Joe shrugged, turned to the beach, and started walking toward the wreckage. Lily and Danielle followed alongside him.

  “So how’s Chris? You said he was in Chicago?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah. He’ll be there for a couple of weeks.” Danielle fixed her gaze on the upper deck of the Eva Aphrodite. She didn’t see Jack.

  Stopping a few feet from the yellow tape, Joe turned to face Danielle. “I guess the Eva Aphrodite is technically yours. Any plans?” he asked with a grin.

  Before Danielle had a chance to answer, Jack appeared—not on the upper deck of the Eva Aphrodite, but standing between Joe and her.

  “What do you mean it’s hers?” Jack asked Joe. He then turned abruptly and faced Danielle. His nose was just inches from hers. “Are you Danielle?”

  Joe asked Danielle another question, and when she did not respond, Lily looked at her curiously. She noted the way Danielle’s eyes had widened, and the way she seemed focus at the empty space between them and Joe.

  But it’s not empty space, Lily thought. I bet Jack is standing there.

  Abruptly stepping toward Joe, Lily inadvertently walked through Jack.

  “Hey, watch it!” Jack shouted.

  Lily grabbed Joe’s right hand and said, “Joe, I wanted to ask you something about this…” she then pulled him away from Danielle, leading him to the boat. Danielle could hear Lily chattering away a mile a minute, yet what she was actually saying, Danielle had no idea. Instead, the spirit standing before Danielle had captured her attention.

  “I know you can’t see or hear me, but I’m getting tired of this. All these people coming and going. They just walk right through me. What am I supposed to do? Why am I here? Why doesn’t Walt want to see me?”

  Danie
lle pulled her cellphone from her back pocket and put it to her ear, pretending to take a call. Her eyes darted to Lily and Joe and back to the apparition. “Jack, if you come with me, we can discuss it,” Danielle said in a low voice.

  “Did you just call me Jack? Can you see me?”

  “Yes, I can see and hear you. But they can’t.”

  “Are you dead too?” he asked.

  Danielle smiled. “No. I’m alive. But I can see people like you.”

  “Dead people?”

  Danielle smiled again.

  “I’m a ghost aren’t I?”

  “Walt prefers spirit.” Danielle said.

  “You know Walt?”

  “Yes, I live at Marlow House.”

  “What are you to Walt?” Jack looked Danielle up and down with curiosity. “You aren’t really his type.”

  Danielle arched her brows. “His type?”

  “It’s those bloomers. You some sort of farmer? Never knew Walt to go for the country girl. At least not one wearing men’s clothing. Pretty face though. I bet you’d be a hotsy totsy all dolled up. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  Danielle smiled. She remembered Walt once saying something like that to her when they had first met. She recalled Walt used to call her jeans farmer pants. “Will you come back to Marlow House with me?”

  Jack considered her question a moment, and then shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Don’t you want some answers?”

  He narrowed his eyes and studied her. “What do you mean, answers?”

  “I’m pretty good helping people like you. If you come back to Marlow House, where we can talk alone, I can help you.”

  “I don’t need any help. And I don’t want to see Walt. He doesn’t want to see me. He made that perfectly clear earlier.”

  “You have to understand, he was surprised to see you. It has been a long time.”

  “No reason for him to accuse me of betraying him. After all I’ve been through! That certainly isn’t the welcome I expected.”

  Danielle glanced over her shoulder. She could see Joe was inching back in her direction, in spite of Lily’s enthusiastic attempt to keep him away from her.