Tidewater Inn (40 page)

“Look around,” Nicole said, smiling. She handed Libby another candle.

This candlestick was also old. Libby held it high and turned toward some objects on the wall to her right. Artifacts leaped out at her: a ship's bell, candlesticks, tin plates and cups, several portholes and helm items. Several cannons were in a jumble. There were many objects she didn't recognize.

She stepped closer. “What is this room?”

“I think it was a headquarters for Edward Teach.”

“Blackbeard? Come on, Nicole.”

“Look.” Nicole stepped to the jumble and held her candle close to the ship's bell. The words
Queen Anne's Revenge
were engraved on the brass.

“Blackbeard's pride and joy,” Libby said.

“I found a ship's log too. It says it's Teach's. But I don't see it now. Funny—the stash is smaller than I remember. This stuff is probably worth a fortune to museums. There's no gold or jewels but a wealth of information.”

This rich history was more exciting to Libby than gold coins. “I bet the government will want to make this a protected area. Either a state park or a federal one.”

“Probably. Archaeologists will have to confirm the artifacts' authenticity, but it all looks real to me.”

“But the ship sank offshore somewhere around here. Wouldn't the bell have gone down with it?”

Nicole turned. “You're right. I hadn't thought about that. Did someone find the wreck and bring these things up?”

“Maybe. But this place might be more than a storage room. There are wooden bunks and old blankets. What's left of them anyway.” Libby turned to stare at her friend. “It's going to take some professionals to figure this out. Did anyone know you found this? Maybe finding this was why someone wanted to shut you up.”

“I don't think so. I only told Horace.”

“I think we won't tell the professionals,” a man said from behind them. “We won't tell anyone.”

Both women whirled. Horace stood with a gun held casually in his hand.

“Horace?” Libby's gaze went to the gun in his hand. “What's this all about?”

“I can't let you ruin all my plans,” Horace said. “I'm sorry. I didn't want it to come to this, but you leave me no choice.”

Libby saw the determination on his face. “Nicole, the lights!” she screamed as she snuffed hers out between her forefinger and thumb. At the same time she threw herself atop her friend, and Nicole's light went out too. The cave was plunged into darkness. Then a bright light flashed from the gun.

F
ORTY

A
lec told his cousin what he'd discovered about Lawrence Rooney. Tom called the state police in New York, and they agreed to pick up Rooney and question him about Tina's death. Alec thanked Tom and returned to the inn. The visit had taken longer than he'd expected, so he thought the women would be back from their outing to the lighthouse ruins.

He found Bree on the beach with Samson. “Is Libby back yet?”

She shook her head. “I haven't seen them. How long have they been gone?”

“A couple of hours.”

“I cried just watching their reunion,” Bree said. She rubbed Samson's head. “Reminds me of when I found Davy after thinking for a year that he was dead.”

Alec had heard the story. “I have to admit, I thought Nicole was dead. Libby never gave up hope though.”

Bree's smile held amusement. “It shows, you know.”

“What shows?”

“How you feel about Libby.”

His face warmed. “She's a friend.”

Bree laughed. “She's more than that and you know it.”

“Maybe she
could
be. We'll see where our relationship goes.”

Kade and the children came to join them on the beach. Samson rushed to them and licked Hannah's face. The little girl giggled and threw her arms around his neck. The older boy, Davy, ran ahead and splashed into the waves up to his knees. Alec's gaze lingered on the children. He'd always wanted a houseful of kids. What did Libby think about children?

He glanced at his watch. Where were they? Though they could just be lingering at the ruins, he felt a sense of unease. “I think I'll walk toward the lighthouse and intercept them. Lunch will be ready soon, so I'm sure they must be heading this way.”

Bree's green eyes crinkled with amusement. “Have fun. I think I'll take the kids to build a sand castle.” She put her arm around Kade's waist. “I haven't seen this big guy in days.”

He hugged her back. “The twins have been asking for Mommy.”

Alec went the other direction. The sand was soft, and he kicked off his sandals. When he still hadn't seen the women after ten minutes, he began to quicken his pace. Some unexplainable anxiety gnawed at his belly.

Someone had put Nicole on that island for a purpose. What if the women had stumbled into more danger? He broke into a run and was breathing heavily by the time he reached the ruins. There was no movement but the rustle of leaves in the maritime forest. The place was deserted, though he saw Libby's and Nicole's clothes on the beach.

He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Libby, Nicole!” His voice rose above the murmur of the waves. He listened, but there was no answering shout.

He walked to the water. The tide was going out, so their footprints were still intact in the sand. The footprints went into the water and didn't come out. What had happened here? Did they swim out to board a boat? If so, why weren't they back at the inn? And why did they leave their clothes? Not for the first time, he wished his cell phone would work on the island.

“Libby!” he shouted again. Where could she be?

He waded a few feet into the water. The waves were gentle today. He glanced at the rocks. The cave. Could the women have gone into it? Libby had said Nicole was an avid spelunker. Maybe she'd coaxed Libby into going in. It would explain the footprints leading back to the water. Could they have gotten trapped in there?

He sloshed through the waves to the mouth of the cave. He peered in but saw nothing. He shouted for Libby. His voice echoed off the stone walls, but he heard nothing. He exited the cave and waded to shore. The cellar door was closed. He opened it and descended as far into the darkness as he could, then shouted again. Still no answer.

Adrenaline gave Alec the energy he needed to make the run back to the inn. He was going to need Samson to help find the women.

The sound of water dripping penetrated the woozy feeling in Libby's head. She opened her eyes and blinked. A couple of candles flickered in the darkness. “Nicole?” she called out. Where was her friend?

“I'm here,” a small voice said to her right.

Libby turned her head and saw Nicole against the wall. Her hands were tied in front of her. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. How do you feel?”

Libby's wrists were bound together. She raised them and touched her throbbing head. Her fingers came away sticky. “I'm bleeding. I think I hit my head.”

“He shot you. Horace shot you.” Nicole's voice rose.

Libby touched her head again and discovered a furrow. “The bullet just grazed me. I'm okay. The bleeding is stopping.”

Clang
. The noise across the room drew her attention, and she focused her bleary eyes as Horace used a sledgehammer on the wall.

He paused to wipe his brow. “Sorry about this, girls. I didn't want to hurt Nicole, and I really liked you, Libby. So I'm going to let the sea have you.”

“I don't understand,” she said, struggling to think through the roaring in her head.

“When I get this hole through, the tide will fill this cave. All evidence will be drowned. And no one will ever discover this cave full of secrets.”

“But why? What harm could it do to let the world know about these artifacts?”

When he shrugged and began to pound again, she tried to think of what might happen if the world knew about this place. It would be an attraction to tourists. Knowing what she did about historical preservation, she was sure the government would take it over and run it as well. The state would want to preserve it, likely as a park. How could that be worth murder?

Kenneth Poe
. She thought of what he'd said.
This
would be the spot of the new resort. But not if the state had the land. In fact, there would have to be access to the area. There would be no room for a huge resort complex on this side of the island. Poe's investor would not be allowed to purchase it.

Horace was an attorney. Had he been hired to help make sure the deal went through? Was he a partner with Lawrence Rooney? It made sense.

She waited until he stopped pounding again. “You're helping Poe? There's no crime in helping to close a sale.”

“You think that's what he wants me to do?” Horace barked a laugh.

Libby weighed this revelation. And then the truth clicked.

“He knows you're a diver. He's paying you to get this stuff out of the cave before the state learns about it and steps in.”

He stepped closer. “I don't expect you to sympathize, but I'm nearly bankrupt. Everything was sliding out of my fingers. The money I can get for this loot will save me. I'll be able to keep my boy at Harvard. I won't lose my house in Saint Croix. If this deal goes south, I'm finished. I'll have nothing left. I can't let that happen.”

“And an old ship's bell is worth murdering two people?” Libby couldn't wrap her head around that kind of thinking. “Then why even tell me about the inheritance? You could have destroyed that will and let Brent and Vanessa inherit. They were going to sell to Lawrence.”

His eyes narrowed. “That was my intention.”

Libby caught her breath. “But Mindy mentioned it to Nicole.”

“Stupid woman can't keep her mouth shut. I should have fired her long ago.”

Libby struggled to get up and couldn't. “You can always start over somewhere else. Life isn't over just because your money is gone.”

He seemed to be listening for a moment, then he shook his head. “It's gone too far now. If you live, you'll turn me in. I'll go to prison. My boy will have to quit college. My wife will have no support. Her family is all gone and I'm all she has. I'm sorry, but it has to be this way.”

“We won't say a word, will we, Nicole?” Libby managed a smile. “I like you, Horace. Don't do something you'll never be able to live with.”

His eyes filled with confusion, then he stepped back. “We both know you're just trying to save yourself. The minute you got home, you'd be calling Tom. I'm sorry. I really liked your father, you know. I'm glad he's not alive to know about this.”

“He's watching from heaven,” Libby said. “You think you're doing this in secret? The Bible says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. And God sees everything.”

Horace swallowed. “Don't you understand? I have no choice.”

“There is always a choice to do right.”

“Not this time. I'm boxed into a corner.” He turned back to his task and began to whack at the wall again.

“Wait! You'll destroy all this treasure!”

He paused and turned back toward her again. “I got out what I could, but what's left is nothing compared to my family. And if you hadn't been snooping, I would have had time to transfer all of it to my basement. All but the cannons. So you have no one to blame but yourself.” He lifted the sledgehammer again.

Thwack! Thwack!
Two strikes from his sledgehammer and the wall began to crumble. He continued to pound until the hole was about three feet in diameter.

“I made it as large as I could so the end is quicker,” he said. He dropped the sledgehammer. “Do you want the candles extinguished, or do you want to watch the water pour in? I want this to be as easy for you both as possible.”

“Leave them lit, please,” Libby said, trying to keep the panic from her voice.