tj jensen 01 - barkleys treasure (2 page)

“Thank you. I have a number for the rehabilitation facility Garrett was moved to. I can get it if you’d like.”

“I’ll get it before I leave. For now, I just need to see some ID.”

Doc had warned us that the representative from the sheriff’s office would want to see ID, so we were all prepared, although, truth be told, I’d rather walk on fire than show the photo on my driver’s license to
anyone
. My hair appeared more red than auburn and more frizzy than curly, and rather than a welcoming smile there were lips peeled back in such a way as to provide the image of a woman who looked like she was on the verge of a very unladylike sneeze.

The deputy chuckled but didn’t comment. “It says you live in Nevada?”

“I do. We all do.”

“I’m curious as to what brought you to our island.”

Now that, I realized, was a loaded question. In order to understand why I would pack up, in addition to myself, five people and seven animals and drive almost three thousand miles for a summer job that really didn’t pay anything, you have to understand the upheaval my life has gone through during the past couple of months.

It all began when my longtime boyfriend Hunter Hanson’s grandfather passed away two months ago. Jake’s health had been failing for quite some time, but his death still had shaken the community of Serenity, the town in which I was born and raised. His death had impacted almost everyone I knew in one way or another, but the most abrupt change in my own life was to my relationship with Hunter. I love Hunter, I will always love Hunter, and I know he loves me, but somehow that was never quite enough for us. I truly believe Hunter and I only continued to move our relationship forward because we both loved Jake, and our eventual nuptials and the prospect of great-grandchildren seemed so important to him. After he passed and the dust settled, Hunter and I had talked and decided to part as friends. On the surface this shouldn’t have caused the emotional roller coaster I’d experienced since the breakup. Our parting had been my idea in the first place, and at the time I’d felt it was for the best, but when Hunter began dating the new pediatrician in town shortly after we split and I realized how incredibly perfect they were for each other, emotions I didn’t even know I’d been holding at bay gushed forth in one big burst of instability.

I looked at the deputy, who was waiting for my answer. “Garrett Hanford is a friend of my father. He needed someone to oversee the renovations he’s planning for the resort, so I volunteered to stay here for the summer.”

“And the others?”

“Friends and family who volunteered to help out.”

“I heard Garrett was going to sell to that developer who has been hounding him for almost a decade. The guy plans to tear everything down and start over, so why is he renovating?”

“He doesn’t want to sell to the developer,” I answered. “He plans to fix the place up and then look for a buyer who will leave the resort intact.”

Deputy Savage raised an eyebrow before jotting something else down on his clipboard.

“Do you think that’s important?”

“It might be.”

“Do you care to elaborate?”

“No.”

I guess I couldn’t blame the guy. I’m not a cop and I haven’t known Savage my whole life, like I knew the deputies back home. He had no reason to share what he knew with me, which simply meant I’d have to do some snooping and figure it out for myself.

Deputy Savage walked around the room, making notes on his clipboard, while Doc, Kyle, and I stood off to the side. He asked a few additional questions as he worked, but mostly he just jotted down notes as he inspected the room. I’m not sure what he was looking for, or whether or not he found it, but I did notice him frown just prior to the arrival of a giant bird that flew in through the open window, causing me to jump into the air as I let out a startled scream.

“Where’s the map, where’s the map?” the bird, which I realized was a colorful parrot, repeated.

“There you are, you shifty bird,” Savage growled at the newcomer. “I’ve had half the island looking for you.”

“This is your bird?” I asked.

“Garrett’s. After he had his stroke I came by to get the bird, but he managed to escape when I tried to transfer him into a travel carrier. I’ve been trying to catch the slippery impersonator ever since. He’s been seen around town, but no one has been able to snag him.”

“Garrett didn’t mention that his bird was missing.”

“He doesn’t know. I figured he had enough to worry about without wondering if Blackbeard was okay. As far as Garrett knows, the bird has been staying with the local vet since he’s been away.” Savage looked at Kyle, who was closest to the window. “Close the window real quietlike before the sneaky beast flies back out.”

Kyle did as he was asked, but I had the feeling the bird was quite happy to find people in his house. He’d perched atop the highest bookshelf and watched us as we talked.

“Who’s a good boy, who’s a good boy?”

I looked directly at the bird. “Blackbeard is a good boy.”

The bird must have approved of my answer because he flew down onto my shoulder.

“Where’s my cookie, where’s my cookie?”

I looked at Savage. “Cookie?”

“Garrett kept all his treats and supplies in the storage area beneath the cage, which you’ll find in the sunroom. Blackbeard will probably go along peacefully if you head down there. Just be sure the door is closed. I don’t want him getting out again.” Savage looked toward where Kyle and Doc were standing. “I need to look around a bit, if you don’t mind waiting for me downstairs.”

The three of us, along with Blackbeard, headed downstairs to wait. When Blackbeard saw his cage he flew in through the open door and settled on his perch.

“Close the door, close the door.”

I did as Blackbeard instructed. It appeared he was happy to be home. I then gave the colorful bird one of the cookies he’d asked for and turned back toward Kyle, who was grinning at the turn of events.

“Looks like we can add a bird to our menagerie.”

“Looks like,” I agreed. “We’ll have to keep an eye on the cats. As long as Blackbeard is in the cage he should be safe, but we’ll need to watch him if we let him out. It sounds like there’s a car in the drive.”

Kyle and I returned to the front of the house, where Doc was speaking to a man who identified himself as working for the local mortuary. Doc showed him to the stairway that led to the attic and then rejoined Kyle and me. While I could hear Deputy Savage speaking to the man, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“I thought you said the sheriff’s office was going to send the coroner?” I asked Kyle.

“That’s what the woman I spoke to said. Perhaps given the amount of time the man has been deceased the deputy figured having the coroner on the scene wouldn’t lend any significant information.”

“Perhaps. I imagine the crime scene team will be along shortly.”

Once Buck’s body had been removed and Deputy Savage had gone, my entourage and I set to making our temporary house into a home while avoiding the attic completely. Doc, Kyle, and Grandpa began to unload the moving van we’d hired while Ashley and Gracie each picked out a bedroom. I decided it was best to call Garrett to let him know what was going on before he heard about it from anyone else.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the air temperature hovered in the mid-eighties. I grabbed a diet soda from the ice chest we’d used for the trip east and headed out onto the deck behind the house, which overlooked a sandy beach and the deep blue sea. My dog Echo curled up in the shade while Gracie’s dog Pumpkin and Kyle’s dog Trooper romped around on the beach, chasing the waves.

As I dialed the phone I braced myself for Garrett’s reaction. I expected the man to be saddened by what had occurred, but instead of grief, the emotion I picked up on was anger.

“Damn it. I told Buck that his incessant hunt for the treasure was going to get him killed. The man had a head as thick as his waistline.”

“So you think it was his hunt for the treasure that got him killed?”

“I’m sure of it. I’ve seen what greed can do to a person. My own grandfather wasted his life looking for the treasure and my father died when I was just a baby while following clues that ended up leading nowhere.”

I realized something wasn’t adding up. I thought the resort had been in Garrett’s family for four generations, but based on what he’d just told me it didn’t sound like the men from whom he’d descended had devoted much time to building and running a resort. “So if your grandfather and father were treasure hunters, who did you inherit the resort from?”

“My mother. God rest her soul, unlike my father, who was a dreamer, my mother was a pragmatist. She worked hard to make the resort her father had left her profitable while raising me on her own. The resort meant a lot to her and it means a lot to me. Thank you again for agreeing to oversee the renovations and the sale of the property. I won’t be able to rest until I know the property is in the hands of someone who will maintain the integrity of the lifestyle my family worked so hard to create.”

“It really is a great property, and I agree it would be a shame to tear down the house and cabins to build a high-rise.”

“It would be more than just a shame; it would be a tragedy. Do you know that we have turtles that return to the beach just beyond cabin twelve to nest every year? And the marsh to the west of the property is home to a huge variety of birds and other wildlife that depend on a pristine environment to thrive. There are plenty of islands in the area that cater to people looking for the resort experience, but Gull Island has always been a place to escape the insanity of modern-day life and take a step back in time.”

I could see that Garrett was passionate about his desire to protect the integrity of the land he’d inherited and found I agreed with his assessment of the situation. Allowing a developer to come in and build a megaresort would ruin the personality of Gull Island.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find you the perfect buyer,” I promised.

“You should talk to Meg over at the museum. She also runs the local turtle rescue organization. She can provide you with the education you need to take over as the guardian of the turtles who nest on Turtle Beach while you’re occupying the property.”

“I’ll do that. Deputy Savage recommended that we speak to her about the history of the island as well.”

Garrett laughed. “She’ll talk your ear off, but you won’t find a finer woman anywhere. How are the girls doing with the change in scenery?”

“They’re hanging in there, but the trip has been hard on them.”

“There’s a wonderful woman named Willow Rivers who runs a kids’ camp during the summer at the recreation complex on Shell Beach. You should sign the girls up. It will help them make friends.”

“That sounds great. How do I get a hold of Willow?”

“Just drop by. The recreation complex is at the end of the road you drove to reach the resort. Just continue on past the point where you turned off onto the resort road. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks; I’ll do that.”

I listened as Garrett paused and said something to someone.

“It looks like they’re here to get me for physical therapy, so I guess I should go.”

“Before you hang up, do you have any idea who might have killed Buck? You mentioned his death might have something to do with the treasure, but do you have a specific suspect in mind?”

Garrett paused. “There are a handful of treasure hunters on the island at any one time, looking for the mythical pot of gold. I know Buck thought I had a map and he might have mentioned it to others.”

“A map?”

“My mother destroyed it after my dad died. She blamed the map for his death. I tried to tell Buck that, but he believed I was just holding out on him.”

“So there’s no map to find.”

“’Fraid not.”

“Can you think of anything else that might have been stored in your attic worth killing over?”

Garrett was silent. I assumed he was considering my question. “Not really. There’s some old furniture I suppose could be worth something. Most of the boxes contain clothing, photos, and discarded household items. To be honest, I never paid much attention to the contents of the attic. Most of that stuff has been there since long before I was born.”

I waited while Garett spoke to someone else in the background. Kyle walked into the room with Blackbeard on his shoulder. “Playing pirate?”

Kyle laughed. “Maybe.”

“Pirate’s treasure, pirate’s treasure.”

“Is that Blackbeard?” Garrett came back on the line.

“Yeah. He’s playing pirate with my friend Kyle.”

Garrett chuckled. “That’s his favorite game, but I thought he was at Kelly’s”

Kelly must be the veterinarian. “He was, but he was homesick, so we decided it was best for him to stay here until you’re recovered enough to have him with you.”

“I’m really happy to hear that. I sure do miss the big guy. The nurse is motioning me to hang up. I’m not a fan of the therapy they have me doing, but I’ve found resisting doesn’t get me anywhere, so I suppose I should say good-bye.”

“If you want to regain your mobility you need to do what the therapist tells you,” I scolded.

“Yes, Mother.” Garrett laughed. “Feel free to call again with any questions you might have about the property.”

“I will. And Garrett, take care. I really would like to see you back to your old self.”

“Yeah.” Garrett signed. “Me too. Oh, and before I hang up, I meant to tell you that the contractor I hired to oversee the renovations plans to come by on Wednesday morning to take a look at things. That gives you a couple of days to settle in. His name is Jack Long. I think you’ll like him. He’s a real down-to-earth kind of guy.”

“I look forward to meeting him.”

I hung up, and Kyle moved Blackbeard’s cage into the living room, where he could be around the family, while I headed upstairs to see if everyone was getting settled in. The resident house was a large structure that at one time had been used as a lodge. There were ten bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a large common room, a huge kitchen, and a roomy dining area. The girls had picked out a room for me at the back of the house overlooking the beach. It was by far the nicest room in the house and I was touched they’d saved it for me and hadn’t claimed it for one of themselves. Ashley had taken a room at the end of the hall, Gracie the room between the two of us. Both Doc and Ben had chosen rooms at the front of the house and Kyle had decided to bunk in the bedroom off the kitchen downstairs. Eventually, Doc and Kyle each planned to fix up and move into one of the cabins that dotted the property.