Maui Madness (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 7) (13 page)

“Sounds promising.”

“Maybe. The thing is that Rory has papers that say
The Isabella
sank in 1802 in an area to the south of Hawaii known as the Kingman Reef.”

“So it couldn’t be from the same ship,” Dad concluded.

“If the papers Rory has documenting the location of the shipwreck are accurate, then you’re correct; the cross couldn’t have come from
The Isabella
unless it was lost prior to the sinking of the ship. Still, the cross got Rory thinking. He has a theory that perhaps the cross was transferred to another ship in the fleet for some reason without the manifest having been updated.
The Isabella
was one of three merchant ships owned by the Santiago family, who sailed between South America and the Orient in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.”

“Is the cross the only relic you found that
seems to have belonged to this ship?”

“The only item we can specifically match. We also found a gold coin
that’s Spanish in origin, and a knife with a silver handle that has a mark that seems familiar but so far is unidentifiable. I found some English silverware, so at this point we don’t know what, if anything, we have that’s of value. We’ll most likely be long gone before Pono and Malie figure out any of this, but it’s been fun to go along for the ride, and the trip to the south shore yesterday was fun. Ellie and I even got to swim with turtles.”

“I took a commercial dive boat to an area known as Turtle Town when I was on
Maui a while back,” Dad informed me.

“The
place we snorkeled yesterday was really close to there. Malie works for an organization that tracks and protects the local sea turtle population. Ellie went to one of their organizational meetings while Zak, Levi, and I, were at the luau.” I decided not to mention the murder so as not to worry my dad about things over which he had no control. “The program offers all sorts of volunteer opportunities. I might have to come back sometime when I have time to offer my help. By the way, how did the Events Committee meeting go yesterday?”

Levi, Ellie, and I are members of the Ashton Falls Events Committee, along with
six other community members. It’s the job of the committee to plan and execute the almost continuous series of celebrations and events that are sponsored by the town in an effort to bring the ever-important tourist dollar from the larger cities in the valley up the mountain to our little hamlet.

“It went well. It looks like everything is in place for the classic car event.”

“I didn’t get volunteered for anything, did I?” The event was set to take place the weekend after the gang and I returned, and I really didn’t want to have to jump right into some huge commitment.

“Willa wanted to assign the snack bar to you
, but I reminded her that there was no way you’d be ready, so Tawny agreed to oversee the food. It’s been tough with you, Ellie, and Levi all gone at the same time, but I think those of us who remain have it covered.”

“I’ve been thinking we really need to recruit some new members. With only nine of us
, it seems like putting on these events is almost a full-time job.”

“I agree. Let’s bring it up at the next meeting,” Dad s
aid.

“
Whatever happened with the location for the derby?” I asked. Part of the classic car event is a demolition derby that’s normally held at the fairgrounds in Bryton Lake. But this year there’s a scheduling conflict, and the Events Committee had been informed that we wouldn’t be able to use that facility.

“Willa talked Old Man Johnson
into letting us use the old corral out by his place. The fencing is falling down, but it can be made workable with some quick repairs, and the area is flat with little vegetation. One of the guys from the road crew is going to go out with a grader and get her ready.”

“Good for Willa. How did she convince Johnson to let us use his property?”

Old Man Johnson was a nice-enough guy, but he was a total recluse who normally would shoot anyone who dared trespass on his property.

“Willa didn’t go into any specifics
, but I gathered that a large quantity of baked goods were involved in the negotiations.”

I laughed. Johnson was known for his sweet tooth.

“I guess Jeremy warned you about letting your dogs run free.”

“
He called and spoke to your mother. Any word on the cause of all the animal deaths?”

“Not that I’
ve heard,” I answered. “I haven’t spoken to Jeremy yet today, so he might have news.”

“I noticed that he’d put up fl
yers around town, warning people to keep their animals restrained. Are you thinking we’re dealing with poison?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s the only thing that makes sense
, but so far neither Jeremy nor Salinger have found any evidence of anything intentional. I’ll keep you in the loop if I find out anything new.”

“Have you checked the groundwater?”
my dad asked.

“Groundwater?”

“It occurred to me that there’s an underground spring in that marshy area near where the animal deaths have occurred. If something toxic got into the groundwater, it could have contaminated the spring.”

“You think someone is dumping toxic chemicals in the area?” I asked.

“It’s possible,” Dad said. “It just occurred to me in the middle of the night when I was up walking Harper and Sophie wanted to go out. As I let her into the yard, I thought about Jeremy’s warning and suddenly inspiration hit.”

“The middle of the night is the best time for wonderful ideas,” I agreed. “I’ll call Salinger and have him test the water.”

“I already did. I’ll let you know what they find.”

“Thanks. I hope you
’re right. Not that I hope the groundwater is contaminated, but the first step to containing the problem is to figure out the source. It looks like the tendency to play sleuth runs in the family.”

Dad laughed.
“Hardly. If Harper hadn’t been fussy last night, the idea might never have come to me.”

“
How are Mom and Harper?” I asked. I realized that was an awkward segue, but I really wanted to broach the subject of my parents’ living arrangements before my dad hung up.

“Both are fine. Harper seems to be
having a hard time lately. I suspect she’s getting her first tooth.”

“Already? Isn’t that early?” My baby sister was only two and a half months old.

“I guess these things happen at differing rates. It seems like you got your first tooth early as well.”

“Mom mentioned that you
moved back into the guesthouse,” I said, deciding to jump right in.

“I thought it best.”

“Best? How can it be best? Mom and Harper need you.”

“I haven’t gone anywhere,
” Dad assured me.

“You know what I mean. I talked to
Mom, and I could tell she was upset. You have two children together; don’t you think it’s time to make a commitment?”

“I
do
think it’s time for a commitment, which is why I asked your mother to marry me,” Dad informed me.

If you could see me
, you’d find that my jaw had dropped, and I’m sure I had a look of shock on my face.

“She said no?”

“She didn’t say yes.” My dad sighed. “She said she needed to think about things. I decided to move back to the guesthouse while she figures out what it is she really wants.”

“Mom loves you.”

“I know. I love her too.”

“She just needs time to adjust to the idea
.”

“I’ve given her twenty-five years,” my dad reminded me.

I had to admit Dad had a point. He’d been more than patient with Mom. Maybe it
was
time for Mom to figure out what it was she wanted.

“Don’t give up on her,” I pleaded.

After I hung up with my dad
, I went in search of Ellie. She’d gone for another of her solitary walks, but I’d heard her come in while I was on the phone. I went into the living room and found her sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She was listening to what someone was saying on the other end of the phone she had plastered to her ear. She looked as shell-shocked as anyone I’d ever seen.

“Yes
, I understand,” she stammered.

In spite of the tan she’d obtain
ed during our hours upon hours outdoors, Ellie looked as pale as a ghost.

“Yes, I
’ll do that. Thank you for letting me know.”

Ellie hung up the phone and looked at me with h
ollow eyes.

“What is it?” I sat down next to her.

“That was my landlady. I’d told her that I would be moving out shortly after returning from my honeymoon, and apparently I forgot to tell her that my plans had changed.”

“She rented the apartment,” I gasped.

“She accepted a check for the first month’s rent and a cleaning deposit today,” Ellie confirmed.

“Did you explain what happened?”

“I did. She was sorry, but the couple came all the way from Tucson to look at the apartment. It seems they just got married and don’t have a lot of money, so my very reasonably priced unit was a godsend.”

“How long do you have?” I asked.

“I have to be out by the end of the month.” Ellie put her forehead on her raised knees and began to weep.

I searched for the right thing to say. There are people in the world who are good at offering comfort and others who don’t have a clue. I’m afraid that
, more often than not, I fall into the latter category. I wanted to say something brilliant and comforting and absolutely perfect. If our roles were reversed, Ellie would know just what to do.

“I know this is difficult for you after everything you’ve already been through
, but we’ll find you something else,” I jumped in. “There are other apartments in Ashton Falls. I’ll help you look when we get back. Zak and Levi can help you move. Everything will be fine.”

Ellie looked up at me
, tear tracks on her cheeks. “I appreciate the pep talk, but my apartment was very affordable. Trust me when I tell you that there’s nothing else in Ashton Falls even remotely close in rent.”

“Ellie’s Beach Hut is doing well. Maybe you can give yourself a raise.”

“Truthfully, I’m barely hanging on. I know I’ve been busy, but making a profit in any type of restaurant is really hard. My business is seasonal; I’ve yet to establish a solid year-round clientele.”

“Maybe your mom
. . . ?”

“I’m n
ot asking my mom to pay my rent,” Ellie insisted.

“Yeah, I get that.”

I’d had to ask my dad for financial help a couple of years ago and it had been one of the most humiliating things I’d ever done as an adult. He was very nice about it and seemed happy to help, but I’d felt like a child asking for an advance on her allowance.

“Listen, you can stay with me and Charlie until you figure this out,” I offered.

“What about all my stuff?”

“We’ll put it in storage.
There are units at the bottom of the mountain in Bryton Lake. I’ve heard they’re very affordable.”

“You know how much I appreciate the offer
, but your boathouse is little more than a studio. Where would I even sleep?”

I shrugged. “I have a big bed.”

Ellie smiled. “A big bed with four occupants already, if you include Charlie and the cats. Five when Zak stays over.”

“You can sleep on the sofa. Come on
, El, it’ll only be until we can find you something perfect.”

Ellie appeared to be thinking about my offer. I knew she wanted to maintain her independence and not have to accept favors or rely on anyone
, but rentals in Ashton Falls weren’t cheap, and Ellie was correct in her assumption that finding something she could afford wouldn’t be easy. I thought about the building Jeremy had lived in before Morgan was born, but I was pretty sure it didn’t have any vacancies. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask him about it when I spoke to him the next day. Jeremy had ended up getting a killer deal on a condo owned by our mutual friend, Phyllis King, who’d reduced his rent in exchange for getting the opportunity to babysit Jeremy’s two-month-old daughter, Morgan Rose. I could ask Phyllis if any of the other condos in the complex were available, but chances were that without Phyllis’s good-friend discount, the units would be much too expensive anyway.

“Okay,” Ellie finally spoke
, “but just for a couple of weeks, and only if I can’t find anything before I have to move. I plan to start looking the minute we get home.”

I smiled and gave Ellie a long
, hard hug. Who knew the road back from her impulsive engagement would be such a difficult one?

Ellie
, Charlie, and I decided to walk down the street to the local farmers market, a festive affair where families from the area sold everything from produce to clothing and household items. Popular among both locals and tourists, the sidewalk was crowded with shoppers carrying large bags filled with their morning’s find. I stopped to look at some tie-dyed skirts, really just long pieces of fabric that wrapped around your hips and tied at the side. They had both short and long versions that would be perfect to use as beach cover-ups.