Searching For Treasure (15 page)

Arms linked, Rose and Dana wandered off the courtyard and around to the back of the castle. Although the Sun had set, there was still light enough to see by. Rose was unusually quiet. "I hope I didn't start something this afternoon with my nosy questions."

"What? No, of course not." They stopped beside the old water well and Dana peered inside. "Hello, in there." Dana grinned. "I always have to do that."

But Rose wasn't willing to be deflected. "We heard you two fighting again just after you left us. I thought maybe." She trailed off.

"It wasn't because of you. Besides it all worked out." In a horrible imitation, she declared, "What we have here, is a failure, to communicate." At Rose's puzzled look she explained. That's from 'Cool Hand Luke'."

"Never saw it."

"Yeah, well, anyway, I think we've got our communication problems ironed out."

"Sometimes watching the two of you was worse than any soap opera I've ever seen. You're either shouting and fighting or laughing and loving. It gave me whiplash trying to keep up with it."

Continuing on, they stopped to rest on a stone garden bench. "You might not believe it, but Jack and I don't usually fight. I'm afraid you've gotten a skewed view of us this weekend."

"And just before dinner I heard a different kind of shouting. Something like 'I love him'? I gather that's not usual either." Dana could only giggle. "Damn, girl, I guess you did get things worked out, huh? I knew you would all along."

"You did, huh?"

"Sure, especially after I finally got Oscar to come clean about the rest of the legend of the Whispering Oak."

Dana eyed her suspiciously. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, only couples who are destined to be together forever hear the whispering lovers at night."

Dana studied her, mulling over what she said. "I didn't think you believed in that sort of thing."

"For this, I'll make an exception."

"Hmm. Still, there's a part of me that wants to be angry with him."

"What part is that?"

"The part that doesn't like being coerced or manipulated. The part that doesn't respond well to threats."

"Is that what he did?"

"Kind of. Maybe. I don't know, but that's what it feels like he did."

"But you did respond. I guess you felt you had to. It was either that or the alternative."

"What alternative?"

"Learning to live without him."

"I wouldn't want to even try."

"So now you don't have to. You both got what you wanted. So go ahead and forgive a little manipulation. Just don't let him make a habit of it."

They sat there for a moment enjoying the quiet summer sounds around them. Sounds like the crickets in the trees and the sound of leaves rustling in the slight breeze. In the distance was the sound of the golden oldies station that Noah and Josie had settled on. And overlaying all of that was the sound of someone running. Dana and Rose looked at each other with wide eyes. Were they about to see Just Cedric?

The sound of running footsteps grew louder in their ears. Then all at once he was there, a rather comical looking gentleman in nineteenth century clothing. He ran with an odd stride, leaning backwards as if his body couldn't keep up with his feet. He was close enough now that they could hear him gasping a little from exertion. He was also close enough to see that he was completely transparent.

He ran past them without even glancing in their direction. His whole focus was on the water well. He ran straight for it and then without slowing his stride, dove in headfirst. There is no further sound except the tiniest of splashes. Then there was silence. Even the crickets were quiet.

"Uh, Dana?"

"Uh."

"Let's keep this to ourselves, yeah?"

"Uh."

"You said it."

Chapter
10

Nobody noticed Dana and Rose scooting back onto the courtyard, casting nervous glances behind them. Jack had finished the freshly made ice cream and was scooping it into bowls. Noah was finishing a joke: "Two potatoes are standing on a street corner. One of them is a prostitute. How do you know which one it is? She's the one wearing a sticker that says "Id-a-Ho". Everyone groaned. "I've got a million of them."

Josie laughingly clapped a hand over his mouth. "That's what we're afraid of."

Jack gave Dana a quick look as he handed her a bowl. "What's wrong? You look a little pale."

"I'll tell you about it later
,”
she whispered.

Oscar settled comfortably into his chair. "I'm afraid I've become a little spoiled. I doubt that I will ever again find another group of guests as warm and compatible as all of you."

Henry licked his spoon. "What about Brett and Austin?"

"Fortunately, they pretty much kept to themselves. It might have been a different story if they had wanted to socialize."

Rose huffed. "You mean we would have been hiding out in our rooms to get away from them?"

"Rose, that's just mean
,”
Grace chided her.

"So?"

Dana scraped out the last bit of ice cream from her bowl and handed it back to Jack who silently refilled it. "Are you still going to open the castle up to paying guests now that you know about the antiques?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. What I really want to do is try to restore Raven Keep Castle to her original glory. I'm hoping that the sale of a few selected antiques might allow me to at least begin. When I pass, I plan to leave the castle in trust to an historical society. Hopefully, they will be able to continue the work and then eventually open it up to the public."

"Oscar, you've got a lot of years left
,”
Henry declared forcefully. "I'm sure you'll be able to do it yourself."

Giving up his post by the ice cream, Jack lifted Dana out of her chair, sat down and then pulled her onto his lap, where she immediately made herself at home. "I can just see you as a tour guide, Oscar, telling people about the history of the castle and stories about ghosts and treasure. D, remember that old guy at Shadows-on-the-Teche?"

"Yeah, and that lady at Kate Chopin's house. Jack's right, a really great guide can make all the difference. Jack and I have seen bigger or prettier houses than those, but we remember them particularly because of the guide. Someone who enjoys people and who not only knows, but loves their subject the way you do, can be the highlight of the whole visit."

"Then you wouldn't have to worry about die-hard treasure hunters like Brett and Austin who would just as soon dismantle the place than enjoy it
,”
added Henry.

Warming up to her ideas, Dana continued, "And if you really wanted to keep it open for guests, you could maybe just have it as a bed-and-breakfast."

"It would be a shame to waste the talents of Mrs. Babineaux
,”
Henry said with a laugh. "Maybe you could have reservation-only special dinners from time to time."

Grace joined in eagerly. "Maybe around Halloween you could have a Haunted Weekend. And at Christmas you could do a candlelight tour."

Oscar held up his hands in surrender. "Please, please, you've given me a lot to think about. I want to thank you all."

The two teenagers had quickly lost interest in the discussion about the future of Raven Keep Castle and had been having their own conversation. During a lull, all heads turned when they heard Josie say loudly, "Now I know you're lying."

"I'm not! Dana, tell her I'm not lying."

"He's not lying
,”
she replied obediently. "What did you say now?"

"We were talking about movies and I told them that Jack can connect anyone with anyone through movies."

Dana grinned and looked up at Jack. "Actually, that's true. Well, maybe not anyone with anyone, but he can connect anyone in the movies. Once he even connected Gandhi with Hitler."

"But they weren't in the movies
,”
Josie protested.

"No, but they were portrayed in the movies. Jack, how did it go again?"

Jack gently bit her ear in retaliation. Dana chuckled, knowing that Jack was always reluctant about demonstrating what he referred to as his freakish gift. Dana had always found it fascinating. "Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley who was in 'Schindler's List' with Liam Neeson who co-starred with Jodie Foster in 'Nell' who was in 'Silence of the Lambs' with Anthony Hopkins who once played Hitler in a TV-movie called 'The Bunker'."

Dana smiled proudly at everyone. "Isn't that cool?"

Grace was just as delighted. "That was wonderful! Do it again."

"Wait a minute. He already had that one figured out." Josie was not yet ready to give up her doubts. "One of us needs to pick names."

"All right
,”
said Henry. "I'll do one. Connect Hugh Grant to Cary Grant."

"That one's easy. Hugh Grant was in 'Mickey Blue Eyes' with James Caan who was in 'El Dorado' with Robert Mitchum who was in 'The Grass is Greener' with Cary Grant."

Josie grumbled, "I've never even heard of those movies. You're trying to trick me."

"It's not a trick
,”
Dana insisted. "It's just the way his brain is wired. The names kind of connect themselves across his mind like a map. Sometimes, though, they don't come so easily and he has to study and stew for awhile." She kissed his chin. "Then he gets cranky."

Jack shrugged. "It's a mental exercise. Some people do crossword puzzles."

A companionable silence descended on the group. Jack took the opportunity to surreptitiously explore the area under Dana's left ear with his tongue.

Josie broke the silence first. "Hey, I know. Tell us one of your ghost stories, Uncle Oscar." Dana and Rose traded looks.

"Yeah, Uncle Oscar
,”
Noah agreed. "Tell us a good one." In a few words Noah had quietly announced that Oscar had become an unofficial part of the family.

Oscar was clearly deeply touched by the gesture and for a moment seemed unable to speak. He cleared his throat noisily. "Yes, well, all right. It isn't about Raven Keep Castle, but I have a story I think you ladies will like."

"Is it about tragic young lovers?" Grace asked.

"No, but it is about a woman of fire and spirit, much like the women I have been privileged to spend time with this weekend. How should I begin?" Oscar paused to collect his thoughts and then began. "It is a about a passionate, tempestuous and unconventional woman of Spanish descent who married the owner of a grand plantation named Chretienne Point. When her husband died of yellow fever, Felicite Chretienne, a most capable woman, had no qualms whatsoever about taking over the management of the plantation, in which she proved to be quite adept.

The pirate Jean Lafitte was a friend and frequent guest in her home. However, when Lafitte died, so too died the protection he had provided his homeowner friends from his band of pirate cutthroats. One night, they broke into Chretienne Point to rob and steal. They saw Felicite standing at the head of her grand staircase. The first pirate climbed the stairs to meet her. She calmly drew a pistol and shot him between the eyes, blowing his head off!"

Grace gasped. "Good heavens!"

"The pirates, cowardly lot that they were, fled in fear from a single woman with a single gun, as their pirate compatriot tumbled down the staircase, spraying blood as he fell." Oscar's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "Some say she still guards her home from that marauding pirate. On some nights, you can hear a pistol shot and the sound of a body falling down the stairs. The bloodstains from the murdered man still remain on the staircase, unable to be washed away. And on the nights when you hear the shot, the blood becomes fresh once again."

Each of his listeners shivered in delight at a good story well told. By this time it was getting late and everyone was ready to turn in. Oscar placed his hand on Dana's arm as she walked past. "I just wanted to say, Noah is, well, you've raised a special young man."

Dana smiled and touched him on the cheek. "He doesn't bring home strays, Oscar. Only the best for his family."

Oscar sniffed. "Damn allergies. Well, goodnight, Dana."

At the top of the stairs Dana turned towards her room and felt Jack's hand tugging in the other direction. She looked at him. "Where do you think you're going?"

Jack struggled to keep a straight face. "To my room."

"Like hell you are."

Jack released his grin. His token resistance spent, he allowed himself to be led meekly through her door.

*****

"You mean you actually saw him?" It was some time later and they were both sitting cross-legged on the bed playing a rather sexy version of thumb wrestling. "Just Cedric?"

"I'd like to say big as life, but somehow that doesn't seem appropriate."

"I wonder what the story is behind what you saw."

"Oscar said there was no story."

"No wonder he always looked so cryptic whenever Just Cedric's name came up."