tj jensen 01 - barkleys treasure (6 page)

Grandpa and I spoke with Meg about the treasure a while longer before the conversation drifted to her favorite subject, the turtles who nested on the island. I watched Grandpa as his eyes twinkled with interest as Meg described what went into the task of serving as guardian for the annual visitors and their offspring.

“The beach just beyond the southern border of the resort is a key nesting area,” Meg informed us. “Garrett had always been so good about monitoring the activity on that section of beach to protect the nests.”

“We’ll help out in any way we can,” I assured the friendly woman. “When exactly is nesting season?”

“Early May through late August. The eggs begin to hatch in early July. I’m part of an organization that monitors and attempts to ensure the safety of as many nests and hatchlings as possible. We have teams that check on the nests every evening during hatching season.”

“Do the turtles really require that much help?” Ben asked.

“The turtles can use all the help they can get. Even with education programs and help from groups like ours, only about three-quarters of the eggs hatch and only a very small percentage of the hatchlings make it to adulthood.”

Grandpa and I continued to talk to Meg until it was time to pick up Kyle and the girls. Meg was passionate about her cause and very persuasive to boot. By the time we left, Meg had managed to obtain a promise from Grandpa to serve as a volunteer for both the museum and the turtle league. His first turtle walk would be with Meg that very evening.

Chapter 4

The news that Buck Barnes hadn’t been murdered, as we’d assumed, but had died of natural causes came as quite a shock.

“Natural causes? But what about the head injury?” I asked Deputy Savage, who had come by the house to give us the news.

“We believe Buck hit his head when he fell.” The man seemed to be sincere, but my instinct told me he was lying. The problem was, his stoic facial expression and monotonous voice pattern made it impossible to know for certain.

“But he was found lying on his back and the injury was to his temple. Besides, there wasn’t anything nearby for him to have hit his head on.”

“I can assure you that we’ve taken all the evidence into account, including the placement of the body and the apparent head injury. I really can’t go into detail at this time, so you’ll just have to accept the fact that I’ve been doing this for a long time and I know what to look for. The reason I came by was to inform you that the attic is no longer off-limits. You’re free to clean up as you see fit.”

Clean up? The crime scene guys hadn’t even been by. “Are you sure? What if it’s later determined that foul play was involved? There could be clues to be found in the attic. Fingerprints or other physical evidence, for starters.”

“The investigation has been closed and Buck Barnes’s body has been cremated. Like I said, you’re free to clean up once I remove the tape from the attic doorway.” Deputy Savage took a step toward the stairs as if to do just that.

“Wait! Did you track down the men Buck Barnes had been seen hanging around with prior to his disappearance? The men several people have informed me Barnes claimed were his treasure-hunting partners? Maybe they have information that isn’t currently being taken into consideration.”

Deputy Savage took a deep breath. Based on the tension around his mouth, it appeared he was tiring of my questions, but nothing he was telling me made a lick of sense. “Actually, we did track down those men. They were tourists who were lured into Buck’s hunt by the promise of a big payout. When Buck was unable to produce the map he claimed he had access to, the men left the island. Both have alibis that confirm that they left the island several days before Buck went missing. We don’t believe they were involved in Buck’s death in any way.”

“But it makes no sense that he died of natural causes. The attic was totally trashed. Someone was up there looking for something.”

“Look, I know you have good intentions and I know it seems like foul play was involved, but we’re certain it wasn’t. Like I said, I can’t tell you any more right now, but we’re certain that, other than the fact that Buck obviously broke into this house, most likely to search for a map that doesn’t exist, no crime has been committed. I’m going to suggest you forget all about this unfortunate incident and enjoy the rest of your summer.”

Seriously?

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go upstairs to remove the crime scene tape and be on my way.”

There was no way Buck Barnes broke into the house, trashed the attic, had a heart attack or some other natural event that could have led to his death, and then hit his head as he fell to the floor, making it look like he’d been bludgeoned. The entire situation was ridiculous. More than ridiculous; it was downright unbelievable. And the fact that his body had been cremated was just a bit too convenient. Something was definitely up and I intended to find out what it was.

“What was that all about?” Doc asked after Deputy Savage left. Both Kyle and Grandpa were out, so it was just the two of us with the girls.

“It seems Buck died of natural causes. The deputy came to remove the police tape from the doorway of the attic.”

Doc frowned. “Natural causes? Why does he think that?”

“He declined to say. He just said they’d determined Buck died of natural causes and we were authorized to go ahead and clean up the attic.”

Doc turned and headed toward the stairs without saying another word. I followed him. When we arrived at the attic he walked immediately to the place where the body had been found. “Have you been up here at all since we found the body?”

“No.”

“Has anyone?”

“Just Deputy Savage. He came by last night. He said he had something he wanted to check. I let him in but didn’t follow him. Why do you ask?”

“Because something is different. I can’t put my finger on it at the moment, but things have been moved around. I need to take a look at the body. There’s no way the injury to the head was the result of a fall.”

“Savage said Buck’s body has already been cremated.”

“That seems convenient and suspicious.”

“That’s what I thought. Why would the deputy rule Buck’s death to be the result of some natural cause when there was obviously foul play at work? The whole thing makes no sense.”

“I’m not sure.” Doc walked around the attic as if he were looking for something that would explain the strange turn of events.

“Should we do something? Tell someone what we suspect?”

Doc stopped walking and turned to look at me. “If the deputy has filed a report stating that Buck died of natural causes in order to cover up a murder, which is what I suspect is going on, the coroner must be in on it as well.”

“Unless the deputy never did have the coroner look at the body,” I suggested. “Remember, it was the man from the funeral home, not the coroner, who came to take the body away.”

Doc frowned. “It does seem as if the whole thing is being swept under the rug.”

“So what do we do?”

“I’m not sure. We’re new to the island and folks will have no reason to believe us if we choose to contradict what Savage is telling everyone. Without some sort of proof, it’s our word against his. We’d better tread lightly.”

“So we don’t say anything at this point but continue to poke around on our own?”

“Exactly. You and I and Kyle were in the attic yesterday. We can ask Kyle what he remembers when he gets back from his date, but I’m certain the attic has been tampered with. I just wish I could put my finger on exactly what it is that seems different.”

“It’s not a date.” At least that’s what I’d been trying to tell myself ever since Kyle had announced he was having dinner with Willow Rivers.

I glanced at Doc, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “Kyle’s dinner with Willow,” I clarified. “It’s not a date. Kyle helped Willow out with a computer problem and she wanted to thank him.”

“I see.”

I know Doc thinks I’m upset about Kyle’s
not a date
because I have a thing for him, but I don’t. Kyle and I are just friends. Nothing more. More like siblings, really, in terms of our affection for each other. Kyle was free to date whoever he wanted, as was I, although the fact that he’d made plans this evening bothered me more than I’d ever admit to Doc or anyone else.

I decided to change the subject back to the cover-up. “Do you think the deputy is the one who killed Buck Barnes?”

“No. If Savage knew Barnes’s remains were in the attic before we found them, he would have moved them long ago. There’s something else going on, but I’m not sure what it is. I think we should have a strategy meeting after the girls go to bed. Did Ben tell you when he might be home?”

“No, but I don’t think either Grandpa or Kyle planned to be out late.”

“Good. I’m going to make a few phone calls while we wait for them. If the deputy is lying I have a feeling something big is going on.”

I headed upstairs to begin the tucking-in process while Doc made his calls. My first stop was Gracie’s room, where I found her reading a book to Pumpkin and Crissy. Both the golden retriever and the gray-and-white cat were snuggled up on the bed and appeared, by the look of things, to be listening intently to the story Gracie was telling.

“It looks like Pumpkin and Crissy are enjoying your story,” I commented as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

“They like this book. It’s one of their favorites.”

I moved Gracie’s hand so I could see the cover. “I remember this book. I used to read it to you.”

“It’s my favorite too.”

“How was the kids’ camp today?” Doc had ended up picking up Kyle and the girls from camp, and it had been such a hectic afternoon that I hadn’t had a chance to talk to them about their day.

Gracie closed the book and set it on her bedside table. “It was fun. I didn’t want to join my group at first, so I helped Uncle Kyle with the computers, but then I made a new friend. His name is Simon.”

“Wonderful. Tell me all about him.”

Gracie appeared to be thinking about him. “He’s nine and he’s really smart. He came into the computer lab while Uncle Kyle was working and made a suggestion that Uncle Kyle thought was an excellent idea. We talked while he finished fixing the computers and then Simon and I went swimming while Uncle Kyle talked to Willow.”

I adjusted my position so I could rest my back against the wall at the head of the bed. Gracie happily crawled into my arms and rested her head on my chest.

“Will Simon be there tomorrow?”

“He said yes. He lives on the island and his parents take him to camp while they’re at work.”

“That sounds like a good arrangement. So, do you think you’ll want to go to camp tomorrow?”

Gracie hesitated. “Will Uncle Kyle be there again? I heard him talking to Willow about volunteering this summer.”

I tucked a lock of Gracie’s hair behind her ear as I processed this bit of information. “I’m not sure what Uncle Kyle’s plans are for tomorrow. We’ll have to ask him, but I kind of think he was planning to return the moving van to Savannah tomorrow. Would you want to go to the camp even if he doesn’t go?”

“Is Ashley going?”

“I haven’t asked her yet.”

“If Ash goes I will too. Simon said he might show me the best place to catch frogs.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun.”

I kissed Gracie on the forehead and began to get up.

“Tj…”

“Yes, honey?”

“Do you think Papa misses us?”

Papa was what Ashley and Gracie called my dad.

“Yes, I’m sure he does.”

“Do you think he’s sad that we all left?”

Did I? I honestly wasn’t sure. “I’m sure he misses us, but he has Rosalie now. I think he’s very happy he’s living with her after all this time, and it’s nice for them to have the house to themselves for a while.”

“Why?”

I leaned back against the wall and pulled Gracie into my arms again. “When people first move in together they need to have time to learn how to live together as a couple. While it’s possible to do that with a house full of other people, I think it’s easier when the new couple have only their own needs to think about.”

“What’s going to happen when we go home? Will Papa and Rosalie still be learning?”

Good question.

“I wish I knew what was going to happen at the end of the summer, but I don’t yet. At this point I’m just taking things a day at a time. But I want you to know that whatever happens, you and me and Ash are a family and we’ll always live together. Well, at least until you’re much older and want to move out on your own.”

“I’m never moving away from you.”

“I know that’s the way you feel now, but things change when you become an adult and start to think about building a life of your own.” At that moment I couldn’t believe how much the thought of Ashley and Gracie growing up and moving out someday depressed me.

“What about Grandpa? He’s part of our family. Is he always going to live with us?”

“Yes, he’s a part of our family, but he isn’t linked to us in the same way you and me and Ashley are linked together. As far as I’m concerned, he’ll always be welcome to live with us unless there comes a time he doesn’t want to for some reason. But I don’t want you to worry about that.”

“But what if you get engaged like Papa? Will you need for me and Ash and Grandpa to move so you can learn to be a couple?”

“Absolutely not. You and me and Ash are like the Three Musketeers. No one is going to come between us. I promise.”

“I hope not.”

I could feel Gracie’s wet cheek against my chest. I held her tight while she worked through the worries caused by all the changes in her young life. In spite of the assurances everyone had been giving me, maybe dragging my sisters across the country
had
been the wrong thing to do. It had seemed to make sense at the time, but it had only been three years since our mom died and I clearly hadn’t stopped to consider what upending their lives again would do to their sense of security. I held Gracie until she fell asleep, then tucked her in and headed to Ashley’s room.