A Spirited Gift

We drove to the Blue Whale again. I started to ask why we hadn’t gone to Missing Pieces, but Kevin seemed determined to get back to his place and check out what was going on. I had a feeling this was all for show—he’d probably insist that Danny stay here in one of his spare rooms. And that was okay. At least I wouldn’t be in the awkward position of trying to explain our—mine and Danny’s—relationship to anyone else.

Danny accepted Kevin’s offer of room and board until he could get back on his feet. He shook Kevin’s hand, then impulsively hugged me. We were standing on the verandah, still away from the suspect-finding process going on inside. I hoped it was a safe place to be seen with him, since there was no doubt in my mind that Chief Michaels would know Danny too—and might even know he was my father.

When I was growing up, I thought Duck was the simplest, easiest-to-understand place in the world. I heard visitors say the same thing all the time.

But Duck, like me, had a lot of layers (to borrow a phrase from Kevin). Some of them were long-buried secrets that were known only to a few people. My life seemed to be part of those secrets, just like Rafe Masterson’s. I guessed we had that in common.

Before I could move away from Danny’s embrace, Gramps came out the front door with Chief Michaels. They both frowned when they saw us. I waited—holding my breath. Gramps didn’t say anything—neither did the chief. I wasn’t sure whether they were so deep in conversation they hadn’t seen us, or they were purposefully choosing not to comment about Danny in front of other people.

They nodded to the three of us and kept walking. I watched them get into a squad car and drive away. It was possible that I was safe for now. Or there might be hell to pay later.

Chapter 28

We stood on the verandah for a few more minutes. I kept expecting that squad car to turn around and come back. I remembered several times when I was about sixteen that Gramps had made that untidy U-turn. There are some things you never seem to grow out of.

Danny didn’t seem to recognize Gramps either. But it had been many years since they’d seen each other. He also didn’t cringe—at least not too much—when he saw Chief Michaels. I took that as a good sign that he probably wasn’t actively in any trouble right now.

I still remembered how all the kids who were in and out of trouble would turn their heads, hunker down in their jackets and otherwise try to hide when Gramps used to take me to school in his uniform. It was embarrassing.

“Come on,” Kevin finally said. “Let’s get you settled in somewhere.”

“If I can do anything to help out while I’m here . . .” Danny offered.

“I’m sure I can find you something to do,” Kevin answered. “There’s always something to do around here.”

I went inside with them. The level of chaos seemed the same as when we’d left. Deputies questioned the conference attendees, who in turn struggled to remember who was and wasn’t around them in the lobby during the storm.

This seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to have a look at Sandi’s and Matthew’s rooms again. Last time, people had been with me—I do my best finding alone.

Despite other people searching the rooms, I still thought they might have missed something only I could find. I knew the rooms would be officially off-limits—part of the crime scene by now.

But if there weren’t any officers stationed at the rooms, and I was careful, I couldn’t see where it would hurt anything for me to look around. Hopefully I’d find something with more intrinsic value than the ruby ring. It wasn’t much help when people had to take my word for what I felt. Even the keys were doubtful as evidence, since I was the only one who could tell Sandi was angry when she threw them.

I crept upstairs past familiar faces who were busy writing down explanations they thought the police would like to see. I made my way back to Sandi’s room, opened the door, and carefully slipped under the crime scene tape.

I turned around to start searching—Rafe was sitting on the bed. I jumped a little and he laughed. “You’re too nervy by half, girl. You should be expecting my company by now. I’m never far away.”

“The way you blew out of the house this morning, I thought maybe you were gone for good,” I whispered, not wanting anyone alive to hear me.

“Unlikely,” he said. “Just because I was riled by what ye said doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”

“Then be prepared—you might not like the answers I find.”

“Any answers that prove I was unjustly accused and hanged are fine.” He watched me look around the room. “What are ye searching for now?”

“Something to help the police chief figure out who killed Sandi. Either Matthew Wright is guilty or someone else is. The obvious person isn’t always the right one.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. I was the obvious person when they hanged me—but not the guilty one.”

“We’ll go next door to the museum when I get done here,” I promised. “But I’d appreciate it if you could be quiet right now so I can think.”