The Secret (Seacliff High Mystery Book 1) by Kathi Daley Page A

Alyson was sure she’d never tire of the beauty of the sun shining on the clear blue water as waves of various sizes crashed onto the white sand beach.
    Alyson returned her attention to the conversation as Trevor broke the silence.
    “Have you had any luck at all tracing the destination of the money?” Trevor asked.
    “Not so far,” Mac responded. “There’s an extra layer of protection surrounding this particular transaction, above and beyond the normal security of the bank.”
    “I almost forgot—Mac and I found a cash withdrawal for twenty-five thousand dollars in August of 1955, and now we know that was a month before Jonathan was born,” Alyson volunteered. “We think maybe Barkley used the money to pay a doctor or midwife to help with the delivery but keep things quiet.”
    “Makes sense,” Trevor concurred. “I wonder if there’s any way to find out who the recipient of the money might have been.”
    “We talked about that,” Mac answered for both of them. “Maybe there’s someone in town who knows who would have been qualified to deliver babies at around that time.”
    “Who would most likely know the entire story behind the birth of Mary’s baby,” Eli added.
    “This could be the break we’ve been looking for,” Trevor concluded.
    “Wow, check us out.” Alyson offered her hand to the group in a high-five. “Only a few days and we’ve almost nailed this mystery.”
    “I think we should meet at my house after football practice and work on the clue from the cipher. If the doctor/midwife thing turns out to be a dead end, it might be the only clue we have to go on,” Alyson pointed out.
    “Should we bring shovels?” Trevor asked. “That code makes it sound like some type of buried or hidden body might be involved.”
    “I think we have a couple of shovels in the shed if we need them,” Alyson answered.
     
    Mac showed up at Alyson’s house at three forty-five, with the guys appearing at three fifty-eight exactly.
    “Something smells really good.” Eli inhaled deeply as he walked into the kitchen and set his backpack on the floor next to the kitchen table.
    “It’s the meat sauce for Mom’s famous lasagna,” Alyson bragged.
    “When’s dinner? I’m starving.” Trevor walked over to the stove to look more closely at the simmering pot of meat sauce.
    “Not for a while yet. Don’t worry; I knew you’d be hungry, so I set out a snack.” Alyson pointed to a tray with hunks of cheese, freshly sliced salami, fruit, and crackers. “Don’t get filled up, though. You won’t want to spoil your dinner. Trust me: Mom’s lasagna is legendary.”
    The group attacked the plate like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Alyson got a kick out of watching her new friends eat. It was nice to be around people who had healthy appetites.
    “So, were you able to find anything out about the deaths?” Alyson asked Mac as she nibbled on a piece of cheese.
    “According to police records, Jonathan’s death was a suicide and Barkley died of natural causes,” Mac answered.
    “A suicide?” Trevor asked. “Did he shoot himself?”
    “No, he died from ingesting a bottle of painkillers.”
    “Was any kind of investigation done to confirm it was a suicide?” Alyson asked. “I mean, given the circumstances, what proof do the police have that someone else didn’t drug him?”
    “I guess he left a note.” Mac shrugged. “The police seemed to buy the suicide angle and the case was closed before it was ever really opened.”
    “Was there a copy of the suicide note in his police file?” Alyson asked
    “I’m not sure. I didn’t specifically look for it, but I will,” Mac assured her.
    “What if,” Trevor speculated, “someone killed Jonathan and made it look like a suicide.”
    “I don’t know how we’re going to confirm whether Jonathan was killed if an autopsy wasn’t performed at the time,” Alyson said.
    “Alyson has a point,” Mac agreed. “It’s going to be hard to prove much of