it seems likely.”
“Murder?” Garrett sounded surprised. “I spoke to Savage and he said that after he looked into it, he determined Buck died of natural causes.”
“Yeah, that’s the story he’s telling everyone, but I don’t buy it.”
“Rick wouldn’t lie.” Garrett seemed adamant. “He’s a good guy. Besides, what reason could he possibly have for doing so?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Right now we’re operating under the assumption that someone killed Buck, Savage knows who it was, and he’s protecting that person.”
“That don’t make a lick of sense. Rick wouldn’t lie to protect a killer. Besides, he liked Buck. If he was murdered Rick would want to find the killer as much as anyone. I know you mean well, but you have to trust me: Rick wouldn’t cover up a crime, particularly a murder.”
I didn’t doubt Garrett believed what he was saying, but I still believed that for whatever reason, Deputy Savage was doing just that. I didn’t want to upset Garrett, though, so I decided to change the subject once again by inquiring whether there were any reservations for the summer that would need to be canceled. He confirmed that he’d had a friend cancel all the reservations through August.
We spoke for a few more minutes and then I signed off after promising to call him again the following day.
“That Garrett?” Kyle asked, coming in through the side door.
“Yeah. He didn’t know anything about the map.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and even though it can’t be a map to a treasure left on the island by John Barkley, it could be the map Garrett’s great-grandfather found in the vault. I wonder if he just assumed the map was to Barkley’s treasure when it actually led to something else entirely.”
“Maybe. One thing is for sure: If this is the map Garrett’s great-grandfather found, it’s been responsible for a lot of heartache.”
Kyle sat down next to me, a puzzled look on his face. “The thing I don’t get is how whoever found the map knew it was there. Garrett said he didn’t know of its existence, and his dad has been dead for a long time. I suppose Garrett’s mother might just have hidden the map rather than destroying it, but why tell anyone if she didn’t want it found?”
“All very good questions I’m afraid we may never have answers to.”
“You still want to take the map over to the museum?”
“Yeah. Meg might know what it is we found. Just let me change my clothes. Echo’s been extra-affectionate this morning and I’m afraid I have more dog hair on my shorts than Echo has on his body. Might be time for a trip to the groomers.”
“I do have copies of the maps used for the treasure hunts,” Meg informed Kyle and me when we asked her that question. “The originals are in the back, although we have copies that are displayed as part of the island’s tourism display.”
“Does this look like it could be one of them?” I unrolled the map I’d found on the counter where we were all standing.
Meg looked at it. She took her time studying it but, based on her facial expression, she appeared to be confused.
“I don’t think this is a map from any of the treasure hunts,” she eventually said. “In fact, I don’t think it’s even a map of this island.”
“Why do you say that?” I wondered.
“The shape is wrong.” Meg walked over to her computer and pulled up a graphic. “The island on the map you found has a sort of a kidney shape, but Gull Island is more of a Q shape.”
By Q shape Meg seemed to be referring to the fact that the island was basically round with a narrow peninsula at the bottom, making it appear like the letter Q. I could see what Meg meant, though. The island on the map did appear to be shaped like a kidney. Chances were the inlet part was a lovely little bay.
“Of course, if the map was drawn a couple of hundred years ago, as I first suspected, the person who drew it wouldn’t have had the
“Murder?” Garrett sounded surprised. “I spoke to Savage and he said that after he looked into it, he determined Buck died of natural causes.”
“Yeah, that’s the story he’s telling everyone, but I don’t buy it.”
“Rick wouldn’t lie.” Garrett seemed adamant. “He’s a good guy. Besides, what reason could he possibly have for doing so?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Right now we’re operating under the assumption that someone killed Buck, Savage knows who it was, and he’s protecting that person.”
“That don’t make a lick of sense. Rick wouldn’t lie to protect a killer. Besides, he liked Buck. If he was murdered Rick would want to find the killer as much as anyone. I know you mean well, but you have to trust me: Rick wouldn’t cover up a crime, particularly a murder.”
I didn’t doubt Garrett believed what he was saying, but I still believed that for whatever reason, Deputy Savage was doing just that. I didn’t want to upset Garrett, though, so I decided to change the subject once again by inquiring whether there were any reservations for the summer that would need to be canceled. He confirmed that he’d had a friend cancel all the reservations through August.
We spoke for a few more minutes and then I signed off after promising to call him again the following day.
“That Garrett?” Kyle asked, coming in through the side door.
“Yeah. He didn’t know anything about the map.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and even though it can’t be a map to a treasure left on the island by John Barkley, it could be the map Garrett’s great-grandfather found in the vault. I wonder if he just assumed the map was to Barkley’s treasure when it actually led to something else entirely.”
“Maybe. One thing is for sure: If this is the map Garrett’s great-grandfather found, it’s been responsible for a lot of heartache.”
Kyle sat down next to me, a puzzled look on his face. “The thing I don’t get is how whoever found the map knew it was there. Garrett said he didn’t know of its existence, and his dad has been dead for a long time. I suppose Garrett’s mother might just have hidden the map rather than destroying it, but why tell anyone if she didn’t want it found?”
“All very good questions I’m afraid we may never have answers to.”
“You still want to take the map over to the museum?”
“Yeah. Meg might know what it is we found. Just let me change my clothes. Echo’s been extra-affectionate this morning and I’m afraid I have more dog hair on my shorts than Echo has on his body. Might be time for a trip to the groomers.”
“I do have copies of the maps used for the treasure hunts,” Meg informed Kyle and me when we asked her that question. “The originals are in the back, although we have copies that are displayed as part of the island’s tourism display.”
“Does this look like it could be one of them?” I unrolled the map I’d found on the counter where we were all standing.
Meg looked at it. She took her time studying it but, based on her facial expression, she appeared to be confused.
“I don’t think this is a map from any of the treasure hunts,” she eventually said. “In fact, I don’t think it’s even a map of this island.”
“Why do you say that?” I wondered.
“The shape is wrong.” Meg walked over to her computer and pulled up a graphic. “The island on the map you found has a sort of a kidney shape, but Gull Island is more of a Q shape.”
By Q shape Meg seemed to be referring to the fact that the island was basically round with a narrow peninsula at the bottom, making it appear like the letter Q. I could see what Meg meant, though. The island on the map did appear to be shaped like a kidney. Chances were the inlet part was a lovely little bay.
“Of course, if the map was drawn a couple of hundred years ago, as I first suspected, the person who drew it wouldn’t have had the
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