Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Monday morning before I went to meet Josh at his shop, I went to my bookstore. I had several books on local history in inventory. I scanned through them as I brewed coffee for us. Several had no mention of the missing gold, the bank robbery, or Santiago. But there were two that seemed to have a lot to say about the legend. I scanned the books and then charged them to my account, which would take them out of the inventory as well as remind me to order more next week.

I tucked the books into my tote and went out the front door with the coffee and a sack of cookies. As I locked the door, I saw Josh standing on the sidewalk by his front door, watching me. I walked over and handed him the bag of cookies. "Hi, Josh. I'm truly sorry about Mandy's situation. I hope we get her back sooner rather than later."

He blinked, took the bag, and then motioned for me to come inside the shop. "Thank you, Jill, that is very kind of you. Mandy's my heart. I can't imagine life without her."

He wiped at his face, then pointed to a long table where a laptop, a map of the area, and a notebook were sitting. In the middle of the table was an old journal bound in leather and tied with a strap. "Come sit down."

"I brought coffee too." I followed him to the table and sat down. "I see you've been researching."

"Mandy's disappearance has to be part of this. I found the journal in a box from an estate sale I purchased last month. Then I talked to Professor Wellborn about Santiago and the treasure. Then Mandy disappears, and he's killed. It can't be a coincidence." Josh pulled out a notebook. "Here's the timeline I made last night."

I scanned the information and saw Tank's name. "Did you meet Tank? Or did Professor Wellborn just call him?"

"Mr. Harding? He was called by the professor to try to authenticate the journal. I guess he's some sort of museum expert in the time period?" He frowned. "Do you know him?"

"I took a class with him a few years ago. He was just finishing up his master's in California history at the time." Now I was wondering about why he'd been in the class. He probably could have taught it. But maybe he was trying to get a reference from Professor Wellborn, so he took the class. I decided to think about that later. "I grabbed a couple of books from my stock on the area's history that might have some information too."

"That's smart of you." Josh looked at me like he couldn't believe I was actually being helpful.

"Thanks." I pointed to the journal. "Can I read that?"

"Yes, okay, but be careful." He looked at the coffee. "Maybe we should move that to a side table."

I followed his direction, then pulled the book on its paper wrapper closer to me. I opened it and took out a notebook and pen. Then I got lost in Gabriel Santiago's story.

By the time I was done, my coffee was gone and Josh had read and made notes on index cards about both books I'd brought over. He even put sticky notes on the parts that were relevant. I guess I should be grateful he wasn't writing in the margins. Now he was studying the map.

"If this journal is real, Santiago was a huge influence on South Cove's history," I said as I set the book back in the middle of the table. Then I skimmed through the pages where Josh had slipped in index cards with relevant quotes written on them. I felt like I was back in Wellborn's class, reviewing sources for my research paper.

I looked up, ready to ask Josh a question, when I found him leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed. "Josh, are you all right?"

He nodded and wiped at his eyes. Then he looked at me. "I just miss her so much. What if she's gone forever? What do I do then?"

"We'll find her." I didn't want to be overly optimistic, but we both needed to have hope. Sometimes hope was all we had to hold on to. We went back to reading.

A few hours later, Josh stood and took the map back to hang on a whiteboard. "Jill, according to all the books, Santiago settled between here and Bakerstown. On the coast. What if he hid the gold near his house so he could watch over it? Maybe dip into it now and then."

I stared at the map. "This map doesn't show any caves along the coast. And I know there's at least one out at the end of Moonstone Beach. That kid got stuck there a few years ago."

"I think we need a different type of map." He stood. "Let's go talk to Scuba Steve and see if he has maps."

"Scuba Steve?" I asked as I followed him out to the front door. I thought I'd known all the businesses in South Cove.

"Everyone calls him that. He runs the scuba and swim shop down the street. He also sells surfboards. Haven't you met him before?"

I hurried to follow him out. Kyle, his second-in-command, who was manning the front desk, waved as we left the shop.

"We'll be back soon," Josh said as we rushed by. "I have my cell."

"Okay, good luck," Kyle called back.

As we walked down the street, Josh greeted people. Some he obviously knew; others had to be tourists, since I didn't know them. He'd changed a lot since I'd first moved here. Back then, he'd hated me and every other living thing in South Cove. Except maybe his customers. And I'd still bet he didn't like them much either. Now he was greeting strangers on the street. We needed to find Mandy so she could keep this new, nice version of Josh Thomas in play.

When we got to the shop, Scuba Steve looked up and grinned widely. Apparently, he and Josh knew each other, because all of a sudden, Josh was pulled into a bro hug.

"Hey, man. I'm so sorry to hear about Mandy. I'm sure she's fine, but we're sending her name up to our higher power, just in case, you know." He kept a hold of Josh's arm like he was his life raft.

Josh introduced me. "Steve, this is Jill Gardner. She runs the bookstore."

Steve's eyes lit up, and he shook my hand. "I love your coffee. My Hope comes in every morning for our coffee and a treat."

Now Hope, I knew. She was a quiet girl. I considered her one of my commuters, as she came at eight every morning we were open. She had bright blue eyes and straight blond hair. She looked the part of a California surfer girl. "Thanks. Hope is fun to chat with. I hope she's doing well."

"Better than Mandy." The response was out before Steve could moderate it. "Sorry, dude. I'm just worried about your girl."

"We all are." I met Josh's gaze. He was holding on, but he would lose his cool soon. "Hey, Steve, do you have any maps or a book that shows the caves off the shore? The ones in the coves where the beach comes up?"

"Of course. This area is full of big and little caves. One of the houses on the hill some idiot built a few years ago just sank into a gigantic sink hole. If he'd ever read anything and built ten feet in either direction, he'd would have still been fine." He looked at Josh, who was glaring at him. "Let me go get those books and maps."

"You should try to not intimidate people who are trying to help us," I whispered to Josh after Steve disappeared in the back room.

"I'm trying. Except it's really hard not to lash out when people are being stupid." He held up his hand. "I know, I'm just reacting to Mandy's disappearance. Don't try to shrink me, please, Miss Gardner."

"I'll try to keep my thoughts to myself." I smiled as we waited for Steve to come back out front. Josh was trying. Mandy had uncovered the good man inside Josh, where the rest of us had just seen the curmudgeon. You had to give her credit for that.

I scanned the pictures on the wall and found one of Josh and Mandy standing on a boat, wearing scuba suits and holding masks in their hands. "Did you go diving with Mandy?"

He nodded. "It was fun."

I was stunned. Not that Josh could scuba, but that he would scuba. The man I'd known didn't want to do anything that was dangerous. Now he was scuba diving? The world was full of surprises.

Steve brought out two books and three different maps. He spread a map out and pointed to where we were. "If I were you and were looking for caves, I'd rent a boat. That way you can skirt the coastline and ease into any coves you find that might have caves. Are you thinking Mandy might have gotten stuck in one of these? That's terrible. I hope she was stocked up. She'd need supplies if she got stuck. Some of these can only be accessed at low tide."

"Thanks, Steve. I appreciate all your help." I gathered the books and maps and handed him my credit card. I wanted to get Josh out of here before Steve really stuck his foot in his mouth. "By the way, you should come to the business-to-business meeting next month."

"I'm not much of a joiner. I like the sea because it's quiet." Steve shrugged. "Darla stops by and lets me know what I missed. She and Matt like to dive too."

Apparently, Greg and I were the only couple in South Cove that didn't frequent Steve's shop. Now I felt like an outsider, again. "Well, I'll stop by soon then. Thanks for all this."

I signed for my card as I tucked it and my receipt away in my wallet. Then I followed Josh out to the sidewalk. "So will these maps work?"

"Maybe. I think Steve's idea of renting a boat is the way to go. We could check out any caves we find on the maps." He glanced at his watch. "But probably not today. By the time we got the boat, it would start getting dark. Any chance you could go out with me tomorrow?"

I had to work, but other than that, I didn't have anything pressing, besides finding my new wedding venue. "I can after Deek gets to the shop. About eleven?"

"That will have to do." He handed me two books and two of the maps. "I'll take the others and see what we can find. I'll meet you at Bakerstown Pier at eleven."

"That would be great. We're going to find Mandy, Josh, I know it." I watched as he turned away from me. I wasn't sure he'd heard me, but I saw his hand shoot up and give me a wave. He must have.

I turned to go back home. Emma and I still had time to run, and apparently, I had homework to finish before our boat trip tomorrow.

Greg found me sitting on the couch, looking at maps, when he came home. He came over and kissed me. "Thank you."

"For?" I looked up at him, confused.

"Keeping Josh out of my hair. He called about five and asked if there were any new developments, but that was it. You must have kept him busy all day." Greg moved the map and stared at it. "What's this?"

"What Josh has been occupied with. We're looking for the cave where Santiago hid his money. The journal seems to indicate that he had a cave nearby." I rolled my shoulders. "Steve sold me books and maps that could lead us to the right cave."

"Steve's knowledgeable about those coastal caves." Greg set the map on the table. "Any of that chicken left?"

"Yep. I haven't eaten either. I'll help." I stood and stretched out my back. "I'm going out with Josh tomorrow on a boat to see if we can find the cave."

"You and Josh are taking a boat out on the ocean?" He followed me into the kitchen and opened the fridge as I got out plates. "Say hi to the sharks."

"Stop teasing. It will be fine." Now I was worried about the sharks. "Did you talk to Tank Harding?"

"No, but someone from Bakerstown was going to reach out to him. Any way he's a closeted serial killer?" Greg looked hopeful.

I burst out laughing. "Tank? I don't think so. But it's been a while since I've seen him."

"Well, a cop could wish." Greg set the food out on the counter. "Do you mind heating up dinner while I go change and store my weapon?"

"Go turn into Greg." I kissed him. "The little woman will be in the kitchen getting the evening meal ready."

"As it should be," Greg said, then ducked the towel I'd sent flying his way. "Just kidding. I'll be right back."

I turned the oven on and put the chicken on a baking sheet and put it inside. Emma was standing by the door, so I let her out. A coyote howled from the hills. Emma growled, and I followed her outside with a flashlight. I couldn't see all of our yard, but she wouldn't go far, especially after hearing our visitor. I swept the light around and thought I saw movement, back where Greg wanted to set up a barbeque pit. I moved the light back and slowed it down, but there wasn't anything I could see.

Emma was over on the other side of the yard, so I hurried and finished a sweep of my light, then shined it over where she was sniffing the fence.

"Something wrong?" Greg asked quietly behind me.

I turned to look at him, shining my light where I'd seen movement before. "I don't think so. But I swear I saw something right out there."

"Hand me the flashlight and take Emma inside if she's done." He stepped off the porch and reached for the flashlight. Emma ran up to the deck and sat by the stairs.

"I'm sure it's nothing." I didn't want Greg to have to go check something I might have seen. A flock of birds flew up from where the light was shining. "See, just birds."

"Birds don't leave their roost unless something disturbs them. Especially at night. Go inside and lock the door. I'll knock."

Emma and I went inside, and I stood looking out the window until he came back into view. I opened the door, and he came inside. "Well?"

"Nothing I could see. Just a feeling." He put the flashlight up and closed the door behind him. "I'll go out and check again tomorrow morning when it's light. We may want to add some security cameras in the back. Just for safety reasons."

I turned back to the food on the counter. Trying to change the mood, I asked, "Warm up the mashed potatoes in a pan or microwave?"

"Gravy on the stove, potatoes in the microwave." Greg took a pan out as well as a whisk. "Give me the gravy. How long will it take for the chicken to warm up?"

We got dinner ready, but I could tell he was on edge. Greg didn't need another thing to worry about. Not with Mandy's disappearance and the professor's death. Why did everyone have to mess with my house?

I knew the reasons. We were out on the highway. People broke down all the time and tried to hike to the nearest town over rough ground rather than staying on the roads. Kids liked hanging out in the hills, drinking beer and hiding from authorities. But with Mandy disappearing less than five hundred feet from the house, the location of my house was messing with my head even more.