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Cape Point, ME
September17, 2017
Faith was lying on her bed when her cell phone chirped to life. “Hey there,” she purred into the phone. She loved that she had a project to work on but hated being away from Shawn.
“Hey yourself,” Shawn cooed in response.
“Have you slept or did you hit the ground running it the moment the plane landed?”
“What do you think?”
“I think our lives were much easier when Althea was simply a producer and the money wasn’t coming out of her pocket.”
“Isn’t that the truth? But if we can nail this, her new company is solid.”
“How are things in Fall River?”
“Same,” Shawn chuckled. “Abby’s kicking up her heels. Got a couple of things on tape. Althea is thrilled.”
“Still think Lizzie did it?”
“Yes, and no I don’t have any proof. Neither Abby or Andrew saw it coming.” Shawn explained. “There was something off with that family dynamic, which went way beyond we don’t like our Step-Mommy and Daddy is a cheapskate. Enough about the Borden’s and their dysfunctions. How is Portland?”
“Beautiful,” Faith murmured. “But I’m actually just north of there. To get to the place where Delia is working you need to take a ferry from Cape Point. The place is gorgeous. I love this time of year. Can’t wait for you to get here.”
“Me too,” Shawn sighed in agreement. “See anything noteworthy?”
“No, just an oppressive feeling,” Faith explained. “Did you know that this is the same place where Ro Graskey was working?”
“Yes, kind of an odd coincidence.”
“A coincidence? Since when do you believe in those?”
“I don’t. Other than the oppressive feeling is there anything else that concerns you?”
“I need to do a little more investigating. Could you swing back home before you come up here? There’s a woman I need you to talk to.”
“Is she cute?”
“Possibly,” Faith chuckled. “But I’m guessing she’s over ninety at this point.”
“Oh, an older woman.”
“Her name is Ella Westbrook; she owns the island. You know the model employee.”
“Don’t tell me anymore other than how to get in touch with her,” Shawn cautioned. “I’ll take it from there.”
“Thank you Honey,” Faith. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“I miss you too.”
Cape Point, ME
The following morning
Faith sipped a cup of coffee as she sat in the quaint little restaurant waiting for her guest. She didn’t have long to wait. When he walked in everyone greeted him, like he was the home town hero. The bonding that happens in small towns was something she missed living in a large city.
“Miss Charles?” He nodded politely once he reached her table. Faith smiled as he waited for her to invite him to join her.
“It is very nice to meet you, Sheriff Dunklin.” She graciously offered once he was seated. The waitress rushed over and placed an ice tea with two sweet and low packets down before he had ordered.
“Thank you, Hannah.” He thanked the young girl for his tea. “It’s Chuck.” He offered his hand to Faith, which she accept without hesitation. “What is it?”
“I forgot places like this existed. I’ve been living in New York.”
“We’re just a small fishing village, Portland gets all the action. Did you get a chance to look over the menu?” He added with a sly grin.
“Are you kidding me?” She practically squealed. “I thought the price for the lobster roll was a typo. I have to be honest with all of this fresh seafood on the menu I almost started without you.”
“It doesn’t get much fresher,” he boasted turning around. “Hannah, what’d they reel in this morning?”
“Bobby’s trawler hit the mother lode on stripers,” she hedged. “That’s not all, they got some mighty fine looking shark. Dad, had to do some haggling.”
“That wasn’t on the menu,” Faith noted as she allowed Chuck to order a couple of grilled shark steaks with side salads.
“You have to ask. It all depends on what they pulled out of the water. I take it you like your seafood.”
“I like food,” she confessed. “My girlfriend is a vegetarian so there’s always a debate at dinner time.”
“Is she with you? Hannah’s mom does this amazing black bean burger-“
“She’s joining me later this week.” Faith cut him off. “Chuck, thank you for meeting with me. I know it’s kind of odd having a stranger ring you and ask you out to lunch.”
“Not as odd as you would think,” he quickly quieted her fears. “I have a confession, I’ve seen you on TV.”
Faith instantly assumed that he had seen one of news broadcasts years go.
“My favorite, was that house up in Canada.”
Faith nodded realizing that he was talking about her work hosting paranormal shows. “That was a freaky place.” she confessed with a shy smile. “You got a thing for the paranormal?”
“Around here, the newest house is probably two hundred years old,” he barked with laughter. “Everyone has someone or something rattling around the attic. I’m guessing you’re here because of the island.”
“Yes, I am.” She admitted as Hannah delivered the largest shark steaks and salads she had ever seen. “Wow. Amazing.”
“Dig in,” he encouraged. “And ask me anything. I’ve lived here all my life.”
“And you were the Sheriff for over fifty years.”
“That too.”
“How do people feel about the school being built on the island?” She wanted to ask him about how the locals felt, since she hadn’t ruled out man made interference being behind the troubles Delia was experiencing. “Melts in your mouth.” She murmured with delight after taking a bite of her food.
“Everyone’s all for it,” he nodded with a hint of hesitation. “But no one thinks it will get built.”
“Why is that?”
“There is something wrong with that place.”
“Do you think, that maybe one of the mainlanders might try to throw a monkey wrench in things?”
“No,” he quickly dismissed the thought. “Everyone around here loves Miss Westbrook. She’s done a fine job keeping up Miss Muraille’s legacy. This town has one school. I went there. I wouldn’t have graduated from there if not for Temperance Muraille. The town couldn’t afford to keep the doors open, never mind buying things like books. Plan was, to have us all take a bus down to Portland. One late night meeting with the school board and Miss Muraille was all it took to keep the school open. We got new texts books the following week. No one knows the details. But, rumor has it, she did a lot more than just write a check. Terrible thing when she died.”
“You were around when she died?” Faith sputtered.
“I was a teenager,” he explained before sipping a bit of tea and taking another bite of his lunch. “My Daddy was on the force when it happened. Terrible thing.” He repeated. “Everyone liked her and felt bad for Miss Westbrook.”
“Oh?”
“What? Just because we’re some little fishing village we don’t know what’s what,” he laughed. “Here, as long as you’re not hurting anyone we just feel it is better to live and let live. A lady like Miss Muraille has a way of catching your attention. At first everyone assumed it was an accident. I remember my Dad saying that something dark had come to the island. Used to be such a fun place. At the end of every summer they’d open up the place throw a big clam bake for the town.”
“Everything changed after she died?”
“Yes, Miss Westbrook packed the house up and closed the gate. She’d come around now and then. She never went back to the island. Can’t say that I blame her.”
“And no one went out there?”
“You’d get some chuckle head now and then. Let me tell you, they’d always end up paddling back across the bay before you could spit. The only people who stayed out there for any length of time were the Conklin’s.” He grimly added.
“That’s the reason I needed to talk to you.”
“Worst day on the job,” he shuddered. “I’ve known Leopold Conklin his whole life. He was a good guy. I guess you never know about people. Right from the get go, we knew he wasn’t right in the head. A lot of people didn’t like the fact that he got sent to the funny farm instead of prison.”
“Is that why they burned down the main house?”
“Oh, yeah. I let it happen. I figured a little vandalism was a small price to pay. I still can’t wrap my head around what he did.”
“How did you find out about it? I mean you caught him. Did someone stop by or-“
“No, that is one of the strange things about the whole thing,” he got all excited. “Judy their oldest was away at college. She called the station and the Davis’. She was hysterical saying her father had gone mad. We got out there as quickly as we could. I don’t think I have ever seen that much blood in my life. Found him in the basement, his wife and kids lying there dead. He had a hold on Simon his middle boy, all set to slit his throat. One of the kids had been gutted by his grappling hook. He seemed to be trying to collect the blood in this huge ass bowl. Damn thing disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
“Yeah, we went to collect it as evidence and it was gone. Everything else was there. Of course, a crime like that we were in over our heads. Just seeing it, being there me and all my men were off. How can you not be seeing something like that?”
“How did you even know, about the trouble? His daughter was at school, how did she know?”
“I’m not sure. She said she got a call from some woman. Claims she didn’t recognize the voice but after hearing her family was danger that was all she was focused on.”
“Understandable,” she mumbled scribbling down some notes. Keeping a notepad next to her was second nature. “So, Judy and Simon survived?”
“You’re not to bother them,” he sternly cautioned. “They moved to the other side of the country. Last I heard they were no closer to getting past this tragedy then they were back in ’72.”
“What about Leopold?”
“Have at him,” he tersely encouraged. “He’s still sitting up at BMHI.”
“Bangor Mental Health Institute.”
“Yeah it was the best option. Damnedest thing, when I took him down I wasn’t really planning on letting him walk off the island. I’m not proud to admit that but it got crazy. He was a wild man. We got him in custody and made it back to the mainland. The guy I yanked off the boat unraveled right in front of me.”
“Did he ever say why he did it?”
“It told him to do it.”
“It? No good ever comes from that.”
“I never figured out what he was talking about.” Chuck confessed. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand what happened. The island and the ladies who owned it, were nothing short of amazing. I can honestly say, everything changed overnight.”
“The night Temperance Muraille died?”
“Murdered,” he corrected. “But it’s true after that nothing was the same.”
“I appreciate your time and this information but lunch is on me,” she offered snatching the check away from him. “Any chance the files, coroner’s report or anything like that might still be available.”
“Which case?”
“Both?” She timidly requested.
“It just so happens, a certain retired Sheriff might have held on to copies, not originals mind you of the information you’re looking for. I also might have a few contacts if need be.”
“Really?”
“I’ve always wanted to wrap my head around it.” He timidly confessed. “Wanted to understand what changed. I want to understand, how my childhood friend could commit such a horrific crime.”
They chatted for a bit longer. She drove him to his home where he eagerly turned over the files he had promised. He also gave her a list of phone numbers and email addresses that might prove helpful. She brought everything back to her hotel room and began making calls.
After she was done she hit the road and headed up the coast. Tracking down a reclusive photographer in the middle of a national park proved easier than she thought it would be.
“You crazy woman!” She heard Ro shouting over the rustling of a couple of goats that appeared to have her cornered. She stifled a laugh as she made her way to the campsite.
“Wow,” she said taking in the cabin on wheels. “What is this?”
“Madness,” Ro snarled shooing the goats away. A woman she didn’t recognized corralled them before saying something to Ro.
“I was talking about the house on wheels.” Faith snickered, watching the other woman and goats toddle off.
“This is my tiny house.” Ro boasted. “It has everything I could want, need or desire. Best investment I’ve ever made.”
“And what was with the petting zoo?”
“That, is Charlotte,” Ro spat out. “She’s crazy! Thinks it is funny sending her goats after me. I can’t stand them.”
“Wow, not to be indelicate but wasn’t it you who recently sent me a picture of you getting up close and personal with a pack wolves.”
“Yes,” Ro nodded waving for Faith to follow her. “What’s your point?”
“No, point,” she quickly back tracked. “It’s just knowing the types of ferocious wildlife you’ve encountered and photographed, I find it odd that a couple of goats has you all a tizzy.”
“Are you kidding, those eyes,” she sputtered waving her arms frantically. “And the way they scream like humans. I’d rather wrestle a bear. Now, what brings you by?”
“Well, I have a bottle of Jameson and some questions.”
“I’ll get the ice.”
“What do you think?” Ro questioned as she topped off Faith’s drink.
“I wish I knew what I was looking at,” she confessed flipping through the pictures Ro had downloaded onto her tablet. “At first, the only thing I noticed was the plane.”
“That is one sweet looking piece of machinery.”
“Once I focused I could see the figure lurking in the background. Those other ones are frightening. They look like some kind of horned demon.” She surmised. “What did you think of the island?”
“If not for the oppressive feeling and the certainty I was being watched it was lovely,” she quipped. “How did you end up there?”
“Someone we know is heading up the project there,” Faith tried to explain. “The equipment is being messed with. Her crew is fighting and setting fire to things. She got a sense that perhaps the cause was more of the supernatural than simple artistic differences. Having watched her crew I’m inclined to agree with her.”
“I wish her luck, but I don’t know how I can help.”
“I just wanted your input.” She explained. “You spent time there alone, I thought maybe you saw or heard something that could help.”
“I did hear something,” Ro reluctantly admitted. “Frau muss dienen.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Women must serve.”
“You speak German?”
“I speak several languages.”
“It does go along with what Delia heard.”
“And that was?”
“Jägermeister.”
“Women must serve Jägermeister. We have a thirsty spirit on our hands.”
“Could be,” Faith surmised. “I’ve seen it before. There was this abandoned saloon in Arizona. We couldn’t get the entity to engage until I poured a couple shots of whiskey. Shawn is always pointing out that who we are in life is pretty much who were are in death.”
“Cheers!” Ro saluted her with her glass.
“You know what’s funny, years ago back when I was a reporter I did a story on steroids. At one point, we got all the guys we had been studying in one room.”
“That must have been fun.”
“I made the mistake of being in the room,” Faith blanched. “Twenty guys all convinced that they are the alpha male locked in a room together with me being the only woman. I was lucky I got out unharmed. Watching Delia’s crew yesterday reminded me of those guys.”
“Maybe your friend hired a bunch of macho jackasses?”
“Maybe,” Faith conceded. “Except everyone swears up and down, these are good guys.”
“Like this Conklin fellow, you were telling me about?” Ro scoffed. “Didn’t the former Sheriff say he was a sweetheart?”
“Right up until he slaughtered his family. I’ll know more when I talk to him tomorrow.”
“When you what?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”