Page 52 of Death at the Deep Dive

He reached the hall off the kitchen in time to hear his cell phone ringing. It took him a moment to locate it in the pile of bills on the table.

He did not recognize the number, but pressed Accept.

“This is Ellery.”

There was a pause and then, “Is this Mr. Page?”

The stiff voice on the other end of the line was the same voice that had left Ellery that highly incensed message on the Crow’s Nest answering machine. The kind of voice that would use the wordshighly incensedin ordinary conversation.

Ellery repeated cautiously, “Yes. Speaking.”

“This is James Franklin.”

“Mr. Franklin, I want to apologize again. I’m very sorry for—”

Franklin’s voice shot up an aggrieved notch. “My mother is very old and very frail. She gets easily confused. She wouldn’t be of any use in your investigation.”

“It’s not really an investigation—”

“Oh,please,” Franklin interrupted. “Your reputation precedes you. And even if it didn’t, Mrs. Crane is good friends with Sue Lewis. Sue Lewis of theScuttlebutt Weekly.”

“I’m familiar with Sue.”

“Andsheis familiar with you.”

Ellery couldn’t help a huff of amusement. He said, “Okay. I understand where you’re coming from. I want to point out, though, that your mother invited me to visit her. I didn’t break into her room. I didn’t hold her hostage. If she was upset by my visit, I sure couldn’t tell.”

Franklin began to sound defensive. “Maybe not, but that isn’t your call to make. My mother is not well. She can’t take any sudden shocks.”

Maybe that was true. Joey had seemed sturdy enough, all things considered, but Ellery would be the first to admit he was no medical expert. “I don’t think I said anything to shock her, or even surprise her, but again, I’m very sorry if I upset her or you or Mrs. Crane. That wasn’t my intention. I promise not to trouble your mother again.”

Franklin made a fretfulhrmph. “Why did you want to talk to her? That’s what I don’t understand. She doesn’t know anything about that treasure.”

That treasure?

Was that what everyone thought he was up to? If so, maybe that was a good thing.

“No, of course not,” Ellery said. “But she worked at the Deep Dive, and from what I understand, that was home base for the Shandys.”

“Oh yes,” Franklin said bitterly. “You couldn’t walk into the place without tripping over a Shandy.”

How would he know? Hadn’t he been a kid at the time?

“Well, they did own and run the pub, so I guess that makes sense.”

There was a pause while Franklin fortified himself with a beverage. Ellery could hear theclinkof ice against glass. Granted, Franklin could be enjoying a nice, bubbly sarsaparilla. Or did that only exist in movies?

When Franklin spoke again, he sounded less indignant. “I’m sure you know my mother was good friends with Vernon.”

“She did say something to that effect.”

“I imagine so. Well, I can assure you, he wasn’t talking about diving for shipwrecks with her. Or with any woman, except, possibly, your aunt.”

“I see.”

Did Franklin realize he’d told Ellery more in a minute and a half than his mother had their entire visit?

“Don’t draw the wrong conclusion. My mother was too smart to take Vernon seriously. She wasn’t one of his conquests. To be honest, I think men like Vernon secretly hate women.”

---