Page 63 of Smuggler's Cove
“I’m with Maddie and Olivia.”
“Hey, Mom!” Madison called out.
“Hello, Gwen.” Olivia was never comfortable calling her Gwen, and she also did not want to call her Mom. But when the girls were in their twenties, Gwen insisted on it.
“We went down to see Uncle Kirby’s place. It’s a bit of a mess, and so is the paperwork, but we will figure it out.”
“Kirby was a good soul. He loved you and your sister,” Gwen recalled. “Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss, because I know next to nothing about it.”
“There’s some legal mumbo jumbo we need to iron out about the water rights, which could take months. We thought rather than have the place just sit there for a season, we could fix it up, hire someone to run it, and make a little money.” Lincoln moved the papers around. “According to his banking records, he took in almost thirty-five thousand dollars last year.”
“Really?” Gwen sounded surprised.
“Yes, but the place could use a refurb.” He looked to his sister and then Olivia for moral support. “We were thinking about maybe putting Nana and Pop’s house on the market.” He held his breath.
“I think that’s a great idea.” Gwen was reassuring. “You have been managing the place, and even though we get a small sum each month, I think it is a good time to sell it. I am sure we could all use a little extra cash.”
Madison leaned closer to the phone. “There’s a seafood festival on May thirty-first, and they are honoring Uncle Kirby. There is an emergency fund for families of fishermen. They do a raffle, and then they put his name on a plaque. It is rather quaint. I am sure Uncle Kirby would be proud to have his name on something besides an old marina. I have not mentioned this to Linc or Livvy, but if we go ahead and fix the place up, I think we should change the name from Taylor to Kirby’s Marina.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Gwen gushed.
Lincoln gave his sister a high-five. “Alright. We are good to go. I am going to call the tenants and the real estate agent tomorrow.”
“Keep me posted. I love you!” Gwen signed off.
“Love you, too!” everyone said in unison.
As soon as they knew the call was over, Madison chimed in, “You forgot to mention the dead body.”
“I am sure that is something she could do without knowing,” Olivia put in her two cents. “She worries enough about the two of you.”
Over the years, Gwen was in constant contact with Olivia’s mother, Sandra. In the beginning, Gwen was incredibly careful about communicating with her children. It was her way of protecting them. Sandra played a key role in keeping Gwen up to date, and Sandra confided in Olivia, who was part of their underground communications. Olivia often felt she was keeping things from her best friend, but she also had an allegiance to her own mother. She comforted herself knowing that everyone was looking out for one another, and it was not important who knew or did not know.
“Now let’s look at that house,” Madison urged Olivia, who was pulling up the website.
It was a front-to-back split-level. When you entered the house, there was a large room to one side that could serve as a bonus room or a den. Across from it was a bedroom and bath. From there, you could go up a short flight of steps to the bedrooms, or down a short flight to the kitchen, dining area, and a great room. The entire lower level faced a large patio with a pool, which overlooked the bay to the left and the ocean to the right. There was a pool house to the side that could also be used for houseguests.
“I think I’m loving this place.” Madison kept swiping through the photos. “Is this the one that’s fifteen grand for the summer?”
“That’s what it says.”
“Sounds kind of cheap.” Madison swiped again. “Is it close to a refinery? Garbage dump?”
Lincoln chimed in, “How about taking a ride to look at it? We can also Google Map it.”
Olivia checked the website and tapped in the address. From what they could tell, there wasn’t anything around except a large park and a few other houses. “What about calling Detective Burton and asking him? If anyone knows the area, he surely does.”
“Excellent idea, Olivia. Are you sure you do not want to come and work for me?” Madison chuckled.
Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Do you think it’s too late to call Burton now?”
Lincoln checked the time. It was almost eight. “I can leave him a voicemail. Maddie, you have his number handy?”
She scrolled through her incoming calls and gave Lincoln the number.
“This is Burton,” he answered on the first ring.
