A CRY FROM THE DEEP (38 page)

There had been only one on the cottage roof. Did that mean she was destined for sorrow? Or did the second one showing up change her destiny?

She searched the net again and found a site saying the Chinese viewed two magpies as symbols of marital bliss. Well, that didn’t seem to fit her life’s plan. There was no hope of anything with Daniel and if there was a glimmer with Richard, it was now dashed with Monique on the scene. Or was it? She tried to tell herself that what she was reading was only folklore, that there was nothing to this magpie business, that it was only superstition. But try as she might, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the one magpie was going to be her story.

THIRTY-EIGHT

When Catherine had finished relating her diving successes and ghostly business, Barbara pushed her reading glasses down her nose and said, “You’ve had quite the experience.”

“I feel like I’ve entered cuckoo land and can’t find my way out.” She stroked her finger, the one the Claddagh ring once encircled. 

Barbara gazed at Catherine’s hand. “I have to admit, I’m surprised you threw away the ring.”

“It gave me nothing but trouble. I never did figure out what Margaret wanted. Every time I wore it, I had some weird dream or episode underwater that distracted me from my work.”

Barbara crooked her head. “And yet, her spirit guided you to discover a story that for all intents and purposes was never finished.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean?”

Getting a question in response to her question was annoying. “I don’t know what else there is. Margaret died along with her husband in a shipwreck caused by a storm. There was a curse, but that coastline has always been plagued by rough weather, so I can’t put much stalk in a curse.” Catherine sighed. “There doesn’t seem to be any loose ends.”

“You think it’s as simple as that?”

Catherine knitted her brow. “Isn’t it?”

“It seems to me the spirits went to a lot of trouble to show you otherwise.”

“Show me what?”

Barbara took off her glasses and put them in her lap. “Tell me again about your first dream.”

Catherine groaned.

“What? You don’t remember or you don’t want to tell me?”

Catherine looked at the water color painting of rhododendrons behind Barbara’s chair. The blues and mauves reminded her of her garden in Provence. “I don’t know what the point of all this is.” She tried to contain her annoyance but it was coloring her speech.

“You’re upset.”

“I don’t want to keep going in circles.”

“Is this what you think this is?”

Another damn question. She was wasting her time. Exasperated, she said, “What the hell. The young woman was frantic, searching for someone on a wet deck of an old sailing ship. An old man with a beard reached out to her. They were both caught in a wicked storm.” She then folded her arms and stared at Barbara. “End of story.”

“Okay.” Barbara checked her notes. “So, since then, you’ve established that the woman was Margaret O’Donnell, the old man, her father, Martin, and her newly wedded husband was called James.”

“Hallelujah! Now, I have names.”

Barbara ignored her sarcasm and pushed on. “Margaret couldn’t find James in her dream. Would you say she’s still looking, trying to find him.”

“Well, she’s not going to find him in my head.” Catherine played with a jagged fingernail. “They’re both dead. What does she expect me to do, bring him back to life?” Barbara let the question hang in the air. Frustrated, Catherine said, “Look, I’m getting it. It’s a tragedy. Margaret was robbed. That still doesn’t tell me what I’m supposed to do about it.”

“Didn’t you say she looked like you?”

Had she told Barbara that?

“You look surprised. You did tell me the woman in your dreams looked like you.”

“What if there was a resemblance? We dream about ourselves all the time,”

Barbara didn’t say anything for a few moments. She seemed to be considering her reply carefully. “We do, but you have to agree, this feels different, or else you wouldn’t be here. Let’s say the spirit was you in a former life.”

“Are you talking reincarnation? Do you really believe in that?”

Barbara put her notepad down on her lap. “There’s so much we don’t know. But from everything you’ve told me, I don’t know how else to explain what’s happened to you.”

Catherine wasn’t all that surprised by the answer. She’d been entertaining the same thought. Was Margaret’s story, her story from another time? Barbara was waiting for her to say something. Catherine took a deep breath, letting some frustration go. “Okay, say that’s true. Where do I go from here?”

“What if it’s you who needs to finish the story?”

Catherine’s mouth went dry and she had to lick her lips before replying. “I think I’m missing something here.”

“You told me about that book you found. You mentioned the author wrote about the discovery of Martin’s notebook.”

“Yes. He said a notebook had been found under Martin O’Donnell’s cairn. In it, the old man had written about the tragedy. And how all he’d wanted for his daughter was for her to do well in America, and have a love that would last forever.”

“Okay.” Barbara’s eyes twinkled, as if she was about to perform some magic trick. “A love that would last forever. Because of the storm, we can presume that Margaret’s love wasn’t consummated. Her relationship wasn’t fulfilled. Perhaps it can be through you. Maybe that’s what she wants you to find, that which eluded her in her life and has eluded you in this one.”

“Wow. This is starting to sound like bullshit. I was married before. This is not about me, or sex. I consummated my marriage.”

“Do you think of your ex as the love of your life?”

Trying to digest what Barbara was saying made Catherine edgy. She rubbed the back of her neck to ease the stress. “I don’t know where you’re going with this.”

Barbara folded her hands in her lap. “Let me put it another way. Some people when they fall in love say, I’ve found my soul mate. Did you ever feel that way about your ex?”

Catherine wrinkled her brow. It had been love, but not a passionate love. Not like the love she had for Daniel. “No.”

Barbara nodded, as if this was the answer she’d expected. She wrote something down.

Catherine tried to make sense of the pieces in front of her. It was strange that Daniel looked like James in her dream, but that could’ve been her unconscious wishing for that to be true.

“What are you thinking?” asked Barbara.

Catherine sighed. “Daniel is getting married in two weeks. If he is my soul mate, then Margaret’s out of luck. She’ll just have to wait another lifetime to get what she wants.” When Barbara didn’t say anything, Catherine added, “I’m glad I threw away the ring. I can’t go through the next thirty years being chased by some restless ghost.”

Barbara smiled. “Does Daniel know how you feel about him?”

Catherine shrugged. “For a short while, I thought he felt the same way.” Her eyes welled up. “It’s alright. It wasn’t meant to be.”

Barbara pushed a box of tissue towards Catherine.

Catherine wiped away her tears. “You know, salvaging is a messy, dirty business. You don’t know who’s ethical and who isn’t.”

“Yeah, so…?”

Catherine shook her head. “Just some loose ends I have to work out.” No point muddying the waters by bringing up the question of Daniel’s dishonesty. For all she knew, he could be playing both sides. He could’ve got a big payoff from Hennesey. With what had gone on, she was convinced she was better off without him. Maybe she still had a chance with Richard. He wasn’t her soul mate, but what was the good of having one, if all you got was heartache?

THIRTY-NINE

Between her schedule and Frank’s, two weeks went by before Catherine was able to meet him for coffee at a French bistro on the upper east side. He’d told her he was anxious to discuss the layout of her work, along with the essay she’d written on her experience.

She was barely seated when Frank said, “The photos you sent of Hennesey pocketing the gold chain? I’ve checked with the authorities. He hasn’t reported that item. I’ve sent it to both the Spanish government and the Receiver of Wreck in Ireland. Both governments are in talks together on how to proceed legally against Hennesey.”

“That’s fantastic!” Catherine was stunned by how quickly Frank had moved. “Any word from Hennesey on this?”

He chuckled. “He’s pissed. He was enroute home when he got word from his attorney.”

“I wish I could’ve seen his face when he found out. You think those photos are enough?”

“It’s strong evidence given that the jeweled crucifix and a couple of other items have also gone missing.”

“What? They disappeared?” Why was she so shocked?
The man had a stranglehold on the word ‘audacity’.
Catherine looked up as the waitress filled her cup with coffee. “Thank you.” She waited until the waitress left. “What does Hennesey have to say about that?”

“He claims he put them in the trunk of his car and was going to send them to a conservation lab in Florida. He says he had every intention of letting the proper authorities know, but the rental car’s trunk had a faulty lock and when he stopped for lunch on the way to the airport, somebody broke in.”

“Right, and I have three ears.”

Frank paused to clean his glasses with a napkin. “Anyway, thanks to you, we have two big stories. One about a lost ship from the Spanish Armada. The other about salvagers like Hennesey, who disregard international law.”

She added sugar to her coffee. “Did you check with the rental car company?”

“Yes,” he said, groaning. “The car trunk lock was broken. They apologized. Who knows if Hennesey paid them off, or if he jimmied the lock himself. Daniel figures Hennesey could easily have buggered up the lock to validate his case.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” said Frank, looking puzzled by her response.

How could she tell Frank what she suspected? She had no proof that Daniel was involved. Maybe tying up with Sean had twisted his brain about wealth. Maybe he needed to accumulate some riches of his own, to compete with Sean’s parents.,

Frank continued. “It’s going to be the cover story. Your photos and your experience are bound to stir up some big players in heritage preservation, and I don’t mean just the ones from Ireland and Spain.”

“What can I say? I’m thrilled.”

“The fact that Hennesey has pulled this stunt before is going to hurt him. You may have to testify.”

“Happy to, if it’ll put scumbags like Hennesey out of the game.”

Frank rested his elbows on the table. “Glad you’re on board with this.” His eyes were warm and fatherly. “Now tell me, have you talked to Daniel since you got back?”

She winced. “No. I’m sure he’s very busy. Isn’t the wedding this weekend?”

“You’re not going?”

She laughed bitterly. “You’d think I’d go even if I had an invitation?”

“I think he’s making a mistake.”

“You know she’s pregnant.”

Frank frowned. “She played her trump card.”

Scrunching her eyebrows, she said, “Are you going to the wedding?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss a high society shindig. You know me, I like to hobnob with the rich and famous.”

“Good,” she said as she fussed with her napkin. “You can tell me all about it.”

He regarded her for a moment. “What about Richard?”

“What about him?” When he didn’t answer, she said, “He’s good, you know. If I gave him any encouragement,...”

“Well, that’s something.”

“Yeah. I don’t know. He’s actually been dating a very nice girl. Alex likes her.”

He reached across the table and took her hand. “You think you can stomach one more meeting with Daniel before you head back?”

“Sure.”
My stomach can take it, don’t know about my heart.

He squeezed her hand. “Good. We can meet at Daniel’s office.”

Only one more meeting and she could go home and put this all behind her.

~~~

Before Catherine could stop her, Alex had torn open an invitation addressed to Catherine and Alex Fitzgerald. It had arrived special delivery. On the front of the card was an embossed bride and groom. Of course Alex was excited. Ever since Catherine had read her the book,
Pride and Prejudice
, she was enamored with the whole idea of romance and love everlasting. Plus, she’d never been to a wedding before.

Alex handed Catherine the invitation.“A wedding! We’re going to a wedding! Won’t it be fun? I’ll need a new dress and everything!”

Catherine read the first paragraph.