Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
The next afternoon, I bundled up for the fairy cruise.
The weather had taken a turn. It was overcast and drizzly, which wasn’t unusual for the summer months in Scotland.
I’d moved here from Seattle and the amount it rained here in Sea Isle was on par with my former town.
It was just much colder, even in the summer.
But nothing would stop these tours or the kick-off of the ten-day end-of-summer festival.
I had hired one of the private boats so that Tommy and Abigail could come with me, Mara, Jasper, and our friend Angie.
Tommy didn’t do well with crowds, but he had been curious about the fairy stories.
I’d overheard him talking to Abigail about the trips.
I wasn’t much for crowds either, so I’d decided to hire one of the smaller boats for us to take out.
“We’re here,” Abigail bustled into the front of the clinic. “I hope we aren’t too late.”
“You are right on time,” I said. “I was just putting on my mac and looking for my rain hat.”
“It’s in the small closet by the pharmacy room,” she said. “I’ll grab it for you.”
Leave it to Abigail to know how everything in my home and office was organized. Before I could say I would do it, she was gone.
Tommy stood just inside the door staring at the floor.
“Are you excited for the fairy boat tour?” I asked.
“Dinnae know if they are real,” he said in his stilted and careful way.
“The fairies? Me either,” I admitted. “I saw that sightings are guaranteed. I don’t understand how they can do that.”
“Thought I saw one once in the garden but could have been a trick of the light. I like the stories.”
He didn’t usually carry on conversations like this. A few words and then he was gone. I loved that he felt comfortable enough with me to speak.
“Me, too,” I said. “I don’t know many of the tales, but I’ve read a few. I’m hoping to learn more today.”
Abigail came back in with my hat, and we made our way to the docks where our friends waited for us at the pier. By the time we’d made it down, the drizzle had stopped, though it was still cool and cloudy.
I was surprised to see Ewan and Henry there.
Mara smiled at me. “The guys were in the pub grabbing a late lunch, and I asked if they wanted to join us,” she said. “I hope that’s OK.”
“I—of course,” I said. “The more the merrier. I’m just surprised you have the time.”
Ewan nodded. “We are waiting on some specific warrants for the files. We have a bit of time before those come in.”
I cleared my throat. “That’s great.”
Abigail blushed as Henry waved hello to her and Tommy.
“Hi Henry,” Tommy said. “Abi bought me a new game. Will you come play it with me?”
“Aye, maybe even tonight if we dinnae get back too late,” the officer said.
Tommy nodded.
Henry was so good with him, as was Ewan. Growing up, Tommy hadn’t had the best male role model, but he did now. And luckily for him, he’d always had Abigail in his corner. She cherished her younger brother.
“Doc, do you mind if we come with you? This is the first time we’ve made these excursions a part of the end-of-summer festivities.” Ewan asked. “I wanted to check out the format.” As the laird, mayor, and ACC, he had his hands in everything.
“Of course, I don’t mind,” I said. “We are happy to have you.”
“Hello, all. I’m Captain Gillispie,” said an older gentleman with white hair and Santa Clause worthy beard.
He wore a blue and white captain’s hat. “My vessel is the Galbraith, and we are heading into fairy territory. This is my daughter, Isobel, she is a master storyteller and knows all of the folklore for our islands where many a fairy and wee folk live. Welcome aboard!”
Isobel motioned for us to step onto the craft. She was dressed in jeans and a cable-knit sweater but had a pair of fairy wings attached to her back.
The boat was bigger than I’d imagined, for which I was grateful. There were benches facing out to sea, and a small cabin with more seats in case the weather turned rough.
As the Captain headed up top, we sat down on the benches. I was surprised when Ewan took the seat next to me.
“Any news?” I whispered.
He shook his head. “We’re waiting for a warrant so we can go through the business files. His partner is acting suspiciously, and I’m curious what we will find.”
“I thought you already had a court order.”
“Only for the deceased,” he said. “I want to see if there are improprieties with the business as a whole.”
“I was thinking about that. He lost the sister’s money, but I’m sure that at least some of his other clients had to be involved. I know we spoke about it before, but money is a good motive.”
“Aye, it is,” he said. “But this murder seems personal, and the killer, or unsub, as you American’s say, would have had to have access to the lip balms. That would take someone who was a part of his everyday routine or had access to him.”
“Does that mean only the people he worked with? That narrows down your suspect list.”
“Unfortunately, no. Several of those he volunteered with remembered that he was addicted to his lip balm. When asked, they all said he’d used it in their presence. And he’d invited some of the volunteers to his house to show off his trains. One of those people could be involved.”
“Oh, bummer.”
“Yes, it leaves us with a fair number of suspects, all of whom were at the event that night.”
I scrunched up my face. “Of those who were there, did he lose their money, as well?”
“We are cross-checking, and that is why we asked for the warrant for the business, rather than just his papers. I think I mentioned I’m bringing in a forensic accountant to help us go through everything.”
“That’s smart.”
Jasper and Angie stopped to hug me as they came on the boat. The newly married Angie was so busy with all of her stores, and her husband, but she was determined to make time for her friends.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said as she squeezed me tight. She was a few decades too late for the punk era, but her wild outfits never disappointed. Today, she wore a sequined sailor shirt, with white leather pants and a rhinestone studded cap.
“I’m glad you could make it. Where is your husband?”
She rolled her eyes. “In London again,” she said. “Though things are finally settling down. And he was able convince the shareholders not to jump ship. He promised another few weeks, and we should be back to normal.”
They had their fair share of family trouble. Some of which had nearly ended with us both dead.
Jasper carried a basket. “I brought treats,” he said. “I know how you are about your snacks.” He pointed at me.
Everyone laughed. I loved our group of friends, who had become like family to me. Even though I’d been in Sea Isle for only a year, I didn’t know how I would do life without them. I prayed I never had to find out.
“Open your mind and pay attention,” Isobel said.
She waved her hands in the air. “You never know when a fairy might be peeking into our world. We’ll be circling the islands where you might catch a glimpse of them flying around.
And if you see a seal, it may be a selkie or a mermaid or merman in disguise.
While they cannot stay on land for long, we sometimes see them shed their seal masks and dance by the firelight.
” Her voice was rich and bold, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I sometimes wondered if everyone in Scotland was a great storyteller.
As soon as the boat moved forward, Tommy cupped his hand over his eyes as he peered out to sea. I had a feeling he was already looking for the mysterious creatures.
While I wasn’t the type to believe in fairies, it was fun to watch Tommy and the others as they pointed out various sea life.
“Seals,” he whispered to his sister as he pointed toward the bow of the boat.
“It tis.” She grinned at him.
The creatures swam along with the boat as if guiding us along the way.
“Some of our fair isles are the home of witches as well,” Isobel said.
“Kind-hearted souls, who would only wish you the best life has to offer—unless you try to double-cross them. The last person you want to anger is a Scottish witch. They are powerful and always get their way.” Her charming brogue made her stories come alive.
She went on to tell the tale of “The Witch of Fife,” about a man with a witch for a wife.
He wanted to find out what she did when she was away for many days.
He followed her one night and discovered that perhaps he didn’t want to know the truth when he was nearly burned by magic.
After that, he left his wife to her own devices.
The stories continued as we neared an island, the overcast skies made it seem much darker than usual. On the island, there were flicks of light, like fireflies dancing through the trees.
“Speak softly, lest we scare the wee folk away as they work to bring fruits and berries home to their kin,” Isobel whispered.
Tommy leaned over the boat trying his best to see the lights on the island. Abigail put a hand on his belt to keep him from tumbling over.
The lights flickered and seemed to move quickly.
It was a trick of the eyes, but it was easy to imagine they might be fairies flitting in and out of the forests on the islands.
I had some research to do when I arrived home, as I was curious if they were really fireflies.
I didn’t know if Scotland even had them.
But there were definitely lights zooming in and out of the trees.
I didn’t want to break the spell everyone seemed to be under by asking such a rudimentary question. A few minutes later we circled another island, where seals had settled in for the evening on the beach.
“It takes a trained eye to see fairy folk in their true forms,” Isobel said. “If you squint just right, you might be treated to a glimpse, though they are smart and know we are looking. So dinnae feel bad if you only see the seals.”