Read Online Heavenly Honeymoon (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 15) by Kathi Daley - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kathi Daley
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have been?” I asked. I had to admit I was hooked.
“He was the laird of the castle in the late sixteen hundreds,” Charles began. “According to the legend, the man kidnapped the daughter of one of the peasants who lived in the village. He kept the girl in the very tower where we stayed. It seems the son of one of his knights fell in love with the girl and vowed to find a way to free her. He convinced some of the villagers to start a fire in order to distract the men guarding the castle, and then he snuck up the back stairway toward the tower. The laird was too smart to fall for such a trick and was waiting for the young man when he arrived. The two men fought and the laird ended up plunging from the balcony to his death on the rocks below.”
“And the young man who tried to save the girl?” I asked.
“He was convicted of murdering the laird and beheaded.”
“That’s an awful story.” I frowned.
“Most ghosts are associated with tragic deaths,” Piper reminded me.
“Yeah, I guess. What about the girl who’d been kept in the tower?” I asked.
“When the laird died his son took over and ended up falling in love with the girl. They eventually married and had many children. The line was a strong one that has endured. In fact, the current owner of the castle is related to the ghost in some way.”
“I guess that part is romantic. It does sound like an awesome adventure.”
“If you get over to the UK, pop over to Wales and give us a ring,” Piper encouraged. “Poppy just loves to give visitors the grand tour. Don’t you, dear?”
“I have to admit that part of me has always felt I should have been a tour guide rather than a businessman.”
At this point the conversation drifted to business opportunities in the UK and I tuned out. Hearing Piper’s tales of world travel had been both entertaining and fascinating, but listening to a discussion about economic trends was downright tiresome. I’d really been enchanted by the story of the ghost of the castle and the legacy he left. If life settled down a bit and the opportunity afforded itself, I very much wanted to make a trip to the Emerald Isle.
“Jensen seems to be interested in the same general idea,” Zak said, bringing the conversation around to the island and the people we were there to investigate.
“Yes, we’ve engaged in several discussions regarding the idea.” Charles nodded.
“So you’ve been to the island before?” Zak asked, even though he already knew the answer to the question.
“On many occasions. Jensen and I go way back. Since before he built the resort. Piper and I visit the island every year or two so we can catch up. His wife, Della, went to Oxford with my younger sister.”
“Really?” Zak said. “When Jensen offered to show you the bridge I just assumed it was your first time on the yacht.”
“It was my first time on that yacht,” Charles responded. “That one is a new addition to his fleet. We haven’t been here in over a year.”
“I wish I’d asked for a tour,” I commented. “I would have liked to meet Captain Jack. I hear he’s an interesting man.”
“The bloke is nothing more than a salty old sailor. I’m not sure why Jensen keeps him on staff. I imagine they have a history of some sort.”
“Does it take more than one person to pilot a yacht of that size?” I asked.
“No. It’s mostly computerized.”
“I see.” I tried to appear both interested and uninformed. “When you visited the bridge did you happen to see any of the other guests or crew?”
“Trying to figure out who might have whacked our philandering salesman?”
“Given the fact that I seem to be the prime suspect, I’d like to figure out who really did it,” I answered honestly.
“I’m afraid that other than Jack, I didn’t see anyone lingering about,” Charles answered.
“I suppose you must have known Ricardo before the cruise if you’ve visited the island often,” I fished.
“I don’t know him
“He was the laird of the castle in the late sixteen hundreds,” Charles began. “According to the legend, the man kidnapped the daughter of one of the peasants who lived in the village. He kept the girl in the very tower where we stayed. It seems the son of one of his knights fell in love with the girl and vowed to find a way to free her. He convinced some of the villagers to start a fire in order to distract the men guarding the castle, and then he snuck up the back stairway toward the tower. The laird was too smart to fall for such a trick and was waiting for the young man when he arrived. The two men fought and the laird ended up plunging from the balcony to his death on the rocks below.”
“And the young man who tried to save the girl?” I asked.
“He was convicted of murdering the laird and beheaded.”
“That’s an awful story.” I frowned.
“Most ghosts are associated with tragic deaths,” Piper reminded me.
“Yeah, I guess. What about the girl who’d been kept in the tower?” I asked.
“When the laird died his son took over and ended up falling in love with the girl. They eventually married and had many children. The line was a strong one that has endured. In fact, the current owner of the castle is related to the ghost in some way.”
“I guess that part is romantic. It does sound like an awesome adventure.”
“If you get over to the UK, pop over to Wales and give us a ring,” Piper encouraged. “Poppy just loves to give visitors the grand tour. Don’t you, dear?”
“I have to admit that part of me has always felt I should have been a tour guide rather than a businessman.”
At this point the conversation drifted to business opportunities in the UK and I tuned out. Hearing Piper’s tales of world travel had been both entertaining and fascinating, but listening to a discussion about economic trends was downright tiresome. I’d really been enchanted by the story of the ghost of the castle and the legacy he left. If life settled down a bit and the opportunity afforded itself, I very much wanted to make a trip to the Emerald Isle.
“Jensen seems to be interested in the same general idea,” Zak said, bringing the conversation around to the island and the people we were there to investigate.
“Yes, we’ve engaged in several discussions regarding the idea.” Charles nodded.
“So you’ve been to the island before?” Zak asked, even though he already knew the answer to the question.
“On many occasions. Jensen and I go way back. Since before he built the resort. Piper and I visit the island every year or two so we can catch up. His wife, Della, went to Oxford with my younger sister.”
“Really?” Zak said. “When Jensen offered to show you the bridge I just assumed it was your first time on the yacht.”
“It was my first time on that yacht,” Charles responded. “That one is a new addition to his fleet. We haven’t been here in over a year.”
“I wish I’d asked for a tour,” I commented. “I would have liked to meet Captain Jack. I hear he’s an interesting man.”
“The bloke is nothing more than a salty old sailor. I’m not sure why Jensen keeps him on staff. I imagine they have a history of some sort.”
“Does it take more than one person to pilot a yacht of that size?” I asked.
“No. It’s mostly computerized.”
“I see.” I tried to appear both interested and uninformed. “When you visited the bridge did you happen to see any of the other guests or crew?”
“Trying to figure out who might have whacked our philandering salesman?”
“Given the fact that I seem to be the prime suspect, I’d like to figure out who really did it,” I answered honestly.
“I’m afraid that other than Jack, I didn’t see anyone lingering about,” Charles answered.
“I suppose you must have known Ricardo before the cruise if you’ve visited the island often,” I fished.
“I don’t know him
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