Hannah’s mind raced. She didn’t know how or why this had happened to ruin her life so quickly. And, she thought bleakly, there would be no end. Whoever the Wolf was, he would order killer after killer to come after her.
And the treasure he believed was hidden somewhere in the Siren of the Sea.
She felt suddenly anxious to get off the bridge, to reach the comfort of her home. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. The details of the attack and the ensuing accident had to be documented. Dallas, Kelsey and Logan had to be cleared of a wrongful shooting charge, which meant waiting for an agent to come down from Miami. Hours passed, then more hours.
Finally the corpse was gone. Tow trucks got rid of the wrecked cars. A Marathon officer was found to drive them back down to Key West.
They made it back to the Siren of the Sea just as Katie arrived, post-tour, with David and Liam. Katie rushed up to Hannah first, demanding to know if they were all right. The media had reported that a man had been killed, though not the details, and everyone in the Keys was talking about the accident, which had halted traffic in and out for hours.
Kelsey assured the others that they were all fine, having made it out with nothing but shattered nerves, and a few scratches and bruises.
Introductions were made as Hannah unlocked the door. She wanted to be a good hostess—offer tea or drinks all around. Instead she walked in, threw her keys on a side table and sank into a chair as the others filed in.
Katie took over, and in minutes the coffee was on and sandwiches were ready.
Hannah sipped at a cup of coffee—nothing was going to keep her awake now that her adrenalin level had dropped. She noticed that Dallas, Kelsey and Logan were hungry, though, and the sandwiches were quickly gone. But then, she thought, they were FBI agents. They were used to this kind of craziness.
They were accustomed to living—eating, breathing, going on with daily life—with the world in an uproar.
They were an odd assortment, she thought. She’d been friends with Katie all her life, and through her, she had become friends with the entire Beckett family. They all called Liam’s wife Kels to avoid confusion, since they were all friends now and, Key West being Key West, they’d all spent a lot time together before Kelsey’s law-enforcement career took her away. It seemed odd to her that Dallas had also been friends with Liam forever, yet they’d never run into each other before.
The oddest thing, of course, that she was sitting in a room filled with people who spoke to the dead.
“So how did the tour go?” she asked as Katie took a seat opposite her.
“Fine,” Katie said.
“Not a hitch,” David assured her, studying her. She could tell that he was concerned for her.
“It was filled,” Liam said. “Everything from a bunch of college students to a couple in their seventies.”
“Oh!” Katie said. “Guess what? At one point I was corrected by one of the college students.”
“You were corrected?” Kelsey asked. “How could you be corrected? You know every single story there is to know about Key West.”
“I guess I don’t know them as well as I thought,” Katie said drily. “This girl said she knew all about the treasure from the Santa Elinora. According to her, people have found it over the years. But if you find it, you’re cursed. You’ll die. I guess Hagen’s curse had staying power.”
A voice seemed to come out of thin air and Hagen himself appeared before them, leaning against the mantel. “What rubbish! I was angry with the man who killed me, but it was just talk, nothing but heated words spoken in a moment of desperation. I certainly didn’t curse anyone who hadn’t even been born yet.”
“Well, that’s not actually true,” Hannah said softly. “You cursed the seed of Valmont’s loins.”
“I was angry—dying! Besides, I did not say anything about people who had nothing to do with my death.”
“Please don’t worry. No matter what that girl believes, I know you would never hurt an innocent person,” Hannah said. “Now, I’d like to introduce you to Agent Logan Raintree of the FBI. I think you know my cousin Kelsey, and you’ve met or seen Katie and Liam and David, and of course you’ve spoken with Agent Samson.”
Hagen nodded at the others in greeting.
“Let’s think about this curse thing,” Dallas said thoughtfully. “Over the years, the treasure of the Santa Elinora has become legendary. Things happen, they’re exaggerated—legends grow. We know that whoever the Wolf is, he wants the treasure chest. Maybe he believes the treasure carries a curse, which would explain the size and anonymity of his operation. He wants the treasure, but he doesn’t want to die, so he puts as many layers as possible between himself and whoever finds it.”
Just then Petrie came into the room and jumped up on Hannah’s lap. She stroked him, noting that he was staring straight at Hagen.
Cats, she thought, maybe all animals, could often see what most people couldn’t.
“They work in groups, obviously,” Liam said.