Everly nodded. “It was awful. Sam was bleeding and his left arm was broken. He climbed down a rope ladder into the rough ocean and he drowned.”
“How did you know his arm was broken?” Chambers asked.
“Because of the way it flopped around like a boy at school when he fell off the monkey bars.” Everly grimaced. “He couldn’t eat his boogers for the rest of the school year because he was in a cast.”
Chambers laughed. “He was a snot snacker, huh?”
Everly nodded. “I think his fingers were slippery and that’s why he fell.”
“What happened to Sam Bellamy that night has always been a mystery. Wait here, I want to show you something.” Chambers left the room. He came back several minutes later carrying a manilla folder. “After theWhydahsunk, one hundred and two dead members of the crew washed ashore. None of them were identified as Sam Bellamy.” He flipped open the folder andbegan taking out glossy photographs. “Several years ago, we found a skeleton in the wreck.” He handed a picture to Ronan. “That is the skeleton’s left arm.”
“The humorous is broken,” Ronan said, passing the picture to Tennyson.
“What else can you tell me about Sam from that night?” Chambers asked Everly.
“He was wearing a red shirt, so that Maria could see him from shore.”
“I don’t believe it.” Chambers flipped through more pictures and placed another one in front of Ronan.
“I don’t understand what I’m looking at.” Ronan saw bits of red mixed up in what looked like concrete.
“When we found the wreck, a lot of the artifacts; coins, gold bars, and what not, were encased in concretions, which is sort of like actual concrete. It’s a chemical reaction that takes place when items spend a long time underwater. This picture is of the same skeleton before the concretions were removed from the bones. The one with the broken arm.” Chambers’s eyes were on Everly.
“It’s Sam,” she whispered, pulling the photos closer.
“We’ve wondered about this skeleton for thirty years and you solved the mystery in five minutes.”
Everly grinned. “I’m tiny but mighty, like my Daddy says.” She looked adoringly at Ronan. “I also know because Sam is connected to me. He sent me these visions and I can feel his presence with me.”
“Is his spirit here now?” Chambers looked around as if he expected to see Sam Bellamy standing behind him.
“No, it’s still with theWhydah. That’s why I need one of the coins from the shipwreck. I think I can lure his spirit to the beach if I have something that belonged to him.”
“Lure his spirit?” Chambers asked. “Why don’t we take a boat out and anchor over the wreck site.”
Everly shook her head. “That sounds like fun, but Maria’s on the beach waiting for him. Sam sent her a letter telling her when he’d be home and that he’d be wearing a red shirt so that she’d be able to see him on the ship. He promised he would see her on April 26th, that’s why Maria was on the beach that night and saw the wreck happen.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Chambers frowned. “Wellfleet’s port was a mile or so down the shore from where the ship was wrecked. Why didn’t he just weigh anchor and wait out the storm?”
“Because he promised Maria he’d be there.” Everly flipped over the two pictures of Bellamy’s skeleton. “They’ve both been trying to find each other since that night.”
“You think you can reunite them?”
Everly nodded. “I know I can, but we need your help.”
“I know this is asking a lot, but is it possible for you to bring some artifacts with you to Marconi Beach at midnight tomorrow night?” Ronan asked. “We’ll see if Everly can work her magic.”
“Maybe,” Chambers said. “I need to do a little research on you all first.”
Ronan stood and pulled out his wallet. He showed Chambers his badge and also handed him one of his business cards. Fitz and Jude followed suit. “My cell number is on the back. If you can help, call us and we’ll set up a trip to the beach.”
“Everly’s my best friend in the whole world,” Aurora said. “If she says she can help Sam and Maria, she can, right Woofie?”
“Damn skippy!” Wolf agreed. “I don’t know how Everly does it, but she’s never wrong.”
“Thanks, guys! Let’s go to the gift shop and get us some pirate booty.” Everly wiggled her own booty.
“I’ll be in touch,” Chambers called as they walked out of the lunchroom.
