Page 52 of The Secret of Emerald Cottage

“Good to hear. I’ll bring you more soon because the little woman is belly-achin’ that I’m takin’ up all her freezer space.”

Molly spun around to Miss Lilly, eyes wide. “Wait—is that the Cal who found the piece of eight in the lake?”

“One and the same,” Miss Lilly said with a twinkle, and Molly wasted no time waving Brec’s marshmallow stick at the elderly fisherman just as he made another excellent cast.

“Hey, Cal, I’m Molly Stewart, Miss Lilly’s caretaker and friend, and she told me you fished a coin out of the lake.”

“Yes, ma’am, I did, right in the middle of the cove, smack dab in front of Miss Lilly’s cottage.”

“She said it was attached to something in a wad of chara or seaweed, so I was just wondering if you could tell me what it was.”

“Well, now, I cain’t be rightly sure, of course, because it was near dusk like tonight, but it appeared to be stuck to a rusty metal plate of some kind. It was embedded in a nasty clump of chara I was ready to toss back in the lake when the coin clunked to the floor of the boat and spun like a top.”

“Thank you, Cal, appreciate the information,” Molly said with a wave as she marched back to reclaim her chair next to Brec with a pensive look, his marshmallow stick obviously forgotten as it hung limp in her hand.

“What’s wrong?” Brec whispered.

“I’m not sure,” she said quietly, appearing distracted as she handed his stick back without a marshmallow. “But it’s got my curiosity a-flowin’, I can tell you that. She sat back in her chair with a loose fold of arms, her mind obviously somewhere else.

“So, Miss Lilly, the coin Cal fished out of the lake was an actual piece of eight?” Chase asked, licking marshmallow and chocolate off of his finger.

“Yessiree and worth a pretty penny, I can tell you that.”

“Well, I sure am glad to hear that.” Pastor Dave methodically assembled a s’more and wrapped it in a napkin before rising to offer it to Miss Lilly. So that’s the sunken treasure Alan was talking about?”

“One and the same,” she said with a firm nod, smiling up at the pastor as she took the campfire treat. “Appreciate it, Pastor.” S’more in one hand, she cupped the other to her mouth, raising her voice for Cal to hear. “I owe you another gift card to Olive Garden, Cal, if that’s still Marie’s favorite restaurant. That coin you fished out is a nice addition to Harold’s collection, my friend, so thank you kindly.”

“You’re more than welcome, ma’am, but no gift card is necessary,” he said with a chuckle, making another cast, “although Marie will no doubt make me take her there when I tell her.” He landed his lure right under Chase’s deck once again, but this time he got a tug. “Whoo-eee, something tells me I got me a real nice catch here.”

Turning to Brec with a pinch of her brow, Molly leaned in close with the same intense look he always saw when she was trying to solve any of the mystery movies they watched together, suspicion glinting despite the tight squint of her eyes. “Something tells me that, too,” she whispered, those full lips thinning into a slash of determination he’d seen too many times to count. “And I’m sure not talking fish.”