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Chief Carlson at the law courts in the full light of day.
She thought of the dim interior of the old house. And
she didn t say another word.
" " " " " "
When his mom picked him up late that afternoon, Rusty
took along the book about early houses and buildings in
Victoria, and left the one on shipwrecks for Katie. She
carried the book and a glass of iced tea to the backyard,
settled on a lounge chair and opened the book. At the
front was a map of Vancouver Island. All along the coast
were little black silhouettes of three-masted sailing ships,
their bows pointing skyward, their sterns underwater.
Each one represented a shipwreck. There were dozens of
them on the rocky, storm-ridden west coast of the island,
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but very few on the inner, protected eastern coastline.
Katie sat up straighter  one of them was on a shoal just
east of Foul Bay. Yes! It was just off the very point of land
where the old house stood. Katie was sure of it.
Excitedly, she flipped through the book, searching for
more detailed information, which was not easy to find
because each shipwreck was listed according to the year
it went down, not its location. When at last she found
what she was looking for, Katie settled back to read.
The shipwreck, she discovered, was unconfirmed but
believed to have been a Spanish sailing vessel that had
been raiding Native villages and British ships along the
coast. The author suggested that because the ship s hold
was full of illegally taken goods, the Spanish ship would
have avoided the Hudson s Bay Company s trading post
at Fort Victoria, which would explain why there was no
definite record of its disappearance.
The local Natives claimed the ship hit a shoal and
sank during a stormy night in 1857. No trace was ever
found. Local authorities suspected that if a ship had hit
the shoal, it must have somehow caught fire and burned
to the waterline before sinking, because the water was
too shallow to cover a ship of that size.
What this long-ago event had to do with the mys-
terious happenings at the house this summer, Katie had
no idea, but she felt certain there was a link and was
determined to find it.
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& eight &
Words from the Past
Katie propped her bike against the side of Sheila s house and
plodded around to the back. And there was Sheila, stand-
ing in the middle of her yard with her back to Katie, head
bent and feet slightly apart. Suddenly she twisted sideways,
swung a club and sent a small white ball sailing neatly over
the fence into her neighbor s yard. It made a loud clunk
as it landed. Sheila s shoulders tensed. There was another
clunk, a dog yelped, then everything was quiet.
 What are you doing? Katie demanded.
Sheila glanced over her shoulder.  Practicing.
 Practicing for what? And why?
 My mom and I are learning golf so we can play
together. She swung at a daisy, missed and sent bits of
grass flying.  At least, we were, she added gloomily.
 What do you mean  were ?
 Oh, nothing. It s just  nothing. Sheila stared
down at her golf club.
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 Just what? Sheila, you can tell me. Am I your best
friend, or what?
 Oh  she s gone golfing with that stupid Chief
Carlson, that s all.
 Golfing? With Carlson? Is that like, I mean, a date?
 No, it s not like a date! Sheila snapped.
 But  does she go out with him? Does she like
him?
 How should I know? Just forget it, okay? I knew I
shouldn t tell you  you never stop asking questions!
Sheila dropped the club and stormed across the grass, up
the steps and into the house. The screen door slammed
behind her.
Katie stared at the closed door. Sheila angry? No,
couldn t be. Sheila never got angry, never lost her cool.
Not Sheila.
 What s going on?
Katie jumped at the voice right behind her. She
swung around and narrowed her eyes.  What are you
doing here?
Rusty stood just inside the fence, holding a folded
sheet of paper in one hand. His brow furrowed and he
stared accusingly at Katie.  I heard yelling. What did you
do to Sheila?
 Me? I didn t do anything! She s the one that was
yelling!
Rusty didn t believe her; Katie could see that in his
eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Katie
quickly changed the subject.  What s that?
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He glanced down at the paper. His face lit up.  Guess
where I ve been?
 I don t know. And I don t really care either.
 At the archives.
 Wow, that sure sounds exciting.
 Well, it just so happens, it was. My dad helped me
find some old books and pictures and stuff that Charles
and Elizabeth Matthews left behind. Most of it was bor-
ing, but just when he was putting it away, a folded piece
of paper fell to the floor. I picked it up, and after we read
it Dad let me make a copy. Guess what it is?
Katie grinned.  A bill from Ghost Busters?
 Ha, ha! No, it just happens to be a letter to Elizabeth
from her sister in England. Only Elizabeth never read it
because she disappeared before it got here.
The screen door creaked open and Sheila stepped out.
She settled on the top step.  Read it, she said.
Rusty looked from one to the other. He shook his
head and glared at Katie accusingly. Then he unfolded
the paper and began to read.
My Dearest Sister:
I have just this day received your letter and felt the
need to reply immediately.
It must be horrid for you to live in such a wild
country. I myself would be terrified upon hearing such
unsettling stories about the house in which I lived.
How can you speak so calmly about noises beneath
the floorboards of your home? I pray you will take the ad-
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vice of Carlson, your butler. He sounds to be a wise man.
Wherever did you find him in such a barbaric land?
Knowing you, I expect you will already have decided
to explore the underground tunnel you discovered at
the beach.
What if it does lead to a cave beneath your house?
That does not disprove the ghosts. Such a cave could be
occupied by the tortured spirits of all the poor souls who
have met with violent death on the spot.
I beg you not to go in there!
Yes, I do recall the cave we discovered when we were
children. How could I ever forget? I was petrified every
second that you forced me to spend in there. Do you not
remember the rats? If it is not spirits making the noises
beneath your house, then it is most likely rats.
Lizzie, you were always the adventurous member of
our family. I often think that you would have been far hap-
pier had you been a man. It is so much easier for a man to
satisfy his hunger for adventure in this society of ours!
At least you have been able to escape the England you
find so tedious. You will share in creating a brand-new col-
ony. Such a life must be both exciting and frightening.
As for myself, I could never simply pick up and leave
all my family and friends, perhaps forever. Especially to
live with a man I did not love.
I pray this letter finds you well and safe.
Your loving sister,
Mary
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 Wow, whispered Sheila.  Poor Mary!
 Poor Elizabeth, you mean. She s the one who disap-
peared, Katie said.
 Did you notice the butler s name? asked Rusty,
folding the letter.
Katie nodded.  Carlson. What a coincidence! She
looked up at Sheila, who still sat on the step, elbows rest-
ing on her knees.  Do you think they re related?
 How should I know? Sheila stood, clomped down
the stairs, picked up the golf club and started swinging it
back and forth, swishing over the long grass.
 Your mom likes him, doesn t she? asked Rusty.
 Who knows?
 Does she go out with him?
 None of your business! The club swung faster.
Rusty s mouth dropped open. He snapped it closed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]