“Mel Fisher found the Spanish galleon, Atocha, not far from here,” I said.
“One of many,” Tanya said. “Wrecks were the biggest business on the island from the early eighteen hundreds until shortly after World War One when the wreckage courts were closed. They say that during the age of sail, a hundred ships a day passed through the Keys. In any given week a ship would wreck off the coast. The tourist tower over there is sixty-five feet tall. Some of the wrecker’s towers were over ninety feet tall.”
My mother picked up the last fritter. When I stood and carried the cardboard tray over to the trashcan she turned to Tanya. “How do you know about all of this?”
“I think I’ve been in every museum on the island a half dozen times each. School trips, family and friends visiting, even a few dates.”
I wandered back over to where they were seated. “Greenfield Village in Dearborn was where we took a lot of our field trips when I was a kid. If it rained, we toured the museum. Nice weather meant the Village. I always preferred the Village over the museum.”
“My favorite has always been the Hemmingway house.” Tanya said. “When I was young, I wanted to be a writer.”
“It seems to me that being a writer would be a lot more fulfilling than running a bar,” my mother said. She held out her hand for me to help her up, and added, “You must meet a lot of unsavory characters in your business.”
“Mother,” I said. I was prepared to run interference for Tanya but she reached out, touched my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Your mother’s right Wes. I’ll bet I meet almost as many lowlifes as you do in the detective business.”
I stood between the two women, closed my eyes, and waited for what I was sure would be a heated response. Instead, to my surprise, my mother started laughing.
“I like this girl, Wes.” She turned to Tanya and added, “I’ve enjoyed this. Like I said last night, we need to get together, just the two of us.”
“Mother.”
She looked at her watch. “Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to give away any of your secrets. And I don’t have any naked baby pictures on me. Now, I’ve got to go get the car. I’ve got an appointment with your Detective Davies.”
“She’s not my detective.”
“Yes. Well, she didn’t seem all that fond of you either. Now you two have a nice afternoon, and I’ll talk to you later, dear.” Without another word, she spun around and headed back toward her hotel.
Chapter 20
“Your mother’s an opinionated woman, isn’t she?” Tanya said, while we watched my mother disappear around the corner.
“That would be an understatement.” I let out a sigh. “She’s determined that I’m going to take over the agency when she retires. Nothing I say or do seems to convince her it’s not going to happen. But enough about my problems, what’s on your agenda for the rest of the day?”
“I’ve got to get over to Alvin’s. I’ve got a liquor order to place, and I’ve got some bookwork to catch up on. What about you?”
“I’m gonna pay Elvis another visit, but not until a little later. I’m hoping to get a lead on Destiny’s whereabouts. How about if I walk you to the bar?”
She nodded and started off across the lot. I grabbed her arm and steered her toward the waterfront. “Let’s take the back way. I don’t want to experience an unexpected run in with Frankie or Willie.”
“What are the chances we’ll walk into them?” she asked.
“It’s a small island. As long as we’re together I’d like to avoid them at all costs.”
“Fine,” she said. “Besides, there’s nothing more enjoyable than a walk along the water.”
I put my arm around her and pulled her to me. “Nothing?”
She laughed. “Nothing we can do in public.”
I looked around and decided we were definitely in the public eye. The square was filling with tourists from a cruise ship that had docked earlier that afternoon. We walked in silence for several minutes before I asked, “Do you sail? You know, I’ve worked for you for six weeks and I don’t even know if you like being out on the water.”
“Love it. I dated a guy who owned a small sailboat and I went out a few times with him. Dad had a powerboat. He sold it when he got sick. I’ve spent plenty of time on the water. It’s almost a prerequisite to growing up in the Keys. How long have you been sailing?”
“My grandfather owned a thirty-foot sloop and I sailed a lot when I was younger. When he died, my mother sold the boat. She felt I wasted too much time sailing and she wanted me to concentrate on learning the business.”
We walked along in silence and when we passed the Ocean Key House Resort, Tanya gave my hand a little tug and we headed up Duval.
As we turned onto Caroline Street, Tanya slowed her pace. “When people discover you work for the family business, they think you’ve got it made. In reality, it’s like being swallowed by a giant Venus flytrap. It engulfs you and sucks out all your energy. You don’t even realize what’s happening until it’s too late.”
“Why don’t you sell the place?” I asked. “I can tell you from my own experience-it’s not easy giving up security, but the rewards are immense.”
Tanya dropped my hand and shrugged. “Maybe it was easy for you, but it’s not for me. My dad didn’t have very good health insurance when he took ill. There was some life insurance, but the hospital bills sucked up a bunch of the equity in the bar and the house. Besides, I’ve got a college degree in English, there’s not a whole lot you can do with that unless you want to teach. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it’s that I don’t have the slightest desire to babysit a classroom full of kids.”
“You could always go back to your dream and give writing a chance,” I said, remembering her comment about the Hemmingway house.
“I gave it some serious thought before Dad died, but all the research I’ve done suggests it’s not an easy way to make a living. Most writers make less than ten thousand dollars a year.”
We’d reached the bar and I stood at the door for a moment, staring at her. “No one said life was supposed to be easy.”
Tanya opened the door and I followed her inside. “I’ll think about it,” she said. Her tone lightened and she added, “Of course I have to remind myself that this advice comes from a man who tends bar for a living.”
“Ouch,” I said. “You’ve got to remember that I worked for my mother from the time I was fourteen and could help out around the office. Now that I’ve quit, I still haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up.”
“Like that’s ever going to happen.” She gave me a wistful smile. “Like I said, I’ll think about it. In the meantime, let’s get you a drink.”
Most of the locals had not gotten off work yet and the bar was almost empty. There was a young couple sitting at a table, holding hands and whispering back and forth and an old gent I’d seen there before. He kept his long, thin gray hair tied back in a ponytail, his beard was wild and bushy, and he walked with the help of a cane, which he leaned against the bar.
The woman behind the bar, Eve, was in her forties and had a puckered face and thick stubby hands. Her naturally white hair flowed down past her shoulders, and she wore tight fitting jeans and an Alvin’s tee shirt that tugged at her middle.
I’d met Eve a couple of times, but she was usually gone by the time I came on duty. The daytime crowd was far different from the night crowd, and Eve was the antithesis of the women who worked the bar at night.
When we approached the bar she nodded.
“Eve, would you fix Wes up with whatever he wants? It’s on me." Tanya nodded in my direction and headed toward the back room. “I’m going to get changed, and then I’ll be out to relieve you.”
I took the end seat at the bar while Eve gave me the evil eye. “What’ll it be?” she asked.