Garden of Death (28 page)

chapter thirty-two

Willow McQuade's
Favorite Medicinal Plants

TURMERIC

Botanical Name:
Curcuma longa

Medicinal uses: A shrub related to ginger, turmeric is grown throughout India, other parts of Asia, and Africa. Known for its warm, bitter taste and golden color, turmeric is commonly used in foods such as curry. Turmeric contains two natural compounds, curcumin and curcuminoids, that decrease inflammation naturally. A study in the medical journal
Arthritis and Rheumatism
in 2006 showed that turmeric is effective in helping to relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Turmeric's powerful healing properties also enable it to improve immune function, and cold and chest complaints. It aids digestion, cools off heartburn, improves liver function, and regulates men
struation. Since turmeric is antibacterial, it is often applied directly to the skin for wound healing. Turmeric's fingerlike underground stems (rhizomes) are dried and taken by mouth as a powder or in capsules, teas, or liquid extracts. Add it to your favorite dishes for an immediate health boost.

We returned to the garden and found Tony standing guard at the front gate. “Anything happen while we were gone, Tony?” Jackson asked.

“Quiet tonight,” Tony said. “Although there are a lot of people on the street. Had a couple of folks ask about the garden and if it would be open tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” I said.

Jackson opened the gate. “We've got something to do inside, so keep an eye out, okay?”

“Will do.”

Simon and I trailed Jackson inside and down the path. Using my flashlight, we followed the map to the place that was marked. “It looks like we got lucky,” I said, pointing to the path between two planting beds. “If this map is accurate, the treasure is buried here, which means we won't have to dig up all these beds, and will be able to get to the treasure quicker.”

“Good,” Jackson said, grabbing a shovel and digging it into the ground. He deposited the first shovelful in the path behind him.

Simon picked up the other shovel and joined him. Together, they made quick progress, and a hole soon took shape.

“I need the big clippers, Willow,” Jackson said. “I'm hitting some pretty big roots here and I need to clear them if I'm going to go deeper.”

“We need light, too,” Simon said. “I can't see what I'm doing.”

“I'll go get the clippers, and then I'll hold the flashlight for you.”

Using the flashlight to guide me, I stepped along the path to the toolshed. The night was still and the garden was dark, and suddenly I felt unsettled being alone. I just wanted to get what they needed and get back to Jackson and Simon.

Opening the door, I stepped inside and used the flashlight to locate the large pair of clippers, which were on the floor at the back of the shed. But as I picked them up, I heard a voice behind me say, “Willow?”

“Merrily?” I turned around. Merrily stood in the doorway of the shed, shivering and looking frightened. But as I stepped toward her, Nate Marshall stepped between us and shoved a gun into my face. “Hi, boss.”

Jackson had been right, even though I hadn't wanted to believe it. “I'm so sorry, Willow.” Merrily started to cry. “He made me do it.”

I fought to keep my voice calm. “It's okay, Merrily. What do you want, Nate?”

He used to the gun to motion me outside and grabbed the clippers with his other hand. “I want what I came here for.”

“Which is—?”

“What do you think? Now move.” Nate held the
gun on both of us and prodded us back toward Jackson and Simon.

Still concentrating on the hole he was digging, Jackson said, “Willow? Did you get the clippers?”

“Yes, and I found Merrily and Nate.”

Jackson looked up. “That's great . . .” But then he saw Nate and the gun. Instantly, his voice became calm. “What are you doing, Nate? You don't want to hurt Merrily or Willow.”

“So Jackson was right?” Simon said. “But how could you kidnap Merrily? She's your girlfriend. Why would you do this?”

Nate smiled. “So many questions. Well, here's my answer. Either you dig up the treasure or I'm going to kill your best employee.”

Merrily started shaking and crying again. I went to put my arm around her, but Nate pushed me away. “Get back.”

“I guess suing Willow wasn't enough,” Jackson said. “You wanted more.”

“Let's just say that a few gambling debts caught up with me, and the people I owe want their money now. I wanted the sword you found, but I know that you no longer have it, and that the goblet is in the bank. So we'll have to settle for what we find here. Keep digging.”

Jackson and Simon began to shovel again while Nate stood to the side with his gun trained on Merrily and me. My phone was in my pocket, and I wondered if I could possibly call 911 without Nate noticing. Even if I couldn't talk into the phone, the 911 operator would pick up my location—and possibly overhear enough to send help to us.

To distract Nate, I started asking questions. “How did you find out about the treasure in the garden? Is that why you came to work here?”

He laughed. “Well, I did need some college credits, but searching for buried treasure trumped that.”

“Frank Fox told you about it, didn't he?”

“Frank was quite a character. I actually liked spending time with him at the nursing home when I wasn't planting roses.”

“It became even more interesting when he began talking about his love of history, in particular the adventures of Captain Kidd and other pirates, particularly on the East End. I'd heard the rumors all my life that pirate treasure might be out here, but it wasn't until I met Frank that I realized those rumors could really be true.”

“What exactly did he tell you?” I asked, thinking that whatever it was, Frank Fox might have told the identical things to Charles White.

Nate shrugged. “Frank said there were several places on the East End where treasure might be buried and encouraged me to go after it. But I checked out all the other possibilities and found nothing. When Frank died and left this lot to the village, I knew it had to be here.” He smiled at me. “So I applied for the job to work for you. It was just too convenient to pass up.”

“How perfect,” I muttered, and noticed that Jackson and Simon were digging but were also talking quietly to each other. They were probably trying to figure out a way to disarm Nate. I wondered if Jackson had tried to call Tony.

“So, Dr. White figured it out, too.”

“Yes, we came to the same conclusion and unfortunately both of us came here last Friday night to look for it. Of course, I'd been searching for it while I was working, but I did my best work after hours.”

“So you're the one who made all of those holes since then? You're the one who was all in black with the rucksack?”

“That was me. I did see someone else in here a couple of times, but I didn't catch his face. And I never found what I was looking for, so I had to resort to more desperate measures.” He pointed the gun at Merrily, and she gave a little whimper of fear.

Then I realized why Nate was talking so freely: he wasn't worried about anyone spilling his secrets, because he was planning to kill us all. I tried to divert his attention. “Why did you kill Dr. White?”

He gave a casual shrug. “I never planned to kill him, but we got into a fight, and before I knew what I was doing, I'd hit him over the head with the shovel.”

“You didn't plan it,” Jackson said in a skeptical tone. “But you were wearing gloves. Which is why the police found my prints on the shovel.”

“Correct, now get back to work.” He pointed the pistol at him.

“No!” I yelled. “Don't hurt him.”

“Chill, Nate,” Simon said. “We'll get you what you want. Just don't do anything you'll regret.”

“What I regret is having to waste all this time looking for whatever Frank Fox buried in this lot. That's why I took your employee here. So I could enlist all of you to help.” He pointed the gun back at Merrily.

Merrily dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “Nate, please don't do this.”

“Sorry, babe, I have to. What you and I had was fun, but there are some very bad people after me. Granted, this was a long shot, but I think it's about to pay off.” He was looking at her when he spoke, and I slid my phone out of my back pocket. All I had to do was press the On button, slide to the first screen, and press Emergency. But first I had to press the button that turned off the sound, so Nate wouldn't hear it dialing 911. Unfortunately, pressing that button made a distinctive buzzing sound, which I couldn't risk.

He turned to me, and I quickly dropped the phone back into my pocket. “How did you figure out where to dig?” he demanded.

I explained what had happened at the nursing home, meeting Emily, the nurse, and her giving us the box of Frank's effects, and how I found the key, which led to finding the map.

“Aren't you the clever one?” Nate said, smiling. “I knew I sent that fax to the right person.”

“I think we've got something,” Jackson said. He used his shovel to strike the dirt and it made a metallic clang.

Nate moved closer to the hole and looked down at what they were doing. “That's it!” he said. “Keep digging.”

Jackson and Simon used the shovels to dig most of the dirt out around whatever was there, and the edges of what looked like a box began to emerge in the dirt. Jackson brushed off the top and tried to move it, but it remained in the ground.

“Dig deeper!” Nate said. “You've got to get under it.”

While Nate's attention was fixed on what they were doing, I noticed a small flash of light in the corner of the garden. Was it Tony?

Jackson and Simon dug around the bottom of the box some more. “I think we've got it now,” Jackson finally said. He and Simon grabbed the box and pulled it from the earth. The box actually looked like an antique treasure chest. It had a domed lid and was covered with dozens of what looked like gems, and had a heavy clasp.

Jackson tried to open the latch. “It's locked.”

“Stop,” Nate said. “Bring it to me!”

He trained his gun on Jackson and Simon as the two of them lifted it, brought it over to him, and placed it on the ground at his feet.

Keeping an eye on Jackson and Simon, Nate leaned over and tried to open the chest. “It won't budge. We need a key.”

Simon glanced at me and made a turning motion that Nate didn't see, and I realized what he was thinking: that the key to the locker at the men's club might also open the treasure chest.

Nate must have noticed something, because he whipped around and glared at me. “What? Do you know something? Do you have the key?” He pointed the gun at Merrily. “Give it to me or she dies.”

“Don't do anything crazy, Nate,” I said, and fished the key out of my pocket and handed it to him. “Here it is.”

He grabbed the key and inserted it into the lock. There was a loud click and the clasp opened. “Got it!”
He pushed the lid open and if fell back with a clunk. “Give me that flashlight!”

I handed it to him and he trained it on the inside of the box. Over his shoulder, I could see dozens of items wrapped in plastic bags with tags. I wasn't sure if it was pirate treasure, but some of the items glittered in the light, and many looked old and valuable.

But Nate was not impressed. “What the hell is this?”

Nate was staring at the contents of the box, so Jackson seized the moment, took his shovel and swung it up and across, and knocked him on the side of the head. Nate slumped to the right and hit the ground, landing face first in the dirt. It was rough justice for a man who had done the same to Dr. White.

As if confirming his defeat, the annual fireworks show started moments later with pops and hisses. The dark night sky over the harbor was filled with a display of dazzling, sparkling colors.

“Thank God, Jackson!” I said.

Tony emerged from the shadows and ran over to us, gun drawn. “Is everyone okay? I was watching from over there and waiting to get the jump on that little creep.”

“Do you think he's dead?” Simon said.

“Stand back, I want to get his weapon.” Jackson put down his shovel and went over to Nate, who hadn't moved. He picked up the gun, checked it, and shoved it into his back waistband. “Then he checked Nate's pulse. “He's alive. And would you believe it, there were no bullets in his gun.”

“So what his endgame?” Simon said. “He told us everything. That's a lot of witnesses to leave alive. But believe me, I'm not complaining.”

Jackson took a look into the box. “He probably planned to use the treasure to disappear. Money can get you beyond the arm of justice.”

Merrily slumped onto the ground with a groan and I went over to her. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

“I think I'm okay.”

“What happened? And where was he keeping you?”

“At first I thought we were going to have a weekend away, and I was really excited. But then all we did was go up to his friend's cabin on Mattituck Lake. Nate got a phone call, and after that, his whole personality seemed to change. He got so mean and nasty, and he wouldn't let me leave.”

“That call must have been from the guys who were trying to collect on his gambling debts,” Simon said.

“I don't know,” Merrily said. “But after that call, he'd go out, but when he did, he'd tie me up and put me in the closet. All he kept talking about was this treasure.”

“You poor thing.” I held her and she began to cry. “It's okay, Merrily. You're safe now.”

Simon had jumped back into the hole and resumed digging. Now he spoke up, his voice strained. “Guys, I found something else.”

“What is it?” Jackson said.

Simon stood up, a horrified expression on his face. In his hand was a human skull.