"Run off to Atlanta with a boy in a tie and
an... "Run off to Atlanta with a boy in a tie and
an eyeshadeI guessed the
subject of little dead girls, even ones lost
eighty years ago, was still a tender one with him
"She and her new hubby came back, but by then it
was just a hunt for the bodies
I tapped the grim-faced black nanny"Who was
this?"
"Melda or Tilda or maybe even, God save us, Hecuba,
according to Chris ShanningtonHis father knew,
but Chris no longer remembers
He glanced at them without much interest
"Maybe John Eastlake was sleeping with her," I
said"Maybe the bracelets were a little present
"Quién sabe? Rich widower, young woman - it's been
known to happen
660
I tapped the picnic basket, which the young
new omega watches black
woman was holding with both hands, her arms
bunched as though it was heavyHeavier than just
a few sandwiches could account for, you'd think
but maybe there was a whole chicken in thereAnd
maybe a few bottles of beer for ole massa, as well
- a little reward after he'd finished his day's
dives"What color would you say that hamper is?
Dark brown? Or is it red?"
Wireman gave me a strange look"In a black-andwhite
photograph, it's hard to tell
"Tell me how the storm led to the deaths of the
little girls
He opened the folder again and handed me an old
news story with an accompanying photograph"This
is from the Venice Gondolier, March 28th, 1927I
got the original info on the netJack
omega usa Cantori
called the paper, got someone to make a copy and
shoot me a faxJack's terrific, by the way
"No argument there," I said
"Who are these girls? No - don't tell meThe one
on his left's MariaHannah's on his rightHannah's the one with breastsShe was
fourteen in '27
661
We studied the fax sheet in silence for a few
momentsE-mail would have been betterThe fax
had annoying dark vertical lines running through
it, blurring some of the print, but the headline
was clear enough: STORM PROVES TREASURE-HUNTING
BOON TO AMATEUR DIVERAnd the picture was clear
enough, tooEastlake's hairline had receded a
littleAs if to compensate, his narrow
bandleader's mustache was now closer to a
chanel logo earrings walrus
And although he was still wearing the same black
bathing singlet, it was now under severe stress
and actually popped under one arm, I thought,
although the picture's resolution wasn't quite
good enough to be certainIt appeared Dad
Eastlake had packed on some pork between 1925 and
1927 - the B-movie actor would have trouble
getting roles if he didn't start skipping desserts
and doing more work in the gymThe girls flanking
him weren't as sloe-eyed-sexy as their big sister
- you looked at Adriana and thought about hot
afternoons in a haymow, you looked at these two
and wondered if they were getting their schoolwork
done - but they were pretty in a not-quite-there662
yet way, and
omega aqua terra watch their excitement shone out in the
picture
Because, spread before them on the sand, was
treasure
"I can't make it all out, and the damn caption's
blurry," I complained
"There's a magnifying glass in the desk, but let
me save you a headache Wireman picked up a pen
and pointed with the tip"That's a medicine
bottle, and that there is a musket-ball - or so
Eastlake claims in the storyMaria's got her hand
on what appears to be a bootor the remains of
oneNext to the boot-"
"Pair of spectacles," I saida necklacechain?"
"The story claims it's a bracelet
All I could swear to is a metal loop of some kind,
overgrown with crudBut the older girl's
definitely holding out an earring
I scanned the
prada clutch s