Dana was perplexed by the question. “I’ve dug everywhere I could think of.”
“So that’s why you’ve been so hot to plant all those flowers,” Wanda said.
Dana listed the places she’d looked. “I’ve dug all around Alice’s cottage, where we used to stay. And in front of the office, where my mother used to make us wait while she finished work in the evenings after it got dark. Fargo used to wade into the pond there and get whatever coins people had tossed for good luck. I thought maybe that was the memory he wanted me to ‘examine.’ But there’s nothing there. I’ve gone over and over every area I can think of with Lizzie’s metal detector. I’ve found nails and sheet metal and no treasure. I’ve gone over every inch of the area around Fortunate Harbor, because we used to play pirates there and buried treasure, boxes of bottle caps and shiny rocks. I’ve been going at night with a flashlight after Lizzie falls asleep. Nothing.”
“But have you looked to the heavens?” Janya asked. “As he told you to? You said he hated religion. Did he believe in heaven?”
Dana considered. “No, he was very outspoken about that.”
“Then perhaps he only wanted you to look up? A metal detector could find coins buried in the ground. He would know that, and he would protect himself from that possibility, wouldn’t he? In case someone else knew what he was doing? Perhaps he put this treasure somewhere high. In a tree? Where no metal detector would locate it.”
The answer was so simple, yet in all the months Dana had pondered Fargo’s letter, in all the hours she had searched, wondering if she had forged an imaginary legacy from a dying man’s final words, she had not thought of simply looking toward the heavens.
“I have a brother,” Janya said. “I know that brothers like to climb trees. Yash always hid in the gulmohar tree in our courtyard so he could spy on me.”
“Fargo was always in trouble for climbing. He would do it the moment my parents turned their backs.”
“There aren’t any trees around Alice’s house. Besides, anything in a tree out in the open would be seen. Nothing where the old office used to stand, either,” Wanda said.
A shiver crawled down Dana’s spine. “There are trees lining the path to the water at Fortunate Harbor. Fargo used to climb them when he could. He was watching for pirate ships.”
“I think we need to see what we can find in this Fortunate Harbor of yours.”
“I can’t. Pete may already be on his way here.”
“Call him and tell him not to come tonight. Tell him you have a headache,” Tracy said.
“I tried earlier. He didn’t pick up. He doesn’t always have his phone turned on.”
Tracy came at it a different way. “Then leave a note on the door telling him something came up. We’ll drive your car down the road and park where it can’t be seen. If Pete comes, he’ll leave again. Then, when you’re ready, with or without whatever your brother left for you, you can leave, too.”
“You’ll let me?” Dana asked. “You’ll let me leave, and you won’t ever tell anybody what I’ve told you?”
“Let you?” Wanda clapped her hands in emphasis. “We’ll stall Pete, if need be. I’m a cop’s wife, but I know sometimes there’s a difference between the law and what’s right. You took the hard road when you took that baby, but you tried everything the law allowed first. And now you got to protect her again.”
Dana looked from woman to woman to be sure Wanda spoke for all of them. She saw that she had. “I haven’t had the luxury of friends since I left Grand Forks.” She choked out the next words. “Thank you.”
Wanda cleared her throat. “We got to get going. We’ll help you get your stuff in the car.” She grabbed Lizzie’s suitcase and rolled it toward the door.
“Mine’s already there,” Dana said.
“I’ll pack up everything you didn’t have time for and send it if you let me know a safe way to do that,” Tracy said.
Dana knew she would never contact any of them again. She had already put them in jeopardy by telling her story, but she nodded. “Thank you.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Wanda went to the window. “Nobody’s out there. Let’s boogie.”
Dana took one last look around before she closed the door for the last time. This house had been the closest thing to a home