Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [26]
"Oh, well, that's easy," the librarian replied. "We photocopied and laminated every article we could find, seeing as how the McKennas are hometown heroes. We were so proud of them, you know. They were amazing."
Tyler nodded. "That's what I understand." He followed the librarian into the next room.
"This is where we keep everything on sailing. And this is McKenna shelf," she added, pointing to several notebooks. "Do you mind if I ask why you're so interested? It was a long time ago."
"I'm writing an article on ocean racing featuring famous crews. A where-are-they-now piece."
"Well, they're all right here," she said with a gleam in her eye. "And all quite single. Are you single, Mr. …?
"Jamison. Tyler Jamison. And, yes, I'm single."
If the woman asking him had been less than seventy years old, he might have felt awkward, but she was clearly not asking for herself.
"Really? A handsome man like you, what are the girls thinking'? Why, if I were twenty years younger, I'd go after you myself."
"I would count myself lucky."
"Oh, you're a charmer, you are. Well, I'll leave you to your reading. Let me know if you need anything. My name is Sheryl Martin, and I'll be here until we close at five."
"Thank you." Tyler pulled out the first notebook and sat down at a nearby table. He'd already read through several articles on the race that he'd found on the Internet, but most of those articles had been about the race itself: winners of each leg; time handicaps, and weather conditions. Nothing that helped his cause.
He turned to the first page. The headline stated FIVE RACERS LOST AT SEA.
Tyler had read a little about the storm but hadn't thought much about it, since the McKennas had come through unscathed. Now he wondered if that storm had caused some trauma. Ashley seemed to have a surprising fear of the water. His mind darted back to the bottle of pills that had fallen from her purse. The label had read Xanax which he knew to be an anti-anxiety medication.
Tyler skimmed the article, but there was no mention made of the McKennas or the Moon Dancer. Instead, the article focused on a boat that had capsized, losing all but one of her entire crew to the raging sea. Turning the page, he found more reports on the storm, quotes from some of the sailors.
"The winds were screaming. It was a scene from hell."
"The waves were three stories high. I couldn't tell if I was on the boat or in the water."
"There were Maydays and distress calls everywhere. Flares popping up all over the place, like the Fourth of July. We were no longer racing. We were simply trying to survive."
Tyler wanted a quote from one of the McKennas. He wanted to know what they had been thinking, what they had been feeling. It sounded terrifying. Certainly something that could bring on a water phobia, maybe even a need to drink, he thought, his mind turning to Caroline and to Duncan. But what about Kate? She didn't have any noticeable vices or inconsistencies. Had the storm or the race itself affected her in some way? He'd have to find out. Mark was counting on him.
He wondered if Kate had somehow connected him to Mark. It seemed unlikely; they didn't share the same last name since Mark's stepfather had adopted him. But she'd obviously been on the Internet. What else had she come up with?
Tyler shook his head. Too many questions, not enough answers. The second notebook focused on the end of the race. There were photos taken of the Moon Dancer's arrival in Castleton, most of which he'd seen before.
It occurred to him that a week had passed between the official end of the race and the McKennas return to Castleton. It must have been a strange few days, anticlimactic for sure, but what else? Had the McKennas simply