Page 7 of Kindred Lies
Chapter 4
Cooper just finished putting the ladder away in the shed when he spied Amethyst walking up towards the house. He stopped a minute to appreciate how beautiful she looked with the wind blowing through her hair. Her attempt at pulling it back had been thwarted by the windy day. The fine strands were currently blowing aimlessly across her face as she hiked long the trail leading towards the front porch. What had brought her to his front steps? Maybe she could be the girl he had hoped he’d find one day. He knew one thing for sure; he was more than ready to find out. Cooper believed in his heart Amethyst was special.
She reached the steps and knocked on the front door. His dad, Roman Marchant, opened the door and greeted her. His dad was finally doing all right and might be able to find some semblance of happiness. Cooper's mother had a long fight with leukemia and she had lost the battle a year ago. The loss had devastated his dad. His black hair now was streaked with gray and his blue eyes held a sadness that hadn’t been there before. It had taken a lot for him to move on without his beloved wife. It helped his dad’s best friend Nicholas Drake would be in town for the summer. After being injured on the job Nicholas sought a place to recuperate and North Point was as good a place as any. He should be arriving soon.
Cooper walked to the back door and entered the house. He strolled through the kitchen and made his way to the front of the house he could hear his father, as he got closer. “No it's quite alright. Please come in. We don't get a lot of visitors out here, especially ones as lovely as you.”
Cooper took that as a queue to enter the room. “Who's here dad?”
Roman held his hand to his chest faking a fright. “Cooper you shouldn't sneak up on an old man like that. You could have given me a heart attack.”
Cooper rolled his eyes ignoring his father's attempt at humor. “I'm sure you'd be just fine Dad.” He glanced quickly over at Amethyst. “Besides you are far from old.” She began to shuffle her feet while watching them exchange words. Cooper thought she looked absolutely adorable as she chewed her bottom lip watching them. “Hi, Amethyst what are you doing here?”
She turned her attention towards him. “I was hoping I could look around Ghost Peak Island. Err well I also wondered if you could also point out exactly where I could find it too.”
His dad joined the conversation with a confused look on his face. “I wasn't aware you two knew each other.”
Cooper looked at his dad and replied, “Amethyst is staying at the inn. We met earlier today when she checked in.”
Roman beamed at Amethyst, pride showing in his eyes. “You have wonderful taste dear. Trenton-Hill Inn is the best place to stay in Michigan.”
Cooper laughed at his father's smugness. “He's just prejudiced because it's been in our family for generations.”
Amethyst nodded her head in agreement. “I don't blame him. I'd be ecstatic if my family had a rich history too. It really is a beautiful inn. I’ve traveled to a lot of locales. Some even exotic and your inn so far is one of my favorites.”
Roman gave Amethyst a puzzled look. “You are so young to have traveled that much. What does your family do?”
Amethyst hated when people remarked upon her age. It didn't matter how many years she'd been alive. Her mother liked to say she had an old soul for someone nearing twenty. “Um well I don't know what my dad does…never met him. My mom, well, you could say she is an entrepreneur of sorts. Always trying out new ideas in new places. Nothing ever sticks.”
Roman nodded his head as if he understood, but his eyes told a different story. “Ah I see.” Looking over at his son he asked, “Cooper you want to give her the tour of the island?”
Cooper nodded his head at his father in the affirmative. Nothing would make him happier than to escort Amethyst around the island. He couldn't have asked for a better opportunity if he'd arranged it himself. Ben was nowhere around to interfere in his alone time with Amethyst too. So far he was winning the competition his friend had started.
He’d learned a great deal about her online. She hadn’t given him much to go on, but ASK magazine featured her articles prominently. She also had written some featured editorials in almost all of the editions. Considering her initials he assumed the magazine might play a heavier part in her life than she’d led him to believe. He’d ask her exactly how involved she was and if the magazine was named after her later.
In the meantime, Cooper would take advantage of this time to tell her about the town's local legend. Cooper and Roman happened to be the local experts. Everyone knew the stories, but only the Marchant family had possession of every single one of Marianne's journals. They were amongst the many things she abandoned at the inn when she fled North Point.
“If you follow me I can show you around. There are a lot of interesting sites around here.”
Amethyst roamed over by Cooper, excitement filling her eyes. “I can't wait. I'm ready whenever you are.”
This afternoon promised to be the best one of his life. He smiled at her and gestured for her to follow. As they strolled down the path he led her towards the back of the house and stopped at the edge of a steep cliff. The waves of the lake were crashing into the side of the rock formation below. Looking out at the lake a tiny gray, black, and white stony peak resided on a small island a short distance from the rocks below. From where they were standing it appeared like they could reach out and touch it.
Cooper tapped on her shoulder and pointed to the small island. “There's Ghost Peak. It isn't a true mountain, but we like to think of it as our own private one. The water had a strange effect on it over the years and created the island with its tiny mountain. The formation has always been here—well before this town became what it is anyway. It didn't get dubbed Ghost Peak Island until after the death of Easton Hill.”
Amethyst turned away from the lake to look at him. “Why did it get its name? How could it have anything to do with Easton Hill's death?” She tilted her head to the side and stared at Ghost Peak.
Cooper hid a smile. He could spoon-feed her any information he wanted to at this point. He had her rapt attention and he wasn't about to waste it. “According to the legend Easton Hill rowed a boat with Marianne Trenton out to the island for a picnic. While they were there he proposed, shortly afterwards they were married. It's happened to be one of their favorite romantic spots. That hasn't changed much with the locals. A lot of us still like to hang out on the island when we get a chance.”
Amethyst shook her head as she said, “So it should be Love Peak, not Ghost Peak. That just doesn't add up. So he proposed there? Why does that make it a place that suggests a haunting?”
She was so adorable he wanted to hug her. “It should be, but it isn't”
Amethyst tilted her head to the side as if trying to make sense of it. “I don't understand. Explain.”
“The simple explanation is he goes there in search of his wife. He lost her or she lost him depending on how you look at it. So he visits it one day a year hoping to find her there. So far he hasn't had much luck, poor bastard.” It really was a gloomy tale…
“That's incredibly sad. What day of the year does he visit the little island?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. He wished they were closer and he could kiss her. She had a delectable mouth and her teeth only made it plumper from her ministrations.
