Adermoor Cove Part 3: Many Sleepless Nights - 3. Chapter 3

The man who had bailed Lane out of jail looked close to retirement age with a round cheerful face, a handlebar moustache, and watery brown eyes.

Lane had been in his cell, asleep, or at least trying to. It was impossible to do with all the noise and activity happening around him: phones ringing, voices talking and laughing, keyboards tapping away. This is what it must be like to be an animal at the zoo, he'd thought. And it was impossible not to imagine what his fate might be. No matter if he was telling the truth or not, the world would not believe him. The people on this island who knew the truth would just throw him to the wolves to keep up the illusion that Adermoor Cove was just a peaceful little island. He'd killed three people and committed arson; unless a miracle from God happened he would be spending the rest of his life in prison. And in the end would that really be such a bad thing considering all the shit he'd already been through.

All of this was running through his sleep addled mind when he heard someone approaching his cell and the rattle of keys. Lane rolled over and sat up, preparing himself for another interrogation. Sure enough Sheriff Enzo was unlocking the cell door and there was a sour expression on his face.

"Look," Lane blurted, "I don't give a fuck anymore, charge me with what you're going to charge me with and let me sleep."

To his surprise the sheriff simply stood back, looking dogged.

"What are you doing?"

"You’re free to go. Your lawyer paid your bail."

Lane narrowed his eyes at the sheriff. "I don't have a lawyer."

"It's not my problem. Frankly...I just want you out of my sight. But mark my words we aren't done yet. Don’t leave town and don’t go back to the lighthouse since it's the scene of the crime...your crime."

Now would be the time to boogie while you can, Lane told himself.

An older man stood out in the waiting room, hat in his hand. He smiled at Lane as if he'd been expecting him. "You must be Lane Hardy."

Lane looked at him warily. "Yes, and you are?"

"I'm Ted Magyer. I'm the head of the Stanton Law Firm here in town."

"Stanton?"

Ted nodded. "Started by your great-great grandfather Eric Stanton, took over by your great-aunt Vanessa, and now it both saddens me and honors me to say she passed the position onto me in the event of her death."

"Did you bail me out of jail?"

"I did."

"Thanks." Lane's face softened. "I wasn't trying to be rude earlier...it's just these days I'm wary of people."

"After the way you've been treated, my dear boy, I can't say I blame you." Mayger flashed a disapproving look in Sheriff Enzo's direction. "Let's get out of here before he changes his mind and decides to throw you in a cell again."

"What about my wallet and stuff…?" Lane remembered the Ziplock bags full of false I.D.s, social security cards, and birth certificates, probably all locked up in evidence room where he couldn’t get to them. "You know what, never mind…"

                               …

Ted Magyer drove a cream colored Maserati; the inside of the car was spacious, with black leather seats. With the press of a button the top could slide down, turning it into a convertible. They cruised through town with the sea wind combing its fingers through their hair.

Lane's hair felt itchy and greasy from not being washed. He watched people walk along the boardwalk: older couples enjoying the warm afternoon, younger couples taking their small children out for a stroll, small clusters of teenagers either standing around texting on their phones, or bopping along to music with portable speakers, or eating ice cream. This is the side of town they want everyone to see, he thought. The part that's all easy living and sunshine. And he admitted to himself it looked great. He wondered what it would be like to live within walking distance of the Atlantic, to take a boat out on the ocean and go fishing.

His thoughts darkened. How many of the people knew the truth about Adermoor Cove, playing their parts, adding to the illusion? Or maybe you just need some therapy. It's understandable after everything you've been through.

"Are you hungry, Mr. Hardy?" Ted asked.

"Just call me Lane, please. The whole Mr. Hardy thing makes me feel weird. And to answer I'm starving." He glanced at the lawyer. "And another thing, why did you bail me out of jail? Not that I don't appreciate it or anything but I don't have any money to pay you in return."

Ted waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about it. I did it as a favor to your aunt. She told me a month before you died you would be coming to Adermoor Cove and you would need all the help you can get. I promised her I would do anything I could. I owe her so much, you see."

Lane's thoughts were rolling. "That's great, but how did you post my bail when I haven’t even been to see a judge yet?"

"I'll explain when we get somewhere to eat. I'm starving myself. I'm craving steak. How does steak sound? I know of a wonderful steakhouse here in town."

Lane shrugged. "You're buying so it's your choice."

Ted nodded in approval. "Good answer. Steak it is."

                                     … 

The Sirloin Cavern - who comes up with these names? Lane thought - was a subpar looking steakhouse with brown walls, dim lighting and booths. The restaurant smelled of steak sauce and slightly of beer. They'd taken a booth in the very back corner of the bar where they could talk without anyone hearing them.

The waitress, a college-age woman, spoke with an exaggerated Yankee drawl. The name tag on the front of her shirt said RUBY.

When Ted and Lane finished giving their orders she turned to the lawyer. "Did you hear about Vanessa Stanton? Apparently Dolores Abernathy called the cops last night. Somehow Vanessa got out of bed, climbed to the top of the tower...and just threw herself off."

Ted grinned. "Is that what they're saying, Ruby? Well by the time the truth comes out there will be several different versions of how and why she did it. Personally I think it's a shame. She was all alone in that lighthouse, alone and isolated, with no one to care for her."

Ruby lowered her head apologetically. "I'm sorry Mr. Magyer, I didn't mean offense."

"Of course you didn't, my dear, and I didn’t take any. I just don't think people should talk about the things they don't know about. And Vanessa Stanton, despite her eccentricities and what people say about her, was a wonderful woman who deserves the respect in death she didn't get in life."

Ruby nodded, said she would put their orders in, and bring back their drinks before walking off. Ted blinked owlishly at Lane. "You don’t think I was too harsh on her, do you?"

"I think you put it beautifully. I don't know if I would have put it so eloquently. Now what is this about Vanessa committing suicide? That isn't what happened."

"But that's most likely the story that will be in The Adermoor Cove Chronicle tomorrow," Ted said sadly. "So your name most likely won't be mentioned in the paper."

"Because the leaders of this town don't want people knowing about the problems you have here? Yet I could still be prosecuted for murder as a way to shut me up?"

"Afraid so."

They both fell silent as Ruby came around the corner with their drinks. "Ice tea for you, Mr. Magyer, and Pepsi for you dear. You guys just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Great, I think we're good," said Lane. He waited until she was gone and turned back to Ted. "You know what, I've only been here for a few days and I'm already sick of this town. The thing is it just doesn't stick to this town. It can move. It's followed me twice that I know of, once in Michigan and then again in Colorado."

Ted leaned forward and lowered his voice so it was almost a whisper. "Lane, you have to understand, Adermoor Cove is not like any other place in the world. It has its own laws. Here we have our way ways of doing things. And if you do not follow those laws, if you say anything that draws too much attention to this place, you will come up missing. Do you understand?"

Lane gulped and nodded. "So how did you get me out of jail?"

"I went to the top of the hierarchy. The mayor."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"You investigate on your own - stay away from the police, Enzo in particular. He's just this town's lap dog. His son Carlos is a decent enough person but he's been damaged by this town and doesn't know it so you can't rely on him either. Fortunately, thanks to your aunt, you've inherited a very large fortune."

"How large?" Lane asked.

"Let's eat first," Ted said, just as Ruby came around the corner with their meals, "and we'll go over all the paperwork. Ah, here we are!"

After the meals had been eaten, the table cleared off, and the bills paid, Lane looked through the paperwork. Ted had patiently gone through everything, answering Lane's questions; but even while looking at the numbers it was still too hard to believe: He'd inherited the lighthouse and the property on which it stood, as well as three other properties on the island, and a yacht called The Dionysia, as well as over fifteen million dollars. Enough to live the rest of my life on, Lane thought. Enough to do what I came here to do.

And Ted told him he would take care of everything, not to worry about a thing.

                                     …

Until we can get this whole mess figured out I have a spare bedroom you can stay in," said Ted, pulling into the driveway of a small Cape Cod house.

"I don't know about that," said Lane, looking at the house warily. "I appreciate everything you've done for me but I don't think this is such a good idea."

"You don’t have much of a choice. Where are you going to go? Your car has been impounded for investigation." Ted glanced sadly at the house before turning his attention back to Lane. "What I didn't tell you is that I have my own personal reasons for helping you. My wife and I used to live in this house together - we did for over thirty years. I have a lot of good memories about this little cottage, and a lot of bad ones, all of them are invaluable to me. I can’t seem to find the heart to leave this house, or this island for that matter."

"You don't have to tell me about your wife if you don’t want to."

Tears gleamed in Ted's eyes. "No, but I have to. I have to make you understand what this town is like. Anyone in Adermoor Cove who knew her, would tell you she was mentally ill, and that was very true. Her psychiatrist diagnosed her with bipolar disorder. Our marriage was unstable at times. We couldn't have a child and we didn't adopt because Margaret didn't think she was capable of raising a child due to her illness. I know this caused her great pain. She cheated on me often and had to go to the hospital several times for hurting herself." Ted swallowed, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief he'd pulled from his pocket. "The Adermoor Cove Chronicle says she killed herself but that is not the truth. The darkness took her and she sacrificed herself to keep from infecting the town. Enzo had just been reelected sheriff and he covered it up, threatened me into not saying anything."

"Sheriff Enzo sounds like a real asshole," Lane muttered.

"You don’t know the half of it. Lane, I don't know what your life has been like, or what you've been through, or who raised you, but you are the last Stanton by blood. And besides the rumors about the Stantons and their eccentricities, ever since this town was founded they have been the only ones to keep the darkness from completely engulfing this town."

"That's a lot of expectation being placed on my shoulders. What if I fail?"

Ted smiled sadly. "If you're anything like Vanessa or Coralina you won't."