Katie wanted to look around the museum. It was dedicated to the fishermen lost at sea and the volunteer lifeboat crews who had sacrificed their lives for the crews of ships in distress, and to people who had been drowned in a flash flood there a few years back. It was quite well done and provided some sobering thoughts for both of them.
Out in the sunlight once more, they sat on the flint-rock harbor wall and watched the seagulls as they scouted for an unwary holidaymaker to wave their sandwich or ice-cream cone around as they walked along the seafront. An afternoon sea breeze had picked up and cooled the summer air. Some of the tourists had put long sleeved shirts over their skimpy tops and others chivvied their children to get changed out of their wet bathing costumes before they caught colds.
A short ride in the rail car soon took them back up the cliff to Lynton. Katie took advantage of the lull in trade at the farmer’s market to stop in for a chat with Megan Raines. As Ralph watched them, he thought that she looked worn out; he wondered if her brother’s death was the cause.
Katie explained that they had met Mary Richardson at the cricket match at Simonsbath earlier that day, and that Mary had told them about Seth’s death.
“We’re really sorry for your loss,” Katie said as she put her hand on Megan’s arm in a gesture of condolence.
“Everyone’s been so kind ever since Seth’s accident,” Megan said.
Ralph noticed the slight hesitation before she said the word accident.
“We stopped in at Saint Mary’s at the top of the cliffs,” Katie said. “It’s a lovely view out over the sea; so peaceful.”
“That’ where we buried our Seth,” Megan said. “He lived over at Brayford, but Mum’s buried in St Mary’s, and I wanted him to be with ‘er.”
“You just visitin’? Pretty place in summer, but winter can be a bit bad. When the snows come in across the channel from Wales, that’s when you like to remember these nice summer days like this. Seth was allus after me to go over to Brayford closer to him, but I like lookin’ out over the sea when I want; an’ I know people in the village, though most of 'em seem to be droppin’ off these days. Still mustn’t grumble, eh.”
“We have a cottage over in Clovelly,” Katie said. “We just came over for the day.”
“Long ways t’ come. Just for the day.”
“We’re just having a wander around while Ralph’s having his car worked on at that garage at the top of the road,” Katie explained.
“Tha’ Joe Minton.” She practically spat out the name.
Ralph wondered what sin Joe had committed to deserve such a comment. He had a feeling she would enlighten them about it before the conversation was over.
“He seems to know about cars,” Katie offered.
“He’s good at cars all right, but nuthin’ else,” Megan replied.
Suddenly Megan started to cry.
“I know he had somethin’ to do with Seth’s accident. I just know it.”
She told them how Seth had said that he knew something about Joe and about the 500 pounds she had gone to the garage to collect.
“Seth said he knew all about how Joe and that Bruce Ansell had cheated the government.” She tried to regain her composure by pretending to arrange an apple on an eye-catching display.
“Why did he give you that money?” Asked Katie. “Not that it’s any of our business, but you should tell someone, if it’s worrying you.”
“Seth said he told that Joe Minton if he didn’t pay, he’d tell the police about them cheatin’ the government; somethin’ to do with that treasure he and that friend a his found over at Sherracombe. Seth knew all about it. He was a member of that club a Mary Richardson’s; Arcology he called it.”
“Have you told anyone else?” Katie asked.
“I talked to Wendy, she helps me out here sometimes, and she said I ‘ad no proof. She told me that if I said anythin’ it’d be libel and I could be fined or somethin’. An’ besides, I give Seth the money; weren’t no receipt or nuthin’.”
“Like I said, it’s none of our business, but you really should talk to the police,” said Katie as Megan packed what they had bought into a large brown bag and thanked them for stopping in.
After they left the market, Ralph and Katie stopped in at a little café for a coffee. When their server finally broke away from a couple who were dithering about something or other, she came to take their order of coffee and teacakes. All the time Katie and Megan had been talking, Ralph had been thinking about all of the events that had occurred in the sleepy little area over the last few weeks. He had started to put things together in his mind.
“Okay, Ralph, what’s going on in there,” Katie said and pointed at the top of his head. “I can practically hear those cogs whirring.”
“It’s just what Megan told you about Joe Minton. I had a hunch that something wasn’t quite kosher about the hoard he and that friend of his found up at Sherracombe. When Megan started talking about him paying her brother off, it all began to fall into place.”
“So you think Seth knew something, and Minton was prepared to pay him to keep quiet,” said Katie.
“It sounds that way. He must have somehow found out that they hadn’t handed in the entire find. Remember? I told you that Doctor Franks hinted at the same thing when Cynthia and I went over to talk to him at the British Museum when you were at that conference in Edinburgh.”
“And then Seth gets killed by a hit and run driver; it does sound like a bit of a coincidence,” Katie observed.
“For my money, that was no accident. I think Joe decided to silence Seth
