Treasure Quest
Chapter Eight: Love is...Unfailing
The house would have been a mansion in its time but had fallen on hard times with neglect. Dust billowed as Fred and Daphne rushed up the stairs into a large open room. Surging dust became a cloud as Daphne bumped into Fred when he stopped short. The gray dust rose to sting eyes and cause everyone to cough.
"I'm getting out of here!" Mr. Bourbon sounded frightened.
"What happened?" Fred asked, walking forward.
"It came out of nowhere and went nowhere!" He pointed toward the opposite wall. "A man dressed in Union Blue. An officer by the stars on his coat." His voice broke as a coughing fit doubled him over.
"Everyone stay still, let the dust settle." Fred could see Shaggy and Velma on either side of Mr. Bourbon. They looked like gray ghosts from the dust; trying to calm the man with no result. He only stood and pointed, shaking uncontrollably.
"Forget that, Jones! I'm outta here! Meet me at the city graveyard tomorrow morning, It opens at eight. Don't be late!" He ran as fast as he could, taking the stairs three and four at a time. Dust soared into the air at his passing; he didn't stop to close the door.
"I wonder if he meant to rhyme?" Shaggy coughed, waving his hand in front of his face.
"It doesn't matter. Let's get out of this mess." Fred led them, not downstairs but outside through sliding glass doors onto the Widow's walk. They could breath out here, cool, clean air that eased their coughing. Velma removed her glasses, giving her a look like a reverse raccoon. She tried to clean them on her sweater, gave up in fear of scratching the lenses and put them back on.
"Try these, Vel." Shaggy handed her the extra pair he always carried. "We can clean those later."
"Thanks, Shaggy. That's much better."
The panorama stretched out before them, from the old deserted lighthouse on the left to a partial view of the back yard. The lighthouse had been the first in the area, replaced by an automated system years later. The sound of crashing waves, puffy clouds moving across the blue sky. Fruit trees grew out of overgrown grasses and green shrubbery. A comforting silence grew between the friends as they stood on the walkway.
"Freddie, what do you think Mr. Bourbon saw?" Daphne had slipped her hand into his.
"I don't know, Daph. Anything from his overactive imagination to the ghost of my Union ancestor."
"Fred, it wasn't his imagination. Shaggy and I saw it too." Velma moved nearer to Shaggy who placed his arm around her waist. She didn't object, giving him a friendly hip bump.
"You can show us after the dust settles a little more. How about we go back home, get cleaned up and have lunch afterward?"
"Fred, that's the best plan I've heard all day. He did say...graveyard...didn't he?" First a haunted mansion, with a graveyard tomorrow, did it ever stop? Shaggy wondered.
-Xxx
Daphne stepped from the shower, quickly dressed for the gang's luncheon date in her favorite violet wrap-a-round dress. She had always enjoyed being a girl and this particular dress hugged her curves and accented her femininity: 'Understated elegance'. A quick check in the mirror and she was off to find Fred and tell him about her morning's surprise inheritance.
She found him in his bedroom; he rose, taking her in his arms. "Alone at last."
His kiss was tempting and she felt herself melting, returning the seductive kiss. After several moments she broke the kiss, leaning back enough to see his eyes. "I want to show you something."
"I like the sound of that."
"Not here, in my bedroom."
"Even better." He leaned forward to kiss her lips.
"I'm serious." Daphne tilted her head to the side, avoiding the kiss.
"So am I."
"Come with me, this is business." Taking his hand, she lead the way across the hall to her bedroom.
"Sit." She stated, pointing to the edge of the large bed. He sat. Opening a drawer of the nightstand she extracted a manila envelope, joining him on the bed.
"This is a printout of what I found at the bank. It covers an old account started by my mother twenty-five years ago when I was one. For twenty-five years it's sat there, collecting interest along with some additional deposits made by mother.
"Basically, it was set up for me for when I married so I wouldn't have to worry about money. She had no idea just how wealthy they would become. Freddie, look at the balance on the last page."
She handed the last page to him. He whistled at the amount at the bottom of the page. "That's a lot of money."
"Freddie, did you mean it when you told Daddy you would marry me no matter what? That the money was mine to do what I wanted with it?"
"I meant it." He wondered where this was all going.
"Good! Freddie...I want to give this to you as a wedding present."
"Daph...you don't have to do that...that's over a million dollars." Stunned, Fred could only look at the paper in his hands.
"I know I don't have to do it...I want to."
"Daph...your mother set it aside for you and your husband, right?"
"Yes. I don't think she realized how much it would amount to though."
"I have a plan...if you agree...how about a joint account? That way we can both use it for anything related to our marriage. A home, furniture whatever."
"Agreed. Good plan. I've already talked to the bank manager. I can give him a call, tell him what we decided and we can sign the necessary papers after lunch."
"Speaking of lunch, Shaggy and I are waiting and Scooby is pretending to starve. I'm not pretending."
"Okay, Velma. We're on our way." Daphne returned the folder to the drawer and holding Fred's hand, headed out the door.
-Xxx
The lunch crowd had departed when the gang arrived at their favorite diner; it was a pleasant day and they selected a table on the patio terrace.
"I need to powder my nose." Velma headed through the diner toward the restrooms. Daphne followed.
"Why does it take both girls to powder one nose?" Shaggy asked.
"They need to talk." Fred pointed at both purses sitting on chairs.
"Daph, have you noticed Fred acting weird lately?" Velma glanced in the mirror but turned her attention to her red headed friend.
"Weird as in finally paying attention to me, giving me a ring, making love under a meteor shower? I'll take that kind of weird any day."
"No, Daph. That's weird enough but I mean weird in that he's acting secretive."
"Like?"
"Take our time at 'Green Haven'. He couldn't get us out of there quick enough."
"Velms, do we trust Fred after all these years?"
"I guess so, yes."
"Then I suggest we trust him now."
TBC
