Silas shook his head. “Ben was of the opinion that they just searched the sand. No one was ever known to dive out there because of the rocks and because they did not want to disturb the spirits of those who might have died there.”
“What about the rope? Did anyone ever pull it?”
“Ah… there is one story of someone pulling it and it came up with a skeleton hand attached to it. He dropped the rope and ran but was said to have been left with a rope burn on his hand that never faded.”
“Ghost stories,” said Joe.
“I’d like to know where they went after they left the tunnel,” Harry said. “And who they were.”
“I think Ben knows more,” Silas said. “Perhaps you should talk to him.”
Harry nodded. “Call and tell him we’ll be there at ten-thirty tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll get Ben and Bingo. You and Joe meet us here,” Silas suggested.
“With coffee and Janet’s muffins,” Harry said.
“Sounds good,” Joe added.
********************
The next morning, Harry pulled the truck into Silas’s double driveway.. “Let’s go,” he said. “I want to know what Ben can add to this story, and where he got his information.”
“Right.” Joe slammed the door behind him and followed Harry to Silas’s door.
“In the living room,” Silas called out, as they closed the door behind them. As they placed the coffee and muffins on the coffee table and sat down, Silas did the introductions.
Ben Williams was tall and thin, with long legs and a full head of snow-white hair. “Bingo told me you boys have been digging into the town’s colourful past. That’s great.”
“We do what we can,” Harry said. He indicated the items they had brought. “Dig in. The coffee is still hot and the muffins are warm.” There was silence for a few minutes as they helped themselves.
“So how can I help you?” Ben asked.
“How much do you know about this smuggling thing?”
