“Ingenious,” said Harry, looking around. “They came here at night, when it was foggy. The Spirit was seen only when their flashlight or torch was briefly aimed at the cave entrance.”
“Wouldn’t a passing ship see the light?” Silas asked.
Harry shook his head. “They’d hear a ship coming, especially on a quiet night with little wind, and turn off the light until the ship passed.”
“And they need low tide because you can see that the beach is mostly under water at high tide,” Silas added.
“Poaching is still illegal,” Joe said.
“True,” Harry agreed, nodding, “but it doesn’t look like a big operation. One person, maybe two, getting a few lobsters for personal use. No profits being made.”
“The most important thing,” Silas said, “is do we want to destroy the myth of the Restless Spirit?”
Harry swallowed the last of his molasses bun. “The way I see it, all we have to report is a stake in the sand with a piece of rope tied to it. We don’t know how long it’s been there, or if there’s anything attached to it. And if we don’t pull the rope, we still won’t know.”
“People find out, more will come. For fishing. Picnics. Place would be littered with garbage in no time.”
“That’s an excellent point, Joe,” Harry said.
“There is another option,” Silas said. Harry and Joe looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “The Restless Spirit could be turned into a tourist attraction. What we learned from the logbooks about when the Spirit is most likely to appear could be made public. Then, all we’d need are rails or ropes along the sides of the path to the Lighthouse so people could find their way without getting lost in the fog.”
“Plenty would come to see that,” Joe said.
“Many would come repeatedly, until they did see it,” Harry added, “just so they could tell their friends they had seen the Restless Spirit. So, since we all seem to agree this should be kept quiet, I propose we head back to town. I have some steaks marinating in the fridge. How do you boys feel about barbecued steak for supper?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Terrific.”
