the car. âWhile I was unloading groceries this afternoon, a neighbor stopped and helped me.â
âOh, who was that?â
âHis name was Caleb Grayson.â
âYes, I know who youâre talking about. I know he worked a number of odd jobs for shopkeepers in Port Royal until the poor economy forced many of them to close their doors.â A frown crossed his brow. âAll I know is that many years ago he was in an accident, and he didnât fully recover from his injuries.â
âWhat kind of accident?â
âAn automobile wreck. Iâm afraid he suffered a severe brain injury. His family is well to do, and his parents live at The Point.â
âThe Point?â
âYes, itâs an area in downtown Beaufort with a number of antebellum homes.â
Their conversation was interrupted as Seth pointed out a severely deteriorated waterfront building off the highway. âThere used to be a business here called the Lemon Island Marina, but it closed down some time ago. I heard that a group of investors wanted to reopen the marina and operate a restaurant as well, but their financing fell through.â
When they reached the waterfront structure, Jenks noticed that the building was missing windows and in need of a new roof. Only the dock appeared to be in decent condition. After they passed by, Seth made a turn down a sandy road and followed it past several mailboxes. He turned onto a driveway that led to a magnificent two-story home on the waterway.
âThis property belongs to Jacob Spenser. A couple of years ago, he was robbed by three young men who made off with a number of his prized possessions, including a collection of antique firearms and his motherâs jewelry. Detective Campbell and I apprehended the young men and retrieved his belongings before they could sell them. Ever since then, he has told me to use his property to access the river any time I want. This is where I meet Mose Lafitte, a local fisherman. I buy fresh fish from him, and this is a convenient meeting place since itâs near his home. He calls me when he has fish to sell.â
Seth stopped the car near the dock. Tied off to the floater was a worn-out fishing boat with nets and crab baskets resting on the deck. An elderly black man rose from a bench seat at the helm and said, âLawd, Mister Sethâhow are you dis day?â
âMose, Iâm fine. Iâd like to introduce Miss Jenks Ellington to you.â
He removed a sweat-stained fishing hat from his head and bowed to her. âMiss, Iâs proud to meet you.â He stopped speaking for a moment and then continued. âIâs very sorry about your sister. I read about it in de newspaper, and Mister Seth say he been trying to help you out some.â
âThank you.â
Mose enunciated his words in the same unique manner as Ida Mae and Meta. He put his hat back on top of his head and smiled at Seth, revealing four yellow, decaying teeth in the front of his mouth. He picked up a sizeable fish and said, âHow do you like dis redfish? I caught it about an hour ago, and itâs been on ice ever since.â
âAs long as itâs within the legal limit, itâs fine with me,â Seth replied.
Mose smiled broadly and responded, âNow, Mister Seth, you knows I ainât gonna sell no illegal-size fish to no policeman.â
Seth laughed and said, âI know Mose, Iâm just teasing you.â
Mose put the fish in a large plastic bag and sealed it before handing it to Seth.
âHow much for your fish?â
âFour dollarsâyou knows I always gives you a break.â
âThank you, Mose.â
âI be back out here tomorrow. I call you if I have a legal catch.â He grinned when he emphasized the word legal .
He handed a business card to Jenks and said, âMiss Ellington, you call me if you like to buy fish.â He winked at Seth and Jenks and started the motor of his