Page 38 of The Curse Breaker

A sharp look crossed Catherine’s face just as a loud crash came from somewhere behind them. Several waiters were standing next to an overturned drink cart and yelling at a man in jeans and T-shirt.

Kimble.

Benny felt a moment of panic and the need to get away, but Catherine beat her to an exit.

“You know what, dear?” Catherine said suddenly. “We’ll talk another time. I’m sure I’ll see you around, Benny. Greenport is a small town.” She winked. “Enjoy the party.” She picked up her shoes and strutted off in the direction of the water.

“Bye.” Benny pulled out her phone and texted Zara. Look up the name Cate Callahan, she wrote. And Catherine Cannon. Could go by Cora or Candace too.

Zara wrote right back. Trying new names on for size?

“Kid!” Kimble was strutting across the lawn with a furious waiter right behind him. “Who were you just talking to? Where did she go? The redhead?”

“This isn’t keeping a low profile,” Benny whispered, noticing others starting to stare.

Kimble’s dark eyes narrowed. “The redhead?” he repeated, his voice sounding strange. “What did she say her name was?”

Benny felt a whooshing sound in her ears. He knows her. And for a moment everything around her felt out of focus. A tiny voice was singing in her ear. Welcome, Everly Benedict! Welcome! “Catherine. But the men talking to us thought she was Cora or Candace, and then they thought she was this old film star—Cate—”

“Callahan,” he whispered. A vein throbbed on his forehead.

“You know her,” Benny realized. “Who is she, Kimble?”

Don’t trust her.

It was only now Benny realized she’d never thought to ask what happened to the Grace in Kimble’s story—the one he’d stolen the treasure from. Kimble had threatened Evelyn with her name. Where was this woman? And who was this Lady Adrienne Grace and Kimble had been working for? “Kimble?” Benny tried again, hesitating to say what she thought out loud. “Was the woman I was just talking to Grace?”

A muscle in Kimble’s jaw twitched. Finally, he spoke. “Yes. And you just let her get away.”

Greenport Herald

August 28, 1949

Cate Callahan Presumed Dead after Her Boat Capsizes off Montauk

By Garrett Rudd

Hollywood and Long Island are in mourning after learning beloved motion picture star Cate Callahan is presumed dead after her boat capsized off the coast of Montauk yesterday. Rescue crews searched for her through the night, after Miss Callahan’s assistant told authorities the actress took the boat out alone, despite storm warnings. She is said to have been an excellent helmsman, but she was no match for the hurricane-like monster storm.

Miss Callahan, best known for screwball comedies like Summer Point, Roommates, and Here’s to You, Kid, will be remembered for her ability to make costars laugh and grown men and women weep. “There has never been, and will never be, anyone as captivating as that vixen Cate Callahan,” said Mickey Rooney in a statement. “To think she leaves me behind to make movies without her is unfair. I will never have another sparring partner like her.”

The bombshell was known for her outspoken tendencies, refusal to film anywhere but in New York or on Long Island, her comedic skills, and her ability to be “one of the boys.” Leaving a long trail of brokenhearted men in her wake (Who can forget Callahan leaving Humphrey Bogart at the altar in 1941?), Judy Garland once famously called Miss Callahan “a Cheshire cat…one you never really know and cannot trust, but love all the same.”

At the time of this publication, Miss Callahan’s body has not been found.

A memorial for the actress will be held in Greenport this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Thirteen

Benny

Zara threw Grams’s door open and yanked Benny by the arm inside as Kimble drove away. “Took you long enough.” Gil was standing beside her wearing a Greenport Historical Society sweatshirt.

Benny stepped inside. “Kimble drives like he’s ninety.”

“Odd for a pirate captain, but we have bigger issues.” Zara held up her phone and showed Benny two articles from the Greenport Herald. Both were from the 1940s and were about Cate Callahan. Benny read them quickly. The first article was about Cate being a native of Long Island who was in movies with Mickey Rooney, just like Mr. Kellman said. Benny swiped to the second article, which talked about Cate being presumed dead after a boating accident. That article had a black-and-white photo. Benny zoomed in.

Catherine. Cate. Grace. “Whoa.”