Chapter 22
News of the deaths of both Mark and Susan had reached the Charlotte news websites and regional media outlets by Monday afternoon. It was all over the evening newscasts in the Port City and the Queen City.
Common friends were shocked and puzzled. None of the news stories suggested that Mark and Susan were having marriage difficulties. And, only one website even mentioned that they were staying in separate motel rooms, or had arrived in separate cars.
The conclusion that the casual viewer/reader would draw was that Mark was partying a little too hard to be behind the wheel, lost control of his car, crashed and drowned. His wife, subsequently, was overcome by unbearable grief and committed suicide. End of tragic story.
There was no mention of any gold in any news report.
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At the convenience store on NC 710 at US 74, the store owner was watching the Fayetteville 6:00 PM local newscast. He listened to the attractive, black, female newscaster as he counted the twenties in the till.
“A Charlotte couple died in separate incidents over the weekend at Carolina Beach. Mark van Buren, age thirty-eight, died early Saturday morning after crashing his car on a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. His rented car went off the bridge and sank to the bottom of the channel. Rescue divers recovered his body around 5:30 AM. Mr. van Buren was still strapped in his seat belt.”
Pictures of Mark and Susan were now on the TV screen. The newscaster continued. “His thirty-four-year-old wife, Susan van Buren, died eight hours later that afternoon, around 1:30 PM from an apparent suicide. Preliminary testing suggests an opioid overdose. An empty OxyContin pill bottle was found in her motel room.”
Ah, the van Burens! That’s them. What in the wacky wide world happened to them? Ah, Carolina Beach. Still crazy after all these years.
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While on the internet, scanning the local news, Gerald ran across a short article about the two deaths. But, without any picture of the car, he paid little attention to it, and was quickly on to the next story.
Then his dogs started barking. Then they started to whimper. It was time to feed them and give them a bone.