As she straightened the items on the dresser, she noticed a small stack of business cards in the pile. She flipped through them. Most of them were from members of the archeology team Neal was working with, but three were from shops in Manteo, all of them galleries of some sort—art, antiques, jewelry. He must have picked these up when he was shopping, she thought.
The cards triggered her memory, bringing her thoughts back to Dorrie Johnson and what she had planned to do on Friday. Dorrie had mentioned going into Manteo when she talked to Connie, maybe to jog her memory about the man Liz had been seeing at the time of her death. Dave Kerry hadn’t said that she mentioned any plans, but he had told Lin that Dorrie seemed well, not sick or hung over, when he last saw her.
Lin finished putting the clean clothes away and hurried to get a shower. She had a bit of shopping to do herself and maybe after Wal-Mart she’d visit some galleries.
The day was beautiful, in stark contrast to the rain and clouds earlier in the week. It was cool but sunny and the remainder of the weekend was supposed to be just as nice. Lin was looking forward to the coming trip down to Ocracoke. Neal was right; they might not have such good weather later—better take advantage of it.
Only one thing troubled Lin when she thought about the coming weekend. She wasn’t at all certain she was ready for a serious conversation with Neal about their relationship. She knew she couldn’t keep putting it off. Neal had to decide about his job, and she wanted that to be his own decision. It was important that he feel free to do what was best for him and for his career. She knew that Neal loved her and she loved him; she would continue to love him no matter what he decided to do. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that Neal was probably going to propose, and she wasn’t yet sure what her answer would be.
Lin thought about how comfortable it felt to be with Neal. She enjoyed having a man in her life again, but she also valued her independence. Before she met Neal she’d been planning to spend her retirement years traveling, volunteering in parks, seeing new places, and having new experiences. She’d pictured herself free from the responsibilities of family and job. She didn’t want to lose that opportunity, no matter what she decided about her relationship with Neal.
The parking lot at the Wal-Mart super store in Manteo was full of shoppers. Lin rather dreaded fighting the crowded maze of aisle displays she knew lay ahead. I should’ve finished all this up earlier; she complained to herself as she entered the store.
She tried to make quick work of rounding up stocking stuffers she wanted for her kids and grandkids. She found some small tools she thought Neal would find useful and added those to her stash of small gifts. She added colorful paper clips and a small stapler to Neal’s stocking gifts. It had always been the custom in her family for even the adults to fill stockings for each other, generally with small inexpensive items that were useful or fun.
Before leaving the store, she went to the food section and purchased a few baking supplies. She would definitely have to start on Christmas goodies next week. Finally, she was ready to leave the crowd and head to the calmer streets of downtown Manteo.
Her first stop was the coffee shop on the waterfront. She ordered a large mug of dark roast and decided to indulge in a blueberry muffin while she relaxed a bit. She still wanted to find something extra special for Neal, even though she had purchased several nice gifts for him earlier. Maybe one of these shops would have something unique; she pulled the cards she had taken from the dresser out of her pocket. All of these places were nearby; she’d spotted them as she drove into the waterfront area. Maybe someone would remember if Dorrie had been in, even though it was two weeks ago.
Finishing her coffee, Lin left the shop and headed for the first gallery that happened to be directly across the street. A short, rotund man greeted her as she entered. The walls were hung with beautiful watercolors, mostly of coastal scenes. There were several display tables containing items that appeared to be antiques, china figurines and some pottery. The display area at the counter held a nice collection of gold and silver jewelry.
“May I help you find something?” the man greeted her with a smile.
“I’m really mostly browsing,” Lin smiled, “but I am looking for a gift for someone special. ”
“ The nicest things here are the watercolors,” the man approached her indicating the display on the main wall of the gallery, “all by local artists, some of them prize winners. Any of them would offer a wonderful way to remember this beautiful place.”
“They are lovely,” Lin replied, while noting that the prices were pretty much out of her league. “Actually, I really didn’t want to spend quite that much, perhaps some of the smaller items?”
She looked through most of the displays without anything really catching her eye. Finally, she decided she should try to get information and then be on her way.
“Do you happen to remember a young woman who might have come in a couple of weeks ago, actually exactly two weeks ago? She was very attractive, blond…”
The proprietor was thoughtful. “Actually, I do recall an attractive young woman, it might’ve been two weeks…she wasn’t really shopping, if I recall. She was asking how long I’d been here, in business that is, if I owned the shop or just worked here, stuff like that. Apparently she was trying to locate an old friend.”
“Were you able to help her?” Lin decided to probe further.
“I’m afraid not,” the man smiled. “I’ve only lived here for five years, had this shop for four. I sent her to the Simon gallery about a block down. Mark Simon has been in business here a long time. He knows everyone.”
Lin thanked the gentleman and left. One of the cards she’d taken from Neal’s stack was from the Simon Gallery as well. She spotted the sign down the street and headed in that direction.
The Simon gallery was a large and quite elegant establishment, taking up most of the block. The sign outside advertised art and collectibles, including antiques and estate jewelry, and the interior didn’t disappoint. There were lovely paintings on the walls; pottery and collectibles were evident in glass cases and on tables throughout the store. Lin was especially attracted to the beautiful collection of jewelry displayed under the glass counters that lined two walls. She couldn’t help but hope that perhaps this was the place where Neal had done some of his shopping the day he’d been so secretive. She gravitated to the jewelry area where a middle-aged clerk was busy cleaning some display cases.
The woman put aside her cleaning cloth and smiled at Lin, “Please excuse me, we’ve been so busy with all the holiday shoppers that I haven’t had time to do much housekeeping here. Is there something special I could help you with?”
Before Lin could speak, the bell over the door rang and a group of shoppers entered together. “Excuse me a moment,” the employee picked up her cleaning stuff and put it back under the counter. She turned to a door behind her that seemed to lead to a work area and called to someone. Lin looked up to see a tall , muscular young man clad in jeans and a sweatshirt standing in the doorway. It was obvious he didn’t generally work in the front of the gallery.
“I’ll need you out here for a few minutes, Mike. Just stand by and try to help those customers if they have any questions.” The woman returned to Lin shaking her head, “We really are busy this season. That’s good, but it’s sometimes hard to cover everything, especially when Mr. Simon can’t be here.”
“I see how busy you are,” Lin said, “I won’t keep you long.” A tray of beautiful antique buttons had caught Lin’s eye. They looked like silver and would be a handsome addition to any nice blazer. She could picture them on Mark’s navy one—handsome indeed. “I was looking at those buttons, she indicated the tray, the silver ones.”
“Actually, they’re pewter, less expensive than silver,” the woman responded as she lifted the tray to the countertop, “but they polish up just beautifully, and they are authentic antiques, possibly two hundred years old. We have information about them too.”
The buttons were expensive, but not totally unreasonable, and Lin was really drawn to them. They’d be perfect for Neal. She selected several, enough for the front and sleeves of the blazer, and asked the clerk if they could be gift wrapped.”
“Certainly,” the woman smiled, “I’ll polish them up first. Why don’t you follow me and you can select a gift box.” Before moving to the rear work area, the clerk approached the group that was still browsing. She told them she’d be with them shortly, and indicated that they could ask Mike for help if they wanted to see anything from one of the cases. Meanwhile Mike continued to wait, somewhat sullenly, on a stool behind the counter.
Lin followed the clerk into the workroom where she found an assortment of gift boxes. She selected a beautiful red velvet box with a black satin lining that would really show off the buttons. “This is almost too pretty to wrap,” she handed it to the clerk.
“Yes, but you want the contents to be a surprise,” she replied.
While the woman polished the buttons and pinned them to the lining of the box, Lin decided to see if she could garner any information.
“I’d hoped to have the chance to speak to Mr. Simon, I understand he has done business here for a long time.”
“Yes, he’s been here probably twelve years or more, I’ve been with him for the past eight,” she offered. “He does a good business, especially since he added the antique and estate jewelry, I think that’s why he hired me. His business was really growing. Fortunately, it’s still good.”
“I’d like to talk to him sometime, about an old friend he might know,” Lin said, “When do you think he’ll be in?”
“ Oh, he should be back Monday. It’s his wife. She’s, er…she’s not well,” the woman seemed a bit uncomfortable with this topic. “Sometimes he needs to stay with her, take her to the doctor, you know how that can be, looking after someone. He really needs to hire some help here, someone besides Mike.”
“I could see he didn’t seem too happy about being out front,” Lin glanced out the door and observed the young man still sitting glumly on the stool, his bulky torso hunched uncomfortably. Looking at him she got a strange feeling; there was something familiar about him but she couldn’t think what it was. I may’ve seen him somewhere, she thought, maybe shopping or perhaps at Tim’s bar or some other restaurant, it could’ve been anywhere.
The clerk had finished, and the gift was beautifully wrapped. Lin was excited as she placed the package carefully in her shopping bag. Neal’s going to be surprised, and he’s going to love these she smiled to herself.
Lin realized she’d gotten carried away with her shopping and hadn’t asked if the clerk had seen Dorrie Johnson. “One more quick thing,” she turned to the woman, “then I’ll get out of your hair.” Lin noticed that Mike had started back to the workroom, but he stopped when he realized she wasn’t yet ready to leave. She quickly described Dorrie and asked if the clerk remembered her coming into the shop, but she was disappointed.
“Actually, Fridays are usually my days off, I only came in today because Mr. Simon needed to be at home, so I wouldn’t have seen that young woman. Maybe Mr. Simon might remember her; you can come back next week and ask him.”
“Thank you, I might do that,” Lin took her purchase and headed for the door. As she was leaving, she heard Mike actually speak for the first time. “It’s time for my lunch break,” he said sullenly, “I’ll be back in an hour.”
Lin could almost feel the impatience in his voice. He’s certainly not a happy camper she thought, at least not today.
It was shortly after noon when Lin returned to her car with her purchase. She certainly wasn’t hungry, so she decided to visit the only remaining gallery in the area, the third shop where Neal had picked up a card. It was a small spot tucked along the waterfront about three doors down from the coffee shop. There were some lovely things on display, but it was a dead end where information was concerned. The young man, who appeared to be the owner, couldn’t recall having seen Dorrie, and he told Lin that he’d only been at that location for a couple of years. It appeared that her best bet for information was going to be Mark Simon, and he wouldn’t be available until next week. Might as well go back home, Lin thought. Neal should be back soon, and we can pack and make plans for the weekend.
As she crossed the street heading back to her car she spotted Mike, the discontented fellow from the Simon gallery. He was leaning against one of the decorative streetlights with a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone pressed to his ear in the other. He displayed the same hulking posture as he had sitting on the stool at the gallery only now he was wearing a bulky jacket.
As she arrived at her car, a light bulb went off in Lin’s head; she knew where she had seen Mike before.
Chapter 18
I can’t be right Lin thought, as she left the downtown area and headed for the highway. I never saw a face, and there must be dozens of tall, broad shouldered men with bulky jackets. I’m just being stupid and silly she told herself, but she couldn’t shake the gut feeling that Mike was their prowler. She couldn’t positively identify him, of course, but she knew that his tall, hulking shape was the same one she’d seen running across Kate’s yard. Neal would say she was just feeling nervous, Ken Parker would tell her she couldn’t use hunches and gut feelings to identify someone in court, but Lin knew she was right, she just knew it.
She’d realized that she needed to gas up her car if they were going to drive down the banks tomorrow. Gas was much less expensive here than in the small towns that dotted the length of the Banks. She pulled into the QT station on the outskirts of town and had just begun pumping when an older model, black pick up truck pulled in and parked in front of the convenience store. The driver turned to look in her direction before entering the store; it was Mike. He quickly turned away, pulling the neck of his jacket up closer as he entered the building.
Lin hurried to finish getting her gas, glad she was using the pay at the pump feature and didn’t need to enter the store. She managed to complete her transaction and leave before Mike returned to his vehicle. Proceeding across the Baum Bridge and up Hwy. 158, she glanced back from time to time to determine if she were being followed. There was no sign of the old black pick up so maybe it was just a coincidence; maybe she was wrong and Mike hadn’t actually followed her to the station; maybe he didn’t need to follow further because he already knew where she was staying.
Lin resisted the temptation to stop by the police station and report her concerns, knowing how they would be received. She didn’t have any proof at all and couldn’t even say for certain that she’d been followed, but she was glad to see that Neal had already arrived by the time she pulled into the parking area under Kate’s house.
Neal was nowhere to be seen on the main floor. He must be upstairs, Lin thought. She took the opportunity to hide his gift beneath some others toward the back of the tree before putting her grocery purchases in the kitchen. The stocking stuffers she took upstairs to hide in a cabinet in the office.
Neal was showering, and Lin went back downstairs and started a fresh pot of coffee. She felt a little hungry now; she got out some stuff to make sandwiches. She’d just finished making hers when Neal appeared. “Have you had lunch?” she asked.
“No, not yet,” he replied, “Everyone wanted to get away early so we worked straight through the lunch hour. Some of the team members have three or four hours drive to reach home.”
They took their food to the porch and let Sparky out while they ate. “This hits the spot,” Neal sighed savoring his steaming mug of coffee, “how was your morning?”
“Good,” Lin reported. “I think I’ve finally finished my shopping now. She wanted to tell Neal about Mike and her feelings about him, but she realized he might worry when he learned she’d been asking questions about Dorrie, not to mention the fact that she’d gotten the idea from those business cards he’d left on the dresser. She started to turn the conversation in another direction but s
topped herself short. She wasn’t going to go down that path. Whatever her relationship with Neal was or was not going to be, it was going to be based on honesty. She wasn’t going to hide things from him. They’d already had experience on that path when they first met and it hadn’t worked for either of them. She poured them each a second cup of coffee and began to tell him everything she’d done and what she’d learned and experienced leaving out only the purchase of his special Christmas gift.
Neal listened attentively without interrupting her. When she finally finished her account, he sat back and took another long drink from his mug. He seemed to be reflecting on what she’d told him, trying to sort things out for himself. To her surprise, when he finally spoke it wasn’t about the account of her morning.
“I’ve been considering what you learned when you talked to that young fellow at the Holiday Inn, the one who said Dorrie didn’t seem sick or hung over when he saw her on Friday. I think I know who you should share that information with,” Neal was serious, “I realize you don’t want Ken Parker to think you’re trying to interfere with his case, but I also think he might not delve into all this himself. I agree with what you said earlier about him having focused on Billy Thornton in this entire situation. That’s who could use the information about Dorrie. You need to talk to Billy Thornton’s attorney, if you can find out whose representing him.”
Lin was shocked. She really hadn’t expected Neal to give her efforts so much thought, but he was entirely right. The information she’d learned could best be used to defend Billy. If Dorrie wasn’t hung over on Friday morning, then Billy hadn’t drugged her the night before. Whether or not Dorrie had taken drugs voluntarily became a moot point. Smoking a little pot was likely not sufficient to support charges such as Parker was contemplating. Lin smiled at Neal, “Good thinking, you’re entirely right, but how do we find out who the attorney is?”
Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery Page 19