by Joyce Lavene
I called Chief Michaels and asked him to meet me at the house. Then I sat on the wrought-iron patio chair to wait. It wasn’t long before I saw Kevin climbing up on the inn’s roof. He had a bundle of black shingles thrown over one shoulder and a hammer in a holster at his side. He turned around once he was up there and saluted in my general direction. I waved. That’s what mayors are supposed to do.
The pretty blue sky that had made the Fourth of July parade so spectacular was being chased away by angry black clouds coming in from the south. The ocean responded with more whitecaps and thunderous surf. Mary Lou might be right about those sea turtle eggs. I realized that was the next thing on my list. Who knew being mayor would be so crazy?
I’d kind of fallen into it on a dare from Gramps. He’d been the sheriff of Dare County for twenty years before retiring fifteen years ago. He was a big believer in community service and asked what I’d done for my hometown since becoming an adult. Sometimes you have to be careful how you respond to people who want the best for you.
Fortunately, running Missing Pieces wasn’t really a full-time job and Gramps filled in for me when I needed him. Being mayor was only a sometimes kind of job too, so they meshed together nicely.
Chief Ronnie Michaels came huffing around the corner of Miss Elizabeth’s house. He always reminded me of the Marine sergeant on the Gomer Pyle sitcom. His uniform was immaculate, creases exactly where they needed to be. His patent leather shoes never had a scuff mark.
Officer Tim Mabry was at his heels, as always. Tim had told me lots of times that he planned to become the next police chief when Chief Michaels, who was seventy like Gramps, retired. He was building a house on Duck Landing Road after inheriting a small patch of land his grandfather had left him. I knew all of this because he told me every time he proposed to me. Last week had made the sixth occasion this year.
“Mayor.” The chief nodded at me, then turned narrowed eyes on the house. “You say Miss Elizabeth is missing?”
“I don’t really know.” I told him what Miss Mildred had said and threw in what Kevin Brickman had told me for good measure. “Mr. Brickman was here for a few minutes. He was concerned about Miss Elizabeth too.”
“Are you saying you think he could be involved with this?” Tim lifted his police cap and let the breeze cool his sweaty blond head.
“No, Tim. I was saying he’d noticed she was gone and he isn’t from here. Maybe that’s odd. I don’t know.”
The chief laughed. “Yes, ma’am. It’s real odd for people in Duck to know what everyone else is doing. No one ever knows what’s going on around here.”
I agreed, thinking he hadn’t needed the sarcasm.
“But maybe if the mayor thinks something is up with that boy, we should check him out.” Tim rushed in to defend me.
“No need. He came by when he moved in. Believe me, he’s not involved in anything with Miss Elizabeth,” the chief assured him. “But he’d be the kind to notice things, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t,” I admitted. “But if you think it’s fine—”
“Not just fine, Your Honor,” the chief continued. “I can’t divulge everything Mr. Brickman confided in me on his move here to Duck. Suffice it to say, he’s the kind of citizen we want to have here. We’ll leave it at that.”
Chief Michaels rarely spoke highly of anyone not born and raised in Duck, so his good word was enough for me. I’d known him all my life. He and Gramps had been friends since high school. I trusted the chief completely, and if the chief trusted Kevin Brickman, then regardless of the secret circumstances, Kevin Brickman was okay. I glanced back up at the Blue Whale Inn’s roof. Kevin was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear his hammer.
“Anyway, as you can see,” I continued, “we may have a situation here with Miss Elizabeth. I think we should search her house, and if we can’t find her, we might have to issue a Silver Alert.”
The chief scratched his head. “Silver Alert? I’m not sure I’m familiar with that term.”
“It’s what they call it when an older person is missing,” I explained. “Like the Amber Alert when a child is missing.”
“No need to panic, Mayor. We’ll find her.” The chief looked back at the increasingly angry horizon, where bright streaks of lightning were stabbing at the sky. “I suggest we do it before this weather hits too. Looks like a nasty one brewing.”
Tim came over to hold my hand. “Don’t worry, Dae. We’ll find her.”
I don’t have anything against Tim. We went to school together and even kissed a few times back then. But I don’t have those kinds of feelings for him either. Each time he’s proposed I’ve told him as much. I don’t think he was listening.
I smiled as I took my hand back. “I’m not worried. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
But two hours later, things were far from fine. The storm was sweeping the town streets with rain and sand. A long line of visitors was snaking away from Duck to safer and higher ground. They represented at least a third of all the business we’d see that year. And Miss Elizabeth was still missing.
I put on a poncho and rain boots and locked up Missing Pieces. Gramps had gone to the fire station to help since he was a volunteer. I pulled the wood shutters closed over the windows to try to protect what I could. Even though the shop faces the Currituck Sound side of Duck rather than the ocean, there could still be damage. Everyone was meeting at town hall a few doors down on the boardwalk to coordinate efforts toward the storm and the search for Miss Elizabeth.
“It was going so well,” Shayla Lily said on a sigh as she met me outside on the boardwalk. “I’d already done two tarot spreads and a couple of palm readings. They were lining up at the door.”
Shayla ran Mrs. Roberts, Spiritual Advisor. Her business was located next door to Missing Pieces on the Duck Shoppes’ boardwalk. She hadn’t bothered changing the name of the popular tarot-card and palm-reading shop when she’d bought it from Mary Catherine Roberts last year. Shayla was an interesting person, with her slinky black clothes and sultry New Orleans attitude.
“I think everyone feels your pain. I guess we’ll have to make it up this fall at the Harvest Festival.”
“What about the fireworks?”
“I think they must be canceled.”
“You’re the mayor. Can’t you do something about it?”
“I don’t think I have that kind of power. We’ll have to save the fireworks for next year.”
“Or the Harvest Festival?” she asked with a brilliant smile.
“Maybe. I have to go. I’m looking for—”
“Miss Elizabeth. I know.”
“Did you find that out using the tarot?”
“No. Someone came by and told me she was missing. It doesn’t take a psychic to find out what’s going on around here, Dae. Like that new man up at the Blue Whale Inn. I keep hoping he’ll stop in and want me to read his palm.”
“I don’t think that’s likely to happen. He doesn’t seem the type.”
“You met him already? What type does he seem?” She looked at me suspiciously, her finely drawn brows knitting together in her cocoa-colored face. “Have you been flirting over the UPS packages again? If I’d known what a babe magnet they’d be, I’d have taken them in my store.”
The rain came down heavier, and I pulled my poncho hood down low over my face. I told Shayla we’d have to talk later. Miss Elizabeth might be out in the storm.
I kept seeing the image of Miss Mildred’s watch in my mind. I wished those images came with better detail. Usually, the things I found were easy to locate. They were behind an oak bookcase or under a mirrored coffee table. The hardest-to-find item I’d ever looked for was some lose change Andy Martin—owner of Andy’s Ice Cream—had somehow unwittingly dropped into a tub of his homemade vanilla.
But this was something else. Miss Elizabeth’s life could be in danger, and all I could see was her mother’s watch on her frail arm. Every time I tried to revisit the image, there was only
darkness around it. Did that mean it was night? Was Miss Elizabeth sitting against something black? I felt helpless and didn’t know what to do. Having information that could save her life yet not being able to understand it was worse than useless.
It wasn’t the first time my inborn abilities had frustrated me. It would’ve been nice if I’d been able to really see everything instead of bits and pieces. I’d wished for a long time that I’d be able to solve important, world-shattering problems with my psychic gift. But it was more finding missing earrings than helping hungry children. I tried to be grateful for what I had. My mother had taught me that.
By the time I reached town hall, a large group of searchers was there. Chief Michaels was coordinating the effort. He’d called up all of Duck’s police force, including our part-time officer.
“We’ve already searched Miss Elizabeth’s house and grounds,” the chief explained. “We’ve searched the downtown area. That leaves the rest of the residential areas and the beaches. Obviously, the beaches are going to be dangerous for a while. All of you better be extra careful out there. We want to find her, but we don’t want to lose any of you either.”
I looked at the faces of the men and women I knew so well. Cailey Fargo, the fire chief, was there with her men. She’d taught fifth grade when I was in school. Carter Hatley ran Game World, the skeet ball and video game place down at the other end of town. I’d gone to school with his daughter. She married a musician she’d met in Manteo one summer and moved to New York.
My gaze snagged on Kevin Brickman, who was wearing a black poncho, his hood still pulled up on his head. He’d either been staring at me first or caught me looking at him and decided to look back. I couldn’t be sure which. He nodded and I nodded back. Shayla was going to be very disappointed when she finally met him. I didn’t see him as a tea-leaf, palm-reading kind of person. He reminded me of Chief Michaels in a strange sort of way. Maybe he’d been involved with law enforcement, and that’s why they’d bonded so quickly.
“We’ll divide up into three teams to search the beaches and the neighborhoods. Remember to keep in constant contact with this office. Mayor O’Donnell will be here taking those calls.” The chief looked around at his task force. “Any questions?”
“I don’t want to stay here and answer the phone,” I complained, surprised he’d thought of it. “I want to help look for Miss Elizabeth.”
“That’s not a question, Your Honor,” the chief responded. “We need you here to coordinate everything. Besides, we have to keep our mayor safe.”
He sort of smiled and patted me on the head. I felt sure that if he’d had a lollipop, he’d have given it to me. The group started breaking up and heading for the door as though it were all decided. With Chief Michaels leading the pack, I had no one to complain to about it.
“Think you can handle the excitement?” Kevin asked.
“I didn’t mean it would be less exciting. I want to do something more than answering the phone.”
“You’re the mayor.” He shrugged. “Delegate.”
He was right, of course. I saw Nancy Boidyn, our town clerk, at her computer. She looked up with terror written on her pretty features. We’d spoken before about her dislike of storms. Many times I’d wondered why she lived on the coast where we were famous for our violent weather.
“Nancy, would you mind staying here and answering the phone?”
“I’d love to, Dae. Thanks.”
I’d already taken a breath to qualify why I thought she should stay, but it wasn’t necessary. She grabbed on to the life preserver of coordinating the search and clung with both hands. “Great! Thanks. I’m going out to look for Miss Elizabeth.”
“What will I tell the chief if he asks where you are?”
“Tell him I needed some fresh air. I’ll call if I find anything.”
I walked out of town hall feeling guilty for not doing what was expected of me. But I felt even more responsible for trying to find Miss Elizabeth, despite the chief seeming to think I wasn’t up to the task. Just because I was mayor didn’t mean I couldn’t do the important things. Two of the men who’d gone out to search were on the town council. No one had tried to stop them.
The wind was gusting hard, blowing sheets of rain down the street. The sky had turned so dark it looked more like midnight than midafternoon. I turned to go toward the new housing development, a short walk from Miss Elizabeth’s house, and almost walked into Kevin. He seemed to be waiting for me.
“Where are you going to look first?”
“Why? Are you afraid I can’t take care of myself too?”
“No. Remember me? I’m the one who suggested your little rebellion.”
“Why are you here then?”
“You know your way around. You were the first to report that Miss Elizabeth was gone. I thought you might be the one to find her.”
His idea had some merit. “I thought I’d try looking around those new houses being built close to where you live. Maybe the storm came up, and she ducked inside one of those for shelter.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I didn’t have time to question why he’d chosen to go with me instead of the groups of officers. I focused on finding Miss Elizabeth and tried not to think about him walking alongside me. The fact that I had to try to ignore him made me even more aware of him.
Once we got past the protected area between the businesses and the houses that made up downtown, the wind was stronger and louder. It battered us with gale force, making talking impossible. I hated to think of frail Miss Elizabeth out in this storm. I hoped she was somewhere with a friend the chief had missed in his initial search. The sisters didn’t have any relatives that I knew of. Neither of them had children.
I glanced over the dunes covered with various plants and prickly shrubs. Mary Lou Harcourt’s little group was down by the turtle nesting area. The tide was rushing in with a fierce vengeance to reach the shore. Already the water was crashing close to where the turtle eggs were hidden in the sand.
Mary Lou waved to me, the relieved smile on her face telling me she thought we’d come to help her save the eggs. With the wind and the surf banging between us, there was no way to make myself understood. I yelled, but she kept beckoning to me. I couldn’t walk off without telling her why I couldn’t help.
“I have to go down there.” Kevin leaned closer to hear what I’d said, and I yelled it again. “I have to tell her about Miss Elizabeth.”
I could see by the look on his face that he didn’t understand. I tried yelling again and this time, he yelled back. “Why?”
“I can’t just walk away. I have to explain.”
He shrugged and followed me down the well-worn path between the sea oats. The town had planted them there years ago to prevent beach erosion. The huge plants whipped at us in the wind. I could see the sand shifting from the rough water. Each year the town had to work to keep Duck’s shoreline intact. It was a never-ending task. Someday, people said, Duck would be gone, lost under the gray Atlantic and Currituck Sound. But not on my watch.
Mary Lou had two other older ladies with her. I thought they were members of the Ladies’ Sewing Circle who made the quilts that were auctioned off at Christmas. They were all throwing themselves across the area where the turtles had laid their eggs in the moonlight a month past.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” Mary Lou hugged me. She was soaked despite her poncho and vinyl pants. “We can’t protect them. The sea is going to wash them away.”
“We can’t stay,” I told her. “I’m sorry, but we’re looking for Miss Elizabeth. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. But the eggs . . .”
“Everyone is out searching for her.” I felt bad about having to desert Mary Lou. I wanted to help the turtles too, but Miss Elizabeth needed my help more. “We’ll come back if we find her.”
I could see she wasn’t happy with my decision, but it was the only thing to do. I smiled again and turned to walk b
ack up the path the way we’d come. Kevin had moved to the right of me, and I took a step forward. The rain and wind had shifted the usually solid sand into a gooey mess that caught at my foot and tugged hard.
I pitched forward, face-first, into the sea oats. A few of the sharp leaves scratched my cheek and chin. I guess I must’ve closed my eyes as I fell because when I opened them, it wasn’t sea oats that I saw. It was Miss Elizabeth’s fragile wrist, with her mother’s watch on it, half buried in the sand.
Chapter 3
I scrambled out of the sand and sea oats, breathing hard. I didn’t need my psychic sense or the police to tell me that Miss Elizabeth was dead. I looked around at Mary Lou and her friends trying to save the turtle eggs from the incoming surf, which was already lapping at my feet. If the tide rose much higher, it would wash Miss Elizabeth’s body out to sea. I had to stop that from happening.
I glanced at Kevin. He was trying to help me up. How would he react if I asked him to help me move the body? I had no doubt Mary Lou and the turtle savers would lose it if I asked for their help. I was going to have to take my chances with Kevin. Maybe if he had some kind of police training, as I’d considered earlier, he’d be okay.
“I need your help,” I yelled at him against the mind-numbing crash of the waves and shriek of the wind.
“What?” he yelled back at me.
I moved closer to him and cupped my hands. “I found Miss Elizabeth. I need your help to move her.”
I could tell by the expression on his lean face that he understood me that time. I tried to smile encouragingly, tried to stay calm. I was a public official, after all. People expected it of me. Inside, my heart was jumping up and down while a terrible pain squeezed my chest. I was already crying. It was hard not to panic and run screaming up the hill back to town.