A Finder's Fee

by Joyce

  Kevin smiled. “Now I know how someone feels dating a person with a split personality.”

  We parted company after that. Kevin had to help unload a truck full of fresh vegetables being delivered. I still had time to go to Missing Pieces, collect the items for St. Vincent’s and take them to the church.

  Treasure wasn’t going to like it that he got excluded from the trip, but I didn’t want to walk home first.

  I came across Trudy and Tim sitting close together on the boardwalk, feeding each other pieces of their sandwiches and laughing. I wouldn’t have thought about the two of them getting together, but seeing it, they were a good match.

  “Hi, Trudy. Hi, Tim.” Neither one looked up or even noticed me. That was all right. I hoped they’d be happy together for a long time.

  The boardwalk was crowded with people enjoying the nice weather. As I was picking up my donation to the church, Stan the UPS man stopped off with two packages. He wished me luck with the election, which would take place before he came back. Stan wasn’t from Duck, but he said he’d vote for me if he could.

  As soon as he was gone, I packed everything into my rolling carryall and walked down to St. Vincent’s. It looked like the bazaar would be well stocked. There were cars, golf carts and walkers like me bringing in all kinds of clothes and household items. I knew I’d want to be there for the event in case something wonderful might have accidentally been given away. I’d found a few treasures at this event before.

  I opened the door to the big community center and it felt like everyone stopped talking and looked at me.

  There was hostility on some of their faces, pity on others. I knew all of these people. I realized most of what I noticed came from the same feelings Amos was venting earlier.

  I ignored it and wheeled my carryall toward La Donna. “I hope this helps.”

  “Thanks, Dae.” She smiled and lowered her voice. “Don’t worry. All of this will blow over. You know it’s just talk right now. Randal is the underdog and everyone knows it.”

  “I guess that’s what I get for being a great mayor, right?”

  She squeezed my hand. “That’s exactly right. And don’t you forget it. Thanks for bringing all of this over. I would’ve come and picked it up.”

  “I needed the exercise anyway. I’ll see you later.”

  I focused in on how much easier it was going to be to walk back to Missing Pieces without dragging everything behind me. I smiled at familiar faces. It was one of the first things I’d learned about being mayor—keep a big smile on your face no matter what. My friend Sandi Foxx, the mayor of Manteo, had taught me that. She knew her way around difficult situations.

  As I walked out the door, I heard a woman mutter, “Witch!”

  I looked back and saw Martha Segall, the town’s resident complainer, staring back at me. Her white hair was wild and her clothes looked as though she’d just come from working in the yard. Martha loved to find ways to stop anything the town tried to do. Between that and trying to make money from things she felt like the town had done wrong, she wasn’t the council’s favorite person.

  “You heard me.” She raised her chin when I looked at her. “Call it what you will, but finding that old car right in time to ruin Mad Dog’s chances at being mayor is plain witchcraft. Two hundred years ago, we would’ve burned you at the stake.”

  Chapter 13

  Reverend Lisa, a local minister, intervened. “Martha, that seems a little harsh. We all know Dae was born with a gift for finding things. I have a feeling she’s helped you out when you were looking for something lost, like she’s helped most of the people here. I’m sure she’s found many things she wished she wouldn’t have, including that old car.”

  Martha put down the sweater she was folding. “I admit it’s a stretch. The timing was perfect.”

  “Dae has been a wonderful mayor.” La Donna put her arm around me. “And she’s a great friend.”

  “Well, I grew up with Randal.” Martha wasn’t giving it up. “He’s a good friend and an asset to this community.”

  “Then you’ll be glad to know Dae is trying to help him get out of this mess.” La Donna kept trying to defend me. “We’re stronger as a town having both Randal and Dae right here where they belong.”

  Martha sniffed. “I’m sorry, Dae. I get a mite riled sometimes. You know that.”

  “I do,” I agreed. “Thanks.”

  “I’m voting for Randal though, whether the police think he killed Lightning Joe or not. He’s the man for the job. And that’s what we’re missing. A man. A sturdy hand on the helm. No offense, you being a woman and all.”

  “None taken.” I smiled at Lisa and La Donna, glad they were there. The witch term had hit a little too close to home for now.

  “You know . . .” Martha came a little closer. She smelled strongly of garlic. “If you really want to catch Joe’s killer, you should talk to some of those crazy girls who used to chase him around. They used to toss their panties at him when he did his victory lap. I suspect one or two of them might have been angry when he got married. Mind my words, girl.”

  Married? I hadn’t heard anyone mention that Joe had a wife. Chief Michaels had talked about Joe’s sister filing all the missing person’s reports on him. Who was his wife?

  I would’ve asked Martha—I’m sure she knew—but I didn’t want to push my luck with her. Her earlier performance was about as friendly as she ever got.

  La Donna might know. I asked her about Lightning Joe’s wife.

  “I never kept up with that stuff, Dae.”

  “I thought you were the president of his fan club?”

  “It was a long time ago.” She smiled and started folding clothes that had become rumpled in the buying spree. “I can’t talk right now. Let’s get together later, okay?”

  Was it just me or did she seem evasive about it? Maybe she didn’t like to think about those times. After all, she’d lived a whole, different life since then. Her mother’s reminder of her poor choices might be more than she wanted to remember.

  It started raining—cold, hard rain—as I stalked back to Missing Pieces pulling my empty carryall behind me. This just wasn’t my day.

  The whole thing at the church was exactly what I’d feared would happen. Everyone blamed me for Mad Dog probably being taken out of the election—like I couldn’t have won even if we hadn’t found the old race car. I’d been a good mayor. I cared about Duck. I didn’t need to cheat.

  I let myself into Missing Pieces and shut the door behind me. I was drenched and not sure if my old brown suit would survive the downpour. Freezing, I grabbed a shirt and pants from the clothing rack and ducked into the side storage room to change.

  I managed to strip off my suit and step out of my soaked shoes before a large, heavy net descended on me from the ceiling. “What the—”

  “Don’t bother trying to get away.” Shayla’s voice came out of the dark. “The net is made of pure hemp that’s been blessed and is soaked in camphor to boot. You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” I shivered in my wet bra and panties. “Get this thing off of me, Shayla, or I swear—”

  “You don’t scare me, witch. Go ahead, Gram. Do what you need to do.”

  Apparently burning feathers was a stronger treatment than shaking them around. Flourine lit dozens of them in the small storage room, enough to make me gag. My eyes were watering when I heard the little bell on the front door announce a customer.

  In the light coming under the door from the shop, I could see Flourine and Shayla standing still, staring at each other, probably trying to decide what to do.

  “Dae?” I heard Trudy’s voice and grabbed it like a life preserver.

  “In here,” I yelled back. “Shayla has lost her mind.”

  The door opened and Trudy’s perfectly coiffed head appeared around the cor
ner of the doorway. “What’s going on? Why is Dae in that net?”

  “Best you leave now, girl.” Flourine shook her feathers again. “We’re driving the witch out of your little friend. Don’t make us hurt you.”

  “Gram.” Shayla pulled her grandmother back and approached Trudy. “Sorry. She gets a little carried away.”

  Trudy sneezed repeatedly, probably from the burned feather smell. “She gets carried away? Get Dae out of here before I call Tim. You have truly lost your mind, Shayla.”

  Shayla seemed a little apologetic. “I know it looks bad. But I’m telling you, something’s not right. Gram and I have done a bunch of tests. We both think the witch is still in her.”

  “If you don’t get her out of there, I’m calling for help. I don’t care what you think is in her. Get that thing off of her. She’s not even decent. What are you thinking?”

  Gram nodded. “I can take the skinny one. You go ahead with the ceremony.”

  Shayla backed down. “No. Trudy’s right. This is crazy. There has to be another way.”

  “You could force her to the crystal.” Flourine’s voice took on dark undertones like she was announcing for a horror show on TV. “That always shows the truth.”

  “Would you be willing to go and look in the crystal, Dae?” Shayla’s tone was skeptical.

  I coughed. “Anything is better than this.”

  “Fine.” Trudy fumed. “You have to let her put some clothes on. And I’m going too so there’s no funny stuff.”

  “Okay.” Shayla gave in. “Let’s go.”

  Trudy stayed in the storage room with me while I put on the shirt and pants. Shayla insisted that I shouldn’t be alone. She and Flourine went to her shop next door to get the crystal ready.

  “What is her problem?” Trudy looked at an old clock as she fussed. “She’s taking this way too far. Maybe you should get a restraining order. Tim would be glad to get it for you. He’d probably enforce it too.”

  I started looking for a pair of shoes that would fit. I usually kept an extra pair at the shop for emergencies. I remembered that I’d taken them to the Blue Whale to work on a project there and left them.

  “I guess I wasn’t imagining things about you and Tim being together.” I tried on a pair of scuffed yellow leather dress shoes.

  “No. You weren’t. We’ve seen each other every day. We’re perfect for each other. Tim is so considerate and eager to please me. I want to do everything I can to make him happy. And he’s a really good kisser, Dae. Have you kissed him lately?”

  The leather shoes were ugly, but they fit like they were made for me. “No. I haven’t kissed him since high school. I’ve been trying to get him not to think of me like that. You know what I mean.”

  “Well, it’s too late for you now. He’s mine. I hope you won’t regret giving him up.” She smiled so brilliantly she appeared to be lit up from inside.

  “I’m so happy for both of you.” I hugged her. “I hope you’ll be together forever.”

  “Thanks. That’s what I came over to talk to you about when I found Shayla and her grandmother acting like weird people. Is this the kind of thing that goes on in New Orleans? I’m still not sure I shouldn’t call Tim. He’s on duty right now. He doesn’t have a supper break until six. I know he’d come in a heartbeat if I called him.”

  “It sounds like you’re looking for an excuse to call him.” I found an old sweater I could wear too. I was still so cold.

  “Not an excuse exactly. Chief Michaels complained that we were talking too much while Tim was on duty. It has to be something official. I think this might be official, don’t you?”

  I hated to take the sparkle from her eyes, but I didn’t think it was a good time to call Tim. “I think I can handle this. I’m glad you came by, but you don’t have to go any further with it.”

  Trudy was a little disappointed that she couldn’t call, but she insisted on going with me to Shayla’s shop next door. The cold rain had slowed to drizzle and a heavy mist as we left Missing Pieces. I wondered when my luck for that day was going to change.

  Shayla’s shop was darker than most. She had some rare and original artifacts—some that she’d brought with her and others from a woman who’d spent a little time in Duck a few years ago.

  I’d just opened Missing Pieces when Mary Catherine Roberts opened her shop next to mine. She said she was a psychic and could talk to animals. She left her shop less than a year later. Mrs. Roberts, Spiritual Advisor was still set up as though she knew Shayla would move in a few weeks later.

  I’d looked into Shayla’s crystal ball before with mixed outcomes. She said she could see everything in it. She used it to help her clients find happiness—money, lovers and new jobs.

  Sometimes when I looked in it, I saw things that shouldn’t have been there, at least according to Shayla. Would I see Maggie in the crystal ball?

  I wasn’t sure what Shayla and Flourine would make of that, but I was willing to take my chances. Anything to get them off my back.

  It wouldn’t be long now before I could end my time with Maggie. The police were bound to be done with the crime scene now that the car and the excavator were gone. All I needed was help from the historical society to lay her to rest. I was looking forward to it being over.

  “Sit down, Dae.” Shayla pulled up a chair with an air of drama. “You know how this goes.”

  I sat at the rattan table where the large crystal ball was resting on a black cloth. It had a glow to it that I couldn’t explain. I’d examined it several times. There were no batteries, nothing that should have made it light up.

  Maybe it was magic, but I wasn’t one hundred percent convinced.

  “You don’t have to look like you expect us to kill her or something,” Shayla said to Trudy, who’d moved in closer to guard my back when I sat down.

  “That’s not what it looked like to me back there. I’ll stay where I am—and skeptical—until this is over.”

  “Suit yourself.” Shayla went to the other side of the table and sat down.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Flourine take up a sentinel post beside Trudy. It was definitely best to get this over before anyone became physical again.

  The crystal ball was clear until I touched it. At first it grew hazy, as it always did, a little like it was trying to tune in to a TV station. Shayla and I both leaned over it, trying to see through the mist.

  Almost immediately, Maggie appeared. I glanced at Shayla. She hadn’t moved.

  Maggie looked at me. “Dae? Is that you? Where are you?”

  “Aha!” Shayla called out. “I knew it. There she is. Maggie Madison is still right there, under your skin. She’s waiting to come out and take over.”

  Before I realized what she was doing, Shayla had laid a silver mesh across the crystal. It was brightly polished—the light from the crystal flaring up inside of it—making it difficult to see.

  She said a few words in a language I didn’t understand, and the crystal went dark.

  “You did it!” Flourine hopped around the room. “You trapped her and banished the witch. I knew it would work.”

  “What is she talking about?” My heart was beating quickly. Had they really gotten rid of Maggie?

  “The witch showed up in the crystal, as we knew she would.” Flourine gloated. “The silver trapped her and took her out of you. The spell will keep her away. She won’t be back.”

  Shayla stared at me nose to nose. “How do you feel, Dae?”

  “So much better. I feel just great. I’m going back to my shop now. Thanks so much.”

  I thought that would be it, but when I tried to stand up, Flourine put her hand on my shoulder. “Sit back down there. We have to make sure you’re clean.”

  Trudy slapped at Flourine’s hand until she moved it.

  “Don’t touch her,” Shayla said. �
�This is my shop.” She removed the silver mesh from the crystal. It stayed dark for a few seconds and then eerie light flickered and gleamed. “Okay. Now touch it and look again.”

  I did as she said, eager to get this over with. The light became hazy, as it had before. This time, all I saw reflected in the crystal was my face. Maggie was gone.

  Flourine declared me free of the witch’s influence. She and Shayla cried and hugged each other. Trudy and I slowly made our way toward the door.

  “I’ll see you later, Shayla.” I wanted to get out before they changed their minds.

  Trudy walked out with me. “Well?”

  “I don’t know. I know what it looked like, but it doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Yeah. I know what you mean.” She glanced down the boardwalk and her pretty face grew more animated. “Tim! Are you taking early dinner?”

  He swung her into his arms and they kissed passionately, despite the mist and the drizzle. “I had to stop at town hall and pick up some paperwork for the chief. I was thinking I could at least see you for a few minutes before I have to go back to work.”

  “I’m so glad.”

  Tim glanced at me. “Hi, Dae. How’s it going?”

  “It’s going fine. Great.” I felt like crying about losing Maggie, if that was what had happened. I wasn’t sure.

  I thought about my need to touch the old number twelve car that was in the impound lot. I didn’t feel so bad asking Tim for a favor since he was so wrapped up in Trudy, and he didn’t seem to mind.

  “Sure. I can help you with the car.” He kissed Trudy’s nose and she giggled. “When do you want to go?”

  I told him I needed to call him since I wanted Kevin there too. He was fine with that.

  “I’m going home now. You two enjoy your time together.”

  “We will.” Trudy took his arm and led him into Curves and Curls, closing the door behind them.

  Nancy stepped out of the town hall doorway, electric cigarette in her hand. “Ain’t love grand?”