A Watery Death (A Missing Pieces Mystery Book 7)

by Joyce Lavene

  “Martha, there are only five hundred and eighty-six residents who would be eligible to sign that kind of petition,” Cailey told her. “The rest of those people don’t live here.”

  “Maybe not.” Mad Dog championed her cause, heaving his large form out of his chair. “But it’s not good for business if people are afraid.”

  Cody shook his head and covered his microphone with his hand to whisper something to Rick.

  “We’re doing the best we can,” Chief Michaels told him. “A murder investigation takes time if it’s done right.”

  “Just let Dae put her hands on the dead man, and we’ll all know what happened,” Mrs. Euly Stanley, an elderly Duck resident, remarked from the audience. “No investigation needed.”

  My face got hot and probably red when many people who weren’t from Duck turned to stare at me. I banged my gavel once for order. “This discussion belongs in public comment, ladies and gentlemen. Right now, Mr. Slayton has yielded the floor to Chief Michaels.”

  Mad Dog sat down with a disgusted grunt. Martha patted his hand.

  “There’s not really much more to say, Mayor,” Chief Michaels reiterated. “The circumstances of the death on the ship are mysterious. Sheriff Riley will be here helping me figure them out. I’m sure the town will issue a press release if there is a breakthrough. Thank you for your time.”

  Chris Slayton took the floor again to proceed with old business. His report on the continuing project to build more ramps, and even an overpass for walkers to cross Duck Road, was thorough. The town had received a grant from the state for the project, which was entering its final phase.

  “Work is also proceeding on the new fishing pier,” Chris said. “We hope to have that completed by September.”

  “Are there any questions for Mr. Slayton from the council?” I asked.

  “I have a question,” Mad Dog shouted. “If we can build all these ramps and piers, why do we need that gambling ship? We’ve got plenty of tax revenue from the beach houses and businesses. I used to be on the council, you know. I know how much money we take in every year, and how much we put out. Get rid of that damn nuisance.”

  “Here, here!” Martha joined him.

  “That ship has brought in more problems than answers,” Mac Sweeney, my next door neighbor, joined the fray. “I agree with Mad Dog. I can hardly even get into the laundromat to wash my clothes.”

  “You’re just complaining to hear yourself complain.” Carter Hatley, from the skeet ball and video game arcade, Game World, got to his feet. “The Andalusia has been good for business, even in the off season.”

  “I agree with Carter.” Mark Samson, who owned the Rib Shack, stood.

  I used my gavel again to bring order to the always opinionated crowd.

  “We haven’t reached the public comment part of the meeting yet,” I told everyone. “You’ll all get your chance to speak. But for now, the next person who speaks out of turn will be asked to leave the meeting.”

  That had never happened at a Duck town meeting, but there was always a first time. Our meetings tended to be raucous. There weren’t many of us who lived here as permanent residents, but we all had something to say. That was good—the way democracy was supposed to work. Just sometimes it got out of hand.

  “That’s all I have for old business,” Chris said. “Shall we move on to new business?”

  “Yes, please, Mr. Slayton,” I encouraged. “Public comment will be after new business, for those of you who have forgotten how we hold our meetings.”

  Mad Dog glared at me. He knew I was talking to him after his reference to having been on the council for many years. I didn’t care. He knew how this was supposed to happen.

  “We don’t have much in new business, Mayor O’Donnell,” Chris said. “The gambling ship has been bringing in record profits for our businesses. In June, we had full occupancy of our bed and breakfast facilities as well as our vacation rental units. There is some talk of a hotel chain coming to ask about building a multi-room facility. I’m not at liberty to disclose negotiations as yet, but we should hear something about that soon.”

  “That’s it!” Mad Dog lumbered to his feet again, his face red and angry. “Isn’t this why we incorporated in the first place? We can’t allow some big company to come in here and ruin Duck.”

  Chief Michaels shot to his feet in the back of the room. “For the love of God, Randal, sit down and shut up. We have enough real problems without you causing more.”

  It was so uncharacteristic of Chief Michaels to speak that way—the room grew instantly silent. He gazed at all his friends and neighbors and then started to speak again. His face turned a ghastly shade of gray and he gripped his chest with his hands.

  As we all watched, Chief Michaels collapsed on the council room floor.

  “Somebody call an ambulance!” Carter Hatley yelled.

  Chapter Six

  It took thirty minutes for an ambulance to reach us from Kill Devil Hills.

  In the meantime, Kevin went to get Dr. Clark who was still at the ship waiting for a morgue pickup. They got back faster than I imagined possible while Sheriff Riley and Tim did CPR on Chief Michaels.

  Dr. Clark stabilized Chief Michaels as Chris and Nancy moved people out of the meeting room. Even Mad Dog and Martha were quiet during that time.

  I stayed in the room with Chief Michaels’s wife, Marjory, and his sister, Ladonna. We held hands as the paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital.

  “I should go with him,” Marjory said.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” I promised. “I’ll bring Ladonna with me.”

  There were several vehicles following the ambulance to the hospital, including two police cars escorting it to make sure traffic stayed out of the way. We didn’t stop for red lights, although several cars honked their horns as we went by.

  At the hospital, the waiting room was full of Duck residents, anxious for word of Chief Michaels.

  Kevin brought coffee from the Blue Whale in large urns. We were all grateful for the hot beverage. There was nothing to be done about the uncomfortable, hard plastic chairs, although Chris Slayton managed to fall asleep in one. Everyone else sat and stared at each other or at the TV on the wall.

  At ten p.m., Cailey Fargo called me in to a small family meeting room where Rick Treyburn and Dab Efird were already seated. Cody Baucum came in right after. Nancy was there with a pen and paper. I knew what this was about.

  “I know it’s sudden,” Cailey said, “but we have to consider what to do about an immediate replacement for Chief Michaels.”

  “Replacement?” The word sounded torn from Dab’s throat. He and Chief Michaels were very close. “We don’t know how bad this is. We don’t have to replace the man already.”

  Cailey shook her head. “I don’t mean a permanent replacement, but we’re shorthanded enough for the busy season. We need someone to temporarily take up the reins of the police department. When Ronnie is ready to come back, that’s fine. We just can’t risk any more chaos in the middle of a murder investigation and twenty-thousand people in the streets for the Fourth of July.”

  We all agreed, though no one was happy about the situation.

  “Do you have someone in mind?” Cody asked.

  “Yes. I already took the liberty of speaking with him before I brought his name up.”

  Rick nodded. “Horace O’Donnell, right? Nobody knows this town like he does, and he has the benefit of having been sheriff.”

  Maybe that had immediately occurred to Rick and Cailey, but not to me.

  “Surely it would be better to promote Tim Mabry to take the chief’s place and hire one or two part-time officers,” I suggested. “Tim has been with the police department since it started.”

  I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Gramps taking on that responsibility, especially with the murder investigation and all the tourists.

  “Tim is a good man,” Cailey said. “But he just doesn’t have the maturity to handle thi
s.”

  “Agreed,” Cody said. “Though I think Dae is right about creating a few more full-time officers at least until we get through this crisis.”

  “But Gramps is too old for this,” I argued. “I don’t know if it will be too much of a strain for him.” I was completely rattled by my grandfather agreeing so quickly to take Chief Michaels’s place, even if it was only for a few weeks.

  “Horace is the same age as Chief Michaels,” Cailey said.

  “And Chief Michaels just had a heart attack,” I reminded her.

  But in the end, the police chief in Duck is appointed by the town council. I did my duty as mayor and called for a vote on the matter, hoping there would be a tie that I would have to break. I’d vote against Gramps being police chief and suggest again that Tim should take Chief Michaels’s place.

  There was no tie. All four council members quietly spoke their votes to bring in Gramps as interim police chief. As soon as the vote was over, Cailey brought Gramps into the room, and the four council members shook his hand and thanked him for his service.

  I couldn’t bring myself to do that and walked quickly out of the meeting room.

  “What’s going on?” Kevin asked when he saw me.

  “They want Gramps to take Chief Michaels’s place,” I said in a low voice. “I wish he would’ve turned them down.”

  “Why? He was good at what he did. The town needs him right now.”

  My eyes filled with tears that I brushed away. “I need him too. They should’ve tapped Tim. He could’ve done the job.”

  He put his arm around me. “He’ll be okay, Dae. Don’t worry. And I’m sure Ronnie Michaels isn’t going to lie around in bed for very long either. It’ll be fine. Have some faith, like you’re always telling me.”

  Gramps and the council came out of the meeting room. My grandfather’s gaze immediately came to rest on me across the room.

  We would have discussed what we’d done at that point, but Chief Michaels’s doctors came into the visitors’ area at the same time.

  “There’s good news and bad news,” the lead cardiologist said. “Chief Michaels survived a serious cardiac event. He’s going to need surgery, and I’m afraid, a long recovery time.”

  There were many questions, but no one was surprised by the severity of the event. We were as prepared as we could be, even though I still would have argued the point about Gramps being police chief, if anyone would have listened.

  We said goodnight a short time later. Gramps came home with Kevin and me in Kevin’s old pickup truck. Ladonna and Marjory stayed at the hospital, but a few of us agreed on a schedule so that they could have some time away.

  It was a quiet ride for the first twenty minutes with me squished between Gramps and Kevin.

  I wanted to say something, probably ask him not to take Chief Michaels’s place. The words just wouldn’t come.

  Finally, Kevin broke the silence. “I’m not letting the two of you out of this truck until I know that everything is okay between you.”

  Gramps chuckled. “I see a throw-down coming in your future, young man.”

  “That’s okay,” he said. “Isn’t there something you want to say, Dae?”

  “I don’t know,” I muttered.

  “If you have something, spit it out,” Gramps said.

  “All right.” I faced him. “I don’t think you should do this. If I could’ve voted, I would’ve voted against it. Tim should step in. He’s been there long enough to know what he’s doing.”

  “Is this because you’re afraid for me or because you think Tim deserves the promotion?” Gramps questioned.

  “Both,” I answered honestly. “Although I’m more worried about you getting hurt than about Tim getting a promotion. It’s been a long time since you carried a badge and a gun. Things have changed.”

  “Things haven’t changed that much,” Kevin said. “Once you’ve done the job, you can go back to it any time.”

  “But you’re not volunteering,” I mentioned hotly.

  “No, I volunteered,” Gramps said. “I’ll be fine, Dae. I can handle this. I’m sorry you’re afraid for me, but nothing will happen.”

  “Tell that to Captain Lucky,” I said. “It’s bad enough having a murder investigation right now, but it’s also prime beach season.”

  “I don’t know what else to say.” Gramps shook his head as we rolled into our driveway.

  I had completely forgotten about the naked man until that moment. So much had happened so quickly. I started to say something about it, but was afraid that Gramps and Kevin would just think I was throwing more roadblocks in the way.

  “It’s a bad situation,” I said as Kevin parked the truck. “I don’t want it to get any worse.”

  “It won’t, honey.” Gramps squeezed my hand before he got out of the pickup. “I’m going inside. It’s been a long day, and I have to be up early tomorrow. I’ll see you later, Kevin. Thanks for the ride.”

  He walked slowly to the house. I watched him until he was inside and the door had closed behind him.

  “This isn’t right,” I told Kevin. “I know there isn’t anything I can do about it, but I’m really worried about him.”

  He took me in his arms and kissed me. “I understand, but Horace will be fine. That’s why they wanted him for the job. He knows what he’s doing, and he knows this town. You have to have some confidence in him.”

  “I hope so. If not, you’d probably be next on the interim police chief list. All the council members feel like Tim is too young and immature. He and I are the same age. That makes me question how they feel about me too.” I hugged him back and grabbed my bag. “Goodnight, Kevin. I’ll see you at the parade tomorrow.”

  Mary Catherine wanted to hear all about it, of course, so we were up talking until well after midnight. She finally said goodnight and went up to her room, leaving Gramps and me in the kitchen.

  “I hope you’ll feel better about this later.” He put the coffee cups into the dishwasher. “Give your grandfather a little credit here, honey. You know I’m as good as my word. Nothing is going to happen to me.”

  I hugged him, closing my eyes, and prayed he was right. If I lost him, all my family would be gone. “I love you, Gramps. Please be careful.”

  “When have I ever not been careful?” he asked with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Let’s get to sleep. Big day tomorrow.”

  I carefully took the cardboard with the gold and blue scales out of my pocket. They didn’t look as impressive after being in there all day—more like dried fish scales. I got undressed and got into bed with Treasure sleeping beside me. I thought about Chief Michaels, Gramps, and the naked man I’d left behind in the Duck Shoppes parking lot.

  Once in a while, a few party people came to Duck and odd things of that nature happened. It didn’t really worry me about the naked man.

  And Chief Michaels would be fine, I promised myself. Gramps would be too.

  But the possible threat against him made me open the drawer to my bedside table and pull out my grandmother’s old watch.

  I’d experimented with it before, finding that my gift for seeing people and their history behind the items I touched could extend to actually being in that past moment.

  I wasn’t a real person when I was there—more a ghost-like figure—but it had been a way that I could meet my grandmother who’d died before I was born. She’d warned me at one of those meetings that, while it was possible to visit with loved ones in the past, I had to be careful, or I would become trapped in that past too.

  That’s what had happened to her. All those years I’d thought she was dead, but instead she just never came back. I’d told Gramps about my meeting with Grandma Eleanore. He knew about the gift we shared and the consequences it could have. He’d asked me to promise him that I wouldn’t do it again.

  I’d agreed—at that time.

  It was different now. I’d tried various objects that had belonged to her, believing that I might be able to bring her
back with me to my time. Nothing had worked. Her watch was still my best anchor to her, but our visits were always the same.

  The watch was pretty and lightweight. I held it in my hands and closed my eyes to feel her presence. In a thought I was there, sitting at the same kitchen table that I’d just left, only forty years earlier.

  “Oh my goodness, Dae. You startled the daylights out of me,” Grandma Eleanore said. “But it’s good to see you again. I have news. Can you stay for tea?”

  Chapter Seven

  I could tell the differences in the kitchen, things that had changed since I was a child. There was an old green stove with a percolator instead of a coffeemaker on the cabinet and wood paneling on the walls instead of the wallpaper with roses that my mother had put in.

  “This is a good time for you to visit.” She made us both a cup of tea.

  There were times when I went back that I was nothing more than a ghost and other times when it was like I was really there. I could feel, smell, and taste things. I didn’t know what the difference was. This was still new to me.

  “I’m so happy to be here. It’s been a rough day in Duck.”

  “I don’t know how long you’ll be here so I’d better get right to the point.” She put a cup of tea in front of me—fragrant jasmine.

  I inhaled and closed my eyes. Grandma Eleanore was so like my mother, but my grandmother and I shared the gift that had bypassed her. If it hadn’t, I might have been able to visit her too. Wanting to see my mother again was a terrible yearning that lived in my soul after she’d abruptly died one evening when her car went off one of the bridges that joined Duck to the mainland.

  It had happened after we’d had a bad quarrel while I was still in college. She’d left to go home early because of an approaching storm. No one had ever seen her again.

  “What is it?” This place in time had become a haven for me. I didn’t like the idea that something could upset it.

  “I believe I figured out a way for you to come back and visit with your mother.”

  “How?”

  “You know that you have to hold something that connects you to that person and the time.” She sat opposite me. “You’ve come back at times when you’ve seen your mother, but she can’t see you because she doesn’t have our gift.”