A Watery Death (A Missing Pieces Mystery Book 7)

by Joyce Lavene

  “Yes, I know that. What can make that different?” I was impatient for the answer because I knew she was right and the connection between us could be broken at any moment.

  “There was a traveling psychic who came to town last week for a carnival. I believe he was the real thing. I spoke with him briefly, just to get a feel for him. Dae, if you came back at the moment when your mother met with him, I think he could bridge the gap between you. You could speak with her through him.”

  I was amazed at the idea. “That would mean I could warn her not to go home the night that she died. She could still be alive in my time. You’re a genius, Grandma Eleanore!”

  “You can’t do that. I just meant you could talk to her. You can’t try to change her fate. You don’t know what else will change if you do that.”

  “I don’t care. Do you know how awful my life has been since the last thing we said to each other was in anger? I’ve had dreams since that day of her sitting in her car underwater, waiting for me to find her. I could stop all that.”

  “At what risk? What are you willing to give up? It could be that your grandfather will be dead instead of your mother. It could be that she’d be alive but in a coma or crippled. We can go back in the past, darling, but we can’t change it.”

  “Is that why you’re trapped in the past? I’ve tried my best to find that moment when we lost you, but I don’t have a lot of your possessions. What should I use to contact you during that time and bring you back?”

  “You can’t bring me back either.” She smiled gently. “I wish you could. But even if I knew what possession you could use, I wouldn’t tell you. You can’t change things that happened before you were born. I made that mistake. Don’t you make it too.”

  “How do you know that’s what trapped you in the past?”

  “Let’s not waste our time on things we can’t do,” she said. “Your mother won a stuffed unicorn with a rainbow horn. I don’t know for sure that she kept it as an adult, but she was a great believer in saving everything. If you can find it, use it to contact her through the psychic. Be careful what you say. I love you, Dae.”

  “Grandma—”

  “You’re starting to fade. Tell your grandfather that I love him. Goodbye, darling.”

  I came back to myself in my time, breathing as hard as if I’d run a marathon. My heart was pumping fast. I had a difficult time separating myself from the past.

  Treasure softly cried out in his sleep and snuggled closer.

  I was still in my bed, still clutching Grandma’s old watch. I realized that I was crying. I wanted to bring her back and find a way to talk to my mother. Sometimes it was all I could think about.

  For years, I’d gone to séances with my friend, Shayla, as she attempted to contact my mother. None of them had worked. But maybe Grandma Eleanore was right and the traveling psychic could work as a conduit between me and my mother.

  Shayla had moved back to her home in New Orleans. I had given up séances when I realized, by accident, that I could travel into the past holding an object that came from that time. I’d thought it was the way to be with my mother again.

  Even though it was barely two a.m., I got up and went up to the attic to look for the rainbow unicorn. If there was a chance, I’d be willing to take it.

  Gramps found me there two hours later. “What in the world are you doing up here? Have you been up all night?”

  “I’ve been looking for something that belonged to Mom. A rainbow unicorn she got from a carnival when she was a kid. There was a psychic. Sound familiar? Do you have any idea where that could be?”

  “I’m sorry, Dae. I don’t know what you mean.” He surveyed the crowded attic, most of which consisted of tumbled boxes, old clothes, and toys.

  I told him about my visit with Grandma Eleanore.

  He wasn’t happy about it. “I thought you said she told you it was dangerous to go into the past.”

  “I don’t care. I have a chance to warn Mom about the day she died. How can I let that go?”

  Gramps frowned. “I don’t know what to say, honey. But right now I have to get to work, and you have to go over to town hall to get everything set up. You have the parade schedule. If you aren’t there to get the cars and floats lined up, who will?”

  Reluctantly, I agreed with him. I noticed he was wearing the dark blue Duck police officer’s uniform. It made him look completely different, more like when I was a child and he was the sheriff.

  “You look nice,” I told him. “Be careful out there today. Do you have any idea who you’re going to tap to be temporary police officers?”

  “Cody volunteered. Reece wanted to as well, but they couldn’t both be away from the restaurant for full shifts. Mark Samson’s daughter, Diane, offered to help out. And Dale Fargo said he’d give us a hand. He’s only working part-time at the gambling ship.”

  “You sure got them signed up fast since last night.”

  “Email. And I don’t mess around when I have a promise to keep.”

  “To Chief Michaels?”

  He hugged me and whispered, “To my granddaughter. I promised her I’d stay safe.”

  “I love you. Grandma Eleanore said to tell you that she loves you too.”

  Gramps let me go as he looked away. “About that, Dae. I have a good thing going with Mary Catherine right now. She and I have a lot in common, and I think I might be in love with her.”

  That didn’t really surprise me. I could tell they were attached to each other because they were so happy together.

  “I know. It’s okay. You both deserve to be happy.”

  “The thing is, honey, I can’t keep thinking about your grandmother and let myself feel anything for MC. It feels like I’m cheating on Eleanore when I kiss her.”

  That was depressing. “So you don’t want me to try to bring her back?”

  He rubbed his hand over his freshly shaved face. “I don’t know what to think about it. Do you think I should push MC away until we figure out if your grandmother is coming back?”

  “No. Of course not. Grandma Eleanore says she can’t come back, not without some catastrophic event happening. Mom either.” I sighed and felt like crying. “I guess we go on without them.”

  He rubbed my arm. “I don’t know what else to do but move forward. You’re the only one left of my family. I’ve had to put a lot of loss behind me. The only way I know to do that is to keep making fresh starts.”

  “I understand. I won’t bring it up again.”

  “I don’t mean that like it sounds,” he amended. “I’ll always love Eleanore, but in a different way than I love MC right now. I suppose that’s hard for you. I’m sorry.”

  “I understand.” I kissed his cheek. “You’d better get going so you can summon the troops. Any word on Chief Michaels?”

  “Actually, I was already there this morning. He’s still isn’t awake from his surgery, but the doctor said everything went well. Agnes Caudle and Betty Vasquez are down there now so Ladonna and Marjory can get some rest.”

  “That’s good news. I guess I’ll see you later.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. I hope you get to see some of the parade.”

  After he went downstairs, I went back to my room and got dressed.

  Gramps’s relationship with Mary Catherine wasn’t something I’d thought about in my quest to bring Grandma Eleanore home. I supposed it would be awkward for them, but surely it was worth it too. I didn’t want to think about how it would affect everyone. If there was some way to get her back from where she was trapped in the past, I knew I’d do it and then deal with the fallout later.

  Despite Grandma Eleanore’s warnings, I felt the same way about my mother. Maybe I couldn’t bring her back, but I could warn her through the psychic. She’d know not to go home the day she died. I couldn’t see where that could hurt anything.

  But as much as I wanted to find the rainbow unicorn and warn her, I had to deal with the Fourth
of July first. It was right here, right now. Everything else would have to be on hold until it was over.

  I smiled as I dressed, thinking that time was a relative thing to me anyway. I had gone back forty years to see my grandmother last night. I’d gone back further in other visits when I’d touched objects from the past.

  My white shorts were a little shorter than I usually wore them, but with the heavy wool Mayor’s coat I’d have to wear over them, I thought they’d be comfortable. I wore my shorts with a patriotic red, white, and blue-striped tank top. Both items looked good with my early summer tan.

  My slimmed-down version of the Duck mayor’s coat was waiting for me at my office in town hall, according to a text I’d received from Darcy. She was our local dressmaker who’d also made Trudy’s wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses. I couldn’t wait to see the coat. I hoped it fit me better than the last time I’d worn it.

  I put on some lip gloss and sunblock and then slipped my feet into tennis shoes for the running I’d be doing that day. My phone promised clear skies and mild temperatures, at least for the morning during the parade. I left Mary Catherine a note telling her where Gramps and I had gone and then skipped out of the house with my parade clipboard in hand.

  It was still dark, and Duck Road was quiet. The air was misty and cool with the milky crescent moon floating in the sky above me. I was looking forward to the parade and even the hectic part of the day.

  The parade route was starting at town hall this year. We had a huge parking lot for staging the event. It had always started at the Duck Shoppes. Because it meant not having customers in and out during the two hours of the parade, the real estate company that owned the shops had never been happy about it.

  I had never understood their complaints since traffic was stopped on Duck Road for that time and cars couldn’t get through anyway.

  It didn’t matter anymore, I thought, as I passed the coffeehouse and bookstore, the only lighted building in the area. The new town hall had been wonderful for many different reasons. And soon the footbridge that would go over Duck Road would be finished too. Chris Slayton was a wizard when it came to great ideas—and money to get them accomplished.

  I heard a sound to the right of me in the grassy area next to the coffeehouse where Chris’s wife, Jamie, would be up getting things ready for the day. As I turned my head to see what was going on, someone wrapped their arms around my midsection, lifted me, and began moving very quickly toward the sound.

  Chapter Eight

  For a moment, I was so surprised that I didn’t move or resist. That’s how long it took me to realize that this shouldn’t be happening.

  Once I understood the situation, I began kicking and beating at the person who was holding me. I tried to find eyes to gouge and skin to scratch, but I kept missing. I was amazed at how fast we were moving. I’d seen the firefighters training—they never moved this fast.

  But they probably weren’t as strong as this man either. I could feel it in the careless way he held me. There was no strain at all.

  “Let me go!” I yelled and finally started screaming for help.

  “Quiet, please.” The voice was familiar and didn’t seem angry that I was trying to hurt him.

  “Put me down. If you have something to say, I can listen on my feet. You don’t have to carry me away.”

  “I won’t hurt you. We’re almost there.”

  I realized when he spoke again that it was the naked man from last night. I should have talked to someone about him.

  Too late now.

  His shoulders was cool and clammy under my hands. They had a spongy consistency that was unusual for normal skin. I couldn’t stop myself from questioning—merman? Was that possible?

  He ran up the ramp to the boardwalk. His muscles bunched tightly together just before he jumped across the rail and landed on the sandbar adjacent to the shops.

  History said that this had been a popular place for parties back in the 1930s. The historical society had dug up dozens of old whiskey bottles and other artifacts. But why come here?

  My heart pounded as I renewed my efforts to escape.

  The man, who held me like a baby in his arms, abruptly set me down on my feet. I could feel the water and sand ooze into my tennis shoes. The light from the crescent moon shone on his face. The shops were quiet and dark behind him.

  “Why are you doing this?” I felt more secure since I was standing. I glanced around for a weapon of some sort. There was a broken wooden oar beside me on the sand, but it didn’t look like much.

  “You must hear what I have to say. I know you are the ruler of this place. I am here to help you.”

  “Ruler? I’m the mayor, if that’s what you mean.” Was this just some weird way of complaining about something he didn’t like? I was sure I had never seen him before—except for last night. He was still naked, and a little greenish in the moonlight.

  Merman, my mind whispered.

  Shut up!

  “Yes. Whatever your term is for your authority. I am Tovi. I have come on behalf of the sea folk to tell you that we are not responsible for the death of your ship captain.”

  I was mesmerized by his strangely moving eyes as they shifted from green to blue to brown. How could anyone’s eyes move that way? They looked like an old lava lamp, sending gold sparks through the colors. He was so strange, and yet so beautiful. His accent was strange too. Where was he from?

  Under the sea, my imagination replied. Travis called him with the horn.

  Shaking off the fascination, I tried to set him straight. “Look. I’m the mayor. That’s true. But I think you need to talk to the police. I’m not in charge of people dying, and if you know something about Captain Lucky’s death, you should report it. But not to me.”

  “Are you listening to what I say?” he asked in an impatient tone. “I only have a short while remaining this day before I must go. I have lived centuries, and I know the ways of man. I know of your captain’s death, but I wasn’t the cause of it. Do not look for me. Only war between us can ensue if they hunt for us.”

  Not really sure if I should laugh at him—he might be more than a little disturbed—I tried to keep a straight face when I spoke. “Captain Lucky’s death is tragic, but I don’t think anyone is going to war over it. Are you from around here?”

  He shook me. It wasn’t hard, more like you’d shake someone to wake them up.

  “Are you listening to me, woman? Or are you insane?”

  Funny, since I’d been partially thinking that about him. The other part that made my skin creep and my brain race was thinking that he was a merman.

  “I really think you should come with me to talk with our police chief. It will only take a few minutes.” I carefully enunciated every word, hoping he would understand.

  He glanced sharply at the horizon. “The sun is coming. Meet me here at sundown. We can speak with your police chief then. But mind you, do not try to follow me. This could mean your death.”

  Inside, I was thinking, you don’t have to worry about it. I could always send Tim or Scott after him. Outside, I just maintained my composure and nodded that I understood.

  “Good. I go to my rest.”

  As soon as he’d said the words, he slipped into the water. There was no splash. He didn’t dive or fall in. It was almost as though he melted into the Currituck Sound and merged with it.

  I caught my breath as there was no other movement. I waited a few minutes. He didn’t re-surface from the gray water.

  Merman! I knew it!

  “Tovi?” Should I jump in after him? He could have just committed suicide if I was wrong about him. “Tovi?”

  Quickly, I took off my shoes and grabbed the life preserver that was always hanging from the rail on the boardwalk. I stepped into the water on the edge of the sandbar and would have dived in after him, but just as suddenly, his head surfaced.

  “What are you doing? I told you not to come after me.”

  “I can’t let you kill you
rself. Come back up here. Let’s talk about it. I’m sorry if I didn’t listen carefully enough. It’s okay. I believe you about Captain Lucky. I’m sure someone else killed him.”

  He smiled at me slowly. “You are one of the good humans, aren’t you? I thought as much when I spoke with you. My people praise me for having an understanding of the land dwellers.”

  “I like to think that I’m a good person. Now, please come out of the water. We can go to my shop, right there on the boardwalk.” I pointed to Missing Pieces. “I’ll make you some tea, and we can talk.”

  “I cannot return to the land at this moment. But I will be back tonight at sundown. Please meet me there, and we shall drink tea.”

  “Okay. Just come up out of the water. Please. I don’t want you to drown.”

  He laughed at me. “At sundown. Farewell until then.”

  He ducked his head again below the water, but this time there was a splash as a large, blue, gold, and orange tail flipped straight up in the water and then sank beneath it. The movement threw water on me. I put up my hands uselessly to try to keep my outfit dry.

  As I kept watching, I saw his head again followed by the movement of the tail as he dove underwater.

  “No one is ever gonna believe this.” I sat right down on the wet sandbar, my legs giving out from under me as I realized what I’d seen.

  A merperson. Merman. Seafolk, he’d called his people.

  I remembered Captain Lucky saying the coral horn could call the seafolk. After that moment, I began to give credence to what Tovi had said. I tried to recall every word and dissected it over and over again in my mind.

  There were really people who lived in the water. All the legends were true. I was excited and frightened. I couldn’t tell anyone. They’d all think I’d lost my last hold on reality.

  My shoes squished, and my butt was wet as I forced myself to get up and walked down the quiet street to town hall. I wanted to shout to the town that I’d met a merman. I wanted everyone to know.