by Joyce Lavene
She laughed. “I was raised very similarly since my mother only allowed me to have limited time with my grandmother. And after I’d heard her referred to as that ‘crazy old woman’ more than a few times, I was very careful about what I said to my parents.”
There were UPS packages for me at the door. I gave Treasure a treat when we went inside Missing Pieces. And that was the last sane moment we spent at the shop that day.
It was unfortunate that it wasn’t because I had a ton of paying customers. Instead, the shop was jammed with people who knew my grandmother or had heard the new gossip related to her. Everyone came—including Manfred Vorst with his cell phone camera.
“Surprised to see me, Madam Mayor?” He looked pleased by the idea that I didn’t want him there.
“Not really. You’re an annoying vulture at times, Manfred, but I never pegged you as a killer. I’m glad the sheriff released you.”
It was his turn to be surprised. “That’s very decent of you. I thought by now everyone would think I’d murdered Captain Lucky, even though the police had to exonerate me.”
“What really happened to Captain Lucky?”
“Off the record?” He raised a brow.
“You’re the newspaper man, not me. I know he was in some kind of trouble. That’s why he needed the money I gave him. But why did he leave those pictures with you? He had to know how destructive they could be.”
Manfred moved a step closer. “Captain Lucky was in over his head. I think he really thought he could blackmail the seafolk for money, power, I don’t know what. I can’t imagine what possessed him. He thought if his pictures and video were safe with me, then he’d be safe too. What did he sell you?”
I couldn’t see where it would hurt for him to know since it was now in police custody.
“He sold me a relic that he claimed could call the seafolk. I gave him five hundred dollars for it, which was nothing if he could have proved his claim. I imagine a celebrity newspaper would have given him a lot more with those pictures he gave you.”
“But he didn’t do that, even though my brief experience with Captain Lucky was that he took advantage of every situation. He was protecting himself, Mayor. He thought the person stalking him wouldn’t kill him without the two things he gave us. I’m sure he was using them as lifelines to keep himself safe.”
“So back to the seafolk killing him?”
He shrugged and adjusted his thick glasses. “He wasn’t the only one in Duck involved with them, was he? There was you and Cathi Connor. But there was also Mr. Carl Lynch, the first mate on the Andalusia, waiting in the wings to take his place. I’m sure he’s already moving his things into the Captain’s stateroom, if they ever got it dried out.”
“Was Cathi in one of the pictures with the merman? Is that how you know about her?”
“No. But she was afraid of it.” His grin was nasty. “She begged me to give her the pictures. Let’s face it, a school principle wouldn’t last long if the public saw her cavorting with a merman, would she?”
It seemed like a good reason to kill Captain Lucky, although I already thought her plan to protect them at all costs was pretty good too. It was hard for me to believe Cathi would do anything like that. She was very proud of her reputation in the community.
But if she was sincere about leaving with Tovi and Lilly, her reputation wouldn’t matter, would it?
That was all the time we had to talk. I wished I could have picked his brain a little more. He seemed to have more answers than I did. But the noise level in my small shop was enough to drive Treasure into hiding under some used clothes. I wanted to hide there with him.
I finally had to make the decision to close early for the day. I wasn’t selling anything since the doorway was clogged with friends and neighbors. And Grandma Eleanore had begun looking tired and pale.
“Sorry, everyone, but you can imagine that my grandmother’s health isn’t good right now. We’re going home, and I’d appreciate it if you’d give her some privacy.”
While no one was happy about putting an end to the party, they left noisily, and I locked the front door behind them.
“Whew!” Grandma Eleanore used her hand to fan her face. “You’d think I was Doris Day or something. I guess everyone thinking you’re dead and then you coming back makes you at least a small-time celebrity. I hope it won’t always be this way.”
“They’ll get over it, especially now that the seafolk are here. There will be crazy sightings of them and lots of pictures that don’t look like much of anything. That will take their minds off it—until the police figure out who killed Captain Lucky. That will be another circus.”
“That’s the way it’s always been here,” she confirmed. “I guess some things never change.”
We went home in the golf cart. I half expected dozens of people to walk alongside or hang on to the cart. That didn’t happen. A few people waved when they saw us, but that was more like normal. Even without the phenomenon of Grandma Eleanore, everyone in Duck waved to everyone else they knew all the time.
When we got back to the house, my grandmother started cooking up a storm. It looked like she was pulling everything down from the cabinets. We talked the whole time until Gramps got home, and then we ate the delicious meal she’d prepared while we talked some more.
“Gramps, have you looked at Carl Lynch, the first mate on the Andalusia, for Captain Lucky’s death? I know Sheriff Riley had to let Manfred go. I guess he didn’t have enough evidence to keep him. But what about the first mate? He gets Captain Lucky’s job now. Maybe that’s enough motive for murder.”
He nodded. “I’ve talked to him, Dae. He and Mr. Vorst had great alibis for the time Captain Lucky was killed. And we just can’t figure how that stateroom came to be like it was underwater. The thing is still soaked.”
“Is this something new?” Grandma Eleanore asked. “We never discussed sheriff’s business at the dinner table before.”
Gramps smiled and touched her hand. “Sorry, sweetheart. You’re right. It’s not good for the digestion.”
When she went into the pantry for something, Gramps leaned close to me. “Have you seen or talked to Mary Catherine? I haven’t been able to get away but I know she’s been hurt by this, Dae.”
“I know. I haven’t seen her since we left here this morning. I’ll check on her.”
When I went upstairs to check her bedroom, all her personal possessions were gone. The room was exactly as it had been before she’d moved in.
“She moved out,” I told him a few minutes later. “I’ll check on her later. Right now, I think I need to go see Kevin.”
Grandma Eleanore was standing at the counter with two coffee cups in her hand. She made a loud sighing sound, called for Gramps, and then collapsed on the kitchen floor.
Chapter Twenty
“Call 911, Dae!” Gramps yelled.
I took out my phone, but before I could push the button, Grandma Eleanore sat up.
“I’m sorry. Don’t call anyone, Dae. I’ll be fine.”
“We have to find out why this happened,” Gramps told her. “You might need a doctor.”
She patted his hand and smiled at him. “You always were a worry wart, Horace. There’s nothing to worry about here. Dae, go see that young man of yours. Maybe he can come by for a while later.”
“Okay.” I glanced at Gramps.
“All right,” he agreed. “But if it happens again, we go to the hospital, right?”
Grandma Eleanore nodded. “Good. Now help me up. I don’t want to lie around on the floor all day. I think I broke both those cups.”
Gramps held her in his arms after we’d helped her up. “I don’t care about the cups. Come and sit down. You’ve gone through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. You’re probably exhausted.”
“All right, Horace. Don’t fuss. Let’s sit down together for a while.”
I was torn between leaving them and going to talk to Kevin. Gramps had everything under control, I f
inally realized. He was right. She was just tired after being chased around by all those people. It was best to let them have some time together.
I said goodbye and started down Duck Road, a little nervous despite the large crowd of people still on the streets. I really didn’t want to see Tovi or Lilly that night. Things had become impossibly crazy. I needed a time to myself.
Grandma Eleanore would be fine. She was tired and had probably overdone it after the day she’d had. She just needed some down time, like I did. It wasn’t good to be too excited by people harassing you about your personal life.
Even though I told myself that, I was still worried about her. I hoped the strain of coming back where she belonged wasn’t too much. I kept thinking about what Kevin and Mary Catherine had said about her. They were wrong, of course. Everything was going to be just fine.
The moon was still waxing to full in the starry sky above me as I turned the corner to follow the road to the Blue Whale. It was darker here, away from the commercial lights around the Duck Shoppes. I stayed in the shadows, away from the other walkers and golf carts gliding up and down the road.
I was almost to the door at the inn when I saw Lilly. She was gazing at the stone mermaid in the fountain. There were five or six people on the verandah enjoying the cool night air. They didn’t pay any attention to the young woman by the fountain. The shadows from the inn and the trees surrounding it hid her nakedness. Otherwise, I was sure there would have been a lot more commotion.
Lilly hadn’t seen me yet. It was as though she was entranced by the mermaid in the fountain. I watched her until Cathi Connor came running up and led her away into the deeper shadows, leading back to the ocean behind the inn. Cathi seemed to be trying to explain to Lilly that she couldn’t stand around naked in the moonlight, but I was only guessing at her words, too far away to actually hear them.
I was pretty sure Cathi was in love with the merman, but it seemed she’d taken on responsibility for his sister too. Maybe she was just trying to keep other photos of them, maybe better ones, from being taken.
Shrugging it off, I concentrated on what I was going to say to Kevin. I knew he’d be somewhere inside, probably getting the menu ready for the next day. I wasn’t angry with him for pointing out the possible pitfalls of bringing Grandma Eleanore back to us—not really. I wanted to assure him that I’d heard his problems with the concept and that I had unknowingly brought her back. I hadn’t set out to ignore him. It had just happened that way.
But when I reached the mostly darkened kitchen, I saw him with Tess, their discussion exchanged in low tones over the wood table. I waited by the kitchen door to find out what they were talking about.
“I think this is a brilliant plan to capture one of the seafolk,” Tess said. “We won’t have to keep them for long. Just a few minutes, and I’ll have everything I need.”
Kevin was doodling on a piece of paper—I knew he liked to write things down when he could. He loved diagrams.
“We’ll be very careful and respectful of whichever one we catch,” he said. “We have to make sure neither of them is harmed in any way.”
I couldn’t stand to hear another moment of it. I barged in on their conversation.
“You’ve got to be kidding. I asked you not to do this, Kevin. It’s wrong.”
He sat back in his chair. “Sometimes we do things even if other people think they’re a mistake.”
“Is that it?” I laughed. “I brought my grandmother back against your better judgment, and now you’re going to trap one of the seafolk to get even with me?”
“Of course not, Dae.” Tess got to her feet. “But if we don’t document the existence of this race, we may never get another chance. We should understand them, and if need be, protect them from our world.”
“All of that just means more danger and crazy people searching for them,” I argued. “You should know better, Kevin. You’ve worked with unusual people before. Did it help to document them?”
He stood, too, and walked toward me. “Dae—”
“You can’t make this right with a hug and a kiss,” I told him. “I’m going to warn Tovi and Lilly that you’re looking for them. Have a nice night.”
Kevin walked after me, but I started running. When I glanced behind me, he was gone. I ran blindly through the night, crying, until I reached Duck Road.
I wouldn’t let them experiment on the seafolk. It was always for their own good. Just like Grandma Eleanore’s mother keeping her from her grandmother so she couldn’t talk about her gift.
Some people just didn’t understand.
Mary Catherine would. I went to the Pet Emporium where I saw a small light in the window behind the blinds. I knocked quickly at the door and waved to her when she peeked out at me.
“Dae! Come in. What’s wrong?”
Looking around at the changes she’d made to the shop, I knew she planned to live here for a while. It was against the rental company’s rules, but everyone did it, at least occasionally. I’d done it more than once.
“You didn’t have to leave the house,” I told her. “No one wanted you to go.”
Her sharp green eyes looked away from me. “It was a little awkward since I’d planned to leave a lot sooner, but Horace had asked me to stay. We’re both grownups, Dae. I was beginning to think of your grandfather as more than just a friend, you know. I don’t think that’s possible now.”
I sighed and sat in one of the green velvet chairs she used for consultations. “I’m sorry. I know you’re right. I didn’t mean to make your life more complicated.”
She sat opposite me on the edge of her makeshift bed. “Don’t worry about me. I always move on. After being a widow five times, I know that’s what you have to do.”
“But you can’t live at the shop forever. Are you still going to stay in Duck?”
“I think so. As soon as the crowds clear out, I’ll probably go stay with Kevin. I love the Blue Whale Inn. I don’t think he’d mind a permanent guest, do you?”
“I might not be the best person to ask what Kevin minds. He and I have had a falling out.”
“Oh, no. You two are so good together. What’s the problem?”
I picked up a dog collar from a side table. It was new so the only impression I had of it was when it was made in a Chinese factory and transported here.
“It’s the mermaid issue.” I shook my head. “And the issue with my grandmother. Kevin thinks I brought her back despite his feelings on the subject. I think he wants to spite me now by helping Tess catch a mermaid.”
“That’s a mistake,” she agreed. “Whether he thinks bringing your grandmother back was a bad idea or not, catching the mermaid isn’t good. But I can’t believe Kevin would be that petty either.”
“It’s not just that,” I admitted. “Once I convinced him that there were seafolk, I think he really believes he’ll be helping by documenting them. I think Tess’s heart is in the right place too, but I’m just worried what will happen if they accomplish it.”
“I don’t blame you.” She ran her hand through her hair. “Maybe I should try talking to Kevin too. I’m not emotionally involved like you are. He might listen.”
“Whatever you can do. He and I are butting heads right now. I don’t know what else I can say to him. I saw Lilly by the Blue Whale tonight. Cathi Connor got her off the street. The seafolk need a stash of clothes for when they come to visit. They’d stand out a lot less if they weren’t naked.”
She laughed, and so did I. We had some plum wine together, and then I went home. There was still no sign of Tovi or Lilly. I hoped Cathi would keep them inside until dawn. Maybe Tess and Kevin could still be reasoned with before anyone made a mistake.
Gramps and Grandma Eleanore had gone up to their room when I got back. I snuggled with Treasure in my bed and thought about all the changes that would take place now that she was back.
I knew Gramps would be happier and it would be easier to move to the Blue Whale—if Kevin and I actually
got married. Knowing Gramps wasn’t alone was a big thing for me.
But if questions about my grandmother became more in depth, Gramps and I needed to come up with a good story as to where she had been and how she’d come back. Not that anyone would guess that I’d brought her back from where she was trapped in time, but it was a good idea to sort through the details. I had a feeling that Manfred Vorst wouldn’t be satisfied with the answers we’d given so far.
Treasure and I finally fell asleep. I was dreaming about my mother—not my usual dreams of her sitting in her car underwater—a dream of her as a teenager at the fair. Probably the carnival that Grandma Eleanore had described.
She was sitting in a dark tent with weird lighting. There was a man opposite her. He was young, good-looking in a dark, possibly malevolent way. His eyes were like black diamonds in his swarthy face. His black hair was long and shaggy around his shoulders. He wore a nicely cut black suit that looked expensive.
And he was holding my mother’s hand.
She was very young. Her hair was different, longer than she’d ever worn it after I was born. She looked like she might be in high school with the promise of the future in her glowing face and bright eyes.
“What do you see in my future?” she asked the dark man in a high-pitched, childish voice.
He stroked the palm of her hand in a sensual manner and then looked around the candlelit room with a narrowed gaze.
“I see someone who doesn’t belong here, Jean. Does the name ‘Dae’ seem like something you might name your child?”
Chapter Twenty-one
I woke before she could answer. My heart was racing, and my mouth was dry. Treasure protested as I set him aside to get a drink of water.
Had that man really seen me?
Was that the psychic Grandma Eleanore said I could use to communicate with my mother?
If so, he certainly was menacing and scary. He obviously was a real psychic from his words to my mother and the impression he’d given my grandmother. But it would be hard to trust him.
Granted I’d only known a few other psychics in my life—Kevin’s former FBI partner and fiancé, Mary Catherine and her ability to communicate with animals, and my friend, Shayla, who’d tried so hard to bring my mother back to speak with me were among them.