She didn’t have to wait long. Soon she saw her handsome professor walking down the concourse at a brisk pace. He was more tanned that he’d been the last time she’d seen him—the result of doing fieldwork in the desert sun. He wore a soft blue shirt that matched his eyes and a pair of well-worn jeans. He carried a light brown rain jacket and had a dark green backpack slung over one shoulder. Lin took the sight in as if she were seeing him for the first time. He’d not yet spotted her, his eyes fixed on the ceiling signs checking the direction to baggage claim no doubt.
Lin took advantage of his temporary distraction to slip forward into the oncoming stream of arriving passengers. She managed to get within a few feet and slipped in beside him before he spotted her. Grasping his arm, she pushed him gently toward the edge of the crowd. “This way sir.” He jerked in recognition.
“Lin, where did you come from? I thought we were meeting downstairs,” he grinned as she pulled him from the crowd toward the wall.
“And you weren’t paying attention. I wanted to surprise you.”
She slipped her arms around him and pulled him close. He let the jacket and backpack slip to the floor and grabbed her in a huge bear hug, almost lifting her off her feet. He grasped her chin, turning her face up to his and kissed her hard.
“You, my dear are a sight for sore, lonely eyes,” he smiled at her and kissed her again, this time more gently but with a deep longing.
“I’ve missed you too,” Lin responded. “Now grab this stuff and let’s get down to baggage and get your things. You probably have a lot of stuff if you’re planning to be here a couple of months.”
“I must confess,” I do have two fairly large bags, but I did try to take into account the fact that the weather in the mountains sounds like it’s fairly changeable—at least to hear you talk. I wanted to be prepared. One good thing though, everything I need for overnight is in this backpack so the luggage can stay in the car until we get to Blowing Rock tomorrow. Then I will need one of the bags.”
They made their way to the carrousel and waited for the bags to arrive.
“Now, tell me where we’re spending the night. You said you were going to surprise me but…” Lin interrupted him before he could try to guess their destination.
“We are going home,” she smiled. “Home to Lake Norman where we’re going to grill some steaks, have some wine, and…”
“Hit the sack—early, of course. I’ve had a long travel day,” there was a twinkle in Neal’s eye as he spoke.
“Not too hard a day, I hope,” Lin teased. “Early to bed is a good idea, but I have plans that don’t involve sleeping.”
Neal didn’t say a word. He just put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. His message was clear.
***
By eight-thirty they were seated on the balcony relaxing together in Lin’s oversized lounge enjoying the late summer sunset that was dappling the somewhat choppy surface of the lake with gold and pink flecks. Neal had grilled their steaks to perfection while Lin made the salad and browned the bread. “That cheesecake was superior,” Neal said, “must’ve taken a long time to make.”
“For the bakers at Harris-Teeter maybe,” Lin confessed. “I’m not much of a pastry chef.”
“Really now, I guess I may have to give you lessons or else do all the baking myself once we’re married,” Neal grinned.
“I’ll admit, you’re a better cook than I am. Guess I’ve specialized in hot dogs, hamburgers, mac and cheese, and other kid-friendly dishes too long.”
“There’s always hope,” Neal continued, “I’m said to be a good teacher—at least in certain areas.”
Lin raised her eyebrows, “You don’t say—professor. And just what might your specialty be?”
Neal pulled her closer, enveloping her in a warm embrace and kissing her with eagerness. She felt his hand moving up the front of her shirt, undoing the buttons as he went.
“I think we’d best go inside,” Lin murmured, “I’m not prepared to provide a show for the neighbors or for those boaters returning from their afternoon on the lake.” She rose from the lounge, taking care to hold on to her shirt as she grabbed with one hand for the dishes they’d left on the balcony table after their meal.
Neal came to her rescue, “I’ll take care of these. You go on in and get ready for that early bedtime we talked about.”
Lin heard him humming in the kitchen as he put away food and loaded the dishwasher. She turned down the bed but then had another idea. She started the water in the large Jacuzzi tub that was the main luxury found in the master bath. The shower was only a standard size; however, the tub could easily accommodate two. While the water rose, she added some fragrant lavender bath salts to the tub and then got undressed. She lit a couple of scented candles she kept beside the tub and, leaving the door to the bedroom ajar for Neal, she slipped into the water and turned on the jets.
“What’s this?” Neal asked as he poked his head through the open door. “No sex in the shower tonight?”
“This shower is rather small,” Lin confessed, “but the tub is huge. I thought we’d try something different.”
By then Neal had disrobed, leaving his clothes on the bedroom floor. He slipped into the tub behind her, wrapping his long arms around her body and turning her to face him. She slipped onto his lap and into his embrace thinking how happy she was to finally have him with her again.
***
Lin was surprised to discover how late it was when she awoke the following morning. Neal was still sleeping peacefully beside her. She got up and started picking up his discarded clothing, hanging it on a nearby chair, and then collected the damp towels they’d carelessly discarded as they’d moved from the Jacuzzi to the bed. She’d just dumped them in the hamper when she heard Neal’s voice.
“Good morning, Lin,” he smiled at her and patted the pillow beside him. “Come back, I’m not quite ready to get up yet, are you?”
“No you don’t,” Lin admonished. “We may want to stay in bed but we can’t. We have an appointment at Mallard Point Country Club in about half an hour to discuss possibly having the wedding there. We don’t even have time for coffee first so get up and get dressed.”
They spent the remainder of the morning checking out the Country Club and visiting a couple of spots that might serve as venues for entertaining out of town wedding guests. They’d even picked up some information about flowers and invitations from some local businesses. Finally, exhausted and hungry, they landed at one of Lin’s favorite neighborhood spots for lunch.
By the time they’d finished eating, they’d agreed on a date and decided that Mallard Point was such a nice venue that they felt no need to look further. They also decided that the local businesses would be great for the invitations and flowers. “I can call this week and pin some of this down,” Lin smiled. “It looks like we might have a wedding in September after all. Now, what’s next?”
Neal put a stop to their activities. “We really need to get back to your place and get ready to head to Blowing Rock. I have dinner reservations for seven at the resort and we don’t want to be late.”
The drive up the mountain was uneventful. The weather was warm and sunny so Neal was spared an introduction to the fog and mist that could’ve been present. They arrived at Chetola well ahead of their dinnertime and checked into their room. It was large and well appointed, decorated in elegant Victorian furnishings. They took a walk around the lake that was the focal point of the beautiful grounds.
“This feels like a honeymoon spot,” Lin said as she slipped her arm through Neal’s.
“It would certainly be beautiful, and we’d have lots of privacy I think,” he replied, “but I rather thought we might like to travel further afield, maybe have an adventure.”
“What did you have in mind?” Lin asked.
“Oh, nothing specific, yet. But I’ve been checking into some spots. If you have any ideas please share.”
“I’ll give it some thought,” Lin said, �
��but, for now let’s just enjoy this place and being with each other.”
“That sounds like a plan to me,” Neal smiled. “Planting a long, lingering kiss on her upturned lips. I think we might just have time for some of that “enjoying each other” before dinner. I vote for heading back to the room.”
Their dinner was quite special. Lin was glad she’d packed a nice dress for the occasion. Neal had gone all out, ordering the wine and a special menu. There were even special flowers on the table. “What are you celebrating?” their waiter asked.
“Each other,” Neal said, “just being together.”
Fortunately, being together proved to be enough. The beautiful weather of their arrival day soon deserted them. Tuesday was rainy and misty. They abandoned plans to do any sightseeing around town or on the Parkway, instead opting for massages and saunas at the resort’s spa. Of course, they had lots of time to enjoy their lovely room—that was certainly not a problem.
***
Wednesday promised to be a better day. There were a few lingering showers from the night before, but they began to dissipate by mid-morning giving way to at least partial sunshine. Lin suggested that they visit Linn Cove before heading to the house. She wanted Neal to meet Rachel and see where she was working.
“Sue’s working today so we could stop by Moses Cone Park also. You won’t believe all the beautiful handcrafted items they have. They may even have someone doing demonstrations.” Lin was eager to show Neal this beautiful part of the country.
After a leisurely breakfast they checked out of the resort and headed for the Parkway. By the time they’d driven down to Linn Cove, the sun was shining brightly. Rachel was talking to some visitors when they arrived so Lin showed Neal around the exhibits in the center and then took him out on the trail that led under the viaduct.
“This is amazing,” Neal said, as he observed the structure of the road. “Imagine swinging all this out from the mountainside. I’m no engineer but I’m really impressed with this structure.” After seeing the viaduct up close, Neal was really interested in examining the exhibits showing how it was built. Then, of course, Lin wanted to make sure he met Rachel. It was later than they’d planned by the time they got to Moses Cone.
Lin told him how this had been the summer home, an estate really, for a textile magnate and his family. She pointed out Bass Lake at the foot of the hill on which the large rambling white home sat. She showed him the stables and pointed out that there were many miles of carriage roads now available to visitors for walking and horseback riding. Their final stop was the house where rooms of gorgeous handmade crafts were displayed and available for sale. Sue was working in the bookstore, and, after browsing through the crafts, they stopped by to speak to her.
Neal greeted Sue with a warm hug. “How’s my second-favorite park volunteer doing these days?” he asked.
“Great,” Sue responded, “and happy to see you here in North Carolina. Have you guys been out to the house yet?”
“Not yet,” Lin responded. “With the bad weather yesterday, we didn’t get any sightseeing done so we thought we’d make a couple of stops today on our way.”
“Yesterday, was rather nasty,” Sue smiled, “but I feel sure that wasn’t really a problem for you two.” Lin gave her a hard look, but Neal simply grinned from ear to ear. “Indeed it was not. We had a lovely day.” He gave Lin a knowing pat on her backside.
“Well, today is nice,” Sue redirected the conversation, “and I’m off in another hour. What do you say we hang out in Blowing Rock for a while, take in some of the shops and galleries, and have dinner at one of the local places? You’ll have plenty of time to unpack later. Nice sunny days here are not to be wasted.”
“Sounds great,” Lin said, recovering her composure after being teased. “Why don’t we take a walk around the grounds while we wait for you to finish up here.”
“Stop on the porch first,” Sue said, “check out the flute maker.”
They did just that, watching the craftsman who was working to carve beautiful instruments out of lovely woods. “These are like the Native American flutes you see in the southwest,” Neal remarked. Lin especially admired a wide double flute that the craftsman demonstrated. Its tonal counterpoint was sweet and clear.
They walked the figure eight trail beside the house, admiring the many summer wildflowers blooming there and then walked down by the stables, continuing along the carriage road that led back under the parkway. The hour they had to wait for Sue passed quickly.
The three of them passed a very pleasant couple of hours browsing in the many shops and galleries that graced the main street of this lovely small village. Blowing Rock was well known for shopping and for its many good places to eat. They wound up at the Town Tavern, sitting on the patio and enjoying delicious burgers. Lin and Sue had glasses of red wine and Neal ordered a dark draft beer.
“This is a great spot to relax,” Neal commented. “I enjoyed the shops but I’m more than ready to get off my feet for awhile. What have you been up to the past few days Sue? Did you work all weekend at the Cone house?”
“I’m afraid the answer to that is yes, the weather was great, and we stayed packed with visitors. I was off Monday and Tuesday though, and I got some more research done for my book. Sue brought Neal up to date on her discoveries regarding the unsolved crimes on the Parkway emphasizing the similarities she saw among them.
“ I’m not totally convinced that the unwelcomed visitor we had the other night was reacting to our involvement with Ellie Clark in any way. If it had been Kovich that might be true, but apparently it wasn’t. I think word may have gotten out that I’ve been asking questions about unsolved murders. I’m not at all sure what’s going on here, but I intend to learn more.”
Neal sat back thoughtfully. His eyes met Lin’s across the table. She thought for a moment he was going to say something about her staying out of all this. She knew he was always worried about her getting involved in such situations. This time though he didn’t say anything. He did reach for her hand under the table, squeezing it gently.
Sue continued, “I only work half a day tomorrow, so I plan to go visit the mother of one of the victims whose murderer has never been found. I learned that she still lives nearby in Valle Crucis.” She was referring to the young pregnant girl whose body had been found in 2009.
Lin looked at Neal seeking to communicate her thoughts. He seemed to understand what she was thinking and nodded almost imperceptibly. “Why don’t we go with you?” Lin said. “I’m sure we’d both enjoy the ride, and we could stop at that old country store while we’re out there. You know, the one we visited that first weekend we were here.”
“If you’re sure it won’t interfere with whatever you’ve planned to do, I’d love for you to join me,” Sue responded.
This time Neal spoke up, “We don’t really have any plans other than to explore and enjoy this area so going with you will certainly be no problem.” Lin was grateful because she really didn’t want Sue going out to visit unknown families alone, and she had promised to help her learn more about those cases.
By the time they’d returned to the house and Neal had unpacked and put away his belongings, it was quite late and they were all tired. Lin was more than ready to call it a day as she and Neal went upstairs to bed. She heard Sue follow shortly after.
“It’s been a long day, but a good one,” Neal said. “I enjoyed all the things we saw and did and I’m looking forward to exploring more tomorrow.”
Lin snuggled down beside him, her head cradled against his shoulder. “Thank you for agreeing to go with Sue tomorrow afternoon. She’s really learned some interesting things about these cases and we both think what happened to Ellie Clark and Peter Dunne might be related somehow. I’d told her earlier I’d help her try to find out more, and I really think it might be better if she didn’t visit these folks alone. One can’t always be sure how some of these mountain families might react to a stranger coming to their home. Some of
them are sort of standoffish; they keep to themselves and don’t always trust outsiders.”
“I’d say that’s true of lots of folks in lots of places,” Neal said. He was quiet for a moment, obviously weighing his thoughts about the situation. “I think you know how I feel, Lin. My first instinct is to be concerned for your safety and wellbeing. If it was only up to me, I’d probably tell you to stay out of all this and leave these cases alone, but I know you, that’s not going to happen is it?”
Lin sat up, leaned over, and kissed Neal lovingly. “I do know how you feel and I love you for caring and wanting to protect me, but neither Sue nor I asked to get involved in what happened to Ellie and Peter. We couldn’t very well leave her lying beside the road to bleed to death, and, when it turned out she was a former student, I couldn’t ignore her situation. Stefan Kovich did threaten Ellie, and originally we thought he’d threatened us, but he’s now in jail awaiting transfer to Charlotte for an immigration hearing. His visa has been lifted, and he’s likely to be deported; that situation is resolved, at least for now. We have no idea who might’ve threatened us and shot at our door the other night, but the sheriff’s department is investigating.”
“Sue has found some very interesting information, and I think she may be on to something with these unsolved murders, but I can assure you that any information she might uncover, with or without our help, will be turned over to the proper authorities. She’s not going off on some dangerous tangent and neither am I.”
“I know,” Neal said. “Everything you said makes sense, but I can’t stop worrying; if I’m going to help you and try to deal with this situation, you’ll just have to be patient with me.”
“That’s not a problem,” Lin smiled. “If I expect you to accept me and love me just as I am, I owe you the same, and I do love you.” She reached to turn off the light and slipped down into the warmth of his embrace. They were both asleep almost immediately.
Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery Page 15