Neptune's Ring

by Ali Spooner

  “Hello, my love,” her sexy voice said.

  “I am so happy you called Vanessa,” Levi said.

  “Is everything alright?” Vanessa asked.

  “Yes, I am just missing you terribly,” Levi said.

  Vanessa relaxed and settled into the large desk chair. “I miss you too love and have been dying to call all day. Are you all settled in?” she asked.

  “Yes, I have the house set up with supplies and I even had a chance to explore the island. I also took some beautiful photographs of the sunset to share with you,” Levi said.

  The mention of the photographs brought the misty images back to Levi and she shivered as a chill passed through her body.

  “Levi, are you there?” Vanessa asked.

  “Yes, I am right here, my love,” she said.

  “I asked if you were planning to send me some of the photographs through the internet,” Vanessa said.

  “I am sorry, yes, Vanessa, I will send them first thing in the morning,” Levi said. “I think I am more tired than I thought,” Levi said as she felt weary.

  “Fresh air can make you tired,” Vanessa teased. “Why don’t you go to bed and give me a call when you wake up in the morning.”

  “Good idea, baby, I love you,” Levi said.

  “Sweet dreams, baby girl, I love you too,” Vanessa said.

  “I will call in the morning,” Levi said and hung up the phone.

  Levi sat in the middle of the big bed and looked around the room. There were no misty shadows or scary sounds in the house and she slowly began to relax. The soft thumping sound of ceiling fan reminded her of her bungalow as she reached over to turn off the light and crawled beneath the covers.

  The physical and emotional turmoil of the day had left her drained and she easily slipped into a deep sleep. In her dreams, she and Vanessa were entwined in a passionate embrace and Levi hugged a pillow tightly into her body as she slept.

  Deep in the shadows of the far corner of the room the mist began to reappear and move slowly toward the bed. It hovered over the edge of the bed as an image slowly formed and a slight hand reached out to brush a lock of hair from Levi’s face. The mist surrounded Levi on the bed and then as quickly as it appeared it dissipated into the night.

  An ache in Levi’s back woke her the next morning. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was almost nine and she had slept for nearly twelve hours. She climbed out of the bed and stretched to relieve her body of the kinks from sleeping so long and walked to the bathroom for a hot shower.

  Levi wrapped a towel around her body and walked to the kitchen to start the coffee brewing while she dressed for the day. She slipped on shorts and a tank top and stepped into her favorite running shoes before returning to the kitchen to pour a mug of coffee. Levi walked out onto the front porch and sat in the same chair as the previous night and enjoyed the beautiful morning as she sipped her coffee. The warmth of the morning sun chased away the chill from the previous night.

  When she walked into the kitchen for a refill, she picked up the phone and dialed Vanessa.

  “Good morning, my love,” she said when Vanessa answered.

  “Hello, my darling, I miss you so,” Vanessa said. “Did you sleep ok last night?”

  “I must have died. I didn’t wake up until almost nine,” Levi said.

  “That island air must really be good for you.”

  “It is so beautiful here Vanessa, I can’t wait for you to get here,” Levi said.

  “I am counting the days.”

  “Can you make them pass quicker?” Levi asked.

  “Just say the word and I will abandon ship and hop on the next plane,” Vanessa teased.

  “No, darling, I could not deprive a ship full of gorgeous women their dazzling Captain,” Levi said with a chuckle.

  “Aww, there isn’t a woman on this ship that turns my head the way you do,” Vanessa said. “Seriously though, if it’s unbearable, I will fly down and come back Tuesday when we are due to depart.”

  “That is very sweet of you to offer, but I will have to get used to sharing you eventually,” Levi said. “Besides, the construction will start tomorrow and things will be getting busy. You will just have to make sure you call me every night to let me know just how much you love me.”

  “That is very easy for me to do. I love you with every cell in my body, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” Vanessa said.

  “I can’t wait either,” Levi said. “I look forward to waking up to you beside me every day.”

  “Soon baby,” Vanessa promised. “What are you planning to do today?”

  “I thought I would do some more exploring on the island today. Yesterday I found the most perfect conch shell,” Levi said. “I saw dolphins too.”

  “That is wonderful baby,” Vanessa said. “I can’t wait to share those moments with you.”

  Vanessa heard the page over the system and knew she was needed in the control room. “Baby, I need to go for now, but please take your cell with you and I will call you later.”

  “I love you, Vanessa, have a great day baby,” Levi said.

  “Love you too, have fun exploring,” Vanessa said and then she was gone.

  Levi hung up the phone and turned to place her empty mug in the sink. The conch shell she had found was nowhere to be seen on the counter where she had left it. Levi could not remember moving the shell and walked through the house in search of it. She stopped in her tracks when she entered the office to find the shell sitting on the desk next to the laptop. She walked over to the desk and picked the shell up and examined it closely. It was still in perfect condition, the pink inside the shell glowing in the morning sun pouring through the window. Levi shrugged having no memory of moving the shell but relieved that the shell was in good shape. She took the camera off the desk and snapped off several photographs of it glowing in the sunlight.

  Levi took the camera and grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and walked out of the house. She walked around the back of the house and located the path she had taken the previous evening and followed it down to the small grove. Levi took several pictures of the beautiful garden and sat down to admire their beauty.

  She looked up as a flock of pelicans flew overhead, their large wings gliding through the breeze as they disappeared beyond the small grove. Levi stood and walked to the far side of the grove and found a small path that led deeper into the center of the island. The path was overgrown in spots and Levi climbed over fallen trees and pushed back wiry branches to follow the path. The brush was thicker here and the light breeze from the grove could not penetrate the dense foliage to cool her body. Levi felt a trickle of sweat as it ran down the center of her back as she bent back a branch and stepped into a small clearing. There was a small spring bubbling up from the earth in the center of the clearing and Levi walked over to it and filled her empty bottle. She raised it to her lips and was surprised by how cold and refreshing the water was. She sat on a small boulder next to the spring and looked about the clearing.

  Levi heard a rustling in the brush just ahead of her and strained to see what animal was making the noise, but she saw no signs of a creature and the clearing had fallen deathly silent. She took another sip of the water and listened for additional movement, but it appeared she was all alone in the clearing. Levi felt a chill creep into her body and decided it was time to move on in her exploration. She pushed her way further down the path and felt the warm sunlight on her skin again. Just ahead, Levi found a small pile of rocks and climbed to the top. From the top, Levi had a beautiful view of the island and a view that looked down upon the unfinished resort. She raised her camera and took shots in each direction before scrambling back down to earth.

  She followed the path as it wound across the island and led to the garden in back of the resort. Along the way there were several smaller paths branching off the main one, but they would have to be explored some other day. Levi sat on a bench in the garden and lifted the bott
le of water to her lips as her cell phone began to ring. She dug it out of her pocket and answered.

  “Hey, Levi, this is Liz,” she heard on the other end.

  “Hi, Liz, how are you?” Levi asked.

  “I am doing great thanks and you? What are you up to this morning?”

  “I am exploring more of the island this morning,” Levi said. “I found a path that leads from the back of the house to the garden at the resort, so far.”

  “Great. Did you rest well last night?” Liz asked.

  “I slept like a rock for nearly twelve hours. I woke up stiff from lying down so long,” Levi said with a chuckle.

  “Well, yesterday was a busy day for you,” Liz said. “I am sure the extra sleep didn’t hurt you any either,” she added.

  “No, I don’t suppose it did,” Levi said. “I was thinking of taking the boat across to the mainland to check out the town this afternoon.”

  “That is a great idea,” Liz said. “Start mingling with the locals.”

  “Nat and I are making plans to fly over when Vanessa returns to see how things are coming along, but we won’t be able to stay overnight,” she said.

  “I hope by then we will have lots of progress to show you,” Levi said.

  “Are you excited about tomorrow?” Liz asked.

  “I can’t wait to see the construction get started and see the progress made each day,” Levi admitted.

  “Be sure to take some pictures and send them so we can watch too,” Liz said. “Is there anything you need?”

  “No, not yet Liz, I think I am pretty well set, but thanks.”

  “Ok, my time is up, Nat is chomping at the bit to talk to you next, so I will turn the phone over to her now. Call if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Liz, will talk with you soon,” Levi said.

  Nat came on the phone and Levi could hear her tell Liz she wouldn’t be long. “Hey, Levi, how are you?” she asked.

  “I am great Nat,” Levi said with a chuckle. “How are you?”

  “I am doing well thanks. Liz and I spent all morning placing orders so hopefully in a few weeks you will begin receiving shipments of furniture,” she said.

  “That sounds like it will be fun. Will there be some assembly required?” Levi asked.

  “I am afraid so on some of it. After it arrives I am trying desperately to convince Liz into letting me fly over to help with assembly so we won’t have to pull any of the construction workers off task,” Nat said.

  “Hopefully there won’t be more than the two of us can handle,” Levi said. “I am sure we can talk Cat and Cass into helping us out as well,” she added. “I am going over to the mainland this afternoon to take a look around the town this afternoon and then I think I will make a light dinner and turn in early tonight to be ready for the big day,” Levi said.

  “Alright then, give us a call tomorrow,” Nat said.

  “Will do, Nat, and thanks for calling to check on me,” Levi said.

  “Anytime,” Nat said and ended the call.

  Levi closed the phone and slipped it back into her pocket. She strolled around the resort and walked back up to the house. She picked up the boat keys and her wallet then started out for the boat house. She watched the pelicans diving into the water as they stunned the fish they were hunting and she marveled at the precision of the large birds.

  Levi guided the boat across the water and found an empty slip to moor the boat. She climbed onto the pier and walked into town just a little after one. She found a small diner and walked inside and ordered a chef salad and diet coke.

  “Are you new in town?” the older waitress asked when she came over to take Levi’s order.

  “Yes, my company has just purchased Neptune’s Ring,” Levi said proudly.

  The woman made the sign of the cross and said, “God bless you child,” then tottered back to the kitchen to place her order.

  The waitress brought out Levi’s drink and sat it down before her. “Have you seen the ghost yet?”

  “No, I haven’t seen any ghost,” Levi said, with a warm smile.

  “It was such a pity. Celeste was the most beautiful girl this town had seen in many years and to come up missing like that,” the woman’s speech trailed off as she shook her head. “Stories tell that she will haunt the island, forever,” she said.

  “What do you think really happened to her?” Levi asked.

  “I think that vile oil baron became obsessed with her beauty and when she scorned his advances, he killed her and disposed of her body on the island or in the sea,” the woman said.

  Levi heard a small bell ring in the kitchen and the woman turned to fetch her food. She sat the salad down in front of Levi and walked away.

  When Levi finished her meal, the woman returned. “Is there anything else I can get you?” she asked as she laid the bill on the table.

  “No thank you,” Levi said. “That was a fabulous meal,” she said. “She took a bill from her wallet and handed it to the woman. Keep the change,” she said with a warm smile.

  “Take good care young lady,” the waitress said and turned away from Levi.

  Levi left the diner and walked down the street gazing into shop windows as she walked through town. Very few of the businesses were open on a Sunday afternoon and the sight of movement ahead caught her attention.

  A dark haired woman was busy carrying scuba equipment inside a small shop from a boat. Levi looked up to read the sign. Emerald Isle Scuba, she read as she continued to walk toward the shop.

  “Good day mate,” the woman said when she saw Levi’s approach. “I would assume you are from Neptune’s Ring,” the woman said.

  “How clever you are,” Levi said with a smile. “Levi Johnson,” she said as she offered her hand.

  “Codi Clarkson at your service ma’am,” the woman said as she shook Levi’s hand. “Pleased to meet you,” she said. “I saw activity on the island yesterday and since there is no one new in town, it was easy to assume,” Codi said with a grin.

  “Is this your business?” Levi asked.

  “Owner, chief cook and bottle washer,” Codi said with a pleasant smile. “Would you care to go for a dive?” Codi asked with a grin.

  “Not today, but thanks,” Levi said.

  “Come on in then and sit a spell,” Codi said as she carried the last of the tanks inside.

  Levi sat on a barstool at the counter as she watched Codi set the tanks into a rack for refilling.

  “So, what are you doing on the island?” she asked.

  “My friends and I have purchased the property and have plans to open a lesbian resort,” Levi boldly said.

  “Careful using that word here, you might scare the natives,” Codi chuckled. “You might want to just call it an exclusively female resort,” she said with a wink.

  Levi grinned. “I will definitely keep that in mind.”

  “You have the perfect spot for diving some fantastic reefs.”

  “We hope to offer the reef diving and snorkeling as amenities for the resort,” Levi said.

  “Well do keep me in mind if I can be of service,” Codi said. “I could work up some special rates for your guests and you wouldn’t have to invest in boats and equipment. I could use the extra business,” she added with a grin.

  “I will bring that suggestion up to my partners if you will develop a business proposal,” Levi said.

  “I have the capacity to take a group as large as eight and can provide lessons to certify if needed,” Codi said. “I will work up a proposal and bring it over later this week if that is fine with you,” she said.

  “I will be looking forward to your visit then,” Levi said as she stood to leave.

  “Are the stories true?” Codi asked, stopping Levi in her tracks.

  “What stories?” Levi asked coyly.

  “The ones about the island being haunted,” Codi said.

  “You will just have to come find out for yourself,” Levi said with a grin.

  “I wil
l at that,” Codi said. “It was nice to meet you Ms. Johnson.”

  “Likewise, Codi,” Levi said and walked back outside.

  She strolled down the sidewalk and passed Cat’s office and smiled when she thought of Cat and Cass together. The thought made her long for Vanessa and she turned back to the harbor to take the boat back across to the island. She secured the boat for the evening and then walked back up the hill to the house. The sun was beginning to set and was partially hidden by the house as she sat on the front steps and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Vanessa’s number and waited for her to answer.

  There was no answer and sadly Levi ended the call and stood to enter the house.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Levi fixed a small meal and then settled down in the office to write some emails. She downloaded her most recent photographs and sent them to Liz and to Vanessa. She wrote a brief email to Vanessa and said she would give her a call later.

  Levi felt like writing and she returned to her bedroom for the journal Vanessa had given her. She walked into the kitchen and took a beer from the refrigerator and stepped out on the porch. The sunlight was fading fast so Levi reached back inside to turn on the porch lighting.

  She opened the journal and took the lid off her pen and began by writing the date at the top of the page.

  My Dearest Vanessa,

  My second day on the island is quickly coming to a close and I realized I hadn’t written one word in the beautiful journal you bought for me, so tonight I shall begin.

  Yesterday was quite hectic, saying a brief goodbye at the resort and flying to the island. Liz and Nat took Cass and me to the airport and sent us off in separate directions with promises to see us both soon. Liz and Nat have both called several times to check on me and Cat has been a joy. She took me grocery shopping and put away the food while I unpacked and got settled in. She has invited me over for dinner Wednesday night to get me off the island and I look forward to going out with her.

  After Cat left, I had several hours of daylight remaining and did some exploring. The pictures I sent you tonight were from yesterday and today’s adventures on the island. This afternoon I went across to the mainland and had lunch at a cozy little diner. The woman who waited on me was curious about the island and whether I had seen any ghosts yet. I assured her that I was quite safe, but I could tell she held my safety in grave concern. We had a pleasant chat and afterward I walked through town, which by the way is pretty dead on a Sunday afternoon.