Neptune's Ring

by Ali Spooner

  Levi walked through the resort to survey the progress one more time and then left to take the cart back up to the house. She would eat a light lunch and take a nap after calling Nat with an update. Later she would call Vanessa and then shower and dress for her dinner with Cat.

  All signs of the red sunrise had disappeared, replaced by blue skies filled with fluffy clouds and a soft breeze. Levi smiled content with her life as she drove up the hill.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Levi parked the cart and hooked it into the charger before walking into the house. She was hungry and went directly to the kitchen to prepare a sandwich and chips. She took those and a bottle of water over to the breakfast nook and enjoyed a quiet meal.

  After eating, Levi pulled out her cell phone and dialed Nat.

  “Hello,” she heard Nat say.

  “Hi, Nat this is Levi.”

  “How are you Levi?”

  “I am doing well and you?”

  “Fine, just fine, is everything going well for you today?” she asked.

  “Very well, I just wanted to call and give you a quick progress report and tell you everything is right on schedule,” she said.

  “I can’t wait until Friday gets here,” Nat said excitedly.

  “Me either,” Levi said. “I am excited for you and Vanessa to see how much the resort has changed.”

  “Is there anything you need or want us to bring?” Nat asked.

  “Just yourselves as quickly as you can get here,” Levi said. “Tell Liz and NeNe hello for me please,” she added.

  “I will,” Nat said. “Give us a call after you have dinner with Cat, if it’s not too late when you get in.”

  “I don’t plan on staying too late, so I will talk to you later,” Levi said.

  “Goodbye then,” Nat said and hung up the phone.

  Levi walked back inside and placed her dishes in the sink. A sudden weariness came over Levi and she welcomed a nap. She walked into the office on her way to the bedroom and was disappointed that there was no further message from Celeste. Levi walked into the bedroom and pulled off her shoes before collapsing on the bed.

  It took a tremendous amount of effort for Celeste to affect any type of change in the physical world, but she forced her spirit to go to the computer and type. “SeeMeNiteGartin,” she typed

  Levi had been clever enough to figure out the words thus far and Celeste felt sure she would continue to follow her cryptic clues. Celeste faded into the shadows of the master bedroom and watched over Levi as she slept.

  She slept until four and then rushed through the shower when she realized how late it had grown. Levi dressed quickly and called Vanessa on her way to the boat house.

  “Hey, baby,” Vanessa said when she answered.

  “Hello, my love, how are things going?”

  “I am doing great, we are out to sea and the water is smooth and the skies are crystal clear,” Vanessa said.

  Levi had always been amazed at how much more calm Vanessa was when she was on the water, no matter how hectic things were on the ship.

  “Do you have a packed ship?”

  “I think we have one cabin open due to a last minute cancellation,” Vanessa said.

  “Excellent,” Levi said. “I hope Susan can handle the extra business in the club.”

  “She is not you, my love, but she will do just fine so don’t worry,” Vanessa said. “You sound like you are moving, are you on your way to meet Cat?”

  “Yes, I am on the golf cart on my way to the boat house.”

  “Have a great time with Cat and tell her hello for me,” Vanessa said. “Call me when you get home. Levi, I love you.”

  “I love you too baby and cannot wait to see you on Friday.”

  “Call me,” Vanessa said and ended the call.

  Levi was surprised to find Cat waiting for her arrival at the harbor. She helped secure the mooring lines and offered Levi a hand up to the pier.

  “Good evening, Cat,” Levi said. “The crew says to tell you hello.”

  “I am so glad you could make it tonight,” Cat said. “I have been looking forward to this all day.”

  They walked over to a late model Range Rover and Cat opened the door for Levi and walked around to climb in behind the wheel.

  “I hear we are getting company on Friday,” Cat said.

  “Yes, Nat and Vanessa are flying over,” Levi said with a broad smile.

  “That is very good news,” Cat said. “Cass will be here Sunday so you will have a world of company.”

  “Where are we headed?” Levi asked as they took the road out of town.

  “About five miles out of town, there is a small steak house that serves up one of the best steaks I have ever eaten,” Cat said.

  “I could use some red meat,” Levi said.

  “Red meat you shall have then,” Cat chuckled.

  Cat was absolutely correct about the steak. It was wonderful and she enjoyed every bite.

  “How about the four of us coming out Sunday night when Cass gets here,” Levi said.

  “That would be a great idea,” Cat agreed. “Let’s do it.”

  “I am sure we won’t have any difficulty convincing those two,” Levi said.

  “I need your help with something else too, please Cat, Levi said. “Codi has asked me to go diving with her Friday morning and I was hoping I could bring the boat over for you to use since I will still be diving when they arrive.”

  “That shouldn’t be any problem at all. I can come over with one of the keel boat deliveries on Thursday or you can come over early Friday morning.”

  “I think I will come over Friday and then I can ride back to the island with Codi,” Levi said.

  “We have a deal then,” Cat said. “Did you save room for dessert?”

  “Heavens no, but I would drink a cup of coffee with you,” Levi said.

  When the waitress returned to remove their dishes, Cat ordered two cups of coffee.

  After the coffee was delivered, Cat said, “I am just dying to ask if you have uncovered anything else regarding Celeste?”

  “Yes, Cat. It is really strange, but Celeste and I have found a way to communicate,” Levi said.

  “How on earth can that be possible?” Cat asked.

  “I think it takes a great deal of effort but Celeste can type short words on the computer,” Levi said with a grin. “She has been leaving me hints and helping me to understand what she needs me to do.”

  Levi frowned when she remembered that she had forgotten to check the computer before she left the house. She was in such a rush, she had totally forgotten. She would be home soon though, and that would be the first thing she did.

  Cat paid for their meal and they drove back to town.

  “Thanks for another great meal,” Levi said as they walked toward the boat.

  “Thank you for allowing me to treat you,” Cat said.

  “You are spoiling me,” Levi teased.

  “Everyone deserves a little spoiling now and then,” Cat said with a wink.

  “You are so right about that,” Levi said with a smile as she dropped down into the boat. “I will see you Friday morning.”

  “Travel safe,” Cat said.

  She waved as Levi left the boat slip and guided the boat back toward the island.

  As soon as Levi secured the boat in the boat house she pulled out her cell phone and called Vanessa. She walked over to the cart and sat waiting for Vanessa to answer.

  “Hello, Levi,” Vanessa said at last.

  “Are you busy baby?” Levi asked.

  “No, I was in the shower and had to rush to catch the phone,” Vanessa said.

  “Now that’s a nice visual,” Levi purred.

  “One you shall see for real very soon,” Vanessa said with a chuckle. “How was dinner?”

  “Cat took me to a great steak house just outside of town and we want to return when you and Cass arrive,” Levi said.

  “That sounds fine to me. I am sure we
won’t have any difficulty convincing Cass either,” Vanessa said.

  “I don’t think there will be any problems,” Levi said.

  “Where are you now?”

  “I am still sitting down by the boat house,” Levi said. “I have just returned and wanted to call before it got too late.”

  “It is so good to hear your voice. I miss you so much, baby.”

  “I miss you too Vanessa. Do you have another seating of guests to welcome?” she asked.

  “Yes, the late group at nine,” Vanessa said.

  “And you just got out of the shower?”

  “Yes, I am sitting here in nothing but a towel,” Vanessa said.

  “Oh, you tease. You had better get a move on or you are going to be late,” she chided.

  “Yes ma’am, I will get moving. I will call you in the morning,” she said.

  “I will be waiting,” Levi said. “Goodnight, my love.”

  “Goodnight, Levi, sleep well.”

  Levi drove up to the house and went inside, walking directly to the office. She turned on a light and went directly to the computer. When she moved the mouse, the screen came to life and Levi read the message Celeste had left her, “Seemenitegartin.”

  She walked into the bedroom and pulled a sweat shirt out of a drawer and slipped it over her head. The nights were growing cooler and she had no idea how long she would have to wait for Celeste to appear. Levi walked back into the kitchen and opened a drawer to find a flash light and then left the house.

  The full moon was just beginning to rise as she made her way down the path to the garden. She found a spot near a tree and sat, turning off the light so her eyes would adjust to the darkness. The night was quiet except for a slight breeze blowing across the island. The night time chorus of insects and birds had not yet started, so Levi sat in the silence and waited.

  The moon seemed to triple in size as it shone down upon the clearing and Levi was glad for its light. She stared up at it, concentrating on the craters and dark spots until she heard a rustling ahead of her. Levi relaxed her eyes and allowed her ears to locate the direction of the sound. When she was certain where the sound was coming from, Levi watched an area at the far side of the clearing. She smiled when a small rabbit hopped out of the underbrush to nibble on the sweet clover that was mixed in with the grasses of the clearing. She sat quietly as two other rabbits hopped out into the moon light to join in on the feast. When they moved out of her sight, Levi looked down to check her watch. It was after ten and she now regretted not making a thermos of coffee.

  She leaned back against the trunk of the tree and relaxed. Her thoughts returned to Van Buren’s diary and it made her wonder if she was sitting under the same tree where he had raped and murdered Celeste. The thought gave her a chill and Levi raised her knees and tucked her arms around them. It was such a tragic waste of life and a horrific way for someone so young to die, she thought.

  A shiver ran down her spine and Levi knew she must concentrate on more positive thoughts. The sound of Vanessa’s voice flooded back to her ears and Levi began to relax. On cue, the night time insects began their concert and in the distance, Levi could hear birds calling to one another. Several times she heard the flutter of fast moving wings and looked up in time to catch the flight of a bat as it preyed upon insects in the night sky.

  Hours passed and Levi’s eyes began to grow heavy. The night had grown cooler and Levi checked her watch again to find it was after two. A dense ground fog had rolled in off the water and was hovering a few feet of the ground, making visibility more difficult for Levi.

  What happened next to Levi she would carry with her for the rest of her life. Levi felt the hairs on her arms rise and the temperature seemed to be dropping quickly. Her breath was visible on the air, something she thought odd for a late summer evening. She shivered with the chill and stood to move about a bit to get her blood circulating to bring some warmth to her body.

  A flicker of bright light flashed in the corner of her eye and Levi turned toward the small garden. Her eyes grew wide with excitement and a touch of fear as the fog seemed to be gathering. Levi watched as the mist swirled into the form of a young woman, dressed in a flowing white dress. Levi took a step toward the image and froze in her tracks when the mist disappeared and Celeste stood in front of her eyes. She remained translucent, but her form was solid enough that Levi knew exactly who she was looking at. Celeste had appeared just as she said and she turned to see Levi.

  Her beauty was stunning and Levi felt the warmth in her eyes as Celeste smiled at her. Levi took a tentative step toward Celeste who nodded her head.

  “Can you hear me?” Levi asked.

  Celeste nodded her head, “yes.”

  “Can you speak to me?”

  Celeste’s smile turned into a frown as she shook her head “no.”

  “That’s okay, we have made it this far and I am sure we will finish this tonight,” Levi said.

  Celeste’s smile returned as she watched Levi approach.

  “I have read through his diary and I am so sorry you died like that,” Levi said.

  Celeste nodded her head.

  “You have been very clever and leaving me your medallion was brilliant,” Levi said. “Roberto recognized it immediately when he saw it around my neck. He loves you dearly still and wears your memory around his neck in the form of your medallion,” Levi said. Levi watched the tears form in Celeste’s eyes, making them shine even brighter in the moon light.

  “Will your spirit rest once your body has been located and given a proper service?” Levi asked.

  She smiled as Celeste nodded her head, “yes.”

  “Can you show me where?”

  Celeste, nodded, “yes,” and made a move to turn away from Levi.

  “Celeste,” Levi said.

  Celeste turned to face Levi again.

  “Can you wait for me while I go get a shovel?”

  She nodded.

  “I will be right back and please don’t leave,” Levi said.

  Celeste smiled at Levi. Levi took off for the house at a run and switched on the flash light to make her way to a small shed which held a few tools. She shined the light around the room until her eyes fell upon a shovel hidden in the back of the room. Levi’s hand grasped the handle and she pulled the tool from its hiding space. The handle was cold to her touch and Levi instinctively knew this was the tool Van Buren had used to dig Celeste’s grave. She shivered from the thought and pushed it from her mind. She would make things right for Celeste she vowed as she closed the door and ran back to the clearing.

  Levi turned off the flash light and allowed the moon light to guide her back to the clearing while her eyes adjusted to the darkness. When she reached the clearing, Levi choked back panic when she did not see Celeste. A dark cloud had moved in front of the moon and when it passed, Levi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Celeste standing at the far end of the clearing.

  She walked quickly toward Celeste who gestured for Levi to follow and they moved out of the clearing. She followed Celeste down the path she had walked the previous weekend and Levi remembered the chill she had felt along the path. Celeste’s form turned away from the path and Levi parted the brush to follow. A small branch slipped in her hand and whipped Levi across her cheek causing a small scratch as she moved further away from the path.

  Celeste stopped moving and pointed to a small rock lying on the ground.

  “Is this the spot?”

  Celeste looked very sad as she nodded her head.

  Levi took the shovel in her hands and carefully began digging. She looked up at Celeste from time to time as she dug to see the expression on her face begin to change from a look of sadness to a brilliant smile. Levi continued to dig and stopped when she heard the tip of the shovel make contact with a solid object. She knelt down and gently removed more soil with her hands until she felt the hard object. Levi took the flash light from her pocket and turned it on before shining it into the shallow grave.
Levi had uncovered the bones of Celeste’s right hand and she breathed a sigh of relief that they had found the grave.

  Levi looked up and nearly fainted when her eyes came to rest on Celeste.

  Celeste was no longer a translucent form. Celeste’s body was as solid as her own and Levi stared at her in disbelief of the transformation she had made.

  Celeste lifted her hand and wiped the trickle of blood from Levi’s cheek as a trail of tears flowed down her own.

  “I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to go home,” Celeste said with a weak voice.

  “I am happy to be able to help you,” Levi said. “You deserved the chance to go home.”

  “I have waited so long for you to come to set me free,” Celeste said. “No one else before believed enough to help.”

  “I admit, I thought I was just imagining things, but when you left the necklace, I knew you were still here and needed my help.”

  “Would you do me the kindness of one last favor?” Celeste asked.

  “I will do anything I can,” Levi said.

  “I assume you will call for the authorities soon,” Celeste said.

  “Yes, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to disturb your body any further,” Levi said.

  “Before you call them, will you contact Roberto and ask him to come to the island so I can see him one last time? Only you will be able to see me until my body is removed and I then I will fade away into a memory. I cannot speak to him, but would like for you to tell him that I love him and always will.”

  Tears were flowing down Levi’s cheek as Celeste made her request. “I can do that,” she said as she took her cell phone from her pocket.

  “Cat, this is Levi,” she said when Cat answered her phone.

  “Levi, is everything alright?” Cat asked.

  “Yes, Cat. I am sorry to call so early, but I have found Celeste and I need your help.”

  “What can I do?” Cat asked.

  “I need you to bring Roberto to the island as quickly as you can. I will explain it all later, but I need you to do this quickly,” Levi stressed.