She hit the grocery store in Nags Head first, which didn’t take long. After putting her purchases away, she decided to take Sparky for a quick walk around the neighborhood before leaving home again. If it rained all weekend, this might be the only exercise he got for a couple of days. It was a little past noon when she and Sparky returned to the house; she made a sandwich for lunch before she left to drive to Manteo.
As she was leaving, Lin saw Eloise on her porch and stopped to chat for a moment. “I’ve put all our things in the freezer,” her neighbor reported. “I think everything is done now except for making sure we have a good supply of beverages.”
“Count on us for the wine, and I’ll make sure there are soft drinks for the children,” Lin offered. Eloise agreed to take care of coffee and stocking her bar for the occasion. “Where are you headed?” she asked, “looks like it could start raining any minute.”
“I’m off to Manteo to pick up my ring,” Lin replied, “it’s being sized and I was told I could pick it up today. I should be back soon, maybe we can have tea later.”
“Sounds good,” Eloise said as she went back inside.
The weather did seem to be growing more threatening as Lin drove across the bridge to Manteo. The sound was so choppy that even the pelicans seemed to be avoiding it. Still, there was no rain yet, and Lin hoped she’d be back home before things really broke. She realized that Neal might be home early if the weather interrupted the work at the fort.
Apparently the threatening weather had not deterred Christmas shoppers, or maybe folks were trying to get things done today rather than slog about in the rain on Saturday. In any case, Manteo was quite crowded for a small town, and Lin had a very difficult time finding a place to park. She finally found an empty spot at the opposite end of the waterfront area and began to walk back toward the Simon Gallery. The wind was picking up. She buttoned her jacket and wished she’d thought to grab a hat. By the time she entered the shop, her cheeks felt almost numb. I hope next weekend will be nicer, she thought. Entertaining two lively youngsters on a rainy, cold weekend was probably not the best way to begin the holidays.
The gallery was crowded with customers. The lady who had helped her before was busy answering questions, and there was another younger clerk manning the register. Mike Clark could be seen in the back room, packing shipping cartons. Fortunately, He didn’t look up, and Lin carefully moved away from his line of sight. She didn’t see any sign of Mark Simon.
Lin waited until the older clerk had finished with her customers, and then she approached her. “I’m Lin Hanna, I was in earlier this week. Mr. Simon was having a ring sized for me. I was supposed to pick it up today.”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Simon told me you might be in. He wasn’t able to come in today, I’m afraid. His wife isn’t feeling well so he stayed home with her. He did pick up your ring yesterday afternoon though and suggested that, if you didn’t mind, you could come by his home and pick it up.”
Lin was disappointed. She really missed having the beautiful ring to wear and didn’t want to wait longer to get it, but she wasn’t really excited about going to the Simon home either. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to disturb them,” she began…
“Really, he said it wouldn’t be a problem at all. He lives nearby and it only takes a few minutes to run by there, let me give you directions,” the clerk insisted.
More customers were beginning to come in, and Lin didn’t want to take up too much of the clerk’s time; she agreed to take the directions, still not certain whether or not she’d actually go by the house. “I’ll try to get by,” she told the clerk, “but tell Mr. Simon, if I don’t make it, I’ll come in on Monday and pick the ring up then.”
The wind was picking up and a light rain was beginning to fall as Lin exited the gallery and made her way back toward her car still thinking about what to do. She felt chilled, and decided to duck into the coffee shop near the harbor to warm up while she made up her mind— should she go back to Kate’s, or head to the Simon home to pick up her ring?
The coffee shop was crowded, but she found a small table near the back corner and settled in with a large steaming mug; she decided to add a festive cranberry muffin as a special treat. The warm brew and delicious snack warmed her, and she felt more relaxed.
I don’t know why I’m hesitating to go by and pick up my ring, she told herself. After all, I really want to have it back, and next week will be really busy. She knew she had to clean the guest rooms and prepare them for the arrival of her family, not to mention buying groceries to feed eight people. She didn’t need extra errands to do. Besides, it couldn’t take more than a few minutes just to run by and pick up the package; she needed to get moving if she wanted to get back home before the rain grew worse.
Having talked herself out of her reluctance, she finished her coffee and made her way back to her car, thankfully without getting too wet. The showers seemed to have stopped temporarily, but the darkening skies promised more to come.
The directions were easy to follow, and soon she pulled up in front of a lovely home. The architecture was typical coastal with broad porches surrounding a traditional clapboard structure slightly elevated on brick pillars. As she got out of her car, Lin saw that the house backed up to the sound. A large cabin cruiser bobbed at a pier that stretched into the water from the back yard. The rain was just beginning again as she mounted the stairs and rang the doorbell.
A thin gray-haired woman who seemed quite nervous answered the door. She stared at Lin with pale blue eyes and finally gave her a slight smile. “May I help you?” her voice seemed to tremble slightly as she spoke.
“I’m Lin Hanna, Mr. Simon has a ring of mine that has been sized. The clerk at the gallery said I was to come by here to pick it up.”
The woman seemed not to understand what Lin was talking about. She simply stood there, saying nothing. Just as Lin was about to turn and go back to her car, Mark Simon came down the stairs into the foyer.
“Ms. Hanna, do come in.” He hurried to the door, “Millicent, please let our guest in it’s too cold to be standing outside.” Millicent retreated from the foyer and disappeared into one of the rooms beyond.
“I’m so sorry you were kept waiting,” Simon had reverted to the overly gracious manner that Lin found so annoying. “Millicent hasn’t been feeling well today. I’ve told her to let me answer the door, but I was upstairs in my office working, and I guess she just wanted to be helpful. She’s easily confused, and her medication contributes to that it seems. Please do come in. Will you have some tea? It’s such a raw day.” Mark Simon was certainly trying to be charming, but all Lin wanted was to get her ring and get home.
“Thank you, but I really must be getting home soon,” Lin insisted as Simon directed her into the room Millicent had entered earlier, “this weather is only going to get worse and…”
“I do understand,” Mark Simon’s words seemed to ooze from his mouth, “Your lovely ring is upstairs in my office. Please relax for a moment and I’ll run up and get it for you. I left a customer on hold when I heard you come in; I’ll need to finish that call, but it will only take a minute. I’ll be back shortly.” He excused himself and went back upstairs.
Lin glanced around the lovely room. It was a casual, informal area with beautiful but comfortable furnishings and a large stone fireplace in which a crackling wood fire burned. Still feeling a bit chilled, Lin made her way toward the fireplace to warm her hands. One wall of the room was mostly glass. It faced the sound, but opened into what appeared to be a sort of green house, a glass enclosure filled with various plants and some shelving which held various garden tools and other assorted items. Millicent Simon stood in this area, puttering with some potted plants. She didn’t seem to be aware that Lin had come into the room.
Lin turned back toward the fireplace hoping that Simon would be back down shortly. She wasn’t aware of another presence until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped back, startled. Millicent stood there, a distant look in
her eyes and a slight smile on her face.
Finally, she spoke, “I didn’t mean to scare you. Come with me and I’ll show you my plants. If it weren’t raining we could go out in my garden, but you can see it from the greenhouse anyway.” Although her words were cordial, even friendly, her voice still trembled, and it seemed as if she were straining at every word.
Lin felt sympathy for the woman, wondering what her condition was exactly. She even felt a bit ashamed at her own reaction. Millicent’s manner might make her feel uncomfortable, but the woman was trying to be polite. Lin smiled and followed her into the greenhouse.
It was an expansive area, running the entire length of the house and facing the sound. Sun lamps in the ceiling provided warmth and light for a beautiful array of plants—orchids, hibiscus, potted azaleas.
“This is lovely,” Lin remarked, “and I can see that your garden outside is equally beautiful.” She approached the back glass and looked out on a beautifully landscaped lawn and well tended flowerbeds. There were no blooms now but Lin could imagine how lovely it would be come spring. Her gaze fell upon a row of white boxes along the back of the yard. “Are those hives?” she asked.
Millicent nodded, “I’m both a gardener and a beekeeper. The bees pollinate my flowers and fruit trees and, they are my best friends,” her voice took on a strange, almost eerie quality.
Lin looked around the greenhouse and saw that the shelves contained not only gardening tools and fertilizer but also gloves, nets, and other equipment that might be used in working with bees. As she turned to speak to Millicent, her eyes fell on a stack of small boxes. With a start, Lin recognized that they looked just like the box she and Neal had found in the mud near the site of Dorrie’s body.
Millicent apparently noticed her staring at the bee boxes. “The bees are my friends and they help me.” She sounded as if she were far away, deep in thought.
“Mark is not my friend—he’s not a good husband; he cheats on me all the time,” the distant voice took on a menacing quality. “He tells everyone I’m sick, but that’s his fault. He even brings his whores to this house. He cheats on me in my own home.” The voice grew higher. “I’m not going to take it any more. He brought that girl here. She tried to say he wasn’t her lover, but I knew better—he loves them all. I’m the only one he hates. I took care of her, and I’m going to take care of you.”
Millicent’s voice took on a menacing quality. “How dare you come into my home, you slut! How dare you try to take Mark away from me!” Millicent grabbed a set of garden shears from the table and whirled toward Lin who scrambled back toward the greenhouse entrance striking her foot on a large bag of fertilizer. She tumbled sideways, falling to the hard tile floor. At that moment, Mark Simon burst onto the scene.
“Millicent, stop right now,” he yelled. He was much stronger than she and managed to grab her arm and remove the shears from her hand, casting them aside. “Go upstairs right now!” he commanded. Millicent dissolved into tears, her anger dissipating as fast as it had arisen. She ran from the room and fled up the stairs.
Simon reached for Lin, helping her up and apologizing profusely, “I hope you’re not hurt. Millicent just isn’t herself, and today has been especially bad for her. She’s delusional, really doesn’t know what she’s saying. He grasped Lin’s arm firmly, guiding her back into the house and leading her toward a chair beside the fire.
“I’m ok, really I am,” Lin resisted sitting down, “I just need to get my ring and get home. Please don’t worry about Millicent. I understand that she’s ill.” She wanted to add that she needed more help than she seemed to be getting here at home, but she was afraid to say more—just wanting to make a hasty exit. Simon wouldn’t hear of it.
“You’re really quite shaken, even if you’re not injured,” he insisted, slipping her jacket from her shoulders. “You must sit down, and let me get you a cup of hot tea. I’d be remiss if I let you drive right now, especially in this weather. I insist that you sit here by the fire—just for a few minutes.” He continued to grasp her arm and pushed her gently into the chair. “I’ll be right back with some tea.”
Lin started to protest further, but she did feel shaken. She noticed that Simon had taken her jacket when he left the room and wasn’t sure where he might have put it. She tried, not very successfully, to quell her fears. Millicent Simon was obviously a very disturbed woman. Perhaps she was delusional, but Lin wondered about her earlier remarks. It seemed she might’ve been talking about Dorrie Johnson, and on top of that, this crazy woman was a beekeeper!
Simon returned shortly with a tray bearing two cups of steaming hot tea and a plate of cookies. He placed the tray on a nearby table and handed a cup to Lin, taking the other for himself. He seemed to have completely regained his composure, even if Lin had not.
“Do you have my ring?” Lin was trying to remain calm and get this disastrous visit over with.
“I’m afraid I left it on my desk when I heard the…er commotion. I’ll go up and get it shortly, when we’ve finished our tea.” He smiled as if nothing had happened, as if this was merely a friendly visit. Lin was astounded that he could remain so calm.
“Your wife seems really quite disturbed,” Lin found that she couldn’t ignore this situation. “She made some serious accusations, and even if she is delusional, she is obviously capable of violence. Perhaps she needs to be in a more secure environment, at least for the present.” Lin couldn’t pretend that what had happened was insignificant, to be settled over a cup of tea.
“Really, things are not quite as bad as they may seem to you, after this incident. Millicent is usually quite calm, but I think her medication is off a bit. Her doctor is trying to adjust it. Your presence must have disturbed her in some way.”
Lin couldn’t believe he was trying to say she was responsible for Millicent’s outburst. “Your wife seems to think you’re unfaithful, she pressed on. She mentioned your bringing your lovers into her home, even said she ‘took care’ of one recently. I think she placed me in that category, frankly.”
“Which certainly proves her delusion,” Simon fixed his gaze upon her.
Lin took another long drink of the hot tea. She was more than ready to get out of here, ring or no ring. She felt certain that Dorrie Johnson had been in this house, and Millicent Simon had encountered her in some way. Maybe, Dorrie’s allergic reaction came from a sting received here. The weather was much warmer then, and the insects were still active. Lin decided that it was time for her to leave.
“I really must be going now, if you’ll please get my coat, I’ll leave you to take care of your wife. I accept your apology and I hope you’re able to get her medication straightened out soon. After all, I wasn’t hurt, only frightened and I’m sure she didn’t know what she was doing. Don’t worry about getting the ring just now, I’ll have Neal pick it up on Monday.”
“ Oh, I’ll get it right now, and your coat. I’ll be back in just a moment.” Simon left the room.
Lin finished the last sip of her tea. She placed the cup on the table as she rose from her chair. She felt very strange. The room began to swirl and tilt around her. She reached out to steady herself, knocking the lamp from the table as her knees crumpled beneath her, and she felt herself descending into a black void.
Chapter 23
It was just past six when Neal pulled into the driveway at Kate’s house. He was later than he’d expected to be and was dirty and tired. Had it not been the last day before the holiday break, the team would have probably quit early; however, they’d pressed on with the task of securing and covering the sites, knowing that it had to be completed in spite of the weather. Fortunately, the heavier rain had held off. The forecast called for this storm to worsen overnight. “The first Nor’easter of the winter season,” the weatherman on the radio had called it. Neal knew that these coastal storms could bring damaging winds and flooding conditions. While this one wasn’t predicted to be quite as strong as they could be later in the season, there we
re still warnings of high seas and risk of beach erosion and flooding on the sound side of the islands. Neal realized that there was a good reason these folks had built their homes on sturdy piers.
He was surprised to see that Lin’s car wasn’t parked under the house and there were no lights on, inside or out. He gathered his things and climbed the steps to the main level. He checked his phone to see if he’d missed a call, but there was no message and no missed calls; he dialed Lin’s cell number. It went immediately to voice mail. That’s strange he thought, she doesn’t usually turn her cell off, maybe her battery is dead.
Sparky got up from his bed and leaned against Neal’s leg. Funny, he wasn’t his usual exuberant self. Maybe this weather’s getting to him, Neal reasoned. He put his phone aside and let the dog out into the yard to do his business. Fortunately, Lin had left a large beach towel out by the door to dry the animal when he came in. The rain was beginning to fall harder, and the dog still felt damp despite Neal’s best efforts to dry him. He took him out onto the glassed porch and turned on the gas fireplace, leaving the animal to dry more. Sparky must’ve appreciated this because he promptly curled up in front of the fire.
Neal checked his watch. It was almost six-thirty now and no Lin. He decided to call Eloise. The neighbor answered promptly.
“Eloise, this is Neal. Lin’s not home yet. Have you talked to her today? Did she mention what her plans were? I’m getting a little worried, what with this rain and all.”
“I did see her earlier. It must’ve been about twelve-thirty or one o’clock. She was heading into Manteo to pick up her ring, I believe. She mentioned getting together for tea later this afternoon; I’m surprised she’s this late myself. Something must’ve come up. Maybe she realized she needed to do some errands while she was there. She should be along shortly, but I’m a little surprised she didn’t call either of us.”
“Me too, it’s not like her,” Neal tried not to let the worry show in his voice.
Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery Page 25
