A Timely Vision

by Joyce; Jim Lavene

  “I came back to the Outer Banks to die, little girl. I only have a few months. Lung cancer.” He coughed long and hard, gasping for air. “I never believed those stupid cigarettes would kill me.”

  “What happened? I mean, I read the police report. It said Ronnie Michaels shot you. I’ve seen your grave in Duck Cemetery.”

  He grimaced. “Nothing to do with all you nosy busybodies in Duck. Why do you think I had to leave? Nobody can keep anything a secret.”

  “Anything like what?” I demanded. “What kind of secret makes a man fake his own death?”

  “Never mind me,” he wheezed, picking up an oxygen mask that was close at hand. “What are you doing to help Millie? You want to snoop around? Do something for her! She needs you. I don’t. She shouldn’t go to jail for what happened. She’d never hurt Lizzie.”

  “We’re trying to help her,” I assured him. “I could probably arrange for you to see her, if you like.”

  He pounded on his legs. “These things are useless now. I don’t get out much. Besides, she’s better off without me. Always has been.”

  “Was Chief Michaels involved in faking your death?” I asked.

  “Go away! Leave me alone. I’m dying already. Isn’t that enough for you?”

  “You left Duck at the same time Wild Johnny Simpson was killed.” Kevin squeezed in one more shot. “You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”

  “Did I?” Silas squinted up at him through his thick glasses. “If I did, I don’t remember. Maybe you should ask his ghost. You people still believe in ghosts, don’t you? Good-bye, young man.”

  An attendant came to help Silas as he started coughing again. It was our signal to leave. The only question we had answered was that this was indeed Bad Butler.

  Kevin and I walked out of the sunroom together. I was filled with too many questions. It was like eating too much at Thanksgiving—I was about to pop. There was a steady stream of visitors coming and going as we started down the hall. I recognized one of them and pulled Kevin to the side. “Chief Michaels!” I hissed as I turned us both around so the chief wouldn’t see us.

  We were still visible in the narrow space until Kevin put both his arms around me and hugged me close. “Stand still,” he whispered so that his voice tickled my ear.

  I stood there, not moving, knowing why it was happening, telling myself it didn’t really mean anything.

  He smelled good. Kind of like ocean air and paint thinner. I could imagine dancing with him under the stars on the beach. I could imagine talking with him all night and helping him look for treasure at the Blue Whale.

  But I didn’t have a good track record with men. There was Tim and a few others I’d dated since high school but nothing that ever meant much. I’d come to accept that I was destined to be alone. It didn’t bother me anymore. At least that’s what I told myself.

  I made myself stand on my tiptoes and peek across his shoulder. “He’s gone. Fast thinking.”

  He held me an second or two longer than was necessary. I didn’t let myself think about it. If he was interested in Shayla, he wouldn’t be interested in me. Not like that anyway. “I don’t get it,” I said as we started back down the hall to the lobby. “Why would Chief Michaels keep this a secret?”

  Kevin smiled at a young woman in a low-cut red dress as he held the door for her. Clearly, he wasn’t all sweaty palmed or anything, like I was after standing close to him. Why was it that the men I liked never seemed to like me back? At least not in the same way. My high school yearbook was filled with boys who thought of me as their best friend.

  “I think there may be more involved here than we realize, Dae. We should probably ask the chief about it.”

  “But how can we? If he wanted us to know, he would’ve told me. Or Gramps. He’s known Silas was alive for a while but hasn’t said anything. How can that be good?”

  “There could be some things that would explain this,” he said as we got out to the car. “I think we should give him a chance to defend himself. He’s supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, right?”

  “What kind of things? I’ve known him my whole life. How could he hide something like this?”

  “Until you find out what’s behind it, you’re only speculating it’s something bad,” he reminded me.

  “Gramps could be involved in it too.” I sat down and fastened my seat belt. All of the excitement I’d felt earlier about getting here and finding Silas had drained away. What difference did it make if Silas was still alive anyway? It wouldn’t bring back Miss Elizabeth, and it wouldn’t save Miss Mildred. I’d discovered a whole new problem with no answer. I still hadn’t resolved the first problem.

  He smiled at me as we stopped for a red light. “Would you like to stop somewhere for dinner? News of Bad Butler will wait another hour.”

  I smiled back. “Maybe. As long as the chief’s car isn’t in the parking lot.”

  “You’re willing to condemn the chief kind of fast without any real proof,” he argued. “You believe in Miss Mildred with real evidence against her.”

  “I think I have real evidence against the chief,” I argued. “Silas Butler, a man he killed thirty years ago, is still alive. The chief has known about it for a while but hasn’t said anything. Why wouldn’t he tell someone?”

  We turned into an interesting Asian restaurant I’d always wanted to try, but before we could get out of the truck, my cell phone went off. It was Gramps on the other end. He was more than a little upset.

  “Dae, you won’t believe what’s happened. That new real estate boy who moved into town has put Millie’s and Lizzie’s properties up for sale.”

  Chapter 14

  “Is this possible? Can he really do this?” I asked Gramps once we were standing in the kitchen at home. I’d wanted to ask in the truck on the way back, but I’d lost cell phone service when Kevin drove out of the restaurant parking lot. It figures. “Did they owe back taxes or something?”

  “This isn’t a tax auction,” Gramps explained. “The property is being auctioned off by Chuck Sparks. I don’t know how he got his hands on it.”

  Mary Lou brought the cheesy-potato casserole from the microwave with fish-shaped oven mitts on her hands. “It’s a crime.” She plunked down the white casserole dish on the table next to the fish stew. “Nobody can come in and take a house like that. It’s down right thievery.”

  I didn’t have to ask why she was here again tonight. Gramps had made that pretty clear. I was glad they had dinner ready since we’d rushed back from Kitty Hawk without eating. Mary Lou took out some of her prize-winning cornbread and put that on the table beside the casserole. It smelled so good, my stomach growled.

  “Somebody’s hungry,” Gramps observed with a laugh.

  Hot color washed into my face. I guess he didn’t care that we weren’t alone. “Mary Lou’s right.” I tried to divert the subject. “No one can take the sisters’ houses without notice or permission.”

  “The only way that could happen at this point would be if they had some relation who could step in and take control of their estates.” Gramps poured tea. “Since neither of them had anyone except each other, I’ll bet both houses were set up to go to the surviving sister.”

  I glanced at Kevin. “There’s something you don’t know.” I told Gramps about Silas Butler.

  “Silas.” Gramps sat down, the color draining from his face, and gazed across the room. “So that’s why you were asking so many questions earlier. Why didn’t you tell me then?”

  I waited for Kevin and Mary Lou to sit, then sat down myself before I answered. “I was afraid you’d tell the chief and Silas would be gone when we got there.” I passed Kevin the stew. “Did you know he was still alive?”

  He looked down at his plate, and I knew right away what the answer was. “We weren’t supposed to talk about it. I still don’t know if I should say anything. It could mean Silas’s life.”

  “He’s dying anyway, if that makes you feel any b
etter,” I explained, regretting my words after I’d said them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. Chief Michaels has been visiting him for a couple of months. He never mentioned it?”

  He looked stricken. “No. I don’t believe it. Ronnie would’ve said something.”

  “I’m afraid it’s true.” Kevin took the potatoes I passed him. “And that brings up an interesting theory. If what you say is true about the sisters leaving each other their properties, when Miss Elizabeth died, her property would’ve gone to Miss Mildred. When Miss Mildred was declared incompetent, both their properties must have passed to Silas.”

  The four of us stared at each other across the cornbread, stew and potatoes. There was silence, except for the hooting of an old owl that lived in one of the trees out back and the ticking of the kitchen clock.

  “Are you saying you think Ronnie is involved in taking Lizzie and Millie’s properties?” Gramps glared at Kevin.

  I jumped in on his behalf. “The chief knew Silas was alive and has been visiting him. He didn’t say anything about it to anyone. Luke Helms told me at the ribbon cutting that the chief went out of his way to point out how unemotional Miss Mildred was when they had him testify. He also told the judge about the feud between the sisters.”

  Gramps slammed his fist on the table, making the silver-ware jump. “I don’t believe it. I’ve known Ronnie all of his life. He wouldn’t do such a thing. There has to be another explanation.”

  Mary Lou sipped her tea, then added, “I wouldn’t put anything past anyone when it comes to money. What are those houses worth anyway? With the price of land around here, they could buy a turtle sanctuary with no problem.”

  I thought back to my encounter with Chuck Sparks and his mother’s medallion. “If Chuck was right, we could be talking four or five million dollars for the two properties. When did you say the auction is being held?”

  “The sign said Wednesday,” Gramps said. “That doesn’t give us much time to figure out what’s going on.”

  “Some of that will be easy,” Kevin responded. “The records for any land transfer have to be at the county courthouse. I’m sure the real estate office has them too, but you couldn’t make him give them up without a court order.”

  “I might be able to convince Chuck to help us,” I said. “I did find his mother’s medallion. Maybe I could guilt him into feeling like he owes me something.”

  It didn’t sound like much of a plan, and I didn’t feel any better. I didn’t want to think about Chief Michaels helping himself to the sisters’ properties, but I distinctly remembered Silas telling us that he wasn’t in charge of his money anymore. Had the chief stepped in to help with that?

  “If we find out someone”—I didn’t mention the chief so Gramps wouldn’t get riled again—“set this whole thing up, would that mean that person killed Miss Elizabeth and framed Miss Mildred?”

  Gramps’s angry expression told me he knew who I was talking about. Kevin agreed with me. “If we can prove someone stepped in to take the properties and sell them, we might be able to get the SBI to take another look.”

  I glanced at Mary Lou. Tears were running down her face. “I don’t think I can handle all this. Excuse me.” She got up from the table and went outside to the back porch.

  I felt the same, but somebody had to save Miss Mildred. Being a rescuer herself, Mary Lou would realize that soon enough. I knew she was overwhelmed right now by everything that had happened. We all were.

  “Tomorrow’s Saturday,” Kevin reminded us. “If we’re going to prove anything in time to stop the sale of the houses, we better get moving.”

  Gramps said, “You remember I dated Olivia, the Register of Deeds? She has that nice white Cadillac convertible. I think I’ll give her a call. I’m going to prove you’re wrong about Ronnie.”

  “Okay. But, Gramps, you can’t say anything about this to the chief until we know. If you’re wrong and he’s gone bad, he could make it impossible to stop the sale.”

  “I won’t say anything to him, but not because he might do anything. I don’t want to embarrass both of us by accusing him of something like this.”

  “I’ll talk to my contact in the SBI and suggest an alternate scenario,” Kevin said.

  “I’m going to see what I can get out of Chuck Sparks.” I got up from the table, not as hungry as I thought. The conversation had stifled even my taste for warm cornbread. “I guess we all have our jobs cut out for us.”

  Gramps went out to check on Mary Lou, and Kevin helped me clear the table. I tried to get him to take the rest of the food home with him, but he said he already had too much in the kitchen at the Blue Whale. “You know, if you want to back out of our deal to help me with this, I’ll understand. It looks like it might be more complicated than either of us thought at the beginning.”

  “You can’t get out of painting that easy.” He grinned as he put the rest of the tea in the fridge. “It’s okay, Dae. I’m not giving up on it yet. There’s no such thing as an uncomplicated murder case. I knew what I was getting into before I agreed to help.”

  We went to sit outside on the front steps so we wouldn’t bother Gramps and Mary Lou in back. “You know, everyone is speculating about why you left the FBI,” I told him when the dark had closed around us and I couldn’t make out his face. I’d wanted to ask him this for a while but had felt I didn’t know him well enough. I was also worried it might be painful for him to explain.

  “I know. Everyone in a small town like Duck feels like they have to know everything about everyone. I knew it would be that way before I came. I can handle it.”

  As far as answers were concerned, that wasn’t the one I was looking for. It would be rude to ask him outright why he’d left his career and moved to Duck. I tried another tack. “I know you said you didn’t miss it.”

  “I didn’t say that exactly,” he corrected. “You don’t do something like that for years without missing some parts of it.”

  Another vague answer that didn’t satisfy my curiosity. “Well, I’m glad you’re here to help with this, Kevin.” Obviously he wasn’t going to tell me about his past.

  “Because otherwise you’d be having this conversation with Tim, right?”

  “No! You couldn’t pry Tim away from the chief with a big crowbar! I wouldn’t ask him to help me with this. He’d be too distracted.”

  “But not because he might ask you to marry him again?”

  What did I hear in his voice? Was Kevin trying to get information from me about the past as well? I could imagine only one reason he might be interested. My heart beat a little faster until I squashed the idea. He wasn’t interested in me romantically. This was all leading somewhere else. I wasn’t his type.

  “No. He does that from time to time, like I told you. He was the first boy I ever kissed. Maybe I was the first girl he ever kissed. But until one of us settles on someone else, I think that’s the way it’ll be between us. You must’ve had someone like that when you were in school.”

  He laughed. “My dad sent me to a military academy when I was thirteen. It was all male at that time. I didn’t kiss a girl until I was almost eighteen. And I never saw her again.”

  “I’m sure Shayla and Tim won’t last long. She’ll be interested in you again shortly. If not, there are plenty of unmarried women looking for new men. You’ll end up with someone.”

  “Yeah. Someone who doesn’t mind that I’m going to have to work on the Blue Whale for the rest of my life to keep it together long enough to pay off the mortgage. Someone who likes lasagna, even leftover lasagna, and who doesn’t mind that Bunk Whitley is probably buried somewhere inside the inn.”

  We both laughed at that, then said good night. It was going to be a long day tomorrow trying to figure out what to do to help Miss Mildred. “I’ll let you know what I find out from Chuck,” I promised.

  “I’ll do the same when I know something,” he said. “Be careful, Dae. There’s a lot of money at stake, and someone may have already
died for it. If that’s true, whoever killed Miss Elizabeth won’t hesitate to kill again.”

  “I don’t think anyone would risk killing the granddaughter of the retired sheriff and the current mayor of Duck,” I joked.

  He took my hand and stood close to me on the stairs. “Don’t underestimate your opponent. If you’re going to investigate something like this, that’s one of the first rules.”

  “All right. I’ll be careful.” My voice was a little fluttery when I answered. I hoped I wasn’t about to make a fool of myself with Kevin.

  “Good night then. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  I watched him walk down the dark path to his truck and drive away, staring until I couldn’t see the taillights anymore. Kevin Brickman had a way about him. I liked it. I liked him. But I wasn’t so sure anything more could come of those feelings.

  Chuck Sparks had set up an office in a one-room space inside one of the rental buildings on Duck Road. There was a small sign on the door that read “Island Realty.” In the background of the name was the logo of his mother’s award medallion.

  As I opened the door to his office, I hoped that the medallion would help remind him he owed me a favor. It was barely nine A.M., but frigid air-conditioning whooshed out at me. Some people don’t acclimate well to warm weather. Either Chuck was one of those people, or his air conditioner was broken.

  I recognized the teenage girl at the front of the room. She was a recent high school graduate. I remembered her receiving her diploma when I spoke at the graduation exercises in June. “Hi, Mandy! I see you found a job for the summer.”

  “Hello, Mayor O’Donnell! Yeah, I snagged this before anyone even knew about it. By the end of the summer, I should have some money put away for college. I got a nice grant, but this will be for living expenses, you know? Stuff I need like dorm furniture, cell phone bills, extra nail polish. That kind of stuff.”

  “That’s wonderful! I’m very happy for you.” I glanced at the empty desk behind her that was pushed up against the only window in the room. “Are you expecting Mr. Sparks today?”