by Joyce
Chief Michaels finally bent close to his old friend. He whispered something and put his hand on Mad Dog’s shoulder, as if trying to calm him.
I had no idea what he’d said to him, but immediately, Mad Dog released Scott from the half nelson he’d had him in. He removed his foot from Tim’s chest.
Mad Dog stumbled to his feet and held his hands in front of him like a tame albeit dazed gorilla. The chief put on the handcuffs then walked beside him down the stairs and to the car.
It was a sad day for Duck residents to see one of their own, a man people looked up to for many years, led away with his head down and wrists cuffed. Some people in the crowd booed and protested their candidate being taken away.
I wished there had been another way to do this. I knew the chief was only doing what he had to, but maybe he should have waited until he had Mad Dog by himself. It wasn’t like the councilman was a flight risk.
He’d be taken to Manteo, to the county jail, no doubt. I was sure he’d be bailed out right away. His family owned property and was well off. Besides, what bail bondsman wouldn’t take the word of a town council member?
Mad Dog had been committed to the good of our town for as long as I could remember. Our ideas on how that good should be done clashed sometimes, but it was impossible to imagine he’d killed a man and buried him in his car. Even though I’d seen the skeleton and the car, it was very hard to take in.
Randal “Mad Dog” Wilson was a lot older than me, so I didn’t really feel like I knew him personally like Gramps and Chief Michaels did. I wanted to believe the best of him even though the evidence must have been substantial for the chief to take such strong action.
I avoided the coffee shop as I skirted around the crowd. I knew everyone would have questions. I didn’t want to be the one they asked. It was too obviously in my favor for my opponent to go to jail.
Instead I continued home with Treasure to do my laundry and consider how trying to find a dead witch had led me to a dead race car driver.
“Pardon me,” Maggie interrupted. “I was never a witch. I thought you understood that.”
“Sorry. It was because everyone keeps calling you that. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
She exclaimed over the curtains in my bedroom and how they would make a lovely summer gown. I asked her to step back again and let me get finished cleaning up.
Gramps finally got home at about six thirty. I’d spent the rest of the day dusting, mopping and scrubbing. Everything smelled clean and fresh. My laundry was washed, dried and folded in the same day for once. I’d even changed the sheets on our beds and washed them too.
Gramps sniffed appreciatively as he came in the back door in his stocking feet. That meant he’d left his smelly fishing boots on the porch. “Smells like supper. Is that my granddaughter’s famous corn fritters and beans?”
“It is.” I heaped the fritters on a plate. “And there’s apple cobbler for dessert.”
“I should go away early without breakfast more often.” He looked up at the light over the kitchen table. “And no cobwebs. You’ve been busy.”
“Yep.” I put out the casserole dish of beans and waited for him to wash his hands at the sink. “They arrested Mad Dog at the coffee shop today. It was terrible.”
“I know.” He took a seat at the table. “I met with Ronnie, Tuck Riley and Luke Helms early this morning. I knew it was coming. They were only waiting for the judge to sign the papers.”
“So Sheriff Riley got in on it too. He wasn’t at the coffee shop today.”
“Ronnie insisted it was a town arrest, but Tuck said it was a county cold case. They’re like a couple of sharks going after a piece of raw meat sometimes.” He chuckled. “I’m glad I’m not part of that anymore.”
“I guess the evidence was overwhelming, huh?” I passed the beans after Gramps had taken his fill of corn fritters.
“I don’t know about it being overwhelming, Dae. But those were Joe Walsh’s remains in Mad Dog’s old car. The medical examiner hasn’t said what cause of death is yet, but Mad Dog is the logical suspect. I would’ve done the same thing.”
“It’s hard to believe someone you’ve known all of your life could do something like that. You know, we always tend to think the bad stuff comes in with the people from outside Duck. Was Mad Dog that different back then? I know he’s belligerent sometimes, but killing someone is different than being cranky.”
“Ronnie and Tuck will look into it.” Gramps believed every word he said. “They’ll figure out what happened. That’s their job. Not ours.”
“I know.” Gramps was a stickler for letting people do their jobs, especially when it came to law enforcement. Apparently, he felt like too many people had put in their two cents’ worth while he was sheriff. He wasn’t stepping on anyone else’s toes.
Changing the subject, he said, “How was your time at the shop today? Sell anything?”
I told him about my customers but not about planning to meet Dillon this evening. It would’ve been too much explaining that would have left us at odds over repaying Kevin for the fine. Gramps certainly wouldn’t want me to talk to Dillon, much less sell anything to him.
Gramps would’ve said Kevin knew what he was doing when he agreed to help me. He’d pay the fine, like a man, and go about his business.
At least that’s what he’d tell me.
Of course I knew this wasn’t a two-way street. If Kevin had done something similar for Gramps, Gramps would be trying to figure out some way to pay him back. He might not turn to someone like Dillon for help—especially since he knew Dillon was a criminal. Gramps took a dim view of me spending time with anyone outside the law.
After we’d finished eating and done the dishes, I put on my jacket and started toward the door. “I’m going to finish something at Missing Pieces. Don’t wait up.”
He put down the dish towel and said, “You don’t have to lie to me, Dae.”
For a brief moment, I wondered what I’d said that had given me away. Did I look guilty? Was it his famous radar that always knew when I was in trouble as a kid?
“It’s all right for you to meet Kevin. You don’t have to sneak out or lie about it. You’re an adult now. Although I do wish he’d come around and pick you up to take you out. There are still some rules about a man courting a woman. I would never have guessed Kevin Brickman was that kind of man.”
I was so relieved that I hugged him. “Thanks. I guess I don’t think about it that way. You’re so old-fashioned!”
He sat down in his recliner. “I saw Jake Burleson this morning. I think he might want to give Kevin some competition. Did he drop by to see you at the shop?”
I explained about Jake taking me to Corolla tomorrow night. “He wants me to look at something. You too, if you want to come.”
“I don’t want to get between a man and a woman he might be interested in. Besides, I’ve got a Lions Club meeting.”
“Believe me, you won’t be interrupting anything. I’m dating Kevin. Nancy said the same thing about Jake today. I haven’t gotten that feeling from him at all.”
“Well, we’ll see. At least he’s picking you up at your home, like a man should.” He switched on one of the old shows he liked to watch. “Don’t stay out too late.”
I assured him that I wouldn’t and slipped out the door.
I thought about Jake on my way down to Missing Pieces. I hoped I hadn’t given him the wrong impression. Kevin and I weren’t engaged or anything, but there was an implied exclusivity to our relationship.
I wondered if there was something I could say to Jake that would make him understand, in case there was a problem. I didn’t want to awkwardly ask him if he was interested in me as more than a friend.
It was a strange, slightly exhilarating experience to deal with. I had never had the opportunity to wonder if a second man was interest
ed in me. In school, I was always the weird one whose grandfather was the sheriff. Tim had been the only boy who ever asked me out.
It wasn’t fair to lead Jake on though. I liked him and enjoyed his company, but not in that way.
There was a big chicken and dumplings dinner at one of the local churches near the house. It seemed to be a popular event. Traffic was heavy on Duck Road. I had to walk around some of the cars that were parked too far in the road. There were no sidewalks.
It was going to be awesome when all of the boardwalk was complete so everyone could get around town without walking along the narrow, sometimes crowded road.
There were a few cars at the Duck Shoppes. Trudy’s Beauty Spa was closed and dark. I couldn’t tell if anyone was in Shayla’s shop—there were always dark curtains on the windows. A small group of people were outside at Wild Stallions, talking and nursing their drinks as they looked at the lights across the sound.
I opened the door to Missing Pieces, but before I could go inside, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked back and found a person-sized mirror right up in my face. I took a step back, almost tripping over the threshold into the shop. The mirror followed me like it was possessed.
“Jump out now while you can, witch,” Flourine yelled with a vigorous shaking of her beads and charms.
“You’re kidding, right?” I looked around the edge of the mirror at Shayla. “I can’t believe you think something like that would work even if there were a witch inside of me.”
Flourine frowned. “It always works. You can see the witch inside when you look in the mirror. Everybody knows that.”
“I guess you forgot to tell the witch inside of me.” I grinned at Shayla but was secretly terrified. Would that really work? “What next? Rubber chickens? A green umbrella?”
“I never heard of those,” Flourine confessed. “How do they work?”
Shayla put down the mirror. “Come on, Gram. She’s just making fun of us.”
“No. Really.” I laughed to disguise how close they were to the truth, but my heart was pounding. What would happen if they found out about Maggie?
“Okay. Laugh now. We’ll see who laughs last.” Shayla’s usually melodic voice was harsh. “Oh, and by the way, watch out for Ann. Her idea was electrocuting you to reveal the witch. Maybe she’s got the right idea. At least you wouldn’t be laughing right now.”
That was scary. “Maybe you should give it up before someone gets hurt.”
“Somebody like that witch.” Flourine huffed.
“Let’s remember that even if there is a witch in me, I’d still be here. Hurting me would be bad.”
Flourine squinted into my face. “You threatening me, witch?”
I glanced at Shayla. “Seriously? I think this has gone far enough, don’t you?”
I didn’t wait for an answer, just turned and continued into Missing Pieces, closing the door behind me. I felt a little sick. Maggie might not be a witch, but I didn’t know what Shayla and her grandmother would have done if they’d seen Maggie in the mirror.
I needed to get back to the construction site and find those bones before one of Shayla’s stunts hurt either Maggie or me. I wasn’t sure about Flourine’s magic, but usually Shayla’s was more hoodoo than voodoo. I didn’t want to find out that I was wrong.
I hoped Dillon wasn’t outside waiting for me and witnessed the whole thing. It had been dark on the boardwalk. I might have missed him. That would be embarrassing.
I took out the silver bells—as soon as I felt sure Shayla and Flourine were gone. I looked at them one last time before I packed them up. I’d been so sure all three bells would find their way to me. I’d boasted of it confidently, especially after Dillon had given me the one he’d located. I would really have liked to see them all together, even if I didn’t get to keep them.
“Your friends are very stubborn.” Maggie appeared as I looked into the old mirror on the wall.
“They are. We’ll get a lead on Thomas’s grave soon. So much has happened, it’s been hard to find time. I’m sorry.”
She laughed, tossing “our” head back in a way I would never have done. “Don’t worry about me. I’m having a wonderful time. Perhaps I’ll stay awhile longer.”
I started to argue with her (a complicated procedure), then I heard the door to the shop open and close. I straightened my shoulders and went into the main area. I plastered a big smile on my face, sure this was the best thing to do.
Chapter 7
“Hello, Dae.”
Dillon Guthrie was no doubt a bad man, but he looked more like a comic book superhero with his thick dark hair and square jaw. His icy blue eyes swept over the shop. Maybe he was making sure we were alone.
“Mr. Guthrie. Thanks for coming.” I admitted to being a little scared of him. He’d never done anything to me personally, but I had it on good faith that he was a killer, smuggler and thief.
“Why so formal?” He removed his gray wool coat and tossed it to the nervous-looking young man who closed the shop door then ran to catch the coat. “I thought we were through the courtship phase. You know me. I know you. Call me Dillon.”
I thought of him that way, when he wasn’t around. Face-to-face was a different story.
He sat on one of the wood chairs near the burgundy sofa. His suit and shoes might have been worth more than everything in the shop—except the bells.
“I got your email. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to discuss some business with you. And there’s the little thing about my giant face on the water tower.”
He smiled at me like a shark might smile at its prey before swallowing it. “What’s the problem? You don’t like the artwork? I think they did a good job capturing your likeness. Think it’s too small?”
“You’ve been financing my mayoral campaign ads, haven’t you? I need you to stop. I don’t think it’s legal.”
“Legal?” He laughed. “Of course it’s legal. I’m your Super PAC. Anybody can pay for someone else’s campaign now. You have nothing to worry about. Not that you didn’t take care of it yourself. Getting your opponent framed for murder was brilliant.”
“I didn’t know the race car was down there. I was looking for something else.”
“Well, it was fortuitous then, wasn’t it? Looking for treasure? Did you find something? Is that part of the business aspect of this conversation?”
“In a manner of speaking.” I didn’t plan to let the conversation get away from my problem with him. “I appreciate that you were trying to help me with the election, but I can’t accept it.”
“Okay. I get your point. When I offered you cash for what you needed last year, you turned me down. I’m your friend. I didn’t want to see you lose.”
“I can take care of it myself, thanks.” I watched as he signaled the thin young man, who brought him a bottle of water.
“What else can I do for you?” He took a swallow of water and smiled at me. “Have you found the third bell?”
This was the part I hated most. “I need to raise some capital. It’s a lot for me—not something I can take out of the cash register.”
I told him about Kevin being fined and that I wanted to return the money to him. “What I’m proposing is selling you my bell from the St. Augustine monks. Of course, you can take yours with you too.”
He whistled. “For five thousand dollars? You and I both know that’s a steal. You must really love Brickman. What is it about him? Maybe the law enforcement connection—like your grandfather?”
That brought my chin up. I needed his help financially. I didn’t need him to tell me who I should and shouldn’t see. “That doesn’t matter. My personal life is personal. Will you help me or not?”
“I would rather spray-paint the Mona Lisa than take those bells away from you. You convinced me that the third one is coming your way. I’m n
ot buying your bell, or taking mine. What I can do is loan you five thousand on account. You can pay me back when you’re ready or when we get the third bell.”
I thought about his proposal. I probably shouldn’t have, but I shouldn’t have been there trying to sell the bell to him in the first place. I was holding his property. It was worth a lot more than five thousand dollars. Maybe it would be okay this once to take advantage of his generosity.
Gramps or Kevin could never know this had happened. They would never understand. But my heart was lighter as I shook Dillon’s hand on the deal.
“Thanks. I really didn’t want to give up the bells.”
“Yeah. I figured as much. You’re transparent, Dae. Or it’s just that we think so much alike. Except for the streak of righteousness you have running through you. It’s probably just the way you were raised.”
The thin young man quickly got Dillon’s coat for him then held the door. “I’ll have the money to you right away. Cash, I think, if you’re comfortable with that. Checks leave such messy trails. See you later.”
I watched them leave and sank down on the sofa. With that problem solved, my next question was how to give Kevin five thousand dollars without him asking where it came from.
• • •
I knew Kevin had his eye on an antique desk for his office, but it was too pricey for him to fit it into his budget. Five thousand dollars. I spoke with the man from Charleston who was selling it, and he offered me a great deal.
Because I could pay cash, it was delivered late the next morning. I followed the truck to the Blue Whale in the golf cart, filled with a combination of excitement and dread. I wasn’t sure how Kevin would take this gift. He wouldn’t want it if he knew where the money had come from. I’d be stuck with an expensive desk I couldn’t use and an angry boyfriend.
Kevin came to the loading door at the back of the inn. He’d just finished unloading some supplies for the week. He was understandably surprised to see me there with the man from Charleston and the big desk.
