by J A Whiting
Libby let out a laugh. “Wait until you’re my age.”
It was a beautiful evening, the dinner was served out on the deck, and the group chatted and laughed together for hours. Dessert was served as a buffet so that the guests could walk around the space, mingle, and enjoy several different kinds of sweets.
“You were away on the mainland for a long time,” Lin told Libby. “I kept wishing you were here. I felt lost during this case and didn’t know what to do.”
Libby’s short silver blond hair glimmered under the lights. “Sometimes you just have to follow your ideas and intuition. If there’s always someone around to look to for help, it prevents you from developing your skills.”
Lin’s eyes widened. “Wait. Were you here on-island all along?”
Libby avoided Lin’s eyes and looked out over the harbor.
“You were here,” Lin’s voice was loud and a couple of guests looked over to see why she had shouted.
Anton approached the two women and when he saw the look on Lin’s face, he started to back away.
“You told me Libby was on the mainland,” she accused the historian.
“Don’t blame me. I was only the messenger.” Anton stammered. “Libby made me tell you that. She said it would help you hone your abilities if you thought you had to figure it out on your own. It was for your own good.”
“Don’t be annoyed with us, Carolin,” Libby said gently. “Trust our experience in these matters.” The older woman held Lin’s eyes and then she looked pointedly around the deck at Jeff and Viv and then Anton. “And really, were you ever truly alone on the case?”
Jeff hurried over to the three people. “Some of Viv’s and John’s bandmates brought along their instruments. They’re going to set up and play acoustically.” He took Lin’s hand and apologized to Libby and Anton for taking her away to dance.
Soon Jeff and Lin were joined by some of the other guests as they all danced under the stars. Nicky and Queenie had squished side-by-side together in a chair and watched the party-goers celebrate the two young women’s birthdays.
“I’m glad that case is over and you can enjoy your birthday get-together,” Jeff told Lin as they moved around the deck to the slow beat of a love song.
“Me, too. This one took a toll on me.” Lin held tighter to her boyfriend. “I didn’t understand that George Weeks was appearing from different time periods of his life to give me clues to what had happened. I still don’t understand it.”
“I guess you have to be open to unusual things that ghosts might throw at you.” Jeff pushed a stray strand of Lin’s hair out of her eyes and he smiled. “Pretty soon, you’ll be such an expert that there won’t be anything that puzzles or surprises you.”
“I don’t think that day will ever come.” Lin shook her head and then moved closer to Jeff. “Thank you for being here and helping and supporting me in this strange and crazy adventure.”
Swaying to the music, Jeff held Lin’s blue eyes with his own. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He leaned down, touched her cheek, and kissed her.
Flickering lanterns had been placed here and there around the outdoor space and little, white twinkling lights wrapped around the deck railings sparkled against the darkness. The musicians had taken a break and the friends stood in groups of twos and threes, sipping drinks, eating slices of cake, and chatting together.
Leonard, dressed in off-white chinos, a light blue shirt, and a navy blazer, stood next to Lin watching the sailboats bob at their moorings. He shyly presented her with a pink gift bag.
“But we said no gifts,” Lin smiled at the man.
“Well, I didn’t spend any money, Coffin, so technically I followed the rules.”
Lin unwrapped the tissue paper to see the sailor’s valentine that Leonard had given to Marguerite on her last birthday. When she saw what it was, her eyes misted over and her throat tightened. “Leonard. But, it belonged to your wife. I can’t….”
“Stop your blubbering, Coffin. I thought about it and now it’s yours. It helped you solve your case. You helped two spirits find peace.”
“But….”
“No, buts. Marguerite has no use for earthly objects. I have no need of things to remind me of her. You have a long life ahead of you. Pass it down to the daughter you’ll have one day ... and when you do, tell her that only two things matter in life … love and friendship.”
Lin, choked with emotion, reached for Leonard’s hand and pulled him into a hug as tears slipped over her eyelids and tumbled down her cheeks … her heart full to bursting … with those two most beautiful things.
Thank you for reading!
Books by J.A. WHITING can be found here:
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Books/Series By J. A. Whiting
*CLAIRE ROLLINS COZY MYSTERIES
*LIN COFFIN COZY MYSTERIES
*PAXTON PARK COZY MYSTERIES
*SWEET COVE COZY MYSTERIES
*OLIVIA MILLER MYSTERIES (not cozy)
About the Author
J.A. Whiting lives with her family in New England. Whiting loves reading and writing mystery stories.
Visit me at:
www.jawhitingbooks.com/
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www.amazon.com/author/jawhiting
