A Timely Vision

Kevin’s voice was dark when he spoke.

“Is that true?” I asked Chief Michaels.

“I’m afraid so.”

“No! That’s not fair! How much life do you think a ninety-two-year-old woman has left to live in the first place? Couldn’t you let her live out her life with one of those electronic bracelets on her ankle? Whatever she’s done, it may not be anything she’d do again.”

“If we could do something like that, Mayor, you know we would,” Agent Walker assured me. “But let’s not forget that the evidence appears to support the theory that Mildred Mason murdered her sister, then tried to hide the evidence. Would you want her to live out the rest of her life as though nothing happened? What about justice for Elizabeth Simpson?”

There was no good or easy answer for that. My heart told me that Miss Mildred was not dangerous and surely hadn’t killed her sister. The evidence seemed to be overwhelmingly against her, but it didn’t seem real to me.

“I’m sorry, Mayor.” The chief patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. “We’ll do the best we can for her.”

I felt numb. It was like watching this happen to someone in a dream. It couldn’t be happening in real life. Years of growing up and being reminded to watch my manners forced a smile on my lips. “I know you will. You’ll stay for supper, won’t you? Gramps has a bunch of food on the grill.”

The chief hitched up his pants and nodded. “You know, I’d like that. Where’s Horace?”

“He’s in back. Maybe you could help him bring all that food inside.”

Agent Walker opened the dining room door, the noise from the other rooms spilling in. “I’ll head on out and see you all tomorrow.”

“Stay for supper,” I extended the invitation. “Really, there’s so much. We need all the mouths we can get. I’m sure you’d enjoy having a home-cooked meal after eating out so much while you’ve been here.”

“Well, yes. I’d like that. Not to say anything bad about your local restaurants, but some home cooking sounds great. Thanks.” He smiled for the first time, and I went out the door before the three men.

I let them go out and help Gramps with the grilled food while I went into the kitchen to help Mary Lou and several other female neighbors who’d turned up for the meal. They’d brought banana pudding, slaw, peaches and a pie or two. I mashed a huge pot of potatoes (there would never be enough grilled potatoes for this crowd) and warmed up some leftover butter beans.

I didn’t feel like eating. I wanted to be alone to think about everything that had happened and try to make some sense of it. I waited until Gramps came in with the grilled food before quietly escaping out the back door. It wasn’t too hard not to be noticed. There had to be at least thirty people there.

It was cool and dark in the backyard. I walked out to the end of the pier and sat on the old fishing bench. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d come out here for solace after my mother died. It had become my thinking place.

I looked out at the stars over the Currituck Sound, the light gleaming off the water. I could see the Bodie Island Lighthouse, warning ships at sea of the dangers along the Outer Banks. The light came and went as it swept from shore to shore. It had stood there for more than one hundred years. It had inspired me my whole life. I hoped it would work for me now.

I felt the vibration of footsteps on the pier behind me before I heard them. I thought it might be Gramps, until Kevin said, “I noticed you walked out without a plate. I loaded up a bunch of food for you. You’ll have to eat it to keep me from cleaning both our plates.”

“Thanks.” I was touched by his thoughtfulness. I stood up and took a plate from him, then scooted over so he could sit down too. “I don’t know if I can eat anything after finding out about Miss Mildred.”

“It won’t do you any good to starve. You have to keep up your strength so you can help her.”

I looked at him, barely able to make out his features in the dim light. His words made so much sense. Why hadn’t I seen it before? “You’re absolutely right, Kevin! I can help her. All I have to do is find evidence that contradicts the evidence they found at her house. It had to have been planted there. I know she didn’t kill Miss Elizabeth. And isn’t all of that evidence circumstantial anyway? She didn’t confess. No one saw her do it. Just because the purse and the murder weapon were at her house doesn’t mean she’s guilty.”

“I meant so you could go see her at the hospital.” He put down what looked like a piece of chicken. “The chief and Agent Walker know what they’re doing, Dae. I know you don’t like what’s happening to your friend, but I’m afraid anyone could make this case against her. The purse and the weapon that killed Miss Elizabeth are a big deal, even without a confession. Believe me, they’ve convicted people with less.”

But his dark, sensible words meant nothing to my sudden sense of euphoria. “I’m sure that’s true. But I think we should be able to prove it wasn’t her. All we have to do is find out who the real killer is.”

“Wait a minute. We? I’m not in that game anymore. And I can’t tell you how much I hated civilians who thought they could interfere in the process. Bad things happen to those people. Ask your grandfather. He’ll tell you. The real killer could try to kill you.”

“And that would reveal what we need to know.” I put my plate down on the pier between us. “I can probably do this without you, Kevin. But think how much safer I’d be if you helped me. Not to mention that you know the ins and outs of this sort of thing. I could pay you.”

“You don’t have enough money to pay me to investigate Miss Elizabeth’s death.” His words sounded like a blunt refusal. Then he added, “But I suppose if you’re determined to do this, we could trade labor.”

“What kind of labor?”

“Did you notice how bad the paint looks on the outside of the Blue Whale?”

I thought about it all night after everyone had gone home. It all made perfect sense to me. The next morning I was feeling full of myself. I had a plan and I was working it. It was going to set Miss Mildred free. I would have to trade a few hours of painting time at the Blue Whale, but I had to admit that having Kevin onboard made me feel a lot more optimistic.

I got up, took a shower and put on a blue sundress dotted with daisies. I clipped my hair back out of my face and dabbed on a little pink lipstick. Gramps had agreed to open Missing Pieces for me while I went to see Miss Mildred in the hospital.

I was worried the status of everything could change if she was found incompetent. I wanted to see her while I could. Her recollection of events wasn’t always crystal clear. I was hoping the hospital stay, some decent food and fluids had left her a bit more lucid with regard to Miss Elizabeth’s purse and how it got into her house.

Kevin had kindly agreed to have breakfast with Chief Michaels and Agent Walker to find out whatever he could about the investigation. He thought it would be a good idea to learn a bit more about the alleged murder weapon, the mysterious shovel Chief Michaels had found in Miss Mildred’s shed. Though the chief had said the shovel was small, I was hoping it was still too big for someone Miss Mildred’s size and age to have possibly used. Nevertheless, there was also the discovery of the purse in her kitchen to contend with. Hedging my bets on who could come up with the most useful information seemed like the best way to handle the situation.

It was too long a drive to the hospital in Kill Devil Hills for me to take the golf cart. I managed to hitch a ride with Tim. He was supposed to relieve the officer who’d been on duty at the hospital last night. I hoped he (and everyone else) didn’t read more into the ride than there was. And I really hoped being alone with him for thirty minutes wouldn’t encourage him to propose again.

I was surprised to learn that Shayla had gone out with him the night before. “Yeah.” Tim backed out of the drive into traffic. “She liked the way I handled myself when we found Wild Johnny Simpson at the Blue Whale. Chicks dig a uniform, you know.”

“That’s—nice.” I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I can’t wait forever for you, Dae. A man has needs. I want to settle down, raise a family. Shayla wants that too.”

I wondered if there was some other person named Shayla living in Duck. The Shayla I knew had never liked Tim, wasn’t planning on settling down and surely didn’t want to have a family. “I thought Shayla was interested in Kevin.”

“Apparently, he dumped her. Stood her up when they were supposed to meet at the Curbside last night.”