A Timely Vision

We need to get the medical examiner out here. Maybe the State Bureau of Investigation too. I can’t even remember the last time someone was killed here.”

“I have the radio,” Nancy said. “I could call the chief.”

Kevin and I both looked at her. She hadn’t moved from her place at the computer. “It would be good for you to call the chief,” he replied.

“All right.” She blinked a few times before pressing the button on the radio. “What should I tell him?”

“Tell him to come back to town hall,” I said. “Tell everyone else to go home. We don’t need the whole town here for this. Try to call the medical examiner and the sheriff too.”

“She hasn’t been dead long.” Kevin wiped sand and saltwater from his face. “She was wearing this dress when I saw her leave Tuesday morning.”

“You have some experience with this kind of thing, don’t you?”

The pain I’d seen earlier in his eyes intensified. “Yeah. Too much experience.”

He didn’t seem like he wanted to say anything else about it. I didn’t want to push him. “Thanks for your help. I’m glad you were there with me.” I didn’t even try to stop the tears from coursing down my cheeks. I was a wreck, covered with sand and salt, my hair plastered to my head and eyes red from crying. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

His eyes narrowed on my face. “You knew it was her.”

“I did. I was looking for the watch.” I nodded toward her arm. “It really belongs to her sister. I was helping her find it.”

I couldn’t explain it any better at the moment. I didn’t have time, as it turned out. Chief Michaels and his officers swept through the door. He was followed by the Dare County sheriff and an EMS team. I didn’t want to be there to see anything they might do to Miss Elizabeth, but I couldn’t quite follow Nancy’s lead and run out of the office.

“I think I noticed the coffee shop was still open when we walked past,” Kevin said. “I don’t know about you, but I could use something hot to drink.”

It was a lifeline and I took it. I felt guilty doing so, as though as the mayor, maybe I should stay where I was, with the chief and the EMTs, but I convinced myself that I would only be in the way. I’d done as much as I could to help Miss Elizabeth. At least for now.

By the time Kevin and I left town hall, the storm had abated somewhat, as storms always do. They come up fast and change everything, then the sun shines and people try to figure out what to do next.

I soon found myself sitting across from a man I barely knew, drinking a hot mocha with shaking hands while I dripped all over the floor. I waved at Phil, the owner of the Coffee House and Bookstore. I couldn’t summon a return smile even though that’s what the mayor is supposed to do.

“You’ve never found a dead body before,” Kevin guessed.

He knows about me. Gramps must have told him. “No. I find lost things, not people. I’m sure it was the watch. It led me to her.”

“That could be a valuable service to anyone in law enforcement.” He sipped his double-shot latte. “Have you ever done that kind of work?”

“No! I do what I can for friends and neighbors when they lose their car keys or their rings. I don’t hire out, if that’s what you mean.”

He nodded. “Sorry. I was wondering. Your grandfather mentioned it when I met him. I’m missing a key for a room upstairs at the inn. He said you might be able to find it.”

“That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“Why you were looking at me so funny when we met. Why you waited for me to look for Miss Elizabeth.”

“I suppose so. You seemed like the most likely person to find her since you find lost things. I’m sorry it happened that way.”

“At least we found her.” I dared a glance at him. “What do you think happened to her?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I guess it’s my turn. Chief Michaels spoke very highly of you, but you aren’t from Duck. You didn’t freak out when we found Miss Elizabeth. Were you a police officer in D.C.?”

“FBI. For twelve years. I think someone hit her in the head with an edged weapon, maybe a shovel. Then they buried her. It might’ve been a perfect crime except that someone asked you to find that watch.”

I took a deep breath, fighting back a sudden wave of nausea. “I’m glad this doesn’t usually happen to me. I like finding things for people, but I’d have to give it up if the things I found came attached to dead people all the time. Is that why you gave up the FBI? Too much death?”

I could tell I’d crossed an invisible line. His face became shuttered, and he sat back in his chair, engrossed in drinking his coffee. It was one of those too-early-in-the-friendship kind of things. He obviously wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

“Anyway,” I continued when he didn’t respond, “I’d be glad to help you find the key you’re looking for. I only have a couple of rules I work with.”

“Such as?”

“What I’m looking for has to belong to the person who asks me to look for it. You wouldn’t believe how many people have asked me to look for things that don’t belong to them.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” He smiled a little and put his coffee cup on the table again. “And the other rule?”

“It’s not illegal. In high school, a friend of mine asked me to find his lost marijuana stash. I made up that rule for him.”

“Another wise rule.” Kevin defrosted a little more. “How does it work? Is it like a seance or something?”

“Nothing like that. It’s really very simple.” I was about to explain that we could do it sitting right there in the coffee shop when Chief Michaels came in and told me he needed my help.

The chief nodded to Kevin and then spoke to me. “I’d like you to come with me when I talk to Millie. You seem to get along real well with her. I think she’d like to have you there representing the town and all.”

“Of course.”

“Maybe we can look for the key when you’re not so busy.” Kevin got up from his chair and handed me a business card. “Just give me a call. Let me know if there’s anything I can do, Chief.”

I wanted to be with Miss Mildred when Chief Michaels told her about her sister. I really did. But I almost chickened out when I went home to change out of my dirty, wet clothes. It would be so easy to stay here. I took a look at myself in the mirror, though, and knew I couldn’t back out. My pink T-shirt had the Duck emblem on it, a big yellow duck holding a sailboat. I had to go for the town and the sisters.

The chief and I drove in silence over the drenched, sand-covered road to Miss Mildred’s home. Her house was every bit as large and interesting as her sister’s home, but there were dozens of tinkling fountains here. Both women had done all right for themselves, mostly through marriage. I didn’t want to speculate on how Wild Johnny Simpson had made his money. No one did. Now, despite their wealth and standing in the community, one of them was alone.

The chief nodded to me (I think sort of asking if I was ready), then knocked on the door. Miss Mildred greeted us with a sweet smile. “I hope you’ve come to tell me the power will be back on soon. You know, Dae, this doesn’t look very good for you as mayor. That wasn’t even much of a storm and already my lights have been out for hours.”

“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t meet her eyes. “I’ll try to light a fire under the power company.”

“I think we should sit down, Millie.” Chief Michaels took her arm and helped her to a chair with a crochet- covered back.

“Why?” She stared at him as though she knew, her lower lip already trembling.

“The mayor found your sister a little while ago,” he explained.

“Oh good! May I have Mama’s watch back now?”