One of the teachers saved me from an intense lecture on the importance of Duck history by coming over and thanking Max for his program. She was a newcomer to Duck, one of many who came for a vacation one summer and decided to stay. They added to our increased population of almost six hundred full-time residents.
It may sound small, but for a scrap of land hemmed in by water that could rise up at anytime and wash us all away, it was a lot. It was the largest population Duck had ever known. The town was becoming more popular as a tourist destination every year. We didn’t have the wild horses of Corolla or the lighthouse at Hatteras, but we were sandwiched in between on the one-hundred-mile stretch of land, brought together by a narrow ribbon of road.
Some people liked the growth. Others were unhappy about it and wanted things to stay the same. The one thing I’d learned in my thirty-six years was that nothing ever stayed the same.
It was almost time for the story adventure to be over. The teachers gathered the kids together and thanked Max for his time. They were equally enthusiastic in their thanks to Agnes for her cupcakes. I knew Agnes enjoyed these moments as much as Max. Their daughters still lived in Duck, but neither of them were married yet. No grandchildren.
As the teachers took the kids to the bathroom before leaving to walk back to Duck Elementary School, I helped Agnes throw away the cupcake wrappers and empty juice boxes.
Max paced the floor, continually looking at his watch. He was obviously nervous about meeting what could be an ancestor of Aaron Burr. It would either validate his life’s work or turn into another joke that Sam Meacham could throw at him in the bar at night. I supposed that would be enough to make anyone nervous.
“He’s got everything riding on this DNA,” Agnes told me when we walked out to the trash cans. “Damn fool went ahead and told Sam about the whole thing, of course. He’ll crash and burn for sure if it isn’t true.”
“Let’s hope it works out then.” I took the lid off the trash can. “He and Sam really like to argue about Theo Burr, don’t they?”
“And everything else.” She stuffed the trash in the can. “They argue about which town was settled first, Duck or Corolla. Which museum has the oldest artifacts. Honestly, they act like little kids with their toys.”
Before I put the lid back on the trash can, I bent down and picked up a scrap of paper from the ground. It was one of the coffee cards they punched at the Coffee House and Book Store. It seemed odd to me because Max and Agnes didn’t drink coffee. As I tossed it into the can and put on the lid, I decided it was probably something a visitor had left.
As Agnes and I walked back around the front of the plain little building that had been donated to the Duck Historical Society, I recalled the old store that had been here, a place where we used to buy chips and soft drinks. Someday no one would remember that little store. Agnes was right. Everything was changing too quickly.
Near the front door of the building, a large statue of a duck that had been used to promote tourism stood beside a statue of a horse. Both had become animal icons in this area. There were two rusted cannons legend said had washed up on Duck’s shore back in the 1700s. Several cannonballs were stuck in concrete around them.
The old museum was cool and musty smelling when we went back inside. The light was too dim to really see everything the historical society had managed to piece together through the years. But I was proud of this little place anyway. It represented the heritage of everyone who’d been born here. From pirates to wild horses, all of it was part of our past.
The teachers were getting the kids lined up to go outside. Agnes kissed Max good-bye and told him they were having his favorite, tacos, for supper. She reminded him not to dawdle after his meeting and come right home.
I smiled, seeing them together. I hoped someday there would be someone who looked at me that way. Right now, I was kind of stuck waiting for that person, wondering if he would ever blow into town on the right breeze and decide to stay. I’d given up on the indigenous male population.
Once the kids were in their semi-straight lines, the teachers led the way down Duck Road. There were a few backward glances and shy waves at Max, who returned them with gusto.
“Let me know how your DNA meeting goes,” I said to him before I followed the kids outside. “It would be something if you could really prove your theory about Theo Burr. That would put Duck on the map historically.”
“It’ll happen, Dae. I know I’m right. Wait until you see Sam Meacham’s face when I do it. Take it easy. See you later.”
Outside, it was a beautiful day and traffic had picked up on Duck Road. Probably a few early tourists. People who lived here were used to walking under the puffy white clouds and bright blue February skies. Some of the cars sped by, making me a little concerned for the large group of kids on their way back to school.
I’d had a few rainy days since the Walk to the Museum program started, but in general the weather had cooperated. I enjoyed helping the kids with their history lesson. I liked being the mayor of Duck and doing all the things that went with it. It took some time away from my thrift store, Missing Pieces, but sometimes that was a good thing.
Business was slow, as usual, after the crowds of summer. I usually collected more than I could sell over the winter. It was a bad habit that had filled the house I shared with my grandfather until he encouraged me to open the shop and sell the odds and ends I found.
I reached into my pocket as my cell phone rang and realized I’d forgotten to give Max the gold coin I’d found on the museum floor. I signaled the closest teacher that I had to run back to the museum. “I’ll catch up,” I yelled over the traffic passing us.
Kevin Brickman was on the phone. My heart did a little dance at the sound of his voice until I sternly reminded it that we had no real inkling of his intentions. Brickman was new to Duck, less than a year. He’d refurbished and reopened the old Blue Whale Inn and, so far, had been very successful in the undertaking.
“I was wondering if you’d like to take a break from the store and get something to drink, but I see you’re busy being the mayor,” he said with a smile in his voice.
“Where are you?” I glanced around but didn’t see his red Ford pickup. I was only a few steps from the museum door. “I’m almost done here. I could meet you somewhere.” I tried not to sound too eager to see him even though I’d spent a lot of time thinking about him.
A car full of laughing tourists went by as I waited for his reply.
Suddenly, the whole world exploded into a ball of fire with such force that it blew me backwards into Duck Road. I heard the screech of brakes around me, and everything went black.
Chapter 2
Brickman was crouched beside me, my head cradled on his arm. He was looking down at me, his face black with soot.
“Are you okay?” He sounded scared. “Stupid question. Sorry. Not what I meant. Do you hurt anywhere? I had to move you. I’m sorry. The ambulance is on the way.”
I realized then that I’d lost consciousness. “What happened?” My voice was rough and hoarse. I coughed and choked, thick smoke coming from somewhere around us, making my eyes water. My throat and lungs burned.
“The museum blew up. I don’t know why yet. Don’t worry about it right now, Dae. Focus on staying awake. Stay with me until they come for you.”
I was so tired. My head and right leg hurt. “Kevin, I don’t know if I can.”
“You can.” His face came closer to mine. “Stay with me, Dae. Come on. Stay awake. You might have a head injury. It would be a miracle if you
“I’m too tired,” I whined, despite myself. That’s when I knew
“You can do it,” he coaxed, despite my whining. “Come on, Dae. Do it for me. Look at my face. Tell me about Duck. Tell me about the pirates and all the things you’ve collected in Missing Pieces. Don’t close your eyes, sweetheart. Stay here. Focus on me.”
Despite the fact that most of me seemed to be lying on pavement littered with debris, it was easy to do as he asked. I liked the sound of his voice. It made me feel warm and wanted. I tried to smile and reassure him that I was all right, that he didn’t have to stay if he needed to be somewhere else. But the words wouldn’t come, and slowly he faded from my vision and everything went dark again.
