when there were less than six hundred of us.
As I gazed at myself in the lovely antique mirror, I thought I looked like that mayor in my black floor-length gown, my short hair swept back from my face. I added a touch of makeup and lipstick to enhance my after-summer tan. I was ready to go.
I smiled my big mayor’s smile—and in the reflection, saw something move. Well, it was
I surveyed the room. I was on the second floor of the Blue Whale in a suite Kevin had set aside for bridal parties to get ready for the big occasion. Again, I saw nothing.
It was the storm, I told myself, as thunder rumbled outside, shaking the old inn. But my Banker instincts told me to beware.
Chapter 3
The reception was a great hit. People were smiling, enjoying the good food and talking to each other. The ballroom was filled with twenty mayors, some of their families, and Duck residents I’d pressed into being there.
The town council was up to the task of impressing our visitors. They’d left the Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts they usually wore to town meetings at home for the night. They cleaned up pretty well—especially Randal “Mad Dog” Wilson. At six foot four, three hundred pounds, he was visible from any corner of the room. He was smiling and giving out campaign buttons for his run against me next year. He was all over the place, wooing constituents and nonresidents alike.
“Seems like a good party,” my grandfather said.
“I can’t believe you’re here, Gramps!” I turned and hugged him. “I thought you were playing pinochle tonight.”
“I didn’t want to miss the festivities. It’s not every day we have a big party in Duck.”
“I’m glad you came.”
“Looks like Mad Dog is pulling out all the stops to run for mayor.”
“I could put a hex on him.” Shayla joined us, wearing a beautiful black silk gown. Shayla never wore anything but black.
“Please! Don’t even joke about that or I’ll be known as the mayor who won because she used magic. A reputation like that can stick around for a few hundred years.” I said it in a joking manner—but I was serious. Either I could win an election against someone or not. The first time around, no one ran against me. A competitive election was bound to be much harder. I just wished Mad Dog wouldn’t get so personal.
“Don’t worry about it,” Gramps said. “Mad Dog already had his time. This belongs to you, Dae. I don’t think anyone is unhappy with what you’ve done while you’ve been mayor.”
“What about those ladies who wanted her to put up umbrellas on the boardwalk and hand-washing stations in the park?” Shayla asked. “I don’t know how happy they are right now.”
Gramps changed the subject. “How did the seance go?”
“Not so good for talking to Dae’s mother,” Shayla said. “But we saw ghost lights. You don’t see those every day.”
“I’m not sure what those are,” Gramps remarked. “But I’m sorry there’s still no word from Jean. I believe she’d come back if she could.”
“I think so too.” I said it, but I didn’t really believe it. She’d died angry with me. How long does that take to go away? I didn’t want to argue the point with Gramps—especially tonight. It was almost time for me to give my little welcome speech.
I saw Kevin trying to get the microphone and podium set up across the room. I excused myself from Gramps and Shayla—good thing too, since Mad Dog was headed our way. I wondered if he really thought I’d wear one of his campaign buttons. He’d already given me one. I’d left it in my desk drawer in town hall. I figured fifty years from now, it would be an antique that I could sell in my shop.
Kevin looked up, eyes scanning the crowded room. I met his gaze and waved to let him know I was on my way. A loud clap of thunder managed to get everyone’s attention as I moved toward him. Several thick bolts of lightning tore through the dark sky outside the large windows on the back side of the inn, overlooking the turbulent Atlantic.
The crystal chandeliers above us flickered and swung a little from side to side, the large teardrops tinkling loudly. The power stayed on—but a sense of uneasiness crept into the big room.
I managed to avoid Mad Dog and get through the crowd to reach the podium. Despite the storm’s furious pounding, I knew no real warnings had gone up across the Outer Banks. Chief Ronnie Michaels of the Duck Police and Fire Chief Cailey Fargo were standing together, both in their dress uniforms. They were drinking punch and acting like nothing was wrong. This wouldn’t be the case if the storm was really serious.
“I thought that last one was going to do us in,” Kevin said as I reached him. “I remembered that I only have a handful of candles. The generator is ready to go out back, but somebody would have to go outside and start it.”
“And in the meantime, we’d have some panic going on in here.” I watched the crowd. Most of them were either from the Outer Banks or from one of the cities along the coast. They could probably handle any problem from the storm without too much fuss—not that I wanted to find out.
“Are you ready?” Kevin smiled and adjusted the microphone for me.
“I think so. Thanks.”
I waited for him to step back, then addressed the group. People stopped talking and everyone looked up at me. “Before I launch into my welcome speech, I thought I should point out that our police and fire chiefs are here with us in the ballroom. You all know what that means—the weather sounds bad, but it’s really nothing to worry about.”
Everyone laughed and applauded. The thunder and lightning continued to pummel the outside world around us, but we were okay. I started into my often-rehearsed speech—our guests laughed and applauded at just the right spots. I could see Nancy out of the corner of my eye mimicking the words as I said them. She’d heard the speech often enough.
As I spoke, I thought about the steel gray ocean churning and spitting at the edge of the sand. Trees were blowing, pushed around by the harsh winds. Debris was flying everywhere—the town needed to issue a memo about taking in or tying down lawn furniture before a storm. It would take days of overtime for our maintenance department to pick up all the chairs, cushions and grills and find where they all belonged.
I finally finished speaking—it seemed like it took forever. Despite my words of assurance to everyone else, I still felt the storm raging outside. Maybe it didn’t look so bad, but I was beginning to feel something more coming toward us.
I looked out at the faces of people I knew and those I’d never met before. They all seemed calm and relaxed, enjoying the party. Wine and food flowed freely—maybe that helped.
Or maybe I was the only one ill at ease.
I couldn’t seem to shake that feeling that had come with the seance. I could only describe it as a feeling of dread. I kept smiling anyway—that was part of my job as mayor. I forced myself to relax and eat something. I chatted and sipped some excellent muscadine wine from one of the local vineyards.
I wished the reception was over and I was home in bed.
That was unusual for me. Normally, I loved these situations. But not tonight. I wanted to pull the covers up over my head and listen to the storm rumble by in the night. I lived with my grandfather in the house several generations of our family had owned and loved. I’d feel safe there—not just from the storm but from the strange uneasiness lurking at the edge of my brain. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But I knew it wasn’t just my
