A Timely Vision (18 page)

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.”

Last night?
Had Kevin forgotten? Or was Shayla being too hopeful? “I guess that was good for you then, Tim. I don’t blame you for not waiting for me. If you and Shayla are good together, you should go for it.”

He grinned at me. “Thanks, Dae. I appreciate that coming from an ex-girlfriend. I hope you realize this means my last marriage proposal is null and void.”

“I completely understand. I appreciate you keeping me informed.” I looked out the window at the passing scenery and smiled. I could only hope it would be this easy.

“I know you’re feeling a twinge or two of heartache right now,” he continued. “You’ll get over it. I know you’re going to find the right person for you someday.”

To stem the tide of this conversation, I decided to change the subject. No reason not to pump him for information since Kevin was trying to squeeze something out of the chief and Agent Walker. “I suppose you had to turn over all the evidence to the SBI.”

“No. They’re assisting us, but we’re the top dogs on this case. The chief wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’ve been wondering about the murder weapon.”

“I can’t tell you anything about that shovel, Dae. Don’t even ask me.”

“Of course. I’ll bet it has to be small and light for you to think Miss Mildred could use it against her sister.”

“You could say it’s not your average garden shovel,” he agreed. “I can’t say anything else about it. The hair and blood we found on it went to the lab for identification. If it comes back a match to Miss Elizabeth’s, that’s all she wrote for Miss Mildred.”

So they
weren’t
completely sure yet. It seemed unlikely Miss Mildred would have a shovel of any kind that had hair and blood on it, but as long as the proof wasn’t positive, we still had a chance. “I’m going to ask Miss Mildred about Wild Johnny Simpson while I’m at the hospital today,” I told him. “You never know. She might’ve killed him too.”

His eyes almost bulged out. “You think so? That would be something.”

“I guess you never know. Someone killed him, right?”

“Someone sure did. Mind if I step in while you’re talking to her? It could go a long way toward a promotion if I found out who killed Johnny.”

“I don’t mind, but you know you can’t get promoted until the chief retires. There’s nowhere else to go.”

“I can rack up a whole lot of points until then,” he reasoned. “Then when the chief retires, people won’t try to look outside Duck for his replacement.”

“That’s true. And you’ve got a long time to do it. The chief isn’t that old.”

“True. And his family doesn’t die young, that’s for sure. His father is really old and still living.”

I was sure I remembered Gramps talking about Chief Michaels’s father. They’d worked together in the sheriff’s office years ago. But I was also sure his father had died before Gramps retired. “I don’t think the chief’s father is old or living, Tim.”

“Yes, he is. I drove the chief up to Manteo the other day to see him in a rest home. He’s not in the best shape, but he’s definitely not dead.”

I didn’t say anything else about it since we’d arrived at the hospital. It was probably a communication glitch between Tim and the chief. Not really worth arguing with him.

Miss Mildred’s room was on the second floor. Tim walked up with me and tapped Officer Scott Randall on the shoulder, startling him out of his sound sleep. I supposed there wasn’t much to keep you awake when you were watching an old woman who probably couldn’t get out of bed.

“Tim!” Scott stood up and nodded to me. “Mayor O’Donnell. The night was uneventful. No one tried to get in or out of the suspect’s room.”

“Good.” Tim nodded. “I’ll take over now. Get some breakfast. Report to the chief when you get back to Duck.”

“Yes, sir!” Scott smiled at me, a shy, sweet smile, then headed for the elevator. He was a quiet young man with dreamy eyes. He’d been a police officer for only a few months. He didn’t seem suited to it. I didn’t expect him to stay.

I knocked softly at the door, then pushed it open a little when there was no response. “Hello? It’s Dae, Miss Mildred. I’m here to see you. I’ve brought you a few things.”

“Dae?” a faint voice responded. “Come in. Don’t dawdle there by the door all day.”

Miss Mildred seemed so much smaller, more fragile, in the big hospital bed. All the color had washed out of her dear old face, leaving only gray lines. Her blue eyes were sunken and had none of their usual fire. I bit my lip to keep from crying at the sight of her hooked up to tubes and machines.

“How are you doing?” I knew it was a bad beginning, but I was stumped for something witty to say given the circumstances.

“How do you think I’m doing? I’m in a hospital and people think I killed my sister, which I assure you is
completely
wrong. The only good thing I can tell you is that I slept all night. I don’t know if that was due to the drugs they gave me or if it was because Lizzie couldn’t find me here.”

I put the assorted magazines, lip balm, flowers and hand lotion on the bedside table. “At least you got some sleep. They told me you weren’t eating or drinking at home either. You made yourself sick.”

She made a
humphing
noise in her throat. “People get sick when they’ve lost the only person left in the world who matters to them. Now that Lizzie’s gone, it’s just me, Dae. You don’t know what that feels like yet. I know you think you do because you lost your mama, but believe me, this is much worse.”

“I believe you.” I drew up a chair, and noticed Tim hovering at the edge of the room, inside the doorway. “Do you think you could answer a few questions for me?”

“What kind of questions?” she barked. “I’ve been asked so many questions. I wish people would just let me die.”

I sat down and covered one of her hands with mine. It was so cold. “You don’t really mean that. I know Miss Elizabeth is gone, but you still have friends.”

She sniffed and turned her face away from me. “Friends? No one who cares. It was only me and Lizzie. Now it’s just me. How do I go on like that, Dae? There’s nothing left for me but rattling around in that big old house.”

I tried to divert her by bringing out the goodies I’d brought with me and offering to have Trudy come and do her hair. I knew what it was like to feel as though there was nothing left that mattered. There was nothing anyone could say to make it better.

Eventually I brought out the chocolate pudding cups that had been near the bottom of the bag. We sat eating them with plastic spoons for several minutes, not really talking, enjoying our pudding. When we were finished, Miss Mildred handed me her empty cup and smiled. “You’ve always been a good girl, Dae. Everyone is proud of you. You make a very good mayor too, especially being a woman and all.”

I thanked her, setting all the goodies aside and not minding that I was a good mayor considering I was a woman. It was time to say what I’d come to say. I took a deep breath and plunged into it. “Miss Mildred, did you kill your sister?”