Neptune's Ring (26 page)

It seems the whole town is convinced the
island is haunted. Codi also wanted to know if I had run into any
ghosts yet, while we were talking. I haven’t seen any ghosts yet,
but there are some things that have happened that leave me with an
eerie feeling and at times I get the strangest chill run through
me. I am completely safe though, so no need to worry my love.

The hardest part of being on the island so
far is being alone. I miss you terribly and cannot wait to be back
in your arms again. I love you so dearly, Vanessa, and I hope that
one day soon I will be able to find the right words to express my
love for you. For now, a simple I love you, will have to
suffice.

I look forward to tomorrow and construction
beginning. It will be nice to see the accomplishments each day as
the workers prepare the resort and I will try to document the
progress daily with photos to share with you, Liz and Nat. Staying
busy will also help the day pass quickly and hopefully take my mind
off missing you.

Levi’s thoughts were interrupted by a crack
of thunder in the distance and when she looked up from her writing,
she could see a rainstorm approaching from the south. She picked up
her untouched bottle of beer and her journal and walked inside. She
set the beer and journal down on the desk and opened her cell
phone.

This time Vanessa answered the phone on the
second ring.

“Hello, my baby,” she said. “How are
you?”

“I am great honey, just missing you,” Levi
said.

“I am sorry I missed your call earlier and
when I tried to call back all circuits were busy,” Vanessa
said.

“I understand,” Levi said. “By the way, if I
lose you, it is probably because a storm is rolling in.”

“You are safe and sound inside I hope,”
Vanessa said.

“Yes dear, I am inside, although you have
given me an excellent idea for some more photographs,” Levi said
with a chuckle.

“For goodness sake, please be careful,”
Vanessa said.

“I will baby,” Levi said as a clap of thunder
rattled the windows. “I better get off this phone now. I will call
again if the weather passes quickly. Love you.”

“Love you too and stay safe,” Vanessa said,
but Levi had already ended the call.

The storm was rolling in quickly and
lightning was flashing all around the island. Levi sat the camera
on top of the tripod and positioned it just outside the front door,
sheltered from the rain that had begun to fall in earnest and set
the timer for every thirty seconds. Levi would let the camera shoot
automatically for a few minutes and then bring it back inside,
sooner if the storm worsened. If she was lucky she might get a few
nice shots of lightning as it rushed from the heavens to strike the
ground or the lightning rod that was attached to a tree behind the
resort.

After several minutes, the wind increased
dramatically and Levi brought the camera equipment inside, just as
a clash of thunder followed right behind a bolt of lightning. The
storm was in full rage as Levi closed the door. The lights
flickered and then went out completely. Levi stood frozen in the
dark, her back pressed against the door as her eyes adjusted to the
darkness.

Ten seconds passed before the stand by
generator fired up and the lights came back on inside the house. At
least the weather provided a good test of the generators capacity,
Levi thought as she carried the camera to the office. She placed
the tripod next to the door and sat down in the chair to look at
the images the camera captured. Most of the frames were of the dark
filled night, but Levi did have two very nice images of lightning
bolts streaking down from the sky, lighting up the night sky with
purple and white or green light as it struck the earth.

Levi deleted the other images from the camera
and sat it on the desk. She picked up the beer and took a sip. Warm
but not too bad, she thought as she turned toward the desk and her
eyes came to rest on the journal. Levi was puzzled when she saw a
lone droplet stain on the left hand column of the page, barely
reaching and smearing part of the first letter of the line. The
beer was nowhere close to the journal and Levi had brought it
inside before the rain began to fall. It was almost as if someone
had stood over the journal reading her words and a solitary tear
drop had fallen onto the page.

Levi looked around the room, only to find she
was all alone. She wished at times that if there was a ghost
present, it would make itself known, so she wouldn’t think her mind
was playing tricks on her. Nothing had happened that would make
Levi scared if a ghost would appear, no ghastly noises or smells
and no bumps in the night, just things moving and appearing
unobserved. But still some kind of sign might put her at ease.

On a whim, Levi spoke out loud. “Celeste, are
you here with me?” she asked, and then felt completely absurd,
talking to thin air.

Smiling, Levi turned back to the journal and
picked up her pen to continue.

The storm is still raging outside and I can
attest that the stand by generator works. It was not long after the
storm began that I lost power, but within seconds the generator
fired up and restored the power. I think I would have been slightly
unnerved to be alone in the house without power, but I was saved
from that experience.

The flare of the lightning against the window
pane reminds me of the way your eyes flash with excitement when we
are making love. You must think me nutty for comparing our love to
the weather, but so much of what happens or I see during our days
apart reminds me you. The soft breeze on my skin reminds me of the
way your fingertips caress me and the sweetness of the water
reminds me of the taste of your lips. Have I gone crazy alone on
this island, I ask? Yes, I am crazy for you my love.

Tomorrow is a very big day, so I will end my
ramblings here tonight and wish you sweet dreams, my love. Levi

Levi placed the cap back on the pen and
quickly read over her entry, then closed the journal. She walked to
the kitchen and poured the warm beer down the drain and dropped the
bottle in the garbage. She looked at her watch and saw that it was
nearly nine. Levi locked the front door and walked into the
bedroom. She wanted to be up early, dressed and ready to meet the
day when Carlos and his men arrived. She slipped out of her
clothing and set the alarm before sliding between the cool sheets.
The rain had slacked off some, but Levi could still hear the
rhythmic dancing on the roof as the rain continued. The peaceful
sound quickly captured her attention and carried her into a land of
dreams.

Levi had set the alarm for six and when she
awoke, the sounds of construction reached her ears. She could hear
hammers being pounded and saws busy cutting in the distance. She
looked at the clock to verify that she hadn’t overslept. Two
minutes after six it read. Carlos and his men must have been
excited to start back work this early.

Levi walked into the kitchen to start the
coffee and then returned to the bedroom to shower and dress in
jeans and a pull over shirt. She stepped into boots and then
finished in the bathroom. Levi poured a mug of coffee then located
a small thermos. She poured the remainder of the coffee in the
thermos while her bread was toasting. She was excited to go down to
the site, but knew she had better eat at least something light.

When the rye bread popped up in the toaster,
Levi spread a thin layer of butter across it and drank a glass of
apple juice with her light meal. She rinsed her dishes and placed
them in the dishwasher, then walked to the office to retrieve her
camera and notepad.

Levi picked up a kitchen towel and walked out
to the golf cart. The seat was still wet from the night’s storm and
she thoughtfully wiped it off before sitting down. She unplugged
the charger and was off for the resort.

Men were busy downloading cartons from a flat
keel boat and carrying them into the night club for temporary
storage. They looked up and smiled to her as she drove by and Levi
waved a friendly hello.

Carlos looked up and smiled when he heard her
approach. “Good morning, Boss,” he said with a huge grin.

“Good morning. Your men are much earlier than
I expected,” Levi said.

“We have been here working since five.”

“I will definitely need to set my clock
earlier then if this will be your routine,” Levi said.

“There is no need for you to be here that
early. I would think seven would be adequate for you to join us,”
he said. “The first few minutes of every morning will be setting up
and reviewing what we accomplished the previous day.”

Carlos took Levi and walked her through the
various sections of the resort that were being worked on,
introducing her to the workers. She was amazed that the team of
painters already had a dozen or more rooms textured and another
crew was beginning to install the crown and floor molding.

Men seemed to be moving about everywhere as
toilets and other bathroom fixtures were installed and another team
of men were carrying in cartons of the hardwood flooring and
removing the pieces to allow them to stretch and breathe. When the
painting and fixtures were installed in the rooms, they would begin
laying the flooring, Carlos told her.

“I need your assistance with something,”
Carlos said as they walked toward the front desk.

Carlos had brought color samples out for the
carpet and he needed to know which color to choose so an order
could be placed. He and Levi flipped through the samples and came
up with a dark camel color together.

“I will call and make the order later this
morning,” he said. “I have also drawn up plans for a small pool
bar, if you are ready to review these with me.”

“That would be great,” Levi responded as she
watched the bustle of men.

Carlos led her over to a small makeshift
table and seats they had arranged in the front lobby area. He
pulled out a notebook and reviewed the basic measurements of the
proposed bar with Levi. She made a few adjustments based on her bar
tender’s experience and after a short review they were in agreement
of the floor plan.

“My Uncle called me this morning and he has
arranged a deal to purchase fifty Serta pillow top mattresses for
fifteen thousand, but he needs a deposit of five thousand to lock
in the price and secure the order.”

“I guess I had better go to town then and
make arrangements for a bank account then,” Levi said. “Tell him he
will have a check later today.”

“Very well,” Carlos said.

“Are you in need of an advance as well?” Levi
asked.

“I should be set until we make our first
construction draw next week,” Carlos said.

“Let me know if you run tight and we can
arrange an advance if needed,” Levi said, as she poured a mug of
coffee from the thermos. “Would you care for some?” she asked.

“Thanks, Levi, but I have already had two
pots this morning,” he said.

“Did you sleep at all last night Carlos?”
Levi teased.

“Barely,” he answered with a warm smile. “I
am so excited to be back on this project.” He looked at Levi and
asked, “Did you manage to get all set up in the house?”

“Thanks to your lovely golf cart, it was a
breeze,” Levi said.

“Are you ok with being up there by yourself,”
he asked rather shyly.

“It gets very quiet, especially at night, but
I am doing fine,” Levi assured him.

“Nothing unusual or scary happening to you
then?” he asked.

Levi thought for a moment about the mist, the
chills and most recently the tear drop on her journal. “Nothing
scary, “she said. “I haven’t been haunted by any ghost yet, if that
is what you are asking Carlos,” Levi said.

“Good then, maybe the spirits are finally at
rest here,” he said.

“Hopefully so,” Levi answered. “What are the
plans for completion today?” she asked, to change the topic.

“I hope we can get at least half of the rooms
textured today and maybe a third of those trimmed out,” he said.
“We only have half of the bathroom fixtures on delivery but
hopefully the installation of those won’t take more than a couple
of days and then the rest of the order should be in.”

“That sounds very promising,” Levi said. “I
guess I should start across the water and be there when the bank
opens at nine,” she said as she stood. “Is it ok to leave my stuff
here?” she asked, pointing to her camera and thermos.

“Yes, it won’t be in the way at all here,”
Carlos answered.

“Fine, I will see you later in the morning
then,” Levi said, as she left the lobby area to walk to the boat
house.

“Be safe,” Carlos said, as he walked her to
the door.

“I will,” Levi answered.

“Good morning,” she said, to the men who were
steadily carrying cartons off the boat.

“Good morning Senorita,” they replied and
offered warm smiles to her as she passed on her way to the
boat.

She dropped the mooring lines and stepped
into the boat before slowly backing it from the boathouse. On her
way across the water, she passed another flat keel boat delivering
supplies to the island and the men waved enthusiastically as they
passed. She guided the boat across the water and waved at Codi who
was leaving the port with a small group of divers on her boat. Codi
smiled and waved back at her.

She tied the small boat and stepped onto the
pier a few minutes before nine. There was only one bank in town and
while she waited for the doors to open, she glanced over to see
Cat’s office open. She walked over and stepped inside the
office.

“Hello,” she called out when she didn’t see
Cat.

“Be right there,” Cat called out from
somewhere in the back of the office.

Levi waited and Cat came walking up from the
rear. “Hello Levi, how are you this morning?” she asked.