Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery (23 page)

“We can enjoy
the village this evening,” Neal said, “and stop at some of the other places on
our way back to the ferry tomorrow.
 
I don’t know about you but I think I’ve had enough sightseeing for one
day.”

“Me too,” Lin
smiled, “maybe just a walk around the village before dinner tonight.
 
The rest can wait.”

Neal had booked
a suite at the Ocracoke Harbor Inn.
 
It was on the top floor and had glass doors and a private balcony
overlooking Silver Lake Harbor.
 
“Come here, Lin called as she went out to enjoy the view, look hard and
you might see the pirate Blackbeard’s body swimming around the harbor, in
search of its head.”
 
She reminded
Neal that the infamous pirate had once hidden away along the North Carolina
coast and Ocracoke was supposedly one of his favorite haunts.
 
He met his end there in 1718 at the
hands of Robert Maynard who’d been commissioned by the governor of Virginia to
get rid of the menacing fellow. His head had been impaled on the bowsprit of
Maynard’s vessel and taken to Hampton Roads to prove he was no more.
 
“Been searching for it ever since,” Lin
asserted, “at least according to local legend.”

Neal chuckled
at the story.
 
“Look it up,” Lin
insisted, “the part about swimming around in the harbor may be a ghostly legend,
but Maynard did fight him right here and he was beheaded.”

They completed
their survey of the beautiful suite, including the luxury Jacuzzi in the bath,
and decided to take a walk around the harbor while it was still light.

Silver Lake
Harbor was indeed almost a lake, an irregular shape connected to Pamlico Sound
by a narrow channel called “The Ditch.” Silver Lake Drive followed the shore
past businesses and homes.
 
There
was an eclectic fleet of watercraft moored in the harbor—mostly pleasure
craft, including some gorgeous yachts, and a few fishing boats.
 
The sun was beginning to set and Lin was
glad she’d worn her fleece, as it was growing colder.
 
Almost directly across the harbor from
their hotel they found a small, intimate Italian restaurant and decided to go
in.
 

“It’s after
five,” Neal smiled, “we can start with drinks and appetizers.”
 
There were only a handful of customers
in the place.
 
“Guess this is truly
the ‘off season’ here,” Lin said.

“It is in fact;
a couple of the inns I contacted were already closed, but the Harbor Inn wasn’t
and I really like it.
 
I noticed
that some of the businesses we passed walking over had signs saying they were
closed for the season also.”

“I like the inn
too,” Lin smiled back at him, “I really don’t care if this is the off
season.
 
I rather like the absence
of crowds here and even back in the other Banks towns.”

Neal returned
her smile and reached across the table for her hand. “The only company I need
is right here.”

The waiter
arrived with a bottle of Malbec, Lin’s favorite red wine, and a platter of
succulent shrimp.
 
They ordered
their entrees, but told the server they were in no hurry.

“I’ll tell the
cook,” the young man said,
 
“Anything
else for now?”

“I don’t think
so,” Neal looked at Lin.

“This is
great,” she said.

They settled
back to enjoy the view.
 
It was
beginning to grow dark and lights were popping out from various locations
around the harbor.
 
Neal spotted the
sweep of the beam from Ocracoke Lighthouse. “You didn’t tell me about this
one,” He enumerated the other lights she’d mentioned.

“Sorry,” she
grinned, “
it
’s just a small one, though.
 
We can walk over there tomorrow.”

They sat in
relaxed silence, sipping wine and nibbling the succulent shrimp.
 
After several minutes, Neal turned away
from the window and looked into her eyes.
 
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand, “Can we talk now?”

Lin tried not
to show that she felt a little tense and stressed.
 
Perhaps she was still suffering the
effects of being followed earlier.
 
She turned to Neal with a smile, “No time like the present.”

Neal topped off
their wine glasses and sat back, still gazing toward the harbor.
 
Finally, he took a deep breath and
turned to face her.

“I’ve been
thinking long and hard about my own situation,” he began. “I’ve weighed my
options—full retirement, taking the temporary position in Chapel Hill, or
returning to teach at NAU.
 
Lin, I
wanted to ask you what you wanted me to do but I knew what you’d say.
 
You’d tell me it was my decision to make,
and you’d be right.
 
I realize
that.
 
When I went on administrative
leave, I was under something of a cloud, at least in my own mind.
 
I don’t want to end my career with any
questions left hanging.
 
I’ve
decided that I have to go back.
 
I
have to teach, at least for one more term—beyond that I don’t know.
 
I’m going to call Chris on Monday and
tell him he can expect me back right after New Years.”

Lin reached for
his hand.
 
“You’re doing the right
thing, Neal.
 
I would’ve supported
you no matter what you decided, I hope you know that, but I agree with your
choice fully.
 
You need to go back
so that you can retire later feeling good about the state of your career.”

“I’m glad you
feel that way,” he gave her hand a squeeze, “I knew you would agree.
 
The thing is I realize now that I can’t
feel complete without you.
 
I don’t
want to leave you behind.
 
I want
you to go with me Lin.
 
I love you
and I want you to marry me, will you? “

In spite of the
fact that she’d had a feeling this was coming, Lin was surprised; she hadn’t
thought about a proposal in connection with Neal’s returning to the university
in January.
 
She wasn’t sure how to
answer.

Neal sensed her
hesitation and started to say something but changed his mind.
 
She reached for his other hand.
 
He looked into her eyes expectantly.
 
Finally, she gathered her courage and
spoke.

“ I do love you
Neal.
 
I haven’t loved anyone since
I lost Ben, but I do love you and I know that I always will,” she hesitated,
seeking the right words.

“Here comes the
‘but,’ ” he sighed.

“Not really a
‘but,’ maybe a consideration,” she said. “I love you and I want to marry you,
but I’m not ready to go back to Arizona with you right now.
 
It’s too fast for me, I guess.
 
I could make a long list of things I
need to consider before such a move; but the bottom line is that, while I want
to be in your life and to be your wife, I need to have my own life too.”

Lin tried to
explain how she had had so many years of feeling locked in to her
responsibilities for family and for her work. “You know, I was a military wife
for a lot of years.
 
Ben was a
wonderful husband and father, but he was gone a lot.
 
We’d decided early on that we didn’t
want the kids moved around so often.
 
We wanted them to have friends and to feel part of their schools.
 
That meant a lot of the time I was on my
own, almost a single parent.
 
When
Ben was there, we had a wonderful family life and a wonderful marriage, but I
always had a lot of responsibility.”

“ When Ben was
killed, the kids were grown, but I threw myself into my work.
 
I went back to get a graduate degree,
and I became a regular workaholic.
 
You could’ve said I didn’t have much of a life, not a personal life that
is.
 
When I decided to retire a
couple of years ago, I did so because I wanted to have time to reclaim my life
while I was still young enough to be active and do the things I wanted to
do.
 
That’s when I bought my condo,
when I decided to travel some, to volunteer in parks, have some adventure in my
life, meet people,” she smiled at him, “and you’re the best person I’ve met.
 
I love you and I don’t want to lose you
but…”

Neal didn’t let
her finish.
 
He leaned across the
table and placed his finger on her lips, “You don’t need to say anything
more.
 
Believe it or not, I do
understand what you’re saying.
 
If
it were up to me, I’d whisk you away with me tomorrow.
 
We’d have a New Years wedding with all
the trimmings
but…,”
he turned and gazed deeply into
her eyes, “I don’t want our marriage, when it happens, to be on my terms
alone.
 
That’s not good.
 
I love you because of who you are, and I
wouldn’t want to change that.
 
Besides, I’ve waited a long time for the right person to come along, and
I expect I can deal with a long engagement, how about you?”

“It won’t be
too long, I promise,” she smiled as he reached into his jacket pocket.

“How about an
early Christmas present,” he placed a small black velvet box on the table in
front of her. “I was going to wait until Christmas Eve, but then I thought,
what if she says no and there I’ll be with her whole family looking on.”

Lin opened the
box to reveal a beautiful ring.
 
It
was the most unusual diamond ring she’d ever seen, a wide band of white gold,
with yellow gold leaves carved in an open design surrounding a large stone
recessed in the band.
 
Lin was
speechless, “Where did you…”

“In a gallery
in Manteo,” Neal told her, “it’s an estate piece, not an antique but hand
made.
 
You won’t find another just
like it.”

“It’s
beautiful, I’ve never seen anything so lovely.”

Neal took the
ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger.
 
It will need to be sized, it’s a little
large, but we can take care of that the first of the week.
 
I don’t think you’ll lose it
though—it’s not that much too large.
 
I want you to wear it”

Lin fingered
the beautiful ring turning it to catch the light from the candle on their
table. “It’s absolutely perfect, it won’t fall off, it just slips a little,”
she straightened the ring, centering it on her finger.

“I’m afraid
you’ll have to wait for your gift,” she grinned. “I didn’t bring it with me.”

“Just my luck,”
he winked. “I guess I’m the one who has to wait—for my gift, for our
wedding, …”

“Not for
everything,” she teased. “Now let’s eat.”

Neal signaled
their waiter that they were ready for their entrees.
 
He nodded, “Just a few more minutes.
I’ll tell the cook.’’

When he brought
their food a short time later it was accompanied by a large bottle of chilled
champagne.

“Couldn’t help
overhearing some of your conversation,” the young man smiled,
“Congratulations.”

They slept in
the next morning, having stayed up late after returning from dinner.
 
They’d sat in the comfort of the easy
chairs provided in their suite, watching the moonlight flicker across the
waters of Silver Lake Harbor while they sipped their congratulatory champagne
and talked about the future.
 
Neal
pointed out that he did plan to retire soon, most likely at the end of the
spring term.
 
When that happened, he
would no longer be tied to Flagstaff, and he could join her in her
travels.
 
Lin promised that they
could talk about wedding plans, perhaps for the
coming summer
or early fall
.
 
Meanwhile,
they’d make sure that they saw each other regularly.
 
Lin agreed that the next visit should be
hers.
 
She would try to travel to
Arizona for a visit, perhaps during Neal’s Spring break time.
 
They’d topped the evening off with a
long soak in the large Jacuzzi before retiring to the comfortable king sized
bed.
 
It was well after midnight
before either thought about sleep.

By the time
they’d awakened and dressed for the day, it was past time for the continental
breakfast at the inn, but they were both hungry.
 
They decided to pack, check out, and
then look for breakfast elsewhere.
 
The proprietor of the inn recommended a local café nearby that served
brunch on Sundays.
 
It was only a
short walk.
 
The morning was sunny
and warm so they decided to eat on the screened porch that had a nice view of
the harbor.
 
The brunch buffet was
laden with several nice dishes, and the café also offered eggs cooked to order.
It was evident they wouldn’t need any lunch. By the time their plates had been
removed and their coffee cups refilled, they felt stuffed.

“I don’t know
why I continue to load a plate at buffets knowing I’ll eat too much,” Lin
groaned.

“Because
everything looks so delicious you can’t pass anything up,” Neal commiserated.
“Did you try that breakfast casserole with fresh crabmeat?”

“I’m afraid, I
did,” Lin continued, “plus the hash brown casserole with cheese and spring
onions.
 
I definitely need to walk
some of this breakfast off.
 
Let’s
visit the lighthouse after we finish our coffee and let’s not drive.”

Neal agreed
that was a good plan.
 
They relaxed
for another twenty minutes, enjoying the coffee and the view then headed out to
explore the rest of the village.
 
They not only visited the lighthouse, but also the British
Cemetery.
 
This small plot of land
bordering a local graveyard had been designated a part of the British
Isles.
 
Buried there were the only
bodies recovered from a British vessel that sank off the island during World
War II.
 
The islanders had been
unable to return these men to their homeland because of the war, so they buried
their remains and dedicated the plot to Great Britain, always flying a British
flag over their graves.
 
Lin and
Neal were very moved by the story and by the fact that, for all these years,
islanders had maintained these graves and honored the memory of these men.

By the time
they had walked the length and breadth of Ocracoke village, they were ready to
begin their journey back to Kill Devil Hills.
 
They stopped to view the ponies on their
way back to the ferry.
 
These
descendants of Spanish horses had once roamed wild and free on the island but
now occupied a large fenced area on the sound side for their own preservation
and protection.

It was early
afternoon by the time they arrived at the ferry landing, and they were both
ready to head back home.
 
Lin was
just a little apprehensive on the trip back, afraid that Mike might be waiting
to follow them once the ferry arrived at Hatteras, but there was no sign of
him.
 
She relaxed then, ready to
enjoy the almost ninety mile trek back to Kate’s home.

They certainly
weren’t hungry, and they’d stopped at most of the sights on the way down the
previous day; they opted for a leisurely drive back, continuing their
conversation about future plans as they drove.

Lin felt a deep
sense of happiness, along with relief that Neal hadn’t pressured her about
getting married right away.
 
She’d
been afraid that might happen; that he might even want to break off their
relationship if she didn’t feel ready to tie the knot.
 
Instead he seemed to understand where
she was coming from.

“I do want to
get married,” Neal insisted, “and I don’t want to wait too long, but when we do
decide on a date for our wedding, I want it to feel right for you and not just
for me.
 
I’ve already had one
marriage that turned out not to be a good one and I want ours to be
good—for both of us.”

“Me too,” Lin
agreed, “I don’t want to wait forever, but I don’t want to rush into things too
quickly.
 
I was only home a few weeks
before Kate talked me into this housesitting deal.
 
It’s been great, and I’m especially
enjoying having you here to share this time with me; I feel it’s given us a
real opportunity to get to know each other.
 
Still, I was only home for a few weeks
before I came down here.
 
There’re
several things I need and want to do at home, and I think I’d like to do
another volunteer stint this spring.
  
In fact, Sue Gray called me right before I left to come down to Kate’s,
and we talked about possibly doing something together.
 
She’s looking into some places we might
apply. You remember Sue don’t you?”

“I certainly do
and I liked Sue,” Neal smiled, “ I enjoyed getting to know her while she was at
Walnut Canyon last spring and summer.
 
She was certainly a good friend to you, especially when you were
injured.”

“She was,” Lin
nodded, “and I hope we can continue our friendship.
 
I’d really enjoy doing a volunteer stint
with her if we can work it out.”

“I hope you
can,” Neal said, “I might be doing some short term traveling myself,” he added.
“When I talked to Chris he mentioned having me join him for a few weeks at the
end of the semester at a site he’s going to be working on this coming
summer.
 
Who knows, maybe you can
join me there for a visit.
 
You
might like archeology.”

“I do like it,
I know that already,” Lin grinned. “In fact, I think I’d make a great field
assistant.”

Neal was
thoughtful for a moment, “You know, when I retire from teaching, I might decide
to continue to do some field work, on a part time basis.
 
How would that fit into your plans to
travel and try new things?”

“Perfectly,”
Lin smiled again, “that would be great and I’d love it.
 
Just remember though, I’m going to keep
doing things on my own too, even after we’re married.
 
It’s important to me to feel that I can
do that.”

“It’s important
to me, also,” Neal reached over and squeezed her hand. “I want you to be happy,
and I know I wouldn’t be happy either if I didn’t feel free to pursue my own
interests.”

It was after
three when they arrived back in Kill Devil Hills.
 
As they passed the police station they
observed that it was apparently open so Neal pulled into the parking lot.

“I think we
should stop and report that this Mike character appeared to be following us
yesterday, and you thought he was following you in town.
 
We can give them the license plate
number.
 
That should identify him,
if that truck is his,” Neal said as he got out of the car.

They went in
together and asked if Sgt. Parker was available.

“He’s not
working today,” the young officer at the
desk
reported, “He’ll be in tomorrow, can I help you?”

They left the
information with her and promised that they would call back the next day. Lin
was disappointed.
 
She’d hoped to be
able to talk to Ken, hoping that this development would convince him to keep
looking into Dorrie’s death.
 
Lin
knew that, somehow, this was related to that event in some fashion.
 
They just needed a few more answers, to
fill in the gaps in what they already knew.

“I know what we
need to do now,” she said as they turned from the highway toward Kate’s
neighborhood, “We need to sit down and make a list.”

“What kind of
list?” Neal looked puzzled.

“A list of what
we know, what information we have so far.
 
It might help to establish some sort of pattern, to show us where we
need to focus to get more information.”

Neal recalled
an earlier time when Lin made such a list.
 
A list that eventually led to the arrest of a brutal killer. “I’d almost
forgotten what a list maker you are,” he had a slightly amused look on his
face.

“Don’t knock it
‘til you try it,” Lin gave his leg a playful slap. “It helps to organize your
thoughts, it reveals patterns….”

“OK, I get it,”
Neal replied, “but let’s unpack first and unwind from our trip.
 
I for one am a little tired just now.”

They unloaded
the car and took their bags up to the bedroom to unpack.

“I have an
idea,” Lin said, eyeing the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. “You did all
the driving and I’m sure you could use a break.
 
Why don’t I start the laundry and pick
up Sparky.
 
You could take a short
nap while I take him to walk.
 
When
I get back we can fix something to eat and then we can talk about that list.”

Neal readily
agreed, “I think I’ll take a hot shower first, get the kinks out of my back.”

***

It was after
five when Lin returned from her walk.
 
First she’d spent some time with Eloise when she picked up Sparky.
 
The older woman had apparently known
something of Neal’s plans for she’d greeted Lin with a smile and a “Did you say
yes?”
 
After admiring the beautiful
ring, she’d also wanted to discuss plans for the Christmas party, still two
weeks away.
 
Lin suggested that they
get together sometime during the coming week to finalize some details.

Sparky had
greeted Lin as if he’d been her own dog for years, and she’d been gone for a
week or more, at least.
 
The lively
dog jumped up, placing his front paws on her shoulders and licking her chin
with gusto.
 
She had to laugh.
 
Nothing like a dog to make you feel
wanted and welcomed.
 
Maybe I need a
pet, she mused.

Eloise had only
provided short walks for the dog during the weekend, so Lin took him through
the neighborhood and down toward the Wright Memorial, choosing not to go quite
the whole way.
 
After returning to
Kate’s street, actually a circle, they’d taken the long way back to the
house.
 
Now Sparky seemed ready for
a good drink of water and a rest.

Lin found Neal
upstairs, stretched out on the sofa in the office fast asleep.
 
He was snoring gently.
 
I guess he really was tired, Lin thought
to herself; he did do all the driving, and we really didn’t get much sleep last
night, even with sleeping in.

She went
downstairs quietly and rummaged around in the freezer for something for
supper.
 
She found a frozen pizza
and chose that.
 
She decided to fix
some sort of appetizers to add to the meal.
 
Even though they’d had a huge breakfast,
they’d not eaten since.
 
She was
getting hungry and felt sure Neal would be too.

By the time
Neal came downstairs, she’d concocted some black bean dip to go with corn chips
and had found a jar of spicy salsa to add.
 
She poured a beer into a frosted mug for Neal and a glass of red wine
for herself.
 
“This looks great,”
Neal eyed the tray Lin had prepared as he pulled her into his arms for a long
kiss.

“It feels good
to be able to call you my ‘fiancé’,” he gave
her a
big
bear hug. “How was your walk, I didn’t hear you come in, guess I was more tired
than I realized.”

“I left you
snoring on the sofa,” Lin teased. “ Are you hungry?”

“Indeed I am,”
Neal declared, “let’s take this stuff out to the porch.”

Lin grabbed the
tray while Neal took the glasses and they joined Sparky on the glassed
porch.
 
The sun was beginning to set,
and although the weather was fair, the temperature was dropping so Neal lit the
gas logs.
 

Lin was eager
to spend some time thinking about recent happenings.
 
Somehow the fact that they had been
followed on Saturday had to be connected to prior events, Dorrie’s death,
Connie’s murder, the arrest of Billy Thornton—she just wasn’t sure how
all these things fit together, but she felt certain that they did fit and that
the earlier death of Liz Frazier was, most likely, part of the picture
also.
 
She had brought paper and
pencil to the porch and now she enlisted Neal’s help in organizing her
thoughts.