Dae's Christmas Past (16 page)

“Government in action.” Mary Catherine took two small pancakes from the plate. “I can’t imagine dealing with all that bureaucracy. But you do it beautifully, Dae. The people of Duck are lucky to have you as mayor.”

I rushed into a conversation about our plans to go to Corolla that morning before the shop opened. I knew Gramps would argue against the gambling ship for hours if we let him. I hoped he and his friends didn’t plan a filibuster that evening.

He wasn’t happy about Mary Catherine and me going to Corolla by ourselves. As if on cue, Kevin walked in the door. “I could smell pancakes all the way to the Blue Whale. I hope there’s coffee too.”

“You’re just in time,” Gramps said. “MC and Dae could really use a practical escort to take them to Corolla today. I’d go, but this stupid leg is going to keep me home.”

“Sure.” Kevin speared a few pancakes and put them on a plate. “I’d be happy to go.”

“What about getting ready for the Christmas celebration?” I asked him as I handed him a cup of coffee.

“I can do that when we get back. I assume that’s what you’re going to do at Missing Pieces today too, right?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “But I’m going to see Chris first.”

“I’ll get the truck,” he promised. “You want to see how Jake is doing too?”

“If there’s time,” I was surprised that he was offering to go see Jake. “Mary Catherine wants to talk to the horses too. Then we’re going over to the excavation.”

Kevin and Gramps exchanged a worried look.

“I’m not going to touch anything,” I assured them. “I’ll take gloves with me.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Mary Catherine’s smile was cheerful. “If you have more pressing business, Kevin, Dae and I can see Jake and take care of the other things. I don’t want to put you out.”

“Not a problem.” He swallowed some coffee and quickly finished his pancakes. “I’m going to get ready. Pick you up at Chris’s house.” He kissed me goodbye and left through the back door.

“What a nice man,” Mary Catherine said. “I can see why you love him, Dae. And it’s easy to see why he loves you. You’re a lucky couple.”

“Thanks. I’m going to get ready too.” I put the dishes and cups in the sink. A car horn honked in the driveway. “It’s Howard,” I said to Gramps. “Let me help you out there.”

But before I could move, Howard was in the house and taking care of the situation. He’d brought a collapsible wheelchair. If I would have suggested it, Gramps would have ignored me. Because it was Howard, it was a great idea.

“See you later Dae, MC,” Gramps called out. “Be careful out there.”

I put on a deep blue sweater and jeans before I stuck my feet into flowered rubber boots. If we went to the excavation site, I’d need them. I offered a pair of boots to Mary Catherine, but she said she’d be fine.

We struck out for Jamie and Chris Slayton’s house which was only a short walk from where I lived. We weren’t the only ones visiting him. There were cakes, pies, and casseroles all over the kitchen and dining room. I put the cookies I’d brought on the kitchen table and went into the library where Chris was seated in an armchair. His ankle was in an elastic bandage, but otherwise he seemed unharmed.

“Thanks for coming, Dae.” He glanced at Mary Catherine. “I don’t think I know your friend.”

I introduced her. Chris hadn’t moved to Duck yet when she’d lived here. They shook hands, and Jamie brought in a tray with cups of hot chocolate and cookies on it.

“The banner looks great up there, Chris,” I told him. “Next time don’t try to do everything yourself.”

He laughed. “Look who’s talking.”

“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” I told him. “I don’t like to have important meetings without you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jamie said sharply. “He’ll be there tonight if I have to put him in a wheelchair and push him over. We need that gambling ship to bring people to Duck in the off season. I hope you plan to vote for it, Dae.”

“You know Gramps, Chief Michaels, and Sheriff Riley are completely against it, right? Chris has a signed request from them not to allow the ship to dock here.” I knew how Jamie felt. But I wanted her to know that there were people against the gambling ship too.

Jamie dismissively waved her hand. “That’s because they’re old and they aren’t trying to make a living at retail. You know what I mean. Just think how much busier Missing Pieces would be with an extra few hundred people every day.”

I had thought about it, as I was sure every other business owner in Duck had. I could see good and bad points to voting for the ship. Of course it wasn’t only my vote—unless it came to a tie that I had to break. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that because I wasn’t sure which side I’d fall on.

“Either way, Jamie,” Chris said. “We’ll find a way to make Duck the best town on the Outer Banks. I don’t want everyone to get too one-sided over this. The vote is going to be close.”

“Any idea on who you plan to appoint to the board to take the place of Mad Dog and LaDonna?” Jamie asked.

“Jamie!” Chris frowned. “Quit trying to influence the mayor.”

“What?” She turned to him. “She’s my mayor too. I’d just like to know.”

Chris changed the subject. “We heard something about Mad Dog planning to ask for his seat again at the meeting tonight.”

“And we don’t want that to happen,” Jamie finished for him. “We need somebody younger, someone who owns a local business—what about Kevin?”

“He’s definitely not in the running,” I told her. “But Cody Baucum is. We’ll see who else shows up.”

Before the discussion could get too bogged down in town business, I excused myself and Mary Catherine, telling them that we were on our way to Corolla.

“Going to see Jake today?” Jamie asked with a sly smile.

Not surprising since everyone had seen him bring me home on the back of his horse during the election. “Probably not today. We’re going to see the wild horses and the excavation site. Maybe I’ll be able to see Jake tonight.”

Chris shrugged. “The public works guys told me there were a lot of calls again about the horses last night. There was more damage done. What’s going on out there, Dae?”

“I’m not really sure yet,” I said. “But I hope to find out.”

Kevin’s timing was perfect again. He’d waited in the truck as Mary Catherine and I had said our goodbyes. We walked through the Slayton’s yard, noticing the crushed bushes and demolished outdoor ornaments. There were hoof prints everywhere.

We were discussing it as we got in the pickup. “The horses coming through at night doesn’t make any sense,” Mary Catherine said. “They’re so destructive.”

“Wait until you see my rosebushes,” Kevin added. “It looks like someone dug them up and crushed them into pieces. There are hoof prints all over the yard and the verandah. I’m going to have to replace some boards that couldn’t stand up to the horses.”

“Maybe your insurance will cover it.” I scooted beside him on the bench seat.

“Not sure how I’d explain the horses being there.” He backed the truck out of the drive. “I saw Chief Michaels this morning. He said they had more than seventy calls about it last night. He’s thinking about asking Sheriff Riley for extra protection until the horses stop invading Duck.”

“What about Corolla?” Mary Catherine asked. “Are the horses just coming to Duck or are they trampling flower beds out that way too?”

“We can stop and talk to Chief Palo,” I said. “She’s very nice. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind sharing information.”

We followed Highway Twelve out to Corolla, not taking as much time as I would have liked to appreciate the fall scenery, but we were on the clock.

I got a call from Chris telling me that Jake had been arrested so I shouldn’t bother trying to go to Kill Devil Hills to see him. I thanked him for letting me know. “He’s in jail in Corolla,” Chris said. “Just thought I’d let you know since you were going to be out that way.”

“I thought she’d wait to arrest him until the lab results were back on Jake’s bloodwork,” I told Kevin and Mary Catherine after I’d said goodbye to Chris and ended the call. “Maybe Chief Palo isn’t as nice as I thought.”

“Or maybe she was just doing her job,” he said. “Let’s reserve judgment on that, shall we?”

“How far is it from here to the wild horses?” Mary Catherine asked.

“It’s where Highway 12 drops into the ocean,” Kevin replied. “From there you have to take a Segway or rent a Jeep to get out where they live.”

She smiled. “Do you think we could go there first and then check in on Jake? I’d really like to see the horses right away.”

I shrugged when Kevin glanced at me. “Sure. I guess Jake isn’t going anywhere. Let’s see if we can find someone who’ll take us out there. A Segway is expensive.”

“We may not need one.” Her eyes were fixed on the horizon. “The horses know I’m on my way.”

I realized that she hadn’t lived here for a long time and she may not have even gone to visit the horses when she was here last time, although that seemed unlikely. It wouldn’t hurt to drive to the end of the road. Maybe someone would be out trying to make some money by taking people out to see the horses.

Tom Watts had always been out there each day, taking people to see the wild horses and explaining why they were so important to preserve. I hoped Jake, or whoever took Tom’s job, would be as good as it as he had been. The lives of the horses depended on it.

We made the last turn before Highway Twelve dead ended. Usually at this time of year, there weren’t many tourists. The beach was mostly deserted.

But not that day.

There were no tourists or wild horse guides—no people—just hundreds of horses, young and old, waiting there. As soon as Mary Catherine got out of the truck, they began trying to move as close as they could to her. They pressed their noses against her and softly whinnied as though she were a long lost friend.

“Oh, it’s good to see you too!”

“Oh my dear friends.” She lifted her arms to hug as many horses as she could, pressing her face close to theirs. “It’s been too long.”

Kevin and I got out of the truck after her and slowly followed her to the last tip of land at the edge of the Outer Banks.

“You think they remember her?” he asked.

“I don’t know. You’ve seen how animals are with her. The only ones that aren’t that way are the ghost horses, and she says they aren’t really animals. She can’t communicate with them.”

We stood back and watched her talk with the horses. They kept trying to get closer to her. She was surrounded by all sizes, colors, and ages of the wild herd.

“They definitely like her,” Kevin said. “I’ve never seen them this way, have you?”

“Not ever. Not even for Jake or Tom. She’s kind of amazing, isn’t she? I wonder what it’s like to hear everything animals have to say.”

“I think it might be confusing. Just like if you could hear everything humans said.”

“Or knew where everything came from,” I murmured.

He put his arm around me. “How are you feeling today?”

“Like always after I pass out at a public place—embarrassed and uncomfortable.” I put my head against his chest. The wind whipped at us from the rough sea, blowing the tall grasses.

“I guess that’s part of having a gift.”

“Kevin! Dae!” Mary Catherine beckoned to us to join her. “My friends have plenty to say about what’s been happening. The poor dears are suffering.”

“Do they know who killed Tom?” It might not stand up in court, but at least we’d have a direction.

“No, I’m afraid not.” She shook her head. “But they do know about the excavation and the horse cult. They’re as afraid of those demon horses as the rest of us. They say they’ve always known to avoid that spot. They can’t believe we didn’t know better.”

Kevin reached out a hand to stroke one of the horses’ tan manes. “Tell them I’ve wondered the same thing.”

I carefully touched one of the horse’s noses and the large brown eyes stared soulfully into mine. “I’m so sorry. I hope none of the horses have been hurt by all this.”

“They’re worried about their reputations,” Mary Catherine translated. “It already upsets them to have some of their friends and relatives removed from the island every year. They’re afraid this might make it worse.”

“I’m sure no one is going to blame them.” I disregarded some of the extreme comments that had been tossed around at the town hall meeting. “You said yourself that the demon horses aren’t real animals.”

“But how many people are going to believe that?” Kevin asked. “I’ve already heard some talk in Duck about getting rid of the rest of the horses.”

“Oh no!” Mary Catherine cried out. “These horses have more right to be here than we do. They’ve been here for a thousand years. The tribal people brought them here for ceremonies with the horse cult. They didn’t appreciate being used in that manner, I can tell you. But they don’t deserve to be punished for it.”

“I’ll do what I can to help protect them,” I said. “Maybe we should sponsor a wild horse day during the Christmas celebration. I’ll talk to Chris about setting that up.”

Mary Catherine kept one arm around a small gray and brown colt. “They understand that it’s a problem getting along with humans. They appreciate whatever you can do, Dae.”