Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery (27 page)

“ I’m
starving,” she added mischievously, “We can finish admiring each other over
drinks and appetizers, let’s go.”

Owens proved to
be the perfect spot for a special evening out.
 
Over wine and appetizers Neal caught Lin
up on the work at the fort.
 
“By
Friday, we should be ready to close things down for a few weeks.
 
We’ve found some sixteenth century
artifacts, just a few, but they could be contemporary with our lost
colony.
 
One of the guys from Chapel
Hill will be taking them back for further examination to try to determine more
precise dates.
 
The shoreline has
changed so much over time that it’s hard to pin down locations.
 
It’s possible that the evidence of the
colony, if such still exists, is now underwater, at least partially.
 
That type of excavation requires more
funds than this current grant has. The team has invited me to come back in the
spring for more work, but I doubt I’ll be able to spring loose from NAU to do
that.
 
I’d love to be able to
continue but…”

“Maybe sometime
in the future,” Lin said, “perhaps when you retire you can come back or maybe
even work on other projects in other locations.”

“I’m sure
there’ll be opportunities.
 
I see
postings all the time, looking for experienced field workers, especially if you
can volunteer.
 
No one ever seems to
have enough money to pay for all the crew they need.
 
Who knows, maybe we’ll do something like
that together someday,” he smiled at the thought.

“By the way,”
he added.
 
“The group is getting
together on Thursday night for a farewell dinner of sorts; the staff at the
fort is coming and you’re invited too.
 
It’ll be sort of a Christmas party, I think.”

“Sounds like
fun,” Lin replied, “Where will it be?”

“They’ve booked
a private dining room at that inn on the harbor in Manteo, should be nice.”

“Now it’s your
turn,” Neal smiled. “Tell me about your day, especially the appointment with
Billy’s attorney.”

Lin gave a full
account of her meeting with Tom Pickett, including what she’d learned about the
case Ken Parker was building against Billy.
 
“I’m really glad that I went,” she said,
“I feel sure some of the information I shared was new to him and I think it was
helpful, at least I hope so.”

She shared her
feeling that she’d really done all that she could to help with information
related to Dorrie and her activities. “I wish I’d been more successful in
learning what she did on Friday, but I’ve hit nothing but dead ends there.
 
Still, I know that the information I did
gather will be useful.
 
The rest is
up to the police and Tom Pickett.
 
The ball is in their court—nothing more I can do at this point.”

“Well, you’ve
helped Dorrie’s parents as well as Tom Pickett and Ken Parker,” Neal
complimented her efforts. “Guess it’s time to get on with our holiday
plans.
 
It seems that we’re no
longer being followed, and the new security system should discourage any break
in attempts.”

Lin agreed
,
sharing that she’d already made plans to get together with
Eloise to start cooking food for the upcoming party.
 
“I’ve done all my shopping, and I only
have one more school group to do later this week.
 
The kids and their families will be here
in about ten days—it’s going to be fun.
 
I can hardly wait to see them.”

“I’m looking
forward to their coming also,” Neal smiled but then turned thoughtful. “I hope
they approve of our plans.” He reached across the table and took her hand.

“Of course they
will,” Lin insisted. “I really don’t think they’ll be surprised.
 
Both Ben and Lucy have said how much
they like you, and the children enjoyed being with you last summer when they
visited.
 
I expect they’ll be
delighted to have a new grandpa—just you wait and see.”

They finished
their meals and lingered over coffee talking about plans for the coming
holidays and beyond.
 
Finally, Neal
asked for their check, “I do have to go back to the fort tomorrow and it’s
getting late.”

Lin agreed, “
You need to get to bed early, I expect.
 
What time do you have to get to the work site?”

“ Oh, about
eight, I’d guess,” Neal winked. “I do think we should retire early—but
I’m not getting sleepy, not yet anyway—how about you?”

Lin didn’t have
to say anything.
 
Her smile was
answer enough.

***

The next couple
of days passed quickly and uneventfully.
 
Neal was busy at the fort working with the archeology team. Lin spent much
of her time working with Eloise and running errands in preparation for their
upcoming holiday get together.
 
Each
day the party seemed to grow as her sociable neighbor thought of more folks to
add to the guest list.
 
By the time
Thursday evening rolled around, Lin was ready for some socializing
herself.
 
She was looking forward to
the party planned for that evening with the archeology team and the staff from
Ft. Raleigh.
 
She decided to wear
one of the new outfits she’d purchased just before Neal arrived, glad to have
another opportunity to dress up at bit.

Preparations
for the holidays had helped her to push her concerns regarding recent events
well into the background of her thoughts.
 
After all, both Ken Parker and Tom Pickett were on the case.
 
She and Neal had shared all the
information they had and things seemed to be calming down.
 
It was time to relax and enjoy the
holidays for sure.

Lin overslept
on Friday morning, not waking until almost nine.
 
Once again, Neal had already left for
the fort leaving a note stuck to the mirror.

Good
morning!
 
We were so late last night
after the party and you were sleeping so soundly that I decided to not wake
you.
 
Sparky’s been out, but you’ll
need to feed him.
 
I should be home
by six at the latest.

Don’t
forget, if you decide you don’t want to go back to Simon Gallery you can give
me a call and I’ll pick you your ring during my lunch break.

Have
a good day.
  

                       
Love
you,

                       
Neal

Smiling at his
thoughtfulness, Lin headed for the shower.
 
The steaming water helped her to wake up.
 
She usually didn’t oversleep but she’d
certainly been doing more of that recently.
 
She’d been really tired when they got
home after dinner with the archeology team and the staff from the fort.
 
It was a fun evening but everyone seemed
to linger.
 
Besides, she was already
tired after spending almost all of her time the past two days cooking with
Eloise.
 
Her only break had been
doing the presentation for the third graders yesterday.
 
After that she’d been back in Eloise’s
kitchen.
 

She dressed in
jeans and a sweatshirt and went down to feed Sparky.
 
Thankfully, Neal had left a pot of
coffee on and there were blueberry muffins waiting to be reheated.
 
She popped one in the microwave and
poured herself a large mug of dark roast.

The view from
the kitchen window revealed that a shift in the weather was eminent.
 
The skies to the west were already
overcast and a stiff breeze was kicking up whitecaps on the sound.
 
The weather forecast had promised a
stormy weekend ahead with rain beginning later today and continuing through
Sunday afternoon.
 
Increasing winds
had been part of the forecast and small craft warnings were already being
issued.
 
Lin was happy that they’d
gone to Ocracoke the previous weekend.
 
This one promised to be a good time to curl up beside a fire with a good
book.
 

She had a few
errands to run and decided to do them early before the rains came.
 
They needed a few grocery items,
especially if they were going to be more or less housebound most of the next
couple of days, and she did want to pick up her ring.
 
For a brief moment she thought about
calling Neal and asking him to do that, but she quickly changed her mind.
 
She was not going to try to avoid Mark Simon,
even if his demeanor did make her uncomfortable.
 
She’d always been independent, and she
had no plans to turn into the type of woman who always turned to the man in her
life to do things for her that she could very well handle herself.
 
Besides, it was Friday, and he might not
even be working today.

She hit the
grocery store in Nags Head first, which didn’t take long.
 
After putting her purchases away, she decided
to take Sparky for a quick walk around the neighborhood before leaving home
again.
 
If it rained all weekend,
this might be the only exercise he got for a couple of days.
 
It was a little past noon when she and
Sparky returned to the house; she made a sandwich for lunch before she left to
drive to Manteo.

As she was
leaving, Lin saw Eloise on her porch and stopped to chat for a moment.
 
“I’ve put all our things in the
freezer,” her neighbor reported. “I think everything is done now except for
making sure we have a good supply of beverages.”

“Count on us
for the wine, and I’ll make sure there are soft drinks for the children,” Lin
offered.
 
Eloise agreed to take care
of coffee and stocking her bar for the occasion.
 
“Where are you headed?” she asked,
“looks like it could start raining any minute.”

“I’m off to Manteo
to pick up my ring,” Lin replied, “it’s being sized and I was told I could pick
it up today.
 
I should be back soon,
maybe we can have tea later.”

“Sounds good,”
Eloise said as she went back inside.

The weather did
seem to be growing more threatening as Lin drove across the bridge to
Manteo.
 
The sound was so choppy
that even the pelicans seemed to be avoiding it.
 
Still, there was no rain yet, and Lin
hoped she’d be back home before things really broke.
 
She realized that Neal might be home
early if the weather interrupted the work at the fort.

Apparently the
threatening weather had not deterred Christmas shoppers, or maybe folks were
trying to get things done today rather than slog about in the rain on
Saturday.
 
In any case, Manteo was
quite crowded for a small town, and Lin had a very difficult time finding a
place to park.
 
She finally found an
empty spot at the opposite end of the waterfront area and began to walk back
toward the Simon Gallery.
 
The wind
was picking up.
 
She buttoned her
jacket and wished she’d thought to grab a hat.
 
By the time she entered the shop, her
cheeks felt almost numb.
 
I hope
next weekend will be nicer, she thought.
 
Entertaining two lively youngsters on a rainy, cold weekend was probably
not the best way to begin the holidays.

The gallery was
crowded with customers.
 
The lady
who had helped her before was busy answering questions, and there was another
younger clerk manning the register.
 
Mike Clark could be seen in the back room, packing shipping
cartons.
 
Fortunately, He didn’t
look up, and Lin carefully moved away from his line of sight.
 
She didn’t see any sign of Mark Simon.

Lin waited
until the older clerk had finished with her customers, and then she approached
her.
 
“I’m Lin Hanna, I was in
earlier this week.
 
Mr. Simon was
having a ring sized for me.
 
I was
supposed to pick it up today.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Simon
told me you might be in.
 
He wasn’t
able to come in today, I’m afraid.
 
His wife isn’t feeling well so he stayed home with her.
 
He did pick up your ring yesterday
afternoon though and suggested that, if you didn’t mind, you could come by his
home and pick it up.”

Lin was
disappointed.
 
She really missed
having the beautiful ring to wear and didn’t want to wait longer to get it, but
she wasn’t really excited about going to the Simon home either. “Oh, I wouldn’t
want to disturb them,” she began…

“Really, he
said it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
 
He lives nearby and it only takes a few minutes to run by there, let me
give you directions,” the clerk insisted.

More customers
were beginning to come in, and Lin didn’t want to take up too much of the
clerk’s time; she agreed to take the directions, still not certain whether or
not she’d actually go by the house.
 
“I’ll try to get by,” she told the clerk, “but tell Mr. Simon, if I
don’t make it, I’ll come in on Monday and pick the ring up then.”

The wind was
picking up and a light rain was beginning to fall as Lin exited the gallery and
made her way back toward her car still thinking about what to do.
 
She felt chilled, and decided to duck
into the coffee shop near the harbor to warm up while she made up her mind—
should she go back to Kate’s, or head to the Simon home to pick up her ring?

The coffee shop
was crowded, but she found a small table near the back corner and settled in
with a large steaming mug; she decided to add a festive cranberry muffin as a
special treat.
 
The warm brew and
delicious snack warmed her, and she felt more relaxed.

I don’t know
why I’m hesitating to go by and pick up my ring, she told herself.
 
After all, I really want to have it back,
and next week will be really busy.
 
She knew she had to clean the guest rooms and prepare them for the
arrival of her family, not to mention buying groceries to feed eight people.
 
She didn’t need extra errands to do.
 
Besides, it couldn’t take more than a
few minutes just to run by and pick up the package; she needed to get moving if
she wanted to get back home before the rain grew worse.
 

 
Having talked herself out of her
reluctance, she finished her coffee and made her way back to her car,
thankfully without getting too wet.
 
The showers seemed to have stopped temporarily, but the darkening skies
promised more to come.

The directions
were easy to follow, and soon she pulled up in front of a lovely home.
 
The architecture was typical coastal
with broad porches surrounding a traditional clapboard structure slightly
elevated on brick pillars.
 
As she got
out of her car, Lin saw that the house backed up to the sound.
 
A large cabin cruiser bobbed at a pier
that stretched into the water from the back yard.
 
The rain was just beginning again as she
mounted the stairs and rang the doorbell.

A thin
gray-haired woman who seemed quite nervous answered the door. She stared at Lin
with pale blue eyes and finally gave her a slight smile. “May I help you?” her
voice seemed to tremble slightly as she spoke.

“I’m Lin Hanna,
Mr. Simon has a ring of mine that has been sized.
 
The clerk at the gallery said I was to
come by here to pick it up.”

The woman
seemed not to understand what Lin was talking about.
 
She simply stood there, saying
nothing.
 
Just as Lin was about to
turn and go back to her car, Mark Simon came down the stairs into the foyer.

“Ms. Hanna, do
come in.” He hurried to the door, “Millicent, please let our guest in it’s too
cold to be standing outside.”
 
Millicent retreated from the foyer and disappeared into one of the rooms
beyond.

“I’m so sorry
you were kept waiting,” Simon had reverted to the overly gracious manner that
Lin found so annoying.
 
“Millicent
hasn’t been feeling well today.
 
I’ve told her to let me answer the door, but I was upstairs in my office
working, and I guess she just wanted to be helpful.
 
She’s easily confused, and her
medication contributes to that it seems.
 
Please do come in.
 
Will you
have some tea? It’s such a raw day.”
 
Mark Simon was certainly trying to be charming, but all Lin wanted was
to get her ring and get home.

“Thank you, but
I really must be getting home soon,” Lin insisted as Simon directed her into
the room Millicent had entered earlier, “this weather is only going to get
worse and…”

“I do
understand,” Mark Simon’s words seemed to ooze from his mouth, “Your lovely
ring is upstairs in my office.
 
Please relax for a moment and I’ll run up and get it for you.
 
I left a customer on hold when I heard
you come in; I’ll need to finish that call, but it will only take a minute.
 
I’ll be back shortly.” He excused
himself and went back upstairs.

Lin glanced
around the lovely room.
 
It was a
casual, informal area with beautiful but comfortable furnishings and a large
stone fireplace in which a crackling wood fire burned.
 
Still feeling a bit
chilled,
Lin made her way toward the fireplace to warm her hands.
 
One wall of the room was mostly
glass.
 
It faced the sound, but opened
into what appeared to be a sort of green house, a glass enclosure filled with
various plants and some shelving which held various garden tools and other
assorted items.
 
Millicent Simon
stood in this area, puttering with some potted plants.
 
She didn’t seem to be aware that Lin had
come into the room.

Lin turned back
toward the fireplace hoping that Simon would be back down shortly.
 
She wasn’t aware of another presence
until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
 
She jumped back, startled.
 
Millicent stood there, a distant look in her eyes and a slight smile on
her face.
 

Finally, she
spoke, “I didn’t mean to scare you.
 
Come with me and I’ll show you my plants.
 
If it weren’t raining we could go out in
my garden, but you can see it from the greenhouse anyway.”
 
Although her words were cordial, even
friendly, her voice still trembled, and it seemed as if she were straining at
every word.

Lin felt
sympathy for the woman, wondering what her condition was exactly.
 
She even felt a bit ashamed at her own
reaction.
 
Millicent’s manner might
make her feel uncomfortable, but the woman was trying to be polite.
 
Lin smiled and followed her into the
greenhouse.