Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery (37 page)

Finally, Pete
Midgett approached the spot where Neal and Lin waited.
 
He appeared dejected, almost defeated.

“ We couldn’t
stop him,” he reported. “We tried, but he shot the lock off the door.
 
The park stays open, but the lighthouse
is closed after November.
 
He shot
his way in and ran upstairs.” He continued in almost a monotone, his voice
tired and discouraged, “One of my men followed him up but he jumped before he
got there—killed himself.”

“He was a very
disturbed man,” Neal sought to comfort the officer. “You did your best, but
this whole thing was destined to end badly.”

Pete Midgett
turned and looked at the two of them, “Yes, but now we’ll never get any more
answers.
 
So much has happened and
we’ll never…”

Neal
interrupted, “I think I may have some of the answers.
 
Simon talked to me for a long time.
 
Hell, I tried to keep him talking as
much as possible.
 
He had a gun
poked in my ribs most of the time, when it wasn’t at my throat.
 
Keeping him talking was my best
defense—what took you so long anyway?
 
I’d about decided no one was coming.”

“ Sorry,”
Midgett said sheepishly, “I had to secure all that stuff from the safety
deposit box in the vault at the courthouse before I could go back to the
office.
 
I left as soon as I got
your message and called Dave over in Currituck on my way.
 
What did Simon tell you?”

“It’s a long
story,” Neal responded. “Could we get out of the cold somewhere so I can tell
it in comfort?
 
By the way, one of
the staff members is still holed up at the Whalehead Club.
 
I told him to stay there until someone
came to tell him it was safe to leave.”

“Tell you
what,” Midgett sighed, “You go tell him its OK.
 
I’ll meet you back at Kate’s house and
we can take your statement there.
 
A
pot of coffee wouldn’t hurt either.”

***

It was after
midnight when the Sheriff finally left.
 
Lin began to clean up the kitchen removing the dishes left from the
coffee and sandwiches she’d prepare for the three of them.
 
She felt as if she were moving in slow
motion, not really fully comprehending the implications of what had happened
earlier, grateful that Neal was safe—that she was safe, for that matter.
 

“What’s going
to happen to poor Millicent Simon?” she wondered aloud.

“I’m not sure,”
Neal responded. “ She’s obviously ill, probably not competent to stand trial
for her actions, whatever they were.
 
From what Mark told me, assuming he was telling the truth, she was
probably responsible for Dorrie’s death and for her being drugged, but exactly
how that happened, we may never know.”

Lin put down
the dishtowel she was holding and put her arms around Neal. “I’m just happy to
have you safe here with me,” she murmured. “I think Simon’s confession to you
helped resolve a lot of things for the Sheriff.
 
We know what Mike Clark did, at least
what he did to me, to us really.
 
This information could also help Billy Thornton’s case, but he’s still
guilty of beating up Connie, it seems to me.”

“Yes, but at
least there’s now some doubt as to whether he struck the fatal blows.
 
I think Mike Clark may have taken the
opportunity to finish her off, get her out of his boss’s hair and leave Billy
to take the blame.”

“Billy’s got a
good lawyer,” Lin responded, “we know that much.”

“Leave all
these dishes for the morning,” Neal said as he headed for the stairs. “I’m
exhausted and you must be too.
 
I’m
ready for a good night’s sleep.”

“Uh-oh,” Lin
just remembered, “We never called the Holiday Inn to cancel our room there for tonight.
 
We’re going to pay for this night
anyway.”

“ A small price
for being able to rest without worry, wherever we happen to be,” Neal smiled.

December 18, 2011

Lin awoke to
the sound of children’s laughter drifting upstairs from the kitchen.
 
She reached out only to discover that
Neal wasn’t beside her.
 
How late
was it anyway? The sound of water running in the master bath let her know that
Neal was in the shower.
 
It was
almost nine o’clock.
 
She got up and
headed for the bathroom, “Room for one more in there?” she asked, dropping her
gown around her ankles.

“The more the
merrier,” Neal called, “I wondered when you were going to wake up.”
 
He opened the shower door and pulled her
inside, drawing her close as the warm spray doused her body.

“Guess we were
both just plain tired,” she smiled. “You’ve not been up all that long
yourself.”

“True, that,”
he responded, “and I think this is going to be a longer than usual
shower—hope there’s plenty of hot water.”
 
He gently pushed her down on the tile
bench that served as a shower seat. “I think this may take awhile.”

Afterward, as
Lin dried her hair, she heard a gentle knock on the bedroom door.
 
Neal had already dressed and gone
downstairs.
 
“It’s me, Lucy, can I
come in?”

Lin opened the
door for her daughter and gave her a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.
 
It’s been too long since we’ve all been
together for a holiday. Sorry, I overslept this morning.
 
Everyone must be starving by now.”

Lucy rolled her
eyes and grinned, “Judging by how long I heard the shower running up here, I’d
say sleeping in wasn’t all that was happening.
 
Besides, Neal had a certain ‘bounce’ in
his step when he came down that revealed a lot.”

Lin felt
herself blushing, but she hoped Lucy didn’t notice.
 
She decided to change the subject back
to food. “Have you guys eaten yet?
 
We could all go out for a late breakfast if you’d like.”

“We’d
definitely like,” Lucy smiled at Lin’s avoidance. “The grown-ups have had
coffee and the kids had some juice, but that’s all.
 
Actually, we haven’t been up too long
ourselves,” she admitted. “Yesterday, was a long day and we all were up too
late last night.
 
The kids stayed awake
talking ‘til all hours, it seemed.
 
They love ‘camping out’ on that porch.
 
That was a great idea.”

“I thought
they’d find that fun, and it gives ALL the adults some privacy,” Lin couldn’t
resist the gibe.
 
She noticed that
Lucy had no quick response for that one.

“Well, I was
actually sent up here by the others to tell you that we’d already decided to go
out for breakfast so hurry up and get ready.”

Lin finished
her hair and dressed quickly in jeans and a warm sweater.
 
She still hadn’t had time to shop for a
new coat.
 
After all the events of
Monday, the rest of her week had been devoted to getting the house readied for
guests, shopping for groceries for eight, and helping Eloise to put the
finishing touches on the preparations for the Christmas Party to be held later
today.
 
What had started as a simple
gathering of three families had expanded to include all the
neighbors.
Lin had also issued invitations to Pete Midgett and Ken Parker.
 
Both men had indicated that they would
come and would bring their families.
 
It promised to be quite a party.
 
Lin looked forward to having the opportunity to thank the law
enforcement officers for all that they had done.
 
It was hard to believe that about a week
ago she’d been in fear for her life, and Neal had faced the same thing in his
encounter with Mark Simon.
 
All that
seemed far away now, replaced by much happier times.
 

Just as Lin was
about to head downstairs her phone rang.
 
The caller ID indicated that Sue Gray was calling from Denver.
 
They’d become good friends last spring
when both were volunteering in parks near Flagstaff.
 
Recently they’d talked about doing
another volunteer assignment together, and Sue was supposedly checking on some
opportunities.

“Hello there
and happy holidays,” Lin greeted her friend.

“Sorry to be
calling so early on a Sunday morning, but I’m leaving shortly for my annual
Christmas trip to see family and wanted to touch base with you before I left.”

“Don’t
apologize,” Lin said. “It’s already after nine here we’re all up.”

“That’s right,
you’re two hours ahead of me.
 
I
really don’t have time for a lengthy conversation this morning, but I am
sending you an email about several places we might both be able to volunteer
next spring and summer.
 
I really
think it would be great to do that together.”

“Me too,” Lin
responded. “I’d really like that and I know we’d have fun.”

“Well, when you
get the email look it over and let me know what you think.
 
Maybe we can talk again after Christmas
and make a decision.
 
I think we
should apply in January, at the latest.”

“Will do,” Lin
replied. “I’ll call you before New Years.”

“I’ll look
forward to hearing all about what you and your fella Neal have been up to.
 
He is visiting isn’t he?”

“Indeed he is,”
Lin was smiling, “There’s a lot to tell, in more ways than one, but you
probably don’t have time to hear all that right now, and everyone here is
waiting for me downstairs.
 
We’re
heading out for breakfast.”

“Then don’t
forget to call back,” Lin could almost hear the grin in Sue’s voice, “I think I
can guess your news, but I’ll want all the details, of course.”

If only you
knew, Lin thought as she ended the call.
 
There was a lot more to tell than Sue realized.

Lin hurried
downstairs where the others were busy deciding who was driving and who was
going to ride with whom.
 
Sam and
Emma insisted they wanted to ride in Kate’s Jeep, and Sparky needed to go to
breakfast with them.
 

“Sorry guys, no
dogs allowed inside the restaurant, and it’s too chilly this morning to eat
outside,” Lin nixed that idea.
 

Neal stepped in
to explain that he’d already fed Sparky, and that they could take him to walk
when they returned.
 
That drew quick
approval from both kids, especially when he added that the two of them could
indeed ride with Lin and him and they could take the Jeep.

“Thanks,
Grandpa Neal,” Sam exclaimed as he piled into the back seat beside his cousin.

Lin rolled her
eyes, “That’s fast work, Grandpa Neal already, huh.”

“It just seemed
natural,” Neal gave her hand a squeeze. “They asked what they should call me
so…”

“It’s a great
idea,” Lin smiled, “I totally approve.
 
You’re going to be a wonderful grandfather.”
 

***

By four o’clock
they were heading over to Eloise’s.
 
Lin couldn’t help but feel proud of her family.
 
This was a casual party, but everyone
looked great. Adults and kids alike were wearing casual slacks, but they all
had shirts and sweaters in Christmas colors of red and green.
 
She made a mental note to have someone
at the party take a group picture.
 
Our first family portrait, with Neal, she thought.

It was a great
party.
 
Eloise introduced Lin and
Neal to some of Kate’s neighbors they’d not yet met.
 
Sam and Emma were soon busy playing with
her great-grandkids and Tom’s while the adults visited and warmed
themselves
before the fireplace drinking hot mulled
wine.
 

Ken Parker and
his wife had arrived, but Pete Midgett wasn’t there as yet.
 
Lin brought mugs of the hot wine to the
Parkers and invited them to join Neal and her on the broad glassed-in
porch.
 
It seemed strange to see Ken
out of uniform, but he hadn’t entirely forgotten about his job.

“I thought
you’d like to know what was happening with Mike Clark, Billy Thornton too, for
that matter,” he offered.

“Indeed, we
would like that,” Lin was glad Ken had brought up the subject because she’d
been dying to know the status of these cases.

“Well, when Mike
Clark learned that Simon was dead, he got really scared.
 
Thought he was going to be the only one
held responsible for your kidnapping, not to mention other stuff.
 
He was really quick to start talking
then and grateful when he learned what Simon had told Neal about all his
doings. Clark even confessed that he was the one who struck the final, fatal
blow to Connie Frazier, but he claims that Simon had already asked him to “take
care of her.”
 
As we suspected, he
saw Billy’s assault on her as an opportunity to finish business and make it
look as if Thornton was the guilty party.
 
The court may treat him more leniently since he confessed and since he
was working for Simon, but he’s still facing a lengthy prison term.

“What about
Billy?” Lin asked.

“At this point,
it looks like the only real case against him is one for aggravated assault on
Connie.
 
Mark’s confession backs up
his story that he grabbed the wood but dropped it when he realized what he was
doing.
 
He didn’t deliver the fatal
blow.
 
Still, aggravated assault is
bad enough—he still has a long road ahead.”

Parker’s story
had put a bit of a damper on their holiday spirit.
 
They sat quietly for a few moments
contemplating all he had told them.

Finally, a
small head of tousled brown hair ducked through the door. “You guys are wanted
inside,” Sam announced. “I’ve been sent to get you.
 
That Sheriff who’s supposed to be little
is here, but he’s not little at all!”
 
For a moment Lin didn’t follow what Sam was saying then she heard Neal
laughing, “Oh, you must mean Sheriff Midgett.
 
That’s his name, Sam, not a description.”

They all
enjoyed a good chuckle as they headed back into the den. Pete Midgett had
gathered everyone present into a wide circle.
 
He directed Lin and Neal toward the
center.

“It’s my
understanding that this party was planned not only to kick off our holiday
celebrations but also to make a very special announcement.
 
Apparently, a couple of weeks ago, my
friend Neal Smith asked this lady a very important question and she said
yes.
 
Congratulations are in order
for Lin and Neal on their engagement.”
 
There were cheers and applause all around.
 

“Now, there’s
only one problem,” Midgett continued, trying to maintain a serious demeanor.
“Generally, there’s a ring involved on an occasion such as this, and I know
that Neal had, indeed, made such arrangements, but there was a problem.
 
The ring has been lost, and you know how
complicated things can get with insurance settlements and the like,” the
Sheriff was clearly enjoying being the center of attention, “So, I am
especially proud to say that this problem has now been solved.”

He reached into
his pocket and withdrew a small black velvet box, handing it to Neal with great
ceremony.
 
Nestled inside was the
ring. Grinning from ear to ear, Neal removed it from the box and placed it on
Lin’s finger.
 
Cheers of approval
ensued, followed by a round of toasts and best wishes.
 
Lin found herself fighting back tears,
but these were clearly tears of joy.

When the hubbub
subsided, she made her way over to the Sheriff who was still holding forth as
the hero of the moment. “Where did you find it? We thought maybe it was gone
for good,” she asked.

“I suppose it
might’ve been,” Midgett responded. “I got it when I went to the private
hospital in Raleigh where Millicent Simon is receiving treatment.
 
It seems that Mark had left it there as
security until he could arrange to pay for her care.”

“Really,” Lin
was amazed, “then why did they give it to you?”

“Well, since
Mark won’t be standing trial, there is no need for us to retain any material
evidence in his case; the jewelry he had in his safe deposit box is now part of
his estate.
 
It now belongs to
Millicent, so she is taken care of.
 
Apparently, Simon was honest about one thing; he was free of debt.
 
By the way, his banker has been charged
with aiding and abetting.
 
He was
helping him all along.”

“I seriously
doubt if Millicent will ever be able to face charges.
 
She’s almost completely delusional now,
according to her doctors, anyway.”

“I have just
one more question,” Lin said, “ Was all of the jewelry given back to the Simon
estate? What about…”
 

Pete Midgett
spoke before she could finish, “All except that one set—the pendant,
earrings, and ring that were in the bag at the bottom of the box.
 
I showed them to Billy Thornton, and he
identified them as the same ones Liz Frazier showed him ten years ago.
 
Said they were unique, and he was
certain these were the same.
 
That
means they didn’t belong to Simon; they weren’t among the items returned.
 
Strange, he was so proud of the way he
conducted his business, but it all started with jewelry that was stolen. We
haven’t had any luck trying to track down any possible family members—no
one is actually sure exactly where Liz found the jewelry—probably the
wreck of the Sandrift, but who knows, really.
 
Under the laws of salvage the jewelry
belonged to Liz.
 
I took it to her
mother yesterday.
 
It’s really all
that Liz had left.”