A Timely Vision

“A little too chummy,” Shayla said, giving me an evil look. “Where are you two going?”

“Dinner at the Blue Whale,” Kevin explained. “You’re both welcome to join us. I make a very good lasagna. My grandmother on my mother’s side was from Italy. She taught me how to cook when I was a little kid. There’s plenty for everyone.”

Shayla muttered something under her breath about Kevin being too full of himself to think there was enough of him to go around. Trudy giggled again. Both women agreed they wanted lasagna for supper in the worst way.

“I have to check my messages,” I told them. “Then I can go.”

“We’ll meet you there,” Shayla said. “You can find the way without us, right?”

“Sure.” I wondered what she was up to. Didn’t she and Tim have something going on now? She acted like she was still interested in Kevin and I was getting in her way.

“We’ll wait.” Kevin smiled. “Maybe the rain will ease up.”

“Shayla has the coolest idea,” Trudy told us. “She wants to do a séance for Miss Elizabeth and maybe Wild Johnny too. The Blue Whale would be the perfect place for it. It’s kind of spooky anyway.”

We all looked at Kevin to see what he thought. He shrugged. “Why not? Although I’m not crazy about people thinking the Blue Whale is spooky. It might hurt business once I’m open.”

Shayla linked her arm through his as we walked into town hall. “Whatever! You don’t understand the tourist climate down here, sweetie. If people thought your place was haunted, you’d have a crowd there every night waiting for a place to eat and stay. People love ghosts.”

I said hello to Nancy, who was still at her desk, and then heard someone clear his throat. At the sound, Shayla moved away from Kevin. “Tim! I didn’t know you’d be here,” she simpered. “I was just thinking about you, honey.”

Tim nodded to me. “Dae. Could I have a word with you? Official police business.”

“Sure. Come in my office.” I glanced at the four people left in the lobby. “We’ll just be a minute.”

Once the door closed behind us, Tim said, “The chief wanted me to remind you about the ribbon cutting tomorrow at the new restaurant across the street. It’s at ten thirty.”

“I know. I have it on my calendar. You brought me in here to remind me about the ribbon cutting?”

He looked down at the floor. “They talked to Miss Mildred today. I heard her crying from out in the hall. She’s losing it, Dae. They’re going to put her away. I don’t think there’s anything any of us can do.”

I put my hand on his arm. “I guess we’ll do the best we can. Thanks for telling me.”

We went back into the lobby where Shayla had convinced Nancy to join us for what had become lasagna and a séance at the Blue Whale. Nancy handed me my messages as she put on her bright yellow rain gear. It didn’t take much to convince Tim that he should come along. Within moments, we were back out in the rain and headed for the Blue Whale.

After the short, wet walk to the ocean side of Duck, we all worked together in the big hotel kitchen. Kevin put Tim and me in front of a table-sized wooden chopping block with instructions to cut vegetables. Nancy and Trudy grated fresh cheese while Kevin and Shayla made the sauce. The sauce making seemed to be more fun than the jobs the rest of us were doing. Shayla kept laughing and saying, “Oh, Kevin! You’re crazy!”

“I hope he remembers that Shayla is my girlfriend,” Tim growled as he chopped carrots.

“If she remembers, you won’t have any problem,” I advised him.

Kevin uncorked a couple of bottles of muscadine wine and told us all about the Mother Vine in Manteo that he visited when he first came to the Outer Banks. “Did you know it’s been there for four hundred years?”

“We’ve lived here all our lives,” Tim told him. “I think we know about the Mother Vine.”

“I haven’t lived here all my life,” Shayla said. “Tell me about the Mother Vine.”

Kevin turned on some late-eighties rock music and poured us all some of the sweet red wine. He talked about the early settlers and growing grapes as though he’d memorized the information from a tour. Nancy and Trudy giggled as they grated. Tim kept setting up pieces of Boston bibb lettuce and chopping them into shreds.

The lasagna noodles were finally in the pan with the appropriate sauce, cheese and vegetables. The kitchen smelled like garlic and herbs. I looked around the room, which was almost as big as the whole downstairs of my house. I could see where Kevin had done renovations to the walls and added a new stove and dishwasher. The room seemed ready for customers, if the Blue Whale ever opened. No telling how long it might be before the SBI was done looking at it. Gramps and I probably added to that by turning over the music box.

“It will be an hour until that’s done,” Kevin said. “What about this séance thing while we’re waiting?”

“I think we could manage that.” Shayla smiled up at him. She handed him her empty wineglass. “I could use a refill. Being a medium is thirsty work.”

Kevin obliged and topped off our glasses too. “This way to the dining room.”