Whisper Cape (4 page)

Darcy was gregarious and candid and Addie found her amusing and fun. She was also very attractive and had a great following of the opposite sex. Her dark hair, short and straight, spiked out at one side in a stylish manner fitting her slender face and making her huge blue eyes seem even larger. Darcy was the one Addie trusted most to confide in about any of her problems, but this time she felt it best to keep the bizarre event to herself.

“Well, whoever he was, I’m sure he’s glad you didn’t hit him.”

“Yeah, me too,” Addie mumbled, relieved when Darcy hadn’t noticed the slip about the guy leaving before she could check on him. Her stomach was still in knots as she replayed the event in her mind and considered the possibility that the whole experience was a remnant of her nightmares. People didn’t just disappear. Did they?

Chapter 3

The bar and grill filled up quickly with hungry and thirsty tourists, just as Gerry had predicted. The place was packed, but it didn't bother Addie. She was grateful for the busy day. It kept her mind off the horror of the morning and allowed Gerry no time to give her any more grief about being late.

By the time the lunch crowd dwindled down to just one customer, Addie was exhausted. She sat at the counter, Darcy beside her with two steaming bowls of clam chowder and hot buttered rolls.

Addie scooted her stool closer to the counter. Drawing in the delicious aroma, she eyed her friend appreciatively and settled in to enjoy the soup. “Mmmm, looks good, thanks. I didn’t realize I was hungry until now.”

“You’re welcome.  Now, eat before you pass out.  Jared spiced this up just the way you like it.”

“Hmmm … I don’t know what I’d do without you to look after me.”

“You’d probably starve to death.” Darcy smiled as she scooped up a spoonful of the creamy, hot soup.

“Yeah, you’re right.” There was more truth there than Addie cared to admit. She often went without eating simply because the thought just never occurred to her. She was thin by any standard, but never to the point of worry.

“Hey, I almost forgot. You missed it,” Darcy said.

Addie sunk her teeth into the soft buttery roll. “Mmmm … butter,” she said with a blissful grin. “Missed what?”

“With all the commotion about your near accident, I didn’t tell you about the new police lieutenant Chief Thompson hired.”

“Oh?” Addie stiffened at the mention of the Chief of Police.

“Yeah—he came in here this morning with the chief and ooooh, he’s tall and muscular, has dark hair, and gorgeous brown eyes.” Darcy sighed at the memory.

Addie relaxed and smiled. Darcy’s many infatuations dominated most conversations. “Hmmm, he sounds yummy. How old do you think he is?”

“Dunno. Maybe early thirties. Just so there’s no mistake, I’ve got dibs.”

Addie laughed. “Not fair, you get all the good men.”

“I do not. Well ... maybe. Anyway, his name is Duane—Lieutenant Duane Whelan.”

“You’ve got that look in your eyes again.”

“What look?”

“You know, the one that says, ‘I wonder what he’s like in bed.’”

Darcy laughed. “Well, at least I’m healthy.  When’s the last time you thought about a guy?”

“I don’t know.” Not since her nightmares, she thought. She wasn’t sure she could trust a man enough to let him know about them, especially here in this small town. None of the guys she'd met attracted her anyway, and the ones who were just visiting, passing through, didn't appeal to her because Addie didn't want a meaningless fling. If the right man were to come along she might be tempted, but she couldn’t allow herself that luxury just yet, not until she found out what happened to her father. Maybe the nightmares would stop after that.

“Yeah, now that’s unhealthy,” Darcy said.

“Please, let’s not go there.”

Gerry returned from the kitchen and started counting out the cash drawer. “Addie, when you’re finished eating would you mind cleaning the mirror for me? I splattered a wee bit of cream all over it earlier and I need to get this money in the bank.”

“No problem.” Gerry liked a clean and sparkly bar, always bragging about how far it had come since he’d purchased it a little over a year ago from an elderly couple who’d had trouble maintaining it. Gerry renovated the old run-down building and expanded the eating area to seat more customers. Adding a deck for an outside eating area overlooking the ocean, he turned the restaurant into a great local hangout as well as a popular tourist attraction.

“So why were the chief and his new lieutenant here this morning anyway?” Addie asked.

“Oh, shit, you didn’t hear. They found a dead woman this morning on the outer edge of the old Tully farm. Her body was so mangled they couldn’t even identify her. Scary, huh?”

Addie nodded and thought of her father's death. “Yes, scary. Did they say what killed her?”

“They’re not sure but they think it could have been a mountain lion or some other animal, but they won’t know anything until after the autopsy.”

“A mountain lion?” Addie thought about that, then remembered the mysterious man, and wondered if he’d had anything to do with it.

“Maybe we shouldn’t go to the beach tomorrow night,” Addie said.

“We’ll be okay. Besides, mountain lions don’t like fire and they won’t come near the water.”

“What if it wasn’t a mountain lion?”

“Not to worry, we’ll have men to protect us and keep us warm.”

Addie frowned.

Darcy smiled, scooped up another spoonful of soup, and motioned to the door leading outside. “Hey, speaking of warm, I can’t wait until those heaters for the deck arrive. Any word on when they’ll get here?”

“Gerry said sometime this week, if we’re lucky.” Addie, grateful for the change in subject, added, “Let’s eat out there as soon as they come, okay?”

They looked forward to using the new deck; it extended off the dining room and curved around the back, overlooking the best location around for whale watching. Gerry had installed a barrier of Plexiglas standing eight feet high that surrounded the entire deck, protecting the area against the strong coastal winds, but heaters were definitely a necessity.

“Absolutely. So, what are you planning to wear tomorrow night? You can borrow my new pink blouse if you’d like. Do you want me to help you with your makeup?” Darcy smirked as she reached over and started to fuss with Addie’s hair, pulling it up in back to see what she might be able to do with it.

Addie swatted Darcy’s hand away. “Cut it out! There’s no way in hell you’re touching my face or my hair, and what is this incessant desire of yours to always want to dress me?”

“I just think you should explore some colors other than black all the time. The Goth look is okay for awhile, but don’t you think it’s time for a change?”

“The Goth look?” Addie asked with a half-laugh.

“Yeah, you know, all dark and spooky.” Darcy wiggled her fingers in the air trying to look scary.

“Thanks,” Addie choked out, suddenly self-conscience about her appearance.

“Oh, come on, Addie, you know what I mean. You know you’re really pretty, I just think you could look a bit sexier if you wore something other than black T-shirts and black pants all the time. You’ll never get a boyfriend if you don’t make any effort.”

“Well, you know I dress this way for work. The last thing I want is to look sexy here and have every man pawing me and lusting after me.”

“Yeah, we should all be so lucky.”

Gerry walked up behind Addie and leaned in close. “I’ll protect you, sweetheart.”

“What are you doing listening in on our conversation?” Darcy asked.

He laughed. “Sorry, couldn’t help it. It’s quiet in here at the moment.”

Both women shook their heads in exasperation.

Gerry winked. “It’s true enough, though, even if you were to use more makeup and dress differently, it wouldn’t change you in the slightest. You’d still be sexy-beautiful.”

“I guess you’re cursed,” Darcy added.

Addie pursed her lips. She knew her body had its share of ample curves, she just wasn’t keen on the idea of showing them off the way Darcy did, and she certainly wasn’t convinced that wearing a sexy blouse was a good idea even if Gerry were there to help ward off any male prowlers. Of course, she didn’t really need his protection; she was very capable of defending herself, but still, having a man in her life right now might complicate things. The nightmares had something to do with the way her dad died and Addie considered them a presage of her own future. The last thing she needed was a man telling her she was crazy and should get over it—as the cops had implied after her dad’s death. Her Aunt Maia agreed with her, but after the police closed the case, Maia told Addie she needed to move on. She said there wasn’t anything they could do about it, and suggested they move back to Whisper Cape, where she was born, and start a new life.

Addie picked up her bowl, paused, and, not wanting to go anywhere close to the kitchen where Jared was, gave Darcy a pathetic look.

“Someday ...” Darcy mumbled, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as she grabbed Addie’s empty bowl along with her own and headed toward the kitchen.

Addie strolled around to the other side of the bar and wiped up the place where they'd had their lunch. She liked the way the bar had a relaxed come-sit-for-a-spell feel. As she moved on to wipe the cream spots off the mirror she couldn't help but admire the way it gave the illusion that the bar and dining area were twice as large. At certain times of the day, like now, with the sun glimmering in, it created an illusion of tiny sparkling lights emanating from the bottles lined up in front of it.

Addie continued to speculate over the possibility of whether or not she might have actually killed a man today, which would make her a murderer. Why hadn’t she tried harder to see if he was okay? She reached beside the cash register for the remote to the television to check the news when her blood ran hot again and a jolt of tiny sparks surged from her fingertips.

“Ouch,” she cried in a low whisper, jumping back from the remote. “Damn static electricity,” she grumbled and rubbed her hand on her thigh as the television blasted on. She stared at the undisturbed remote control.

“How did that happen? I didn’t even touch the remote,” she mumbled to herself in a low voice. Her gaze moved from the television to the remote and back again. She looked around to see if anyone else could have used the other remote, but Gerry already left for the bank and Darcy was on the other side of the room singing a song as she cleared away some dirty glasses.

“Hey Darcy, have you experienced any static electricity today?” she asked, trying to control the tremor in her voice.

“Static electricity?” Darcy repeated, giving Addie a puzzled look. “No. Why?”

“I don’t know. I just got shocked and was wondering.”

Darcy returned to her song and clearing the table. Addie grabbed the remote and surfed the channels for some news. If she had killed him, surely they would mention it, but the only thing on the news was the story of the woman they’d found that morning, mauled to death. They discovered her on the outskirts of an old farm, her face and body mangled, her clothes in shreds. Addie shuddered but continued to watch the news for about half an hour and was relieved not to hear any mention of a hit-and-run anywhere.

She looked over as Gerry entered through the back door, returning from his bank errand. Darcy and Jared were in the kitchen, chattering to each other about something Addie didn’t care to know about. She glanced out the window, saw the sun shining, and remembered the camera she’d brought with her, thinking it would be a good idea to take advantage of the afternoon light and get some pictures of the coastline.

“I’m going out for a while,” Addie said to Gerry as she removed her apron, laying it beside the register. She grabbed her jacket and ran toward the door.

“Okay, but be sure you’re back by four o’clock. I need your help with the liquor inventory for tonight, and don’t go wandering off by yourself near any farms!”

“No problem,” Addie shouted back and glanced at her watch. She had an hour, which gave her plenty of time to get some good pictures.

Addie drove about a mile, then pulled over at what looked like a great spot providing several different views of the coast. Leaving the clunky tripod behind, she grabbed her camera and headed for the trail to the cliffs. Gazing around at the high shrubs, she realized it wasn’t a well-traveled path and an uneasy tightness inched up her spine as she thought about the dead woman. Nearing the edge of the cliff, Addie spotted a small building. An old tool shed, she figured, with a small group of sightseers milling around on the other side of it.

Popular place, she mused and trekked on with a sudden surge of courage. Her spirits brightened as the sun warmed her skin but she thought she’d better hurry and get some decent pictures before it disappeared behind the clouds she spotted rolling in.

Addie strolled toward the shed, thinking it might make a good picture with the cliff in the background.

She froze when she saw the black leather coat.

He stood at the corner of the entrance to the shed, reading something resembling a map. The sun glared in her eyes, and she squinted, trying to make out his face. She was sure he was the same man. She'd recognize that coat anywhere and the black hair he kept tucking behind his ears as the wind blew it around his face. A great sense of relief came over her as she realized he was alive. Excited, she headed in his direction to apologize for almost hitting him, and ask where he’d disappeared to so quickly. As she approached, his gaze met hers and he scowled. She strode toward him, and as she neared, he turned and walked around to the other side of the shed.

She struggled with the decision to turn and go in the other direction or continue walking toward him. Curiosity got the better of her so she continued to the shed.

The sun filtered through what was left of the roof and the holes in the faded green walls made it easy to see through to the other side. As she rounded the corner, he looked up and his frown deepened. She wasn’t sure if she should be frightened or angry. She was certain he recognized her, but as she started to speak, he brushed past her in a blur and disappeared into the thicket a few feet away.