TURTLE DOVE (Alton Rhode Mysteries Book 7) (5 page)

CHAPTER 6 - ANNA

The luncheon reception was more than half over when there was a discernible buzz from the crowd and I spotted Alexandra Nidus wheeling an elderly woman into the room through a side door.

“There she is,” a woman at the next table said excitedly, and there was a smattering of applause.

The woman in the wheelchair waved an arm. The gesture reminded me of videos of Queen Elizabeth acknowledging the crowd from her Rolls-Royce as she entered the grounds of Buckingham Palace in London. Nidus moved the woman to a spot next to a small podium on the dais. Then she took the microphone at the podium and said, “Miss Harper is not feeling well, but would like to say a few words. Then, I’m afraid we’ll have to get her home so that she can rest.”

She handed the microphone to the older woman.

“Ah would like to thank y’all all for comin’,” she said, in a Southern drawl. She looked at Nidus, who looked stunned. “And ah’m sorry ah can’t stay longer. Ah hope y’all have enjoyed your lunch.”

With that, she handed the mike back to Alexandra Nidus, who promptly wheeled her out of the room.

A man at my table said, “What the hell? That’s all we get for a hundred bucks?”

I looked at Alice.

“Well, at least we did not have to pay for the tickets,” she said. “I heard she was very private, but this is disappointing.”

There were sounds of grumbling from other tables.

“Follow me,” I said, “and bring the books.”

We got up and headed toward the door where the two women had exited. I spotted my “niece” on the way. She, too, looked disappointed. I told her to come with us.

I ran ahead and caught up to them in the parking lot. The wheelchair was folded and stowed in the back of a large golf cart, which was just pulling away, with the man named Leonard driving. Alexandra seemed to be arguing with Harper. I thought I heard her say “fucking accent”.

“Lenny!” I shouted. “Wait up!”

The cart stopped. I walked over and he looked at me, confused.

“What do you want?”

“You must have been a getaway driver in a previous life, Len. That was one of the fastest exits I’ve ever seen.”

“We’re in a hurry, chum. Miss Harper is tired.”

I ignored him and smiled at Sandy Nidus.

“I never got a chance to thank you for all you did for us,” I said, “especially allowing my niece to attend. Both she and Alice are big fans of Miss Harper.”

“I was happy to help,” she said, “but we must get Miss Harper home.”

Alice and the girl came up behind me. 

“Godfrey told us there would be no problem with them having a chat with her, and maybe getting their books signed.”

Alice kicked me in the back of my ankle. She hates it when I make stuff up. I’ve told her there is a whole chapter on how to lie in the private eye manual.

“Perhaps we could follow you and speak to her at her house,” I said, “where she might be more comfortable.”

“She don’t sign books, chum,” Leonard said.

I ignored him again and upped the wattage of my smile to Nidus. Not too high, though. I didn’t want her to start disrobing in public.

“Gee, that’s not what good old Godfrey told us.”

I wondered if I was going to get Barry Lewinsohn in trouble. But he was a Wall Street guy. He was no stranger to lies. Besides, Laurene would back me on anything.

The Benedetto name was still golden, because Sandy said, “Of course, Miss Harper will sign your books. And here is just fine. Isn’t that right, Ashleigh?”

I looked at Harper, who on closer inspection looked a lot better than she had at a distance. Her skin tone, even under what I thought was too much makeup, was good. She had sharp, even cunning, hazel eyes.

“Ah’d be delighted, honey,” she said. “Ah love meetin’ my fans.”

Alexandra Nidus visibly swallowed.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Leonard said.

“That’s enough, Mr. Vole,” Nidus said sharply.

Alice and my “niece” handed Harper their copies. She asked their names, and that’s how I found out the girl’s was Anna. Harper signed Alice’s book first and I saw her scratch something out. Then she signed Anna’s. She looked at me and held out her hand. It took me a moment to realize that she expected me to want her to sign my copy. I handed it to her and told her my first name. When she handed the book back I noticed that she had misspelled “Alton” as “Altin”. I did not care enough to correct her and just thanked her.

“I know you must be tired, Miss Harper,” Anna said, “but I would love to interview you for the paper I am doing at college. Can I come back and see you?”

Before the older woman could reply, Nidus said, “Miss Harper no longer gives interviews, dear. But here is my card. You can email me with any questions you have and I’m sure we can work something out. Now, we must get going. I’m sure you understand.”

I knew I had pressed our luck about as far as I could, so we said our goodbyes, and they drove away. I took Alice’s copy and looked at what Harper had written. It was a boilerplate “To Alice, From Ashleigh Harper” signing, marred only by the scratching out of a couple of letters before “Ashleigh”. The scratched-out letters were hard to read, but they looked like “Bes”.

“I wonder what she started to write,” I said when I gave the book back to Alice.

“Probably ‘Best Wishes’ or something like that. It doesn’t matter. It’s a nice keepsake, don’t you think? She has such nice, precise penmanship.”

“At least she spelled your name correctly.”

I showed her the inscription in my copy.

“It’s a natural mistake. You should have spelled it for her.”

“What did you think about her julep and magnolia accent? You could cut it with a knife.”

“Yes, that was a bit surprising. I thought she would be more, I don’t know, sophisticated.”

“Ah think you Yankees ‘ahre such snobs,” I said. “Jes cause we talk funny down h’eah don’t mean we ain’t ahducated.”

“That may be the worst Southern accent I’ve ever heard,” Alice said.

We started walking back into the building.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done,” Anna said.  

“We were happy to help,” Alice said. “I’m just sorry you did not get your interview. But at least you can email some questions.”

Suddenly, a song drifted up from Anna’s wrist. It was “Let It Go” from the Disney movie,
Frozen
. A few years earlier it seemed as if every little girl in the country was singing the song. 

“Oh sorry, that’s my alarm,” she said, turning it off. “I have to get going, or I’ll miss my bus.”

The watch was blue and pink and had a picture on it. It looked tiny on her wrist. She saw me looking at it.

“It’s Princess Anna of Arendelle,” she explained, tapping the picture. “I know it’s silly. But Sam, that’s my brother, gave it to me for my birthday. It’s kooky, I know. But I loved the movie.”

“You’re not staying on Bald Head?” Alice asked

“I’m not. I took a bus from Fayetteville to Southport. There’s one leaving at 5 o’clock to go back. It’s the last one tonight. So I have to catch the 3:30 ferry to make it.”

“How long a bus trip is it?”

“About six hours. It’s not direct. It goes through Raleigh.”

“So you won’t get back to school until very late?”

I could see that Alice was concerned.

“That’s OK. I don’t have any classes tomorrow.”

“Then, why don’t you wait until morning?” I said.

“I doubt I could get a room in a motel this weekend, even on the mainland. Not any I could afford, anyway. I’ll be fine, but I must go. Thank you, again.”

She got up to leave, but Alice put a hand on her arm.

“We have an extra bedroom. Unless you have a solid reason for having to be back at school, you are staying with us. Alton can run you to the ferry tomorrow morning. I don’t want you traveling six hours on a bus at night.”

“I couldn’t let you do that. You’ve been kind enough.”

“Anna, please don’t argue with her,” I said. “It’s a losing proposition, as I’ve found out many times. I drove this part of the country during the day and don’t like the idea of you taking a bus at night, either. Now, come with us. Let’s go into the bar for a drink.” I caught myself. She was probably underage and went to a Christian college. “Maybe a soda?”

She smiled.

“The Good Lord made wine from water at Cana,” she said, smiling. “I wouldn’t mind a Chardonnay.”

The bartender carded her, but I needn’t have worried. Anna pulled out a driver’s license. When she put it back in her purse, she smiled at me.

“Fake proof. I’m in college, remember.”

“The Lord doth work in mysterious ways,” I said.

Her name was Anna Dickson and I could tell she was fascinated by Alice, and her accomplishments. That made two of us. She was a really nice kid, who had made a good start in life that had its share of tragedies. Both her parents were dead. She was on scholarship at school and her only close relative was her older brother, who was a missionary in Ecuador, and who she adored. She hoped to join him at his mission eventually. After a pleasant half hour or so at the bar and two bowls of peanuts, most of which I ate, we went back to the condo. I told the girls I would take them to dinner later but Anna insisted on repaying our kindness by cooking for us. I remembered meals prepared by college kids, and that must have shown on my face. Anna laughed.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Rhode. I’m a great cook. My brother and I have basically been on our own for years and I’ve done most of the cooking. Even took some classes.”

“I’m not sure we have much in the larder,” I said, still looking for a way out.

“I told you I stocked up at that gourmet market,” Alice said. “I’m sure Anna and I can whip up something. It will be fun.”

“You win,” I said. “But only if Anna stops calling me Mr. Rhode. Pretty soon she’ll be bringing me my pipe and slippers.”

“You have neither,” Alice said. “But you do look like you could use a nap. I’m going for a swim. Want to join me, Anna?”

“I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“I just bought a couple. One of them should fit you.”

The nap sounded like a splendid idea. I stopped worrying about dinner.

CHAPTER 7 - CAPTAIN VOLE

I awoke to the smell of fresh apple pie, which I soon discovered was cooling on the kitchen counter. As far as wake-up odors go, it’s in my top five. I looked at my watch. It was just after 5 PM. I guess I needed that nap.

I heard conversation coming from the deck. I could see Alice and Anna in lounge chairs taking the sun. I was halfway onto the deck when I realized they were topless. Alice didn’t do anything, but the girl crossed her arms over her chest. I mumbled an apology and started to go back inside.

“Alton, you don’t have to go,” Alice said. “We’ll get decent.”

They both put on the tops of their bikinis as I sat in a chair. I figured that either looking away or obvious staring could be considered rude, so I opted for the nonchalant glance. Since I was pretty familiar with Alice’s anatomy, most of the glance went to Anna’s. She was petite, with a firm figure and small but perky breasts with large pink nipples. She did not seem the least perturbed that I’d seen them. It made me wish I was back in college.

“I think I’ll start dinner,” she said.

After she went into the house, Alice and I stared out at the ocean. It was a beautiful day.

“Enjoy the view?”

“You bet,” I said.

“You’re welcome.”

“The Lord doth …”

“Oh, be quiet.”

A little while later the apple pie smell was getting a serious run for its money in the kitchen. Anna apparently did know how to cook.

Alice stood.

“I think I’ll see if I can help her.”

Alice has many strong suits, but cooking isn’t one of them.

“Don’t help too much,” I said.

“Suck farts. Why don’t you make yourself useful and open some wine?”

I did and we each had a glass with some canapés that Anna had somehow crafted out of cheese, olives and prosciutto. Dinner consisted of an arugula salad with olive oil, lemon and feta cheese, followed by sautéed chicken with a tarragon and wine reduction, and roasted potatoes. The meal was high-end-restaurant quality and I said so, having resisted the temptation to tell Anna that she was going to make some man very happy someday. That might be considered as sexist. Besides, I had recently seen her boobs and the remark might have an entirely different connotation. I don’t consider myself politically correct, but I’m no Cosby either. 

We took our coffee and pie out to the deck.

“What are you going to do after you graduate, Anna?” Alice said.

“Eventually I’d like to join Sam in his missionary work, but he thinks I should be a little older. He’s very protective, but he’s probably right. So, I’ve applied for a teaching position at Alliance College. It’s a Christian college in Westchester. That’s near New York City, isn’t it?”

“Just north of Manhattan,” I said, getting up for another piece of pie, which both women declined.

That bode well for a slice of breakfast pie. I did gladly refresh their coffees, however. 

“Alliance has a Manhattan campus in Greenwich Village,” Anna said. “I’m hoping they send me there.”

“Anna, if you come to New York, you must call me,” Alice said. “I live in the Village. Before you leave, I’ll give you my contact information. And I’ll be teaching, myself. At Barnard. Very near Alliance. I want you to stay in touch.”

***

The next morning, on the way to the ferry, I dropped Alice off at the tennis courts for more torture from the indefatigable Jeff. She gave Anna a big hug and got another promise to stay in touch.

“She is so wonderful,” Anna said as we left.

“She thinks you are, too,” I said.

As we approached the ferry terminal we passed a row of fishing boats.

“There is that man from the luncheon,” Anna said.

“What man?”

“The one who tried to keep us out.”

I spotted him right away. Vole. Leonard Vole. He was using a hose from the dock to wash down the deck of a good-looking cabin cruiser with a fishing chair in its stern. He was wearing shorts, with no shirt, and muscles rippled across his tanned back. He looked more at home in that outfit than in the suit he was probably forced to wear at the reception for Ashleigh Harper.

“I did not like him,” Anna said. “I thought he was very rude.”

“He was out of his element,” I said. “He’s probably a better fisherman than he is a security guard.”

“That wouldn’t be hard,” Anna said.

At the ferry terminal she gave me a hug and a fatherly kiss on the cheek and I manfully suppressed the memory of her perky breasts. There was a crowd of people already boarding the next boat.

“Make sure you get in touch with Alice if you get to New York,” I said. “She’s counting on that.”

“Oh, I will. She gave me all her contact information. You’ve both been wonderful. I can’t wait to see you again.”

With that, she was off up the ramp, and, with a final wave, disappeared into the ferry cabin.

I drove back along the docks. Vole was still working on his boat. I saw the name on the side:
She Got the House
. I smiled. Vole probably had good reason to be a pain in the ass. Many of the other boat slips were empty. I got out and approached him. He looked up. It took him a moment to place me.

“Can I help you, chum?”

“Maybe,” I said. “No charter today?”

“Guys canceled. Last minute.”

“That’s too bad.”

“It happens. Goes with the territory.”

I didn’t like him, but I felt sorry he lost the income. It was a hit-and-miss occupation. Probably why he moonlighted doing security work.

“Good fishing this time of year?”

“Pretty good. Another week will be better. But I can catch fish any time of the year.”

“What’s running now?

“Bluefish are starting to show up. Big ones. Spanish mackerel, dolphin, some Kings, red drums, tuna, false albacore, tarpon.”

“Anything big?”

“Sure. Wahoo, white marlin. And sharks, spinners and black tips, mostly.”

Vole was in his element. He obviously enjoyed talking about fishing. Whatever else he was, Vole was proud of his ability on the water. I made a snap decision. Bald Head Island was located where the mouth of the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic Ocean. According to the guidebooks I’d been reading, the sandbars nearby, called the Frying Pan Shoals, was famous for their fishing. I’d thought about trying my luck. Why not with Vole? He might be a hard-ass, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a good fisherman.

“Can you go out this afternoon?”

“With you?”

He looked surprised.

“Yes. You have a half-day rate?”

He did. It wasn’t that bad. I was in a splurging mood. Besides, a day on the ocean with salt spray in my face sounded a hell of a lot better than what Alice probably had planned for me. I didn’t want to give Jeff the tennis torturer another shot. I told Vole he had a charter.

He told me to meet him back at the dock at 1 PM.