Chapter 34

As we unloaded his car, I realized how much I missed Gene. I gave him the grand tour, skipping the room that Melinda was murdered in. It was a few hours before noon, much too early to eat lunch. We were debating on what to do when Wade arrived. I wanted to go for a swim, while Gene wanted to have some beer on the deck.

“Ahoy there, Kerrie.” Wade called, as he walked upstairs.

I called down to him, “Wade, we’re on the deck. Come meet Gene.”

After making the introductions, I was surprised at how quickly the two men bonded, which shouldn’t have surprised me any, since Gene was an aficionado of fishing, just like Wade. Gene's motto was "Fish Fear Me." I listened idly to their banter for a while, and then went inside to put on my swimsuit. I knew Gene wasn’t budging, not when another kindred fishing soul was around to talk carp. Though it would have been entertaining to watch “Freshwater Fisherman and Saltwater fisherman” debates, the water was calling me. When I told them I would be back in a while and to have lunch ready at noon, they both acknowledged me by raising their hand without stopping their conversation.

It was another blistery day at first. As I swam, I noticed that the surf tossed me around more than usual. Once I felt an undertow tugging at me. With difficulty, I swam back to shore. When I was on safe ground, I glanced at the horizon. To my dismay, I saw a dark blanket of gray clouds. Sometimes in the afternoons, we would get severe thunderstorms, but they didn’t last any longer than fifteen to twenty minutes. The thunderstorm clouds were usually isolated and the storms totally missed some parts of the island. But these clouds looked ominous, as they sat off in the distance. Glancing down the coast, I didn’t see many people playing in the water. Most were just along the water’s edge or playing in the sand. I decided to go back to the Pirate, since it seemed dangerous to swim.

Wade and Gene were standing by Wade’s rusty old jeep looking at his fishing poles when I walked by and neither of them noticed. It dawned on me that they must be true fishermen at heart to be so involved with fishing poles and not notice a shapely woman in a wet bikini walk by them. I put the damp towel on one of the decks railings and then went inside to shower and change. When I was dressed, I went into the kitchen to see what if I had anything appetizing for lunch.

The men were back on the deck, talking casually. I was glad to see that they got along. I think Wade could charm Satan into thinking he was a good ole guy and Gene, well, you either liked him or hated him. There wasn’t any in between. Wade doesn’t have a hating bone in his body. Their conversation drifted in from the deck. I had the sliding glass door open with the screen covering pulled over the opening, to keep insects out and the cool breeze in. When my name came up, I realized they didn’t know I was inside the house.

Gene really caught my attention when he said, “Wade, how is Kerrie really holding up? I’ve been worrying about that girl since she left Charlotte.”

Wade said in a reassuring tone, “She’s blossomed. When she first arrived, she was a pale as a tourist and thin as a string. I worried about her the first two weeks and so did Perry but he would never admit it though. She’s toughen up like a barnacle growing on a rock.”

“That murder happening here is weird. What if Kerrie had been here instead? I shudder to think about it. I don’t mean that it’s cool that Melinda Jones died, but…well, hell you know what I mean, I hope.” Leave it to Gene to confuse his own self.

“Yep, I know what you mean. We thought it was Kerrie at first. I felt my chest close up. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that close to a heart attack before. Something doesn’t set right with me about Melinda’s murder. I can’t figure out why she would be in the house, searching it. The Chief thinks she was looking for valuables to pawn, because the police subpoenaed her financial records and found out she was almost bankrupt. She was trying to blackmail Perry into giving her $50,000 but it didn’t work. Perry went to a lawyer on the day that she died. I never did find out what his lawyer told him. Hmph, I’ll have to remember to ask Perry about that.”

“$50,000,” Gene whistled. “That’s mucho buckos!” Then he laughed, “My ex-wives have my money. Hell, Kerrie doesn’t have that kind of money either. Mr. Troubles has just about bankrupted her. That’s one cat that doesn’t deserve a goddess like Kerrie.”

“Mr. Troubles?”

“Kerrie’s ex-fiancé! The baseball hero, the one she’s hiding from. I call him Mr. Troubles because that’s about all he is.”

“Oh him! A no-good rascal, is he? Kerrie is a pearl and deserves to be treated like one. She’s smart, sweet, well mannered and dad gum pretty. If I was 20 years younger and she was 20 years older, I would steal her away from all of you. By Josh, I would!” Wade was speaking in the low tones of a gossip lost in tittle-tattle heaven.

I decided it was time to break it up. I clamored some pans together and then called from the kitchen, “You guys getting hungry? It’s almost noon.” From my spot in the kitchen, I could see that when they heard me, both men visibly jumped in their seats. Then they looked at each other guiltily. If I had of walked up on them without hearing a word, I would have known immediately that I had been their hot topic.

Wade asked the question on both their minds, “Baby doll, when did you get back from the beach?”

“I got back while you boys were downstairs looking at fishing poles. I walked right by you but a shiny hook or something hypnotized you.” I giggled, “Since I wasn’t the proper lure, I took a shower and came on down to see if you were hungry.” I figured that it would be better to let the topic of ‘Mr. Troubles’ die.

Gene remarked, “That was a quick swim!”

I walked onto the deck, replying, “The waters are choppy and once an undertow tried to grab me, so I came in. I’ve never seen clouds like those on the horizon.” I stood looking out, thankful that they seemed to be stalled over some spot far away.

Wade said sharply, “Don’t you listen to the weather? There’s a tropical storm about 90 miles off the coast. It’s expected to move towards shore later today. We’ll have gale force winds and heavy rain when it does. Lordy be, baby doll, don’t go swimming when a tropical storm is brewing. Even if the weather looks sunny outside your door, always check the weather reports. Off shore storms affect the ocean and can hide danger.”

“Gosh Wade, I didn’t know that. Should we make sure the boat house is secure?” I asked.

“Nope, Perry did that first thing this morning. I promised him I would check on this place at lunchtime. Why don’t we put these lightweight chairs inside the kitchen and then go find a nice little off the road diner. I have the perfect place—Sady’s Stew House. The food is mmm-mmm-good.”

“I’m up for that, dude.” Gene said. We gathered everything inside that would fly away with the wind. Then we piled into Gene’s sports car and flew to lunch.


Sady’s Stew House was located right off the bridge that went to the mainland. It looked like a shack on the outside, but when we stepped inside I felt as if I was back at home in Mother’s kitchen. The place had red and white gingham tablecloths on every table. Artificial roses in vases sat in the middle of the tables. The walls were alive with framed newspaper clippings about the NC beaches, hurricanes lighthouses and local folk who happened to make the news. The atmosphere was infectious. I smiled at everyone in answer to their greetings. The menus were worn and the prices were so cheap that for a moment, I thought I was having one of Gene's flashbacks to the 70’s.

After we placed our orders, the general conversation caught my attention. The locals were discussing the impending storm, which in turn begot a discussion on past storms and hurricanes. Tropical Storm David was its apt name. I didn’t miss the irony. I sat wide-eyed wondering if I would get washed away. Wade noticed my expression and laughed. “Kerrie, don’t look so anxious. This storm will be a baby compared to the Hurricanes of ’98.”

The chiming cow bell that hung over the door of the diner interrupted Wade’s introduction to the Hurricanes of ’98 story. Every single head in the diner turned to look at the tall burly man that had entered the diner. After a brief inspection, the locals ignored him.

Gene’s gasp of surprise drew the attention of Wade and me. “Damn, there’s the maintenance man who repaired every thing that’s been wrong in my office since 1995. He said he was going on vacation soon but I didn’t know he was heading here. He’s a cool guy. You’ve got to meet him, Kerrie. He tells some interesting stories. You should sit and listen for a while. I swear he’s a gold mine of material. ” He stood up and called to the man who had just entered the diner. “Danny, over here! It’s Gene Michaels.”

He sauntered over to our table with a big smile on his face. “Mr. M, what’s up? What a small world! It’s a hoot, meeting you out here. Are you on vacation too?” They shook hands. Gene made introductions and Danny nodded at each of us. Gene asked him to have lunch with us, but he declined, saying he had called an order in earlier and was here to pick it up. Wade excused himself to go speak to one of the gentlemen at a table across the diner.

Gene and Danny made small talk until one of the waitresses shouted out that Danny’s order was ready. He said his goodbyes and then turned back on impulse saying, “Mr. M, I’m here with my brother and he doesn’t like to do anything but fish and sleep. I was planning to go play some pool over at the sport’s bar across from our cottage. I thought maybe you and Miss Kerrie could come join me. That way I won’t feel like a bear out of the woods.”

I shook my head declining the offer, as Gene nodded in acceptance. I laughed, “Gene would love to go, but I’m not much on the bar scene. Since I’m the wallflower type, I’ll stay home and watch the storm tonight. According to the yokel locals, it will be far more entertaining that the weather channel.”

“Are you sure, Kerrie? It's my first night here. I haven’t seen you in ages. If you want me to I'll chill out at the cottage with you.” Gene’s offer was sweet, but I knew he hadn’t taken a vacation like this in years. It was time to let his disco self out of the closet and shake his groove thing.

“Look Gene, how often do you have time to do whatever you feel like doing? Gosh dude, you’re on vacation. Live a little. You know, do a little dance and shake your booty.”

Danny chided in, “I wish you would come with us, Miss Kerrie. It would be a pleasure and an honor to have a beautiful woman’s company for the evening.”

I was flattered but still declined, “Thanks for the compliment but no thanks. I’m not much on smoky bars. If I drink too much, I get silly and sing Karaoke. Believe me, it’s something you don’t want to hear.” I laughed. Gene agreed and I elbowed him.

But Danny wouldn’t give up. He continued to beg me until I said yes. Gene suggested a time, got directions to the sports bar and Danny made his farewells. Lunch arrived as soon as Wade returned and we enjoyed a feast fit for the Gods. As we ate our feast, I felt that a thick cloud was gathering outside, waiting to rain down on me with wrath?