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  Dae’s Christmas Past

  by

  Joyce and Jim Lavene

  Copyright © 2014 by Joyce and Jim Lavene.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any

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  Purchase only authorized editions.

  Book coach and editor – Jeni Chappelle

  http://www.jenichappelle.com/

  Table of Contents

  Dae’s Christmas Past

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  About the Authors

  Chapter One

  The Currituck Sound had a smooth, glossy surface leading to the horizon as I walked down the boardwalk. All the shops were closed, but there was one woman standing at the rail in front of my shop, Missing Pieces. She wore a dark purple suit with an amazing hat that matched it.

  She turned to me as I came closer. “Hello, Dae. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  I thought she was wearing a marmalade-colored scarf around her neck, but it slowly moved as she turned. A large cat blinked at me with lazy green eyes, balancing on her shoulders.

  “Do I know you?” I thought she looked vaguely familiar. Maybe a former customer.

  “Yes. We met a few years back. I see the shop still bears my name.” She glanced at the shop next door—my friend Shayla’s place—Mrs. Roberts Spiritual Reader.

  “I remember you now! You’re Mary Catherine Roberts, the pet psychic. You opened the shop right after the boardwalk was finished and then moved to Wilmington. Have you moved back to Duck?”

  “Not exactly. My cat, Baylor, and I will be here for a while. Something large and quite possibly dangerous is about to happen in Duck. Maybe you’ve heard something about it from the horses? Goodness knows news travels fast.”

  At large fish jumped out of the calm water and flew through the air toward her until it finally dove back down inches from the boardwalk.

  She laughed. “You see? Everyone knows. I’ll wager your little cat, Treasure, has been talking about it too. But don’t worry. We’ll handle it. I think you have some prehistoric horse figures we need to examine. I hope you have some tea too. I could really use a cup.”

  This promised to be an interesting conversation. I opened the door to Missing Pieces. “I actually came here for a cup of tea myself. Won’t you join me?”

  “Isn’t there something you should be doing with the election and everything? I heard you won the election for mayor of Duck. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks, and thank goodness it’s over. I stopped here for a little peace and quiet. There are parties later, but right now I need to hide for a while.”

  “I can come back later.” She paused at the threshold.

  “No. That’s fine. I have to hear how you know my cat’s name is Treasure. I know you talk to animals, but Treasure isn’t even with me today.”

  She smiled at me in a knowing way from under her large purple hat. She had a smooth, creamy complexion and an attractive face. Her blue eyes were deep, holding fathoms of secrets, like the ocean. She was probably in her fifties—a little plump—but very stylish.

  I held the door to my shop as she walked in. I’d owned Missing Pieces Thrift Store for a few years. There was a little of everything here from antiques and collectibles to used items I thought someone might like. There were also the items that had been lost and were waiting for their owners to find them.

  That’s what I do. I find lost things. I started finding things that belonged to other people when I was just a child, taking the gift from my grandmother. Sometimes those things seem important—lost keys and missing wills—even a missing child. As long as I could remember, I’d found items people were looking for by holding their hands.

  Lately, I’d also been able to find lost people by holding their possessions. It had led me into a lot more trouble.

  “What a lovely shop.” Mary Catherine roamed around through my lost and found. Baylor stayed completely still as she walked.

  I closed the door even though there was a nice breeze coming in from the Currituck Sound. It would’ve been lovely for it to swirl through as we sat down for tea. But I wasn’t prepared to deal with anyone’s problems or congratulations at that moment. It had been a turbulent road to becoming mayor—my first real election—the first time someone had run against me.

  I thought Mary Catherine might be exactly the diversion I needed to begin putting it behind me.

  “Thank you.” I walked over to the hot plate, teas, and cups that I always kept ready for customers and friends when they dropped in. “I have some orange spice, Earl Grey, and lemon balm, if you’re in the mood for herbal. It’s very fresh. A friend of mine grows it.”

  “I’ll take the Earl Grey, thanks,” she said. “It was a long drive up from Wilmington. I hardly slept last night thinking about today. I came as soon as I could arrange everything.”

  I filled the kettle and turned on the hotplate. “You work for the radio station in Wilmington now. I’ve heard your show. It’s very popular here. People call you when they have problems with their pets.”

  She smiled, small lines fanning out from her eyes. “That’s right. I make a living helping people understand their pets. Many times people think they’re doing what’s right for their furry loved ones, but it’s as far away from what they want or need as the moon.”

  “So you really talk to animals?” I took out a few shortbread cookies, hoping they weren’t stale. “That’s amazing. I’m sorry. I don’t remember you doing that when you were here.”

  “I’ve always done it. I just didn’t figure out that I could do it for a living until the last few years. It’s opened up a whole new world for me. What I do is no more amazing than you being able to find things and people, Dae O’Donnell. I read about that little girl you found. You have a wonderful gift.”

  “Thank you. Is that how you knew my cat’s name?”

  “Of course! Baylor told me before we got here. I believe animals may all be telepathic with each other. It’s also how I heard the horses calling for help.”

  “You mentioned the horses. You talk to animals that aren’t pets too?”

  “Oh yes. Direct communication goes around the language barrier, you know. I don’t have to speak dog to understand what a dog has to say.”

  “And the wild horses have been calling you?”

  “Yes—although there have been the odd dogs, cats, and even a few dolphins warning of the problem to come. Animals have a better grapevine than people.”

  I put tea in the cups and poured the boiling water in after when the kettle started whistling. “And what are they saying?”

  “Oh, it’s all about the ancient horses. It started when they began digging up the horse statues.
It seems the statues are part of a cult the horses despise and fear. This is something old and primitive. There was an ancient, primal scream that came from all the horses as they protested the invasion. I heard it from horses as far away as Charleston. If other humans could have heard it, they would’ve known not to dig at the site. I was concerned at that point, but I didn’t know what it was all about. Since then it’s gotten louder and more animals along the coast are involved.”

  I put a few cookies on the saucers that held the tea cups. “Cream? Sugar?”

  “Both, thanks.” She added what she wanted and took a cup and saucer to my burgundy brocade sofa.

  “That sounds terrible, but I don’t know what we can do about it. The site is considered a heritage spot now by the state. They’ve brought in archaeologists from the University of North Carolina and a whole team of people. It was astonishing to find out that horses were here before the Spanish ships. The whole idea of our history is changing. My friend, Jake, owns the property where they’re digging. It was an accident that he found them at all.”

  I took my saucer, cup, and cookies to sit beside Mary Catherine on the comfortable sofa. The sofa was too big for the shop, but it was worth working around. I’d spent the night here on it more than once. It was one of my favorite finds.

  “Jake Burleson rescues wild horses,” I explained. “He lives near Corolla, a few miles down Highway 12 from here.” The two-lane highway divided the Outer Banks and split the Atlantic Ocean from the bays and sounds that were along the coast.

  “I remember Corolla.” She nodded. “That lovely old lighthouse is there.”

  “Yes.”

  “From what I understand of the problem, they should never have disturbed the horses’ resting place.” Mary Catherine sipped her tea. “Excellent tea! Thank you. Just what I needed.”

  I appreciated her praise of my tea-making skills. “Jake was fascinated by the whole thing when he found the smaller horse statues. He couldn’t leave it alone. It’s amazing when you see what’s down there. It’s spooky too. It feels dark to me—wrong somehow. But I couldn’t tell you how or why.”

  “Have you laid hands on any of the horse statues yet?”

  “No. Jake was hoping I would. He’d like a better idea of what the horse statues were used for. The experts are saying the site is part of a cult where horses were worshipped. I haven’t touched the statues without gloves. Maybe it sounds crazy, but I’m afraid to.”

  Fear was something I had learned since I started touching possessions instead of people. Even the simplest old coin could have a terrible, hidden history that could take me days to get out of my mind. I was happy that I hadn’t learned that skill as a child.

  “I don’t think it sounds crazy at all. I think you’re right to proceed with caution.” Mary Catherine tasted one of the shortbread cookies.

  “I wasn’t like that at first.” I put down my cup and saucer. “Experience has made me cautious. What do the horses and the other animals say about it?”

  “They say bad things are going to happen. The site needs to be closed and blessed, perhaps by a shaman with an understanding of these things. The animals can’t adequately describe their fears but that doesn’t mean they aren’t genuine.”

  “I can talk to Jake and see what they’re doing out there. You can come out with me and take a look around.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” She put her cup and saucer on the sink. “Thank you for inviting me along.”

  I received two texts on my phone. Gramps was looking for me. So was my boyfriend, Kevin. I wasn’t really ready to go back out into the world, but I knew if I didn’t, the world would come and beat on my door.

  “There are some parties the rest of today to celebrate the election. I hope you’ll join us. Do you have a place to stay while you’re here?”

  She shook her head as she straightened her cat around her neck. “No. I came spur of the moment. I’ll have to find a place. Maybe you have some ideas?”

  “We have plenty of room at our house. I’d love it if you stayed with us.”

  “Us?” Her pretty face got pink. “That’s your grandfather—Horace O’Donnell, right? I remember him!

  It sounded as though she fondly remembered him. Had I missed something when she was here last time? “Yes. We have an extra room. Gramps loves company.”

  “Thank you, Dae.” She hugged me. “As for the parties, I’d love to go with you. It will give me a chance to mingle and get to know people. Will your friend Jake Burleson be there? Is he a friend-friend or a boyfriend?”

  “He’s a friend-friend.” Her question made me smile. “I have a boyfriend—Kevin Brickman—although that’s a silly word for our relationship. I don’t know if Jake will be there or not. He’s not from Duck, but he might come just because the party is for me. I haven’t seen him for a while with all the events leading up to the election.”

  “I see. I’d still like to go out to the site even if he’s at the party. I just thought it might be nice to meet him first.”

  “We’ll have to see if he’s willing to put on a clean pair of jeans and drive down here. Jake’s not a partygoer by nature.” I picked up my handbag. “I have to go home, take a shower, and change clothes. We’ll head to the Blue Whale Inn after that for the first party. That’s Kevin’s place. I’m sure you’d like a chance to catch your breath too.”

  “That sounds great. Thanks so much. I could freshen up a little, change clothes. Do you need to talk to Horace first?”

  “Nah. He’ll love it. My house is only a short walk from here.”

  “I remember.” She sighed. “People here walk everywhere unless they drive one of those little cars.”

  “Golf carts.” I thought I might as well teach her the local jargon. “Gramps recently purchased a deluxe model. If he’s home, we’ll ride over to the Blue Whale with him. If not, I’ll call Kevin. I’m not walking to the post-election parties in my good shoes.”

  She put her hand to her heart. “That’s a relief! I love Baylor.” She stroked the large cat draped around her neck. “But he’s no lightweight.”

  “Did you bring luggage?” I hadn’t noticed anything with her when I’d seen her on the boardwalk.

  “I have one suitcase. I always travel light. I think we can clear the air on all these bad vibes in a few days.”

  “Did you drive to Duck?” I switched off the lights and closed up Missing Pieces. “I didn’t think to ask.”

  “I don’t like to drive.” A breeze caught her large purple hat and almost took it off her head. Baylor yawned but otherwise didn’t move as she grabbed at the hat. “I don’t even own a car. But a friend was headed this way so I hitched a ride with him. I thought I’d be able to find someplace to stay for a few days. Now I don’t have to. Thank you for your hospitality.”

  She’d left her suitcase beside my shop on the boardwalk. I’d been so busy thinking about the election that I hadn’t even seen it. I offered to carry it and was surprised how heavy it was. She was obviously good at packing.

  We walked past Curves and Curls Beauty Spa on our way to the parking area. My good friend, Trudy Devereaux, owned that shop. Our town hall was still located with the Duck Shoppes on the Boardwalk, but it would be moving soon. Construction crews were hard at work on the new stand-alone building that would house town offices. It was almost complete.

  Our first municipal building was going to be next to Duck Park. We’d used some of the land, donated to the town years before, to put it there. Our town manager, Chris Slayton, had set up some great plans for our growth in the next few years. The new town hall was only the beginning.

  As we passed the present town hall our clerk, Nancy Boidyn, walked out of the office, cigarette already in hand. She glanced at it guiltily. “Hi, Dae. I know how this looks. I’ve been trying to stop smoking, but there’s always something going on with my girls. I love them, but they drive me crazy!”

  She was talking about her two teenage daughters. They were frequently
in some sort of trouble.

  I put my hand on hers. “You don’t have to explain to me. I know it’s hard to stop doing anything you’re used to doing.” I turned to my companion. “Nancy, this is Mary Catherine Roberts. Mary Catherine, this is Nancy Boidyn, our town clerk.”

  The two women shook hands. Nancy’s blue eyes widened under her short, reddish-brown hair. “The pet psychic? I listen to your radio show all the time. Can you really talk to animals?”

  “Yes. I can talk to animals. Thanks for listening to my show. I remember seeing you here, the last time I was in Duck, Nancy. You were running the whole town then! I’m glad you got some help.”

  “Thanks. Yeah. The ‘good’ old days!” Nancy’s delicate features softened. “That last show where that man who called in had accidentally hit his dog with his car—that was heartrending. The dog wanted to forgive him, but the man couldn’t forgive himself. I cried the whole time I was listening.”

  “It’s true what people say. Dogs are very forgiving of our flaws,” Mary Catherine said. “I’m happy I could reunite them. So many times pet owners are ready to find other homes for their animals and there’s no reason. They just need to understand them.”

  “I have a terrier I wish you’d come talk to,” Nancy invited. “He’s so stubborn. How long are you going to be in Duck?”

  Mary Catherine glanced at me. “I’m not sure yet. But if I have an opportunity, I would love to talk to your terrier.”

  “I need to go home and get ready for the parties tonight,” I told Nancy. “Mary Catherine needs to freshen up a little too. She just got here from Wilmington.”

  Nancy grinned. “Yep! We have a victory to celebrate. Congratulations, Madame Mayor. You’re in for another four years.”

  We hugged. “Thanks. It only happened because of my friends, and my wonderful campaign managers. You did a great job for me.”

  Nancy nudged Mary Catherine with her elbow and winked. “It didn’t hurt that the other candidate was disqualified for a while because the police thought he might be a killer.”

  Mary Catherine laughed. “That’s the best way to take care of it.”