Beach House Mystery

Chapter 3

Cordelia happily spent the next hour going from room to room, making sure their guests were comfortable. She helped Winnie unpack and inspected everything that was in the sisters’ suitcases. As a precocious eight-year-old, Cordelia wasn"t afraid to stick her nose into people"s private business and ask questions that weren’t always comfortable. The picture that Winnie set on the nightstand especially caught Cordelia"s attention.

"Who"s that pretty lady?" she asked, pointing to the woman standing next to a much younger Winnie in the photograph.

"That is my best friend, someone I miss very much. Her name is Meredith."

Cordelia"s eyes got wide, and she spun around in a circle with excitement.

"You mean your best friend was Morgan"s aunt? How cool is that? Does that mean you knew Morgan when she was a little girl?"

"Yes, to both of your questions, Cordelia. Meredith and I were inseparable when we were children, pretty much the way you and Grace and Sam are." Winnie picked up the picture and gazed at it for a moment before putting it back down with a smile. "Morgan didn"t stay here on the island very often, so I didn"t know her as well as I do you. But I could probably come up with a story or two to tell you about her."

"Cordelia, tell everyone it"s time for lunch."

Morgan"s voice from the bottom of the stairs interrupted their conversation. Cordelia looked like she was going to push Winnie for more stories about Morgan, but her stomach rumbled and she instead raced down the hallway to bang on the doors of Kathy and Jenny"s rooms to tell them it was lunchtime.

Then she hurried back down the hallway and stomped down the wooden staircase, eager to see what Morgan had come up with for lunch. Morgan smiled at the girl when she entered the kitchen, pointing to the table for her to sit. When Cordelia saw the enormous bowl of salad in the middle of the table, she made a face.

Morgan laughed. "Don"t worry, Miss Fussy, you don"t have to eat salad. It’s a PB&J sandwich and some chips for you."

They had just finished cleaning up from lunch when there was a knock on the back door of the kitchen. The door opened, letting the wind blow in loose leaves on to the kitchen floor. Morgan looked up from where she was putting the last of the dishes away to see Gabe Holleran and Nate Hastings standing at the threshold.

"Come on in and close the door—that"s cold air you"re letting in," Morgan said as she waved them into the warmth of her kitchen.

"You two want a cup of coffee?" she asked, noting how red their cheeks were from the chilly wind.

"You bet we would," said Gabe, his curly hair tossed even more than normal.

Morgan poured two cups of coffee from the fresh pot that had just perked, and the men gratefully took it from her. Jenny had heard the knock on the back door and came into the kitchen to see what was going on. She said hello and then looked at Nate questioningly.

"Everything okay out there?" she asked.

Nate was Jenny"s partner, and he"d taken over the police shift by himself so that Jenny could get settled into Morgan"s home and meet with Ben to discuss the repairs in their home. The two usually worked together and were on-call during their off-hours. If needed, there was always backup from the mainland, but the island was a quiet place to live. Of course, ever since Morgan"s arrival to Pearl Island, things had gotten much more interesting.

“Everything"s fine. I am a little concerned about that storm offshore, though. How will that affect the island?” Nate asked.

This was his first year on the island, and he"d never been through a powerful storm. Morgan and Gabe exchanged a look, and Jenny cleared her throat. But before any of them could answer Nate, Cordelia entered the room.

"Oh, you don"t have to worry about a storm. Haven"t you heard that part of the legend? The two fighting mermaids had mothers that didn"t like the way they fought, and they gave a promise of protection to Pearl Island against the storms. That"s why we never get hit by a hurricane."

Cordelia looked around the room, pleased with herself for having the answers the adults wanted. Morgan hid her smile. Cordelia knew the legend of Pearl Island inside and out, and she never hesitated to let anybody know about an item they might not be aware of or understand. And since Nate was new to the island, he had plenty to learn.

By now Kathy and Winnie had entered the kitchen as well, drawn in by the voices.

Winnie shook her head at the young girl. "Legend or not, Cordelia, we still need to make sure our properties are ready for any kind of weather. Being proactive is much better than wondering how you"re going to fix things afterward."

The little girl looked like she was ready to argue, but catching Morgan’s look, she sighed and bit back her words.

Winnie believed in the legend as much as anybody else—she"d seen too many things in her life not to— but she was also practical. Now she tried to make sure that the others around her kept a sense of practicality, as well.

"Has it gotten any worse out there?" asked Kathy as she maneuvered her way to stand next to Nate.

"No, it"s about the same as it has been for the last twenty-four hours. But the weather reports are not sounding very promising," Nate answered and then turned to Jenny. "They’ve advised us to take security precautions here on the island."

"Okay. Then I guess that"s the end of my day off. Come on, Nate, let me introduce you to our security measures," Jenny answered with a sigh. She gave her grandmother a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed her jacket, ready to go with her partner.

"The house is always open. Come and go as you need to," Morgan said as they left.

"I can"t thank you enough, Morgan, for opening your house up to us. I don"t know what time I"ll return, but I"ll be quiet to make sure I don"t wake anyone."

Nate finished his coffee and then followed Jenny out the door. Gabe grabbed his coffee cup and settled in at the kitchen table, comfortable as only someone who spent a lot of time there would be. Kathy sat down next to Gabe, but when Cordelia moved to join them, Winnie steered her in the family room"s direction instead.

"Come on, Missy, we"re in the middle of a chess game. You"re not welshing on me now," she teased.

"Good luck, Cordelia.” Kathy laughed. “I"ve never won a game against my grandmother yet."

Morgan poured herself and Kathy another cup of coffee and took the chair opposite Gabe. “Do I need to be concerned about this weather?" she said, looking worriedly at the two.

"It"s too early to tell how strong it is going to be,” Kathy said. “Nate just has to answer to his superiors, who want to make sure everything"s tight and secure before it"s too late."

"Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, Cordelia"s right, we’ve never had a storm directly hit the island. Whether it"s because of legends or because of the way the winds blow this time of year? Your guess is as good as mine," Gabe added.

Morgan was silent for a moment, thinking of Gabe"s words. Common sense told her Kathy was right, but the inner radar that she had developed regarding Pearl Island was more inclined to believe Cordelia"s explanation. She was tied to the legends of the island by destiny and family and was only beginning to understand and accept she was part of a foretold battle between two mermaids who had fought over one man: John Seaver. A sudden burst of wind shook the windows and Morgan turned her head to look out, watching the branches of the orchid tree hit the window. She felt a tingling in the back of her neck and knew with conviction this was going to be no ordinary northeastern storm.