Neptune's Ring (31 page)

“What a tattletale,” Levi said in jest.

“Levi!” Liz said exasperated.

“Liz, you can relax, I am safe and sound,”
Levi said. “A few odd things have happened and today’s events were
an eye opener for me. I am completely safe and will not place
myself in any harm.”

“I would have felt better if you had told us
about what is going on,” Liz stated.

“Liz, until this morning, I thought it was
just my imagination playing tricks on me,” Levi admitted. “I had no
real proof of anything, until today.”

“Still,” Liz started to say.

“You will have to trust me on this, Liz,” she
said.

“It isn’t a matter of trust, Levi, you are
part of our family and we don’t want anything to happen to you,”
Liz said.

“Thank you for saying that Liz, I needed to
hear that,” Levi said. “But, I also know I can put the pieces of
this puzzle together and help Celeste move on.”

“For goodness sakes, Levi be careful and
promise me you won’t take any unnecessary risks,” Liz said.

“Ok, I promise you, Liz,” Levi said, barely
restraining a chuckle.

“Don’t be surprised if Nat calls you when she
hears of this,” Liz warned.

“Liz, I have every confidence in your ability
to rationally explain this to Nat,” Levi said.

“Well I am glad you do,” Liz said in a huff.
“You are the little sister, Nat wishes she had.”

“Keep that up and you are going to make me
cry,” Levi teased. “Go talk to her and let her know I am alright,
please.”

“Very well, but call us and let us know what
is going on Levi and don’t leave us in the dark,” Liz said.

“Yes, Mama, I love you too,” Levi said.

“You are such a smart ass,” Liz said.

“Good thing you love me, huh?”

“Yes, I reckon so, bye for now, but expect a
good tongue lashing next time I see you,” Liz warned.

“Woohoo, I will look forward to that,” Levi
said. “Bye, Liz.”

“Goodbye, Levi,” Liz said and ended the
call.

Levi stared at the screen as she concentrated
on the words written there and sipped her coffee.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“Bookgartinnite,” Levi read once more on the
computer screen. Which book she wondered, as she looked around the
immense library of books in the office? What information would the
book reveal to solve this mystery?

“Gartin,” surely had to be a typo for garden
she thought. Celeste probably did not have much knowledge of
computers or their functions, so she may not have been able to
correct the error. Levi sipped her coffee as she thought. This word
probably stood for the garden in the clearing behind the house. It
was the only area besides the garden at the resort that could be
described as such. Levi could easily see Celeste as the person who
had created such a beautiful place. She closed her eyes and
imagined Celeste laboring with love to provide such a place of
beauty. But it left her wondering what role the garden played in
her death?

“Nite,” obviously meant night. It would only
be fitting for a man of such despicable character as Van Buren to
complete this deed under the cloak of darkness to hide his shame
over what he had done. He would not be brought down from his
pedestal by a mere house servant and he was able to convince the
authorities in believing his suspicion of Celeste being a
runaway.

Levi took her coffee out onto the porch as
she reviewed these three words and wondered why Celeste would use
them together. She watched as the sun set and when her stomach
cried out with hunger, Levi returned to the house to fix dinner. As
the chicken was baking, Levi walked back into the office and walked
over to the book shelf. All the classic titles were there and she
looked for something that would stand out from the rest. Her heart
raced with excitement as she picked up a novel with a title
unrecognizable to her and saw a yellow post it note flagging one of
the pages. She hoped the note would provide another clue as she
turned to the place in the book that it had marked.

Levi was disappointed when she found that the
marked page revealed only a half page of text leading to the end of
a chapter. She read through the text just the same, but its
contents held nothing that Levi felt was a clue. She returned the
book to the shelf and continued with her search. She started with
the bottom shelf and took each book out, gently shaking it in
search of a note or some other form of clue. She was barely through
half of the shelf when the timer on the stove went off signaling
time for dinner.

She dined on a chicken pasta dish and fresh
salad as she watched the full moon begin to rise in the distance.
She was deep in thought when her cell phone rang and smiled when
she saw it was Vanessa calling.

“Hey, baby,” she said when she answered the
phone.

“Hello my love, how are you tonight?” Vanessa
asked.

“I am fine thanks, just having some dinner
and you?” Levi asked.

“I am good too. Killian and I just made it
back to the ship from a cookout at one of the staff’s homes,” she
said.

“That sounds like fun.”

“It would have been more fun, if you had been
here with me.”

“That is so sweet of you to say.”

“What are you eating?”

“I baked a chicken pasta dish and made a
small salad to go with it,” Levi said.

“Sounds yummy,” Vanessa said.

“It does taste pretty good, and I will have
leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you supposed to have dinner with Cat
tomorrow night?” Vanessa asked.

“You are right, I had forgotten about that,”
Levi said. “Ok, so maybe I will freeze the leftovers then,” she
said with a chuckle.

“We leave for Venus again tomorrow,” Vanessa
said.

“I bet Killian is excited,” Levi said.

“She is about to bust her seams. I talked
with Nat earlier tonight and she and I are flying over on Friday,”
Vanessa said.

“Really, Vanessa, that is fantastic news,”
Levi said. “I can’t wait to see you. What time do you think you
will be here?”

“Hopefully by ten, why, do you have a hot
date?” Vanessa teased.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Levi said. “Codi
has offered to take me diving to see the reefs and will be here at
nine on Friday.”

Vanessa remained silent for a few seconds.
“Don’t change your plans sweetie, Nat and I will take a look
through the resort while you are out,” she said.

“Are you sure baby? I don’t think there would
be any problem in postponing the trip with Codi.”

“Yes, after this week, you need to have a
little fun,” Vanessa said.

“Or, we could wait until later and you could
join us,” Levi said.

“No, sweetie, really it’s okay,” Vanessa
said.

“Oh Vanessa, I can’t wait for you to get
here.”

“I will see you soon baby,” Vanessa said.
“Give me a call sometime tomorrow when you can.”

“I love you, Vanessa.”

“I love you too Levi and I can’t wait to see
you either.”

Levi sighed and pushed the plate of food
away. She was no longer hungry and would clean up her dishes and
store the leftovers before she returned to the office to resume her
hunt for clues. She looked up at the sky and the moon looked huge
as it hung over the open water.

Levi poured another mug of coffee and sat in
front of the computer. When she moved the mouse to refresh the
screen she found that a new word had been typed. “Desk” glowed back
at her from the screen as the cursor blinked steadily at the end of
the word.

“Oh lord,” Levi said. “Celeste, I haven’t
figured out your other words and now you are adding to them.”

Levi felt the hairs on the back of her neck
rise and she looked around the room. She could feel Celeste here
with her even though she could not see her. Levi pushed the chair
back from the desk.

“Celeste, are you here with me?” she
asked.

“The room remained silent and Levi did not
see or sense any movement.”

She turned back to the computer and watched
as three keys were pressed as the word “Yes” was typed.

“Holy shit,” Levi cried out. “So you can hear
me, can’t you?” she asked next.

“Yes,” was typed again on the screen.

Levi could not see any fingers pressing the
keys, but the keys were manipulated and the word formed in front of
her.

“Okay, so you can hear me. Where is the book
you want me to find?”

“Desk” was typed.

“The book is in the desk?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Levi opened each drawer of the desk and
rifled through the contents, but could not find a book. “Are you
sure the book is still here?”

Nothing, but silence filled the room.

Levi took a sip of her coffee as she waited
patiently for a response.

Celeste had limited fine motor movement and
she would not have the strength or ability to type the exact
location of the book. She focused all her energy on the desk until
it began to shake.

Levi heard a low rattle that grew louder and
louder as she watched the desk begin to shake and when the top left
hand drawer popped open she nearly tipped her chair backward in
surprise.

She looked into the drawer she had already
inspected and it was still empty of any sign of a book. Levi
reached inside the drawer and touched the roof of the drawer, but
still did not find anything. On a whim, Levi pulled and lifted the
drawer and it slid easily from its tracks. She carefully turned the
drawer over in her lap and there secured to the bottom of the
drawer was a small diary.

Levi removed the book and slid the drawer
back into place. “Is this the book?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Levi opened the book and began to read the
first page. She had uncovered the personal diary of Marcus Van
Buren. Levi skimmed through the first half of the book which was
filled with redundant entries about his escapades on the island
with various mistresses. Levi scanned the pages until she found
first mention of Celeste.

The new housekeeper started today and she is
the most beautiful young woman I have ever met. Her mocha skin
looks so very smooth and pure and her eyes are like dark pools. I
feel myself drawn into them each time she enters the room. I must
simply have her, he wrote.

Levi read further into the book and it was
clear that Van Buren had become obsessed with Celeste and her
beauty. The more she read the more his obsession was evident.

Celeste asked to plant a garden in the small
grove behind the house. I cannot deny this beauty anything and had
the plants and flowers delivered the next day. I sat in the shade
of a tree as I watched her cultivate the soil with a small spade
and plant each flower with loving care. My imagination soared as I
felt her hands over my body as she gently tamped the soil around
each of her flowering beauties. I watched as a bead of sweat ran
down her brow and smiled at her when she looked up and smiled at me
wiping the sweat away with her hand leaving a dark smudge across
her cheek. I rose from my seat and walked over to her to wipe the
smudge from her face and when I stroked her face she recoiled from
my touch. Nevertheless, part of each day thereafter was spent in
the clearing as she tended her precious garden and my lust for her
grew.

Levi heard the clock in the hall strike two
and she rubbed her tired eyes. The room remained quiet as she
watched as new words appear on the screen. “Rest now,” was typed by
Celeste’s invisible hand.

“I am tired, but I promise I will figure this
all out,” Levi said.

She marked her spot in the diary and carried
it into the bedroom with her, placing it on the bedside table.
Tomorrow she would finish the book and would sort out this mystery
once and for all.

Levi undressed then climbed between the cool
sheets and fell quickly asleep. Van Buren’s words flowed through
her dreams and Levi relived Celeste’s life on the island.

Vanessa tossed and turned in her bed as she
dreamed of Levi. The call she had received from Liz left her
disturbed and while she trusted Levi implicitly, she worried for
her lover’s safety. Levi had sounded her usual self when they had
talked earlier, but Vanessa was concerned that Levi was withholding
information from her. Woken from her dreams with a start, Vanessa
gave up on getting anymore sleep and got up to brew a pot of
coffee. She slipped on a robe and sat on the balcony and watched as
a brilliant red sunrise crested the horizon.

“Red sky at night sailor’s delight, red sky
at morning sailor’s take warning,” she whispered.

She and Killian had checked and doubled
checked the weather reports for the next three days and they
promised clear skies and smooth seas, yet Vanessa was disturbed by
the omen of the sunrise.

“Be safe, my love,” she whispered onto the
ocean breeze and hoped her words would reach Levi safely.

Levi only slept for three hours and was
sitting on the porch drinking coffee, watching the sun rise as she
heard a soft whisper on the breeze. She imagined the sound of
Vanessa’s voice and with a smile on her face, picked up the diary
to continue reading.

As each day passes, Celeste becomes more
beautiful in my eyes and I enjoy the time we spend together as she
tends her small garden. She is such a sensual woman, her soft
feminine form bent over to tend to her flowers as a mother would
tend to a child.

Today we were surprised by a brief storm and
had to run back to the house for shelter. When we reached the front
porch, I took Celeste in my arms and kissed her. Her beauty was
overwhelming, with the soft raindrops running down her face. I was
disappointed that she pulled away from the kiss, and ran into the
house, but I will not stop until I make her mine.

Levi was disturbed by the escalating sexual
obsession she read in Van Buren’s words. She could read the tension
building between the two of them and unfortunately, knew where this
story was headed. She skimmed through the next few pages, until she
found the entry that confirmed her fears.