Sandrift: A Lin Hanna Mystery (4 page)

As she turned
to the continuation of the article, Lin almost choked on a swallow of
coffee!
 
The reporter had
interviewed Dare County Sheriff Pete Midgett who said that the discovery of
Dorothy Johnson’s body might lead to the closing of the most famous cold case
in the area in recent decades.
 
Lin
continued reading the quote from the sheriff.

“Dorothy Johnson—known
as Dorrie when she lived here more than ten years ago—was the prime
suspect in the murder of Outer Banks resident Elizabeth Frazier in November,
2000.
 
She disappeared from the area
at the time the crime was committed.
 
All apparent indications were that she stole some valuables from Liz
Frazier’s home, stabbed her with a kitchen knife, and then burned the home in
an attempt to cover up her crime.
 
Investigators at the time failed to locate Dorrie Johnson in spite of
exhaustive efforts.
 
Other possible
suspects were cleared at the time, and local officers have always felt certain
that Dorothy Johnson committed that crime.”

Lin was
stunned.
 
The article went on to say
that, while officers would certainly look into where Dorrie Johnson had been
all these years and why she had chosen to return to the area now, they felt
certain that this discovery would close the case regarding the death of Liz
Frazier.
 
The Sheriff acknowledged
that no official cause of death for Ms. Johnson had been determined but he
noted that from all initial appearances she died of natural causes.

Lin folded the
paper and sat back on the bench.
 
The waitress, a middle-aged woman, arrived with her food.

“I see you’ve
been reading about that dead body somebody found yesterday, the woman said as
she placed the food in front of Lin, “more coffee?”

Lin nodded and
the woman left to get the coffee pot.
 
She continued the conversation when she returned. “I sure am glad to
hear that Dorrie Johnson is dead—I mean, Liz was a good friend of
mine.
 
She didn’t deserve what
happened to her.
 
That girl came
here for the summer and stayed on.
 
She was a wild one and Liz sort of took her in—look where that got
her!” the waitress shook her head as she refilled the coffee mug.

Lin could only
nod at the woman’s remarks.
 
She was
speechless.
 
She felt some of the
uneasiness and shock she experienced the day before coming back.
 
She’d found a dead body and now it
looked like that body belonged to a murderer who had disappeared more than ten
years ago—only to return and die near the scene of her crime.
 
This was stranger than strange.
 
Lin didn’t know what to think but she
did know she had to learn more about the young woman who had died in Nags Head
Woods.

Her appetite
now gone, Lin picked at her breakfast, taking only a few bites before she
decided to head back to Kate’s house.
 
She asked for a take-out box knowing that Sparky would enjoy the bonanza
of leftovers.

 
The walk on the beach would have to wait.
She had to think about what she wanted to do next.

Lin’s cell
phone rang as she walked into the kitchen back at Kate’s.
 
Grabbing it from her jacket pocket, she
released Sparky from his leash.
 
It
was Ken Parker, the local police officer.

“ I was just
calling to let you know that we got the autopsy report from the ME’s office
this morning.
 
Dorrie Johnson
apparently died from a sting—a bee or wasp.
 
She was apparently highly allergic.”

Lin remembered
the insects she had observed around the fall wildflowers during her walk; she
had been surprised that they were still active in the warmer coastal
climate.
 
“If she knew she was
allergic, it seems she would have had an epipen with her since she was walking
outdoors.
 
Of course, sometimes
people have serious reactions when they have had only mild ones before…”

Ken Parker
interrupted, “We spoke with her parents. They confirmed the allergy and said
she generally carried a pen.
 
Guess
she must have left it behind this time—or lost it somehow.
 
It’s a really sad thing, but I did want
you to know the death was from a natural cause—it was an accident.”

Lin had to interject
another thought, “I guess it was a fortunate accident from the point of view of
the Sheriff—at least that’s what the morning paper implied.”

“You read that
article,” Parker responded. “Well, I was still in school when Liz Frazier was
murdered but it was a big story around here and every indication pointed to
Dorrie being the one responsible.
 
I
think the Sheriff will probably close the case on the Frazier killing now.”

“I suppose so,”
Lin responded. “Well, I do appreciate your call.”
 
She moved to end the conversation.

“One more
thing, before you hang up,” Parker stopped her. “ Sheriff Midgett told me to
ask if you could give him a call.
 
He has a favor to ask, he said.”

Lin was
puzzled, “Sure, I’ll do that.
 
Do
you have the number? Can he be reached today?”

“Sure can,” Ken
responded, “He’s working in his office in Manteo.”
 
He provided the number and Lin thanked
him once more for calling before she hung up.

What could the
Sheriff want from her?
 
Lin wondered
as she dialed the number.
 

A deep voice answered,
“ Sheriff Pete Midgett, how can I help you?”

“This is Lin
Hanna.
 
I’m the person who found the
body yesterday.
 
Ken Parker asked me
to call you.”

“Yes, thank you
Ms. Hanna, I have a favor to ask,” the Sheriff responded. “Dorrie Johnson’s
parents are driving down today from Richmond to give confirmation on her
identification and make arrangements to have her remains returned to their home
for burial.
 
They are understandably
upset by all this and have asked if they might talk to the person who found
their daughter.
 
I think they just
need to fully understand what apparently happened—where she was, and all
that—helps to bring closure, you know.”

“I would be
happy to talk to them, but I’m not sure what I can tell them that they don’t
already know.” Lin offered, “Do you know where they will be staying and when
they might arrive.
 
I have to go to
Raleigh tomorrow and won’t be back until Tuesday.”

“I expect they
will be here by early afternoon and they told me they would be staying at the
Tidewater Inn near the waterfront here in Manteo.”

“I’ll give them
a call later,” Lin replied, “and Sheriff, could I ask to talk to you myself
sometime next week?
 
I found all of
this pretty shocking, as you might imagine, especially when I read in the
morning paper about Dorrie being a suspected murderer.
 
I would like to know more about that
story.
 
I need some sort of closure
myself, I suppose.”

The Sheriff was
silent for a moment.
 
Then he spoke,
“Certainly, Ms. Hanna.
 
I suppose we
could talk. I’m sure finding a dead body while walking your dog can be very
upsetting.
 
I’ll be glad to share
the story of the Frazier case with you—most of it is public knowledge
anyway; you, not being from this area, would have no knowledge of the story.
 
Why don’t we plan to have coffee next
Wednesday after you return from Raleigh?
 
Maybe you could meet me at the coffee shop on the waterfront in Manteo
about ten that morning.
 
I have an
early meeting which should be over by then.”

“Thanks,
Sheriff, I’ll be there and I will call the Johnsons this afternoon.”

“Thank you, Ms.
Hanna,” Sheriff Midgett replied, “I appreciate your help.”

Lin looked at
the clock.
 
It was still
early—too early to expect the Johnson couple to have arrived.
 
Maybe she should try that walk on the
beach after all.
 
Sparky would love
it and that might be the best way for her to straighten out her own
thinking.
 
She grabbed the leash,
called Sparky, and set out for the public beach access area nearby that Kate
had pointed out to her.

Soon Lin and
Sparky were strolling happily along the shore.
 
It was low tide and there were abundant
shells in small piles where they had washed in earlier.
 
Gulls and pelicans were evident, and Lin
even spotted the dorsal fins of a group of dolphins trolling along the
shore.
 
There was a fairly strong
breeze, but the sun was warm.
 
Lin
was glad she had a jacket with her.
 
After a bit, she unhooked Sparky’s leash and tossed a rubber ball she
had brought along for the dog to catch.
 
He loved doing that and scampered back and forth enjoying the game.
 
When he began to tire, Lin reattached
the leash and began to walk back toward the area where she was parked.
 
Having given most of her breakfast to
Sparky, she was beginning to be really hungry.

As she started
the Jeep and headed back toward home, Lin thought about how fortunate it was
that folks couldn’t own the beaches in North Carolina.
 
She had visited many places along the
coast where hotels and private owners were able to prohibit others from
enjoying the shore.
 
While it was
possible for private owners to control access points, such as stairs and
walkways to the beach, here that control extended only across the dune
line.
 
The actual beach belonged to
the public.
 
Most towns along the
coast provided public access paths and parking areas at various points so that
everyone could enjoy the seaside.

Arriving at
Kate’s house, Lin searched the refrigerator for some lunch.
 
She found some sandwich fixings but also
realized that she would need to go to the grocery when she returned from picking
up Neal in Raleigh.
 
Besides,
Thanksgiving was this Thursday.
 
She
hoped that Neal would be happy to eat out for the holiday meal.
 
She was in no mood to shop for and cook
a huge Thanksgiving dinner.
 
With
just the two of them it seemed easier to eat out.
 
They could cook for Christmas when all
her family would be around to help out and to eat.

A short while
later, having satisfied her hunger, Lin decided to call the Tidewater Inn.
 
The Johnson couple had arrived so the
operator rang their room.

A tired voice
answered. “ Matt Johnson, how can I help you?”

“Mr. Johnson,
this is Lin Hanna.
 
Sheriff Midgett
asked me to call you.
 
I’m the
person who found your daughter’s body yesterday. Let me say how sorry I am for
your loss.”

“Thank you Ms.
Hanna.
 
Sara and I are still in a
state of shock I’m afraid.
 
We did
ask the sheriff if we could talk with you but we must confirm Dorrie’s
identification this afternoon and speak with someone about when her remains
will be released and I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to try to
meet you today.” There was a deep weariness in Matt Johnson’s voice.

“I do
understand,” Lin sympathized, “ but I must drive to Raleigh tomorrow to meet a
friend at the airport.
 
I’ll have to
get away from here by late morning and I won’t be back here until midday on
Tuesday.
 
Do you know how long you
will be in town?”

“No longer than
we have to be,” Mr. Johnson sounded determined to tend to business and get
home. “ What if we could meet you for a late breakfast—maybe on your way
out of town?”

“That would be
perfect,” Lin responded. “ Would 9: 30 work for you?
 
I could meet you somewhere there in
Manteo.
 
It would be on my way.”

“Why don’t you
plan to come here to the inn?” Mr. Johnson offered. “They have a lovely dining
room on the water front.
 
I’ll look
for a table where we can talk undisturbed.”

“I’ll be
there.” Lin agreed. “Again, I am so sorry that this happened.”

She quietly
ended the call.
 
It was not hard to
imagine what these folks must be going through.
 
The young woman had appeared to be in
her late twenties—maybe her early thirties.
 
Lin’s own son and daughter were 32 and
30—close to the same age.
 
Lin
readily identified with the grief these parents must be feeling.
 
She was glad she would be able to see
them before she left to meet Neal.

Thinking of
Neal, Lin realized that she hadn’t talked to him all weekend.
 
Sure, she would be with him tomorrow,
but she felt the need to share her experiences.
 
She needed someone to understand her
shock at her discovery and at the story of murder which seemed to be unfolding.
Besides, she should touch base with him about his arrival time anyway.
 
She noted the time.
 
It was close to three.
 
That would make it almost one in
Flagstaff where Neal would be getting ready for his journey east.
 
Without hesitation she dialed his
number.
 
Unfortunately, she was
kicked to his cell’s voice mail and had to leave a message.
 
“Call me when you get this,” she said.
“I need to talk to you.”