Wilmington, NC 04 - Murder At Wrightsville Beach

bedroom, looked for something, then started fighting," I repeated.
    "I don't believe it. Why didn't you scream?"
    "I didn't know who they were. They could have been very dangerous burglars. They could have hurt me, Mel. I waited until they were gone, then I looked around. Now listen to this. One of the people was Devin."
    "Devin? Ashley, I don't know what is going on but why would Devin sneak into your room with another person? That just doesn't make sense. I think you were dreaming. Is anything missing? Was something stolen? Let's search the house."
    "No. Nothing was taken. But I know what I know. Devin Ballantine came into my room last night. You know that awful musk oil he wears? I smelled it near my door." I was hurt. She didn't believe me.
    "Well, for pity sakes, lots of people wear musk. Could have been anyone. Oh I know, this is what happened: Devin came in late, maybe had too much to drink, and opened your door by mistake. And then you dreamed the rest."
    I turned to leave, then warned, "I'm getting dressed for work. But when I get my hands on that Devin Ballantine, watch out. The feathers are going to fly, and they won't me mine!"
    Feelings hurt, I flounced toward the stairs, a regular drama queen. "Maybe I ought to move back to my house where people don't sneak into my room at night."
    Melanie followed me, an expression of disappointment on her face. "No, shug , don't do that. Please. I need you here. You're family. Are you coming back for dinner? Kelly and I thought we'd have a girls' night out. And we want you to come with us."

    Kelly, Melanie and I were shown to a table out on the deck at Bluewater Restaurant. Kelly had on dark glasses and her hair was piled up under a baseball cap, in disguise but still heads turned and people stopped talking. She and Melanie made a really striking pair, one red head, one platinum blonde, both long-legged in their shorts. I had felt like a fifth wheel around them when we were growing up and for a second I experienced deja vu. But I was no longer a child, I reminded myself.
    The weather was perfect, warm but a soft breeze coming off the waterway. The deck adjoined a boardwalk where yachts tied up. "I'm going to get me one of those," Kelly said, pointing.
    That reminded me of Devin and his story that he was here to buy a boat. "Why does Devin keep saying he's shopping for a boat but he never does anything about it?" I asked.
    Melanie and Kelly both gave me an odd stare but kept right on talking about yachts. It was the way they used to treat me when they were in high school and I was in grade school -- rendered me invisible.
    "Hey, guys, I'm not a little kid any more. I mean it. What does Devin do for a living? Anybody know? Every time I ask him, he just changes the subject. He's evasive." Just like his brother, I wanted to say, but didn't.
    Kelly had her face buried in the menu, hiding, when the waiter came to take our drink orders. Melanie ordered giant sized margaritas that came in goblets the size of soup bowls for herself and Kelly.
    "I'll have iced tea," I said.
    Devin had not been at the house when I got home from work. Neither had Mickey. Melanie said she'd been showing houses all day and assumed they were together because Mickey's car was gone.
    I gazed across the waterway to the Bridge Tender Restaurant where folks were also dining out on the deck and gazing across the waterway at us. Airlie Road with its huge live oak trees and set-back fine homes bordered the waterway on the mainland side. In the blue water, stunning white yachts lay at anchor. A breeze rippled the water's surface; a sea gull flew overhead and squealed a hello. This was glorious, as good as it gets, I thought as I sipped my icy margarita.
    And suddenly I was resentful. Why was I sitting here in this glorious place, on this glorious summer evening with my sister and her friend when I had a perfectly good husband who would not stay at home with me? Right now I was as mad as hell at men. At Nick for being away and not returning my calls. At Devin for sneaking into my room. At Mickey, well just on general principal. He was bad news. Mad at all men. Even Jon was acting weird.
    We'd put in a good morning's work at Kelly's house and at lunch time had taken a break and drove down to the riverfront for lunch at Elijah's. On the drive there I told him about the intruders in my bedroom and that I suspected one was Devin.
    He was as stymied as I was about why anyone would come snooping in my room. "I