Wilmington, NC 04 - Murder At Wrightsville Beach

when they were young. He had wanted to paint her but she never would agree.
    Melanie and Aunt Ruby had gotten separated from me, lost among another group of mourners. I made the mistake of turning around to get one final glimpse of my mother's casket and saw that they were hastily lowering it into the ground.
    My legs folded under me, the sky turned black, and the earth rose up to meet me.
    When I came to I was lying in the backseat of the limo; Jon, Melanie and Aunt Ruby were on the facing seat. The air conditioner was turned high and the cold air helped. Through the windows I could see people staring, curious and concerned.
    "Let's get her home," Jon snapped to the driver. The limousine pulled away from the curb and snaked around the cemetery parkways. Then we passed through the big open gates. No one uttered a word as we drove back to Wrightsville Beach.
    Jon carried me into the house. Melanie and Aunt Ruby put me to bed. "She's usually so strong," Melanie told Aunt Ruby as they were closing my door. "She just hasn't been herself."
    "We'll call a doctor," Aunt Ruby said.
    "No!" I called from my bed. "No doctor. Just let me sleep a while. I'll be fine."
    "Okay, shug ," Melanie said and stepped back inside my room. "Aunt Ruby and I have to attend the supper the members of St. Anne's Guild are putting on at the church. We simply must go. Mama was a member, you recall, and many people are expecting us. They'll understand why you aren't there. And Jon's outside in the sitting room. He'll stay with you."
    "Okay," I whispered. "I just want to sleep."
    She left and I felt myself dropping into a dark hole. In my mind I was descending into the crypt with my mother and for some reason it didn't feel too bad.

25

    When I awoke darkness pressed against the windows. I remembered where I was and what had happened. I was starting to feel a little numb. The edge of grief was not quite as sharp as it had been, like a buffer zone had been erected between it and my emotions.
    I got up and went to the bathroom, then sat on the bed and swallowed some of the sweet iced tea Melanie had left for me on the bedtable . Sighing deeply I turned off the light and settled back on the pillows, remembering my dream.
    There was a soft knock and someone pushed my bedroom door open a crack. Light from the sitting room hit my eyes and I blinked.
    "Ashley?" Jon called. "I thought I heard you moving around in here. May I come in?"
    "Yes," I whispered. "Come in."
    He came in quietly, shutting the door behind him so that only a faint outline glowed around it. Then he crossed over to sit on the edge of the bed. I reached for his hand.
    "I need someone strong to hang onto," I murmured and started to cry. "I'm glad it's you and not Melanie. She's so worried about me, Jon. I keep feeling like I have to reassure her that I'm all right. With you I can let go, be myself. You're my best friend. You love me too."
    "You don't know the half of it," he said softly. "I love you so much it hurts. I can't bear to see you like this, in pain. I want you like you usually are, feisty, ordering people around, putting them in their place." He chuckled lightly and stretched out beside me, on top of the blanket. "I need to hang onto you too, Ashley. You're the strongest woman I know. I admire you so much."
    "Jon?"
    " Ssshhh , just listen to me. Let me talk. There are things I need to say, things I could never tell you before. But now, here in the dark, maybe I can. It feels right."
    "Jon . . .”
    "It's always been you, Ashley, ever since you returned home from college and I met you all grown up. Before that you were just Melanie's little sister, a cute kid. And then you changed into a woman while my back was turned. You have no idea how beautiful you are. Oh, I know, Melanie has always stolen the spotlight, but you, you're beautiful in a quiet kind of way that takes my breath away. I can't get enough of looking at you.
    "At first I couldn't tell you, didn't know how to make a move. We were working together. To you I was good old Jon, your work partner.
    "Then you meet Nick and a blind man could have seen how hard you fell for him. It was too late for me. I lost you before I even had a chance."
    "But what about Tiffany? What about your old girlfriend Christina?" I asked.
    "Well, what else was I supposed to do? You were in love with Nick. I couldn't spend my life moping around. I had to move on, find someone else to take your place.
    "But no one ever did. That's why those