The Precipice by Penny Goetjen

gate.
    “Well, hello, Elizabeth. You’re finally up and about.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m afraid you missed brunch, through.”
    “Oh, Rashelle made sure I didn’t. She brought a tray to my room.”
    Amelia chuckled. “What a good friend. She really looks out for you.”
    “Yes, she does. It’s great to see her—to see everyone.”
    “It’s wonderful for us to see you, too. It’s been a long time. We’ve missed you.” Amelia paused. She sensed she might be making Elizabeth feel a little guilty so she quickly changed the subject. “Let’s take a walk down to the light,” she urged as she closed the gate behind her. Elizabeth was always up for a walk, but this time she had a feeling that the conversation would not be pleasant. They started across the side yard toward the path to the lighthouse. The breeze off the ocean tugged at the brim of Amelia’s hat. She reached up and held it down with the palm of her hand until they reached the path where the trees protected them from the wind off the water.
    “Elizabeth, thank you so much for coming up on such short notice like this.”
    “Nana, I would do anything for you. You know that.”
    “And I really appreciate that. Things are somehow always better when you’re around.” They shared a smile between them. Amelia had a tired twinkle in her eye. “Elizabeth, I don’t know how much Rashelle told you last evening, but there are some things that are going on that I think you should know about.” She glanced over to see if there was a nod of acknowledgement from her granddaughter.
    “Shelle did tell me about the missing guest and, of course, the real estate attorney…”
    “Yeah, he’s been a bit annoying…rather persistent, that one. If I didn’t know better, I would wonder if the disappearance has anything to do with him. I have a feeling he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
    “Nana!” Elizabeth scolded. Her feet stopped abruptly on the path.
    Amelia stopped a few feet away. She turned back to see her granddaughter’s look of disbelief and disappointment. “Oh, I’m not entirely serious. He has just worn me to a frazzle. I don’t know where to turn at this point. He calls, writes letters. He won’t let up.” She grabbed Elizabeth by the arm and started her moving back down the path. “That’s why I asked you to come. I just need a little help with this one. It’s getting to be too much for me. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
    Elizabeth hated to hear those words. She knew they were true. She couldn’t imagine the inn without Nana. She couldn’t imagine life without Nana. She took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts out of her mind for the moment.
    “I’m a little concerned about this girl’s disappearance. With these woods and the rocks at the lighthouse…well, it just doesn’t seem like there could be a happy ending in all of this. It has already been since Thursday afternoon since anyone has seen her. What if one of the other guests did something to her? I can’t even bear that thought. I haven’t let Chief Austin near the guests yet. I really don’t want to involve them…upset them until we absolutely have to. Of course, he thinks I’m jeopardizing the entire investigation.”
    “I hate to say it, Nana, but he may have a point. If one of the guests did do something, he’s not going to stick around long enough to be interrogated the next day.” Amelia shot her a look of concern.
    Elizabeth suddenly wished she hadn’t gone so far. “But really, that probably isn’t the situation anyway. It may just be a matter of the girl wandering off, not knowing the area, and finding herself somewhere that she is not familiar. Thank goodness it’s summer so the nights aren’t terribly cold. It could be a lot worse. The Chief and his men will find her this morning. You’ll see,” she reassured her grandmother. She only wished she could believe her own words. She didn’t have a good feeling about any of