Edward's long, white fingers curled around his loosened cravat. He hung onto it like someone holding onto the edges of a towel around their neck. "That woman is vexatious. That woman with a hammer is extra unbearable."
Something suddenly occurred to me. I crossed my arms and stared up at him. "It bothers you to see a woman wearing overalls and slinging tools around."
"She can do whatever she wants," he said curtly. "But it is ridiculous for a woman to hold nails between her lips and saw wood in two."
I shook my head. "I'm a numbskull. Why didn't I think of this before? Your beliefs and opinions are still stuck back in the early nineteenth century."
"A much finer and more respectable time to live, obviously," he said.
"Yes, you were quite the model of respectability back then." It was a remark that would have been better left unsaid. Edward vanished, but I knew he was still lingering.
I carried my cup to the sink and kept talking to the empty room, knowing full well a certain pair of ears would hear every word. "What you did today was dangerous, Edward. You want me to keep your existence a secret, then you do something that can't be explained away by a sudden gust of wind or a dog." I finished rinsing my cup and put it in the rack. "It makes me worry that you are not just a lost spirit but a malicious one."
His image popped up right next to me. His unexpected popping in and out didn't startle me anymore. "What is this word, malicious? It doesn't sound nice."
"No, it's the opposite of nice. But you yanked a hammer from Ursula's hand and threw it across the room. Someone could have been hurt. Do I need to worry about you?" Deep down, I didn't feel the least bit threatened by Edward's presence, but I knew this line of questioning would bother him. Hopefully, it would make him think twice before pulling such a terrible stunt again.
He came close enough that I could feel the cool cloud atmosphere circling around him. "I would never hurt you, Sunni. Surely, you know that." His tone was so contrite and distressed it made me feel a twinge of guilt.
I smiled at him. "I know that, Edward, but what happened today—that can never happen again. I can't keep your secret if you make such a bold misstep."
His face dropped, and he coasted back to the comfort of his safe perch on the hearth. He looked truly sorry about it all. And now I had another zinger to throw out at him. I briefly considered holding the information back but decided just to go for it.
"Edward, you had a son. James Henry Milton was born on the third of October, 1817."
His expression shifted from disbelief to an emotion I'd never seen before on his face. "Are you certain?"
"Of course since I wasn't there I can never be certain, but I found a birth certificate. I have it if you want to see it. All the details and the time period match up. Bonnie had a baby boy. Your baby boy."
He dropped down from the hearth and paced, or at least his version of pacing where feet never touched the floor. "I have a son."
A knock on the door startled both of us out of the intense moment. Edward vanished. I caught my breath as I headed to the door. Whoever it was, they had terrible timing. The last thing I wanted was to drop the news on Edward and then leave him on his own.
Redford and Newman came charging up behind me as if they were ready to offer protection if needed. Only I knew what they really wanted was to be social. I peeked through the small window on the front door. It was Jackson.
I opened the door. "Jackson," I said still slightly out of breath.
He pulled his hand out from behind his back. He was holding a tiny Christmas tree decorated in foil wrapped chocolates and candy canes. "I thought since you didn't have time to put up a tree, I'd bring you one."
My mind was still on Edward, but I forced a smile. "Yes, great, a tree. I'll have no choice but to get in the spirit with a cute little tree in the house." My words sounded stilted, but I couldn't help it.
Jackson's own brilliant smile dimmed considerably. "Maybe I shouldn't have forced the tree on you. And I should have texted. I'm interrupting your evening." He turned to leave, but I grabbed his hand.
"No, you're not interrupting." I took hold of the tree. "I love it. Will it be considered bad manners if I end up eating all the decorations before Santa shows up?"
He smiled lightly. I was not myself when I answered the door and he sensed it. I stepped into the kitchen first and sucked in a sharp breath when I found Edward hovering in front of the kitchen window, staring out at the snowfall. I cleared my throat loudly and tilted my head asking him to disappear but only Jackson noticed.
"Everything all right, Sunni?" It was rare to hear Jackson call me by my real name.
"Everything's fine." I placed the tree in the center of my kitchen table and reached up to rub my neck. "Just a little kink from sitting at the computer all day." Not that I'd actually sat at the computer all day or even for more than an hour.
My gaze flicked back to the window. Edward was gone. He reappeared right behind Jackson with a glower that made me swallow hard. I attempted an imperceptible head shake to let my ghost know he needed to back off, but I quickly discovered nothing is imperceptible to a highly skilled detective.
"I should go," Jackson said. "I just wanted to drop off the tree."
"No, no don't go," I said far too abruptly, making the whole thing even more awkward. Edward wasn't leaving. I'd told him something explosive, and it was obvious that he needed to talk more about it. I rubbed my head. "You know, Jackson, I sort of have a headache."
"Yep, got it," he said rather coldly. "Sorry to just drop by. I won't do it again." He turned sharply. I held my breath as he walked right through Edward's image. He stopped and turned his head slightly to look back at the space he'd just passed. Whatever he felt, he shook it off in his rush to get out of my house.
I hurried after him. "Jackson, I love the tree. I do. It's just I'm—" I fell silent. How could I possibly have ended my explanation? I'm sorry but I have to provide some much needed one on one with my resident ghost who just learned he was a father? My heart felt like stone as I watched Jackson open the door.
"I'll see you later, Sunni." His footsteps pounded the porch steps as he raced down them.
"Jackson, I'm sorry. I'll talk to you tomorrow, all right?"
He didn't answer. I watched from the front door as he climbed into his car and drove away. My throat ached as I shut the door. I'd just blown it big time. I'd been trying to convince myself that a relationship with Jackson was the last thing I needed, but in truth, I wanted it. I really, really wanted it.
Chapter 32
It turned out Edward wanted mostly to sulk alone. He sat like a depressed gargoyle on the kitchen hearth while I stared at the sweet, little tree on my table. That was the end of it. I could sense the doom of a fresh new relationship as Jackson climbed into his car and drove off.
"You're sad," Edward said from his perch.
"Looks like we're both a couple of grim gussies tonight," I said lightly.
"I didn't mean to scare him away, but he takes a lot for granted always showing up here unannounced. In my day—" He started but stopped when I put up my hand.
"For the millionth time, this is not your day. In fact, your day is so far back in time, we call it history."
Edward pretended to brush invisible dust off his breeches. "I doubt you've actually said it a million times. That would be an extraordinary amount."
"Figure of speech. I was trying to convey that I've said it over and over, and you have ignored it over and over. And, yes, you scared him away, but I'm sure you won't have to worry about him showing up anymore because this time you or, I should say we, chased him off for good."
"Then he is a fool if he is giving up so easily on someone of your character."
I smiled at him over my tiny tree. "Thank you, Edward. That's nice of you to say."
He nodded politely. "Do you think he survived?" Edward lifted his face and looked at me. "Do you think little James survived infanthood, or, for that matter, childhood?
"
"I don't know for sure, but I can find out. I've got a contact for an elderly woman in Connecticut who knew something about Bonnie. It was her ancestors who took care of Bonnie when Cleveland sent her away." A yawn overtook me. "Excuse me. I'm pooped." I got up from the table. "I'm heading to bed." I just needed to say the word and Redford and Newman pushed up from their kitchen pillows and plodded down the hall to the bedroom.
"I'm glad I know now," Edward said before I disappeared down the hallway.
I peered around the doorway at him.
"I'm glad I know about my son. Thank you. And—you're too good for that wild haired man."
"You could have left it at thank you, but that's all right. Like I said, you won't be seeing him again."
Chapter 33
As tired as I was from the day, once I got into bed, I found my mind wouldn't rest. I walked to the dresser and picked up my laptop. I propped up my pillows against the headboard and sat in bed with my computer. I needed to get Jackson out of my head and decided to focus on the investigation.
After drawing out the diagram of the victim surrounded by the possible suspects and motives, I wasn't getting a strong sense from any of them. I was still leaning toward Danny, mostly because he gained the most from Evan's death. Still, it was hard to pin the label cold blooded killer on the man. He seemed far too kind and reasonable. But then I only knew him from a few casual chats. It was entirely possible there was a sinister, dark side to his character that he was great at hiding. How many times had I seen a news crew interview a killer's neighbor and friend just to hear them say, 'I had no idea. He was the nicest person. Always friendly'.
After piecing together my modern version of A Christmas Carol, one with a much more tragic ending, it seemed I had the important characters. But what about John Marlin, Evan's late partner? What were the circumstances of his death? I needed something to occupy my mind and hopefully make me sleepy, so I typed in the name along with Evan Weezer.
There were multiple entries. It seemed ten years ago, John and Evan were up and coming stars in the commercial real estate business. They'd worked on small projects, office spaces and industrial buildings for several years, but the sale that put them on the map was a massive multimillion dollar deal where a developer bought up an entire block of old stores to build a shopping mall. The pair must have made a fortune in commission on the deal.
I moved on to the next article that discussed John Marlin's untimely death. "Commercial real estate agent, John Marlin, was discovered dead in his bed at Jollyside Hotel. The coroner marked it as death by natural causes. Marlin and his business partner, Evan Weezer, were in town to finish up the last minute contract details on the future shopping mall in the center of town. His death did not impact the finalization of the deal, and the shopping mall will go on as planned."
Apparently, Evan wasn't too broken up about Marlin's unexpected death to put those finishing touches on the contract. The deal was not delayed and everything went through as planned, including the large commission, a commission Evan no longer had to share.
The next entry mentioned something about a lawsuit. I clicked on it and read the first line. "Aurora Marlin, widow of John Marlin, sues Evan Weezer for a commission that belonged to her late husband." I sat up so suddenly the laptop slipped off the fuzzy blanket covering my legs. I pushed it back into place and read the line again. How many Aurora's could there be in the area? I scrolled down and found a small, grainy picture that may or may not have been the woman running the festival's carriage ride. But my opinion was falling firmly in the positive match section when the article mentioned that Aurora Marlin was an accomplished equestrian and horse breeder. As I predicted, the lawsuit had to do with the last deal John made before his death. The judge ruled in Weezer's favor, cutting Aurora out of a large sum of money. Aurora Marlin also insinuated that her husband's death should have been investigated. Obviously angry and upset, she even suggested that the coroner was being paid off by Evan to say that John died naturally, in his sleep. According to her, Marlin had been in excellent health and was very fit. It did seem rather strange that a fit, healthy man would die in his sleep and right before he was about to get very rich on a business deal.
I sat back with a sigh. Had there been another suspect all along? I glanced at my phone on the nightstand. Under any other circumstance, I would have picked it up and quickly texted Jackson with the news. But something told me he didn't want to hear from me tonight. I couldn't face him not texting back. Chances were, his research team was already delving into the partnership and subsequent lawsuit. But did they realize that Aurora Marlin had been in town for the festival?
I reached toward the phone and then pulled my hand back. "Let him do his job and you do yours," I muttered to myself. And my job was to get a good story. It seemed I might just have stumbled onto one.
I closed my eyes and tried to picture the audience and the stage that night. I couldn't be positive but I didn't remember seeing Aurora anywhere in the crowd. That would make sense because she was busy with her carriage rides. However, her schedule might have allowed her to take a long enough break to stab the man who stole money she thought belonged to her. I would have been angry too. A decent partner would have sent John's half to his grieving wife, but nothing about Evan Weezer seemed decent. The only evidence I had placing Aurora at the scene of the crime was a single strand of straw, but that could have been carried in by the wind or even on someone else's clothing.
Another yawn took off in full glory before I could even cover my mouth. This new information had taken my mind off my troubles for the night. With any luck, I'd sleep well. I needed to get an early start in the morning. Tomorrow was the last day of the festival. Aurora would be packing up her horses and carriage and leaving town. I needed to strike up a conversation with her. The best way I knew how was to take a carriage ride through town. I had been daydreaming about a romantic carriage ride, preferably with a tall, handsome detective sitting next to me, but it seemed this ride, I'd be going it alone. Oh well, I was an independent woman who didn't need to depend on a man, even a particularly appealing man, to be happy. And if I solved the murder before him, all the better.
Chapter 34
I'd overslept and found myself rushing around to get dressed and out the door. It was strange starting the morning without Ursula and Henry. By now they would have been fighting over the toaster and the last cup of coffee in the pot. I hoped they planned to return, but for now, I couldn't worry about it. I had a murder to solve. I just wasn't sure how yet.
I was almost clear of the house when Lana's truck pulled up to the inn, only Chris was driving it. Mom climbed out with a big smile and her arms ready for a hug. The amber brooch dangled from her sweater.
"Sunni, you'll never guess my big news," she chirped as she ran toward me. Her arms went around me for a super tight hug.
"I know all about the amber brooch," I grunted through the hug. Her arms tightened more. It seemed her Woman's Club exercise class was doing its job.
"Isn't it stunning?" She released me and lifted the brooch without taking it off the sweater. "He had it hiding behind my dinner plate last night." Her smile nearly split her face in two, and her eyes sparkled like a little girl who'd just been told she was actually a princess of a distant country. Or at least that was the thing that would make my eyes glisten the way hers were shining. Even for my mom, it seemed an oddly, over the top reaction to a brooch.
Chris reached us. Mom quickly turned to him with a finger to her lips, silencing him. "I haven't told her yet," Mom said. She faced me again with eyes still sparkling. "It's cold outside. Let's go in and have some coffee. I have some news to tell you."
News to tell me. I'd been thickheaded or maybe that was on purpose. My gaze dropped instinctively to her left hand and there it was—the news yet untold. Mom was wearing a diamond engagement ring. She'd removed the single gold wedding band she'd been wearing all my life. I'd only ever seen her without it when she was stuffi
ng the turkey at Thanksgiving. Even then, it always sat nearby on a cup saucer waiting to return to its rightful place on her hand.
I was stunned into a sort of trance. I turned toward the porch. The three of us headed inside and to the kitchen. During the journey, I was trying to process how I felt about the news she hadn't told me yet but that was standing out like a black and white headline on her ring finger.
I'd turned off the coffee pot on my way out, but it was still hot. Without asking, I poured them both a cup and carried the coffee to the table where they'd sat down. The day before, Lana had given Mom and Chris a short tour of the work that had been done on the inn. I'd been at work, so Mom hadn't sat in my kitchen yet.
"I would love to have a huge kitchen like this." She smiled sweetly. "I don't suppose it's made you want to cook more?" she asked.
"I suppose not," I said almost curtly.
Mom tugged at one of the candy ornaments on the tree Jackson brought. Seeing the little spruce first thing this morning had made me replay the entire short visit in my head over and over until I had to force myself not to think of it.
"Maggie, I think we just stopped Sunni on her way to work. Maybe this can wait," Chris suggested. The man hardly knew me, but he could sense my tension, even if the woman who gave birth to me could not.
Mom waved her ringed finger. "Surely, she can spare a few minutes for something life changing."
I took hold of her fluttery fingers and did my best to admire the ring. It was far more flashy than her other jewelry.
"I guess congratulations are in order." A small noise hauled my attention away from the ring. I held my breath for a second, hoping that Edward wouldn't make an appearance. He would only add to the mix of my topsy turvy morning.
I did my best to look happy. Chris saw right through the act, but Mom twittered on with talk of a possible date next spring and where they would eventually live. Maybe I wasn't giving Chris enough credit for being a genuinely decent guy.
A Humbug Holiday Page 15
