Christmas by the Sea (Haunting by the Sea Book 6)

by Kathi Daley

“No. I met them shortly before moving in with them. I was in an auto accident a while back and lost my job. I had no money and nowhere to live, but I met this guy in a bar. We got to talking, and he told me he had an extra room in the house where he lived and offered to let me stay with him and his roommates.”

  “And you became friends.”

  “We did. All four of my roommates are really nice, and I am happy for the roof over my head, but they are total slobs. I was recently given an advance on a potential settlement from a lawsuit I’m involved in and decided to use it to buy a small house, which is how I met Chris.”

  “Potential settlement?” I asked, even though I knew it was best to remain quiet.

  “The lawsuit from the auto accident I was in has turned into this whole big thing. I told my attorney that I just wanted him to settle since I needed cash to pay my bills, but he kept insisting that we needed to hold out for the big payday. When I threatened to find another attorney who could get me cash now, rather than later, he gave me an advance. It’s only a small portion of what he insists we can expect to receive, but it was enough to pay my overdue bills and find a place to live, so I accepted. I have a new job now, which helps with the day to day expenses.”

  Alyson looked at me after Holly stopped talking. I nodded. “Since you are trapped here in the Santa House, it seems to indicate that you died here. Do you remember coming here?”

  She looked around. “I’m not sure. I need to think about it. I do volunteer here a lot, so I have the door code. It’s warm and safe, so I suppose that if I needed somewhere to hang out for a while, I might have come here. But if I did come here, I don’t remember what happened.”

  “You had on high heels when we found your body. You couldn’t have walked here. Could you have called someone for a ride?” I whispered, hoping that no one would notice that I was talking to no one.

  She paused and then answered. “I remember being in the bar. I remember having a drink and talking to Dave, and then the next thing I remember is waking up here in the Santa House. I don’t know how I got here, but I do remember that when I woke up, no one was here. After a while, people started showing up. That was when I tried to speak to them, but no one could hear me. No one other than you and Alyson.” A look of panic crossed her face. “It’s important that I remember what happened to me. Right? That’s why you’re here talking to me. No one knows what happened, and you are hoping I do. But I don’t. I want to help, but everything is such a blur.”

  “Okay, just relax,” Alyson said. “Just let the memories come to you. Don’t try to force them, and don’t try to make sense out of what you remember. Just let them come.”

  “Okay.” She closed her eyes.

  Alyson continued. “You remember waking up in the Santa House. Now, try to remember how you got here. You didn’t have a car, so you must have gotten a ride. Try to picture yourself in the car. Try to focus on who you’re with.”

  “I don’t remember a car, but I do remember feeling sick. I was going to call a friend, but then I decided to call Uber,” she frowned, “but I didn’t.”

  “Do you remember why you didn’t?”

  She hesitated. “I didn’t have my phone. I remember wanting to call for a car, but I didn’t have my phone.” Her eyes flew open. “I’d left it here. I remembered that Owen had needed to make a call and his phone was dead, so I let him use mine. I must have forgotten to get it back.”

  “So, what did you do after you realized that you didn’t have your phone?” Alyson asked.

  “I asked Dave if I could use the phone at the bar.”

  “Dave is the bartender.” Alyson verified.

  “Yes. I told him what happened and asked to use the phone. He said I could, but then Rowen said he was heading out and offered to bring me back here to get my phone.”

  “And who is Rowen?”

  “He owns the bar.”

  “And did he drop you here, or did he take you somewhere else?” Alyson asked.

  She took a moment to consider her answer. “He must have dropped me here. I don’t remember him dropping me here, but I also don’t remember going anywhere else.” She paused. “I remember him offering to bring me here, and then I remember waking up, but nothing in between.”

  “And where were you when you woke up?” Alyson asked. “Where exactly?”

  “I was sitting in the Santa chair,” she said. “I remember waking up and feeling dizzy. More than dizzy. I felt like the ceiling was falling, and the room was closing in on me. I remember that I was terrified, and I felt like I needed to find a way to prop up the building before it collapsed on me. Things were moving and spinning, and I was pretty sure I was going to be sick, but then I heard voices coming from the other side of the door. I remember holding my breath as someone tried to open the door.”

  “Did whoever you heard have a key?”

  “There’s a keypad that must be accessed to get in. I remember that the person trying to open the door was having a hard time and had to try several times before the door opened. I remember being scared, so I ran and hid in the dressing room.”

  “Do you remember anything else?” Alyson asked.

  “I remember crouching on the floor in the dressing room. I remember listening as someone walked around outside the door to the small room. I don’t remember anything after that until the lady who cleans came in. I tried to talk to her, but she acted like I wasn’t even here. I thought that was odd but wasn’t completely freaked out until I realized no one could see or hear me. Not until Amanda came in, that is.”

  “Do you remember seeing your body at any point after you left it?” Alyson asked.

  “No. I don’t remember seeing my body, and I don’t remember what happened after I went into the dressing room to hide.” She looked at Alyson. “You said you could help me move on.”

  She nodded. “If you are ready, I can take you part of the way.”

  Holly looked at me. “This is really freaking me out, and there really isn’t a reason for me to stay. I would like to know what happened to me, but it sounds like it isn’t going to be an easy thing to figure out, and I really just want to forget about the whole thing.”

  Amanda placed a hand on her arm. “It is true that it may take a while to track down any clues that exist. And I agree that you should go if you are ready.”

  She looked at Alyson. “I am ready.” She turned and looked at me. “I hope you find your answers.”

  Alyson took her hand, and they disappeared. I wasn’t sure when Alyson might appear again. Sometimes these things took a lot of time, while other times, she returned fairly quickly. I felt bad that we hadn’t been able to give Holly her answers, but she appeared to be ready to move on, and there really was no reason to keep her from finding the peace she seemed to be seeking.

  Chapter 8

  Woody decided to close the Santa House and call in the crime scene unit. Now that we strongly suspected that Holly had died within the walls of the building, Woody felt it was important to go through the place with a fine-tooth comb, even though any evidence that may have existed was most likely compromised by this point. The parents and children who’d waited in line but hadn’t gotten to see Santa weren’t happy, but Woody did what he needed to do anyway.

  Trevor and I headed into town to have dinner and take the photos of the lights we’d come to take. It was difficult to transition from chatting with a ghost who’d recently been murdered to enjoying the Christmas festivities Cutter’s Cove had to offer, but once we’d been walking around looking at window displays for a while, we both started to relax.

  “There’s a line out the door at the toy store,” I said as we walked along the sidewalk that was lined on one side by festively decorated windows, and by trees decorated with white twinkle lights on the other side.

  “Christmas is just around the corner. Have you finished your shopping?”

  “I did most of it online this year,” I answered. “I do enjoy the hustle and bustle associated with h
itting the stores to look for the perfect gift, but this year things seemed busy. First, we had the cruise, and then there was the shooting of the social worker to help with. It’s nice to walk around and look at the lights and the stores without the added pressure of needing to find gifts. How about you? Have you finished your shopping?” I asked Trevor.

  “I’m actually making some of my gifts this year. Those I had to mail have already been sent off except the one for my father.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder. “That’s right. You told me that you were making a desk for Mac. How is that going?”

  “It turned out really well. I just have one final coat of clear lacquer to add, and it will be done. I think she’s really going to like it. I had to call Ty and ask him about the electrical panel. I wanted Mac to have all the plugs and ports she would need. He was actually very helpful. I’m glad Mac decided to take a chance and go out with the guy. He seems like a good fit for our little group.”

  “I agree. Ty is great.” I pulled Trevor into a candy store. “I’m going to buy my mom some divinity. Our cook used to make it every year, and I know Mom really looked forward to it.”

  “Does this cook still work for your mom?”

  “No. She passed away a few years ago. My mom has a meal service now. She goes out to eat a lot, and didn’t feel that she really needed a full-time staff person once Cookie passed.”

  “Your cook’s name was Cookie?”

  “Nickname. Her actual name was Ursula.”

  Trevor pulled out his wallet and paid for the candy. It was a nice gesture, but I felt like I needed to figure out a way so he wouldn’t pay for everything. I had old family money to draw on, which wasn’t likely to run out in my lifetime, while he had to work for every penny he had.

  “I need to stop by the clock shop as long as we’re here,” Trevor said after he handed me the bag of candy he’d just paid for.

  “Are you buying a clock?”

  “Actually, I’m having a watch repaired. It was my grandfather’s. My father always admired it, but it has been broken since before Grandpa died, so I asked my mom to send it to me. I’ve had it completely restored and plan to send it to him for Christmas.”

  “Aw. That is a sweet and thoughtful gift. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

  “I hope so. He’s a hard man to buy for.”

  “There’s a jewelry store next to the clock shop. I saw a pair of earrings in there a few days ago that I might buy for my mom.”

  Shopping with Trevor was really special. Walking hand in hand while we looked at the displays, purchasing odds and ends, and talking about Christmas dreams past and present was wonderful. As there had been all week, tiny flakes of snow were in the air. I knew the flurries wouldn’t amount to much in terms of additional snow depth, but it certainly added a festive element to the evening.

  Once I’d captured all the photos I wanted to take of the lights downtown, we headed toward the wharf. I wanted to photograph the nativity and the boats in the marina that many of the owners had lit up for the season, and then we planned to go to dinner at the restaurant at the end of the wooden structure. I was just finishing up with the last of the photos when we ran into Caleb Wellington and Chelsea Green. Trevor and I had gone to high school with Caleb and Chelsea, and while Chelsea hadn’t been one of my favorite people back then, she’d grown into a woman I liked and admired.

  “Isn’t the marina spectacular?” Chelsea asked, hugging Caleb’s arm.

  “It really is breathtaking. Will they do the Christmas Eve boat parade this year?” I wondered.

  “If the weather cooperates,” Chelsea answered. “So, I heard about Holly,” she jumped right in, the way she was prone to do. “I’m sorry to hear about her death, but it sounds like there are a whole lot of people who are happy that she’s no longer causing trouble for the town council.”

  “Town council?” This is the first I’d heard about Holly having a conflict with the town council.

  “Holly was injured in a hit and run last winter. She recovered and looked fine, but she almost died and was in the hospital for over a month.”

  “I heard that she’d been in an accident and was involved in a lawsuit, but what does that have to do with the town council?”

  Chelsea nodded. “The intersection where she was struck has a blind corner, and I will admit it has seen more than its share of accidents in spite of the yield signs warning motorists to slow down and proceed carefully. Anyway, one of the residents who lives in the neighborhood has been campaigning for years to have the intersection monitored with a traffic light. This particular resident has been insisting that it was only a matter of time until a serious accident occurred and that it was the town’s duty to take precautions.”

  “It does sound like the corner should have a light,” I said.

  “I don’t disagree, but the residents who live closest to where the light would be installed don’t want a light, claiming that a traffic light would shine in their windows and lower their property value. After Holly’s accident, one of those personal injury attorneys from Portland contacted Holly and convinced her to sue the town for a whole lot of money.”

  “Okay, that sounds bad, but not bad enough to kill someone over,” I said.

  “There’s more,” Chelsea said. “In addition to suing the town, the attorney who’d contacted Holly decided to sue each and every council member personally since the issue relating to the intersection had been brought up on numerous occasions, but no action had ever been taken. He claims that the council members were negligent, and therefore personally liable.”

  “Don’t council members have insurance for this sort of thing?” I asked.

  “They do, but this attorney is going for the jugular. If he can prove negligence, and he gets what he is asking for, insurance won’t cover it.”

  “So, with Holly dead, will the lawsuit go away?” Trevor asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Chelsea answered. “I know that the attorney trying the case was relying heavily on the jury feeling sympathy for Holly to get the settlement he’s looking for. To be honest, I’ve felt from the beginning that he was using her for a big payday and never really cared about her. I know the town tried offering Holly a settlement that would take care of her medical costs plus a reasonable amount for pain and suffering, and according to several people I’ve spoken to, Holly was happy with the offer and planned to accept it, but the attorney talked her into going for a big payday.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “You aren’t saying that one of the council members being sued is responsible for her death?”

  “What?” Chelsea looked genuinely shocked. “No. Of course, I am not saying that. All I’m saying is that the council must be relieved her testimony is no longer a threat.”

  Chapter 9

  After we’d chatted with Chelsea the previous evening, I called Woody and gave him a heads up about the lawsuit. He, of course, already knew about the case, which had been kept fairly quiet to this point, but like Chelsea, he didn’t consider any of the town council members to be suspects in her death. While I didn’t want to think that anyone on the town council would kill a young woman over a lawsuit, I couldn’t quite get the idea out of my mind that the litigation might still be at the root of whatever was going on.

  Trevor and I had enjoyed a nice dinner, but instead of talk of romance or even the Christmas holiday, most of the discussion had revolved around Holly’s death and the possible suspects that came to mind. We’d gone through and talked about each of the town council members separately. I’d been gone for a decade and only knew two of the seven. Trevor was familiar with all the men and women on the council and told me what he could about each of them. It seemed that those who ended up on the town council were individuals of wealth. I supposed I could understand the need to protect that wealth from an overzealous attorney, but to resort to murder? I certainly hoped that wasn’t what had occurred.

  Mac had texted and let me know that she planned to stay in Port
land for a few extra days, but would be home by mid-week. Even as I read the text, I knew that it was only a matter of time before she moved out of Cutter’s Cove and in with Ty full-time. I didn’t really blame her. Ty was a great guy, and there didn’t seem to be any reason for them not to continue to move their relationship forward. When I’d spoken to her about it, she’d assured me that she had no plans to move in with Ty anytime soon, but in my opinion, actions spoke louder than words.

  After I’d returned from walking the dogs, I decided to work on sorting the photos I’d taken yesterday. I had some with depth and feeling that I knew would work well, but I still felt like I was lacking that special something to tie them all together. When I got to the one I’d taken of the woman with dark hair, I added it to the folder with the other two photos. I wasn’t sure why I was so bothered by this woman showing up at three of the locations I had. She wasn’t doing anything suspicious in any of the photos, and there were a lot of people mingling around. It was probably just a coincidence that I happened to be snapping photos when she seemed to be looking in my direction.

  I wondered if I should call Donovan. Of course, even if I did, what would I say? There seems to be a woman showing up at the same Christmas attractions I’d decided to photograph. Even he would probably think I’d grown paranoid. To this point, the woman hadn’t actually done anything, so after a bit of introspection, I decided to wait and do nothing for the time being.

  Trevor planned to work a full day at Pirates Pizza today, so I was on my own. He had a manager that ran things when he wasn’t there, as well as a handful of employees, so he did have some flexibility, but since he was open from eleven to nine, Tuesday through Saturday, he had to cover the front at least part of the time. During the summer, he worked a lot of hours, but during the winters, he tended to cover the lunch crowd, and then he would work on advertising, bookkeeping, food orders, and other administrative duties while his manager ran the front from two to nine. The manager would then close and get things ready for Trevor to open the next day. There were exceptions such as last Saturday when Trevor worked the full day to allow his manager a long weekend off.