Case One ~ The Deceit (Trudy Hicks Ghost Hunter Book 1)

by Lori Zaremba

  “Why would you do that? No, forget I asked that.” Holding up her hand, Leslie took a deep breath as Trudy raised an eyebrow at her. “Remember why we’re here, Trudy. Come on. This is your first big job. Don’t get distracted.”

  “Do I look distracted?” Trudy looked back at the directions in her lap and finished putting the camera together. “I’m barely acknowledging you, as I am trying to get this place set up. Patrick!” she called, needing him to run two more cables down the hallway.

  Dana poked her head in the doorway.

  “Hey, girls, there’s breakfast in the kitchen.”

  “Good, I’m starved,” Trudy said, coming to her feet. It was a few minutes after eight in the morning, and she had been up for hours.

  “Trudy?” Leslie helped gather up the empty box and garbage from the camera, holding it wadded in her arms. “How was it?”

  Trudy’s lips curled into a smile as she took the wadded garbage from Leslie. She whispered, “Life-changing.”

  The look on Leslie’s face was priceless as Trudy turned away to deposit the trash in the hallway garbage can.

  Trudy looked at the grand stairwell and around the foyer, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the task that lay before them. I really should have brought a couple more people to help investigate.

  Patrick brought Trudy the cables she requested, and the two discussed a strategy for completing the main floor. They entered the kitchen, and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and bacon crisping made Trudy’s mouth water.

  “How do you like your eggs, Trudy?” Paul called from the stove where he was removing the bacon from a griddle pan.

  Trudy poured herself a cup of coffee and slid into a seat at the table. “I’ll have one over easy.”

  Paul handed her a plate, and Trudy gobbled up her egg, bacon, and a piece of home-baked bread slathered in butter.

  “Who baked the bread?” she asked Paul, and he winked at her.

  “Beverly did. She started in the wee hours this morning and made twelve loaves. She gave up trying to sleep. Baking is therapy for her.”

  “Well, you tell her she’s my hero.”

  “How did you sleep last night?”

  “Ummm…I slept, but to be honest, someone or something was dancing around me almost the whole night,” Trudy answered before taking another bite.

  “Dancing?” Leslie asked with amusement.

  “I know what you mean, Trudy. I had the same experience sleeping in that room. It’s like you don’t hear the music, but you feel like the music and movement are all around you.” Paul placed another slice of bread on her plate.

  “Yes, exactly.” Trudy winked at him in appreciation.

  “I didn’t hear or see anything,” Patrick said disappointedly. “How about you, Leslie?”

  “I am happy to report, Patrick, that I didn’t hear or see anything either.” She picked up her dish and carried it to the sink. “Paul, would you like me to load the dishwasher?”

  “No, you good people do what you need to do to get ready for tonight. I got this.”

  Trudy wandered around the first floor and caught up with Dana in the music room. She was sitting at the baby grand piano, her hands on the ivory keys.

  Trudy watched the serene expression on Dana’s lovely face, almost in a trance, as she started playing. At first, she hit a few wrong keys, but the notes started coming together in a melody that Trudy could recognize, Allegro. “Mozart?”

  “Yes, Allegro in B-flat. It was Vanessa’s grandmother’s favorite, and she would play it for her in this room,” Dana said.

  “I didn’t know you were such an accomplished pianist.”

  “I’m not very good at all. Vanessa is helping,” Dana explained.

  “Helping how?”

  “Her hands are on mine.” Dana smiled.

  “What? You’re in contact with her already? Has she told you anything?”

  “No, nothing like that. She’s just so attached to this home. Her energy is all around us. She’s not interested in talking to me…yet. I feel more like she wants me to know something or find something, someone. I’m still trying to figure it out.” She played a few more chords and looked thoughtful as the last note faded. “Vanessa is quite beautiful.”

  “Do you see her? Where is she?” Trudy spun around for a whole view of the room.

  Dana chuckled as she started playing her version of Chopsticks. “Yeah, I see her, right in that painting on the wall.”

  Trudy turned to the painting of a young woman sitting astride a horse. Trudy walked closer to study the portrait. “How do you know this is Vanessa?”

  Dana raised her brow. “Really? You need to ask me that?”

  Laughing, Trudy turned back to the painting and looked into Vanessa’s eyes. She was lovely, her bright red hair styled in the famous 1920s bob. Her skin was milky white, her slim figure adorned in a riding jacket and what Trudy would call a pair of knickers and tall, brown riding boots. The horse was a large black stallion with flashing eyes. They were glorious together.

  “Dana, I’m going to need you to take a nice nap this afternoon. We’re up for one long night, and I need you strong…are you hearing me?” Dana was so engrossed in a book she picked up that she appeared to have no idea Trudy was speaking with her. “Dana!”

  “This is Raul’s book.” Dana turned but seemed to look right through her. “Vanessa never returned it to him.”

  “Okay, who’s Raul?” Trudy came over to take the book from Dana’s hands.

  “One of Vanessa’s best friends.”

  Trudy turned to Dana. “You mean like her lover?”

  Dana giggled. “No, Raul was not her lover.”

  “Why is that funny to you?”

  Dana lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. The whole room is laughing about it. I think Raul and Patrick have a lot in common, if I’m reading this right.”

  Trudy looked around, wondering who was laughing.

  On cue, Patrick wandered into the room. “Why is the heat turned up so high in this house?” He wiped his forehead with a lime green bandana. “I’m sweating like a whore in church,” he exclaimed, putting his fist on his hip and tossing his head with exaggerated flair.

  Dana and Trudy both burst out laughing.

  They spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon setting up the cameras and doing EMF field sweeps. Trudy found she had some much-needed help in Tyler, Jason’s intern, when he was off duty and asked if he could help. She went over the equipment they were using, the infrared as well as the thermal imaging cameras. Tyler wanted to join them this evening, and she agreed. They set up the den behind the kitchen as their base camp, where they would store the backup equipment and where they would view the monitors for the cameras.

  “Okay, gang, that’s it. We’re ready. I think everyone should have some downtime, get some rest. It’s going to be a long night.” Trudy picked up a spare extension cord and handed it to Patrick.

  “What time do you want us back here?”

  Trudy checked her cell phone, trying to gauge how much time would be needed. “I’m thinking nine p.m. is a good time to start.” She headed down the hallway to the stairs and up the two flights to her room. She smiled when she discovered Jasmine climbing the steps behind her. “Are you coming to nap with me, baby?” She let Leslie know that the dog was with her and closed the bedroom door behind them.

  She stripped down to her t-shirt and panties and climbed between the sheets. Jasmine lay down next to her, and Trudy covered her with the blanket. She thought about Jason, and her hand automatically rose to touch the scar above her heart. She wondered what he would be like as a lover, a partner, as she wasn’t very good at relationships. She rolled over to get more comfortable, and even though she didn’t want to go there, her thoughts turned to her own failed nuptials.

  As her mind drifted off to sleep, she could hear a woman’s laughter somewhere in the house.

  She then realized that she wasn’t alone as she watched a beautiful
redheaded woman being spun around the room by a very tall, dark, and incredibly handsome man.

  “Vanessa?” she whispered, and the couple stopped their frolicking to look at her curiously.

  The man smiled at Trudy. “Go to sleep, mon chéri. We are just practicing our dance for the party.”

  Vanessa giggled, grabbing the handsome man’s hand and pulling him toward the door.

  “Sleep well,” Vanessa called, laughing as the man carried her through the open door.

  ***

  Trudy woke up a bit confused by her surroundings but relaxed when she realized it was only Jasmine’s snout buried in her neck. She couldn’t help but smile as she snuggled the big dog. “I could get used to you.” She giggled and kissed Jasmine’s nose, thinking dogs were so much easier than men. She slipped from the bed and was not at all surprised to see the bedroom door was wide open.

  Remembering the dancing couple in her dream, she scolded, “Next time, close the door behind you.”

  Trudy slammed the heavy door shut and shook her head, thinking about how many people might have walked past her room and seen her sleeping with the dog. Pivoting, she paused when she noticed the damn camera light, indicating it was on.

  “Bastard,” she swore under her breath as she marched toward the camera, still in her underwear.

  She whipped her finger to the lens as she deftly disconnected the battery pack on the back.

  Feeling liberated, and a hell of a lot less irritated, Trudy sent a text to her son.

  Trudy: Hi, honey. I love u.

  He responded immediately.

  Aaron: U 2…at practice.

  She sighed and grabbed a bottle of water from the little fridge in the dressing area and headed toward the shower. Taking a long drink, she turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature. Shedding the rest of her clothes, she climbed in and let the warm water revive her. She thought about the long night ahead. She hoped Leslie had rested, as she would be doing the first walkthrough with Trudy. She was relieved that young Tyler would be joining them tonight. Just from the events of the past two days, she knew Tyler would be a big help and able to step in for Leslie if she started feeling overwhelmed should the investigation become too intense. Ryan wanted to be involved for the next few days and nights, as he called her first thing this morning to confirm.

  She smiled at that as she reached down to turn off the water. Ryan had always been such a good friend. Trudy bent for one of the neatly folded fluffy towels under the vanity. Thinking of her jumbled linen closet at home, she would have to sew three together to make just this one.

  “Ahh…luxury,” she said, inhaling the soft fragrance of lavender. She briskly towel-dried her hair and pulled on her work jeans and a fresh t-shirt of lime green with a hot pink peace sign. She grinned, already imagining the look on Leslie’s face. She chuckled picturing what Leslie would wear for tonight’s hunt, probably an Ann Taylor silk blouse, linen pants, and those damn silver slippers she was so fond of.

  How different they were, even in grade school. Trudy was the typical tomboy in jeans and tennis shoes, her hair always cut short because it was too wayward for her mother to deal with every morning. Leslie, on the other hand, was the picture of female child perfection, always in a pressed dress or skirt, pristine white tights, with her long blonde hair the envy of all the mothers at the PTA.

  Leslie and Trudy started out at odds, but as time went on, Trudy learned Leslie had a devious side hidden behind her angelic features. They became the best of friends—blood sisters, in fact, with matching scars on their pinkies to prove it.

  Pulling on a headband to keep her hair out of her eyes, Trudy was ready to go. A shiver of excitement mixed with a moment of apprehension raced down her spine. She buckled a belt around her hips to hold various tools, flashlight, and batteries, and she headed out the door with Jasmine following close behind.

  She stopped on the second floor and pounded on Leslie’s door. “I’m heading down. Are you coming?”

  The door opened, and Trudy lost her speech for a moment. Queen Leslie stood there regally, blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail, her eyebrow raised and arms folded across her chest as she waited for a verbal reaction from Trudy. Leslie was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that sported a Pittsburgh Steelers logo and the popular number seven.

  “Jeans…you own a pair of jeans? Oh my god, are those tennis shoes?” Trudy couldn’t stop herself.

  “Shut up.” Leslie unfolded her arms and reached over to smack her lightly on the cheek. “Do I get one of those fabulous belts?” she said, eyeing Trudy’s tool belt.

  “Sure, I have one downstairs for you. I didn’t know you were a Big Ben fan.”

  Leslie gave a little chuckle. “I’d like to sack him a few times.”

  “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, cougar.” Trudy gave her a quick elbow and headed down the steps.

  Dana and Patrick were already in the kitchen devouring the pizza Trudy had ordered for the group. “Did everyone rest?” Trudy asked, picking up a slice.

  “I slept like a log,” Patrick said around a mouthful of pizza. “The only thing is I must have missed all the action going on around me.”

  “What action?”

  Patrick took a sip of his soda. “Well, I crawled in bed after I opened the windows because my room was kinda warm.” He took another bite of pizza, keeping them all in suspense. “When I woke up, I was roasting. The blankets were pulled up to my ears, the windows shut, and the curtains pulled closed.”

  “I’m sure you did that while you were sleeping,” Leslie said rationally.

  “No way.” Patrick shook his head. “Not even as a kid could I stand to sleep with more than a sheet on.” He wiped his mouth with the napkin Trudy handed to him. “Someone else did that handiwork.”

  They polished off one pie and left the other for a midnight snack. Trudy looked up at the clock on the wall just as Tyler knocked on the kitchen door.

  “It’s time. Is everyone ready?” Trudy pulled out a small notepad, checking her list and making sure she didn’t forget anything.

  “Leslie, here’s your belt. Make sure all your equipment is charged up. Patrick, could you hand me that DVR? Dana, you ready?” The psychic did a little dance as she nodded in reply. “You’re on the monitors, Tyler, with Dana for the first sweep. Then, later on, you’ll replace Leslie, okay?”

  “Can’t wait,” he replied.

  “Where’s Jason been hiding?” she asked Tyler as she checked that the monitors were working correctly.

  He cleared his throat. She noticed the red creeping up his face, and he avoided meeting her eyes. “He’s next door at command central, helping man the screens tonight.”

  Trudy started to turn to walk out the door, but Tyler couldn’t conceal his grin.

  “I think he wants to keep an eye on you.”

  She didn’t know how to respond, thinking of the kiss as well as her state of undress via the damn camera in her room. Feeling a bit embarrassed but seeing the humor in the situation, she chuckled and hastily made her way out the door.

  Chapter 5

  Trudy and Leslie started the investigation on the first floor, concentrating on the grand foyer, the parlor, and the dining room. Patrick followed and was filming with a night vision camera, as they were going lights-out and the whole house was cast into pitch darkness.

  “Trudy, could you please tell me again why we have to be in complete darkness?” Leslie angrily whispered as she bumped into the hall table.

  “Your eyes will adjust, Leslie, but the cameras we use are more likely to detect shadows and anomalies in the dark. Besides, you have your flashlight.”

  “Oh, yeah…” Leslie chuckled at her stupidity, and she quickly switched it on. “So what are we looking for in this part of the house?”

  “Beverly says someone touched her here, and she sees an old woman in the dining room. Paul has heard the dishes rattling in the china cabinet, witnessed candles blow out, so on and so on.�
� Trudy led them into the dining room while looking down at the thermal imaging camera in her hand. Not seeing anything unusual, she said to Leslie, “Why don’t we have a seat at the table and see if we can draw out someone with an EVP session?”

  “Sure, whatever you say, boss.” They chose seats at the opposite end of the table. Trudy laid out a digital recorder, as well as an EMF detector.

  “Hello, my name is Trudy, this is my good friend Leslie, and that’s Patrick in the corner making a movie of your house. We’re here because the Johnsons invited us to come and talk to you.”

  She paused, listening to the silence.

  “They think you’re upset because they moved in here. Is that true?” Trudy waited a few moments before speaking again. “You can tell me anything you want, but speak loudly so I can hear you.”

  “Why are you here?” Leslie asked impatiently from her end of the table.

  “Because it’s my house,” replied a faint, staticky female voice, then a lower male voice moaned.

  “What the hell was that?” Leslie said, jumping out of her seat.

  “That female voice came from right behind you, Leslie,” Patrick said, moving closer to where Leslie now stood.

  “You are correct. It is your house, but the Johnsons live here too. Is that why you’re trying to scare them?” Trudy said to the air. “Wow, the temperature has dropped in here.” She checked the temperature on her camera. “We’re down to sixty-five from seventy-two. Are you still here, Vanessa?”

  The silence was deafening as the temperature continued to drop. Trudy blew out her breath and watched it crystallize.

  A creak came from outside the dining room door, then Trudy heard what sounded like footsteps heading through the foyer.

  “This way,” Trudy whispered as she headed toward the sound. She abruptly stopped as she got to the base of the stairs, noticing the air charged with a familiar current.

  “Patrick! Get that damn camera out of my ass,” Leslie hissed.

  “Sshhh!” Trudy commanded as the fine hairs on her arms stood at attention and a deep chill swept through her. “What was that?’ She pointed her flashlight at what looked like a dark mass darting back into the dining room.