“But I’m not talking to myself.”
“They don’t know that.”
Kane’s words stayed with me for the rest of the day. Even on my drive back home. Maybe he was right. But why did I have to change to accommodate everyone else? Shouldn’t they change and let me be myself?
Marmalade and Ebony greeted me and started meowing as soon as I opened the door. It seemed the two of them were in the mood for some wet food. I gave them some and watched as they munched away.
Gran came in not soon after.
“Your office is coming along nicely. It’s practically sparkling,” she said.
She put down some leftover bread from the bakery on the table.
I helped her put everything away.
“Yeah, now all I need is furniture.”
“There’s a good local shop in town. Mr. Finley makes all the furniture by hand.”
“That sounds nice, but I don’t think I can afford it. I’m going to go bargain hunting tomorrow probably.”
“Will that new boy you’ve been hanging out with be there?”
“He’s not a boy, Gran. He’s probably thirty!”
Gran laughed at that. “At my age, pretty much everyone is a boy or a girl. It’s just the way things are when you get older.”
I let that go. “We’re working on a case together. It’s nothing more.”
Gran didn’t seem too convinced of that fact but she decided to let it go, thankfully.
I helped Gran make some food and we ate it together at the kitchen table. Afterward, we settled in the living room with some cookies and tea and reruns of Murder, She Wrote on TV. It was actually one of my favorite shows ever. Maybe because I always associated it with spending time with Gran.
During a commercial break, Gran put the TV on mute and started to talk.
I breathed in hard. This wasn’t going to be as pleasant an evening as I thought.
“We have to talk about Sarah and Jonathan,” Gran said seriously.
“Do we really?”
“Yes, Meredith.”
The way she called me by my first name made it clear that she meant business.
“I already talked to Sarah today. She came over while I was cleaning my office and we had a nice chat. It’s all settled now.”
Gran looked dubious. “I don’t know if I believe you. I know you better than you know yourself and you’re not one to get over things easily.”
“That’s because you think I still have feelings for Jonathan. I don’t. I don’t care who he dates. As long as it’s not my cousin.”
“And there it is.”
“Am I so wrong for feeling that way? I mean, there must be a line drawn somewhere, right?”
“This is a small town and you know your cousin always fancied him since you were kids, right?”
I didn’t know such a thing. “No, she didn’t,” I said. “At least not that I noticed.”
“That’s because you were always in your own little world with your ghosts and your needs and desires. You didn’t have the capacity to see what was right in front of you. I saw the disappointed look on her face when Jonathan chose you.”
“I never even thought she liked him. She always said he seemed like a jerk…”
“That was her way of dealing with the hurt,” Gran explained.
“Why didn’t she say anything? I only said yes to him because he was cute and he was the only boy that didn’t look at me like I was a freak. It wasn’t like it was some great love story. At least not on my part.”
Gran shook her head. “That boy was head over heels in love with you. I saw him break apart once you left. He turned his focus on physical fitness and training for the police academy. Anything to get his mind off you. Why do you think Mrs. V can’t stand you?”
Gran wasn’t pulling any punches. I looked at the TV and saw that Mrs. Fletcher was back to solving the case.
“We’ve seen that episode dozens of times and you know it,” Gran said. “We’re going to talk about this whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t know what to say to any of that. But if what you’re saying is true, does Jonathan really love Sarah or is she his second choice?”
Gran looked away then. “I don’t know. He seems to care for her a lot, that much is certain. It took him a couple of years but he did get over you eventually.”
“I sure hope he did. I mean, I thought about him from time to time and I felt bad about how things ended between us, but I never really missed him, you know?”
“Maybe you should tell him that yourself.”
“No. That would only make things worse.”
There was a knock on the door then.
“You didn’t,” I said to Gran, giving her my most disapproving look.
“I did,” Gran said. “I don’t want my granddaughters fighting about this any longer. Everything needs to be out in the open. Secrets can eat you up and ruin people’s lives.”
“Gran, you’ve been watching way too many soap operas.”
“Perhaps, but I’m still right. Now go on and open the door before he leaves.”
Now the doorbell rang.
Did I really want to talk to Jonathan right now? I was kind of over talking about the past. First with Sarah and now with Gran.
Gran got up to open the door herself.
I stopped her.
“Fine, I’ll talk to him. But if it makes things worse, you only have yourself to blame.”
Gran smiled and sipped her tea and said nothing.
Nine
Gran made herself scarce as soon as Jonathan entered the house. I led him to the living room.
“We have to talk,” he said as soon as we were alone and I just nodded. Might as well get this awkward conversation over with.
I offered him some tea and cookies but he said he was good. I sipped my tea while Marmalade and Ebony greeted Jonathan. Little traitors.
“I just came to clear the air after last night. I talked to Sarah and she says you’re upset about us dating?”
“Not upset. Just shocked I guess. I’m over it now. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”
“C’mon, Meredith, I know you better than that. You’re definitely upset about something.”
“I guess I’m the only one who’s heard of lines that should never be crossed?”
Jonathan had a confused look on his face. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“The dating code or whatever. It means you wouldn’t date your best friend’s ex-girlfriend and you certainly wouldn’t date your ex-girlfriend’s cousin or sister.”
“Oh,” Jonathan got it now. “That’s not the way I look at it. Sarah and I are just two people that clicked after all these years. It’s not like I owe you anything. Especially after the way things ended between us.”
He was certainly right there. But Sarah…she should have known better. But if what Gran had said was right, Sarah probably had more self-restraint than anyone I knew. Was she really in love with Jonathan all these years without doing anything about it until just two years ago?
I looked at Jonathan. He was even more handsome now than before and his new buff physique definitely made him that much more appealing.
“You know, I think I’m fine,” I finally said. “It was a shock at first, I’ll admit, but this is a small town and you were two eligible people in the same age range. Something was bound to happen.”
Jonathan laughed. “You’re saying that like we’re on a deserted island and had no other choice but to find each other. I can assure you that’s not the case. I genuinely care for Sarah. In fact, I think she might be the one.”
“The one? I didn’t know you were such a romantic.”
“You would have known it if you had just paid attention. Anyway, I have to go. It’s been nice talking to you. I hope you don’t give Sarah a hard time because of this.”
I hated his condescending tone and now I was reminded why I left him in the first place. “Don’t tell me how to feel, J
ohnny.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” he said, completely oblivious to how he came across.
“Before you go, can you tell me anything about the case?”
“Not a chance. This is a police matter and you should let us handle it.”
“But you know I have a gift. I could be of use to you guys.”
Jonathan turned back. “I don’t think we need that kind of help.”
Just before he had a chance to open the front door and leave, I stopped him.
I put my hand on his but immediately took it away when I saw the look in his eyes.
“Sorry,” I quickly said. “But you were there when I talked to your parents after their accident…”
Jonathan wouldn’t even look at me now.
“I told you things only they could have known. You know I have a gift, so why not let me use it to solve this murder? Who knows, it might even help your career.”
Jonathan shook his head. “When you left I had to learn how to live without you. A couple of years ago, I finally managed that. I’m over you, Meredith. I don’t need anything from you, though I wish you the best.”
With that, he left. I watched him leave and then I closed the door behind him.
I didn’t want to admit it, but his words stung more than they should have.
Marmalade was all up in my face. I looked at the clock and saw that it was only five in the morning.
“Get off me, you furry creature!”
The cat just kept meowing and hitting her face against mine.
Was she hungry? I wasn’t really sure but I got up anyway.
I found Gran in the kitchen getting ready for another workday.
“How do you do it?” I asked as I gave the cats some wet food. I watched as the two cats munched away, their tails wagging. At least someone was enjoying themselves this fine morning.
“You should think about getting up earlier, too,” Gran said. “It’s good to get an early start.”
“And when should I go to sleep? At nine PM?”
Gran shook her head. “How did things with Jonathan go?”
“About as expected, which means horribly.”
Gran looked concerned. “What did he do now?”
“I’m joking. He was just being a bit of a jerk about my ghost-seeing abilities. Apparently, he’s used to life without me so he has no need for my gifts either.”
“Can you really blame him?”
“I guess not. I’m happy for him. And Sarah. I guess it will just take some getting used to.”
Gran said goodbye and shuffled out the door. Another busy day of baking was on her agenda. I was glad that she had something to look forward to at her age. I hoped that I was as active if I ever got that old, though it was hard to imagine.
I went back to bed and slept for a few more hours. There was no way I was getting up this early at my young age.
Around nine in the morning I was ready to leave the house. I said goodbye to the cats. I even caught a glimpse of Mrs. V staring at me through one of her windows. The look on her face wasn’t one of approval. I had it in my mind to cross the street and give her a piece of my mind but decided against it. I had a busy day ahead of me. First, I had to meet up with Kane and go furniture shopping and then I had to solve a murder if there was any time left over.
But first I drove to Homemade Delights and had a delight of my own with some tea. Gran was in a better mood than yesterday and her helper, Rachel, was there as well. Rachel looked like she was barely out of high school but she also seemed like a hard worker so that was good.
I waited for Kane to appear as I sipped my tea. I was trying to cut back on coffee but now I was already regretting my beverage of choice. Coffee you could drink by itself but tea you definitely needed a pastry or something to go along with it. I wasn’t sure if that was the best thing for my figure.
Kane’s van, which was unsurprisingly white, parked right in front of where my office was going to be.
He got himself a pastry as well. But he had the good sense to get a cup of coffee with it.
“What’s up?” He asked when he sat down.
“Everything’s down.”
“Really? What happened? Another murder?”
“Geez. I was just joking. Way to take it to a dark place.”
“My kind usually goes to the dark places. I’ve caught enough married people cheating on their spouses. My hope for the goodness of people is at an all-time low.”
“Don’t you think that’s kind of like a data bias?”
“A what?”
“You see what you pay attention to.”
“I guess,” Kane said. “Still, it’s a terrible world we live in.” Then he took a bite of his pastry. “Well, scratch that. There are still some things worth living for.”
I laughed. “I’m sure my grandma would love to hear that. Giving humanity its hope back one pastry at a time. Who knew the solution to world peace was here all along?”
I surfed the net on my phone while Kane finished his morning routine.
“Did you find any good bargain furniture stores?” He asked after wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“There might be one. My grandma told me about a locally made furniture store but sadly I can’t afford it.”
“There is a billionaire arriving to town soon if you haven’t heard. Better be on your best behavior.”
“Eww, what kind of woman do you take me for?”
“It was just a joke. Chill.”
“Maybe you should work on your jokes.”
I waved goodbye to Gran as Kane and I walked outside.
“I’m ready if you are,” I said. “Do you want to drive there separately?”
“Maybe we should do some measurements first. There’s no point in buying something if it isn’t going to fit.”
He was right. While Kane got a tape measure from his van, I unlocked my office. I was happy to find that it hadn’t been broken into. The cleaning supplies I was using were still there.
“Bored now,” Rebecca said as she appeared out of nowhere.
I nearly had a heart attack right then and there.
“Don’t do that!”
“Do what?” Kane asked, the tape measure in his hand.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I said to him. “And close the door behind you. I don’t want people thinking I’m crazy.”
“Too late for that,” Kane said as he went about measuring the door and then the space where my desk was going to be.
“He’s got a point,” Rebecca agreed.
“Anything to report?” I had sent Rebecca on a fact-finding mission earlier. Why do the foot work myself when I had a ghost at my disposal who could walk through walls?
“It doesn’t sound like the police know much more than we do. They’ve interviewed a couple of the people from that Keep Silver Bells Green group and they’re all saying the same thing: they had nothing to do with Bart Samuel’s murder. And from the sound of it, most of their alibis check out. A few of them were together so the only alibi they have is each other, though.”
“Hmm, interesting.”
“What are you blabbing on about now?” Kane asked as he looked up from the floor.
“I’m not blabbing. I’m talking to Rebecca. Apparently, the cops don’t know much more than we do.”
Kane grunted at that. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Did you happen to see Bart Samuel on your travels?” I asked Rebecca.
“No,” she said. I could sense some relief in her voice. It appeared that she had as much patience for the recently dead Bart Samuel as I did.
“I’ve got the measurements,” Kane said. He held out a piece of paper where he had written everything down. “I’m ready if you are.”
“Fine, let’s go.”
Kane drove because we decided that it was simpler if we just went by one vehicle. Rebecca was in the back of the van.
I peeked through the window to see what she was up to.
She put her head through the glass and smiled wide. “It looks quite cozy back here. I think Mr. Xavier has spent some nights back here.”
“Is it true?” I asked Kane. “Rebecca just said that it looks more like a home than the back of van back there.”
Kane laughed at that. “I’m starting to believe you can actually talk to ghosts. Is your ghostly friend hot by any chance?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, I use the back of the van to crash sometimes. Long drives between locations and stakeouts mostly. Why pay for a crappy motel room when I could be a lot more comfortable in my own van?”
I couldn’t argue with that logic. “So are you actually staying at an inn in town or was that just a white lie?”
“I actually am staying at the Silver Bells Inn. But only because Mr. Samuel paid for it when he hired me.”
We drove to the local Goodwill which surprisingly had some pretty decent pieces of furniture. I chose based on aesthetics and then Kane checked the measurements. In the end, I ended up getting a nice wooden table, a comfy chair and a bookshelf for next to nothing. Just as we were going out I spotted a filing cabinet that had a locking mechanism. I was sad to find out that the key was actually lost so I had to leave it there.
Thankfully, all my “new” furniture fit into the back of the van. Barely. Poor Rebecca had to sit up front with us.
Just as Kane was ready to drive us back to my office, his phone started to ring. It was an old rock tune that sounded awfully familiar.
“Yup,” he said when he answered. “Thanks. I’ll be right there.” Then he hung up and had a smile on his face.
“What are you so happy about?”
“A local reporter friend of mine called and said that there’s about to be a news conference at the town hall.”
“Why? Do the cops actually have something?”
“It’s not the cops. It’s Warwick Crane, the billionaire I told you about. Apparently, he’s in town and he’s not above making a splash.”
Ten
The town hall was packed. Not just with reporters but by local folk. Keep Silver Bells Green was also there, their animosity toward the billionaire about to take the stage not hard to miss.
Ghostly Apparitions (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 1) Page 6
