Ghostly Wedding (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 3)

by Aubrey Harper

  Just before reaching my office, I got a text. I thought it was Kane so decided to wait and see it while I was parked. To my surprise, it was actually my brother, Troy.

  “I’m at the airport. Pick me up! :)”

  That was just like Troy, leaving everything to the last minute. The nearest airport was a forty-minute drive away. I rolled my eyes as I texted him that I’d be on my way.

  “Thanks sis,” he texted back.

  Little did he know that I had our mother with me.

  “Why can’t he just take a cab?” My mother asked.

  “You know Troy. He probably doesn’t have any cash on him. I don’t know. I guess we’ll see when we get there. Unless you want me to drop you off at Gran’s?”

  She thought about it. “No, I’m good. I just hope he doesn’t make a scene.”

  The forty-minute drive became a thirty-minute one. What can I say? I was trying to spend as little alone time with my mother as possible. I kept the music fairly loud, for both our sakes. That didn’t stop her from asking questions.

  “What’s so wrong with wanting to know what my daughter has been up to all these years?”

  I gave Rebecca a look in the back seat.

  “I wish I could help you,” she said and shrugged her shoulders.

  “I don’t know why you care all of a sudden.”

  “Of course I care, you’re my daughter.”

  “Could we please not talk about this right now? I have to focus on driving.”

  “I’m surprised this piece of junk is still running,” she said.

  I couldn’t disagree with her there. If she wasn’t in town and I had gotten that text, I probably would have asked Kane to drive me in his van. But no way was I going to have Kane and my mother in such an enclosed space for such an extended period of time. The last thing I needed was Kane sharing all the personal details of my life with the mother who didn’t raise me. Well, as many details as he was privy to that is.

  We found Troy waiting outside the airport. I waved him over. He headed for the passenger seat but when he saw our mother, he decided the back seat would be more appropriate. In the process he managed to unseat Rebecca, who looked quite annoyed.

  Once she reformed, she sat next to him but kept as much distance between them as she could.

  “You just dissolved Rebecca,” I told him.

  “So sorry, I was in a hurry,” he said, though I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me or not. Though Rebecca did look a lot less annoyed now that she had a chance to look at my brother. He had grown handsome over the years.

  “Troy,” our mother said.

  “Mother,” Troy said.

  And that was their greeting. It could have been worse.

  “I can’t believe Sarah is marrying Johnny Valentine. I thought he was in love with you?” Troy said.

  “That’s what I said,” our mother said, but Troy just ignored her like she wasn’t even there. I felt a bit bad for her, but I can’t say it was totally uncalled for. Many times I wished I could do the same, but I was just too nice to go through with it.

  “That’s ancient history. I left Silver Bells and Jonathan when I turned eighteen. A lot can happen in a decade,” I said.

  “Sure can. But this? Seems a bit weird, is all I’m saying. But to each their own, of course. And she made you the maid of honor? The nerve.”

  “We’ve been really close since I came back to town,” I said. “And of course, we were close before I left. So it’s not that weird.”

  “Just keep telling yourself that. Please tell me you’re dating someone.”

  “She’s dating Kane, a local PI,” our mother chimed in. “He’s quite handsome.”

  “Good job, sis. Make sure you bring him to the wedding. Show Johnny what he’s missing.”

  Mother laughed and Troy laughed too. I guess they found common ground on that subject.

  “You two are awful. I’m perfectly fine with Sarah and Jonathan tying the knot. They’re a good match.”

  “Why? Because neither of them wants to leave Silver Bells and see what the rest of the world looks like?” Troy said.

  “There’s nothing wrong with staying close to family,” I was quick to say.

  “Then why did you leave Silver Bells then, huh?”

  “Troy, that’s not very nice,” our mother said.

  Before they could get into an argument about what’s nice and what’s not, I answered his question. “You know why, Troy. I was practically a pariah in this town.”

  “I remember that. I’m sorry I didn’t stay around longer to look after you.”

  He’d always been my defender against the bullies but he also always hated the place, so when I was old enough, he left. I didn’t blame him, though I did miss him and wished he had taken me with him on more than one occasion.

  “You broke Rebecca’s heart,” I joked. “She had quite the crush on you.”

  “Oh, Rebecca, ours was a love that could never be. I sure hope you’ve found yourself a man that could see you as well.”

  “She actually has,” I said. “But he went away too.”

  “You’re awful,” Rebecca said. “If I could safely fly out of this car, I would.”

  “I’m just joking,” I said to Rebecca.

  Mother and Troy gave me strange looks.

  “That’s right, I talk to Rebecca and I’m not going to hide that fact. Not anymore.”

  “As if you ever did,” Troy said. “You always let your freak flag fly.”

  “Don’t call your sister a freak,” our mother was quick to say.

  “It’s all right,” I said. “Freak. Weirdo. Nut. I’ve embraced them all over the years. Better than boring and normal is what I say.”

  “Touché,” Troy said. “You know, I was actually jealous of you when we were growing up?”

  “I didn’t know that. Why?”

  “Because you had access to this secret world that no one else did. I just wanted to be part of that world as well. I guess that’s why I’m in LA now, working on one horror film after another.”

  “Really?” Our mother said.

  “Really. I’ve been an assistant director on a few and now I’m trying to secure financing for a film of my own. Is that so hard to believe?”

  “No, of course not,” our mother said. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Well, I didn’t do it for your approval, so…”

  “Could we keep things civil?” I said. “Even Rebecca is looking uncomfortable.”

  “I’m still pissed about what you said about me,” she said.

  That might have been true, but nobody else knew that, so I just shrugged my shoulders.

  Troy and our mother relaxed. Knowing that even a ghost was possibly annoyed by their antics made them stop and think for a minute or two.

  “What happened to your surfing board business?” I asked.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I sold my share. It was never a passion of mine. Either way, I can’t wait to see Gran,” he said.

  “She can’t wait to see you either,” I said.

  Pretty soon, Troy was settled in Gran’s house as well. In all the commotion and arguments, I had forgotten to ask him why he just didn’t call for a cab.

  He looked around and made sure our mother was out of earshot. “Let’s just say that I don’t have money to throw around. You know how expensive LA can get.”

  “If you need any help…”

  “No, I’m good, sis. You always hear about struggling actors but struggling directors and filmmakers are also a thing in Hollywood. I’m getting by, though.”

  From what Troy had told me over the years, he was living it up in LA, but I guess things weren’t as idyllic as he had made them out to be.

  I dropped the issue because I knew he didn’t want to talk about it. I’d been in the same situation myself. Hence, why I was back in Silver Bells Cove, living with Gran to boot. Something told me that Troy would rather be homeless in LA than back in Silver Bells.

 
Once Gran was home, it was wonderful to see him and Gran reunited after all these years.

  “I need to fatten you up, my Troy-boy,” Gran said when she looked him over.

  “She said the same thing to me,” I said. “Just ignore her.”

  “I could never do that,” Troy said. “Feed me all the carbs you can find, Gran. I’ll just have to work it all out back in LA.”

  “It’ll have to wait until dinner. Your father is coming, so it’ll be nice to have the whole family here under one roof. There are some leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry now.”

  “I’m all right, Gran,” he said and headed back to his old room, which still looked pretty much as he left it.

  Pretty soon my father was going to be in this house as well, possibly with his new girlfriend. Things were about to get a lot more awkward.

  Six

  The family dinner went about as expected. The only bright spot was that my father had the foresight of leaving his girlfriend at the inn. He did promise to bring her to the wedding, though, since she was his plus one.

  By the end of the night, most throats were sore from yelling. Mother yelled at father. Troy yelled at them both. I yelled at all three of them. Gran yelled at all of us to act like a family.

  “You’re acting like you were orphans or something,” our father said. “While your mother and I could have been around more, we didn’t just abandon you. We had careers that took us out of Silver Bells.”

  Before Troy could start another shouting match, I spoke up.

  “We all have our versions of what actually happened,” I said. “Arguing about it won’t make us agree so let’s just agree to disagree.”

  Troy finished his beer. “I think I need another one.”

  Gran shook her head. “You’ve already had more than enough,” she said. “If you want to get drunk, you’ll have to do it somewhere else. You know the rules.”

  “Sorry Gran, but I just need a little air,” Troy said and stormed out of the house.

  Our father got up, but I stopped him. I knew that would only make things worse.

  “I’ll go talk to him. Maybe I’ll even show him around town a bit,” I said. “Don’t wait up for us.”

  I found Troy on the front porch, looking out into the darkness.

  “They really get to you, don’t they?” I said.

  “How could they not? How can you remain so calm?”

  “I’m as frustrated as you are, but I’ve learned that they are who they are and that they aren’t changing anytime soon. I just let most of their comments slide off me now. I have my life, they have theirs. They’ve made their choices, Troy. Arguing about it won’t change anything.”

  “My little sister the mature one? What’s the world coming to?”

  I laughed. “I’m definitely not the mature one. But when it comes to this, it’s just not worth the energy. I’d rather make Gran happy than argue with them.”

  “You’ve gotta point there. So, what do the locals do here for fun?”

  “I don’t know about the locals, but there’s a new bar that opened while I was gone. I could take you there?”

  “Sounds like my kind of place.”

  I drove. Rebecca was in the back seat, looking content.

  “I’m surprised this thing is still running,” Troy said of my car.

  “Hey, don’t jinx it. I’ve been through a lot with this car.”

  He affectionately petted the dashboard. “Sorry, car, I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m sure you’re wonderful. Wait, do cars have spirits?”

  “Stop it,” I said, laughing through tears. “You’re gonna make me crash!”

  “Sorry, but it was an honest question.”

  “I’ve never met one, but then again, my car is still alive. Maybe when it dies?”

  Now Troy was the one laughing.

  “You guys aren’t that funny,” Rebecca said from the back seat. “Being a ghost is nothing to laugh about.”

  “Sorry, Rebecca, I’m sure Troy didn’t mean anything by it. Right, Troy?”

  He nodded and turned his head toward the back seat. “Still friends?”

  He extended his hand. Rebecca actually reached out and shook it, though her ghostly hand just went through his physical one.

  Troy took his hand back pretty quick after that and started to massage it.

  “Damn, that was cold. A chill just went through my hand.”

  “Did you think I was making her up?”

  “No,” he was quick to say. “But it’s one thing hearing about something and then actually feeling it. I’m kind of creeped out right now. Sorry, Rebecca, but it’s the truth.”

  Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. “The living are so weak,” she said matter-of-factly.

  I repeated what she said to Troy.

  “You’re a feisty one, Rebecca. Can’t believe I actually forgot that. But enough about me, what about you, sis?”

  “What about me?”

  “I saw you making those rounds on all those shows. I hear that there might be a show in the works? Maybe I could produce it and we could make millions.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, that’s not happening. I value my privacy and my integrity. The last thing I need is to become one of those celebrity mediums.”

  Before Troy could say anything to that, I parked in front of Sammy’s Bar & Grill.

  “Not bad,” he said. “Now let’s see if the interior matches the exterior.”

  Inside, there was some alternative rock playing.

  “Interesting,” Troy said. “Didn’t expect it but it’s a pleasant surprise.”

  “That was my first impression as well. I was sure there would be country music playing. Though sometimes there actually is, to be honest.”

  “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” we said in unison and laughed.

  “Back so soon,” Danny, the owner, said to me.

  “This is my brother, Troy,” I said.

  “Troy Good?” Danny said. “I remember you from school.”

  Troy nodded. “I wish I could say the same of you, but when I left this town, I kind of forgot all about it.”

  “First drinks won’t be on the house then,” Danny joked. Then he added: “They actually won’t be. You’ll have to pay.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I have the money,” I said. “But the next time I’m planning a party, I know what place not to rent out for the evening.”

  Danny sighed. “Fine. The first round is on me.”

  Once we got our drinks of choice, mine was sadly a Shirley Temple because I already drank some wine during dinner, we went back to catching up.

  “Anyone special in your life?” I asked him.

  “There’ve been a lot of special someones. But what about you? Who’s this Kane guy I keep hearing about?”

  “I met him while working on a case. He’s a regular PI. We worked on a few cases and one thing led to another and now we’re taking things very slowly. But that’s boring. I want to hear more about you. I want to know everything about your adventures in LA. And what really happened with that surfing business?”

  “I was actually telling the truth about that. What I didn’t say was that I mostly regret that decision now. Especially now that they’ve expanded the business to other states. Let’s just say, your brother could have been a very rich man. Instead, he’s a struggling artiste, suffering for his art.”

  “I’m sure you’ll get back on your feet. You always do. If you need a little help, you can always move back here and save up before making your next move.”

  “Sorry, Millie, but I’m never coming back here. Small towns are just not my thing.”

  “Don’t call me that. Only Gran gets to call me that, but even then it’s annoying.”

  “Damn, you’ve gotten quite sensitive in your old age. So now that it’s just the two of us, tell me what really happened with Jonathan. I thought you guys were head over heels for each other.”

  “We were. Jonathan more so than
me. But he wanted me to stay in Silver Bells and live a ‘normal’ life, his words, not mine. Pretty soon I realized that I could never be the woman he wanted me to be. I didn’t want to lead an ordinary life, I wanted to live an extraordinary one. Sure, it didn’t quite turn out that way, but I have no regrets.”

  “That’s good to hear. So you’re good with Sarah marrying the guy?” He said, one questioning eyebrow raised.

  “Yup. I wouldn’t be her maid of honor if I wasn’t. I even threw her a bachelorette party here the other night.”

  Troy didn’t look convinced. “Fine, I’ll change the subject, but just so you know, anything you say to me stays with me.”

  “I know that,” I said. “But let’s return to you. So you want to be a director now? Where did that come from?”

  Before Troy had a chance to answer, we were interrupted by a familiar face.

  “There you are,” Kane said. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything here,” he said, giving Troy a side glance.

  “You must be Kane, I presume?” Troy said. “Don’t worry, I’m her brother.”

  Kane breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too, man. But just so you know, if you break her heart, I might break you. It’s what older brothers are for, right?”

  Kane laughed, though Troy didn’t look like he was joking.

  “Stop it,” I said to Troy. Then I turned to Kane. “What brings you here?”

  He pointed to the bottles of alcohol. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “You take that PI thing very seriously, don’t you?” Troy said. “You’re practically a walking cliché.”

  “Thanks, man,” Kane said, the annoyance in his voice coming through loud and clear.

  “Don’t mind Troy, Kane. He wants to break into Hollywood.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t mean anything by it. I mean, I’m a walking cliché as well. Most of us are.”

  “Good save,” I said to Troy, who just shrugged his shoulders.

  “OMG! I knew you looked familiar,” a ditzy blonde came over to the bar. “You’re Troy Good, aren’t you?”