by Marja McGraw
“I want to change shirts before we leave. In fact, I’m going to take a quick shower. It was pretty humid while we were working.”
“I’ll wait out on the porch with Bea.”
While I waited, I shared the box with our hostess. “I have no idea what’s in here, but hopefully we’ll find something that will help either us or Jack Fisher.”
“Are you at liberty to tell me about your meeting with him?”
“I can tell you this much. It appears that Bonnie may have been his grandmother. He has a personal interest in what happened to her. Beyond that, it’s up to him to spread the word.”
Bea took a sip of her iced tea, using the time to process the information. “Obviously, the man in the photos would have been his grandfather. They look so much alike.” After another sip of tea, she sat up a little straighter. “I’ve got it. Like I told you, there was a rumor that she disappeared for several months. She must have been having her baby. In those days it wouldn’t do for her fans to know she was pregnant and not married. Another thing is that if you look at the photos, she does appear to have put on a little weight when she returned.”
I smiled without replying, using one of her own tricks on her.
She seemed to be deep in thought and didn’t notice. “The baby’s father couldn’t have been a suspect because he’d joined the Army shortly before she disappeared and he was still gone when she died.”
“You don’t need me,” I said, “because you’re beginning to figure things out on your own.”
“Yes, but you can find out more, and you can put it all together. It would take me the rest of my life to fill in the puzzle. Maybe you’ll find something helpful in the box.” She shook her glass as though trying to keep the pieces of ice from sticking together. “Didn’t you say that the wooden box broke because you knocked it off a table?”
“Yes, but the lid is the only thing that broke. The hinges popped off when it fell.”
I dropped my eyes to the box that rested in my lap. It wasn’t a tiny box, and it could hold eight by ten sized pieces of paper. It was full. My gut told me this might be where Bonnie kept her most important items, both business and personal.
I’d soon find out.
Pete stepped outside and stretched. “That shower felt good.”
Bea stood and headed down the front steps. “Drive carefully. Portland traffic can be, uh, terrible, especially at this time of day. I’m going to see if the kids want to stay for dinner. We won’t have many more chances for family dinners. Oh, and I left a house key on the tray in case you come in late.”
“Thanks.” Pete picked up the key.
I held the car keys in my hand and Pete took them from me. “Let’s get going. If we want to eat, we don’t have much time.”
“Maybe Felicity and Stan need to stop to eat, too.”
“Okay, we’ll go straight to the airport. If they’ve already eaten, we can grab some fast food and eat on the way back.” Pete walked to the passenger side of the car and opened my door for me, something he only did on rare occasions.
I wasn’t sure what this occasion might be, but I climbed into the car and set the box on my lap.
Oh! We were on our honeymoon, such as it was, so he was being thoughtful. I smiled up at him sweetly and he closed the door.
While he started the car, I lifted the loose lid off the box and set it on the floor by my feet. I reached back and set my purse on the rear seat.
I started by shuffling through the papers to see how much I would be working with, and under a few pages I found a small notebook.
I was hooked as soon as I opened it and saw the words, “I’m in love, and it’s real. This isn’t Movie Love.”
Chapter Fourteen
The ride into Portland, Oregon, turned out to be very much like the drive we were used to in Los Angeles.
I was just starting to read Bonnie’s note pad when Pete slammed on the brakes. I could hear screeching tires. Looking up with my heart pounding, I saw that there was maybe in inch between us and the car in front of us. The driver of the car was shaking his fist at the cars in front of him.
Pete didn’t give me time to ask questions. “The cars up ahead slammed on their brakes. I’m surprised we didn’t hit the car in front of us.”
I could see he was shaken, too.
“I couldn’t see what caused the sudden stop.” His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
I set the box on the floor of the car, deciding to go through it later. Maybe I needed to watch the traffic in case Pete missed something.
Thankfully, the rest of the trip to the airport was quiet, or at least as quiet as it can be on a freeway.
We found Felicity and Stanley waiting for us. She’d gotten the arrival time wrong, so they’d been waiting for about half an hour. She hadn’t thought it would do any good to call us, so patience won out.
After hugs and handshakes, I asked if they’d eaten dinner yet.
Stanley looked pale. “No. I didn’t want to eat before we flew. I simply despise flying. It makes me so nervous. And sometimes a tad nauseous.”
“You did just fine, Love Bug. If you hadn’t stepped on that lady’s foot when we went through the line at the Los Angeles airport, we wouldn’t have been singled out for a search. It all worked out, though.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear any more of that particular story.
Pete helped Stanley put their luggage in the Jeep. “You really stepped on her foot? I thought those people stood on the other side of the….”
I didn’t hear the rest of his comment, but I saw him slap his friend on the back and almost knock him over.
I could also see him holding back a laugh.
Stanley climbed in the front with Pete and I sat in the back with Felicity.
We considered stopping at a Japanese restaurant for sushi, but Stan mentioned his nervous stomach and we changed our minds, stopping at a diner instead.
While we ate I explained the situation to our friends.
“May I see the note?” Stanley held his hand out to Pete.
Pete obliged him and dug the note out of his pocket.
I was somewhat surprised that he still had it on him. I figured he’d leave it in our room.
Guessing my thoughts, he said, “I figured Stan would want to see it.”
“Okay.”
Stanley read it and passed it to Felicity.
Her jaw dropped. “You can’t seem to stay out of trouble no matter where you go.”
Stan knocked over a glass of water when he reached for the note, which wasn’t out of the ordinary for him.
“Neither can Stan,” Pete said, grabbing a few napkins and mopping up the water.
Initially, Pete would make comments and Stanley would be embarrassed, but he’d grown accustomed to Pete’s teasing. They were good friends and Pete accepted him the way he was, nerdiness and all. In return, Stanley accepted my husband as he was. Theirs was an unlikely friendship, but it worked for them.
It was the same for Felicity and me, although we were similar in a lot of ways. We accepted each other for what we were.
Next to Pete, Stanley was a small man. He was maybe five feet and eight inches tall, and slender. He never would tell us his age, but I guessed him to be around forty. His thinning brown hair and size were all that remained of the old Stanley. When he met Felicity he switched from glasses to contact lenses and he began dressing differently, more stylishly. Even his posture improved. She had that effect on him, although she’d never asked him for changes.
Felicity is a hand, make-up and jewelry model, although she’s semi-retired since she met Stanley. Under five feet tall, she made me feel like a giant. Because of her height she didn’t do runway modeling. She was gorgeous, with long almost black hair and adorable dimples. I always said she reminded me of a little China doll.
She said I reminded her of her best friend. When I asked her who her best friend was, she’d said, “You, of course,” and laughed.
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She could be a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to be, which was seldom, and once again I was reminded that you can’t judge a person by their looks. She’d have my back if I needed her help, and I’d needed her in the past.
Stanley and Felicity were just as unlikely as a couple as Pete and Stanley were as friends.
I smiled at each of them, realizing how much I loved them.
Felicity raised her eyebrows, but I shook my head. It wasn’t the time to discuss friendship.
Stanley decided it was time to get down to business. “What have you learned to this point? The note which was left on your car must mean you’ve learned something of value to your investigation.” Stanley often had a way of speaking formally, but he’d been trying to turn himself into just one of the guys for a while.
Pete rubbed that nonexistent mustache again. “Honestly? So far we’ve learned more about bank robbers than killers.”
Mimicking Pete, Stanley rubbed his upper lip. “You know, in retrospect, you might want to think about that time we were searching for a lost treasure and someone overheard our conversation. Do you recall how they – “
“No, Stan. No one knows about the bank loot except us. Us includes Bea, her nieces and the one niece’s fiancé. This is a whole different situation.” Pete didn’t want to be reminded of the search for a treasure and all that went with it.
“I see.”
We discussed past cases, but nothing seemed to be similar to what we were working on.
The waitress brought our bill and there were four chocolate candies on the tray. I looked at them longingly. I’m admittedly a chocoholic, and I hadn’t had my fill over the past few days. The craving was strong.
Glancing up I saw three sets of eyes watching me.
Without planning it, all three people shoved their candies my way in unison.
“I love you guys,” I said, picking up the wrapped chocolates. “I’ll eat these on the way back to the bed and breakfast.”
We were walking out to the car when Stanley asked if there was a ghost in the house.
“Certainly not,” I said. “You know there’s no such thing as ghosts.”
“You may possibly know this, but I don’t. Have you heard or seen anything out of the ordinary?” The little man didn’t trust me on this subject.
“Nothing.”
Pete decided to step in. “Stan, there are no ghosts. We were asked to solve this case so that people wouldn’t think there are any. Bea doesn’t want ghost hunters to scare off her guests. We’re going to solve this and debunk any talk about ghosts. Got it?”
“I understand, but thought I’d check with you.”
On the drive back to the B&B, Pete and Stanley discussed work.
Felicity and I had other things to talk about.
“What’s this place like?” she asked.
“You’re going to love it. The house has character. It’s old, and it’s not one of those cookie cutter houses. I think it might have belonged to a farmer at one time. It went through a couple of other owners and then Bonnie Singleton bought it. It appears to have been a good-sized house, and Bonnie added to it in the thirties. You’ll like your room. Bea’s done a great job decorating the place. It’ll make you feel like you’ve gone back in time.”
“Bea?”
“She’s the owner of the B&B. You’ll like her, too, but remember to be somewhat careful about what you say. It seems like she hears everything. She always pops up with comments about what we’ve said.”
Felicity chuckled. “Oh, so she’s kind of like your mother?”
I nodded. “But without the moods, as far as I can tell.”
“And you found another hidden treasure?”
“Not exactly. We think it’s the loot from an old bank robbery. Bea’s nieces are researching both the robbery and the money. Most of it is paper money, but it’s so old that I don’t know if it’s worth anything or not. It’s been buried for over a hundred years from what we can tell.”
“So you’ve got some help already.” Felicity sounded almost disappointed.
“Sasha and Kimberly are Bea’s nieces, and Sam is Sasha’s fiancé. You’ll meet them, and I think you’ll like them, but they don’t know anything about investigating an old murder. You do, from working with me.”
We finally made it back to the B&B, and I wasn’t surprised to see Bea sitting on the front porch. She walked out to the car when we pulled up.
“Hurry and bring your things in,” she said, opening the rear car door. “Another five minutes and it’s going to pour.”
I glanced at Felicity. “It rains a lot here. It’s relaxing to sit on the porch and watch it come down.”
Stanley climbed out of the car and began gathering their luggage. I was surprised at how much they’re brought with them.
There was a loud crack overhead as lightning lit up the sky, accompanied by the inevitable thunder boomer.
It surprised Stanley and he jumped, grabbing another piece of luggage and running up onto the porch.
We followed him, but at a slower pace.
“I could swear I saw a woman looking out the window upstairs.” He set the luggage down and shook his head. “I thought you said there weren’t any ghosts. You said we’d be the only new people here tonight.”
Chapter Fifteen
Bea smiled at Stanley. “That’s just my niece, Sasha. She and her sister are staying here tonight. They want to get an early start in the morning.”
He looked relieved. “An early start? What are they going to be doing?”
“They’re looking for the murder weapon from Bonnie’s death. They may not find it, but at least it keeps them busy.”
She held out her hand.
“By the way, I’m Beatrice Helms.”
Stanley shook her hand. “I’m Stan Hawks and this is my wife, Felicity.” He pulled his wife to his side.
“Follow me and we’ll get you settled in your room. You’ll be across the hallway from Sandi and Pete.”
Picking up their luggage, the Hawks followed Bea inside and up the stairs.
I could hear Stanley asking questions.
“Sandi said there are no ghosts here. Is that true? None?”
“None that I know of,” Bea replied.
“And where…?”
I didn’t hear the rest of his question. Pete and I picked up the rest of the luggage and carried it inside.
“They’re going to be right across the hall from us.” Pete looked up the stairs.
“So?”
“So nothing kinky. We’ve got to keep the noise down.” He laughed at his own little joke.
I rolled my eyes.
We arrived upstairs just in time to hear Stanley say, “Here? In this room? We need a different room.” He picked up his luggage and walked out to the hallway.
I tapped Felicity on the shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Bonnie Singleton was murdered right here, in this room. Not that I’m superstitious, but I’m with Stanley. I think we’ll need a different room.”
I turned to Bea.
She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them to stare at me. “I’ve learned a lesson tonight. If anyone asks where the murder took place, I’m going to tell them I have no idea.”
It suddenly struck me. “I have an idea. Why don’t you let me and Pete move into this room? We’ve already decided we want to search the room where she was killed.”
“But that happened in the thirties. There wouldn’t be anything left to find after all this time.” Bea looked confused.
Pete looked at me like I’d had a brainstorm. “Not so. We found evidence in a house in a ghost town once. Anything is possible.”
“Besides, you’re already settled in your room.” Our hostess was trying to convince us not to change rooms.
“I think they’re right, Aunt Bea.” Sasha’s voice came from behind me.
I turned around and smiled my thanks at her.
“Welllll… O
kay. I guess it’s fine. I’ll help you move your things.” Bea headed for the doorway.
“Not an issue,” Pete said. “I can do it. You take care of Stan and Felicity.”
Bea showed the Hawks to a room across the hall and at the rear end of the hallway. Smart woman. She moved Stan as far from the scene of the crime as possible.
Sasha helped move the luggage. Kimberly joined us, introduced herself and helped move things.
Pete and I started moving our things to the other room.
I heard Stanley talking to Sasha in the hallway. “You must be the ghost I saw at the window when we arrived.”
She tipped her head back and laughed. “Yes, that would be me. I had a candle burning on the table in front of the window. The other lights were out. I can imagine how the glow from the candle must have made me look.”
“Frightening,” he said.
They carried the bags into the room.
Thunder broke the sound barrier overhead and the windows rattled, which meant the lightning had been very close.
Pete made a snorting noise behind me and I just about jumped out of my skin.
“Great night for a murder mystery, huh?”
“Really funny, Pete.”
“Okay, let’s get settled and start peering into dark corners.”
“You’re a real riot tonight.” I handed him some clothes and returned to the first room.
Bea met me in the hallway. “Okay, if you need anything tonight, you know where my room is.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
“My room is right off the kitchen. I’m a light sleeper, so don’t hesitate to knock on my door.”
“Thanks.” I watched her turn and descend the stairs.
I didn’t want to admit it, but Pete was right. It was a good night for a mystery.
That’s when I remembered that I’d left the wooden box in the car.
“I’ll be right back, sweetie.” I handed Pete my make-up case. “I’m going to go get the box out of the car.”
