by J A Whiting
“Not yet.” Courtney slid some vegetables over the counter and handed her boyfriend a knife. “Would you cut these up to put in the salad?”
“Sure thing.” Rufus was an Englishman who had come to Sweet Cove to work with Jack Ford, Ellie’s boyfriend, in his law office.
Jenna’s husband, Tom, walked into the kitchen carrying a bottle of wine and a pack of craft beer. “Hi all. I found this guy outside skulking around,” he kidded and gestured to Jack Ford who was right behind him. Jack wore a starched shirt and his usual bow tie. This one was navy blue with red dots.
“I was doing no such thing.” Jack placed a container of homemade ice cream on the table. He looked over at Rufus. “How did you get here so quick? Did you skip out of the office early?”
“You’re just slow. Anyway, I’m younger than you. That makes me faster.” Rufus didn’t look up from cutting the vegetables.
“Maybe it’s time to reduce your salary,” Jack muttered to Jack as he went over to give Ellie a hug.
Jenna took the beer from her husband and put it in the refrigerator. “Libby okay?”
“Orla’s with her. She’s just putting her down,” Tom said.
The last person to arrive was Finch’s girlfriend, Betty Hayes, a highly successful Sweet Cove real estate broker. Carrying a pumpkin bread, the woman bustled into the kitchen like a whirlwind. “Am I late? It smells good in here. I was with the most difficult client. There’s something wrong with everything I show her. It’s becoming ridiculous. You can’t have perfection, for goodness sake. Buy something and make it your own.” She hurried over to Finch and smothered him in a hug, pulling the side of his head into her ample bosom. “But now that I see my sweetheart, Victor, my stress is melting away.” Standing over Finch, she kissed him on the head several times. “Such a perfect man.”
Finch blushed at the woman’s attention.
Josh came into the kitchen and greeted everyone. “Can I set the table? Gigi’s asleep in the playpen in the sunroom.”
Knowing it was Josh’s favorite brand, Tom opened a beer and handed it to his brother-in-law. “Come on, I’ll help you with the table.” When the men headed for the dining room, the cats jumped down and took off after them.
The food and drinks were brought to the table and everyone took their seats. The cats perched on the top of the tall dining hutch, but Violet was nowhere to be seen. Angie thought the dog stayed out of sight because people other than the sisters and Mr. Finch could see her sparkles.
“Have you heard about the missing woman?” Betty passed the basket of cornbread to Mr. Finch.
Angie nodded. “We did hear.”
Finch patted the woman’s hand. “In fact, Chief Martin asked some of us to visit the crime scene and give our impressions.”
Betty’s jaw dropped. “Why does he think you can help? I don’t understand it. Why does he ask for your help so often?”
Tom spoke up. “Mr. Finch and the Roseland sisters are very observant. They notice things that others miss. They’re also very logical and have strong reasoning skills. That combination has proven to be very helpful to the police.”
Circe trilled from the top of the cabinet.
“Aren’t the officers well-trained in those skills?” Rufus added some wine to his glass. “Why do they need civilians to assist?”
“They are well-trained,” Courtney explained. “But there are times when fresh eyes on a crime scene can discover things that were overlooked.”
“I sold her that house, you know.” Betty took a sip from her water glass.
“Who do you mean?” Angie questioned.
“The missing woman. Rachel Princeton. She seemed like a nice person. Nothing like this new client of mine.” Betty rolled her eyes. “It makes me shudder to think Rachel has been harmed. And right inside her own home, too. The home I sold to her. What’s happening to the world?”
“Crimes have been committed for thousands of years,” Jack said. “But news travels like lightning now. We hear of bad things happening all over the world and in a matter of minutes.”
Betty sighed. “Who would want to hurt that young woman?”
“What do you know about her?” Jenna asked.
Betty said, “She’s an architect. Her employer is located in Boston, but the architects could work from home. Once in a while, Rachel goes into the city for meetings. She wanted to live in a small town near the seacoast.”
“Did she have a partner?” Finch questioned.
“She didn’t. Not at the time. She wanted to make an investment in real estate, but she wanted a cozy home with some land and with easy access to the ocean. She fell in love with that house.” Betty shook her head. “If only she knew what was going to happen in there. She would have chosen somewhere else to live.”
“Did Rachel have any pets?” Jenna glanced at Angie before turning her attention to Betty from across the table.
“Pets?” Betty’s face brightened. “Why yes, she did. A small delightful dog. I believe her name was Violet. She was one of the few animals I’ve met that I liked.”
Euclid hissed.
Betty waved her hand toward the cabinet. “Oh, Euclid. Don’t take everything so personally.” She shook her head. “Why am I addressing the cat? He doesn’t know what I’m saying.”
Finch smiled up at the orange cat and exchanged a knowing look with him.
“What about family? Did Rachel mention any family?” Jenna asked.
Betty tapped at her chin, thinking. “Family, hmm, I don’t recall. I believe she grew up in New Hampshire, but I might be confusing her with someone else.” After a few seconds, Betty added, “Yes, I remember now. She did grow up in New Hampshire. Rachel told me there were more professional opportunities in Boston so she wanted to live within thirty minutes of the city because she had to go into the office once or twice a week. She also traveled for business and didn’t want to be too far from Logan Airport.”
“How long ago did you sell the house to her?” Courtney reached for an extra helping of Shepherd’s pie.
“Oh, let me think. I usually remember such things. It was two years ago, in the summer. She’s been living in the house for a little over two years.”
“It’s kind of a big place for only one person,” Courtney noted. “I wonder why she didn’t want something smaller.”
“Rachel loved the house, the location, and the privacy the lot afforded,” Betty said.
“Have you seen Rachel recently?” Tom asked.
“No, maybe a year ago. I ran into her at the market. Her little dog had passed away. She was feeling very low about it.”
“What happened to the dog?” Ellie questioned.
“Diabetes.” Betty sighed heavily. “I didn’t even know dogs could have diabetes. She buried her little friend in the town pet cemetery. I thought that was touching.”
Angie noticed Violet sitting in the foyer listening to the conversation. Her glowing particles seemed a little less bright. Maybe Violet is trying not to be seen.
Circe leapt down from the cabinet and padded over to the ghost dog where she gently sniffed her, and then sat down next to her.
Angie smiled at Circe for being kind to the dog.
“Why don’t we clear away the dishes and bring out coffee, tea, and dessert?” Josh suggested.
Everyone started to get up, but Josh told the women and Mr. Finch that they’d prepared the dinner so he, Tom, Rufus, and Jack would do the cleanup.
Angie went to the sunroom to check on Gigi and found her sound asleep. She tucked the soft flannel blanket around the little girl’s shoulders before heading back to the dining room.
A pie, a cheesecake, and Betty’s pumpkin bread were on the side table along with the homemade ice cream Jack had made, and Ellie was plating the desserts and serving everyone at the table. Courtney poured tea and coffee for whoever wanted it.
Jenna went to the kitchen to get some more napkins and when she returned, she was carrying Angie’s phone. “You had a call
from Chief Martin.” She handed the phone to her sister. “It ended before I could get to it.”
Adrenaline rushed through Angie’s veins as she excused herself from the table and went to Ellie’s office to return the call.
The others chatted together, but each one wondered what the chief wanted.
In a few minutes, Angie was back in the dining room. She looked at her sisters and Finch. “The chief wants us to come help him with something. There’s been a report that Rachel Princeton was seen walking near the highway.”
5
It was dark when Angie, Jenna, Courtney and Mr. Finch met Chief Martin at Rachel Princeton’s house. They didn’t go inside, but stood in the driveway to speak with the chief.
“Two different people called the tip line saying they saw someone of Rachel’s description walking near the highway. One caller reported seeing blood on a woman.”
“It must be her,” Courtney’s voice sounded excited.
“I don’t want to dampen any enthusiasm,” the chief told them, “but when a request goes out to the public about a missing person, we get a lot of calls and some of them are off the wall. If the person who called today saw someone who looked like Rachel and saw blood on her, why didn’t the person stop to offer help? Or least keep her in sight until an officer could get there.”
“I see your point,” Courtney nodded. “You get a lot of false sightings from nuts and crazies.”
“We get enough of them, yes,” the chief said. “So I’m skeptical. It is worth looking into though. We may get lucky. There are a number of officers patrolling around this end of town looking for Rachel. It’s dark and it will be very difficult to see. I asked you to come because I thought you might be able to sense which way to go. I also thought it might be helpful to meet here at the house … maybe being here might rev up your abilities. You know, like priming a pump. I really don’t know what I’m talking about. Do you feel anything?”
“Let us walk around for a few minutes,” Angie suggested. “Maybe we’ll feel something.”
“Okay. Before you wander off, the tire print you found in the dirt was from an F-150 truck. That’s helpful to know, but the F-150 is the most sold vehicle in the United States. Last year alone, almost a million of those trucks were sold.”
“So, not helpful,” Jenna said.
“We’re trying to find out if there were any deliveries made here over the past several days … supplies for some project, or maybe an electric company worker here to read a meter, a town property assessor looking around. Things like that. So far, there aren’t any links. We’ve talked to a couple of the neighbors. They didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but there’s a long driveway leading to the house so no one might have noticed a truck back here.” The chief took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. “Anyway, take your walk around and let’s see if you sense anything.”
Courtney and Finch wandered off behind the house while Angie and Jenna stayed in front.
“Do you think someone really saw Rachel on the road?” Jenna used a flashlight and stayed close to Angie.
“Probably not. It seems unlikely. Stranger things have happened though.” Angie held a flashlight, too, as they walked slowly around the yard in front of the house.
Fifteen minutes passed and Angie hadn’t picked up on a single thing. “I’m not having any luck. I feel like there’s something blocking me. Not much is moving freely on the air.”
“Yeah, I haven’t felt or seen anything that could be related to a paranormal phenomenon,” Jenna agreed. “Shall we get out on the road to look for Rachel?”
“Why not. No time like the present.”
The sisters spoke to the chief before heading to Jenna’s car. Chief Martin told them he’d call when Courtney and Mr. Finch came back and they were driving around. “Divide and conquer. Once we’re in the car, I’ll have Courtney call your cell phone. That way we can advise each other about what we’re seeing, or not seeing.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Angie agreed. “We’ll head toward the highway where the callers reported seeing Rachel.”
Jenna pulled out of the driveway and turned in the direction of the highway.
“It’s so dark.” Angie watched out the window. “I don’t know if this is going to work. If Rachel was just a couple of feet into the woods, we’d never be able to see her. But if she stands still directly under a streetlamp and waves at us, then maybe we’ll notice her,” Angie kidded.
“Or maybe not,” Jenna deadpanned.
“Do you feel we should go in a certain direction?” Angie asked.
“I don’t, do you?”
“No.”
“Here’s a different topic that’s been on my mind,” Jenna said as she made a turn. “Why can people who have never seen a single paranormal thing, suddenly see a ghost dog?”
Angie smiled. “I have no idea. Josh was baffled by it, and it made him sort of uneasy. He doesn’t know how to deal with it.”
“Sort of like all of us,” Jenna kidded as she turned the car on the road that ran parallel to the highway. “Remember how odd it all felt when our skills were just starting?”
“I sure do. It almost made me feel like I could be losing my mind. It was a weird mix of excitement and dread. I feel an obligation to use my skills to help, to be useful, to do some good. But I’m always sure I’m going to mess up.”
Jenna agreed. “And I wish they’d be more consistent. Sometimes, I feel really sharp and that I’m in control, but other times, I feel like I’m fumbling around in the dark.”
The sky was overcast blocking out any light from the moon and stars. “You mean like right now?” Angie grinned as she looked out into the dark night.
“Yes, literally and figuratively.”
Angie’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from Courtney.
“What’s cookin’?” she asked.
“Not a whole lot.” Angie told her sister where they were. “We haven’t seen anyone who looks like Rachel.”
“We’re driving along the country roads around Rachel’s house,” Courtney reported. “Then we’ll follow the road to the beach. I don’t feel anything and neither does Mr. Finch.”
“Too bad. I was hoping you were having more luck than we are.”
After an hour of driving around, the mission was ended and Jenna and Angie rendezvoused with the chief, Courtney, and Mr. Finch. They discussed the probability of Rachel walking around, injured and disoriented.
“The young woman would most likely have waved someone down,” Finch guessed. “Or she might have passed out and someone would have seen her. She could be in the woods, however.”
“Officers and dogs will search the woods tomorrow. Maybe we’ll get lucky,” the chief said. “Thanks for coming out. It was worth a shot.”
Jenna brought Angie, Courtney, and Mr. Finch home and then she went inside with them for a few minutes.
Mr. Finch was tired and wished the sisters good night before he headed to his apartment.
Ellie was eager to hear the news, and she deflated when she heard nothing had come of the search. “I’ve been sitting here reading. The ghost dog was with me for most of the evening. She seems very sweet.”
“Where is she now?” Courtney asked.
“She left the room a few minutes ago with Circe. They’re around here somewhere.” Ellie looked at Courtney. “You need to have a chat with Rufus. He could see Violet’s particles. You should tell him.”
Courtney’s shoulders slumped. “I know. It’s just so hard to start a conversation like that.”
The three sisters explained how they’d told their partners.
“I was a nervous wreck,” Jenna said. “I was sure Tom would think we were all crazy. I thought he’d reject me. But he didn’t. He was intrigued and wanted to know everything about it.”
“Josh thought it was amazing,” Angie recalled. “He thought all of us were incredible.” She smiled, and teased. “Especially me.”
“
Jack was his usual analytical self. He told me he wasn’t surprised to hear we had paranormal skills. It all made sense,” Ellie said. “I think he’d suspected something was different with all of us.”
“How do you think Rufus will take it when I tell him?” Courtney asked.
“I know he’s smart, and he must know there’s more to the world than our five senses tell us there is,” Angie said thoughtfully. “Don’t underestimate his ability to believe in what he can’t see.”
Courtney took in a slow, deep breath. “I’ll tell him. Tomorrow.”
Angie decided to go up to her rooms. She tried to be quiet while she changed into her pajamas so she wouldn’t wake Josh. She slipped into Gigi’s room to check on her, and for a few minutes, she stood by the crib and watched her little one sleep, then she went to the living room and sat down trying to unwind before heading to bed.
It seemed like finding the ghost dog at the cemetery was weeks ago, but it had only been that afternoon. She thought about Rachel and what could have happened to her, and her heart sank with sadness.
A sparkling light caught her eye and she looked up to see Violet sitting on the floor by one of the easy chairs.
“Are you okay, Violet?”
The dog’s little tail hit the floor.
“We’re trying to figure out what happened to Rachel. It will take some time. As Mr. Finch always says, we haven’t been foiled by a case yet. We’ll do our best. I promise you that.”
Violet’s tail bumped the floor.
Angie tapped the cushion of the sofa with her hand. “Want to sit with me?”
The glittering particles moved across the room, and the ghost jumped up and sat next to Angie. She patted the dog, and despite feeling nothing but air, Violet appeared to enjoy the petting.
“Do you know where Rachel is?” Angie asked.
Violet only stared.
“Do you know if she’s alive?”
Again, Violet just blinked.
“It’s okay. I know you understand that Rachel is in trouble and that’s why you came to us for help. We’ll all figure it out together.”
Violet closed her eyes and snuggled next to Angie.
