by Olivia Swift
“I feel like I’ve jumped into a mystery story halfway through.,” the reporter told them. “The paper received word that Jeremy Swanson, the designer, was in the region to investigate a new ghost town. Then we have police and cold cases and ghost cats. No Jeremy Swanson. Please tell me what I missed.”
“The sad part is that the police told Rula that her cousin who disappeared ten years ago was the body discovered at the ranch.”
“That sort of rings a bell. I would only be eleven at the time but I can remember the talk about it. Marie, my sister would remember. I’ll check the old records at the paper later. I might call Marie as well.”
“The designer being here was a good story and the ghost town would be a scoop but the murder reopened.” He shook his head in wonder. “If I can break this when it all comes out, I would really appreciate the … chance.” He looked at them. “I would just love seeing what a séance was like. Please.” Magda looked at Sam and the others.
“Okay,” Sam told him. “Tomorrow night is the next séance and we never mentioned anything like that to the detectives.”
“We are going up to the ranch now,” Magda said. “Do you want to come and meet Jeremy?”
“Awesome. Wow!” the young reporter said. “Does a duck like water?”
They locked up and Bart followed them in his own car. There was tape at the entrance and one officer was stationed but he waved them through because Merle had warned him about visitors.
She and Branston came to the veranda to meet them.
“It is so sad,” Merle said to Magda. “How did Rula take it?”
“Stuck her chin in the air but grabbed Mikey’s hand. She’s gone to talk to her mom,” Magda answered. Bart had been taking in the layout of the ranch as he followed the others inside. It was an impressive sight with the individual bungalows sporting hot tubs and big decks for relaxing. The main complex now had a gym and a swimming pool. Merle had worked wonders in eight years and since Branston had become manager, things had just gotten better and better.
Bart stopped inside the door as he saw Jeremy Swanson. He was about to say something when he looked at Merle and she looked at him.
“Lord above!” Merle said.
“You can say that again,” the young man told her and they stared at each other.
“What am I missing?” Magda asked.
“Who is this?” Merle asked but walked towards Bart as she spoke.
“It’s Bart Marcato. I went to school with his sister,” Magda said. “He’s a local reporter but sworn to secrecy for the time being.”
“He has an aura around him of white tinged with blue.”
“And so do you,” Bart said. He held out a hand and Merle shook it. Then she introduced Branston and Jeremy came forward.
“Tell me about these auras,” the designer asked.
“I started out this morning just to see if the real Jeremy Swanson was in the area.” He pulled his sleeve up and displayed a wrist band. “I’m a fan.”
“Come and sit everyone,” Branston said and pulled some beers from the fridge.
“We explained to all of the visitors and apologized for the disruption, but I think they found it quite exciting -- as if we laid it on for them,” Merle said as she took a swig of her beer. “Auras,” she went on, “are the film around people that sort of reflect their personality.”
“You never told me that you could see them,” Branston complained. She smiled and nodded.
“Lots of folks can see them if they look a certain way,” Bart added. “Stare at the top of someone’s head until they sort of go out of focus. You often get a quick glimpse of color.” There was a small silence as the rest of them concentrated hard on looking at each other.
“Blue and green,” Sam said. “I saw that around Katie.”
“That’s right,” Merle told him.
“Really?” Katie said. “I am blue and green. What does that mean?”
“You are calm and artistic. Didn’t need an aura to find that out,” Merle laughed.
The aura exercise had made them all relax, and they sat and chatted about everything that had happened.
“Tomorrow night,” Merle said, “we will have to see if we can find out about Trisha.”
9
“Did you get any feeling about her before?” Magda asked Merle and Declan. They both shook their heads.
“Going again with more information might provide something different.”
“What happened ten years ago?” Declan asked. Magda thought back and looked at Sam.
“We were still in high school. Bart’s sister would remember that as well. Rula and I were always best friends.” She smiled at Sam. “Sam was often around as well but he was an annoying teenager.”
“What was she like? Trisha, I mean,” Bart asked.
“Lively. Good at sports. Popular. She had sandy red hair and freckles that she hated. She had friends that she trained with for athletics but the rest of the time, she was often with us.”
“It was after an athletics meeting that she set off for home and never arrived,” Sam added. “It wasn’t far, and she walked off in the direction she had done a hundred times before. Her mom started to call friends when she was late and eventually called the police.”
“I remember Marie saying that she wanted to go out and help search but my parents were too scared to let her go,” Bart said.
“Yes. Everyone was very frightened for a long time. The rest of us were ferried around in cars in case there was somebody lurking out there,” said Magda.
“Lots of people joined the police in searching everywhere but it all came to nothing. After months, they had to admit there was no trace,” Sam told them.
“I remember all the scare stories as well,” Branston added, “but everyone was questioned that had been in touch with her and there was not even one suspect. They decided that it must have been someone passing through and sheer bad luck because there was nothing else to think.”
“That was why we always had that sneaky thought that somewhere, she might be alive and well,” Magda said, “even though we all really knew it was unlikely.”
“Her dad was already married to someone else and moved a long way away and her mom died a few years later,” Branston finished the story.
“How sad,” Merle said.
“What about the séance?” Jeremy asked to change the subject.
It looked like the police would be finished with the crime scene later in the day Branston told them.
“We could set up the get-together for the next evening.”
“When they finish the crime scene, I can take photos of the site and work out what sort of place the ghost town was,” he added.
Bart jumped straight in. “I would appreciate watching how you do that and getting some background.”
“Another pair of hands would be useful for holding the tape and marking out the shape,” Jeremy said, “and at some time in the future you could write a piece for the website.”
“That would be interesting. Thanks. I’ll spend some time doing a bit of research as well.”
“I think I’ll leave the café closed today. I put a notice on the gate,” Magda said. “Take the day off, Katie.”
“Declan and I will finish what we were working on,” Sam told her.
“We are well along in our project. Will keep in touch by text and see everyone tomorrow night,” Declan added and stood up to go.
“I think maybe the police will start to ask questions about what happened ten years ago,” Merle remarked.
“But we haven’t thought of anything new and I don’t suppose anyone else has either,” Sam answered. “We’ll be finished early,” he added to Magda and the two men left to work. The others left as well except for Bart who stayed to help Jeremy.
“I’ll go home and call Rula,” Magda said. She gave Merle and her cousin a hug.
Bart texted his boss to say he was following a lead and then he and Jeremy went away together to look at the ghost tow
n site.
Magda sank into the sofa much to Alison’s amazement, as it was the middle of the day.
“Something must be wrong,” Alison said, and Magda told her the story of their friend and Rula’s cousin. Magda let herself shed a few tears. Alison came and put her arms around her.
“It is horrible to bring it all back. She was a lovely, happy girl who had her whole life in front of her.”
“At least you do know what happened to her and that will bring a sort of closure in the end,” Alison reassured her. “The police might actually find the culprit.” Magda nodded and wiped at her eyes. The cats all wandered over and joined them. Crystal and Jezebelle were vying for the best spot on her knee which brought a smile to her face.
“I suppose the police will ask all the same questions over again but there were no witnesses as far as we know.” Crystal stalked away to the other room and reappeared struggling to pull the Stetson that Sam had left in the kitchen. “Oh, Crystal. You are determined to tell us something about cowboys. We know there is a ghost town. There would be cowboys and gold miners there.” She retrieved the hat and hung it on a peg behind the door. Then she found the cat treats, handed them around, and the heap of cats settled down again.
“The ghost town has fallen into second place with this other discovery,” Magda mused. “Just having Jeremy Swanson visit would be a big deal on a normal day. Let alone discovering a real ghost town that is completely under the ground.”
“And real ghosts,” Alison added. “The man with the strange hat that wasn’t really a Stetson at all and the poor sad lady in her garden.”
“Tomorrow,” Magda remembered, “Merle says we should ask about Trisha. We can have another session to find out about the history of the place.”
Sam arrived home and pulled a beer from the fridge.
“I definitely need a drink today.”
“Have you heard any more details anywhere?” Magda asked him and he said that the local radio was rife with speculation about a cold case from the past.
“The police have kept the identity quiet but as soon as they start to ask questions, people will put two and two together.”
“Especially with the activity at the café and the ranch.”
“Well, I am going to have an easy night and not watch any news channels at all,” she sighed. “I will have to call Rula first.” As soon as she picked up her cell phone there was an incoming call from Rula. “I had the phone in my hand to call you,” she said. “How is Melissa?”
“Shocked and upset but her usual, practical self. She says we’ll arrange a funeral when the police say that we can. The local police came and asked her questions to pass on to Detective Southern. They were very understanding.”
“Are you coming back tomorrow?” Magda asked. “Merle says another session tomorrow night and maybe we’ll try for answers about Trisha. Can you manage that?”
“As long as we stick together.”
Magda told her about Bart and his auras. “You know he is Marie’s brother. He is desperate to get a scoop as a young journalist and we promised him the story if he keeps quiet just now. He told us how to see auras and Katie had blue and green because she was calm and artistic.”
“What did Jeremy think?” Rula asked.
“I think they are two kindred spirits. Bart went to help Jeremy measure the place up and says he will write for the website.”
“How can I miss so much in half a day? Anyway, we’ll be back around lunch tomorrow.”
“Stay safe, Rula.”
“Thank the Lord for Mikey,” Rula said. “I can sit in the passenger seat.”
Sam said that the job he and Declan were doing was finished and he would help in the café instead.
“Declan has a separate joinery piece of work for a couple of days. After that we can take some time to start the addition to the café.”
“I will start to think about the western-themed things to sell. It will take my mind off poor Trisha. I cannot believe that after all this time, her body was discovered.”
“Who was digging up her body?” Alison put her finger on what the police would want to find out. “If somebody was worried enough to come when it was dark and dig in the exact spot, they must have known what was there.” They looked at each other as the reality dawned that maybe it had been the murderer.
“That means,” Magda added, “that whoever did it is still around. Oh, Lord.”
“I think we always just thought that whoever had done it would have just gone as far away as possible,” Sam pondered.
“But it might even be somebody we know.” Magda shivered. “I hope the police do find out who did it. It stops you from feeling safe.”
“Like the detective said, things have moved on. The difference in what they can find out has gone up in leaps and bounds in ten years,” Alison pointed out.
Magda nodded. “DNA seems to be the biggest tool they have now. Maybe they found something in the debris from the soil that will give them a trail to follow.”
“In a way, whoever it was,” Alison added, “they were silly to draw attention to themselves.”
Magda shivered again and opened up her tablet. “I am going to search for things to sell in the shop. That will make me concentrate on something else.”
Alison said that she would make something for them to eat and Sam said that he would go and have a hot shower.
Things seemed very normal as they ate their meal and settled down for the evening. Magda showed them some models of miner’s cabins and log buildings made of porcelain and with flickering lights inside that looked as if there was firelight.
“They are lovely,” Alison agreed. Jezebelle came and put her nose over the edge of the coffee table.
“You cats can just stay away from my tablet for a change,” Magda smiled. Alison picked up Jezebelle, who for once, did not complain. Magda was looking at Alison holding the cat and was about to take a photograph on her phone when Crystal snuck up onto the table and swiped the tablet with one very well-practiced paw. It crashed to the ground and Magda gasped and shouted at the Birman who walked nonchalantly away without a care in the world.
The tablet was undamaged but right in the middle of the screen was a Stetson. It was an ad for genuine traditional headgear but a Stetson just the same.
“She is obsessed with hats,” Magda said grumpily. “Thank goodness the screen is intact.”
“Does anyone make miniature models of Stetsons for sale?” Sam wondered and Magda put that into the search engine.
“Yes, they do. Now that is a good idea, Sam.” She passed the screen to the other two to see the little resin models.
“What about truffle flavors?” Alison asked.
“Mmm. Mom’s apple pie, pumpkin pie, gold nugget, of course, and maybe ones shaped like Stetsons.” She added that she was going to look at the Jeremy Swanson pages because she thought that some of his patterns were themed. “Scarves, wrist bands and so on with a cowboy or horse motif would work.”
“Or whatever he produces from Katie’s flower designs,” Alison added.
“That has done me good to think about the new stock. I’ll talk to Jeremy sometime about it. When we have a world-famous designer, we might as well take advantage.”
Crystal touched the screen again and Magda warned her not to dare knock it onto the floor. The cat blinked at her with those remarkable blue eyes and gently swiped as if she really knew how to operate the thing. Another Stetson appeared.”
10
At the café the next day, Magda and Sam were very early because Rula wasn’t there to set things up. Katie and Rita arrived to help and they had curious customers in the door as soon as the place opened.
“Gonna be rushed off our feet,” Rita observed.
“We have enough stock, Katie. I think we all just serve and keep things going,” Magda told them. “Pity Josh left to go to college. He would have been a great help.”
“You have me. Stop complaining,” Sam told her as h
e tied a big apron around his middle. She kissed his cheek.
“A handsome man around is always good for business,” she smiled.
The regulars asked why they were closed the day before and had she seen the news about the body. It had definitely gone around that the discovery was at the ranch and quite a lot of folk asked if Merle was okay. People who knew Magda and Sam were genuinely concerned and asked about Rula. Most of the locals had put two and two together although there had been no official announcement from the detectives.
“She was a lovely girl. My folks lived near to them,” one woman said.
“She can at least be buried properly now,” her friend added. They more or less said what everyone was thinking but nobody mentioned that the murderer might still be around. Magda pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
Merle, Branston and Jeremy arrived late in the morning and there was a buzz of excitement in the café.
“I feel like a celebrity,” Merle remarked.
“I am a celebrity, darling and nobody cares,” Jeremy joked. He accepted a hot chocolate and went to look at Katie’s pictures hanging on the wall. Magda followed him over.
“Have you any scarves, bands, headgear or other items that feature cowboys, native Americans, Stetsons, horses and anything else along that line?”
“Do I sense a new customer?” He grinned and told her about the things that might sell for her. “I’ll send you a link for the entire catalog - and give you a good discount deal.” Then he paused and dragged out his cell phone. He showed her a photo of a handsome bare-chested male model that featured a black leather jacket and a matching very neat Stetson with his own design on the back of the jacket and on the band of the hat.
“Is that just too much for what you need?”
“It looks wildly expensive but absolutely stunning. Can we show the others?”
Branston took one look and said he would order both. Merle laughed and added that it was excellent. The customers were wildly curious and Jeremy did what he did well and showed them his other creations. He asked if they would like that sort of stuff in the new shop addition and there was an enthusiastic response.
