“He’s an attorney. I doubt that.”
Garrett’s smiled widened. “That’s the difference between you and me. While you were fast asleep with visions of ghosts in your head, I was checking out Adam Taylor. He’s a real estate lawyer. Not a criminal one. If that’s who Lorna’s getting her advice from I’ve won the lottery.”
“He still went to law school.”
“He did indeed. Now I have a favor to ask you.”
“A favor?” I echoed. Now this had all of my attention. Garrett Jackson was about to ask me for a favor.
“A favor,” he confirmed. “Tyler has somehow gotten all caught up in the history of the town. He wrote a paper about it for school and now it’s all I hear about. He wants to join your ghost hunting club and I want you to talk him out of it.”
Now that I knew for sure that ghosts were real I couldn’t stand the thought of discouraging anyone who had an interest in the paranormal. I may not have seen a ghost yet but there was real hope that I would. If my best friend was to be believed, and I’d seen the Reaper robes with my own eyes, Ravenmist was chock full of spirits that wouldn’t cross over. Missy wasn’t happy about it, either.
“Sorry, can’t do it. And it’s not a ghost hunting club, by the way. It’s a paranormal investigation society. Ghost hunting sounds like we want to shoot them and mount their heads on our wall. We’re simply trying to communicate with the spirits of the dead.”
“And that’s not strange at all,” Garrett said sarcastically. “Do you even hear yourself?”
“I do, and once again I’ll say that I won’t discourage Tyler. If he has an interest he should be allowed to pursue it. It doesn’t hurt anyone. If he was interested in playing baseball would you ask me to talk him out of that, too?”
“Baseball is perfectly normal.”
“In this town so is looking for ghosts. In fact, we’re going to Missy’s bookstore again tonight. She’s been hearing voices and footsteps.” I grabbed a stack of messages and tucked them in my pocket. I’d deal with them in my office. One of them was from Missy and she’d be the first person I’d call. “Good luck talking a teenager out of anything. The more you tell him no, the more he’s going to want to do it. If I were you, I’d tell him that you think it’s all really cool so he’ll decide that it can’t be if you like it.”
I knew I’d messed up when the sheriff grinned in delight, practically rubbing his hands together like a villain in a silent film. Oh my stars, what had I just done?
“That’s a fantastic idea, Tedi. Not only will Tyler join, I’ll join up, too. It won’t be too much fun hanging out with his old man.”
Jackson Garrett on a paranormal ghost expedition? He’d scare all the spirits away.
Missy had to deliver a few rare books to a customer in a small town nearby and had asked me to go along. Desperate to get away from Lorna, Adam, and the rest of the suspects, I immediately agreed. We’d have a nice lunch at a cool cafe and then I’d return, hopefully in a better mood than I was right now. The thought of spending the evening with the sheriff had done nothing positive for my attitude.
But first I needed to make a quick stop at my parents’ house. Mom had sent me a text asking for my copy of the house key. I could only assume that she was changing the locks now that Dad was moving out. That seemed like overkill since no one in Ravenmist locked their doors often anyway. Besides, Dad was no serial killer or even a thief. The most he might do is pop by to borrow some spices for his famous chili.
To my complete and total shock, Angela Warner’s car was parked outside and there was a brand new For Sale sign on the lawn. Clearly, Peggy and Dan had lost their minds. Again.
Determined to stay calm, I found my mother in the kitchen with Angela and a platter of chocolate chip cookies. The house smelled delicious, which I assumed was the point. I’d read about the real estate trick.
“Hi, Angela. Nice to see you again. Mom,” I said sharply, nodding to Angela who was wearing her bright yellow real estate blazer. “Can I speak to you?”
“Nice to see you,” Angela replied with a smile, oblivious to my turmoil. “I’m glad to see you too. I’m working on some leads for us to go see.”
For a moment I’d forgotten that I was supposed to be looking for a new home but then I remembered to respond appropriately. “That’s great news. I’m looking forward to it. Mom?”
Peggy was paging through a stack of papers and studiously ignoring me but I wasn’t going to be ignored today.
“Mom?” I said again, a slight edge to my voice that even Angela picked up on this time, her smile dimming slightly. “I really need to speak with you.”
My mother set the stack of papers on the kitchen counter with a huff. “Fine, let’s go into the bedroom and talk.”
I followed Peggy into the large master bedroom at the back of the house before digging into my pocket and holding up the metal key that my mother had requested.
“I guess I know why you want this now.”
Plucking the key from my fingers, Peggy didn’t have the grace to look even slightly embarrassed.
“I was going to tell you today. I didn’t know Angela was going to have people looking at the house so soon.”
Someone was already interested in the house? How? It wasn’t like Ravenmist was a hopping, trendy destination. Jackson Garrett was pretty much the last person to move into town and before that it had been about six months or more.
“Someone is coming to look at the house? What are you going to do if they want to buy it, Mom?”
“Sell it, and I don’t particularly like your tone, Theodosia.”
My mother’s Southern accent was quite pronounced this morning which meant she was annoyed with me. Good. I was annoyed with her so we were a matching set. Peggy loved things that matched. Have you checked out the drapes and the throw pillows?
“Why do you want to sell the house?”
I tried to keep the frustration out of my tone. Peggy wouldn’t react well to it.
“Because it’s too much for me alone. Too much space, too much maintenance. I was thinking about moving into one of those cute townhouses on the edge of town.”
That’s where Garrett lived. Cookie cutter central. My mother had officially gone crazy.
“You hate houses that all look the same.”
Peggy laughed and waved her hand in the air as if I was simply being silly or talking nonsense.
“I think hate is a strong word. They’re not my preference but condos certainly have their uses. This way I can free up my time to have fun.”
Fun? My mother wanted to have fun? She was too old to be thinking about having fun. She could break a hip or something.
Okay, okay, my mother wasn’t that old. But when had fun become her priority?
“When you and Dad get back together, you’ll wish you hadn’t sold this place.”
Her smile dropped and she shook her head. “Honey, your dad and I aren’t getting back together.”
Of course, they were. They just didn’t know it yet.
“I get that you’re going through some sort of…midlife crisis, Mom. But selling the house isn’t the answer. We grew up here. We were a family here. All our memories are in this home. Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving. How can you turn your back on all of that?”
My voice had gone up at least an octave. I hadn’t realized how upset I was at the prospect of all of my childhood memories being sold out from under me like old paperbacks at a garage sale. Those memories had to mean something to her, too. Parents were always going on and one about the good old days after all, especially my parents. They didn’t trust anything made after the year 2000.
“I am not having a midlife crisis.” Peggy’s voice had risen as well. “As for memories, I am not the keeper of this family’s memory bank. We have videos and photos for that. If you’re so upset, why don’t you buy the house?”
“I don’t need a four-bedroom house.”
“Neither do I.”
I did
n’t make a habit of raising my voice to my parents or getting angry. Usually I didn’t have to. She and Dad had been fairly even-headed when I was growing up so I didn’t know what to make of this.
“What about Dad?”
“What about him?”
“Does he know you’re selling the house? He might want to buy out your share. He loves this house.”
My father had put in countless hours of work on this home and he’d always been proud of it.
“Of course, he knows. He doesn’t want it either. It’s too big.”
At this point, I truly didn’t know what to say. It was as if my parents were simply chucking out our family’s memories into the dustbin of history.
“I suppose my sisters already know that the house is on the market.”
“I was planning on calling them tonight.”
Aha. They were going to be upset. Or at least they should be.
“They’re not going to be happy, Mom.”
Peggy sighed and placed her hands on my shoulders. “It’s not my job to make you happy anymore. That’s your job. I understand that you’re upset about this. I truly do. But your father and I both want a fresh start. I would think you of all people would understand that. Isn’t that why you left Chicago?”
Darn it, she had me there. I had come home wanting a new start. Scratch that. I’d badly needed a new beginning.
“It’s just a shock,” I finally replied in a small voice. Guilt was quickly kicking in. I didn’t want my mom – or my dad – to feel badly. They were already going through enough. I might think the idea of a divorce was insane but they didn’t. One of us was in denial and it might be me. “I didn’t expect this. All of this.”
“I know, sweetheart. I am sorry that you’re hurting and I would like nothing better than to take all of that away but I can’t. Not this time.”
There was sorrow in her tone so now I felt even worse. My mother was going through a huge change in her life and I was acting like a spoiled brat. She didn’t need that.
“I just want you to be happy.”
Because I really did. I also wanted my parents to stay married. I wasn’t sure those two items could peacefully co-exist.
“I am happy,” she said with a huge smile. “I’m not going to pretend that all of this isn’t stressful. It is. But for the first time in a long time, I’m excited about the future.”
I couldn’t rain on my mother’s parade. I wasn’t that petty. At least, I didn’t want to be.
“We should go shopping or something,” I suggested. “Make it a girl’s day out.”
Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together. “How about a weekend in Chicago? We can stay in a fancy hotel. My treat. I know you don’t mind the city in small doses.”
I loved shopping in Chicago. I loved the food, too.
“Let’s do that.” I paused, remembering that I had a murder to solve first or Missy might go to jail. “Just as soon as this dead body stuff is behind us.”
“Is Sheriff Garrett close to an arrest?”
Not at all. He didn’t have a clue.
“I don’t think so but I would be the last person he’d confide in.”
“He’s a handsome man, sweetheart. You could do worse.”
“Why is everyone trying to fix us up into a couple?” I marveled. “We don’t even like each other.”
Peggy shrugged. “Hate is very close to love.”
“I don’t hate him. I’m indifferent. Besides, I don’t want or need a man in my life. They’re nothing but trouble.”
“The right man isn’t.”
Pardon me but taking love and marriage advice from my soon to be divorced mother didn’t seem like a good idea. To keep the peace, I took the high road.
“I’ll take your word for it. Now I do need to get going. Missy and I are heading over to Travistown. She’s delivering some books and we’re going to have lunch.”
“At the cafe on Maple? They make their own bread daily.”
They did, along with an assortment of desserts. The really fattening kind. We were heading into winter so I could cover a pound or two with a nice thick sweater.
Peggy walked me outside to my car as another vehicle pulled up in front of the house. Apparently, my heart could take two shocks in one day because I didn’t pass out when I saw Roger and Cherie get out of the car. What were they doing here?
“They’re looking at the house,” a cheerful Angela chirped from right behind me. She must have read my mind along with sneaking up behind me. Not cool. “They want to have a place in the country for weekends and holidays.”
“And they chose Ravenmist?”
“Cherie is very interested in the haunted history of the town.”
Many people were but they didn’t buy four-bedroom Cape Cod houses to indulge their fascination. It did occur to me, however, that neither were acting suspicious or guilty. If I’d killed a man in a little town that I was visiting, I sure as heck wouldn’t buy a home there and set up housekeeping. I moved the couple several notches lower on the suspect list. Their behavior simply didn’t fit with how I assumed a killer would act.
Or maybe they’re doing it to throw everyone off? That would be ingenious. Diabolical, even. Somehow though, Roger and Cherie didn’t have genius murderer written all over them. Still, it was an interesting development that they were shopping for homes.
Did the sheriff know?
Chapter Twelve
I spilled my tale of woe to Missy over iced tea and grilled chicken sandwiches on the most amazing homemade wheat buns. She listened sympathetically, nodding in all of the right places but I could tell she had something to say when I was done. I wasn’t going to come out of this unscathed.
“Give your parents a freaking break. You’re acting like a child.”
The wisdom of a best friend is a warm and loving thing. Sometimes.
“I am not acting like a child.”
“You are,” Missy shot back. “Are you listening to yourself? You don’t want your parents to get a divorce. I totally get that. No one does. But they’re not happy, Tedi. They don’t want to be married to each other anymore. Can you honestly tell me that you want them to stay married and unhappy so that you feel better about life? You’re all grown up and theoretically you’re supposed to understand the complexity of relationships by now.”
“I don’t want them to be unhappy.”
“Then back off and let them do this. You could be more supportive. You don’t want to wish you had later.”
“Do you hear a lot of regrets from people?”
I would imagine the Grim Reaper had a few stories to tell.
“A few. They rarely regret the things they do, only the things they didn’t do.”
“So that’s your advice?”
Missy dabbed her lips with a paper napkin. “It is. Grow up and be nice. It could be worse, you know. They could hate each other and be asking you and your sisters to take sides. That would be awful.”
That would be terrible. I loved both of my parents and would never want to take a side against the other.
“You’ve made your point,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll do better, I promise. Don’t you think I deserve a reward? Maybe cheesecake? Or a chocolate mousse?”
Missy’s eyes had gone wide and her hand flew in front of her open mouth. “Oh my god, I can’t believe it.”
She could have just suggested I skip dessert. She didn’t have to act all horrified. I wasn’t that out of shape. Geez, Louise.
“Okay, okay. I won’t have anything. Nice way to tell me that not only am I being a child, I also need to push myself away from the table.”
“Not you,” she hissed, leaning forward so only I could hear. “It’s him. The man that was arguing with Jerome Bergstrom.”
I immediately tensed and began to look over my shoulder but Missy grabbed my hand. “Don’t look. He might notice we’re staring.”
“Then don’t stare at him.”
Missy was stil
l looking. “I need to make sure that it’s really him.”
“Is it really him?”
I desperately wanted to turn around and see.
“It’s really him. What do we do now?”
Good question. Garett was twenty miles away and even if I called him, by the time he arrived the man could be long gone.
“We have to find out who he is. Get his name.”
Missy nodded in agreement. “Great idea. How do we do that?”
My friend sure had a lot of questions that I didn’t have quick answers to.
“Can I turn around and look now?”
“Okay. Drop your fork or something to make it look casual. He’s in the second booth from the back near the restrooms. All alone. Dark hair and blue jacket.”
I’m pretty sure I’d seen that move in several screwball comedies. It didn’t bode well for being undetected while sneaking a peek.
So of course, I dropped my fork on the floor and then exclaimed that I was so clumsy loud enough for the table next to us to hear. Bending down to retrieve it, I took a quick look at the man that we’d been wondering about and looking for.
He looked like any other guy.
Dark blue windbreaker, faded denim jeans, brown shoes. His sandy hair was clipped short and his face was clean shaven. He was just a regular, average man having a cup of coffee. No sign above his head declaring him a murderer, no menacing snarl, or evil eyes. In fact, he appeared rather harmless, his figure less than imposing.
I picked up the fork and placed it back on the table. “He doesn’t look like a killer.”
“They never do.” I must have looked surprised because Missy rolled her eyes. “What? I watch the true crime channel. I know what I’m talking about.”
“We need to get his name, or maybe we should follow him when he leaves.”
“Don’t look,” Missy whispered. “But he’s getting his bill now. He’s digging a credit card out of his wallet. I’m going to see what the name is on it.”
I didn’t even have time to respond before Missy was out of her chair and striding toward the man. My heart was in my throat and I wanted to call out to her to stop and come back, but I had to let her do whatever it is she was planning to do. Was she simply going to walk up to him and ask him his name? I wasn’t sure I could watch it all unfold in front of me but I couldn’t look away either.
Eat, Drink, and Be Scary (A Ravenmist Whodunit Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 7
