“Please continue,” Julian urged. He was beginning to get interested. He loved old cases that took a lot of work. After searching for lost things all the time, a twist was always appreciated.
“When he died, I became curious to see our family lineage since he was my only living relative. I traced it back to the private adoption, and when I dug even deeper, I found the law firm who handled it. Once I had a name, I contacted them. I was given a sealed letter which was left in a file when my grandfather was placed with his family.”
This was intriguing.
“And it said?” asked Tori. She hated to admit it, but if the woman traced it to a legal entity, Jamie might not be some nitwit trying to strike it rich.
“I have the letter.” She slid it across the table for them to read it themselves.
Gently unfolding it, Julian read it out loud.
May 1913
‘My beloved son, I wasn’t able to keep you for very long but please know that you were always in my heart. If you ever become curious and want to know about your past, look for the proof in the book. Nothing is what it seems.
I left you a trail.’
B.D
He carefully folded the letter. “This is great, but I don’t know that a piece of letter is going to stand up in court. Even if it’s on Hesser stationary,” he admitted.
She pushed further, hoping to sway them to dig into the case. “When I found that letter, I began my own research. In the process, I found that the family was seeking to hire a personal assistant to Ms. Lorelei Hesser. I applied and got the job.”
Tori stared at her. “So, you went in and have been snooping in the family’s private lives to find out if you’re an heir? You realize that’s not going to appear so nice in court, if you ever do get a chance to claim part of the inheritance.”
She stared at the redhead testily. “I’m not doing this for the money. I want to know who I am. I get paid really well to work for the Hessers and that’s great, but I feel like there’s a missing piece of me. I want to solve the puzzle, not increase my bank account.”
Tori didn't buy into the ‘missing piece theory’. She had been a Fed and a cynic too long to believe that. No one ever came out and admitted that they ‘really just want the greenbacks’. If the blonde thought she was selling that load of bullshit, she wasn’t.
“Tell us more,” Julian urged, trying to alleviate the tension between the two women. He could tell that their potential client was bugging his wife for some reason.
“Yes, Mr. Littlemoon. As I began working there, I found out some disturbing things. They had a servant who worked for the Hessers back around nineteen twelve. She was a rather young woman, who was no more than seventeen at the time. From what I could get out of the local historian, who wrote books on the Hesser family, that young girl, Bethany Duvaul, disappeared.”
Tori was going to play devil’s advocate. “The US Census wasn’t that accurate back then. Maybe she didn't really ‘disappear’,” she offered.
The woman continued, “Not only did she disappear, Mrs. Littlemoon, but before she went missing, she gave birth to a child, and the initials on the letter match hers.”
Okay, that was in the woman’s favor. Tori would give her that. Rarely were coincidences just that.
“Plus, there’s a family legend about Bethany Duvaul. She stole the Hesser family Bible out of spite and destroyed it. She knew that the authorities would take her to jail and punish her family, so she ran. That Bible was valuable to the family, and I don’t think it was stolen.”
Julian was getting it. “So, you want us to find a family Bible and locate the information that you believe is inside it?”
She nodded.
He glanced over at his wife. “Yeah, we can’t do that. There’s no way that we can wander around a private home and look for a lost book. No one is going to let us do that, especially if they find out that you’re trying to prove you’re an heir. I’m sorry, Ms. Montgomery, but your time here is done.”
The woman looked worried.
Tori held Julian’s hand in support.
“What if I can rectify that and make it incredibly easy for you to search the house and property without being seen?”
They all stared at her, waiting to hear how she was going to pull this one off. That was a pretty monumental task, especially for a young woman who didn't have the power of the Hesser name in her corner.
“As I said before, I work for Lorelei Hesser. Every year, she hosts a two week fundraiser party. She invites local investors to come and for a donation, they can stay at the estate and be part of the Kentucky Derby festivities.”
At the hint of horses, Tori’s interest was piqued. “So this estate isn’t around here?”
“No, it’s in Kentucky.”
Tori hated that the mere mention of the derby had her salivating. One of the loves in her life, other than Julian, was horses. God, she adored them!
Immediately, Christina pulled open her tablet and began working. At her whistle, they all looked over. “I don’t know if I’d call it an estate. It looks to be more like five estates all stacked together and lined up.”
She flipped the tablet around.
Yeah, they were all impressed, especially when they saw the donation that it would take to get them inside.
“Holy shit!” Kane muttered. “Is that in US dollars?” he asked. “Or yen?”
Jamie Montgomery laughed. “It’s US dollars, and before you ask, I already have a way to get you in without you having to make the donation.”
“Yes?” Julian asked, enthralled to hear this plan. It appeared their potential client had thought long and hard about this. On some level, that impressed him.
“We had two couples make the donations, and then cancel their arrival for other plans. That means that the Hessers won’t know if they’re there or not. You only have to show up, hand them the embossed invites, and you’re in. I’ll do the rest. In fact, I already set it up.”
Tori stared at her. “It’s a little arrogant to think that you had us locked in, isn't it? What if we said no?”
The woman laughed at that. “If you’re any good at your job, Mrs. Littlemoon, you’re going to be intrigued and want to do this. You’ll get paid, you get to enjoy the festivities, and you get to figure out one of the biggest mysteries in Kentucky’s history.”
Julian was teetering between a yes and no. He wanted to do it, only because it meant taking a job away from the media scrutiny there, but then he didn't because away jobs were ten times more difficult.
“I don’t know,” he stated.
Jamie Montgomery wasn’t ready to give up. “Plus, the estate is supposedly haunted. Who doesn’t like battling wits against a ghost?”
Christina actually squealed. “I absolutely don’t believe in ghosts, but I’ve always wanted to head to one of those old plantations where they say there is one. Then, I can debunk the lies.”
Julian wasn’t convinced. “I’m not afraid of the things that go bump in the night. I’m more afraid of the things that have the sense not to make any noise at all,” he offered.
Tori wasn’t sure what to add to that. As far as ghosts were concerned, the only one she encountered was her dead fiancé, and he only haunted her dreams.
The woman waited patiently, knowing that’s all she had to offer. If that wasn’t appealing enough, nothing would lure them in.
Julian knew what he needed to do, and so did his wife. As usual, they were on the same wavelength.
“If you don’t mind, Ms. Montgomery,” Tori said standing. “You need to have a seat in our waiting room. We need to see if this is logistically possible. We might be able to get Christina and Kane to handle it.”
“NO! I really need you and your husband,” she insisted. “All the news reports said that you two are a super sleuthing team. No offense to your employees, but I need the best. Please! I can pay your fees up front, and give you the plane tickets right now.”
Tori motioned tow
ard the door, not swayed by her offer. “Like I said, we need to discuss this first.”
The woman sighed dejectedly. “Okay. Thank you for hearing me out.”
The minute she was out the door, Kane threw his hand over Christina’s mouth. He could tell that she was about to explode in pent up happiness.
Julian began laughing. “I guess that’s a yes from Christina on this one.”
When her mouth was free, she grinned and showed him what she found online. “The whole place is supposed to be incredibly haunted. There’s a woman who wanders the plantation and the grounds. We have to do this! I want to add ghost debunker to my resume.”
Kane laughed. “I’m up for it if you opt to do this, Julian.”
He glanced over at his wife. “How big is the backlog?” He knew that she would understand. They had more cases on the list, and some of them might outrank this little adventure.
“Well, you always say that it’s first come, first served. Justin and Vivian will be back next week. We can survive with a few down days until they’re back.”
“So, do you want to do this?” he asked.
Tori leaned against him as she strummed her fingers against his leg. “I won’t lie. I would love to see the Kentucky Derby, and I’m curious to see if we can find this Bible. I personally think this girl is full of shit, but if she isn’t, we’ve just added another high profile case under our belts. If we expand out of this territory, it could eventually mean satellite offices and more business.”
That would be his dream come true.
Now, it was basically up to Julian. While he liked an adventure, the prospect of expanding his business was his key motivating factor. He had a job to do, and that was ensuring that his wife and their team had steady income. “I have to admit that her suggestion on how to get us in is the perfect cover. There will be a few other couples there, so we can blend in and do our job.”
Kane snickered. “Yeah, having two Natives at a mega fundraising event for the Kentucky Derby is such good cover. No one will ever look twice at us. We’re practically invisible.”
Julian had to laugh. “Yeah, at first we’ll stand out, but I have faith in our skills.”
Christina knew exactly how to sway him. “Oh look. They breed horses there. I bet there is a big old barn with lots of stallions that need to be ridden. Did I mention that they have horses?” she asked, trying to use the word ‘horse’ as many times as possible in one sentence. They all knew who the weakest equestrian link in the room was, and she was amused.
Tori winked at her. “I think you did, Christina.” Personally, she was all about the horses. After all, they were one of the reasons that she ended up healing, and it brought Julian and her together. They had a mutual love of them.
“Okay,” Julian said. “I think we should be able to pull this off. Let’s get Ms. Montgomery back in here, and we’ll go from there.”
Tori went to the door to motion the woman to rejoin them. Currently, she was trying to avoid their receptionist. The woman looked afraid for her life. Tori made a mental note to give Lena a raise and a big wet kiss for stressing out the serial flirter.
Once inside, Jamie took her seat and waited patiently. From their faces, she couldn’t tell what anyone was thinking, and it was making her nervous. In fact, it didn't take them long to decide. It couldn’t be good.
Shit!
“Well?” she finally asked.
Julian held out his hand to shake hers. “If you can get us in, get the flight situated, rental car and details handled, we’ll take the case.”
She jumped up and began hugging Julian. When she lingered too long on her husband, Tori cleared her voice. “Let me make this perfectly clear, Ms. Montgomery. That is the last hug you’ll be giving him, or we’ll be walking off this case. We’re going to do this professionally, or not at all. Am I crystal clear?”
The woman blushed. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean anything by it.”
Yeah, that was total bullshit. Tori wasn’t an idiot, and she could detect a lie a million miles away. She could also smell a husband interloper, and she was cutting the woman off early on.
“I’m sure you didn't,” she replied, and she was pretty sure no one in the room was buying that either. When Christina winked at her, she was glad to have support.
Julian had to fight hard not to laugh. It was odd for his wife to get this territorial, but it offered him some reassurance that they were still okay. If she wasn’t madly in love, she wouldn’t care if another woman was trying to poach her man.
Would she?
Pulling out her folder, the woman removed four tickets and two invitations. “I knew you were going to do this!”
Apparently, she did.
“When do we start?” Tori asked, picking up the invite.
“Monday you’re scheduled to arrive. The Hessers will be on the estate and there to greet their guests.”
That they could do. It gave them time to clean up the messes that were waiting for them there, get packed, and in the air on time.
“I have to warn you though. This is the Kentucky Derby, so you’ll need to dress accordingly. For the actual event, you’ll need the big, out of control hats that the ladies wear, along with evening attire. As usual, the men get off easy. They can get by with normal dress attire. I can email you a schedule and that will help you plan everything out. You’re not required to attend all the functions, but you probably should make an appearance every now and again.”
Tori slipped the woman her business card. No way was she getting Julian’s number.
Yeah, that wasn’t happening. Call her over cautious.
“There are going to be a few tours by horseback and some other derby related events. I don’t know if you’ll have time for them, but after hearing how good you are at your job, I have few doubts. I hope that you find the book, and I am so glad that you’re doing this.”
They all smiled as she raced out of the office. Peeking her head back in, she waved. “See you on Monday! God! Thank you for your help, Mr. and Mrs. Littlemoon. You can’t imagine the gift that you’ve given me!”
With that, she raced out of there.
Christina rubbed her hands together in overeager anticipation. “I can’t wait. I hope we get one of the haunted bedrooms.”
Kane looked appalled at that suggestion. It wasn’t like he was surprised. Why did he ever think that his little woman wasn’t going to charge head first into this? You would think he knew better.
Tori leaned down to kiss her husband. She was actually excited too. Maybe a few days away on a job would give them the chance to reconnect and find their missing mojo. “I can’t wait, Jules,” she offered.
He knew what she meant.
“This may be quite the adventure for us,” Tori added.
Julian had no doubt.
And yet, the whole thing felt nothing less than eerie…
* * *
Nineteen Fourteen
The floor creaked, and the sounds of the house gave her an unsettled feeling deep in her body. There was something unholy there. She could feel it. For days it haunted her, making her want to run from the home she had come to love.
Was it possible for a person to be haunted like this?
Her husband could say what he wanted, but she knew the truth. There was an unwanted spirit living beside them. It stalked her every move, threating her safety and sanity.
There was no doubt.
Walking through the house, she tried to find where the noises were coming from. She had left her son with the nanny, in hopes that he would be safe. The last thing that she wanted was for her precious child to be hurt or scared senseless.
Again.
As his mother, she would protect the heir with her dying breath.
When she told her husband that there was something watching her and the baby, he stared at her like she was out of her mind. When she insisted, he threatened to call the doctor and have her medicated.
In his mind, this had somethin
g to do with her giving birth. It had to be some uncommon after effect, where she was driven to madness by hormones of some sort.
Yet, she knew the truth.
They weren’t alone in that house.
Something was there with them.
Why wouldn’t he see it too?
When she found the source, she was going to prove to him once and for all that there was a ghost haunting her and his child. There would be nothing to stop her mission. Proving her sanity became her second goal in life. If hunting a ghost was what it took to keep her son safe, she would risk anything, including her spouse’s ridicule.
For once, she wished that the man she married was worth something other than just a sperm donor. If only he thought with his head, and not his lower anatomy, maybe he would have an ounce of feeling toward his own son.
His child.
His progeny.
But no, he was too wrapped up in the whore who broke his cold, dead heart. Well to hades with him! This was far from over. If you tried to hurt a child, be ready for the mother to defend her offspring.
It was sad that he had no emotional attachment, and that a pleasant bout of sex mattered more than his wife, child, and their fortune. All he wanted to do was sit in his office, stare at the one wall, and drink.
If only she knew how to make him see.
Creeping up the stairs, she followed the lullaby, which was floating hauntingly through the air, leading her to the source of its pathetic melody.
It was filled with sadness and the depth of grieving that only a mother could understand, and yet she had no sympathy. Her child mattered and this had to stop.
It wasn’t like she wasn’t mourning a loss too. In her own heart, she was grieving. Her youth was slipping away, and the man, who she vowed to love, was cold as ice. At the beginning of their marriage, he slept beside her, naked and always willing. Now, he slept across the bed fully dressed.
It was a sad testament to their union.
Love had died.
At the top if the stairs, she stared down the hallway--the light filled the space as the moon shone thought the large floor to ceiling windows. Suddenly, without any warning, as she traversed the path, the wispy curtains blew around her, wrapping their tendrils around her until she couldn’t escape.
Lost & Broken (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 2) Page 4
