Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore

by Rose Pressey

  I motioned with a tilt of my head. “Sounds like it was downstairs. Maybe you should go check it out.”

  She eyed me up and down. “Is anyone else coming here with you today?”

  “No,” I said.

  “With any luck, Dylan will be here soon,” Charlotte said.

  Meaghan turned around and walked out the door.

  “Cookie, can you get your arms untied before she comes back?” Sam asked.

  I wiggled my arms around. “I don’t think so. She really has them tight.”

  “Maybe you can gnaw your way out,” Charlotte said. “She likes to eat, you know.”

  “I don’t like to eat rope,” I said.

  I moved my arms again, but it was no use, I couldn’t get them free. Meaghan would be back at any moment.

  “We have to get you out of here,” Charlotte said. “Think of something.”

  “I’m all out of ideas,” I said.

  “It’s not like you to just give up,” Charlotte said.

  “I’m not giving up,” I said. “I just can’t think clearly.”

  It seemed like forever since Meaghan had left the room. “What is she doing?” I asked.

  “I should go find her,” Charlotte said.

  “No, I don’t think I want you to leave me here alone.”

  It was strange, but I now felt an overwhelming need not to be alone in this room. More than anything I just wanted to get out of here. There had to be a way to get my arms loose.

  “Maybe she just left me here,” I said.

  “I guess that would be better than what she had previously planned for you,” Charlotte said.

  The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.

  “I think she’s coming back.” Sam leaned close to the door.

  Charlotte popped out of the room for a moment and then popped right back in. “That’s her all right.”

  “Does she look like she’s in a better mood or did she bring an ax to chop me up with this time?” I asked.

  “No ax, but she doesn’t look very happy.”

  “Well, she never looked all that happy,” I said.

  The door opened and Meaghan walked back in.

  She looked at me. “I’m glad to see that you didn’t try to get loose. Okay, I am going to undo the ropes, but you have to promise to be good.”

  “I promise.” Of course I would tell her anything to get my arms free again.

  Meaghan leaned closer. “We have to get you out of here. I have to find a place to put your body.”

  Chapter 28

  Sam’s Surefire Sleuthing Pointer

  Careful not to be seen.

  If you can see them, then they can see you.

  “Can I ask a question?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

  “No,” Meaghan said matter-of-factly.

  “I guess she answered you,” Charlotte said.

  Yes, she did. The problem was I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  “I’ll ask you anyway. How did the shoe get at Brooke’s place?” I stared at her.

  Meaghan acted as if she didn’t hear me, but I knew that she had. “I take it by your silence that you are the one responsible. I knew that you were the one who left the shoe as soon as I saw it.”

  She whipped around and glared at me. “You have a lot of nerve talking to me that way,” she said.

  “What is she talking about?” Charlotte asked. “You have been nothing but nice to her.”

  Yes, I had been nice to Meaghan, but she was upset with me for snooping around. That was all the reason she needed to hate me.

  “Am I wrong?” I asked again.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Okay, I left the shoe. But it was Brooke’s idea that I get rid of Melanie. When I told her what she’d done to me, she suggested that I kill her.”

  I hadn’t expected that one.

  “I don’t know if I believe you,” I said.

  “Well, you should. Just ask Brooke and see what she says.”

  “I will do that,” I said.

  “I can’t wait to hear what she has to say,” Charlotte said.

  “She is just full of information, isn’t she,” Sam said.

  “Last night someone was messing around my car. Did you send a man to do something to my car?” I asked.

  She studied her red nails.

  “She is playing a game with you,” Sam said.

  Maybe she was, but I was going to try my best not to let her win.

  “I know you sent the person, so you can just stop playing games and answer me.”

  “I don’t have to do anything,” she said. “But, yes, I did send the man to look for you. Unfortunately, he didn’t do what I paid him to do. I will get him later. He kept my money.”

  Well, lucky for me he didn’t do whatever she had paid him to do.

  “I have figured out that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself,” Meaghan said.

  Charlotte crossed her arms in front of her waist. “She is right about that.”

  “I know you had Melanie’s bracelet. As a matter of fact, that is what led me to you. If you hadn’t worn the bracelet and lost the charms, then I probably wouldn’t have found out what you did.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say never,” Charlotte said.

  “Yes, Cookie, don’t sell yourself short,” Sam said.

  Charlotte looked at Sam. “And us too. We helped her.”

  Sam smiled widely. “Yes, we all make a good team. We should start our own investigative agency.”

  Focus, ghosts, focus. There was no time to discuss business when this crazy woman wanted to kill me.

  “So tell me how you took the bracelet,” I said.

  Meaghan shrugged. “I liked the bracelet. It’s just as simple as that. And she wasn’t going to need it where she was going.” Meaghan chuckled.

  “That is not a very nice thing to say,” Charlotte said.

  “I don’t like this woman,” Sam said.

  Meaghan was lacking charm, that was for sure.

  “Well, lucky for me, I guess, because like I said, I found the charm from your bracelet at Shandra’s office and one at the concert,” I said.

  Meaghan rolled her eyes. “A lot of good Shandra turned out to be. I wanted to pin the crime on her, but she wasn’t as easy. She’s a smart woman.”

  “You all had something in common since Melanie took your designs,” I said. “How did you feel about that?”

  “That’s good, Cookie, act as if you are her friend. Maybe then she will let you go,” Sam said.

  I was trying my best.

  “How do you think I felt?” Meaghan asked. “It made me angry.”

  “Did you confront Melanie about taking your designs?” I asked.

  “Of course I did, but she didn’t seem to care. She said she would give me credit, but she never did. I was stupid for believing that,” she said.

  “So that’s why you killed her?” I asked.

  Sam and Charlotte leaned closer waiting for the answer. I held my breath.

  Meaghan glanced over, and then said, “Yes, that is why I killed her. I got mad and I couldn’t control my anger. I didn’t know what to do. It happened so quickly, but it’s too late now. What’s done is done,” she said.

  “That doesn’t mean you have to commit any other crimes,” I said.

  It would only make things worse for her, but it didn’t look as if I would be able to convince her. Time was ticking away for me.

  “That’s not possible.” She paced across the floor.

  “But couldn’t you have handled it another way?” I asked.

  “I already told you no. She left me no choice. When I asked her to give me credit she said no. I told her I was going public with the news and she said she would have me taken care of. I figured that was a threat to my life, so I just took care of her first.”

  The more Meaghan talked the scarier all of this got.

  “This is making me nervous. We have to get you out of here,” Cha
rlotte said.

  “You could have gone to the police,” I said.

  Meaghan closed her eyes for a moment as if willing this whole situation away. “What would I have told them? There was no proof. They wouldn’t have believed me.”

  “She’s probably right about that,” Sam said. “But regardless, she can’t kill someone just because of what may or may not have been a threat.”

  It was too late to debate that now though. Melanie was gone and Meaghan had admitted to killing her. And it looked as if I was next on her list. Meaghan turned to face me.

  “I thought you were friends with Melanie,” I said.

  “I worked for her. We were not friends. She was demanding and a bad person. Now it’s time for you to stop asking questions. I don’t want to be your friend either.”

  “So much for the sympathy ploy,” Charlotte said.

  “She’s a tough one,” Sam said.

  Their discussion wasn’t making me feel any better.

  “Now it’s time for you to go,” Meaghan said.

  I knew she didn’t mean go shopping. Meaghan wanted to kill me.

  “You don’t want to do this,” I said.

  “You’re right. I don’t want to do this, but I have no other choice. You now know what I did.”

  “I’m not the only one who knows,” I said. “Don’t you think I told the detective?”

  “Oh, good thinking, Cookie.” Excitement sounded in Sam’s voice.

  Meaghan glared at me.

  “You’ve got her there,” Sam said.

  I knew she was contemplating what I’d said in her mind.

  “So what. That still doesn’t mean that you get to stay around. I still have to get rid of you,” she said.

  “So much for that plan,” Charlotte said.

  Meaghan stepped closer. “Now, like I said, I am not discussing this with you anymore.”

  I was all out of ideas. I didn’t know what else to say to her. I looked over at Sam and Charlotte, hoping they would have an answer for me. They just stared, but said nothing. So much for us making a good team.

  “After I let you go, then I am going to take you somewhere.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  I knew that Charlotte had claimed to call Dylan. If she really had, then now he wouldn’t know where to find me. What if he had traced my call to this location?

  “I can’t tell you where I’m taking you,” she said.

  I wondered if she even knew where she was taking me. It didn’t seem as if she was all that organized.

  Meaghan loosened the ropes around my arms.

  “Don’t try anything funny,” she said.

  I rubbed my arms. “Of course not.”

  “I’m watching her, Cookie. One wrong move and I’ll let you know,” Sam said.

  Why hadn’t they warned me before she had hit me and knocked me out? I pushed to my feet. I thought about making a run for it, but I needed to make sure I had a plan first. That I could really get away from her. My eyes traveled to the phone on the floor. Meaghan caught me and she spotted it too. If only I could have gotten it before she had noticed me.

  She reached down, picked up the phone, and then shoved it into her pocket. “You won’t be needing that. By the way, in case you think of trying to get away from me, I have a gun.”

  “Tell her to show you the gun,” Charlotte said.

  Was she crazy? I didn’t want to see it. If she showed it to me, then that meant she’d probably use it. I’d rather not make her take it out. Meaghan gestured for me to walk out of the room first. I walked out into the hallway. Meaghan was behind me and the ghosts were behind her.

  We stepped out of the building. A steady drizzle had started to fall.

  “Just turn to your right and act like nothing is wrong.”

  That was easy for her to say. I would try my best though.

  “Where are we going?” I asked again.

  “I haven’t decided exactly, but I have an idea,” she said.

  “This girl is crazy,” Charlotte said.

  We passed people on the sidewalk and I tried to make eye contact, but no one seemed to notice that I was asking for help. They probably just thought I was weird.

  When we reached the cemetery, she stopped. “Well, I guess we’re here.”

  “This is where we are going?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I figured this was the best place to kill you.”

  My stomach dropped. I figured she had something sinister planned, but I didn’t want to think about it at the time. Now I had no choice since the reality was staring me in the face.

  “We have to get away from her,” Sam said.

  Since she had a gun, I doubted I would be able to outrun a bullet. We stepped through the iron gates and into the graveyard. Gray clouds hung low and the rain fell harder now. Moss hung from the oak trees, swaying with the wind, as if reaching down to grab me.

  I wished the trees could grab me and save me. It couldn’t be any worse than the situation I was currently in. We’d gone a little bit into the graveyard when she stopped.

  “I guess this is as good a spot as any,” she said.

  I still hadn’t seen her gun. If she didn’t have a gun, then how did she intend to kill me? Meaghan stood in front of me. A million thoughts went through my mind, but none of them offered me a way to get out of this. Just then Charlotte reached over and poked Meaghan in the back.

  Meaghan spun around to see who was behind her. I took the opportunity to kick her down. I used all my strength and kicked her in the legs. She fell to the ground and I ran as fast as I could. I had my sights set on the entrance and I didn’t look back to see if she was gaining on me or if she had pulled out her gun.

  “Run, Cookie, she hasn’t even gotten up yet,” Charlotte yelled.

  Just a little farther and I would be out of the graveyard. Once I reached the sidewalk, I would have to remember which way back to my car. Too bad Meaghan still had my cell phone.

  I’d just stepped out onto the sidewalk when I ran right into something. I stumbled backward, but Dylan reached out and grabbed my arms.

  “Cookie, are you okay?”

  I managed to right myself without falling backward thanks to Dylan.

  “How did you find me?” I asked.

  “You called me,” he said with a puzzled look on his face.

  So Charlotte’s call had worked.

  “But how did you track me down?” I glanced back to see if Meaghan had caught up.

  “I followed the GPS on your phone,” he said.

  I pointed toward the graveyard entrance. “Meaghan was trying to kill me.”

  Meaghan had reached the gate just then. When she spotted Dylan she turned around and ran.

  Dylan took off in a sprint.

  “Thank goodness you got away.” Charlotte looked as if she was ready to faint.

  I felt helpless and wished there was something I could do to help Dylan. I worried that Meaghan would try to shoot him.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Dylan returned with Meaghan in handcuffs.

  “Case closed,” Sam said.

  Chapter 29

  Cookie’s Savvy Vintage-Clothing Shopping Tip

  If you plan on creating a collection,

  you might want to start with a theme.

  Maybe all dresses or all items from the 1950s to start.

  It was the next day and I was in the shop doing what I loved the most, working with the clothing. The music played one of my favorite Elvis songs, “It’s Now or Never,” and I was trying to take my mind off what had happened yesterday. Sam and Charlotte were sitting on the settee chatting. I was happy to see that they had made up. They really made a cute couple. I smiled as I watched them laugh and talk. As it turned out, Rita Riggs was a model who had worked with Melanie and Shandra. She’d grown suspicious of Meaghan when she’d seen her with the infamous black shoe. Rita had called to warn me of what she thought had happened, but her phone had cut off before
she could stop me from going to see Meaghan. The man who followed me and had shown up at my parents’ house was a photographer Meaghan had coerced into doing her dirty work.

  The bell on the door jingled and pulled my attention away from the happy couple. Dylan had walked through the door. He looked handsome as ever in the turquoise blue striped shirt and chocolate brown Armani pants he’d gotten from my shop.

  He was smiling and holding a box. I looked down at his hands.

  “What’s in the box?” I asked.

  He placed the box down on the counter. “It’s something you were looking for.”

  My eyes widened. Sam and Charlotte rushed over.

  “Is it what I think it is?” I asked.

  Dylan opened the box and pulled out the fedora hat.

  “That’s my hat,” Sam said with excitement in his voice.

  “Oh, you found it,” I said. “How did you get it back?”

  “Someone had misplaced it in the evidence room. Turns out the hat never had relevance to the case, so I can give it back.”

  “That’s fantastic news,” I said.

  Dylan smiled. “I thought you’d be happy about that.”

  I turned the hat over in my hands. When I looked over at Sam, he was wearing the hat. Yet it was still in my hands. I didn’t know how he did that.

  Dylan leaned against the counter. “Are you free tonight? I thought we could go out to dinner. That’s if you’re feeling up to it.”

  “Oh, she’s up to it,” Charlotte said. “Don’t you dare tell him no, Cookie.”

  I smiled. “Tonight would be great.”

  “Thank you!” Charlotte said.

  “So I’ll pick you up at seven?” he asked.

  “That’s sounds fine.” I placed the hat back in the box. “Thanks again for finding this.”

  “No problem. I know how much it meant to you. Sorry I couldn’t get it faster,” he said.

  I touched the box. “You got it and that’s all that’s important.”

  He tapped the counter. “Okay, so I’ll see you this evening.”

  “Yes, I’ll see you tonight,” I said with a smile.

  Dylan stopped at the door. “By the way, Hannah will be forever grateful to you for what you did.”