by Fiona Grace
“But it wasn’t funny!” Brynn said.
“Sounds like you ran into Katherine,” Johnny said. “She’s haunted this room for a century. Apparently, she doesn’t like men.”
That was the second time today Mia was impressed with Johnny. He had been doing some serious research lately.
“Bullshit!” Jeffrey said. “There is no such thing as ghosts.”
Mia ignored Jeffrey and took her EMF reader out of her bag. She flicked it on and walked around the room, testing.
As she moved toward the bed, the meter spiked.
“Look at this,” Mia said, nodding her head toward the bed.
Johnny came close and saw how high the meter was spiking. He swept his hand across the head of the bed.
“There’s a cold spot,” Johnny said and grabbed Mia’s hand. As he swept it through the cold spot, Mia felt her skin tingle, but she suspected it was from Johnny touching her rather than the temperature drop.
“I feel it,” Mia admitted.
Johnny turned to Jeffrey. “I don’t think you should stay in this room. This ghost can get pretty aggressive.”
“There is no ghost,” Jeffrey growled. “And I’m not leaving this room!”
“Suit yourself,” Brynn said. “Mia? Can I stay with you?”
“Of course,” Mia said.
“Fine,” Jeffrey said. “You’re getting just as crazy as your sister, you know that?”
“Don’t speak to me that way, Jeffy!” Brynn snapped and grabbed her luggage.
“Let me get that for you,” Johnny said and rolled the luggage into the hall.
“Don’t you dare leave, Brynn!” Jeffrey said as Mia, Sylvie, and Tandy followed them out and the door slammed. They all walked downstairs, leaving Jeffrey to nurse his lumpy head.
Once they were outside, Johnny placed the roller case on the sidewalk and handed the handle to Brynn, who was trying not to cry.
“Come on, Brynn,” Mia said. They all walked to the Essex Street apartment. Brynn kept sniffing as they walked down the block. When they arrived, Johnny took Mia’s key, opened the downstairs door, and held it for them.
Are you two going to be okay?” Johnny said.
“Yeah, me and Johnny have a Love Addicts Anonymous meeting tonight,” Sylvie said.
“We’ll be fine,” Mia said. “I think we’ll have an early night,”
“I’ll pick you up in the morning,” Sylvie said and winked. “You should get a pizza.” She pulled a menu out of her bag and handed it to Mia. “This place is awesome.”
Even though the circumstances were strange, Mia was looking forward to spending time with Brynn. There seemed to be a deep tension between her and Jeffrey. Maybe she could find out what was going on between them.
***
As Mia and Brynn reached the top of the stairs, the door opened. Will was standing there with a toolbox, which he put down. Tandy jumped up and greeted him excitedly.
“I finished the cat run,” he said. “Rose loves it!”
As they stepped inside, Mia saw a flash of white fur leap from a longboard set high in the living room wall, to another board, set at an artistic angle. She looked at Mia, tail up in the air, yellow eyes flashing with excitement. Then Rose the cat ran along the outside of the wall, leaping from perch to perch before landing on the mantelpiece and hopping down to the floor. She rushed over to greet Tandy, touching her pink nose to his before rubbing against him. Tandy sank down on the ground, smitten by his kitten.
“Amazing job, Will! Thank you,” Mia said. “Will, this is my sister, Brynn.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Will,” Brynn said.
Mia got out her wallet and slipped Will a couple of bills.
“As agreed,” she said.
“Thanks, Mia,” Will said, excited and happy. He disappeared out the door.
Mia ordered a pizza while Brynn disappeared into the bathroom for a while, supposedly to unpack her stuff. But the way Tandy stared at the bathroom alerted Mia to the fact Brynn was more likely trying to gather her composure on the other side of the door. When she came out, her eyes were red and Mia could tell she’d been crying.
Darn that stupid Jeffrey, making her cry! Mia thought.
She’d never seen her sister so upset, which was strange because her brother-in-law, Jeffrey, was one of the most annoying people on earth. Every encounter with him frayed Mia’s last good nerve
Brynn had always been incredibly patient with her husband, which Mia found amazing due to the fact Jeffrey’s temperament was similar to a wolverine’s. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Brynn further, so she was not going to bring up the Elmswood House or Cindy Moore’s death.
Mia had been saving a good bottle of cabernet sauvignon, with deep notes of plum and black cherry and a peppery undertone. She opened the bottle and let it breathe. Then she poured a glass and handed it to Brynn.
“Here,” she said. “You look like you could use a drink.”
“Thanks, Mimi,” Brynn said and sank down in a kitchen chair. Then she chugged the glass of wine like it was orange juice.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Mia said.
“Fine, fine,” Brynn said, taking the bottle. She poured herself another glass, which disappeared just as quickly.
“Maybe slow down a bit until the pizza comes,” Mia said, watching her sister carefully.
When the pizza arrived, Mia set it down on the kitchen table and got out two plates.
They each took a slice of New York style pizza, with gooey mozzarella and Romano cheese, topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, spicy roasted vegetables, portobello mushrooms, and a hint of buttered garlic.
“What’s going on with you two?” Mia said, taking a bite of pizza. The spicy, sweet flavor was amazing. Sylvie was right.
“We’ve been having some problems,” Brynn said.
“Like what?” Mia said.
“Remember the apartment building he bought, where you lived for a while?”
“Sure,” Mia said.
“Well, the buyer backed out, then his overseas investors dried up and he was forced to sell at a loss,” Brynn said. “His mood has been just awful.”
“He’s kind of controlling, so I see how that would upset him,” Mia said.
“I’m sorry he dragged Mark into town.”
“So am I,” Mia said. “I figured it was him.”
“At first when he interfered with your life, he always said he was worried about you and I believed him. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“Do you love him?” Mia said.
“Honestly, Mimi, I don’t know,” Brynn said. “He’s not the guy I married.”
Mia had not expected that. She looked at Brynn’s eyes welling up with tears and felt terrible. Her sister was in crisis.
“Listen, Brynn, I know it must be hard on you, always trying to be what Mom and Daniel expect of you. Most of the time you do an amazing job. You’re classy, elegant, the lady of the manor, wife to a successful lawyer. But it sounds like you need to think about your feelings.”
Brynn nodded, wiping away tears.
“You’re right,” Brynn said. “I do.”
Mia went to the closet and got out some extra sheets and a pillow.
“You take the bed, I’ll take the couch. Stay here tomorrow and hang out with Rose. I’ll be back before that silly dinner. We’ll go together.”
“Oh, Mimi, you’re such a good sister,” Brynn said and threw her arms around Mia’s neck. After they hugged, Brynn changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. She was immediately joined by Rose, who walked up to her chest and snuggled in the crook of her arm.
“See you in the morning,” Mia said, fluffing her pillow. Then she changed into sleep shorts and a tank top. Tandy looked up at her, not sure where to go. “Go on, you can sleep with Auntie Brynn.”
Tandy padded over to the bed and jumped up, joining Brynn and Rose.
“G’night,” Brynn said, burrowing under the covers to cuddle with Ro
se and Tandy. After a moment there was a little, ladylike snore.
Brynn was fast asleep.
Mia stared at the ceiling. Her mind was racing. She was worried about Brynn. She was dreading the family dinner with Graham tomorrow night. She was also worried about her job, now that filming at the Elmswood House was on hold. But most of all, she was concerned about her investigation into the death of Cindy Moore tomorrow. She hoped she had time to make some progress before Detective Charlie Waite came for her. Mia tried to quiet her thoughts, but it was no use. She knew she wouldn’t be getting much sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Mia and Sylvie drove toward Swampscott while Tandy rode in the back catching the breeze. Mia had quietly crept out of the apartment to let Brynn catch up on her sleep. She left a note for her sister saying she was doing some research for the production company and left a spare key. Rose cuddled up on Brynn’s pillow and the two were both softly snoring when Mia gently shut the door. Mia felt a little guilty sneaking out after everything that happened the night before. But the family drama would just have to wait. Right now, she needed to figure out what happened to Cindy Moore before Detective Charlie Waite came looking for her. Sylvie pointed to one of her favorite food trucks on the side of the road.
“This place is amazeballs,” she said enthusiastically. “Breakfast burrito?”
“Sounds delicious,” Mia said and pulled over.
Sylvie darted out of the car and ran over to the truck. A few minutes later, she came back with a paper bag. A delicious aroma wafted throughout the car as she handed Mia a burrito wrapped in yellow paper. Mia’s stomach growled as she realized how hungry she was and unwrapped the grilled flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, avocado, black beans, cheese, spinach, chunks of bacon, and topped with green salsa and fresh cilantro. Mia took a bite and sighed.
“OMG that is so good,” she said.
“I get super cranky if I don’t eat,” Sylvie said.
“You think?” Mia said and they both laughed.
As soon as they were done wolfing down the food, Mia pulled back onto the road. Along the way, they caught little glimpses of the sun rising as they followed the coast to sleepy Swampscott. They cruised down the long road in light traffic and eventually wound closer to the beach. Sylvie pulled one of her laptops out of her bag and plugged it into the charger in Mia’s car. The small computer had a tough case around it covered in stickers and cartoon logos. She started tapping keys.
“Whatcha doing?” Mia said.
“Checking Cindy’s Facebook while I charge up,” Sylvie said as she scrolled through Cindy’s stream. “Her last post was the day before her body was found.”
“Good idea,” Mia said. “What did she say?”
“Five-fifty-five Elmswood needs a facelift but she’s got good bones! Prime location in a lovely neighborhood. Message me if you still want a tour!” Sylvie said and clicked on the post. “There’s a bunch of pictures of the house.”
“That’s going to end up in a creepy Google search one day,” Mia said.
“I’m going to check Seaside Estates web site,” Sylvie said, typing. “Looks like they’ve got an online forum where they answer questions and talk about properties and local real estate issues.” Sylvie’s fingers flew over the keys. “Check it out! Cindy was talking to someone named Fat Cat. Pushing them to buy!”
“Fat Cat? That’s the name she mentioned on the tour!” Mia said. “I’m sure it is. She was going to meet Mr. Fat Cat.”
“Hold on, let me trace Fat Cat’s IP number,” Sylvie said. “Nuts, that’s a dead end. Fat Cat is using a VPN.”
“What’s that?” Mia said.
“Virtual Private Network, an intermediary server that encrypts your connection to the internet and hides your IP address. Why would Fat Cat do that?”
“I don’t know but I’d be careful,” Mia said. “The cops are all over anything connected to Cindy right now. I’m sure that includes the forum.”
“Got it,” Sylvie said, closing the browser window.
“Listen, I need to make a quick stop before Seaside Estates.”
“All right, I’m game. Where?”
“Paradise Road,” Mia said as she turned down the curving street and cruised past the manicured lawns.
Midway down the block she reached a dark brown American colonial house tucked behind a split rail fence. An American flag was flying on a high flagpole in front of the property and a brown hanging sign stood in the front yard.
“John Humphrey House?” Sylvie read the plaque. “So, this is the house where Lydia lived?”
“Yes.” Mia stopped the car in front of the house. Then she got out and let Tandy out to run around. He darted straight to the fence to sample the scents of the area as Mia looked up at the old house. A creepy feeling moved along the back of her neck. She’d seen the house before, in her dream.
Sylvie got out of the car and joined her.
“Well?” Sylvie said, noticing Mia’s intense concentration.
“This is the same house from my dream,” Mia said.
“How can that be?” Sylvie said, gazing through a pair of petal-pink, perfectly round sunglasses at the dark brown colonial homestead.
“I have no idea,” Mia said. “In the dream, the house was lighter and there was a big, gnarled tree in front, but the windows and roof are exactly the same. It’s identical.”
“Weird. Should we go inside?” Sylvie said.
“It doesn’t open until this afternoon,” Mia said and looked at her watch. “But Seaside Estates opens in ten minutes.”
Mia whistled for Tandy and they all climbed back in the car and drove to the beach. The sun was just above the ocean now, bright and golden, streaking the morning clouds with color. Mia pulled into the parking lot of the small real estate office. Last time she’d parked on the street, but this vantage point gave them a clear view of the office. There were two desks; one had flowers set in a vase.
“That must be Cindy’s desk,” Mia said. “Now we just need to wait for Doug Tanner to show up.” Through the open door she could see the receptionist bustling about, getting ready for her day.
“So, what’s the plan?” Sylvie said.
“We’ll improvise, just follow my lead,” Mia said.
“You really think Cindy was murdered?” Sylvie said.
“Charlie Waite seems to think so,” Mia said. “And there were muddy footprints in the stairwell. The day before, those floors were old and dusty, not muddy.”
“Good point,” Sylvie said. “Now that you mention it.”
Tandy stuck his head between the two seats for a pat just as an electric blue BMW X3 SUV pulled into the parking lot. Doug Tanner stepped out and walked around the car admiring the paint job. Then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He carefully rubbed out a scuff mark until the finish was shining before folding the cloth and putting it back in his pocket. He stopped to check his reflection in both the side mirrors, smoothing his hair. Satisfied, he locked the vehicle from his phone and headed into the office.
“There he goes,” Mia said.
“Wow, I’m not sure who he’s more in love with, himself or his ride,” Sylvie said, mesmerized. “Wasn’t he Cindy’s partner?”
“Yes,” Mia said. “He doesn’t seem too broken up about her death.”
“Maybe she did have an enemy after all,” Sylvie said.
“Listen, once we’re in that office, we’ll need a diversion, so we can look around without Doug Tanner breathing down our necks,” Mia said.
“Leave it to me,” Sylvie said and typed furiously into her computer. Screen after screen popped up as she looked at strings of code. “Okay, that should do it.” She grinned and left her computer open on the front seat.
“What are you going to do?”
“You’ll find out,” Sylvie said. “Trust me, it’ll work.”
Mia, Sylvie, and Tandy headed around the front of the building and into the Seaside Estates office. Behind the desk
, the receptionist seemed stressed and barely holding it together. When she looked up, her eyes were slightly red. Cindy had obviously been important to her.
“Can I help you? Oh, I remember you, the girl from the podcast,” she said. “I’m sure you heard about Cindy—”
“I’ll take care of this,” Doug Tanner said, standing in his office door. “Good to see you again, Mia.”
“I have your key,” Mia said.
“Why don’t you come into my office,” Doug said. “We can talk there.” He eyed the receptionist warily, as if she was an emotional timebomb.
Mia, Sylvie, and Tandy walked past the reception desk and into Doug Tanner’s office. The window by his desk had a wide view of the parking lot, with his blue BMW framed perfectly. The desk across from him was clearly Cindy Moore’s. There was a vase of flowers in the center and feminine touches including a Cloisonné Porcelain Fountain Pen balanced on a stack of pink envelopes. To one side of the desk was a large appointment book decorated with wildflower paintings. Mia glanced at Sylvie and she nodded. That was where they would find Cindy’s last client. Tandy walked over to her desk and sniffed before whimpering and lying down with his head on his paws.
“It’s okay, boy,” Mia said.
“Wow, your dog is perceptive,” Doug said. “Cindy’s death has been rough on everyone.” He motioned for Sylvie and Mia to have a seat. They slipped into one of the chairs facing his desk and Mia pushed the skeleton key to the center of the desk.
“Thanks for lending me the key,” Mia said.
“No problem,” Doug said. “Detective Waite contacted me. Sorry you had to get involved. What happened to Cindy was a real shame.”
“Finding her was pretty shocking,” Mia said. “How are you holding up?”
“Cindy was a great partner,” Doug said, leaning back in his chair. “But she was under a lot of stress.”
“What makes you say that?” Mia said.
“Well, she kept trying to sell that house, for one thing,” Doug said, a look of exasperation on his face. “You saw it, you couldn’t get the Addams family to move into that place. Not to mention the commission structure was impossible. That house isn’t even worth representing.” He smoothed out his blue silk tie over his striped starched shirt. “A place like that can destroy a company’s reputation.”
