Frayed Edges - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book Seventeen) (Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mysteries Series 17)

by Terri Reid

  “But why…” she began, but the door opening caught both of their attention.

  Sonja stood frozen in the bathroom doorway, staring at Mary.

  “We seem to have made a habit out of meeting in bathrooms,” Mary said to her.

  “Uh, yeah,” Sonja replied, stepping inside the room and letting the door close softly. “I guess you’re wondering why I’m here.”

  Mary leaned against the countertop and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  “Well, the reason I’m in here,” she said, glancing quickly around the bathroom, “Is because I saw Charlie with some old guy in the hallway and I didn’t want them to see me.”

  Mary nodded and waited without saying a word.

  Sonja sighed. “And the reason I’m here at the Ag Building is because I wanted to see if Ruth left anything behind that Angela might want to destroy,” she said.

  “How do I know that you didn’t want to destroy evidence you might have left behind?” Mary asked.

  “Because I didn’t kill Ruth,” Sonja said. “And Angela did.”

  “Do you have proof that Angela killed Ruth?”

  Sonja shook her head petulantly. “I don’t need proof,” she stated. “I know.”

  Mary shook her head. “Unfortunately, in this country, with our legal system, people can’t be arrested for being a bitch,” Mary said.

  Sonja’s lips curled into a small smile.

  “But they can be arrested for breaking and entering,” Mary continued.

  “I didn’t break and enter,” Sonja disputed, holding up a key. “I have a key to get in after hours.”

  “That’s my key,” Ruth said.

  “Only if your name is Ruth McCredie,” Mary said to Sonja.

  “How would a security guard know if I was Ruth or not?” she asked. “I’m a girl, and I’m college aged. Bingo, I can get in.”

  Mary folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. “Really? Did you think about what you just said to the person representing the D.A.’s office in the murder investigation for Ruth?” she asked impatiently. “That you know how to impersonate Ruth? You really want me to know that?”

  Sonja’s eyes opened wide. “No. That’s not what I meant,” she said. “She told me about her key and gave me her password in case she ever needed me to get into the system for her. I mean I never, ever impersonated Ruth.”

  “Except on that blind date I didn’t want to go on,” Ruth whispered to Mary.

  “Except on that blind date Ruth didn’t want to go on,” Mary said.

  Sonja stepped back against the wall and shook her head. “Who are you people, and how do you know that?” she asked.

  Mary shrugged. “We have our ways,” she said.

  Ruth chuckled. “Tell her you know that she’s been borrowing the neighbor’s internet access,” she said.

  “Although, you might want to think about getting your own internet access,” Mary replied, trying her best to keep a straight face. “And stop using your neighbor’s.”

  Sonja stared at Mary while Ruth laughed loudly. “The look on her face,” Ruth chortled. “It’s priceless.”

  Suddenly, Sonja looked up, rubbed her arms and slowly glanced around the room. “She’s here,” she said, amazement in her voice. “Ruth is here.”

  She turned back to Mary. “I’m right,” she said with hope in her voice. “Ruth is here.”

  Mary nodded and smiled at Sonja. “You’re right,” she replied. “Ruth is here with us.”

  “Does she know who killed her?” Sonja asked.

  Mary took a moment to answer, then stared straight into Sonja’s eyes and nodded slowly. “Yes, she does,” Mary said, looking for any kind of fearful reaction.

  “Then what the hell are you doing here wasting time?” Sonja exclaimed. “Go arrest them.”

  “I knew it couldn’t be her,” Ruth said. “She truly was my friend.”

  “Ruth doesn’t know,” Mary confessed. “But now I know who didn’t kill her.”

  “I told you I didn’t do it,” Sonja said. Then she paused and nodded. “Like no killer ever said that, too. I get it.”

  She looked around the room again. “Ruth? Ruth, how are you doing?” she asked.

  Ruth rolled her eyes. “I’m dead. How does she think I’m doing?” she asked Mary.

  Sonja turned to Mary. “Duh. She’s dead. I guess she’s not doing great,” she said.

  Mary nodded. “That’s pretty much what she said,” Mary replied.

  “She can talk to you?” Sonja asked. “Are you like a medium?”

  “Yes, she can talk to me,” Mary said. “And she told me that she knew you didn’t kill her because you were truly her friend. And, no, I’m not considered a medium. I just have this special gift to see and talk with ghosts. I help them solve their issues so they can move on.”

  “Issues like being murdered,” Sonja said.

  “Exactly,” Mary replied.

  “Okay, I know that I wasn’t very cooperative earlier,” Sonja said. “But now that I know you’re on Ruth’s side, I’m…I’m on your side. How can I help?”

  “Well, you can help me inspect Ruth’s lab area,” Mary suggested. “And let me know if anything seems out of place.”

  “Great,” Sonja said. “But, can you get rid of Charlie first? I don’t want him to know I’m helping you. Word might get back to Angela.”

  Mary nodded and walked past Sonja to the door. “No problem,” she said. “Wait here.”

  Sonja looked nervously around the room. “But, you know, there’s a ghost in here,” she said.

  Mary nodded. “And she’s your friend Ruth,” Mary said.

  Sonja relaxed visibly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Mary walked down the hallway to where Stanley and Charlie were waiting.

  “You okay?” Stanley asked her quietly. “You took so long, I was getting a little worried.”

  Mary nodded. “Ruth showed up,” she explained. “And someone else.”

  “You got two ghosts in there?” Stanley asked.

  Shaking her head, Mary lowered her voice even more. “One of the other interns showed up,” Mary said. “She was also Ruth’s roommate. She wants to help us, but she doesn’t want to be seen by Charlie.”

  Considering her words for a moment, Stanley nodded. “So, how about if I let him show me the lab, just so he don’t get suspicious, then I send him on his way?”

  “That would be great,” Mary said. “Do you want me to go along?”

  Stanley shook his head. “No, I’m gonna use you for my excuse,” he replied with a quick smile.

  He looked over at Charlie, who was studying them intently, and nodded. “Ms. O’Reilly here just got a call from the police,” he said. “They got some forensic guys coming over to process the lab. We figure maybe you don’t want to be here when they arrive, seeing they might not understand your reasoning for being here.”

  “No, sir,” Charlie stammered. “I mean, yes, sir.”

  Stanley nodded. “Ms. O’Reilly is going to meet them at the entrance on the other side of the building. So, why don’t you quickly show me the lab, and then we can get you out of here while no one is the wiser.”

  “Yes, sir,” Charlie agreed. “It’s down this way.”

  “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes,” Mary said to Stanley.

  Charlie moved off in a half-run. “Come on,” he said. “It’s not too far.”

  Stanley slowly followed Charlie down the hall. It was a damn shame they weren’t going to be able to interrogate this young whippersnapper. Stanley was sure the kid knew more than he was telling. But, he reasoned, he was Mary’s assistant, wasn’t he? Didn’t he have more responsibility than just walking the kid to the door? Didn’t Mary and Bradley just call him a warrior?

  “Hey, Charlie, wait just a minute,” he called. “I got a couple of questions for you afore I let you go.”

  Charlie stopped in front of the lab room. “Um, I thoug
ht I was supposed to hurry,” he said.

  “Well, there’s hurrying, and then there’s hurrying,” Stanley said. “Sides, considering you’re one of our primary suspects, I think you’d be eager to clear your name.”

  Charlie swallowed audibly. “I’m a suspect?” he asked, the words coming out in a squeak.

  Stanley stared into the young man’s eyes. “Yep, you and them other interns,” Stanley replied. “You had the most access to Ruth. Makes sense, don’t it?”

  Shaking his head, Charlie leaned against the wall. “No, it doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Well, not with most of us.”

  Biting back a smile of triumph, Stanley inhaled deeply. He knew he’d be able to break him down. He continued to stare at the young man, then nodded slowly. “And what do you mean by that?” he asked.

  “Well, you know, Sonja was her roommate,” Charlie said. “And Ruth was a lot prettier than Sonja. And Chandler paid more attention to Ruth than Sonja. So, you know, it could have been jealousy. Don’t people kill people because they’re jealous?”

  Stanley rubbed his hand over his chin. “Well, sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t,” he said. “I ain’t saying you’re correct, but you got a point there.”

  Charlie seemed a little relieved, and the shadow of a smile washed over his face. “And then, you know, Chandler was the one who told Ruth about the field next to Gund Cemetery.”

  “Wait a minute, boy,” Stanley replied. “What did you just say?”

  “Chandler. Chandler was the one who told Ruth that the Granum seeds were planted in the field next to Gund Cemetery,” he repeated.

  “How did he know that?” Stanley asked.

  Charlie shrugged. “He spends a lot of time there,” he said. “He likes to bury stuff on the other side of the fence line.”

  “Bury stuff next to a cemetery?” Stanley asked. “That ain’t normal. Seems like a mighty disturbing hobby.”

  “I’m not saying he killed Ruth,” Charlie said, “because I don’t know. But, you know, maybe someone should check him out.”

  “Yes, young man, I think you’re right,” Stanley said. Smiling, he patted Charlie’s shoulder. “You’ve done a great service to the investigation. You should be proud. I’ll be sure we start investigating this Chandler in a lot more detail.”

  “You won’t tell him I told you?” Charlie asked. “If he’s the killer, I wouldn’t want him to come after me.”

  “You probably don’t have to worry about it,” Stanley said, puffing out his chest slightly. “I’ve got a lot of experience in these kinds of things. Done a lot of reading. In most cases, when someone like this Chandler fellow kills out of an emotional release, they feel remorse, and it usually gets to them. In nine out of ten cases, they end up killing themselves before they kill anyone else.”

  He saw that Charlie was not reassured by his words. “But don’t you worry, son,” Stanley said, patting him again. “Chandler will never know what you said.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Charlie replied. “May I leave now?”

  Stanley nodded. “Yeah, you can go,” he said. “And be safe out there.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Mary waited until both Stanley and Charlie were around the corner before she went back into the bathroom. “We just have to wait a few minutes and then we can go,” Mary said.

  “Why was Charlie here?” Sonja asked.

  “He said he wanted to say goodbye to Ruth,” Mary replied.

  “That’s weird,” Sonja said.

  “Yeah, but Charlie’s weird,” Ruth commented.

  Mary turned to Sonja. “Ruth said that Charlie’s weird,” she said.

  “She’s got that right,” Sonja agreed. “But I guess it takes all kinds.”

  “Speaking of weird,” Mary said, “Charlie told me that Chandler has a thing for the rats.”

  Both Ruth and Sonja chuckled. “Yeah, that is a little weird,” Sonja agreed. “But, you know, that’s Chandler, and we’ve come to accept it.”

  “I saw him leave a room connected to the work station area,” Mary said. “He had plastic gloves on, and they were covered with blood.”

  “I saw that,” Sonja said. “Angela walked in on him.”

  Ruth gasped. “Angela saw him leave the rat room?”

  Mary turned from Ruth to Sonja. “Ruth just called it the rat room and sounded a little shocked when you said Angela saw him.”

  Sonja nodded. “Yeah, Angela doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for Chandler’s little hobby, as she calls it,” Sonja said. “But, you know—”

  The knock on the bathroom door interrupted her.

  “It’s all clear out here,” Stanley said. “And time’s a wasting.”

  “Who’s that?” Sonja asked.

  Mary smiled. “My friend and assistant and the old guy you saw with Charlie,” she said. “He escorted Charlie out of the building for us.”

  “Okay, cool,” Sonja said. “Let’s go.”

  “I can’t go,” Ruth said to Mary.

  “Why not?” Mary asked.

  “I can hear my mom crying,” she said, her pain displayed on her face. “I need to be there. I need to go.”

  Mary nodded. “Yes, you go,” she said. “Sonja and I can check things out.”

  When Sonja walked out of the bathroom behind Mary, Stanley shook his head. “You got a party in there or something?” he asked.

  Mary smiled. “Something like that,” she said.

  “You women,” Stanley said. “You can never go to the bathroom by yourselves.”

  Sonja grinned. “That’s because there are ghosts in our bathrooms,” she said.

  Stanley stared at her for a moment and shook his head. “I’ll never understand women.”

  Chuckling, they all walked down the hall together towards the lab. “What are we gonna do iffen we don’t find anything in the lab?” Stanley asked.

  Mary shrugged. “We’ll just keep looking,” she said. “We still haven’t been able to interview Angela and Darren; they might be able to shed some light on things.”

  “Angela won’t help unless she’s forced,” Sonja said. “She doesn’t do anything that doesn’t help her.”

  “It’s a murder investigation,” Stanley said. “O’ course she’ll help.”

  Sonja shook her head. “No, she’s not what you call touchy-feely,” she replied. “She wouldn’t throw a life-preserver to a drowning person if she thought she might get her shoes wet in the process. She’s pretty self-absorbed.”

  “No one can be that bad,” Stanley said.

  Sonja snorted. “The only way I got the internship is because I happened to discover the itemized list for her plastic surgery, and I told her I’d spill the beans,” she said. “And I still had to promise to be her little spy.”

  “Why wouldn’t she want anyone to know she had plastic surgery?” Mary asked. “People do that all the time.”

  “Well, they don’t get the company to pay for it and call it sinus work,” Sonja answered.

  “But, often it is sinus work,” Mary said. “A deviated septum might look like a nose job, but you really need to have it fixed.”

  Sonja grinned. “Only if her septum deviated to her ass,” she laughed. “The itemized copy included liposuction, a face lift, a nose job, a boob job and a tummy tuck. She’s pretty much a Frankenstein.”

  “And she claimed it was sinus work?” Stanley asked. “How’d she get away with that?”

  “She’s the boss of the head of human resources, and Granum is self-insured,” Sonja said. “She gets to sign the approvals.”

  “Well,” Mary said with a shrug, “she looks great.”

  Sonja laughed. “She ought to.”

  Once they entered the lab and accessed Ruth’s account, they could tell it had been wiped clean. “Could Charlie have done this?” Sonja asked.

  “Sure,” Mary said with a sigh. “But Ruth’s been dead for several weeks, so anyone could have done it. Even the college could have inadvertently
done it when they saw she didn’t have any activity on the account for weeks.”

  “So now what?” Sonja asked.

  “Tomorrow we talk to your stepmother,” Mary replied.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  “So, we can’t talk to Angela and Darren until Monday,” Bradley’s voice echoed through the hands-free system in Mary’s car.

  “Really? Their lawyer can’t make it tomorrow?” Mary asked, more than a little disappointed.

  “He’s taking Wednesday off for a long Thanksgiving holiday,” Bradley said. “At least that’s what they told Alex. And Alex said there’s nothing we can do unless we can find evidence that specifically links one of them to Ruth’s death.”

  Mary sighed. “No, nothing so far,” she said. “The lab at the college was wiped clean. Although, it was as busy as a bus station there.”

  “What do you mean?” Bradley asked.

  “Stanley and I ran into both Charlie and Sonja inside the Ag building,” she replied. “And Stanley got some interesting information from Charlie about Chandler. Chandler was the one who directed Ruth to the field next to Gund Cemetery.”

  “Well, that’s interesting,” Bradley said.

  “It seems Chandler spends quite a bit of time hanging around the outskirts of the cemetery, burying things,” Mary continued.

  “Okay, not interesting. Downright creepy,” he replied.

  “Right?” Mary asked. “You know, it probably wouldn’t hurt to run a check on Chandler, just to see if he’s ever had any issues.”

  “Yeah, I’m on it,” he said.

  “Okay, I’ll be home in a few minutes,” Mary said. “Bye.”

  The next call she made was to her mother. “Hi, Ma,” she said when the phone was answered.

  “Mary,” her mother replied happily. “How are you doing?”

  “Much better,” Mary replied. “Thanks for your great advice.”

  “Well, I’m glad it helped,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

  “I was wondering when you and Da were planning on coming tomorrow,” she said. “It looks like our investigation has a hiatus until Monday.”