Murder on the Ghost Walk

by Constance Barker

  George shrugged. “Not much to tell. So I’ll start at the beginning, when I left to come to Sinking Springs. Karen and I met on the bus trip here and we became friendly. But last night, she was a handful and I let her drift off on her own. She had been drinking for most of the afternoon, with some other people from our tour group. I didn’t like how she was acting. So, I was alone and met Nikki at the tourist center, when we assembled for the ghost walk. We hit it off and kept each other company – she was flying solo, too. So she and I were taking in the mansion together when we saw our time was running out and we hurried to see a couple of last rooms in the place. That’s when it happened.” He stopped and went white.

  “What? What happened?” I forced myself to resist rolling my eyes at the poorly placed pause.

  George took a deep breath. “We saw an apparition at the top of the main staircase. It hovered for a moment. Then wailed ‘stop’ just before it zipped off like a lightening bolt. Nikki and I chased it into the conservatory and stumbled onto the body lying on the floor. We went over to help, but when I knelt next to the poor man, it was obvious there was nothing we could do. Nikki screamed, and then the rest of our group arrived.”

  I interjected, “So, in the mansion, Nikki was in your company the whole time?”

  George nodded yes. “Yes, the entire time. So I know she couldn’t have had a part in this. The only people in the place were from our group, and the museum employees, and I’m pretty sure it happened while we were there. The conservatory was a busy place when we first got to the museum, everybody wanted to see the spot where the Montague murders occurred. So, the murder last night could not have happened until near the end of our tour of the mansion.”

  “And are you sure there was no one else in the place, other than the ghost tour and museum employees?”

  George nodded, “Yeah, the police went through the place real well and they were sure it had to be someone in our group or the museum employees.”

  “Did anyone seem to be acting weird in the tour group?”

  “No, not really. One man was kind of quiet. And like I said, Karen was drunk, so she was kind of loud at times. But nothing that made anyone stand out, or look like a murderer.”

  “How did Nikki take all this? How was she acting?”

  “Nikki was pretty shaken by it all. And when the police searched her bag, she immediately denied that the gloves they found were hers. The more I think about it, I am sure Nikki couldn’t have done it. She was genuinely surprised when they found the rubber gloves.”

  I pressed. “Well, the police disagreed. They arrested her and not you. Why?” I'm not know for being subtle.

  George shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious, she had damning evidence in her bag. I touched the body to see if there was a pulse, but other than that I had nothing to do with, or anything that connected me, to the dead man.”

  Grandma asked, “Who was he? The dead man?”

  “His name was Jack. He was a member of our group. I don’t remember the last name. Some of the people on the tour knew him. Karen did, as a matter of fact. She was one of the woman I had brunch with earlier, here in the tea room.”

  Grandma continued. “So, let me get this straight. This more than likely happened just as your group was near the end of its time.”

  “Yes.”

  Jessica’s voice thundered from the kitchen. “Raine, is there suppose to be smoke coming out of the oven?”

  I popped out of my seat so fast it scared Daisy, and uttered “No!” as I dashed off for the kitchen. On entering, there was indeed smoke and I opened the oven to find one of the rolls had fallen on the floor of the hot box. It smoked enough that the kitchen air was now a bit hazy. I removed the offending croissant, threw it away, and turned the exhaust fan to high.

  Jessica crinkled her nose and furrowed her brow. “It must be me. That’s the second sacrificial burning I’ve been around today. Is that some sort of sign? At least this time didn’t smell like a chemical factory. You can’t believe how bad a plastic dolls smells when it burns.”

  I huffed and grimaced at Jessica. “Don’t be so dramatic. It was just one near the edge that fell off. It’s nothing.”

  Andrew asked, “It’s been a few minutes. Have you learned anything from that strange old man?”

  I looked at the ceiling, to think about my answer. “Kind of. But I am confused by a number of the facts as he relayed them. It just seems too convenient the way he explains it.”

  Andrew added, “Well, that’s why we called Jaxon. His skills as a professional investigator can help us cut to the truth. And we have a little experience of our own to rely on.”

  I smiled and nodded, “Yeah, we do. I surprised myself just now. I was a little firm interrogating George out there. But I felt comfortable doing it. Is that weird?”

  Grandma Rose never yelled, not in the angry sense. But she could raise her voice in way that was just loud enough to be heard throughout the tea room. And I heard it ring, clear and loud. “Raine, you may want to come out here.”

  I gave Andrew and Jessica a few more instructions and grabbed a waiting order for table four. Then I pushed through the swinging door into the dining area and saw a familiar face standing next to Grandma.

  Detective Lambert said, “I never in a million years thought I would have to come back here on official business. But you know what they say, never assume and you’ll never be surprised.”

  I chuckled while placing the two dishes down on table four, “That’s not precisely what they say about assuming. But, hello. Good to see you, detective.”

  Grandma offered her empty seat to the detective. “Please, sit. You probably came to talk with George and this is as good a place as any. And while he is right here, you might as well get your business over with.”

  Lambert smiled, pulled out a chair across from George, and sat. “Thank you. And if it would be no trouble, can I get a cup of coffee?”

  I responded, “Sure, anything else?”

  He snorted, “Yes, please tell me you had nothing to do with this one.”

  I pinched my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you were there when the food critic’s assistant was killed. Were you there when this incident happened last night?”

  “No! Why do you ask?”

  The detective alternated his gaze with Grandma and me. “Because I like you and your grandmother. And the food critic you helped track down was pretty benign, except for the unusual murder of his assistant. But this victim, he is far from harmless. And we don’t know who else is involved in this, or how dangerous they are. It would be best if you didn’t poke around into this one. So I am glad to hear you weren’t there last night.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “Well...it is more complicated than you know.”

  Lambert’s gaze locked back on me. “What do you mean?”

  “My friend Andrew, you remember him, right? His old girlfriend was in town. And she was there last night. Andrew is certain she didn’t do it, but the police arrested her after they found some evidence in her bag.”

  The old detective sighed, “I’m not stupid, so I know that you will probably try and help Nikki Hawkins then. I assume Nikki is Andrew’s old girlfriend, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Lambert sighed. “Just be careful. Jack Richardson was a dangerous conman, well known to police.”

  I nodded. “I understand. Thank you.”

  The detective sat up straight and added, “Now, I need to ask George here a few questions, since he was the one who discovered the body.” He studied George for a moment. “So I hear you told the police you chased a ghost into the old mansion’s greenhouse. Is that true?”

  I turned and left the two men alone to talk, noting the friendly tone in the detective's voice as he questioned George. He was much better at interrogation than me, and I made a mental note of the technique. I also made a note of the dead man’s full name, Jack Richardson.

  Chapter Five

  Jaxo
n parked in front of the tea room and popped out, leaving the car running and the driver’s door open. He sprinted to the tea room’s front door, cracked it, and stuck his head in. “Raine!”

  Dasiy jumped down from her chair at the table with George and Grandma and rushed over to the tea room entrance. Jaxon did not bring treats like Andrew, but he played with her more than most. He smiled at Daisy and said, “Daisy, I need Raine, go get her, please.” He waved his hand at her to go find me.

  “I’m right here.” I was on my knees behind the display case reloading it with pastries and stood so he could see me.

  “Hey, I’m parked on a yellow curb with the car running and don’t want to get a ticket. So I have to make this quick. I want to go over to the police station to get some info on what’s happening. But if I got tied up over there, I didn’t want you waiting, wondering where I was. So. I stopped here first to tell you what I was doing.”

  Andrew heard Jaxon’s voice and burst from the kitchen. “Jaxon, thank you for coming on short notice. I can go over to the police station with you.”

  Jaxon motioned for Andrew to come with him. “Sure. I’m pretty certain the police won’t be telling me much, so it can’t hurt. And I could use some company. An hour and half out to Ice Meadow, and an hour and half back, I’ve been in the car by myself too long today.”

  Andrew held up one finger. “Just give me a second.” He took his apron off and threw it on a nearby chair. Then he quickly washed his hands at the small sink behind the service counter. While he was drying them, Jaxon regained his attention with an odd, low, truncated grunt.

  “Hold on pal, there is no need to be pushy.” Jaxon was staring at a man who obviously frequented the gym and was no stranger to lifting weights. He had effortlessly pushed Jaxon into the tea room and off to one side of the entrance.

  The stranger was a couple of inches taller than Jaxon, and maybe a few years younger. His tight, black T-shirt blared ‘No pain, no gain.’ This bold, muscular intruder stared Jaxon down for five seconds, then said, “Get out of my way, I have business to conduct.”

  Daisy freaked. She sensed the confrontation brewing and apparently did not like it. She sprinted around the tea room, and for a moment, I saw the feral side of her. Then she stopped in front of the stranger and shrieked, baring her teeth. It was clearly a warning and Grandma sprang into action. She barked, “Daisy, go sit on your stool. You don’t do that to anyone, young lady.”

  Daisy snorted at the stranger, not in a sort of laughing way, but in the I’m watching you manner. Then she reluctantly moved to and jumped up on her stool.

  Jaxon had composed himself. He stood straight, brushed the wrinkles from this shirt, and said with an amiable tone, “Look, this is a real friendly place. The people here will help you any way, if they can. So what is so urgent that you need to bulldoze your way through the door?”

  Andrew froze and fell quiet when he first spotted the stranger, and just stared at this real life version of The Hulk. But he chose to finally speak. “Jaxon, it’s alright. I know why he is here. Nikki used to be his girlfriend, too. How ya doing Pinball?”

  Jessica came out of the kitchen to the serving counter upon hearing the commotion. She stood next to me to watch, but turned to Andrew as he spoke. She asked, “Pinball? What kind of name is Pinball?”

  The burly stranger shot back, “It’s my name. Been my name since I was sixteen.”

  Andrew chuckled and hung his head. “He got the name because he bounced from girlfriend to girlfriend like a pinball bouncing off the flippers and rails.”

  Jessica pinched her eyebrows. “And he is proud of that?”

  Pinball puffed up his chest. “Hey, I’m right here. I can hear ya. And yes, I’m proud of my name. Now where is this guy named George. I heard he was in this tea room with Nikki and I need to talk with him.”

  I glanced around the tea room to find Grandma, to make sure she was alright. She had moved over to Detective Lambert and George. And she stood next to the detective, who was now standing. Grandma Rose held his right arm down with both of her hands. Because in his right hand, he held his service weapon. Lambert spoke with a firm, loud voice. “You don’t know how close you are to being arrested, young man.”

  Pinball studied the old detective. “You’re real tough with that side iron, aren’t you. But I’m not here to cause trouble. I just need to talk to a man named George and find out what happened so I can get Nikki out of jail.”

  “Well, I have to be honest with you. Your methods and disposition put me in a tough spot. I don’t think it’s a good idea to let a witness talk to a loose cannon like you.” Lambert’s voice was an odd mix of affable and official business.

  “You’re a cop. I get it. And that means you can’t possibly understand. There is no way Nikki could hurt a fly, let alone kill someone. So you have the wrong person in jail. And she needs to be let out. A kind, innocent creature like Nikki will never survive in prison.”

  Lambert smiled. It was hard for me to believe, but he actually grinned and holstered his Glock 22 as he said, “She’ll be fine. We’re taking good care of her. And it’s admirable you are so concerned about her. But she has some explaining to do for things we found on her just after the murder. And that means you have to let us, the police, do our business.”

  The excitement was ratcheting down a few notches, finally, and I remembered we had other customers in the dining room. I scanned the place to see two elderly women barricaded behind a table and chairs. Some of the other patrons stared at Pinball, while others stared at Lambert. And Daisy now stood on her stool, dogging Pinball with her gaze.

  Andrew chuckled. “Pinball, you don’t want to get arrested. It won’t help Nikki. And you certainly don’t want the police to take notice of your record. So let’s calm down. Tell me, how is Indianapolis doing?”

  Pinball moved into the tea room and took a seat at a table just next to the serving counter and display case. “It’s the same as when you lived there. Nothing much has changed. The race track hasn’t moved.”

  Andrew followed Pinball’s lead, and took one of the other chairs to sit with the agitated interloper. “How did you get here so quick? Indy isn’t just around the corner.”

  “Nikki called me. She used her one call last night to reach out and ask me for help.”

  Andrew laughed. “Well, there is one thing I can say for sure about you, Pinball. You were always crazy about Nikki. And she knows it, too. I am guessing she was fully aware that you would turn this town inside out to prove she is innocent.”

  “Darn right. It ain't right they got her in jail.” Pinball crossed his arms and tried to make himself look bigger to Andrew.

  Lambert took the opportunity and quietly grabbed George, then led him out of the tea room. After the detective left with his witness, the rest of our customers also headed for the door, but they were not as quiet.

  Andrew studied Pinball for a second, then he asked, “So, what’s your plan?”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. What is your plan?”

  “To get Nikki out!”

  “Yeah, you came all the way from Indy to get her out. I get that. But how?” Andrew raised his eyebrows to emphasize his point.

  Pinball shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess it’s why I’m so worked up. I need to get her out, but I know it’s going to be hard.”

  I almost forgot he was in the room, but Jaxon made a bold move and took a seat at the table with Andrew and Pinball. He said, “I may be able to help. I came to town for the same reason. Andrew here called and asked that we help Nikki. Get her out of trouble. We all want the same thing.”

  Pinball scrutinized Jaxon. “Who on earth are you?”

  “I’m a P.I. and know how to work things like this. So we are are on the same team.” Jaxon’s voice revealed a slight hint of fear.

  Grandma came over to Jessica and me, and tilted her head toward the swinging door into the kitchen. We followed her into the back.


  Once in the privacy of our little kitchen, Grandma said, “Look, we can’t have things like this happening in here. I’m going to call Mabel to help me with the tea room. You need to get this lunatic out of here and get this Nikki out of jail.”

  Jessica chuckled. “I can’t believe I wish I was back at the glass blowing shop, worrying about a burnt Barbie doll.”

  I sighed. “Pinball is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed. And I will take care of it. But we have a few other problems, too. We never finished talking with George. And we have done nothing to produce a list of people of interest, like talk to the other people who were there last night. You’re right, we need to head out and sink out teeth into this thing, find the real culprit. And that will hopefully send Pinball back to Indianapolis”

  Jessica snickered. “And just how do you propose to do all that?”

  “One piece at a time. And we have a few big pieces to start with. Mr. Twain guided the group, George found the body along with Nikki, and I heard a woman named Karen say that she was glad this Jack Richardson character was dead. We need to talk to all three of them, now. And we need to learn who Mr. Richardson really was. That is a good start.”

  Grandma added, “Jaxon wanted to go to the police station, too. That is a good idea, see if you can talk to Nikki, also.”

  Then Pinball’s voice roared and Daisy shrieked again. We all sprinted from the kitchen to see Pinball and Jaxon standing, nose to nose. Pinball asserted, “I’m in charge. I give the orders.”

  Jaxon corrected, “No, you need to work with me. I know how to work with the police on matters like this.”

  Daisy jumped up and down on her stool. It appeared she thought she should be in charge.

  After considering some polite tactic to gain control of the situation, I decided to chide the two men. “You’re both wrong. In this tea room, Grandma Rose and I give the orders. And you’ve driven off all our customers, so we’re not happy.” A bit of laughter almost slipped out of me when I saw Daisy rock her body vigorously. So, I added, “Okay. And Daisy, too.”