by Mary Bowers
“Positively charged?”
“Post-life entities are generally negatively charged, thus driving the force field which draws them in. I can reverse the polarity if necessary.”
“Good thinking.” I sat down on a stair wearily.
“The point is – and this is the main reason I named it the Sensitainer – that the force exerted is powerful, but the containment system has been designed with sensitivity. Many entities are already confused, frightened, emotionally damaged from the death experience, or just impatient to know why they’re still wandering around here after all these years. I’ve designed my Sensitainer to calm them, to give them a pleasant environment. Soothing music begins to play, any changes in temperature – cold spots, for instance – are accommodated without interference, and once the entity is chambered –“
“Like a bullet? Do you shoot them into the light or something?” I wasn’t being sarcastic. I was just trying to hang in there. I needed to make an effort to get with the program. And WHERE WAS MY CAT? Weren’t pets supposed to be there to comfort you when things got gnarly?
He chuckled. “I’m glad you still have your sense of humor, Taylor. I don’t like the word ‘trapped.’ I prefer ‘chambered.’”
“Uh huh.”
“It’s the large machine in the backseat of my car that I need Cox’s help with, but he doesn’t seem to be around, and all I really need is somebody to help me balance it while I bring it in. It’s more awkward than it is heavy. Also, I need some advice as to the best place to position it. What do you say?”
“No.” I wobbled to my feet. “I need some alone time. Go down to the kitchen. It’s beyond the dining room and through a butler’s pantry. I’m sure Cox is in the kitchen now, helping Carrie clean up. The staff’s lunch is probably over.”
“How do you know about the butler’s pantry? And who is Carrie?”
“Have fun, Ed,” I said as I started up the stairs again. “Let me know if you need help setting up the Sensitizer once you have it inside.”
“Sensitainer.”
“Yeah, that thing. As for where to set it up, ask Cousin Oliver. He probably knows where Cousin Clarice hangs out at night.”
He went away, but not for long.
By the time I got to the other end of the third floor, I was falling-down tired and only wanted to flop onto my bed. But as I got to the open area outside my door, I saw Jeralyn with Bastet and a woman I hadn’t met yet, sitting in the little suite of furniture in the hall. They stood up as I came around the corner. Bastet was nestled in Jeralyn’s arms, gazing at me steadily.
“Oh, Taylor, at last!” Jeralyn said.
I looked from her to the strange woman she was with, sort of hoping she’d take the hint and go away. Obviously, Jeralyn wanted to talk to me. Instead, she came forward and held out her hand. I shook it.
She was about ten years older than me, maybe just past 70, and was beautifully groomed and dressed. She had clear blue eyes and a neat cap of white hair. She carried herself with a natural composure, even now that something bad seemed to have happened, and I could already feel what it was about her that made Jeralyn go to her when she was upset.
“I’m Charlotte Carpenter, Maxine Moon’s secretary,” the woman said in a low, attractive voice. “I’m so sorry the household is going to be in an uproar while you’re a guest here. I’m afraid Mr. and Mrs. Cox have walked out on us.”
“We have no cook?” I didn’t care about the butler. We could open our own bottles. Lots and lots of bottles, if things kept going like this. “Maybe Mr. Moon will cancel the experiment now. Can he get in temporary help on short notice?”
“I’m afraid not, and Maxine will be the one to hire them when the time comes, not Oliver. We’ve already worked out a plan of action. As for Oliver canceling the experiment, I doubt it, but you’d better speak to him about it.”
Ed popped around the corner and said, “The Coxes quit!”
“I know,” I told him. I turned back to Charlotte. “Why?”
Jeralyn looked stricken and was jerkily stroking Bastet’s head in a way that worried me. She was my pet, after all, and I didn’t want her accidentally hurt, so I reached out my arms for her and Jeralyn gave her up. She looked as if she’d forgotten she was holding her.
“Please,” Charlotte said, “let’s sit down. I’ll explain everything.”
“I think we should go retrieve the Sensitainer first,” Ed said, looking around for volunteers. “Since Cox isn’t here to help . . . .”
“Sit down Ed,” I said, remaining calm. “We’ll go get it after we figure this out.”
“I’m so sorry about your – whatever it is,” Charlotte told him.
He sat down without relaxing into the chair. “Sensitainer. It’s a device for chambering –“
“Later, Ed. Go on, Charlotte, please.”
“I was afraid of this. It’s a crisis that has been building for a long time now. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to a head at an inconvenient time, but it was the likeliest time for it to happen – when we had a houseful. Maxine has always wanted the Coxes to take their days off during the week, Tuesdays and Thursdays if possible, to keep the household running smoothly. But naturally they want their two days to be consecutive, so they can plan activities, and they absolutely refuse to work on Sundays.”
She stopped abruptly, looking past me. I turned and saw a slender, thirty-something woman in a blouse and tailored slacks coming from the direction of the stairs.
Ed jumped to his feet in the presence of a lady, and Charlotte waited until she was nearer and said, “Taylor, Edson, this is Fawn Moon’s administrative assistant, Julie Lang. You’ve heard about the Coxes, Julie?”
“It was bound to happen sometime,” the other woman drawled.
She had long, slightly tilted brown eyes, which made her seem languid. She had a way of lowering her eyelashes and steadily gazing that made me uneasy. I guessed she was in her mid- to late-30s, a bit too old for the girlish hairstyle she wore. She had long, glossy chestnut hair and was always touching it. A row of bangs came down almost to her eyelashes, and her make-up was just a touch too vivid and perfectly drawn for daywear.
I felt an immediate dislike for her, which was completely unfair. I’d only known her for about fifteen seconds. I tried to sense a reaction from Bastet; I’ve learned to trust my animals. Their reactions to people are instantaneous, and if they don’t like somebody right off the bat, they’re usually right. But Bastet was being very still and well-behaved and I couldn’t tell what she thought.
“Anyway,” Julie went on, “we’ve discussed what we’d do if this happened, haven’t we?”
Charlotte nodded. “Maxine won’t do interviews while we have so many people here. Breakfast and lunch should be easy, and the family usually has light dinners. We should be able to make do with carry-outs. We always send the laundry out anyway, but I’m afraid we’re going to ask that you tidy your own bedrooms. We’ll provide fresh linens any time you want them.”
Ed and I agreed immediately. We’re no prima donnas.
“Let us know if you need help with the other rooms,” I added in a burst of enthusiasm. “I’m sure the Moons are not used to making their own beds.”
Julie smiled at us through half-closed eyes. “It would be interesting, wouldn’t it, to see how the other half lives? No, I think we’d rather you didn’t go through their things – oh, excuse me – their rooms.”
“Julie!” Charlotte said.
“Only joking. We need to keep our sense of humor in this situation, don’t we? I wasn’t accusing her of wanting to snoop around, but after all, isn’t that what they’re here for?”
Charlotte composed herself and went on evenly. “We’ll just carry on until the end of the week, and when things settle down, I’ll start bringing in cooks for Maxine to interview. I think we can do without a butler. We only took on Cox because he came with his wife. This time, perhaps we could find somebody who will live in. It would make life easier
.”
Julie stood up and smoothed her silky slacks. “Well, do whatever suits you. Personally, I’d call a temporary agency, or send everybody home, but it’s not my call. It was nice meeting you Taylor, Ed. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable.”
She simpered oddly, pirouetted and walked away. Her last sentence had come out like a recording. Maybe she used to be a motel clerk.
Jeralyn was staring after her angrily. Once she was far enough away, she said in a low voice, “She won’t lift a finger to help. It’s going to be just you and me, Charlotte. And the big day is tomorrow!”
“What’s big about tomorrow?” I asked. “Oh, the birthday!”
“Yes. Horace Moon’s birthday. It’s why they’re all here in the first place.” She smiled and patted Jeralyn’s hand. “We’ll do fine. Carrie already had the turkey ready to put into the oven in the morning, and all the sides just need to be reheated. She even made her special cake. I think it’s better if you and I handle it between ourselves. Julie would only keep throwing in monkey wrenches.”
“You’re right about that,” Jeralyn said grimly. “She’s one of those people who deliberately do a job so badly you never ask them do to it again.”
Charlotte lifted her eyes beyond my face and broke into a sudden smile. Standing, she said, “We’ll talk later.”
She walked away, and I turned my head to see Ryan coming toward us.
Jeralyn gave him a trembly smile and said, “Do you think we can give the Coxes time to cool off and then give them a call? Maybe they’ll come back on Tuesday and we can go back to normal.”
“After what my aunt said to them?” He sat down next to her on the little settee. “Not a chance.”
“Were you there?” she asked. “I wasn’t. I heard about it after they left. Charlotte was there, but she wouldn’t tell me exactly what Maxine said.”
“I was in the billiard room when the yelling started. I heard Maxine’s voice ringing off the walls, and I knew exactly what was going on. After the way Oliver went after her at lunch, she was taking it out on Carrie. I’d had enough. I don’t know what I thought I was going to do about it, but I got up and went into the kitchen to give Carrie some back-up. The Coxes been working on this schedule for the whole three years they’ve been here, and it’s always been understood that there are no changes, no matter what. After dealing with Maxine all week, they need their days off. Aunt Maxine has always been rude to her employees – even Charlotte, who’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her.”
“You got that right,” Jeralyn said.
Ryan exhaled tiredly and stretched his arm behind her, letting it rest across the back of the settee. “She was still wound up from lunch. Oliver always manages to make steam come out of her ears. I think he enjoys it. Carrie and Tom were telling Charlotte about their plans for their days off when Maxine walked into the kitchen and heard them talking about taking their granddaughter to Walt Disney World tomorrow. When Maxine realized they were taking Sunday and Monday off as usual, she went crazy.”
He looked at Ed and me. “We’re here to commemorate my great-grandfather’s birthday, which is tomorrow. She told them that naturally she assumed they would make an exception, knowing that tomorrow is such an important day for The Family. Carrie told her that she was right, it was as important day for the family. Her family. They were seeing their granddaughter for the first time since last summer, and they’d promised to take her to Walt Disney World, and that’s what they were going to do, even if old Horace Moon came back from the dead and asked them to come in on a Sunday himself.”
“Omigod, Carrie said that?” Jeralyn said.
Ryan was shaking his head, looking awed. “I couldn’t believe it. She’s usually so easy-going. And of course, after that things got out of control. Maxine started calling them lazy, and Carrie started listing the favors she’s done for Maxine in the past. Tom didn’t say anything at all, and Charlotte just stood there. Maxine said they were being disloyal, like they had some kind of feudal obligation to us – like they were peasants or something. She even threw in a few ‘How dare you’s’ and called them her servants, and said they were going to do exactly what she told them to do. Then she flat-out ordered them to come in to work tomorrow or they were fired.”
“Unbelievable!”
“She should never have given them an ultimatum,” Ryan said. “I am surprised they walked out just before Horace’s birthday, though. I guess we’re going to have to settle for fast food.”
“Nah,” Jeralyn said with a little grin. “Charlotte and I can manage. You won’t even notice the difference. I don’t know what I’d do if it wasn’t for Charlotte. She makes life bearable here.”
“I half expected her to walk out too. She should have retired years ago. She’s earned some peace and quiet. But her husband died right around the time she was thinking of retiring, and I think it left her at a loose end. She never had any kids, and I guess she’s grown attached to our family. I never did understand how she could put up with my aunt, though.”
Jeralyn smiled. “She has her own way of handling her. You’re right, though. Charlotte is the best thing that ever happened to Maxine. If she ever quits, Maxine is going to be lost. She has no idea how much work it is to keep a place like this running.”
“Does Charlotte help her with her novels?” Ed asked.
“No, I don’t think so. She does everything else, though. Maxine is very protective about her books. She does all the typing herself, and won’t let anybody see them before she sends them to her agent. As if we’d steal her ideas or something.”
“As if we’d want to read them,” Ryan said. “The way I got the story, when Charlotte first came to work for my aunt, she only took the job on condition she didn’t have to type for her. Said Maxine’s books gave her nightmares. While the battle scene was going on in the kitchen, I half expected Charlotte to leave with the Coxes. She does everything but mop the floors around here, and Maxine treats her like dirt.”
“Tom and Carrie have been fed up for a long time now.”
“I know. They were nice enough to finish cleaning up the kitchen, but they didn’t say another word to my aunt. They just looked at one another and I could see they’d already decided what to do if Maxine ever went off on them. Once I realized they were only clearing down so Charlotte wouldn’t have to do it, I pitched in.”
Jeralyn gave him a lopsided smile and brushed her hand along the back of his neck. “You’re so good,” she murmured. “I’m glad you don’t think you’re too good to clean up the kitchen sometimes.”
“I can cook, too. You ought to see me scramble eggs.”
Jeralyn made a little cooing sound.
Ed moved uneasily in his chair. To a prude like Ed, this was a display of naked passion, and it embarrassed him. I gave him a smile and shook my head. Catching my eye, he reverted to the only thing that really interested him.
“Um, Mr. Moon . . . ?”
“Hixon. My last name is Hixon. Yes, what is it, Mr. Darby-Deaver?”
“Oh, please call me Ed. I have a rather awkward appliance I need to get into the castle.”
Ryan was already on his feet. “Let’s go get it.”
Ed sprang up, and for a moment I was afraid he was going to engage in a display of naked passion.
Chapter 7
Bastet trailed after Jeralyn again, but I left my bedroom door ajar in case she came back to me. I was feeling kind of forlorn without her. I realized I didn’t even know where Jeralyn had put her litter box, not that I was longing to clean it. It was just another note of disconnection. Things were going sideways in ways I hadn’t anticipated, and something warm and furry would have been a comfort.
Leaving the door open turned out to be a bad idea though. The stray that came wandering in the door a short while later was Ed, not Bastet, and without so much as an apology, he came and sat on the edge of the bed. I was lying on top of the covers with all my clothes o
n, but still . . . .
“Got your Sensitizer all squared away?” I asked him.
“Sensitainer. Yes. Ryan is a very nice young man. And now, Ms. Verone, I think you and I should have a little talk. So Carrie is Mrs. Cox’s first name? And you know about the butler’s pantry? You’ve been snooping around already, haven’t you?”
“We are here to conduct an investigation, aren’t we?” I said, sitting up stiffly. “I was just looking around.”
“And did you see or hear anything that would advance our investigation? Any vibes, as we say in the ghost biz?”
I was about to say no, but it stuck in my throat. I had a sudden vision of that bust of Horace Moon, and the way the alabaster seemed to absorb the light, as if it were being projected from another dimension. I decided not to go into it, but I had been silent too long.
“Aha,” he said smugly. “I knew it. Something happened, and you weren’t going to tell me.”
“Nothing happened. I just saw a creepy statue, that’s all. You saw it too.”
“Statue?”
“The bust of Horace Moon, over the fireplace in the great hall.”
“You see, that’s why it’s a good thing you’re here with me. I did see that bust, and it didn’t make any impression on me at all. It just looked like an ordinary average bust. But to you, it meant something. Did it seem – alive? Did you hear a voice?”
“I do not hear voices from statues,” I told him flatly. “It was just . . . it’s the way it seems to glow in the dark. Even when it’s not dark. Oh, hell, I don’t know! It just struck me funny.”
“The same way the portrait of Orion Moon struck you?”
“I have to go to the bathroom,” I said, sliding off the bed and marching across the room. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it.
