The Pine Hill Inn

by J A Whiting

  Livvy’s forehead creased. “I think he’s a prime suspect. I bet he knows the state law that a sibling can inherit an estate if there’s no will. Larry probably wanted to know if Leo had a will so he could put his plot to kill Leo in motion. I’d bet Larry didn’t think Leo had a will because Leo was young and wouldn’t think of it.”

  “I wonder if Jonas talked to Larry about wills and estates and being cut out of Edwin’s will,” Ella said. “He might have some insight.”

  After parking in the inn’s lot, the sisters took the flashlights out of the trunk and went out to the edge of the meadow hoping to connect with Leo. They sat on a bench for about fifteen minutes looking out over the field. There were some fall wildflowers blooming here and there, and birds swooped from the trees down to the long grasses.

  Leo didn’t appear, and when Ella and Livvy were about to leave, Ella could hear soft crying in the gardens.

  “It’s Rebekah,” Ella said, her heart rate picking up. “I can see her shimmering atoms.”

  “I can’t see her at all.” Livvy searched for a hint of glimmering light.

  “She’s over there on the bench.”

  “I can see her if I look with my peripheral vision.”

  “Rebekah?” Ella spoke the ghost’s name.

  A cold whoosh of air surrounded the sisters.

  “Why are you upset? Can I set up the flashlights?”

  Ella and Livvy placed the three flashlights on the ground in front of the bench.

  Livvy said, “The right light will mean no and the left light will mean yes.

  “Are you okay?” Ella asked.

  The left light flickered on. Yes.

  “Is Leo okay?”

  Yes.

  “Would you like us to come back another time? Would you rather be alone right now?”

  No.

  “Are you weeping about the past?”

  Yes.

  “Would you like to talk about it?”

  The middle flashlight flicked on indicating the ghost wasn’t sure.

  “You died here in your family’s gardens?”

  Yes.

  “I found some letters your mother had written to a friend. She was distraught by your death.”

  No lights flickered.

  “There was a man who wanted to marry you,” Ella said gently. “Jebediah Adams.”

  Yes.

  “But you didn’t want to marry him.”

  No. No. No.

  “Did you have an accident in the garden?”

  No.

  “Did someone hurt you?”

  Rebekah’s atoms flashed a brilliant red.

  Ella and Livvy were afraid the ghost would begin wailing and frighten some of the inn’s guests.

  “We can talk about this another time,” Ella told Rebekah.

  No.

  Ella and Livvy shared a look.

  “We can’t startle any of the guests. Lucy will be angry with us. We have to talk quietly.”

  Yes.

  Ella whispered to her sister. “Should I ask her if someone attacked her? What if talking about it makes her too upset?”

  “I think she wants to talk. Maybe Leo’s murder has made her want to open up about what happened to her.”

  Ella took in a deep breath. “Did someone attack you?”

  Yes.

  Did the attack result in you losing your life?”

  Yes.

  “Do you want me to ask you who attacked you?”

  Yes.

  “Was it the man who wanted to marry you?”

  No.

  Ella swallowed hard. “Was it your father?”

  No.

  Ella looked at her sister and gave a shrug. “Was it someone outside of your family?”

  No.

  “A sibling?”

  No.

  Ella’s heart nearly stopped and her veins filled with ice. “Was it your mother?”

  Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

  Rebekah’s particles flamed red, then flashed bright, then dimmed, then bright again … over and over.

  Ella’s eyes filled with tears. “Your mother was angry because you wouldn’t marry the merchant?”

  Yes.

  “I’m so sorry, Rebekah. I’m so very sorry that happened to you. I wish … I wish I could hug you.”

  Rebekah’s atoms flashed white, and she was gone.

  21

  “I apologize for having to cancel our meeting last week.” Detective Damon sat in the reception room of Green Hill Investigations with Ella and Livvy. “I’m looking forward to hearing about your business.”

  Raisin rested on a soft chair, listening.

  Livvy smiled. “Do you have questions? It might be easier to answer your questions and then fill in the blanks.”

  Ella was pleased that Jonas had an interest in other investigative techniques, even if they involved what some people would call the paranormal, but she was wary about what he would do with the information. They didn’t know the man and they didn’t have a good handle on what sort of person he was.

  “I’m not even sure where to start,” Jonas said. “You can see ghosts?”

  Ella answered the first question. “Sometimes, we can see them. A lot of people can’t see spirits, but they know that one is present. They sense movement on the air, or feel a cold sensation, or hear a few words the ghost is saying. Spirits are easier to see if you look for them using your peripheral vision. Looking straight at them isn’t usually helpful.”

  “And what do you do in your investigations?”

  “Different things.” Livvy explained some of the tasks they were often summoned to perform. “There might be a spirit in a home or a building and the present occupants are upset about it. There are sometimes ghosts who cause trouble, throw things, scare people, move things around to annoy people. Some try to harm the present occupants. This is few and far between however.”

  Ella took up the explanation. “Some ghosts get stuck here and can’t find their way to other side. We help with that.”

  “How?”

  “You’ve probably heard things about people who pass away and see a bright light, but they return to their bodies and live,” Ella told the man. “There is a white light that calls to the spirit of the recently departed. If the spirit goes to the light, all is well, and they cross, but some can’t do it. This frequently happens when someone experiences a violent death. They’re confused, befuddled, don’t understand what’s happening, and they miss the light, and it’s gone.”

  Jonas looked alarmed. “What happens then?”

  “The spirit might spend a very long time on this side,” Ella said. “But they don’t seem to have our sense of time. We talk to the spirits to help them understand what happened to them. Some grasp the situation very quickly, others need a long time to come to terms with death. Some ghosts don’t want to cross just yet so they stay. Others want to cross, but don’t know how and can’t find the way. We help them find the light by performing … a ceremony, for lack of a better word. We help them see the light and they go forward and cross to the other side.”

  Raisin trilled her approval.

  Jonas adjusted his position in his chair. “Really? You can do that?”

  Ella nodded. “If you think about it, it doesn’t seem outlandish at all. Simply put, a person is energy, the energy transforms when the body dies, the energy moves to a different realm. Think of it as similar to the law of conservation of energy, energy can’t be created or destroyed, but it can change from one form to another.”

  “I was never very good at science.” Jonas shook his head.

  “You don’t need to be,” Livvy smiled. “What else can we answer for you?”

  “How did you learn all of this?”

  “We grew up in a family of people who understand spirits,” Ella said. “It wasn’t out of the ordinary for us. It was part of our daily lives.”

  “We learned from our grandmother, our mom, our two aunts,” Livvy explained. “We learn fro
m each other. We share techniques and information with other investigators. There’s a worldwide network of investigators. We assist each other.”

  “And you don’t charge any fees for what you do?” Jonas asked.

  “We don’t,” Livvy said. “Most helpers don’t take money. It’s mostly a volunteer network.”

  “Why don’t you charge for your services? They seem very specialized. I bet people being harassed would pay a lot for your help.”

  “How much would we charge to help a ghost find peace?” Ella asked. “What is that worth? How would you value it?”

  “I … I….” Jonas stumbled. “I see what you mean, but really, the question can be how much is it worth to people to have a spirit gone from their house.”

  “It’s still the same premise,” Ella tried to explain. “The occupants get relief when a ghost becomes calmer or decides to cross over, but the main person we’re aiming to help is the lost or forlorn spirit who is either tormented by something or is confused and lost.”

  “It’s simple kindness,” Livvy said. “You can’t charge a fee for that.”

  “Have you ever confronted a dangerous spirit?” Jonas questioned.

  “We have.” Ella nodded. “It doesn’t happen very often. It can be very difficult. It’s not something one of us will do alone. We need at least three of us to handle the case.”

  “Have you ever lost?” Jonas asked.

  “Lost, how?” Livvy didn’t know what Jonas meant by his question.

  “Did a bad spirit ever win?”

  Livvy answered, “No, a destructive spirit we’ve worked with has never remained destructive.”

  “Batting a thousand?” Jonas asked.

  “I guess so.” Livvy smiled.

  The question and answer period went on for another hour, and then Jonas said, “My brain is fried. I need to go home and digest all this information. I feel exhausted, but it’s been super interesting. Thank you.”

  Ella brought up a different topic. “Did Leo have a will?”

  Jonas seemed momentarily thrown off by the switch in subject. “We’re trying to determine that. We’ve located Leo’s financial advisor and she gave us the name of the lawyer who Leo had contacted about doing a will. The man is away for a couple of days. There wasn’t a copy of a will in his safety deposit box.”

  “Leo inherited quite a bundle of money,” Livvy pointed out. “About two million dollars from his father, and two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand dollars from his mother. Money can be a powerful motivator for wrong-doing.”

  “What about that guy from the inn who wanted Leo to invest with him? Brian Milton,” Ella asked. “He sounds like trouble. Could he be a suspect? He and Leo might have had an argument and one thing led to another, and maybe Brian lost it and attacked Leo.”

  Jonas said, “Brian Milton would definitely be on our radar, except for one thing. An officer picked him up from the inn for not paying his speeding tickets right before Leo was killed.”

  Ella deflated. “So it wasn’t him then. He can get crossed off the list.”

  The family was seated around the table in Livvy and Mike’s kitchen-dining room enjoying dinner when the talk shifted to the murder case.

  Mike asked, “Who are the suspects?”

  “The guy who was a pain in the butt at the inn has been removed from the list,” Ella told them. “He was in a holding cell when Leo was killed.”

  Jack asked, “What’s a holding cell?”

  “It’s a place where someone goes for a little while after they’ve done something wrong,” Livvy told her son.

  “Like a timeout?” Jack asked.

  “Like that, yes.”

  “I’m done eating, Mom, can I go play?” Jack asked.

  Livvy nodded. “Take your plate to the sink, please.”

  When Jack went to the living room to play, Raisin went with him.

  “Who is left then?” Jin asked. “Who else can be considered a suspect?”

  “Leo’s brother, Larry, had motive,” Ella explained. “Leo had all that money and no other relatives. If Leo had no will, Larry would inherit everything, and even if there is a will, Larry can contest it.”

  “Larry had a lot to gain, didn’t he?” Jin passed the bowl of mashed potatoes to Mike. “He didn’t have much of a relationship with his brother. There was the age difference and they lived in other states for a while. From what you tell us, Larry didn’t seem that broken up over his brother’s murder.”

  “Maybe that’s because Larry killed Leo,” Ben said.

  “I don’t trust the girlfriend either,” Livvy said. “She doesn’t like Larry, says things that make Larry look bad. She seems to have it in for him.”

  Ella sat up. “If Leo had a will and the beneficiary was Rose Mahoney, that puts her under our spotlight. If she knew she was the beneficiary, she would have had a powerful motive to kill Leo.”

  “Rose told us she didn’t know if Leo had a will. She could have been lying to us.” Livvy’s expression became serious. “Rose and Leo’s relationship seemed to be in trouble, too. The move to a new state, starting new jobs, and not seeing each other much was putting strain on the relationship. Leo hinted to a colleague that he and Rose could be headed for a breakup. If Rose thought they were through, she might have devised a scheme to kill her boyfriend, and she might have done it out of anger, not greed.”

  “Detective Damon told us Leo’s lawyer is away for a couple of days,” Ella said. “The lawyer wouldn’t tell us anything anyway. We aren’t family or law enforcement.”

  “You could go talk to him when he returns to work,” Livvy said. “You could place an honesty spell on him.”

  Ella shook her head. “It’s against the law for him to tell us things that a client discussed with him. An honesty spell wouldn’t work.”

  Livvy made eye contact with her sister. “Maybe we need to talk to Rose again.”

  Ella’s eyes narrowed. “And it wouldn’t hurt to speak with Larry one more time. We could try the honesty spells on both of them.”

  22

  It was late afternoon and the sun was heading for the horizon as Ella sat in her office at the university grading her students’ papers. Raisin was curled up on the small sofa near the windows having a nap.

  When Ella’s phone buzzed with a text, she glanced at it and saw the message was from Jonas Damon.

  Some interesting news. I’m with Leo’s attorney, Joseph Billings. Billings said he made a will with Rose Mahoney as Leo’s beneficiary. But Leo changed his mind and asked Billings to destroy the document.

  Ella replied. Maybe he was worried that the relationship seemed to be struggling.

  Could be. Jonas answered.

  Thanks for letting me know.

  Ella tapped her pencil on the desktop thinking over what Jonas had shared. When she stood up to stretch her back muscles, Raisin lifted her head. Ella paced around the room talking to herself about Rose and Larry.

  Leo had worries that he and Rose were not going to make it as a couple and it was smart of him to tell the lawyer he’d changed his mind about Rose being the beneficiary.

  Did Rose know Leo was considering making a will? Did she know he planned to make her the beneficiary? Did she know he’d changed his mind?

  Rose had said she didn’t know anything about a will. Was she lying to them? Was she so infuriated about Leo’s actions that she killed him?

  What about Larry? He might have known that Leo didn’t have a will. If Leo died, then Larry would inherit his brother’s millions. Larry wasn’t close to Leo. They hadn’t seen each other for years. Did Larry think he could get the money? He was Leo’s last living relative. Larry admitted he was upset and hurt when Edwin died and left so much to Leo and nothing to him. Did he see killing Leo as revenge on Edwin? Was the money so important to Larry that he took his brother’s life knowing he would inherit the millions?

  Ella plopped down on the sofa next to Raisin and ran her hand over the cat’s silky black fur. “I f
eel antsy. I feel like … something. Something isn’t right.”

  Hurrying to the desk for her phone, Ella texted Jonas.

  Are you still with the lawyer?

  She waited. No response.

  Pressing on her phone screen, she called Jonas. It rang and rang and went to his voicemail.

  Ella’s heart began to race as she searched for the phone number for Attorney Joseph Billings. His office was near the inn. Ella placed a call. A recorded message came on, and she jabbed at the phone to end it.

  Wheeling around, she stared at the cat. Anxiety pulsed in her veins.

  “Come on. We’re going for a ride.”

  Joseph Billings’ law office was in his Colonial home about two miles from the Pine Hill Inn. Billings’ name was the only attorney listed on the small sign at the end of the long driveway. Ella turned down the tree-lined drive and when she spotted the garages to the left of the home, she slammed on the brakes.

  Jonas’s car was parked in front of the garage building.

  Why didn’t he answer my call?

  Ella pulled into the four-car lot in front of an addition to the house where Billings had his office. When she and Raisin got out of the car, Ella noticed the door to the office was slightly ajar, and her heart sank.

  Raisin hissed, and took off towards the office with Ella running after her.

  The waiting room was eerily silent.

  Ella and Raisin moved slowly to the office on the right, and when they reached the threshold, Raisin howled and Ella couldn’t stifle a scream.

  Jonas lay on the floor unconscious. Blood covered the front of his shirt. Crumpled next to his desk, the lawyer had blood at his neck and on his shirt.

  With tears spilling over her lids, Ella made a frantic emergency call before kneeling next to Jonas and feeling for a pulse. She could feel the faint beating against her fingertips.

  Collecting herself, Ella held her hands over the detective and whispered a healing spell before hurrying over the floor on her knees to the lawyer. Billings also had a faint pulse, and Ella repeated the healing spell over the man.

  She stood up and ran to the bathroom looking for towels, but there was only a paper towel dispenser on the wall. Finding a small closet in the hall where cleaning supplies were stored, she grabbed a few clean towels from the upper shelf and raced back to the men.