If the Haunting Fits, Wear It

by Rose Pressey

  “Danielle, can I talk to you for a moment?” Mandy gestured over her shoulder.

  “Um, sure, we’ll be right back, Cookie.”

  The women walked away.

  “Apparently, Mandy didn’t want you to hear what she had to say,” Charlotte said. “Well, don’t worry, I will go listen.”

  “Charlotte, I don’t think you should do that.” I pretended to wipe something off my dress while looking down so no one would be suspicious of me talking to myself.

  I’d gotten clever with my ways of disguising my chats with the ghosts.

  “Why not?” She frowned.

  “Because they obviously wanted to have a private conversation.”

  Charlotte huffed. She knew I was right. When I gazed over at the women, they appeared to be in a bit of a heated conversation. Danielle moved her arms while she talked, and Mandy had her fists clenched by her sides. Were they actually going to throw punches soon? Mandy looked like she’d love to yank Danielle’s pretty blond hair out of her updo.

  “Just admit it. Now you really want to know what they’re saying,” Charlotte said.

  Okay, I did want to know now. Maybe if I just eased over, I could pick up a few words.

  “Are you Cookie?” the woman’s voice said from behind me.

  I spun around, almost spilling my champagne. A pretty, middle-aged brunette and an older bald man stood behind me.

  “You’re in trouble now, Cookie. They probably heard you talking and think you were talking to yourself,” Charlotte said.

  Well, who did I have to thank for that?

  “Yes, I’m Cookie,” I said with a smile, trying to act completely normal.

  That was tough when I had three ghosts standing around chatting in my ear.

  “I’m Elise Beebe, and this is Lewis Elston.” She stuck out her hand.

  I shook her hand. “Oh yes, you’re a racing manager. Nice to meet you. And you own the horse.” I shook Lewis’s hand too.

  He smiled and said, “Yes, I’m the lucky one.”

  “Are you having a nice time?” Elise asked.

  “Yes, thank you for inviting me. So far, everything has been fantastic.”

  “Well, except for discovering the dead guy,” Charlotte quipped.

  Ramon reached for a champagne glass from a nearby tray, but his hand went right through it. “Yes, there is that.”

  Elise noticed when I turned my attention toward Danielle and Mandy. It looked as if they were still in a heated exchange.

  “Is everything all right with them?” Elise asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I said.

  “Maybe we should find out what’s going on,” Lewis said.

  “Nice to meet you, Cookie.” Elise smiled.

  They walked away.

  Now I really wanted to move closer to hear what was being said.

  But my plan soon changed when Ramon said, “What is she doing here?”

  “Who?” I asked.

  He lifted his arm and pointed across the room. “My wife.”

  Charlotte and I exchanged a look. “Your wife is here?”

  Ramon didn’t wait to answer. He took off across the room.

  “Why would she come here so soon after his death? Shouldn’t she be in mourning?” Maureen asked. “Wearing all black?”

  “I suppose people handle things differently,” I said.

  “I still find it highly suspicious,” Charlotte said. “Let’s go see what she’s doing.”

  Charlotte and Maureen took off across the room, and I had no choice but to make my way over there too. Okay, I had a choice, but I wanted to know what was going on too. I smiled at the people who looked at me strangely when I squeezed past them. Honestly, I never expected a house this big to be this jam-packed.

  Finally, I reached the woman. She had flowing dark hair that reached the middle of her back. She wore a sexy, spaghetti-strap black dress with a double row of rhinestones all the way down the front of the fabric, which gathered in the front and had a long slit. She oozed glamour, which I assumed came effortlessly for her.

  “Cookie, you need to talk to her. Her name is Kristina. Find out why she came here,” Ramon said.

  Clearly, Ramon was also upset that she was here.

  “I’m trying to think of something to say.” I covered my talking by pretending to take a sip from my glass of champagne. I’d never actually taken a drink of the bubbly yet. I’d been too busy talking to ghosts. My life was so not normal. How would I strike up a conversation with this stranger? What would I say? “Hey, I’m the one who found your dead husband?”

  When I scanned the room, I noticed Mandy storm away from Danielle, Elise, and Lewis. Apparently, she was unhappy about something.

  Chapter 8

  Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Shopping

  Practice makes perfect.

  The more you shop for vintage,

  the better you’ll get at identifying vintage.

  Mandy moved over to the bar and ordered another martini. I watched as she scanned the crowd. It was clear from her tense posture and furrowed brow that she didn’t want to be here.

  “I wonder who she’s looking for now?” Charlotte asked.

  “There’s just something about her that rubs me the wrong way,” Maureen said.

  “She does have that creepy vibe. Kind of like the black widow. I wouldn’t turn my back on her, that’s for sure,” Charlotte said.

  “She’s okay,” Ramon said. “You just have to get to know her.”

  “No thanks,” Maureen and Charlotte said at the same time.

  They were being awfully critical of a woman they didn’t even know.

  “Forget about Mandy right now,” Ramon said. “I want you to talk with my wife.”

  “Oh, yeah. That. I suppose I should talk with her.”

  Maybe Kristina could provide some clue as to who may have wanted Ramon dead. She might be able to tell me about enemies that Ramon didn’t even realize he had. Sometimes people don’t realize that someone doesn’t like them, but the people closest to them will pick up on it. Just as I moved closer to talk with Kristina, she walked away.

  “Where is she going?” Charlotte asked.

  It looked as if she was headed straight toward Mandy. After navigating the crowd, sure enough, Kristina stood in front of Mandy. Kristina placed her drink on the bar. That wasn’t a good sign. It was as if she knew she’d need her hands free for this encounter. Mandy gave her a look that could kill.

  “I want to know why you were having an affair with my husband.” Kristina didn’t try to lower her voice.

  “Uh-oh,” Charlotte said.

  “This is better than a soap opera,” Maureen said.

  “It’s like a real-life soap opera,” Charlotte said.

  When I glanced at Ramon, he was looking away. Kristina moved closer to Mandy.

  “This is going to get good,” Charlotte said.

  “I bet they start throwing punches soon,” Maureen said.

  “Don’t say that,” Ramon said. “Do something to stop them, Cookie.”

  What did he want me to do? I certainly didn’t want to jump in and get punched.

  The next thing I knew, a punch was thrown. Kristina’s fist missed Mandy’s face by less than an inch. Kristina swung again, and this time she made contact. Mandy screamed and put her hand to her face. She looked shocked at the turn of events.

  “Cookie, you have to stop the fight,” Ramon said.

  I held my hand up to my mouth and pretended to cough. “What do you want me to do? I’m not a boxer.”

  Luckily, I didn’t have to step in because security was there in the blink of an eye. Two muscular men grabbed the women and pulled them away from each other.

  Charlotte stepped back. “Cookie, move away so people don’t think you’re involved. They’ll throw you out of the party too.”

  The women struggled with the security officers for a few seconds until the men finally escorted them through the door.


  “You have to follow them. What if they continue the fight outside?” Ramon said.

  “They’re adults. They can handle it without Cookie. She doesn’t need to be involved in a physical altercation,” Charlotte said.

  I had to agree with her on that. I did want to see what happened to them next though. I moved through the crowd over to the door. People were still talking about what had happened, but things were getting back to normal now.

  I looked at Ramon. “Did you really do that? Have an affair?”

  “Who me?” Ramon didn’t blink as he stared at me. “Of course not.”

  Security had talked with both women. After a few more tense seconds, Mandy walked away.

  “Should we follow her?” Charlotte asked.

  “I don’t think so. What would we learn from that?”

  “Maybe she’ll make a phone call or something and talk about what happened at the party,” Maureen said.

  “I think we saw what happened at the party. Kristina thought Mandy was cheating with her husband, so she confronted her. That seems pretty straightforward.”

  “If you say so,” Charlotte said.

  Mumbling under her breath, Mandy stomped away. She never turned to look back at Kristina. Maybe she hadn’t been ready to leave the party but was forced out, whether she wanted to go or not. Glittering stars peeked through fast-moving clouds. Chatter from the crowds lining the roped-off sections filled the night air. The entire event was nothing short of chaotic.

  “You’re not even supposed to be here,” the security officer said to Kristina. “Leave now and we won’t call the police.”

  “Hey, you can’t talk to her that way,” Ramon said to the officer.

  “He can’t hear you,” I reminded him.

  “Oh, yeah.” Ramon stepped away. “Well, you tell him.”

  “I’m not telling him anything. I don’t want bodily harm.”

  Kristina yanked her arm back and stomped away.

  “I hope Mandy doesn’t try to confront Kristina now that they’re away from security. Maybe now we should go check it out.” Ramon walked ahead a few steps.

  I didn’t want to be in the middle of their fight. Especially if punches were thrown.

  I turned to Ramon. “You said you weren’t having an affair with Mandy. I’m not sure if I believe you. No wonder your wife is upset. That’s why she came here, to confront Mandy. She’s obviously grieving and upset.”

  “I’m telling you I didn’t have an affair with her.” He peered down at his shiny black shoes.

  Charlotte, Maureen, and I stared at him.

  He held his arms up. “I promise I didn’t. Mandy was the one trying to seduce me, but I refused her advances.”

  “Oh yeah, a pretty woman was seducing you. Couldn’t she just find a single guy?” Charlotte asked.

  “That’s what I asked her, but she said she didn’t want a single guy. It was much easier to date a married man.”

  “That’s disgusting,” Maureen said. “She should be ashamed.”

  “Something tells me she’s not,” Charlotte said.

  “I think she uses men to get what she wants,” Ramon said. “She’s manipulative.”

  “You just said earlier that she took getting used to and that she was okay,” I said.

  “Well, I was just trying to be nice,” he said.

  “What did she want from you?” Charlotte asked.

  Ramon shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  There was something tense about his posture. I didn’t think he was telling the truth.

  I looked at my phone. “Oh no. it’s getting late. I should get back to the bed-and-breakfast before I get in trouble.”

  “Cinderella has to get back before she turns into a pumpkin.” Charlotte laughed.

  I looked around for Danielle but didn’t see her, so I decided to leave without saying good-bye.

  “The party’s just now starting,” Maureen said.

  I waved my hand as I made my way down the long drive toward the parking area. “There was nothing special going on anyway. Not for me at least. Maybe if I knew more people there.”

  I’d witnessed the argument between Kristina Gooden and Mandy. That was not what I’d expected to happen at the party. I still couldn’t believe Kristina had accused Mandy of having an affair with her husband. I was shocked that Kristina had attended the party right after her husband’s death. Apparently, she hadn’t been invited but somehow had gotten in. I suppose that was just so that she could confront Mandy in public. I bet Kristina wanted everyone to know about their affair. Would Kristina really do that when she was grieving?

  * * *

  The noise from the event faded as I drove away. Sounds of traffic now replaced the chatter of human voices. The warmth of the day had disappeared, and a slight spring chill hung in the night air. I couldn’t wait to get away from the city and back to the serenity of the bed-and-breakfast.

  “If you had mingled, maybe you would have met some people.”

  “Oh well,” I said.

  Chapter 9

  Grandma Pearl’s Pearls of Wisdom

  Pretty is as pretty does.

  The next day, I had breakfast downstairs with Hannah. She was still upset because I’d been five minutes late. Maybe that explained why the pancakes were cold. I ate them anyway because I wasn’t sure when I would get more food. With enough syrup on the stack, the pancakes weren’t so bad. At least the fresh strawberries were good.

  I had to be at the barn in an hour. Danielle wanted to show me around before we went shopping. She said there were a lot of great thrift stores in town, and I couldn’t wait to take a look. After finishing the meal and thanking Hannah, I rushed upstairs so I could change clothes. I had no idea what I would wear today.

  My outfit needed to be something casual so that I wouldn’t worry about getting dirty. Not that I would be mucking barns or anything, but there was still a good chance I’d come in contact with some dirt. At least I hoped not to have to shovel stalls.

  I decided on a pair of 1970s light blue Armani jeans. The legs had a slight flare. My pink 1950s linen blouse had a lace-embroidered high round neckline. My white Converse sneakers would have to do since that was all I had that was remotely close enough to comfortable for the occasion, though I knew there was little chance they would remain clean at the end of the day. I hopped in the car and took off toward Churchill Downs. This would be exciting. I’d never been before.

  Wind Song had convinced me to take her too. She sat on the front seat of the car and wouldn’t budge an inch for Charlotte. That was also Grandma’s way of telling me I wasn’t going without her. The white steeples became visible in the distance. I pulled up to the little wooden guard shack. A middle-aged man wearing a security uniform held up his hand for me to stop.

  He stepped over to my window and asked, “Name, please?”

  “Cookie Chanel,” I said timidly.

  After looking at his clipboard, he motioned me through. Churchill Downs was in a populated area, surrounded by houses and traffic. The fenced-in area at the back of the track held rows of white barns. People were walking some horses, while other horses peered out from their stalls. I pulled my car over to the parking area and hopped out.

  “This is interesting,” Charlotte said, as she peered down at the ground.

  I knew she was watching to make sure she didn’t step in anything the horses had left behind. Danielle said they were in barn number fourteen. After starting by walking the wrong way, I made a left and located the right number. I walked over to the area and stood by the entrance. Since I had no idea what I was doing there, I tried to stay out of the way.

  It was still early for me, but it looked as if everyone around had been up and working for quite a while. The horses neighed as I inched closer. So far, I saw no one I recognized. I looked at my watch to make sure I had the correct time. Just as I turned around to head out, I spotted Elise in the office area as she talked on the phone. She hadn’t seen me yet. I stepped
over to wait for her to finish.

  “It smells in here,” Charlotte said as she waved her hand in front of her nose.

  “Well, it is a barn,” I whispered.

  Eavesdropping wasn’t my intention, but as I neared the door I couldn’t help but overhear Elise talking. The topic of the conversation was Ramon.

  “Well, I’m glad that I have another jockey riding the horse now. Ramon wouldn’t do as I told him, so it was for the best.”

  My gaze fell on Ramon, who had heard the whole thing.

  “I didn’t have to do as she told me,” he said with anger in his voice.

  “Well, she is in charge of the horse,” I whispered. “I think that means she gets to tell you how to ride the horse.”

  Ramon shook his head. “Not true.”

  “I have to win this race at all costs, and I wasn’t going to let the jockey stand in my way,” Elise said.

  “I’m a good jockey,” he said.

  “Was . . .,” Charlotte corrected him.

  “Just because I don’t agree with her . . . She let the horse go out in the pasture and trained him a few days before the race,” Ramon said.

  “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?” I asked.

  “She has a lot invested in the horse. Right now, she should just let him sit in the stall. What if he gets injured?” he asked.

  “That’s why you train them—so they won’t get injured,” I said. “It’s like if I wanted to run a marathon. There’s no way I could do it if I didn’t train often. Train and then rest. Not all rest. No training would only cause me to have an injury because I wouldn’t be physically fit to run,” I said.

  “How do you know so much about horses?” Charlotte asked.

  I shrugged. “Just seems like common sense to me.”

  “I’m sorry. Were you talking to me?” Elise asked.

  “Uh-oh,” Maureen said.

  I’d been so consumed with the ghostly conversation I’d forgotten that someone might hear me talking to myself. Sometimes I wished others could see the ghosts too.

  “I was talking with the horse,” I said with a chuckle.

  Elise smiled. “He is beautiful, isn’t he? Sorry. I was just on the phone.” She motioned over her shoulder.