Who Invited the Ghost to Dinner: A Ghost Writer Mystery

by Teresa Watson

  “Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” I told her. “I know you’re trying to get ready…”

  “It’s all right,” she said. “Do you have a brush or something in your bag?”

  I dug out my hairbrush and handed it to her as I sat down. “I appreciate this.”

  “I used to work at a beauty parlor before I started acting,” she replied, brushing my auburn hair. She shoved things around on top of the vanity, and picked up a couple of bobby pins. She pulled my hair back on the right side and shoved the pins in. Using her curling iron, she added some curls, then brushed them out until they looked like gentle waves.

  “Wow,” I said when she was done.

  “You look like Rita Hayworth,” she said, obviously satisfied with her handiwork.

  “I could never do this by myself. The last time I used a curling iron, I dropped it and burned my shoulder.”

  “Thank you for letting me do it,” Rachel said as I stood up. “Sometimes I wish I was still working at the beauty parlor.”

  “Don’t you enjoy acting?” I said as I pulled out the black heels and a small jewelry bag from the overnight bag.

  “Most of the time, I do,” she replied, sitting back down in front of the mirror. “Then there are times, like last night, when I just want to walk away and go home.”

  I put on a pair of diamond earrings, followed by a gold chain with a heart that Mike had given me, and slipped my feet into the heels. “Where are you from?”

  “A very tiny town in Illinois called Downs. Not much there, but it’s home,” she said wistfully.

  “How long has it been since you’ve been home?” I asked her as I shoved my other clothes into the bag.

  “Too long, although I saw my mother for two days a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Maybe you’re just homesick,” I said, zipping up the garment bag.

  “Maybe.”

  I went over and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Rachel, why don’t you call your mother before the show starts? Or better yet, why don’t you go home for a visit after the show closes here? I’m sure your family would be thrilled to see you.”

  She shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

  There was a knock on the door. “Rachel,” Richard said as he opened the door. He stopped when he saw me. “Oh, I’m sorry, I was looking for Rachel.”

  “What is it, Richard?” Rachel said.

  “There you are,” he said, coming all the way into the room. “I wanted to talk to you about the scene at the end of Act I for a minute.”

  “I better go,” I said, picking up my things. “Thank you again, Rachel. Break a leg.”

  “Thanks, and you’re welcome.”

  I left them alone, and took the bags out to my car. When I went back inside, I heard my mother calling my name from the main room. I walked in to find her standing next to my father, and I stopped to look at them for a minute. Mother was wearing a black dress, her short silver hair neatly styled in soft curls. She was gazing up at my father, who was dressed in a pair of black pants, white shirt and purple tie, with a look of pure love. After forty years, I thought it was wonderful that they still acted like newlyweds, holding hands or stealing a kiss when they thought no one was looking. I secretly hoped that when I found my true love, our marriage was just like theirs.

  Mother saw me watching them, and she actually blushed. I smiled at her as I wiped a stray tear away. “Did you need me for something?” I asked as I walked over to join them.

  “I just wanted to make sure that Mike was still joining us tonight.”

  “He told me he was this morning.”

  “Good,” she nodded, “I have a place for him and Randy with us.”

  “Who else is joining us?” I asked, noticing two other seats at our table.

  “Walt and Mother.”

  “Really? I thought Grandma didn’t like going to plays.”

  “I think she’s coming for the food, not the show,” Dad said. “When there’s pie involved, there your grandmother will be also.”

  “Are you talking about me again?” Grandma Alma said as she came in behind us. “How do you know I’m not here for the company?”

  Dad started to reply, but Mother gently placed her hand on his arm and shook her head. “Of course you’re here to spend the evening with your family,” Mother said, giving her mother a big hug.

  “No, I’m not,” she snorted. “I’m here to see if there’s going to be a cat fight on the stage. I heard what happened at rehearsals last night.” She looked me up and down. “Don’t you look snazzy tonight? Just saw your boyfriend in the parking lot.”

  I hurried toward the front door. Mike came in just as I reached for the door, and he stopped in his tracks when he saw me. He didn’t say anything at first, just stared at me like he’d never seen me before. Finally, he moved toward me and took my hands in his. “You look…wow…you look so beautiful,” he said, brushing a loose hair off my cheek.

  “Thank you,” I said, feeling extremely shy all of a sudden.

  Randy almost ran us over as he came in. “Are you two planning to block the door all night?”

  “Sorry,” Mike said as we moved to the side.

  “You look nice,” Randy said, barely glancing at me. “Was that your grandmother I saw come in as we got here?”

  “Yes, she and Walt are inside with my parents.”

  For a minute, I thought about staying close to the front door, just to make sure that no one tried to slip past the two doormen standing on the steps outside. Namely, Susan Ingram. I just had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to weasel her way in here, and try to ruin things for Mother. Before I could make up my mind, Mike draped my arm through his, and escorted me toward our table, with Randy trailing behind us.

  By six thirty, everyone was seated at their assigned tables, and chatting with each other amiably. Thankfully, there was no sign of Susan Ingram, although I did see her husband, Joey, sitting with a group of people at the table Mac, Lillian, and I had used the previous evening. He seemed to be having a very intense conversation with one gentleman in particular. The gentleman was dressed in a tweed jacket, white shirt and black tie, with a pipe sticking out of his mouth. I hoped he didn’t light it; the fire marshal would have a fit. It looked like he was chewing on the mouthpiece as Joey continued talking, gesturing with his hands, and even pounding on the table at one point, much to the chagrin of the other people around them.

  I leaned closer to Mother. “Have you seen this hotshot director everyone’s talking about?” I asked her.

  She turned slightly in her chair. “There he is, I think, over in the corner with Joey Ingram. That’s Joey’s son, Reed, sitting next to him.”

  So that was Stephen Showalter. I wonder what they were arguing about so vehemently. A better question was how did Joey know a Broadway director?

  The buffet style worked well. I noticed people chatting with each other as they went through the line. I forgot about Joey Ingram and Stephen Showalter. It was nice to sit down with my family and friends without any interruptions. Mike had assured me that all of the evening patrols were covered, and the dispatcher knew not to contact him unless someone died. He had his phone with him, but it was on silent, lying face down on the table.

  I saw Richard go over and introduce himself to Stephen, who smiled and nodded at whatever Richard was saying to him. They talked for a few minutes before Richard rushed off to get ready for the opening act.

  The waiters cleared away the dinner plates, and served coffee and other refreshments to their guests. As they hurried off, the lights flashed three times, then dimmed. Everyone turned their chairs and attention to the stage. I had to admit that I was extremely nervous about Rachel and Diane. But I was hoping that they would be professionals, and give the performance of their lives for their audience.

  The first act went off without a hitch. The woman playing Madame Arcati was from the Dallas troupe, and she was fantastic. The three leads did a wonderful job, and there was n
o evidence of the tension that had been present during the dress rehearsal. Maybe it was true what they said: A bad dress rehearsal meant a great show.

  The curtain dropped on Act I, and the house lights came up. People wandered over to the dessert tables, while the wait staff went from table to table refilling drinks. Several people came over to Mother, congratulating her on a job well done. Mother seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, but I was happy for her, and I could tell Dad was, too.

  The lights dimmed, and the curtain rose on the second act. When Diane (as the character Ruth) walked behind the couch, she suddenly stopped. She appeared to be looking at something on the floor. Just as she started screaming, I noticed a pair of feet wearing red heels sticking out.

  Mike jumped from his seat and rushed onto the stage. I was right behind him. He grabbed Diane by the arms and gently pushed her toward me. She was shaking like a leaf, and I wrapped my left arm around her waist to steady her. While I did that, Mike knelt down on one knee beside the person on the floor. I couldn’t tell who it was at first, because he was blocking my view. He checked for a pulse, then turned to look at me and shook his head. That’s when I saw who it was.

  Susan Ingram had managed to find a way to ruin Mother’s night after all, but not in the way she had probably planned.

  Ding, dong, the witch is dead.

  Chapter 9

  “Do you have your phone handy?” Mike asked me as he stood up.

  “Um, no, I left it in my bag on our table.”

  He started to walk away, but I reached out to stop him. “Mike, her husband is here.”

  “Where?” he said, looking toward the audience.

  “Sitting in the far right corner.”

  He peered out into the crowd. “I can’t see anything with those Klieg lights blinding me.”

  “Why don’t I get Richard to close the curtains, and then I’ll go get Joey?”

  “I’ll grab my phone to call dispatch. I’ll get Randy to round up some people to guard the doors so no one leaves.”

  Diane was still shaking, so I motioned for Simon to come over. “I’m guessing there is real alcohol in one of those decanters. Get her a shot of brandy or whatever you have over there. And don’t go anywhere.”

  Richard appeared just as I turned around to find him. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s been an unfortunate accident. Close the curtain.”

  “What?” he said incredulously, trying to look over my shoulder to see what was going on.

  I turned him around and shoved him toward the curtains. “Close the curtains, Richard, and bring up the house lights. Chief Penhall’s orders.”

  I moved over to the apron, and made my way down the stairs. People were murmuring, wondering what was going on. As the lights came on, I looked toward the right corner for Joey Ingram, and was shocked to see that he wasn’t there. I scanned the room, but he was nowhere to be found.

  Mother appeared beside me. “Cam, what’s going on? Why is Mike calling for backup?”

  “There’s a little problem.”

  “Did one of the actors have an accident? Do we need to see if there a doctor in the crowd?”

  “No, I’m afraid we’re beyond medical help.”

  She clamped her hand down on my arm. “Please tell me that…someone’s not…”

  “Dead,” I finished for her.

  “Oh, dear Lord.”

  “It will be all right, Mother,” I said, giving her a hug. “Mike will take care of things. But we can’t let anyone leave until he talks to them. Why don’t you get the waiters to come around with the dessert trays again? But whatever you do, don’t say anything about this.”

  “Of course not,” she agreed. “That would just cause a mad rush of people trying to get out of here.” She started to walk away, but turned back. “Cam, do you know who it is?”

  For a moment, I thought about lying to her. But it would be better if she heard the news from me and not someone else. “It’s Susan Ingram,” I said quietly.

  She put her hand over her mouth. “Oh, dear Lord,” she said again.

  “It will be all right, Mother. I promise. Go talk to the waiters.”

  Mother nodded and hurried off. I glanced over at Dad, who had a look of concern on his face. I shook my head. He frowned, and followed Mother out of the room.

  “Randy has the doors covered, and my people will be here shortly,” Mike said when he joined me back onstage. “Did you find Joey Ingram?”

  I shook my head. “He wasn’t in his seat. Maybe he went to the bathroom during intermission, and didn’t get back before the house lights went down.”

  “Do you remember what he was wearing?”

  “Maybe a dark blue suit?” I said, trying to remember. “I’m not really sure.”

  Mike took my hand. “Let’s go out outside and look around. Maybe we’ll find him if we work together.”

  We passed the waiters, who were carrying dessert trays and silver coffee pots. Randy was standing by the front door, arms crossed, trying to look tough. Anyone who knew him wouldn’t believe the tough guy act for a minute. “There are three guys patrolling the parking lot to make sure no one tries to leave if they manage to slip past us,” he told us.

  “Have you seen Joey Ingram?” Mike asked.

  Randy shook his head. “Just Cam’s parents, the waiters, and the caterer.”

  “I’ll go check the bathroom,” Mike said.

  “Why are you looking for Mr. Ingram?” Randy asked me.

  “I can trust you to keep this to yourself, right?”

  “Of course,” he replied, looking offended. “Do you even have to ask me that?”

  “Susan Ingram is dead. She’s behind the couch on the stage.”

  “Holy moly,” Randy said. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “As a heart attack.”

  “How did she get in here? I mean, your mother didn’t change her mind and give her a ticket, did she?”

  “Definitely not. I think I was just as worried as she was about Susan doing something to ruin this evening.”

  “Well, not to be crass, but being found dead during a performance does kind of ruin things.”

  “Good point.”

  “Not to mention that it makes your mother a prime suspect if the police determine that Susan was murdered.”

  “What? Randy, are you crazy?”

  “She was overheard arguing with Susan during the dress rehearsal.”

  “But she didn’t threaten to kill her!”

  “No, but Susan did threaten to withhold their yearly donation to the church, did she not?”

  “Yes, but that’s no reason to kill someone. It’s certainly not the first time that someone with money believes that they hold all the power because of their bank account. Donations have been withheld before, and they’ll probably be withheld in the future. You just learn to adapt.”

  “Don’t forget you also had words with her that same night. That will certainly make you a suspect as well.”

  “Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine tonight?”

  Randy smiled. “Moonbeam, actually. It is nighttime. I do have one question for you. Why was Joey Ingram here if his wife wasn’t on the guest list?”

  “Susan refused to come because she wasn’t put in charge,” I said. “She made it quite clear that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with any part of this dinner or the show. When she found out that Showalter was going to be here, she demanded that Mother give her a seat. Mother refused, not out of spite, but because there were no available seats. I don’t know why Joey is here. This doesn’t seem to be his type of thing.”

  Mike came back, shaking his head. “I can’t find Joey anywhere. I looked everywhere, but given the size of the park, he could have easily gotten away without being seen. You forgot to put someone on the back door, Randy.”

  “I didn’t even think about it,” Randy replied. “The caterer’s van is out there, and she’s been going in and out all ni
ght. Did you ask her if anyone had come through there?”

  “She wasn’t outside when I was there.”

  “Maybe she’s in the main room, helping the waiters,” I suggested.

  “Where was she when you saw her, Randy?”

  “Standing by the buffet tables, talking to Charlotte. After that, I don’t know.”

  Mike pulled me aside. “Listen,” he said quietly, “this was not how I expected our evening to go.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m not sure how long I’m going to be here, but it will probably be late.”

  “It’s part of your job, Mike. I knew that when we started dating. I’m fine with it.”

  “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

  We could hear the sirens getting closer. He gave me a quick kiss. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “As much as it pains me to say this, keep your ears open. You might hear something that people won’t be willing to tell the police.”

  “You want the gossip.”

  “I want the gossip.”

  “Can I enlist Randy’s help?”

  Mike shook his head. “Not directly. Just ask him later what people were saying as they were leaving. Text me when you get home so I know you’re safe.” Giving me a kiss on the cheek, he squeezed my hands and went outside.

  “Okay, so for a cop, he’s not too bad,” Mac said from behind me.

  It took everything I had not to scream. “I’m sure he’ll be glad you approve.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Mac replied. “I’m just impressed that he wants to make sure you get home all right.”

  “We can’t really talk here,” I told him.

  “I get it. You don’t want people to know that you talk to ghosts.”

  “Something like that.”

  “I can respect that. It’s kind of like snitching to the cops about what’s going on in the casinos. You don’t want to be seen ratting people out, so to speak.”

  “Is that what happened to you?”

  “Are you crazy? Do I seem like the kind of person who has a death wish?”