David had already taken the next day off, so he drove me to the jail. Danvers wasn’t there. Gloria Rosepurse, the station’s secretary, dispatcher and guard dog, explained that he’d received an early morning call from the mayor. I didn’t like the sound of that.
She smiled at David as he bailed Phil out. Phil took one look at the two of us, and I thought for a second he was going to bolt. But David offered him his hand. Phil looked at it and then finally took it, and they shook. “No hard feelings?” Phil said.
David shook his head as he took his hand back. “Oh, there are hard feelings. This isn’t my idea. It’s hers.” He nodded to me as I waited in the little waiting area. Rosepurse didn’t like the Blackstones, so she wouldn’t let me through without Danvers’ approval.
“So what’s going on?” Rosepurse asked.
David smiled at her as he guided Phil, who looked disheveled and smelled pretty bad, into the waiting area with me. “We’ve decided to try out a threesome, Miss Rosepurse. Good day.”
I could barely contain my laughter as we stepped outside and into David’s car with Phil in the back. It wasn’t until we’d pulled up outside Magpies & Muffins that Phil finally said, “That was a joke, wasn’t it?”
Mavis wasn’t in, but the morning rush was nearly over. We ordered coffees and several pastries, me a bear claw, and sat at the back table by the corkboard. I sat across from Phil with David between us. It felt like David was waiting for Phil to pounce. But I knew he wouldn’t. He was rocking a hangover of epic proportions. “Since when do you drink?” I asked him.
“Since I started working for Ghost Watchers,” he said, and put his hands to the sides of his head. “The pressure is unbelievable.”
“It’s television.” David shrugged. “What did you expect?”
“I didn’t know what to expect. I’d always worked behind the scenes, but this time I was in both places and it wasn’t working. Within the first three months, I was pretty sure they were going to fire me. Brett was pretty cool most of the time. Harper and I do not get along. But then they brought in a psychic.”
“Several, from what I heard,” I said. “And you didn’t like any of them.”
“No. I’m a medium. What do we need a psychic for?” He put his hands together in prayer as the server brought our coffees and pastries. Phil started blowing on his before he sipped it. “Oh God, I need more of that.”
“Phil, the reason I asked David to bail you out is because I know once Nichelle was hired, you would have done a thorough job of investigating her.”
He glanced at me. “So?”
“What did you find?”
“She’s from here.”
“Yes.”
He sipped his coffee again. “Her father was a cop. A detective, here in this small town. And he was killed under mysterious circumstances.”
“What is Nichelle’s real name?”
More coffee sipping. “Racheal Eliza Blue. She changed it after she moved to New York and her mother remarried a man named Corvis. She was a troubled kid. Arrested a few times and actually did time for fraud, I think. The fact she kept trying to be someone else made me wonder if she was hiding from something or someone. So I confronted her about it before we left Los Angeles to come here. I told her I knew she was from Castle Falls and her pushing to investigate the Delaney House had something to do with a personal agenda.”
“What did she say?” I asked.
“She said it did. But I couldn’t tell anyone. She’d actually flown here a few times, did you know that? Said she had something she needed to look at. So once we got here and I saw the house, I asked her what it was that she hated about that house. She said she had to find something first.” He shrugged. “So when she called me to meet up with me, she said she had something to show me. I assumed it was that little book.”
“Did you see anyone else in the house that night?” David asked.
“Just the crew. The camera guys, electricians, the usual.”
I licked my lips. “Anyone from town?”
“Yeah. We had a visit from the Historical Society. They’re the ones that gave us the tour, but I asked them not to tell us what happened in what part of the house. You know, for authenticity. Oh, but they showed us that secret room, behind the fireplace. Had no idea that existed. And from the look on Nichelle’s face, she didn’t either.”
David and I looked at each other. “Do you have evidence of Nichelle’s past?” he asked.
“Of course I do. On a flash drive.”
“Does anyone know about this?” I asked.
“Just you two.” He looked from me to David. “What is this about? Does this have to do with her getting killed?”
I took a notepad from my bag and scribbled down some names. “If I give you a list of people, can you put together some dossiers on them? Their past? Their affiliations?”
“Yeah…” He looked at me. “What are you thinking?
I handed him the list. “If you can have these by the end of the day, that would be wonderful, Phil.”
He looked at the list. “Sure. And then what?”
“Call me and we can meet up. I need to see what you find out.”
“And what’s in it for me?”
David cleared his throat. “I don’t ask you for the bail money to be repaid.”
Phil blinked. “Oh. Right. Okay. Sure. Can I get a ride back to my hotel room? I need a shower.”
Yes, he did. We dropped him off before David drove me to Melody’s. “What’re you thinking?” he said when we were alone.
“Nichelle ran away from her past when her father died. Given her reaction, the wild behavior and getting into trouble, I’d say she might have actually witnessed his death. We might never know about that. But what if it was Nichelle who moved her father’s case file to somewhere safe?”
“Because…if she did see her father killed, she’d know those files were important.” He pursed his lips as he drove down Main Street. “Or her mother might have done it and Nichelle found out.”
“I never thought of that. I’ll text Phil to include info on the mother.” I did that as we pulled into Melody’s place, and Phil acknowledged with an OK.
“And?” David said as he parked.
“I’m thinking Nichelle saw investigating the Delaney House as a means of getting in there and finding that book, since it was so prominent in her father’s notes. I bet every time she came back here, she went into the library and looked at that case file. I bet she had it memorized. She was determined to solve her father’s murder.”
“But someone didn’t want her to.” David put his finger to his lip. “But that means the killer knew who she was and what she was doing. I hate to say this, but that points back to Phil. He knew who she was.”
“Not necessarily,” I said. “I’m pretty sure whoever murdered the Kells is still pretty nervous about anyone snooping in the Delaney House. The Halloween event probably gives them hives every year, but to have a full-blown television show filmed in there? I bet they investigated every member on their own and found out Nichelle’s past, just like Phil did. They discovered she was the detective’s daughter. So they followed her that night, probably thinking Phil would be blamed. And he was.”
David put his hand on the door. “You already know who the murderer is.”
“I do. But we have to make them confess it. And I’ll need yours and Melody’s and Danvers’ help to do it.”
“You’ve got me.” David smiled, and the world lit up. “As long as you’re not in danger.”
“Weeeeell…”
Melody met us at the door of her store with a hug. I had to push her back so I could breathe. So when I got a good look at her, I was surprised. “Melody? You okay?” Her face was puffy and red, her eyes swollen and her makeup pretty much a wreck. And it was only nine thirty in the morning.
“I just… I felt so ashamed at how I’ve been acting. And then I find out someone tried to kill you.”
“We don’t kno
w someone tried to kill me, Mel,” I said.
But David put his hand on my arm. “That might not have been their goal, but it could have happened.”
“See?” Melody pointed at David. “He’s right. I agree with him. I was at the hospital, but Mama D told me to go home. So I did. And you know what I found when I got here?” She held up a piece of paper.
David took it because I couldn’t make it out. I watched him scan it. “Well, you kind of knew this was coming?”
“What is it?” I asked.
“They’re going to sue me!” Melody held up her hands. “The Ghost Watchers! Me! Because one of their crew was murdered.”
“No.” David held up a hand. “It’s not because she was murdered. They’re simply activating the clause in the contract that specifies if they are not allowed to film the show in a timely fashion to meet their scheduling, then they have the right to sue for reparations. Basically, it’s a threat.” He handed the paper back to her. “They’d prefer to shoot the episode because they make more money like that. Melody, did you sign the contract by yourself?”
“No. Miss Chase also signed it.”
“Who’s that?” I moved around the two of them and sat down on a nearby sofa. I was still tired and my head hurt.
“She’s the president of the Historical Society. The one who worked with Miss Corvis to bring the show to the Delaney House.”
“Oh.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I thought that was Beverly Norris.”
“No. Beverly’s the assistant to the president. She’s also the record keeper. Researcher. She wears a lot of hats. But since most people see Beverly instead of Miss Chase, they always assume the president is Beverly.” Melody came and joined me. David did as well, but he stood behind me and rubbed my shoulders.
“Did Miss Chase receive a letter?” I asked.
“Yeah. She called me, all upset about it. She couldn’t find Beverly, so she yelled at me.”
“Where’s Beverly?”
Melody shook her head. “I don’t know. The hospital released her early yesterday, you know, after she and Cass were attacked. But no one’s seen her. I left a message on her voicemail.”
“Released early?” David stopped rubbing my shoulders. “How early?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Ginger…what am I going to do?”
I sat forward as a plan finally formed in my head. A means to get this all in the open and reveal the killer. “You’re going to have that seance, Melody. And we’re going to solve this case. But I’m gonna need a lot of favors cashed in today. You think you’re up for it?”
“If it’ll get rid of this mess,” Melody said, slowly nodding, “I’ll do whatever you want.”
FIFTEEN
It was close to nine that evening before everything was ready. All the favors had been called in, lots of phone calls and a lot of reading. Phil had come through once again, as had Melody, Peewee and Danvers. Once the sheriff announced the house had been released, everything started falling into place.
The right call was made to the right people to announce the seance would be happening at eleven o’clock that night. All the work was done.
I only hoped I was right and not about to waste everyone’s time and embarrass myself.
I sat in the secret library, where a large, round table had been set up. It’d been covered in a light-colored sheet, surrounded by eight chairs. In the center was a crystal ball, courtesy of Melody Blackstone. Max, after a lengthy nap and a bellyful of David’s soup, had perched himself on top of the cabinet with the salacious books. He was nearly invisible in that corner, except for the glow of his eyes.
I’d just finished straightening the chairs when someone stepped through the side of the fireplace. I put my hand to my heart when I saw them. “Wow, you scared me.”
“Yeah, me too,” Beverly said. “I thought Melody was going to be here.”
“She is. I’m just here doing some last-minute checks.” I smiled at her, nervous but ready to play my part. “You okay? I talked to Cassandra. She took the day off.”
“Am I—? Oh, right. The attack yesterday.” Beverly clutched her purse to her side. “Yes, I’m fine. But what about you? I heard you were in a car accident.” She pointed to the bandage on my forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. For the most part. I was lucky there were people nearby.”
“Yes. Deputy Perrin probably saved your life.”
And there was the first reassurance my hunch was right. “How did you know it was Deputy Perrin who came to the rescue? The accident happened in front of the Delaney House, off the main road. There were no other cars there.” I clasped my hands together in front of me. “Except the one who hit me.”
“Oh, it was just a guess. You know. I heard the house was under guard and assumed Deputy Perrin was the one in charge.”
“I see. Did you also hear that some of my things were stolen out of my purse before he got there, while I was unconscious.”
“Oh? What things?”
“That missing case file we found in the obituaries, and the book I showed you and Cass.”
“Oh no. I had no idea they were taken.”
I chose my words carefully, aware of Max watching us from his vantage point. “See, the only people who knew that case file existed at all at that moment were me, Cass and you. I hadn’t made any calls. Neither had Cass. But you made a call while you were helping look up the logbooks for the obituaries. You made a call to the office of Patrick Delaney.”
Beverly’s eyes widened just a little, but she remained still. “I did. I was keeping him apprised of what was happening.”
“Why? What business is it of Patrick Delaney if we found the case file of a twenty-year-old murder? Unless…Patrick, or someone he knew, was involved?”
Beverly took a step back. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at. Are you saying that Patrick is responsible for Nichelle Corvis’s murder?”
“I think Patrick is involved in several murders. Maybe not directly, but indirectly. I’m talking about the deaths of the Kells, over their involvement with Delaney’s son, Jackson Delaney. As well as the murder of Detective Thomas Blue.
“See, Jackson had an affair with Brenda Delaney, and I’m pretty sure he had something with her husband. And I think the Kells used Jackson in order to learn more about the history of the Delaney House. Specifically, what really happened to Brigit Delaney. And I think Brenda started to understand the legend a bit better.”
Beverly didn’t move. She just stood there, watching me.
“I think Detective Blue didn’t believe it was her husband who killed Brenda. There were too many inconsistencies for him. Not to mention the reports and stories kept changing. He found blood spatter on her clothing, and if we could test that clothing, I’m pretty sure it would reveal itself to be Mark Kell’s. I’m betting he suspected someone discovered what the Kells were doing and, in a fit of rage and jealousy, killed both of them.
“And I think that person was Jackson Delaney. And when the detective started getting too close, I think it was Jackson who murdered him as well, just before Jackson disappeared.” I shrugged. “But I get the feeling Jackson Delaney didn’t voluntarily disappear.”
Beverly finally said, “Very imaginative.”
“Maybe. But what I can’t figure out is why you would kill Nichelle. I know she’s dead because Delaney believed she was the last person alive who knew about the Kell murders. The last person who would dredge that blemish from the past up. I’m sure it alarmed Delaney when you reported to him that the Ghost Watchers were bringing up the Kell murders. And it was even more alarming to discover Nichelle, the daughter of Detective Blue, was helping them. What better way to stop the show than to get rid of the driving force behind their investigating the Delaney House?”
“So you think I killed Nichelle.”
“I do. But what I don’t understand is why. You’re part of the Historical Society. The town depends on your group to keep the lore a
nd the legends and the history intact, so why do Delaney’s dirty work for him? Why destroy yourself by taking a life?”
Beverly clasped her hands in front of her, her purse still clutched in her fingers. “I must commend you on putting a lot of things together. Events I didn’t believe were easy to understand. But I must also point out that you’re wrong.”
“Wrong? Where?”
She straightened her shoulders. “Jackson didn’t kill the Kells.”
“You did?”
“No. I was fifteen at the time and my mother was the housekeeper for the Delaneys. For an extra five hundred a week, my mama would clean the Delaney House. She was never afraid of anything there. Not even the ghost. She liked to borrow books every week from that library. But she never touched the racy ones.”
“The ones in that cabinet.”
“Yes. Then one day she found a book in German and there was a rhyme handwritten in the front in English. She told me about it, but never told me the name of it or where it was. I didn’t know it was one of the books in that cabinet.” She smiled and looked away, as if remembering something nice. “I was shocked when I realized it was there, and she had indeed been reading those books.” She looked back at me. “Just goes to show you that you can never truly believe what you see about a person.”
I was in agreement there. I didn’t want to believe Beverly was responsible for this tragedy. That she had ever harmed a soul.
“I used to watch Mrs. Kell and Mr. Delaney sneak off together. I knew it was wrong. Mama knew it was wrong. But she wasn’t going to bite the hand that feeds. Until one day something happened in that house, upstairs in the bedroom. Something terrible.”
I held my breath. Max stood up on all fours.
“I heard the shouting, heard the banging around. Mama told me we needed to go. This wasn’t our place. But I ran upstairs and opened the door just as I saw Miss Kell fall. And standing over her, holding a knife, was Albert Delaney.”
The Cat Jumped Over the Moon Page 11
