Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece

by Rose Pressey

Elizabeth followed me into the room. I sat down in the same chair as before, and Elizabeth took a seat in the chair where Sammie had sat. It was a neat trick that Elizabeth could actually sit in the chair. She did everything a living person could do and even more. Van sat next to me on the other side. He acted as if he knew exactly why we were there.

  Madame Gerard took her place across from us. She hadn’t mentioned if the bad spirit was still around. I hoped he had gone. Madame Gerard’s attention turned to Elizabeth. She looked surprised to see a ghost here. I figured she must have experienced quite a few ghosts, considering her profession. Maybe no one had ever brought a ghost with them.

  “She wasn’t with you when you were here last,” Madame Gerard pointed out.

  Elizabeth fidgeted in the seat. Obviously, Madame Gerard’s stare made her uncomfortable.

  Madame Gerard stretched out her arms toward us. “Let’s all hold hands.”

  When I tried to hold Elizabeth’s hand, mine went right through hers. Was she fading? Her energy didn’t seem as strong.

  Madame Gerard chuckled. “Sorry, I suppose I forgot.”

  “It will be impossible for us to hold hands with Elizabeth,” I said.

  “This is the first time I’ve had an actual ghost sitting at the table like this,” Madame Gerard said.

  “Really?” I asked with a frown. “I would’ve thought it would happen all the time. As a matter of fact, I thought when I was here you saw the ghost who was talking to you. I thought you saw the spirit with you this morning. But you couldn’t see the ghost?”

  “No, that’s not the way it works for me,” Madame Gerard said. “I just see them in my mind. I’ve never seen a ghost in person.”

  Again, Madame Gerard stared at Elizabeth.

  “Well, I suppose there’s a first for everything,” I said.

  “I’m surprised you came back so soon.”

  “I thought maybe it was necessary. After what you said, I have questions.” I motioned with a tilt of my head toward Elizabeth.

  “I don’t think I have the answers you want.” Madame Gerard attempted a smile. That was the first time I’d actually seen her smile. “Take my hand, and we’ll just pretend we’re holding Elizabeth’s hands.” Madame Gerard wiggled her fingers.

  “What will I do?” Elizabeth asked.

  “You can use your mind to concentrate with us.” The psychic closed her eyes.

  Again, I opened one eye and peeked around the room to see if another ghost popped up. I wanted to know who Madame Gerard had been talking with before. If the ghost returned, maybe I could see it.

  “Okay. There is another ghost here,” Madame Gerard said.

  With both my eyes open now, I saw no sign of a ghost. The spirit was just appearing in Madame Gerard’s mind.

  CHAPTER 26

  Travel trailer tip 26: Befriend your neighbors, even the ones who aren’t so nice. You’ll enjoy the nice ones. And you’ll be able to keep an eye on the others.

  I waited anxiously for Madame Gerard to say something.

  Elizabeth and Van both had their eyes closed. Okay, Van was lying on the chair sleeping, but still, he had his eyes closed. Maybe he knew what we were doing.

  “I call to the spirits,” Madame Gerard said. Her eyes were still closed. Of course I was peeking. “Who wants to speak with Celeste?” she said. “Anyone? Anyone? Now is the time to come forward.”

  She opened her eyes and peered into the crystal ball. She hadn’t looked at me to notice that my eyes were open too. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to do that or not. But I was looking into that crystal ball as well. I hoped to see someone I recognized.

  Would the spirit be able to manifest outside the crystal ball and come into the room? Would the spirit sit down with us at the table, just like Elizabeth? It could get awfully crowded in here if that happened. Madame Gerard would need more chairs. Madame Gerard scrunched her brow in concentration as she stared at the glass ball. I saw absolutely nothing in there, but it seemed as if she was looking at something.

  “Oh spirits, come forward. We ask you to give us a message for Celeste,” Madame Gerard said.

  This was spooky. I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted another spirit to come through.

  “I know you’re around. I can sense you,” she said.

  I looked around the room but saw nothing unusual. Elizabeth had opened her eyes at this point, but Madame Gerard still hadn’t looked at either of us. I supposed she was in her trance and concentrating on the spirits who had arrived. They weren’t speaking yet.

  “I’m having a bit of a problem hearing or understanding the spirit right now. We’ll continue, and hopefully it will become clearer now.”

  Perhaps she needed to fine tune the crystal ball for better reception. Maybe the spirits were just being difficult. Madame Gerard released our hands and jumped up from the table. What was going on?

  “I’ll be right back,” she said as she stood. “Don’t move.”

  Now I was really scared. But I didn’t move. I looked over to make sure Van was all right. He was sleeping. Whatever was going on, he didn’t seem bothered by it. Madame Gerard walked out of the room and disappeared into what I assumed was the kitchen.

  “What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked.

  “I don’t know, but it’s making me anxious,” I whispered.

  “Me too,” she said. “Maybe we should just leave.”

  “Madame Gerard said we shouldn’t go anywhere and that we shouldn’t move. I’m thinking she said that for a reason.”

  “Yes, but maybe that reason was bad,” Elizabeth said.

  A few more seconds went by before Madame Gerard emerged into the room again. She held a glass bowl. Whatever was in the bowl, she used it to sprinkle around the room. It looked like salt. As she moved around the room, she didn’t speak to us. I had to know what she was doing.

  “Is that salt?” I asked.

  “It’s to keep out the bad spirits.” She pinched more salt between her index finger and her thumb.

  Oh no. I was afraid of that. Had bad spirits been trying to communicate?

  “Should I be worried?” My voice wavered.

  “Well, it’s common for bad things to come. I told you this morning I didn’t like speaking with them. We just have to take precautions,” she said. “That’s what I’m doing right now. Try not to worry too much.”

  She didn’t sound all that confident, so that wasn’t reassuring. Nevertheless, I tried to remain calm and not completely freak out.

  After Madame Gerard had gone around the entire perimeter of the room, she came back over to the table and put the bowl down. She motioned for us to give our hands back to her. She chuckled. “I forgot again.”

  I held Madame Gerard’s hand again and pretended to hold Elizabeth’s hand.

  “Now we can continue,” Madame Gerard said. “We’ll just say a little safety spell when we’re finished.”

  I had a feeling there was something she wasn’t telling me. That there was something negative lingering around and she was worried about it. Nevertheless, Madame Gerard started over. “I call to the spirits. I know you’re here. I can see you. Reveal yourself now, and your message,” she said.

  We waited for another long pause, possibly for an answer to arrive. The longer this took, the more I thought maybe we should just give up on it.

  “The spirit is showing me the painting. The one I told you about this morning. There are pine trees surrounding a silhouette of a man. Do you know this location? Or what the spirit might be trying to tell me?” Madame Gerard asked. “Could it be the area by the creek?”

  “I just painted that last night and this morning,” I said excitedly. “I think the silhouette is the man who murdered Evan. And yes, it was by the creek where you found me. Max’s trailer and the office for the fairgrounds are close to that creek.”

  Madame Gerard opened her eyes. “There has been a murder. The one at the craft fair?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” I said.
r />   “I heard about that,” she said. “As I said before, this is something dark.”

  Out of nowhere, Elizabeth said, “I think I recognize the man in the silhouette. I’m almost certain it’s Max. I can see Evan in the room with us. He’s bad, but that’s just because he was so rude when he was alive. He says he means us no harm.”

  “How do you know that? Just because he says it doesn’t make it true,” I said.

  “I’m just repeating what he said,” Elizabeth said.

  “Is that what you hear too?” I looked at Madame Gerard.

  “Yes, he says Max murdered him. The spirit is Evan.”

  “Wow, you’re talking with the spirit of Evan?” I asked.

  Madame Gerard shook her head. “He didn’t tell me his name.”

  “It is Evan,” Elizabeth said.

  “What does this man look like?” I asked.

  “He’s a large man with gray sprinkled in his dark hair,” Elizabeth said as she pointed toward her head.

  That could be Evan.

  “We have to get the police right away,” I said, jumping up from my chair.

  “What are you going to tell them?” Elizabeth asked. “That a ghost and a psychic told you to do this?”

  I sat back down. “You’re right. What am I going to tell them? I wish the detective could see you too. Why can’t he see you?”

  “I can’t make people see me if they don’t,” Elizabeth said.

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true. Maybe he just needs to open his mind to the paranormal and he would be able to see you.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Madame Gerard said. “It takes a while sometimes for people to realize the paranormal is out there.”

  “Maybe there’s something I can do to push him in that direction. But in the meantime, Max could be plotting another murder. I don’t think I have enough time for that. I’ll have to find a way to tell Pierce and get him to believe me. If only we could get Max to confess,” I said.

  “I highly doubt that would happen,” Elizabeth said.

  “No, usually people don’t confess to murder,” Madame Gerard said.

  Van barked, as if he was agreeing with us.

  “We have to go,” I said as I stood from my chair.

  “Wait. There is one other thing.” Madame Gerard touched my arm.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “There was something else I saw in the crystal ball.” She focused her attention on Elizabeth.

  “Is it about me?” Elizabeth asked.

  “There’s a connection between you two.” Madame Gerard pointed from Elizabeth to me. “Kindred spirits, perhaps?”

  “My grandmother found a photo of Elizabeth. It turns out, she is my great-great-great-aunt,” I said.

  “That explains a lot,” Madame Gerard said.

  “I can tell you more about it later. Right now, we need to get to the fairgrounds,” I said.

  “Please be careful,” Madame Gerard said. “I think you’re going into a very dangerous situation.”

  Did she know more that she wasn’t telling me? Elizabeth, Van, and I rushed out of Madame Gerard’s house. As soon as I got into the truck, I pulled out my phone.

  “I was going to suggest that you use that little contraption to call the detective,” Elizabeth said.

  Unfortunately, Pierce didn’t answer, so I had to leave a message. “I think Max is the killer, and I think he’s planning to kill someone else. Call me immediately. I’m going to stop him.” I rushed my words. I knew I sounded panicked. That was because I was panicked.

  “I’m not sure he’ll understand what you were saying. Don’t forget to breathe,” Elizabeth said.

  “Right.” I cranked the engine.

  Trying not to speed, I pointed the truck in the direction of the craft fair.

  “I hope it’s not too late,” I said. “What if he’s already got another victim?”

  “Oh, dear. I certainly hope not too,” Elizabeth said.

  I punched the gas when the light turned yellow so I wouldn’t have to stop.

  Once we arrived back at the fairgrounds, I parked the truck next to my trailer and shut off the engine. “We have to find Max.”

  “This is very dangerous, Celeste,” Elizabeth said. “If he discovers you know about what he’s done, he could make you his next victim.”

  “I know, but if he does something to someone else and I had a chance to stop it, I’ll feel really bad. I’d never forgive myself.”

  “Maybe you should call Caleb and have him meet you. Then the two of you can find Max together. I would feel much better if you had someone with you.”

  “I hate to put him in danger too,” I said.

  “Max won’t be able to do something to both of you. It would be better if you don’t go alone. I’m adamant about this,” Elizabeth said.

  I pulled out my phone. “Okay, I’ll give him a call, but we don’t have much time.”

  Unfortunately, Caleb didn’t answer his phone. I left him a voice mail anyway, and told him it was urgent. I didn’t say what I wanted to talk to him about because I didn’t want him to look for Max on his own. That was too dangerous. Sure, Caleb would want to know why I thought it was too dangerous for him but perfectly fine for me. I didn’t have an answer for that. I just hoped Caleb wasn’t anywhere near Max. For that matter, I hoped no one was near him.

  After placing the call to Caleb, I dialed Pierce again. He didn’t answer this time either. Where was everyone today? I left another message for Pierce too. I told him it was urgent that he meet me at my trailer. It was a matter of life or death. That was the truth as far as I was concerned. Max could strike again at any time.

  “Maybe I should go to Caleb’s trailer,” I said.

  “Good idea,” Elizabeth said.

  “It’ll be faster if I drive over there.” I turned the engine and backed away from my trailer.

  “Another good idea,” Elizabeth said.

  Once by Caleb’s booth, I found a spot to park next to a treed area. Anxiety danced in my stomach as I got out of the truck and hurried over to his trailer.

  “I hope he’s here,” Elizabeth said.

  “Me too,” I said.

  Van barked as I held him in my arms. He was agreeing with me. So far, there was no sign of Caleb or Gum Shoe.

  “He could be anywhere,” I said.

  As I stood at the trailer door and knocked, I shifted from foot to foot. After a few seconds with no answer, I was ready to give up and go find Max.

  “He’s not here. I just have to hope he’s okay.”

  He hadn’t answered the text I’d sent. Of course, I’d been vague with my message. I didn’t want to come right out and say that Max was the killer until I knew for sure. Though maybe I should hint at it so Caleb could be safe from him.

  “He’s not here, so I’ll just have to go back over to my trailer. I’ll park the truck and start searching for Max. And maybe in the meantime, Caleb will show up,” I said.

  “That’s the only plan we have,” Elizabeth said.

  “Well, it’s the only plan I can come up with,” I said.

  “It’ll have to do,” she said.

  As I headed back over to my truck, my phone rang. It was Caleb’s number.

  “Oh, thank goodness it’s him,” I said.

  “I’m so relieved,” Elizabeth said.

  When I answered the call, I said, “Caleb, I need to see you right away.”

  There was no response.

  “Hello?” I said.

  Still, there was no answer. When I peered down at my phone, I realized the call had been dropped. Without giving it a second thought, I dialed his number again. After just a few rings, it went to his voice mail. That made me nervous all over again. What if he was trying to reach me for help?

  “The call was dropped,” I said.

  “What does that mean?” Elizabeth asked.

  “It means the signal was lost.”

  “Signal lost,” she said,
as if she really didn’t understand but was acknowledging me.

  “What if Max has already found him?” I asked.

  “Try not to think the worst,” Elizabeth said.

  I would try, but it wouldn’t be easy. I sent Caleb another text, telling him that it was urgent that I speak with him. I just hoped he was able to respond soon so I could stop worrying. I wouldn’t stop until I knew he was safe, and that Max couldn’t harm anyone else.

  I had to tell Caleb that Max was bad. I had to warn him. It just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give him a bit of a heads-up.

  By the way, Max . . . stay away from him. I’ll explain later. Just avoid him at all cost.

  “That should make you feel somewhat better,” Elizabeth said.

  “Not really,” I said.

  “What are we doing now?” Elizabeth asked.

  “We need to find Max quickly. Plus, I hope the detective is here soon,” I said as I pulled up to my trailer again.

  I jumped out of the truck and hurried around the side of my Shasta. I was immediately stopped when Ruth stepped in front of me. I didn’t have time to talk to her right now. She seemed a bit out of sorts. Her normally shiny brown hair appeared a bit tousled and her navy-blue embroidered blouse and white-linen, ankle-length skirt were wrinkled.

  “Excuse me,” I said, trying to move around her.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Ruth asked.

  She narrowed her eyes and glared at me. Her lip curled to one side, as if she was actually snarling at me.

  She was being rude, so I asked, “Why do you want to know?” My tone was a bit snippy, but I didn’t like the way she was staring at me. Unfortunately, she didn’t answer. I noticed she was looking at someone behind me. Did she see Elizabeth? When I looked to my left, I realized Elizabeth was standing right next to me. So Ruth couldn’t be watching her.

  When I glanced over my shoulder, I spotted Max. This was not how I had hoped this would turn out. I wanted to be the one in charge of this encounter. Not to be confronted. Now, it looked as if I was trapped between the two of them. Ruth seemed ready to lunge after me. Max remained expressionless, which was even more disturbing than if he’d snarled or growled at me. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Ruth was helping him.