by Krista Davis
Eva walked Mrs. Mewer toward us. Twinkletoes, who had been watching from the staircase, scampered toward Mrs. Mewer, hissed at her, and dashed away. Some feline ambassador she was!
Shelley handed me a pot of coffee. “The ghost hunters are having an impromptu breakfast meeting. They’re all just getting out of bed, so they’ll want lots of caffeine. I’ve set up a station with orange juice, cream and sugar for coffee, and a buffet server of bacon and scrambled eggs. So if you could keep their mugs filled, that would be a huge help. Oh, and I have a tray of breakfast breads that Mr. Luciano ordered. Would you carry that in for me?”
I was more than happy to help out. The tray of croissants, muffins, and sweet rolls was bigger and heavier than I’d have imagined. I hoped Trixie wouldn’t run underfoot and trip me.
Happily, I managed to deliver it without catastrophe. I positioned the goodies near the orange juice.
Mr. Luciano stood by the fireplace speaking softly to Mark, whose gaze continually flicked over to Eva. Gina, the bulldog, sat by Mr. Luciano’s feet, calmly taking everything in.
Twinkletoes jumped onto the mantel behind Mr. Luciano but kept a wary eye on Mrs. Mewer.
Most of the guys appeared to have dressed in two minutes, bothering only to don wrinkled T-shirts and jeans, but Eva was pulled together. A broad lavender hairband pulled her hair back, sixties-style. Her top matched the hairband, and her slim cropped trousers accentuated her figure.
Two cameramen were waiting to tape the meeting.
The chatter stopped when Mr. Luciano began to speak in his deep Godfather-ish voice. “You had a very successful night at the Wagtail Springs Hotel. Mark and I have been going over some of the footage and some amazing EVPs, which astonished us. I think you’ll be very pleased.”
Lillian Elsner was walking by. She paused and gazed at the collected group in the sitting room. “Oh my. Did I hear you say ghosts? They fascinate me. Is this a private group, or may I sit in?”
Mr. Luciano couldn’t have been more gracious. With a grand sweep of his hand, he said, “By all means, Lillian, please join us.”
She strode in and settled near Eva. I expected to see orbs on the walls reflecting off her dazzling earrings. An inch in diameter, they looked like balls cut in half and covered in diamonds. As before, large gemstones surrounded by diamonds graced her slender fingers. She plopped a casual designer handbag on her lap.
When GloryB’s head popped out of it, Mrs. Mewer yowled her protest, which woke Felix.
His head jolted up, and he shouted, “Here!”
It didn’t appear to upset GloryB, though. She gazed around the assembled group with great interest.
I poured coffee into Felix’s mug. He smiled at me, sat up straight, and self-consciously ran a hand through his mussed hair.
“Mark, would you play the EVP we discussed?” asked Mr. Luciano.
Mark reached forward and pressed a button on a recorder. At first we heard nothing but static. Suddenly, children giggled in the background. A child’s voice spoke. “I’m going to get you!”
Eva frowned and sat forward. Everyone started talking at once, but a hush fell over them when Brian rewound it and played it again. “I’m going to get you!”
It wasn’t as clear as if someone had spoken into a microphone. The child’s voice was in the background with static over it, but even I couldn’t mistake what it said.
Luciano waited until the talking and high-fiving died down. “But that’s not all. Brian, would you do the honors?”
Brian played a different section. Again, it began with static. But then, underneath the static, a rattling sound emerged. I didn’t know what a rattlesnake sounded like, but I’d have backed away from that and fast!
Brian replayed it for everyone. He tugged at my sleeve and pointed to his mug. I’d been so entranced that I had forgotten to do my job.
Finally, he played one last portion. Like the others, it began with static. The sound of footsteps running could be heard in the background. I’d been there for that one and had heard it with my own ears live, when it happened.
“Eva,” said Mr. Luciano, “any impressions?”
She spoke with assurance. I could just imagine her in her classroom. “I can’t tell you anything until I examine them more closely.”
“How about this?” Mr. Luciano projected a video on the wall.
I recognized it immediately—the flashlight that had responded when Brian had asked Hiram to turn it on. We watched, spellbound.
Eva snorted. “I’m sorry, Mr. Luciano. I doubt there’s a person in this room who isn’t familiar with the flashlight trick. Brian is well known for this kind of performance. I’ve called him on it before.”
Brian’s mouth dropped open, and his hands curled into fists. “What did I ever do to you? Why are you trying so hard to ruin my reputation? This is my career, not some game. No wonder Mark dumped you.”
Eva sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes opened wide, and she stared at Brian in horror.
It seemed like time stopped in those seconds of painful silence. Mark jumped to his feet. “Hey. Wait a minute. Don’t go talking about things you don’t know about.”
Felix’s eyes darted back and forth between Mark and Brian. “Now come on, guys. Brian, apologize to Eva. She’s just doing her job.”
“I notice she’s not putting you down. Only me. It’s always only me. You better beware, Felix. I’m sure you’re next on her list of lives to ruin, like she has mine and Mallory’s.”
Mr. Luciano finally stepped in. “Just a moment. Let’s not get heated. I believe you’ve overstepped, Brian. Felix is right. I hired Eva to do exactly this. She’s only analyzing the results.”
“Yeah? Is that what she’s doing? Well, try this on for size. There was a witness when Mallory died. I saw you, Eva. Yup, with my own two eyes. You can’t disprove that.” Brian pointed at her with a pudgy forefinger. “I saw you sneaking back into the inn the night Mallory died. Try to dodge that truth. Not quite as easy as pooh-poohing ghosts, is it?”
Eva seemed almost breathless. “I was not sneaking.”
Brian didn’t try to hide his joy. “So you admit it! Then you won’t mind telling us what you were doing outside in the middle of the night.”
Eva raised her chin. “Perhaps you could enlighten us. What exactly were you doing outside?”
Nineteen
“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk.” Brian spoke smugly, as though he wasn’t concerned by the implication that he might have had something to do with Mallory’s death.
Eva’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I don’t suppose you happened to meet Mallory during this walk?”
Brian leveled a wicked look at Eva. “Mallory is gone. You can pretend you don’t believe in ghosts all you want. But that won’t stop Mallory from coming back for you. Just like Becca, Hiram, and Obadiah can’t find peace.” He leaned forward. “Mallory is looking for you.”
They say emotions travel up and down the leash, meaning that your dog knows if you’re tense or afraid. But I had no idea it worked that way for cats, too. In the instant that Brian stood up menacingly, Mrs. Mewer leaped onto his shoulder and clung to him.
Brian howled and turned in a frantic circle, trying to knock the cat off, but Mrs. Mewer sank her claws in deeper and held on like she was riding a bucking bronco.
If the implications of what they had confessed hadn’t been so dire, the ensuing chaos might have been very funny—Brian turning and turning. Eva and Mr. Luciano reaching for Mrs. Mewer. Mark and Felix trying to help but getting in the way as the other three rotated. Casper, Gina, Trixie, and GloryB barking underfoot.
In the blink of an eye, Mrs. Mewer flew off Brian’s shoulder, landed squarely on her feet and took off down the corridor with Twinkletoes in hot pursuit. The dogs couldn’t resist a good chase, and they raced behind the cats.
&nbs
p; Brian wiped his shoulder. When he turned his fingers up, I saw a tiny smear of blood.
He eyed Eva. “Bring it on now, devil woman. One more word criticizing me, and I’ll sue.”
“Calm down, Brian.” Felix stood on tiptoe to see Brian’s shoulder. “It’s just a cat scratch.”
“Yeah? Haven’t you ever heard of cat scratch fever?” He turned menacingly toward Eva. “You better watch yourself.”
He sucked in a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and said, quite calmly, “Felix, Holly, I’d like to speak with you, please.”
Felix and I followed Brian outside onto the porch.
“Did the camera get that? See, I’m not really a jerk, Holly. Well, okay, sometimes I can be, but that’s just because I can be stupid, but I’m not being stupid or a jerk right now.”
I tried to follow his rambling, which seemed to be a disclaimer of some sort.
Felix gave him a dirty look. “You were a little hard on Eva, don’t you think?”
Brian slapped him on the back. “You won’t feel that way when the ratings come in.”
“So you’re not really angry?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m plenty angry.” He sucked in air noisily. “Eva acts so superior, like she’s some kind of genius, when she’s the dope because she can’t open her mind enough to see that ghosts exist. What I said was the truth. She really was outside the other night, and she sure hated Mallory.”
I walked inside, much relieved that Brian had been putting on a show. I wondered if Eva knew that.
I helped Shelley clean up, expecting the dogs to return. When they didn’t, I found them at the reception desk, where Zelda was using her psychic skills on them. Felix looked on in delighted amazement. I wondered if he really believed she could read their minds, or if he just thought it was a cute gag.
Zelda offered them tiny treats, and Trixie nearly knocked little GloryB over in her eagerness.
I hurried to correct her. “Sit, Trixie. We don’t jump like that.” Her little bottom barely grazed the floor in compliance before Zelda laughed and gave her a tiny corner of a biscuit.
Casper sat properly and raised a paw for his treat.
“That’s a good Ghost,” Zelda cooed to Casper.
A whirlwind rushed above us. Visible through the wrought iron railing on the balcony, Mrs. Mewer and Twinkletoes faced each other in a classic cat standoff.
Zelda handed me Mrs. Mewer’s leash. “I took it off so she wouldn’t get tangled on anything, and I put a Sugar Maple Inn GPS collar on her.”
I sighed. Now she would be that much more difficult to catch.
As though she had read my mind, Zelda added, “Let her have her fun. Mrs. Mewer loves racing around with Twinkletoes. She says she never gets to play with other cats at home. She’s not interested in going outside. She just wants to play.”
“They don’t look like they’re having fun. They look like they’re going to scratch and bite each other.”
“They’re fine,” Zelda insisted. “They’re batting around a turquoise mouse.” Zelda lowered her voice. “But Mrs. Mewer is very concerned about Eva. She says she’s never see Eva so upset.”
A dreamy look came over Felix. He tilted his head and stared at Zelda with open fascination.
I never knew quite how to respond to Zelda’s pronouncements about what animals were thinking. I didn’t really believe that Zelda could read their minds or communicate with them. But she had an annoying habit of being correct. Of course, it didn’t take a psychic to know that Eva was stressed out. “I’m a little worried about Eva, too. Make sure it’s okay with her for Mrs. Mewer to have the run of the inn. Okay?”
Zelda’s eyes shifted toward Felix. She gave him a little nudge and cocked her head toward me.
“Oh!” Felix straightened up. “Would you be able to show Grayson and me the way to your aunt’s house this afternoon?”
I’d forgotten all about Aunt Birdie. “Why don’t I just draw you a map?”
Felix and Zelda shared a look and laughed like they had a private joke.
Felix cleared his throat. “I believe her exact words were ‘and bring my heartless niece with you or I won’t open the door.’”
“Leave it to Birdie to extend a gracious invitation.”
Felix and I left Trixie and Casper in Zelda’s care. Wagtail might be pet-friendly, but I didn’t have to ask to know that Aunt Birdie’s home was off-limits to furry creatures.
Felix, Grayson, and I set off for her house, stopping briefly at Au Bone Pain, which Oma had recommended for baked goods.
The clerk recognized Grayson from his previous reality TV show. Giggling like a schoolgirl with a crush, she asked him to autograph a bakery bag.
He rose to the occasion, cleverly writing The best buns in town! Grayson Gatewood. He even posed for selfies destined for Facebook.
Felix tapped his watch. “Grayson, Aunt Birdie is waiting.”
Grayson followed us out the door but turned to wave to his fans inside.
“Wow. Does that happen to you a lot?” I asked.
Felix laughed. “All the time. Makes me feel like the invisible man when I’m with him.”
Grayson grinned. “Wait until the Apparition Apprehenders are on TV. You’ll get just as much attention.”
“Eva didn’t want to come along?” I asked.
“She’s back at the inn going over the EVPs,” said Felix.
“Those were amazing,” said Grayson. “Mark said he had never heard anything so clear. The owners ought to promote the place as a haunted hotel. Bet they’d do a big business. Who owns it?”
Felix sniffed the muffins. “Mark said it’s a funny little guy named Wiggins. Think Birdie would be offended if we ate some of the muffins on the way?”
I pretended to whisk them out of his reach to protect them. Not that I blamed him. The aroma was mouthwatering.
We marched bravely up the walk to her home.
Aunt Birdie answered the door dressed for a business meeting. A prim white blouse peeked out the front of a red suit. Giant mobe pearl earrings flanked her face, which bore such an inhospitable expression that I immediately felt like a child who had been caught misbehaving.
I quickly introduced Felix and Grayson. “We brought muffins. I hope you like them. They smell heavenly.”
She thanked us politely and invited us inside. She peeked in the basket. “Store-bought,” she sniffed. “You couldn’t bake something to bring to your only aunt?”
Felix glanced at me with wide eyes. “Holly hasn’t had much time. We’re keeping her very busy.”
“Are you? How refreshingly chivalrous of you to come to her defense.”
I meant to let it slide, really I did. But under my breath I muttered, “And you’re not my only aunt.”
“So Mrs. Dupuy,” Felix said hastily, shooting me an annoyed look, “why do you think you have ghosts?”
“Miss. It’s Miss Dupuy. And I don’t think I have ghosts. I know I have them because I have seen them. I expect they’ll be making an appearance now that Holly is in the house.”
“And why would that be?” asked Felix.
“She hasn’t been here in years. My only living relative can’t be bothered to visit.”
It took all my willpower not to point out that she knew very well that my mother—her sister—was very much alive and well and living in California. Not to mention their parents and my half siblings. They were, however, wise enough to reside an entire country away from her.
Aunt Birdie must have thought my silence gave her license to continue in that vein. “But everything will be different now that she’s living here. We’ll have dinner together on Saturday nights, and Holly will take over care of the family graves at Wagtail Cemetery. I go there every Sunday after services, and I expect to see seasonal arrangements on the graves. See that you ta
ke care of that today, Holly.”
I closed my eyes for a few seconds. How to handle this?
“Don’t look like that. I’ve taken care of those graves for as long as I can remember. It’s time your generation took responsibility for our ancestors.”
To be honest, I had never given their graves a single thought. With the sole exception of my grandfather—Oma’s husband—all my grandparents were still alive. A flash of shame rolled over me. I sucked in a deep breath of air. Flowers at the cemetery didn’t sound too terrible. After all, they deserved to be remembered nicely.
“I’ll be glad to do that, Aunt Birdie. But I don’t know what my schedule will be like yet, so we’ll have to see about dinners on Saturdays.”
She looked like I had slapped her. I swear the hollows under her prominent cheekbones grew deeper.
Felix jumped in. “Where do you see these apparitions, Miss Dupuy? Perhaps you could show us and tell us a little bit more about the circumstances?”
“What a nice young man you are. Married?”
Felix sputtered, “No-o-o.”
“Isn’t that lucky? My niece, my only living relative on this earth, is single, too.”
Felix and Grayson both looked back at me as Birdie led us through her home. I rolled my eyes, held up my palms, and shrugged. Fortunately they both grinned.
I wasn’t used to living near relatives. Up to now, I had done pretty much as I pleased, when I pleased. I hoped I could work something out with Birdie eventually. Living in dread of seeing her might be worse than catering to her once in a while.
“Right here.” She fingered her hair. “This has always been the sitting room. My house has been in the family for four generations. Holly will inherit it one day.” She gazed at Felix. “Did you hear that? Holly will be an heiress.”
It was all I could do not to snort. Heiress? Hardly. Her sitting room surprised me, though. Definitely not modern, but not the stuffy, uncomfortable, Victorian-type room I remembered from my childhood.
