“I called the bank and our account is empty. He withdrew all the money yesterday in cash.”
Juniper bit her lip. Peter was looking more and more guilty.
“I don’t mean to sound like a monster,” Lulu hastened to say as she blew her nose once again. “I couldn't care less that that cheating bastard has run off, but he took all of our money. How am I going to support myself?”
“Did he sell the building to Frank after all?” Juniper asked.
Lulu looked up, shocked to see that Juniper knew about that.
“Pike told me she might need a new storefront.”
Lulu nodded. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Well then you still have your business and your house.”
“I guess.” She agreed.
The idea seemed to cheer her up and Juniper took the opportunity to suggest that they drive her home for food and rest.
Chapter Twelve
_____________
L ULU lived in a grand house not far from the yoga studio, near the old lumber mill. Though the house itself looked gorgeous from the outside, the foyer was a mess. A shattered vase lay on its side and several oil paintings were slashed to bits.
“What happened here?”
Lulu reached out and placed one hand on Pike’s arm. She seemed to be muttering something unintelligible.
“Looks like Peter did some damage before he left,” Pike said with obvious reluctance.
Inside, the rest of the place was worse. Dirty dishes covered the counters and little insects buzzed. The air smelled of stale cigarette smoke.
“My god, he’s ruined the place.” Lulu admitted to them. “I haven’t been here in days. I’ve been sleeping at Helen’s house because we were fighting.”
“It’s okay. We’ll get the place all cleaned up, as good as new.”
Lulu poured herself a glass of wine and sat down on a ripped armchair while Pike and Juniper tidied up.
Juniper walked to the fireplace and noticed a photograph at her feet. She picked it up: Sepia-toned and crumbling with age, it was of a family of six gathered on stiff looking chairs. Two men and two women and two young girls looking pretty in their frilly white finery, each girl rested her hand on her parent’s shoulder. It was hard to tell, but the dress on the dark haired woman looked familiar. Lulu grabbed the frame from her hand nicking her with the glass.
“That’s mine,” said Lulu. “How dare he break it!”
“Oww,” Juniper stuck her thumb in her mouth. Shocked by Lulu’s reaction, she stared at her.
Lulu was somehow already in a drunken state, although she’d only had one drink. A lightweight, Juniper supposed. She didn’t seem to be paying attention. She cradled the photo in her arms.
“Peter must have smashed this.” She began to cry again. “We had a fight on the weekend about him screwing around on me. He admitted that he had a secret but he wouldn’t tell me about it. Can you believe that? Helen must have known about him and Kaitlyn; she was the one who first put me onto the idea. She said I shouldn’t put up with that sort of thing. Peter was my first love. What am I gonna do now? No man will want me.”
“Lulu, listen to me,” Pike said, putting one hand on her arm. “You don’t need to attach yourself to some asshole. You are a strong, independent woman, in control of your own fate. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Lulu shrugged and continued to drink. She was on the cusp of passing out.
Peter’s cherry red vintage Camaro was in the garage. Juniper saw it as she was taking out the recycling. She couldn’t help but find it odd that the man who had emptied their bank accounts would be so willing to leave a prize possession like that behind.
Chapter Thirteen
_____________
I N the distance, the low rattle of thunder let them know the storm was inching its way toward them. Fallen leaves danced in the wind around their feet.
“I see a few of the volunteers were brave enough to come back to help,” Jack said with a nod.
“Yes, thank goodness. Mayor Patone called in a few favors for me. With the party being tomorrow night and all that’s happened… I’m pretty behind.”
“And you really hate party decorating.”
“And there’s that. I can handle the design and the overall concept but yes streamers and balloons are just not my thing. Hey, people,” Juniper yelled. “Could we get these pumpkins carved? They need to line the walk. In addition to Axl there was Eve, Oliver, Pearl and Kingston. Only Kaitlyn, their leader was missing from this decorating committee but they all seemed in fine spirits, even dare I say excited for the party.
They each took a pumpkin and began to carve. “So, I was speaking to the neighbor this morning, and she claims that her daughter occasionally sees a ghost that haunts the house. Have you heard this?” Juniper asked, positive she was about to get laughed at.
The group nodded their heads as if she’d just asked the most common question in the world.
“Sure. Lots of neighborhood kids have seen the woman in white. She appears in the window some times.” Axl said. “Why do you think the ghost tour is so popular and why do you think the town is so eager to check the place out on Halloween?”
“Isn’t there a legend that says on Halloween the Doctor and his wife come alive?” said Oliver.
Juniper scoffed. She’d heard this mentioned on the tour.
“That’s how I heard it,” said Oliver with a sage nod and a hint of a smile. “They say the murder plays out, just like it did on that fateful Halloween.”
“You guys,” whined Kingston.
“They’re coming to get you,” said Oliver in an eerie voice, coming up behind Kingston and tickling her.
“Stop it,” said Kingston. “Creeper.”
Axl kept his head down and looked solemn.
“Hey, you guys,” Juniper said. “Let’s not be insensitive here. For real.”
Now they all rolled their eyes. Juniper was a nag and a killjoy.
Everyone fell silent for a few moments as they resumed carving.
“I know the Doctor wasn’t from here and he inherited a fortune and built this house as a wedding present for his bride… but what about Victoria? Was her family from Bohemian Lake?” Juniper asked.
“Her family owned the saw mill in town.” Oliver answered, “Her sister Marjorie and her husband, Almer lived next door in Fern’s place. They’re the ones who heard the commotion and found the bodies.”
“After the Doctor killed himself,” Pearl finished with a dramatic flourish.
“He killed himself?” Juniper paused, carving out one of the ghouls teeth. “How?”
“Gun to the head,” Kingston added sensibly.
“What about the servants? They didn’t try to stop him?” Juniper asked, intrigued.
“I don’t know,” said Oliver with a shrug. “After that, I guess Marjorie and Almer tried to sell the place but no one would buy it. Then a huge fire hit the town, and they lost the saw mill. Almer decided he couldn’t take it anymore. He was found right there, in the foyer, swinging from that big chandelier.”
Juniper shivered. Hearing this story again was giving her the creeps. On the other hand… aside from Kaitlyn’s murder in the attic, and the ghostly wanderer in the gardens, Juniper hadn’t encountered any paranormal activity. No tormented ghost of Doctor-turned-murderer trying to make contact, for which Juniper was grateful.
“Have you seen the portrait?” asked Pearl.
“What portrait?”
“There was one in the attic. It hung on the east wall of the servant’s quarters. It went missing around the same time Kaitlyn died. I assumed that you had packed it up so it wouldn’t get broken during the party.”
“What did it look like?”
“It was a pewter-framed photograph in sepia tones. The Doctor and Victoria sat on stiff-looking chairs in the center of the portrait. To the left and slightly behind Victoria stood a woman about their age who looked a lot like her—her sister Marjori
e. Next to her was an older man, probably Almer. And with them were two teenage girls.”
“I could have sworn I saw a photo like that at Lulu’s just the other night.”
“Well, it would make sense for her to have one too. After all, the teenage girl in the photo was her Great-Great-Great-Grandmother.” Pearl said.
“Right,” Juniper agreed. Although I privately pondered the thought that maybe it was the exact portrait. Lulu had acted strange when I saw it. Had she stolen it from the house?
Juniper turned her head to the sound of a vehicle pulling up to the curb.
“Anyone commit a crime?” Kingston asked.
“Oh no, say what?” Mrs. Banter scrambled for her purse. “Hide the green stuff.”
Kingston laughed. “I’m just kidding. It’s just Juniper’s hunky cop boyfriend.”
“What? I don’t have a boyfriend.” Juniper turned and watched Detective Cody Lumos stepping from his car.
“Just the lady I was hoping to find.” He said, as he reached them.
“Cody. Is everything okay?”
“Of course. I was just wondering if you’d like to get dinner and a drink?”
“I… ” Juniper glanced at the smirk on the kid’s faces. Great, now they would tease her even more. Pike wasn’t expecting her for dinner, but still she felt weird saying yes.
“Come on, take pity on me. I can only make my own pasta and hot dogs for so long.”
“What’s Penny up to?” Eve asked.
Juniper looked at Cody and raised an eyebrow. She’d heard rumors that he’d been seeing one of the locals, an ex-cop turned private investigator, but she’d yet to see them together.
“How would I know? She’s always busy and why are you asking me. You’re the one who sees her every day.”
Eve smirked and went back to carving. That woman loved to stir the pot.
“I’ll go.” Kingston piped up.
“Oh no, you won’t.” Mrs. Banter exclaimed.
“And why not? Juniper apparently doesn’t want to go. I can’t let this poor, fine man eat alone.”
“You’re underage, young lady.”
“Underage. Since when does breaking the law matter to you? Give me your purse, I’ll show Detective Lumos just what you think of the rules.”
“Just never you mind, girlie.” Mrs. Banter smirked. “And you better learn to shut that trap of yours or I’ll add you to the rat list.
Cody turned back to Juniper and bit his lip. He was barely containing his laughter. “Juniper?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t today. We’re really behind schedule, but I’m free for lunch tomorrow if you are.”
“Tomorrow is my day off so that will work out perfectly.”
Chapter Fourteen
_____________
J ACK and Juniper did a quick walk-through of the house to make sure they were on schedule with their preliminary scope of work. Spirited Construction did restorations right: completing every step of the process from A to Z. They stood outside on the sidewalk, looking up at the roofline as Juniper explained about the widow’s walk and how some woman from the historic society had called and been adamant that they not change any of the lines.
“Did you explain to them that we don’t buy these historic homes to make them modern?” Jack said.
“Of course I did.”
“You can’t blame her for making sure.”
“I guess not. It’s just… you would think they would have just looked at our track record. When have we ever—”
Juniper’s words were cut off by the arrival of a woman. She was clutching a coffee cup and huddling in a wool sweater.
“Hey, there. Are you one of Pike’s volunteers? No one told me—” Juniper said.
The woman shrugged. “No. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m your next door neighbor, Fern. Although I’d love to lend a helping hand sometime.”
“Hi, Fern.” Jack stuck out his hand and Fern accepted it. “It’s nice to meet you. Regrettably, I’m late to meet the plumber at another job but I look forward to seeing you again.”
Fern smiled and both Juniper and Fern watched Jack jog to his truck. Then he turned back to Juniper. “Oh, hey, I picked up the original blueprints from Jared Mitchell. The old owners had them. They’re on the dining room table. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Juniper smiled and opened the massive wood door, holding the screen open for Fern. “Well, come on in, Fern. I’d offer to make you a coffee but I see you’ve already got one.”
She smiled as she followed her inside. “I do. I can’t stay long but maybe I can help out next week. I work at the hardware store in town.”
“I’m sure we’ll get to know one another well. My second home is the hardware store. As a matter of fact, I’m surprised we haven’t met by now.”
Fern laughed. “I could see that being true. I’m just coming off holidays.”
She paused as if she wanted to ask her something but then said nothing. Juniper waited a moment but there was still just awkward silence.
“I should get to work. I’m hoping the ghosts are awake and out of the house.”
“Have you seen them?” Fern asked as nonchalantly as if she were asking about the weather.
“Not really,” Juniper answered, intrigued. This was clearly what Fern had been waiting to talk about. She didn’t really seem like the type to gossip, so, what was this about? “You?”
“My daughter has. She sees the doctor’s wife sometimes in the window; other times, on the hill behind the house. She even claimed to see the ghostly woman coming out of our carriage house once.”
“Do you believe her?”
“She’s always had quite the imagination, so it’s hard to know if she’s telling the truth. Although, sometimes I hear music.”
Juniper nodded. “Anything else?”
Fern hesitated.
“Anything at all, no matter how bizarre or silly it sounds?”
“I once thought I heard a woman’s voice, calling out. Sort of like a moan, but more than that? For all I know it’s the teenagers, but it was… eerie.”
“Can you describe the moaning?”
She shrugged. “Just sort of… a ghostly moaning. Or what I assume a ghost sounds like based on old horror flicks.”
“So you’ve heard music and a woman moaning.”
She nodded. “But like I said, the moaning was just once and it might have been one of the neighbor’s cats or a kid on the street, something not in the least bit supernatural. And I just sort of assumed the music was from a car passing by with a loud stereo system…”
“Blasting a waltz?”
Fern shrugged. “Now that you mention it, I guess that seems kind of unlikely.”
“Any flickering lights or objects being moved around?”
“I’m not usually inside but there is a photo that I heard was moved around the house.”
“What kind of photo?”
“Very old, sepia. It was the Doctor and Victoria and her sister’s family.” She paused. “Oh I almost forgot, my absent-minded daughter left the carriage house door open and a stray cat got in. It took me twenty minutes just to get it out. Do you own a black cat with white paws?”
“Sorry, I don’t.”
“Well there’s one on the loose.” She smiled and glanced at her phone. “Anyway, I’m late now. Let’s chat later.”
Juniper waited for Fern to leave before heading into the dining room. The woman seemed nice but peculiar.
The dining room had dried nicely. She was happy with the shade of blue she’d chosen, now to move on to the next job. She did some quick scouting through the upstairs second floor where a massive fireplace occupied much of the master bedroom. She needed to check to make sure the fireplace worked. As she was about to leave, something caught her eye.
The bedroom had a doorway into the next room but the wall seemed awfully thick. She checked the next bedroom, looking for a closet. Although they were rare in older homes, there had to be s
omething that would account for the missing space.
Every house had hidden channels that held heating vents, air returns, pipes, and electrical wires. Old buildings often had large voids between the walls that had once been filled with stovepipes or chimneys that were no longer necessary. But a void in this location struck her as odd. There are reasons old houses were laid out a certain way, and this layout wasn’t making sense.
She returned to the main floor and unrolled the heavy blueprints atop the kitchen counter.
Yep. There were areas left empty for no apparent reason. They did not contain electrical grids or vents, at least not according to the drawings. They were simply dead space. Worse, she realized as she examined the drawings closely, the blueprints did not match the actual building in some places. For instance, the blueprints called for a twenty-five-foot-long bedroom, but the actual room wasn’t a full twenty-five feet. She would bet her steel-toed boots on it.
Something’s not right here. She unclipped a heavy tape measure from her belt and took a few quick measurements, then consulted the drawings. It wasn’t her imagination: The blueprints did not match up with her measurements. Where was the missing square footage?
Her bag was in the attic. In it she had a tool that measured with a beam of light instead of a tape. She was headed up the attic steps when she heard music. It sounded as if it was coming from the landing, but when she got there, she realized the strains were coming from the dead space between the bedrooms. She put her ear up to the new wall.
Ta da tan, tan, tan… ta da tan, tan, toooon …
Whispers.
Juniper cast a compulsive glance over her shoulder and searched her peripheral vision, expecting to see a ghost.
She didn’t see anything.
It was bright daylight, ghosts couldn’t manifest, could they?
Giggles.
Cookies, Corpses and the Deadly Haunt: Haunted House Flippers Inc. (Bohemian Lake Book 2) Page 8
