by Rose Pressey
“Vera knows everyone in town. And if she doesn’t know you then she knows someone who knows you.”
“So that means most of Sugar Creek is here,” I said.
“Almost the whole town,” he said.
“I didn’t know she had that many friends.”
“Vera doesn’t make friends,” he said.
“Then why do they come?”
“That’s a good question. Just to be polite, I guess. Or out of curiosity.”
I hoped that Dylan hadn’t seen me snooping. But the worst part was I had to confess to him about what I’d found. I couldn’t let this disturbing detail go without sharing it with him. Maybe he could confront Vera with this information.
Dylan looked at me. “Are you sick?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you did get sick after eating that hot dog,” Charlotte said.
I tried to ignore her lame attempt at wit. “As a matter of fact, there is something I need to show you.”
He held me at arm’s length. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I happened to notice something in one of the bedrooms on my way to the bathroom.” Okay, I knew by his expression that he wasn’t buying that excuse. At least I’d tried though. He couldn’t prove that it hadn’t happened that way.
“What are we looking at?” he asked.
I motioned for Dylan to follow me.
When I reached the room, I stopped. “I think you should see what’s in here.”
He stepped in front of me. “Okay. Let’s have a look.”
I stepped out of the way. Dylan moved into the room, and I followed him. It was just as creepy the second time as the first. He stood in the middle of the room, speechless, as he looked at the twisted shrine to Nicole Silver.
“I guess you can see why I thought you should have a look.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s definitely strange.”
“You can say that again,” Charlotte said.
Alice stood in the hallway. She didn’t even want to see it again.
“Why does she have this?” I asked. “I guess for the obvious reasons.”
“She must be an obsessed fan. That doesn’t necessarily mean that she wanted to harm Nicole,” he said.
I wondered if he could be right. “No, of course not.”
“But I’ll look into it,” he said.
“There was one more thing.” I stepped closer to the wall. “This picture looks as if it was taken right before she was killed.”
He moved in for a closer look. He probably hadn’t been ready for that development. I felt that was fairly significant. At least now he could ask Vera questions about it. Footsteps sounded again. Dylan probably saw the panic in my eyes. He placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me toward the door.
“Don’t worry. If it’s Vera, I will talk with her.”
That was fine by me.
Dylan stuck his head out into the hallway. He motioned for me to follow him. Why did I keep hearing footsteps and no one was there? Maybe Charlotte was right about that haunted thing. We’d just stepped out into the hallway when the footsteps sounded again. Where were they coming from? It didn’t sound like it was upstairs. That was when I realized someone must be in the kitchen. It was probably Vera, and we would have to talk with her. Would Dylan ask her about the pictures right there in front of me?
“Sounds like someone is in the kitchen.” I swallowed hard.
“Don’t worry.” He grabbed my hand, catching me off guard.
With Dylan leading the way, we reached the kitchen. The screen door banged against the frame. Someone had been in the room. I looked down at Dylan’s hand still wrapped around mine. He noticed and released his grip. Heat rushed to my cheeks.
“I thought for sure it was Vera,” I whispered.
“I’ll see if I can find her outside.”
“I’d better get back out there. People will wonder where I went.”
Okay, no one even knew I was here other than Ken Harrison. Dylan guided me toward the door again. We’d just stepped outside when his cell phone rang.
“Can you wait while I take this call?” he asked, moving a few feet away.
I paused. “Sure.”
“What was that about back there?” Charlotte asked.
“What was what about?” I asked.
“He was holding your hand.”
I waved off the question. “That was nothing.”
I wondered if my cheeks were still blushing. Dylan clicked off his phone and stepped back over to me.
“I’m afraid I have to go. I’ll have to talk with Vera later.”
If he wasn’t staying, then I wasn’t staying either. I didn’t want to encounter Vera by myself.
“I should go too,” I said.
“Let me walk you to your car.”
Dylan and I walked past the loud, lively party guests to the parking lot.
Stopping, he said, “I’ll call you as soon as I talk with Vera.”
“Sorry if it seems as if I was snooping,” I said.
He smiled. “You’re just a little curious, right?”
I grinned. “Yes, that’s it . . . curious.”
I climbed behind the wheel of my Buick. Dylan closed the door for me. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Yes, take care.” I cranked the engine.
We watched as Dylan headed for his car.
“That was it? You had nothing else to say to him?” Charlotte stared at me from the passenger seat.
“What else was I supposed to say?”
Charlotte didn’t answer. I looked into the rearview mirror at Alice, and she just shrugged.
Shifting the car into gear, I said, “Anyway, I hope he finds out what is going on with Vera.”
“I bet she is guilty,” Alice said.
Alice thought everyone was guilty. But I had to agree—the photo collection was suspicious. I just hoped we found answers soon.
A murderer was out there and needed to be behind bars.
Chapter 15
Cookie’s Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tips
Look through all the items in a shop.
Just because at first glance you don’t see
what you’re looking for doesn’t mean you
won’t find that diamond in the rough.
The next day I stood in my shop with Charlotte and Alice beside me. I hadn’t spoken with Dylan, so I assumed that he hadn’t talked with Vera yet. Alice and Charlotte were anxiously waiting to hear from him. Okay, I was anxiously awaiting his phone call too.
Until then, the ghost gals were discussing all the clues we had to date. It seemed as if there were plenty of suspects who could have done harm to Nicole. If only I could rule someone out or narrow down the list of suspects. I had an idea though. Even I was surprised at myself for wanting to do this.
I picked up the phone and dialed. Heather answered on the first ring.
“Are you busy?” I asked.
“No, it’s been dead all morning. What about you?”
I glanced at Charlotte and Alice. “Yeah, it’s dead here too. Literally.”
“Is there something you need?” she asked.
I released a deep breath and then said, “How about if you bring the Ouija board over here?”
“Are you serious?” Heather asked.
“I’m afraid I am.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I guess I’ve run out of ideas. Plus, I’m curious as to what Wind Song will say.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Heather hung up the phone, and within a minute she was walking through the door with the board under her arm. She had a huge smile on her face.
“I’ve finally brought you around to my way of thinking,” she said.
“That’s a scary thought,” Charlotte said.
Heather looked around the room. “If Charlotte’s here, I know she had something snarky to say.”
Charlotte and I laughed.
“Charlotte and Alice are both here.”
Wind Song jumped from the window and up onto the counter. I didn’t have to ask her to come over. She was more than ready. Heather set up the board and we watched as Wind Song moved closer. She stared at the board for a second, and I wondered if she was going to use it this time. Finally she reached out her paw and placed it on the planchette.
“This is amazing,” Alice said.
I was still astonished, too, every time I saw Wind Song do this.
The cat started out slowly, just moving the indicator slightly. Then she picked up the pace, and I figured she was headed for a specific letter. Wind Song moved the planchette around the board and stopped on the letter T. Once again Heather read the letters out loud. When Wind Song was finished with the first word, she’d spelled out tuna.
The next word was gourmet. And finally, the last two words were buy more. That was the message the cat had for me? To buy more of her favorite cat food?
“Is that all you have to say, Wind Song? Isn’t there anything else?”
She’d probably tell me to buy more treats next. I drew the line at getting her a mouse. I’d almost given up on Wind Song giving us any kind of significant message. But she did move the planchette again.
“Okay, I’ll buy the food, Wind Song, now give us another message.”
I felt ridiculous for asking the cat to give me a message about a murder investigation. Dylan would definitely think I’d lost my mind if he was witness to this. Wind Song moved the planchette around the board. The first letter was J and then E. Next she moved it to the S, then pulled it away and moved it back to the S again.
“She spelled out Jessica,” Heather said.
“We saw it too,” Charlotte said.
I couldn’t believe it.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but we should find out.” Heather said.
“See, I knew Jessica was suspicious,” Alice said.
“Alice, you’re suspicious of everyone.”
Alice smiled. “Maybe everyone pushed her in the water.”
“Now that would have been something, but I highly doubt that happened.”
Once the cat had shocked us with Jessica’s name, she jumped down and went back to the sunshine.
“She really does get bored with us easily,” Heather said.
“Well, she is a cat,” I said.
“We should really look into this.” Charlotte tapped her finger on the counter. “That is too much just to let it go.”
I agreed. “Yes, I know we should look into it. But I don’t know how. What do I say? The cat told me to question you?”
Heather shrugged. “You could try. You’ll have to talk with her again.”
“I can’t tell Dylan about this. He’s probably already questioned Jessica.”
“The police only seem focused on Preston. They may be way off base,” Charlotte said.
“Yes, they could be wrong,” Alice said.
The bell over the door jingled, and I almost expected to see Dylan come through the door. He had a knack for catching us when we were using the Ouija board or the tarot cards. This time it was actually a customer.
Heather grabbed the board and stuck it under the counter. The shopper probably didn’t want to see us doing some kind of black magic. I stepped around the counter and moved toward the woman who’d just entered.
“Hello, welcome to It’s Vintage, Y’all. How can I help you?”
The blond woman asked for help finding a dress for a swing dance to be held at the Sugar Creek Country Club, so I left Heather with the ghosts. It was too bad she couldn’t talk with them. Although Charlotte and Heather always had a banter going on through me, I had to deliver their messages.
I pulled out a few dresses for the lady, and she settled on two of them. It was always hard for me to let go of the pieces. But as long as I thought they were going to a good home, that made it easier. I hoped other ladies planning to attend the dance would also come to the shop for an outfit.
After ringing up the customer, I placed the dresses in a bag and handed it to the woman. “Thanks for shopping at It’s Vintage, Y’all. Please come back.”
“See, I told you my marketing skills would pay off.” Charlotte held her chin up high.
I had to admit, business had been up since she’d come into the picture. Maybe I hadn’t thanked her enough.
“Thanks, Charlotte. You were right. That ad and the Web site have helped. I’ve even gotten more traffic to my blog.”
Charlotte smiled. “What can I say? I know what I’m doing.”
Heather grabbed the board from under the counter. “Are you sure you don’t want me to leave this?”
I waved it away. “No, thanks. You can just bring it over sometimes, but just don’t leave it.”
At first I hadn’t even wanted the thing in the store.
“Let me know when you’re going to the movie set and I’ll go with you again.”
I wasn’t sure I should follow the cat’s advice, but what did I have to lose? Well, other than maybe going to jail or appearing crazy.
“How about after work today?” I asked.
“It sounds like a plan,” Heather said.
She waved over her shoulder on the way out the door.
Chapter 16
Charlotte’s Handy-Dandy Tips for Navigating the Afterlife
Talk into recorders and other electronic devices because the living can hear you.
I placed a few phone calls, lined up some appointments to see vintage clothing, and looked in the paper for a few estate sales. Sure enough, a few more ladies came in to buy dresses for the upcoming swing dance. After being busy with customers all day, when it came time to close, I wanted to go straight home and relax with a book. But I’d promised Heather that we would go to the film set. If I didn’t go, I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about the message from Wind Song. Now every time I thought of the Fairtree Plantation, I had a vision of Nicole and the photos on Vera’s wall.
I hoped Dylan called soon. What excuse would Vera give him for having the pictures of Nicole? I supposed it wasn’t illegal to be a fan and a photo collector, no matter how strange her display may be. No doubt she would want to know how he saw the photos. He would have to make up an excuse. Then again, he could just use the one I’d given him.
As I locked the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk, someone called my name. I spun around to see Ken Harrison waving at me as he headed down the sidewalk. I smiled and waved back. He wore a beige suit, a white shirt, and a blue tie. The colors looked good with his blond hair.
“Good afternoon,” he said.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Things are okay. I’m glad that I spotted you,” he said.
“Oh?” I asked.
Charlotte and Alice waited in the car for me. I knew they wouldn’t stay there long because they would want to know what Ken had to say.
Ken motioned over his shoulder. “I noticed the café down the street. Would you like to get coffee?”
Charlotte and Alice would probably tell me to go with him and that the movie set could wait. But I wanted to speak with Jessica now. Wind Song hadn’t spelled out that name for nothing.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I already have other plans.”
Ken nodded, but the smile faded from his face.
Heather stepped out from her shop and was locking the door. When she turned around, she noticed Ken.
She mouthed, “What does he want?”
He saw that I was looking at something, so he glanced over his shoulder at her.
She smiled and threw up her hand in a wave. I was hoping she wouldn’t tell him that we were going to the movie set.
He faced me again. “Some other time, then?”
I was off the hook. “Yes, I’d like that.”
“Have a great day,” he said with a smile.
“You too,” I said.
Heather grinned at him, a
nd he nodded.
Heather hurried over. “What was that all about?”
I knew I would have to be honest with her. “He asked if I wanted to get coffee.”
“And you told him no?”
I turned toward the car. “We have to talk with Jessica. That’s the most important thing right now.”
Heather slipped into the passenger seat. “I suppose you’re right. But I wonder what he wanted to talk about.”
Charlotte threw her hands up. “Have you lost your cotton pickin’ mind? Why didn’t you go with him?”
“There will be time for that later.” I shoved the key into the ignition.
When I glanced in the rearview mirror, Alice was shaking her head. “I hope there is a later. What if he never asks again?”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” I turned down Magnolia Street and headed away from town.
Within a few minutes, we arrived at the plantation. I expected to see a security guard or someone to stop me this time, but I drove right into the parking lot and found a place up close to the path that led to the crew trailers.
I shoved the car into park and turned off the engine. Before I could unfasten my seat belt, Charlotte and Alice had gotten out of the car and were walking toward the set. Heather and I hurried toward them, but they didn’t look as if they were going to wait on us or as if they even cared if we came along. Charlotte and Alice were on a mission.
“The ghosts left us behind,” I said as we tried to catch up.
“I have a feeling they’ll be back around soon enough,” Heather said.
She was right about that. The last rays of sunshine turned to beautiful shades of deep navy blue and orange as Heather and I made the trip toward the trailers. A slight breeze stirred the magnolia leaves. A rabbit hopped from a nearby bush and dashed across the lush green lawn.
Heather jumped. “I guess I’m a little on edge. I thought it might be Vera Lemon leaping out at us.”
The thought had briefly crossed my mind too. So far there was no sign of Vera, and I hadn’t heard from Dylan about if he’d spoken with her. I was more than a little anxious to find out.
When we neared the trailers, I spotted Charlotte and Alice waiting for us up ahead. One person I didn’t see, though, was the blond-haired security guard. Not that I was complaining, because I was glad that he wasn’t there to question us. So far we hadn’t seen anyone. I wondered if the crew had stopped filming and left the set. Alice waved when she saw me.
