The Squeaky Ghost Gets the Curse

by Kennedy Layne

  “Pearl has a point,” Orwin muttered, quickly setting his laptop on his knees and lifting the lid. A sneeze caught him by surprise, telling me that Pearl was close by. “And yes. If I’m right, money isn’t the motive.”

  “What point?” Knox asked warily, tensing those muscles of his again.

  Now isn’t the time to get sidetracked, Miss Lilura.

  Pearl couldn’t have missed my glare, but she was thankfully smart enough to refrain from any more comments.

  “The point being that conducting a séance does present some challenges.” Orwin continued to click away on his keyboard while we waited for the consensus of whatever it was that he was researching. His glasses slid a bit, but he was too engrossed by what was on the screen to care. “Here. I found it. Faye was right, and her thoughts even more so. Izzy and Joshua—”

  “Izzy and Joshua what?” A clearly agitated voice came from the foyer. Sure enough, Izzy herself had made an appearance after having left the dinner table in a huff. This allowed me to mark one more suspect off the list, though. I tilted my head so that only Orwin could see my eyes widen with instruction. This was his opportunity to get a lead on her thoughts, and Izzy seemed to catch herself before coming across as unwelcoming. “You must be Ms. Lilura’s other colleague. I hope Gertrude saw fit enough to make sure you have everything you need for your overnight stay.”

  Considering Ms. Izzy pointed out that our stay was only for tonight, I’d say she needed to work on her sincerity. I’m beginning to hanker for another spot of warm cream.

  “Izzy, you should know that Gertrude and Wilbur resigned from the manor’s employ after you retired to your room,” I replied gently, trying to grasp why Izzy was so bitter toward her aunt if what Orwin discovered held even the slightest bit of truth. “Also, your aunt…”

  The way I’d spoken softly and hesitantly, breaking off my sentence so that Izzy would become curious was a success. She stepped into the room, slowly closing the distance between us with what appeared to be a worried expression on her face. I believe there was a chance she was being sincere in her concern.

  It’s hard to take her seriously when I saw Ms. Izzy’s duplicity for myself. If you recall, she was kind and seeking solace from you and my sweet Piper one moment…and then in the span of five minutes, she was spouting to her aunt that the only reason she agreed for you to stay in the manor was to buy herself time.

  “What about Aunt Faye?” Izzy asked, her suspicious gaze switching in between me and Orwin. “Did she say or do something to cause Gertrude and Wilbur to up and quit? They are like family to us, so something bad must have happened after I left the dinner table. I should have known better than to retire to my room so early.”

  It didn’t escape my notice that Knox was keeping to himself over by the fireplace. I wasn’t even sure that Izzy had caught sight of him just yet, but that was probably for the best. Her sole focus was on the conversation at hand, which meant we might finally get some answers.

  Oh, our curiosity has already been placated. You see, Mr. Cornelia has already confirmed that Ms. Faye was telling the truth about the trust funds and the estate. It seems that the estate always falls into the hands of the oldest heir, though every family member has a financial stake in the Ashton holdings.

  “Gertrude refused to agree with your brother that the…apparition she saw on the landing was a trick of the light. There was what you might call a slight exchange of words between them that led to Gertrude and Wilbur’s resignation,” I shared, wondering what being the oldest heir had to do with what Orwin had been researching on his laptop. “You should also know that your aunt almost fell down the same staircase as your mother this evening.”

  The oldest heir is significant, because Ms. Florence bucked tradition when she decided to change her will to leave the estate to her sister instead of her eldest son…who theoretically would inherit the estate to run as he saw fit.

  I could see it was taking a while for Izzy to absorb everything I’d thrown at her, but I was very curious as to why she or her brother would care who ran the estate if every member of the family got their monetary share.

  “Is Aunt Faye okay?” Izzy asked, unable to hid the sincere concern in her gaze. She was close enough now that Orwin would be able to hear her unfiltered thoughts, thus discovering Izzy’s innocence or guilt. “Where is she?”

  You’ll be pleased to know that Ms. Izzy had nothing to do with her mother’s murder. Mr. Cornelia is picking up quite a lot from Ms. Izzy, including that she has finally noticed Mr. Emeric’s presence. Oh, my! That was a racy thought I didn’t need to know about, alien hunter.

  “I escorted your aunt to her room. She was unharmed, though upset,” Orwin replied, having gotten quite good at ignoring Pearl’s words of wisdom. He discreetly closed his laptop and slid it inside his backpack. “Lou made her some tea to calm her nerves. I think she’ll be okay now. Just a bit shaken, is all.”

  It was clear to me know that Izzy’s gaze kept drifting over to where Knox stood by the fireplace. He was quite tall with a lean muscular build that wasn’t covered up by his brown suede jacket he usually wore outdoors. His five o’clock shadow gave him a predatory vibe that any human would chalk up to masculinity. They had no idea just how much of a predator a werewolf could be in their changed form.

  That wasn’t a hint of jealousy I heard in your tone, was it, dear hexed one?

  “Your aunt believes that someone—more like something—pushed her on the landing, Izzy,” I explained gently, really wanting to begin this séance so that we could finally seek the answers to this murder mystery. Pearl and her romantic streak were going to be the death of me. “Do you understand what that means?”

  Now that Orwin had crossed another suspect off our list, it was time to bring everyone together. The more attendees we had for the séance, the better the draw.

  I’m so sorry. I must have missed something important when I was reading up on tips about courting a werewolf. I also must have heard incorrectly, because I thought you said we should have more attendees for a séance with a murdering ghost on the loose.

  Orwin had pretty much given me a double take, as well, but who better to be at the séance than those the spirit wanted to converse with? It made perfect sense, and we did have the tools to minimize the danger.

  “Ophelia,” Izzy whispered in horror, resting a hand to her chest in fright.

  You should know that the same look across Ms. Izzy’s face is the exact emotion that is currently causing my beautiful white fur to stand on end. Mr. Cornelia, could I beg you for some assistance in the kitchen? I find myself once again in the need for a spot of warm cream.

  “Your aunt wants us to do a bit of investigating into why Ophelia hasn’t crossed through the veil, and I just might have an idea,” I suggested, hoping to bring Izzy on board with something humans usually saw as fodder for a horror flick. “We want to conduct a séance to find out why Ophelia is haunting the manor.”

  “A séance?”

  “Yes, a séance,” I reiterated, confident that we could see this forgathering through in a successful manner. “We’ll hold it right here in the great room, far away from the staircase.”

  I must say, your determination is to be admired, Miss Lilura.

  “I’d like to speak with Gertrude before making any type of rash decision,” Izzy replied cautiously, clearly wanting to hear Gertrude’s opinion on what she and Joshua witnessed on the landing earlier today. I had no doubt that Gertrude would tell Izzy the truth. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back shortly.”

  We all watched together as Izzy left the great room, making her way to the rear west wing of the mansion. Now that Orwin had ruled out two suspects, it was looking more and more like Ophelia was the guilty party. We only had to prove it before finding a turning spell to vanquish her from the manor.

  That might be easier said than done, dear hexed one.

  “Would someone like to explain to me the behind the scene footage of that conver
sation?” Knox asked in his usual wry manner. “I really hate not being in on this mindreading business.”

  He’d closed the distance to stand between me and Orwin, for the first time leaving his post by the fireplace. I’d already explained to him that the rest of the gang didn’t necessarily agree with the séance, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they definitely weren’t in favor of adding the Ashton family members to the table.

  You see, each of the Ashtons becomes a weak link in our defenses against the spirit we’re calling into our presence.

  I’d say you’re putting that rather mildly, but to each her own, dear hexed one. To each her own.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Joshua is down the hall in room twenty-four,” I whispered, having walked past the room we were staying in. Orwin quietly pointed toward the door that held a specific number, to which I nodded to his silent question. He was making sure that the room in question was the one that housed the voodoo doll. “As soon as you rule out Joshua and Wilbur, I think we should mention that room thirteen isn’t being repainted as Ms. Florence indicated before her death.”

  It was either Pearl or Piper who mentioned that maybe Florence herself had purchased the voodoo doll in an attempt to rid the manor of Ophelia. That scenario was looking more and more likely, but we needed to be sure before we started the séance.

  “What’s with you and Knox?” Orwin asked quietly as we continued our way down the long hallway.

  “Nothing,” I was quick to reply, completely blaming Pearl for Orwin even broaching this subject. “Pearl’s got some romantic notion in her, right along with that proper etiquette streak that’s a mile long. It’s annoying as all get out.”

  Orwin fell silent as we took the final steps that had us stopping in front of Joshua’s bedroom door. From the location, I’m sure it was a suite, of sorts. Either case, I wasn’t going to stand still and allow Orwin to prod my every private thought. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what he would find, and I honestly didn’t want to know.

  The sole focus of my life was finding a cure to this hex.

  I couldn’t have anything else interfere, especially whatever fancy notion might pop into Pearl’s tiny little head.

  Orwin pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and parted his lips to comment, but I quickly held up a hand for him to stop before he got ahead of himself.

  “Not one word if you still want me to get you that new Alienware laptop,” I warned, giving him a sideways glare.

  “I wasn’t going to say a thing.”

  Orwin motioned with his hand that I should take the initiative and knock on Joshua’s door. Since my arm was already raised, I simply connected my knuckles to the hard surface. This shouldn’t take long. The goal was for Joshua to answer allowing Orwin to get a read on his thoughts, basically clearing the way for us to have just one suspect left—Ophelia.

  That wasn’t to say that some other staff member couldn’t have done the horrific deed, being sent home when Faye had dismissed most of the staff. After all, the roster of employees Orwin had pulled from the estate’s software was quite extensive, including a full list of groundskeepers.

  But something told me that the murderer was close by, thus resulting in those specific people…and the one spirit…currently inhabiting this manor.

  Piper was the one who’d gone exploring earlier today while I’d stayed in the room to construct the list of materials we’d need from the RV. Knox was currently retrieving those items from the Land Rover, though he didn’t seem too happy that we’d left him to his own resources.

  “Who would have thought that Knox would be scared of an itty-bitty ghost,” Orwin commented with a small smirk of his face. The two men got along quite well, most likely because their talents were completely different from one another. They were polar opposites. That didn’t mean one wouldn’t goad the other when it was right there for the taking. “Don’t you think another word, Lou. I know I’d come out on the losing end in comparison to that man. Whatever strain of lycanthropy Ammeline cursed him with made him stronger and larger than the average werewolf.”

  I didn’t miss Orwin’s reference to the old saying ‘smarter than the average bear’.

  “Not nice,” I whispered in return right before I heard the faint sounds of footsteps coming closer to the door. It wasn’t that I needed to defend Knox. Not in the least. For some reason, it was instinctive for all my team members. Once again, I wasn’t going to waste time ruminating over something that was irrelevant to our immediate future. “Mr. Ashton, we’re sorry to disturb you. This is my colleague, Orwin Cornelia.”

  “Did you guys feel that earthquake?” Joshua asked, having come to the conclusion that was why we were paying him a visit at eleven o’clock at night. It didn’t surprise me to find that his cell phone was still in his hand, which he’d moved to his left in order to greet Orwin. The two men shook hands, and I tried not to continuously study Orwin’s expressions to see what his reaction was to reading Joshua’s thoughts. “It was just a slight tremor, but I’ve only ever experienced them on the West Coast.”

  It was good to know that we weren’t the only ones who had felt the jolt of energy. There was no doubt in my mind that it had come from Ophelia’s attempt to push Faye down the stairs. It took a lot of energy for a spirit to do something like that, especially twice in the span of three days.

  I quickly glanced at Orwin, but it seemed as if he were still compiling his opinion.

  “Actually, we came to tell you about some new developments.” I paused briefly when I saw movement out of my peripheral vision, but the hallway was empty. “Your aunt almost fell down the stairs this evening, and she doesn’t believe she took a misstep. She’s okay physically, but she’s really shook up.”

  I gave Joshua time for my words to sink in, hoping that Ophelia hadn’t gathered enough energy to make another appearance. We needed a bit more time to convince Joshua that a séance was a good idea, but who knew what his reaction would be at seeing Ophelia float down the hallway.

  “Aunt Faye always talked about how dramatic my mother could be, but it’s nothing compared to the acting abilities that woman has. Don’t let her fool you.”

  Joshua went to close his bedroom door when Orwin took me by surprise and lodged his black boot just inside the doorframe. He’d done so in time to stop the door from being slammed shut in our faces.

  “You’re wrong about the reason your mother took your name out of contention to run the estate,” Orwin stated matter-of-factly. My first instinct was to slap him upside the back of his head. What was he thinking, exposing himself like that to a human? “Your mother broke the tradition of leaving the Ashton family estate to the oldest heir because she realized that your aunt had nothing else…and it was with the sole stipulation that you inherit the position as head of the estate upon Faye’s passing. I know this to be true, because I hacked into the estate lawyer’s firm to read the will in its entirety. On Monday, you’ll receive the letter that your mother meant only for you. You’ll understand her decision better then, and maybe your family can make amends with one another before any more damage is done.”

  Orwin wasn’t one to get too philosophical. He left that type of sentiment to Pearl, but he’d done a fine job in getting Joshua to look at his situation a bit differently and without anger. I was truly impressed with the way he’d handled this situation, though it would have been nice to have been let in on what he’d discovered with those hacking skills of his.

  Usually, Pearl was pretty good at communicating things between us when Orwin couldn’t talk freely. She’d gone in search of Piper, though, and no doubt would attempt to wrangle another spot of warm cream before joining in on the séance.

  “Izzy asked you to hack into our estate lawyer’s computer system?” Joshua asked skeptically, leaning a forearm against the open door. He pointed his phone in the direction of Izzy’s room. “My sister…the one who abides by all the rules?”

  I honestly hadn’t thought of Izzy
as a woman who followed all the rules and regulations, but I might have cast judgements a bit early, especially given the circumstances. The one thing I was really good at was casting magic and knowing when Orwin was comfortable around someone. He’d relaxed his stance and moved his boot out of the way to allow Joshua the option of listening to us further or continuing to slam the door in our faces.

  “Yes, in a roundabout way,” I hedged, not wanting the siblings to compare notes before we’d solved the murder mystery and vacated the estate. “You see, Faye believes it was Ophelia who tried to push her down the stairs. She also thinks that your mother’s death might not have been an accident, after all, and has asked us to look into the matter. We aren’t the police, of course. Our methods are a bit more…untraditional.”

  “What’s that mean?” Joshua asked bluntly, his gaze bouncing off me and Orwin.

  Once again, I caught something move in my peripheral vision. It was a massive relief to see Piper standing and waiting for us at the end of the hallway, gesturing for us to go downstairs. I nodded my understanding, unable to handhold Joshua anymore.

  “Izzy is speaking to Gertrude about what the two of you saw on the landing of the staircase,” I shared, right as Orwin sneezed. Pearl had made an appearance of sorts, and I braced myself for any news that might change the course we’d mapped out. “Joshua, what did you see? You kept saying at dinner that it could have easily been a trick of the light. If you have any doubts, wouldn’t you want to know if your mother’s death wasn’t an accident?”

  Very well stated, dear hexed one. I have no doubt that Mr. Joshua will be joining us for the séance. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve fortified myself with a spot of warm cream, and can now concentrate on the task at hand.

  “Everyone is gathering in the great room,” Orwin explained, pulling a tissue out of the front pocket of his khakis. He discreetly wiped his nose before continuing. “We’re conducting a séance to see if we can speak with Ophelia’s spirit.”