We sat and drank tea and I talked softly about various things. Finally we put down our cups and I turned, following Aunty’s instructions, and took Bebe’s hands in mine. Looking deeply into her blank eyes, I copied what Aunty said like a responsive chant.
“Bebe listen to me. We are floating, you and I. We’re floating in time, floating in space. Now we’re going back in time, back to see your life two days ago. Do you remember?”
She nodded sleepily. “I remember,” she whispered.
“You are driving your car. You are so angry. You just talked to Star on the phone and she said awful things, things you can’t let go unpunished. So you are driving to Star’s house. You hope to catch her before she goes to the party at the country club. You are determined to have it out with her. Determined to get her to stop doing these things, saying these things about you and the people that you love. It’s just too much. You can’t let this pass, not this time. Do you remember?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“You’re driving up the winding road to Star’s house. The sun has just gone down. Darkness has fallen. You’re having trouble seeing the road ahead.”
“Yes.”
“And what happens next?”
Bebe nodded and took over the narration without a pause. “I’m so angry, I’m not paying enough attention to the road. I’m driving a little too fast and I come too close to the edge. I can hear rocks falling over the side. Another few inches and I could have gone over the cliff. That scares me. I pull to a stop and put my hand over my heart. It’s beating so hard. I almost went over. This is crazy. I can’t let a woman like Star put me into such a state. I have to go slower, have to be more careful.”
She paused and seemed to readjust herself.
“I go on. I’m almost to the big turn where there’s a mirror to show the road ahead. My headlights should hit it right now. I’m almost there. But wait.” She began to look worried, agitated. “Where is it? I’m already past it. I’m looking for it, but all I see is something blue. Where’s the mirror? I’m already making the turn in around the bend and I’m looking back for the mirror. Where is it?”
She gasped, half screamed, and put her hands to her face. “Oh no! I hit something. I see it for only half a second. What is it? An animal? A person? What did I hit? I don’t see it. Did I hit somebody? Oh no. I jump out of the car and run out and there’s Star lying in the road. Oh, the horror. I hit Star. No, no, no! She’s lying there and the blood…. No! She’s not moving. But these sticks, what are they for? Is she dead? Is she okay? No. She’s not okay. There’s blood everywhere. I can’t stop the blood. I have to call 911. But wait. There’s a man here, just beyond the edge of the light. Oh good. He’ll call 911. I should just attend to Star and see what I can do to keep her alive. But I don’t know what to do. And that man. Look. There he is again. He’s so tall and his face looks so ugly. My heart jumps in my chest. He looks like…he looks like Death. Oh no! It’s Death. I’m sure of it. He fades away and he’s gone, but I saw him. I don’t think Death would call 911. I have to get to my phone and call. I’m rummaging in my car, looking for my phone. There, I finally found it. I call 911, then go back out to look at Star. There’s that man again. He’s carrying something down into the brushy area. I listen for the paramedics. Why aren’t they coming yet?””
This entire narrative had chilled me to the bone but I had to keep control of it. I leaned forward. “Bebe, was anyone else there? Anyone besides you and Star and the man?”
“No. No, I look all around. But I’m trying to help Star.”
I took her hands again. “Who was the man?”
She shook her head fretfully. “I don’t know. Death, I guess. Maybe a ghost.”
“Not a regular man?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“No.”
“Did you say anything to him?”
“Yes. I yelled, ‘Call 911’. But he didn’t do it. I had to do it.”
“Thank you, Bebe. That’s enough for now.”
She sighed heavily, obviously shaken by what she’d just gone through again. “Can I go to sleep?”
“Yes. Go to sleep.”
She rose and headed to her bedroom. I turned and looked at Aunty Jane. “What do you think? Do you know who it was?”
She shook her head. “But Bebe will sleep better now,” she said with satisfaction.
I took a deep breath and realized what had just happened here. I’d done it! A feeling of such satisfaction filled me. “Did I use magic?” I asked Aunty.
She frowned at me. “Don’t get cocky,” she said. “You just started using magic. Now you have to learn more. And learn to protect it.”
I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but she waved me away. “That’s all for today,” she said softly. “You’ve got some magic now. Use it well.”
And when I turned around, she was gone.
Chapter Fifteen
I called Jill first thing and told her about what had happened after she left the night before.
“How did you do it?” she wanted to know.
“Oh…I just applied some old Hawaiian magic,” I told her, hoping she could just accept it and move on.
“Huh?”
“Never mind. I’ll tell you all about it later.”
At the same time I was wondering, would I really do that? Maybe I could think of some way to weave together a little truth and fantasy, all at the same time.
“I’ve got one bit of news,” she said. “You know how you said to add Danny Ortega to the list? I don’t know if there’s much point. He left town early this morning.”
“How do you know?”
“He stopped by here for a cup of mocha for the road. He told me he was disgusted with how this all had turned out and he was heading for San Diego.”
“What about the other two?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Well, I don’t suppose it matters. He was a long shot anyway.”
“So we’re still looking for the gaunt guy?”
“Yes, we are. Along with all the others on that list.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be on my toes.” She hung up with a flourish, like she always did and I had to smile. Just think of how much harder this would all be without a friend like Jill.
Then I hesitated for a moment or two. I knew I should go to work. Going to work meant visiting growers and getting things together for the Flower Show. It meant sending out press releases and double-checking rental agreements and supply chains and….all that stuff that I just couldn’t wrap my head around right now, considering what had happened. So all that was going to have to wait a little while. I had sleuthing to do.
Bebe remembered vague elements of the midnight session when she came out for her first cup of coffee. She knew she’d dredged up things from her memory, she just wasn’t sure how much she’d actually said, and how much was stuff she’d just dreamed afterwards.
“Did I tell you about the taillights?” she said at one point.
“No. What taillights?”
“The ones I saw going away, up the hill toward the country club area. The car had been parked pretty close. I think it pulled out from behind that stand of eucalyptus trees along the side of the road. But I was in such a panic at that point, trying to revive Star and all, that I wasn’t sure what was going on.”
“Understandable,” I murmured, just to keep her going.
“But now, thinking about it, I’m sure. A car left the area, going fast. I remember wondering why he was going away when he should have been helping me. Then I thought maybe that was exactly what he was doing, going for more help.” She shook her head. “Funny. I’d forgotten all about it.”
“You’re sure? You saw red taillights?”
“Yes.” Her eyes were clear. There was no doubt in her mind.
I threw out my hands, palms up. “Then that proves it. There was a real live man at the scene of the accident. I don’t thi
nk death demons drive off in cars too often. And neither do figments of your imagination.”
She sighed. “I think you’re right.”
“The question is, why didn’t he stay and help you? And the answer is bound to be, because he was somehow guilty of something and didn’t want to be there when the police arrived.”
She nodded slowly and said again, “I think you’re right.”
Of course I was right.
“You still haven’t found Sami.” She said it more as a statement than a question, and I had to admit I hadn’t.
“I put an ad in the local paper,” she told me. “Hopefully someone will know something.”
But her eyes were sad, as though she’d really given up on thinking anything good was going to happen to her ever again. It broke my heart.
My main objective for the day was to find out what Karl MacKenzie looked like, but I took a detour to the accident site, just in case. After talking to Bebe, I really wanted to find that darn animal. I strolled around the place but I didn’t see anyone, and especially not a black cat. Giving up, I headed back to town.
I pulled into the parking lot across the street from Karl’s studio and walked over. It was a steep climb up the stairs to his second story dance studio and I was out of breath when I reached the top.
Walking in, I found a bright, plump woman manning the desk area, working on a computer. No music played and no man hovered in the background. I certainly hoped I was going to get more than this.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked, sounding annoyed to be interrupted in her work.
“Yes. I wanted to inquire about dance lessons.”
“Then you came to the right place.” She forced a smile. “What did you have in mind?”
“Uh…” Here I’d thought they would tell me. “Dance lessons.”
She didn’t roll her eyes, but I could tell she wanted to.
“Just you? Or do you have a partner?”
“Just me.” I looked at her a bit anxiously. “You don’t provide partners at all?”
“It depends on the level of instruction. I take it you would be a beginner.”
“That about nails it.”
“What is your goal? What do you have in mind?”
Finding out if your dance instructor guy was at the scene of Star’s death, that’s what I have in mind.
“Listen, I just want to learn to dance. I feel it’s a basic skill and I don’t have it. So can you teach me or not?”
“Of course we can teach you. Whether or not you can learn, that is the question.”
Wow. For a woman whose livelihood depended on selling services to the public, her attitude stunk. But that wasn’t what I was doing here. I needed pictures of Karl. The rest was superfluous.
“So you’re not obsessed?” she said. “Is that right?”
“Obsessed?” It seemed an odd question. “No, not at all.”
“Do you watch “Dancing with the Stars?”
“Now and then.”
“Ah, only now and than.” She looked relieved, making me wonder how many Dancing With The Stars obsessed groupies they ordinarily dealt with.
“All right. We might be able to help you. Why don’t you take home a couple of these flyers and look them over. Then call back if you decide you’re serious. I’ll set you up with class times.”
I looked at the brochures she was indicating. “Is Karl MacKenzie the only instructor?”
“We had another fellow, but we had to let him go. He was a bit too familiar with the clients.”
“So Karl isn’t prone to doing that himself, is he?”
“Oh no.” She was smiling now. “I’m actually Mrs. MacKenzie and I pride myself on keeping a close watch on that sort of thing.” She sighed. “The problem is, of course, that he’s a very handsome man. Some of these women who are just learning ballroom dancing for the first time find him a very romantic figure. You understand? They spend some time in his arms and they think he really means it personally. It is then that I have to come in and crack the whip. You understand?”
“Of course.” Only too well. But did cracking the whip include making sure that Star was deleted from the picture in one-way or another? Hmmm. I picked up a brochure. “Is this Karl right here?”
“In the flesh.”
“May I take this?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you so much.” I wondered if my smile to her looked as phony as her smile to me. “I’ll be in touch.”
Now I had a picture I could show Bebe at least. Actually, there were three different photos in the brochure, all of a tall, lanky, handsome fellow. She would have every chance to identify him.
I left feeling quite satisfied. I had this detective stuff down pat. I’d write my own book—Solving Murders with Moxie and Hawaiian Magic. Hah!
Once in my car, I headed toward the almond ranch owned and operated by Star’s sister Margie and her husband Norm Miller. I knew where it was. Bebe had pointed it out to me before.
Driving up, you couldn’t help but note the contrast to Star’s place. Her modern structure was all redwood and tinted glass, sitting high on the hill. Margie’s was a simple frame construction house and it looked a bit run down. But the almond orchards spread out behind, a fantasyland of spring bloom. It was so gorgeous, you had to suck in your breath and just stare at it, enchanted by all those flowers blooming at once.
But it was time to meet the growers. I couldn’t think of a good excuse to use to allow me to go wandering into their house, so I headed for the main office set in a huge warehouse.
I spotted them right away. Margie looked just like Star only normal. Norm definitely had that tall, gawky manner that Bebe had identified at the time. As we greeted each other and shook hands, I studied him. Could this man really have left Bebe struggling at the scene of the accident and not even called in help for her? It didn’t seem likely.
I used the angle of my job as Director of Activities and wanting to get to know them. They were very pleasant. We discussed the coming Flower Show and some of the activities they might like to see in the future that might help them promote their product. I told Margie I was sorry about what had happened to her sister, and she shrugged.
“It was your aunt driving, wasn’t it?” she said.
“Yes. I…”
“Don’t try to apologize about anything. Accidents happen. And Bebe is a peach. We love her.”
“Oh.”
“Is that why you came?”
“Well…that and the fact that I’ve been talking to anyone I can find who was involved that night. There’s some question as to what actually happened. I’ve been to talk to the apprentices.”
“Star’s apprentices.” Margie sounded dismissive at first, but then she added,“Those poor kids. From what I’ve heard, they were staying with her and working without pay for the last few months because they thought she was going to give them her flower farm. Right?”
I was watching their reactions carefully. “So it seems.”
“Funny. Because there was no way she could do that.”
“No? Why not?”
Norm grunted and walked away, shaking his head.
Margie watched him go, then turned back to me. “Because she didn’t own that farm.”
I blinked. “What? How do you know?”
“Because I own that farm.” She put on a “duh!” expression, as though I really should have known that. “I bought her out five years ago when she ran into major financial difficulties. You can’t spend like a millionaire when your fields are producing penny stock. I helped her out and she signed the place over to me. It’s been mine ever since.”
“Oh,” I said, truly shocked to hear that. “Wow.”
“There you go,” she said. “Reality check once again. Star just didn’t understand that you couldn’t ride around in Jaguars and build modern redwood monstrosities and still make the payroll every month. So I helped her out.”
“I see.”
And with that, all motivation for doing Star in on the part of these two disappeared, leaving me to wonder why I hadn’t thought of another point—that Bebe knew this couple, which meant she knew Norm. If it had been Norm that she saw that night, she would have recognized him.
Not a great showing for this world class detective. Maybe the book would have to wait a bit.
Oh well. The visit wasn’t a total waste. At least I found out that Star hadn’t owned her own farm for the last five years. And that was stunning news.
I started for home, but then I pulled over to the side of the road to call Roy. I didn’t want to do this in front of Bebe, but I needed to let him know at least some of what we’d learned last night.
“So you see,” I said once I’d laid most of it out for him, “it looks like there was a man there at the scene of the accident. Someone who ran off right away. The question is, why did he do that?”
“Hmm.” Roy sounded skeptical. “The real question is, how did you find this out?”
“From Bebe. We had a sort of spiritual session and got really deep and she remembered a lot of things.”
There. That ought to do it. Now he might begin to follow leads that would help instead of hinder.
“You mean hypnosis, don’t you?”
“I…maybe, a little bit.”
“Interesting.”
“Isn’t it?”
He sighed. “Someday you’re going to have to tell me all about it.”
“Maybe.”
This time he groaned. “Okay, I’m glad you called. I’ve got something to tell you.”
“Oh?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way home.”
“Good. You ought to go and be with Bebe.”
That struck fear into my heart. “Why?”
“Because I just had to tell her that there are people on the city council who are demanding that she be charged with Star’s murder.”
A Ghost in Time (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 3) Page 10
