An Unhappy Medium

by Dawn Eastman

  My smile faded as I looked beyond Vi’s crowd of admirers and saw the two men from the other day. They leaned against the wall between the bookshop and an art gallery. With sunglasses on and arms crossed, they looked like a couple of bouncers at a dance club. I didn’t like how close they were to Grace and Paul but they weren’t moving and didn’t look like they were even aware of my sister or her husband.

  “See those guys standing against the wall?” I tilted my head in their direction and Diana and Lucan searched the crowd.

  “Yeah, they’ve been hanging around all week,” Diana said. “They came into the store one morning and quickly left when Bethany tried to sell them some protective crystals and a cauldron.” Diana giggled. “It’s usually pretty obvious when someone has wandered in without realizing what we sell. She likes to really push the witchy aspect when that happens, just to get a reaction.”

  “What’s the matter?” Lucan asked.

  “I’m not sure.” I shrugged. “Something just doesn’t feel right about them.” I couldn’t tell them about Grace and Paul and their fears.

  I was about to turn away when a woman standing a few feet away said, “That’s her over there.” Her companion turned to look. “Grace Fortune. She and her husband had a huge fight with Derek Vaughn, the murder victim, at the costume shop in Grand Rapids. My cousin works there and she told me . . .”

  The women moved further away and had tilted their heads together. I couldn’t hear the rest of what they said. Grace and Paul fighting with Derek? Why hadn’t they mentioned it and what could they possibly have to fight about?

  “Clyde?” Diana shook my arm.

  “What? Sorry, I was just thinking . . .”

  “I said, here they come.” She nodded up the street. I turned quickly, imagining the bouncers striding up behind me, but instead I saw Vi and Mom leading Grace and Paul through the crowd toward us.

  “Whew! That was something!” Vi said. “I think I have a couple of new cases for us already!”

  “Vi told us about your new business venture,” Grace said and she didn’t bother to hide her smirk. She knew very well how long I had fought against joining the family business and using any of my talents. Always practical, she never understood why I didn’t capitalize on my abilities. In her view it was a lot easier and less dangerous than police work.

  “Here they come!” Mom said.

  We turned to look up the street at the approaching parade. Lloyd was in front, as usual, leading his group of town settlers all decked out in period dress. One year he had tried to ride a horse, but the next year that got voted down by everyone who had followed behind him. Since then a few more experienced riders took up the rear of the parade.

  Seth and Sophie walked together with the settlers group. Someone had found them costumes that looked like something out of Little House on the Prairie. Seth wore brown pants tucked into high boots, suspenders, and a wide-brimmed hat. Sophie’s dress was too long and dragged a bit in the street. Her bonnet slipped every few steps and she had to shove it back out of her eyes. Cowboys and farmers walked with them.

  As I watched them pass, I thought that they were lucky to be in the settlers group, as the townspeople wore everything from Jane Austen-era dresses to Civil War hoop skirts. Lloyd had grown less picky over the years and allowed the reenactors to choose their own costumes. This certainly led to a more interesting parade.

  After the settlers and the townspeople passed, the group of early spiritualists appeared. This was not really historically accurate, as the spiritualists came some twenty years after the town was founded by the star-crossed lovers, but there had been a petition a few years earlier stating that if the parade was to be a tourist attraction, we should certainly make it clear that Crystal Haven offered mediums and psychics and had done so for (almost) as long as people had lived here.

  The spiritualists, who wore everything from Victorian dresses to gypsy garb, approached and we heard laughter rippling along the crowd. It came in our direction like a wave and I noticed Vi with her hands clasped under her chin and a maniacally gleeful grin on her face. She stood on her toes and then I saw what was causing the excitement. A band of ten or fifteen zombies stumbled down the street. They dragged their legs and groaned horribly at the crowd, who seemed to be thrilled at the new addition to the parade. As the parade slowed for Lloyd to address the spectators up ahead, each group had a small entertainment planned. The zombies broke into a Michael Jackson-esque flash mob and even got some of the audience to join them. I rested my forehead on one open palm and sighed. Lloyd would never, ever let me live this down. The minute he discovered what was happening behind him, he’d know Vi was the ringleader.

  The one-minute stop ended and the parade continued its slow crawl up the street. The fire brigade followed the zombies, and then the historical society members. The whole parade only lasted about fifteen minutes and that was because Lloyd set the pace at a slow crawl and had five scheduled stops. The parade ended in the park by the gazebo and after the last horse had passed, the crowd dispersed. We walked the few blocks to the park to pick up Dad and the kids.

  “I think it was a pretty good parade this year,” Mom said.

  I saw Grace roll her eyes at Paul, who suppressed a grin.

  “The zombies certainly added a unique element,” Grace said to Vi.

  “Did you know about that?” I turned on Grace and Mom, who adopted identical innocent-but-not-innocent expressions. “Lloyd is going to have a fit.”

  “I wish Lloyd would bring back the jugglers,” Vi said.

  I stopped and glared at her. “I don’t think there were any jugglers among the original settlers, Vi,” I said. “And there certainly weren’t any zombies.”

  Vi grinned. “I know, but it made for an exciting parade when that guy had the swords and the torches all flying through the air. And at least the zombies knew how to dance.”

  15

  After the parade, Tom Andrews had asked Grace and Paul to come to the police station to answer some questions. Mac stepped in when Grace questioned Tom’s authority and Tom agreed that she probably didn’t need to be interviewed. Grace acquiesced to Mac’s personal invitation, and the four of them walked to the station. The kids had gone back to my parents’ house to change out of their costumes and wait for the reenactment. I gladly went home alone for a brief reprieve from the crowds and my family. I tossed my tea bag in the trash, and prepared to take a sip when I heard a truck rumble to a stop out front. It was late afternoon on Saturday—too late for mail or deliveries. I reluctantly set the mug down on the counter and went to the front window.

  A small moving truck had pulled up across the street. The house had been empty since the summer before when its owners had left abruptly. A FOR SALE sign languished on the lawn, and since everyone knew who owned the house, I had never seen anyone even stop to take a flyer out of the box.

  The movers rolled the door open and flipped the ramp onto the street with a loud crash. Shouting and banging commenced as furniture paraded out of the truck and into the house.

  There went my quiet hour before the rest of the Founder’s Day celebrations. I retrieved my mug of tea and stood in the window to watch. Vi would have been outside interviewing the movers and checking to see if there was any sign of a dog or cat who could give her more information on the new neighbors. I decided to wait and see who turned up. Whoever it was couldn’t be worse than the previous owners.

  A beat-up, lime-green, ancient Mustang convertible, unhindered by a muffler, rounded the corner with enough speed to squeal the tires and pulled to a shrieking stop in front of the house. Long silky blonde hair emerged from the driver’s side. She stood and turned in my direction—Tatiana. Great. I’d know everything there was to know about the lines on my palms.

  She glanced up and down the street and smiled. Then she turned those bright green eyes directly on me and waved. I fought
the urge to step back from the window, but since I had already been spotted, I raised a hand in greeting.

  She gestured that I should come outside. Gulping down the last of my tea, I walked to the front door and stepped outside.

  “Well, hello, neighbor!” she exclaimed as soon as the door shut behind me.

  She crossed the street and met me in my front yard.

  “Tatiana, hello. This is quite a surprise,” I said. “I didn’t even know that the house had sold.”

  “It hasn’t, actually. My cousin, Tanya, knows the owner, and she talked him into renting the place to me for a few months while I decide what I’m going to do. Honestly, I think he was just relieved to have someone move in after all the trouble.” She lowered her voice. “I’m sure you know all about it, being neighbors and all.”

  I nodded that I knew all about it and changed the subject.

  “Do you think you’ll be moving to town permanently, then?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe you can tell my future. With your eyes, I imagine you know a lot of things. I’ll trade . . .” She held her hand out, palm up.

  I put my hands behind my back. “I’m not really in the fortune-telling business.”

  “Pity.” She tilted her head and seemed to be sizing up my psychic abilities.

  “I saw you with the Vaughn family the other night at the zombie run,” I said. “Are you very close with them?”

  She watched the movers passing boxes off of the truck. “Not really. My boyfriend is Theo Lancaster. He works with Aaron Vaughn. Theo is devastated over Derek’s death—they used to be very close.” She dabbed at her eyes. “We had such fun the night of the zombie run. They all came to my shop to put on the makeup and we had a little party. Derek was . . . very charming.”

  I studied her profile, but she refused to meet my eyes.

  “I know. I knew Theo and Derek when we were younger.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard all the stories about Derek and your sister.” She crossed her arms and turned back toward me. “It’s all so tragic. Lost the love of his life, gambled his share of the family business away, and now he’s dead.”

  “I didn’t know about the gambling,” I said. A lie, I know, but I wanted to hear what she thought on the subject.

  She nodded. “He and Aaron had a big fight that night just before we all left. I heard Aaron talk about gambling and I asked Theo about it later.”

  “Hello!” Harriet Munson waved from her front stoop and minced her way over the uneven grass to stand with us on the sidewalk. “Welcome! I didn’t know the house had sold. It will be so nice to have someone living there again. It’s always sad for a neighborhood to have a house sitting empty and uncared for.”

  She turned to me and in a flat voice said, “Hello.” Even though we were neighbors, Harriet had never forgiven me for advising her daughter to pursue her acting career. Harriet still didn’t have any grandchildren and it was obvious she thought it was my fault.

  Tatiana offered her hand and introduced herself.

  “Yes, I’ve heard you took over Tanya’s place. I trust it’s going well?” Harriet nudged me with her bony elbow. “I guess you aren’t the newest resident anymore, Clyde. You won’t be able to light the bonfire.”

  The newest resident always lit the bonfire at the Founder’s Day celebration. Harriet clearly thought this would be a devastating blow to me.

  I made a show of checking my watch. “Tatiana, welcome. Mrs. Munson, I’ll see you tonight at the reenactment.” They both nodded politely and I turned back toward my house.

  As I mounted the steps, Mac’s pickup truck rumbled around the corner and pulled to a stop in the driveway. He climbed out slowly and I noticed his limp was more pronounced—a sure sign of stress and fatigue.

  He raised a hand to Harriet and Tatiana. His face relaxed when he saw me standing on the porch. He walked quickly up the steps to meet me. I swung the door shut behind us, and caught a glimpse of Tatiana and Harriet, both turned toward my house, watching.

  “Long day?” I said as I turned back toward Mac.

  He nodded and kissed me on the cheek before moving to the living room to sink into the couch.

  “What’s going on out there?” he asked.

  “A palm reader is moving in,” I said. “She’s quite aggressive—you might want to start wearing gloves.”

  He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Is the case not going well?”

  “I just spent an hour interviewing your sister and her husband,” he sighed. “I’m beginning to understand why you have such a complicated relationship with her.”

  “I hope she was more forthcoming with you than she’s ever been with me.”

  “I’m not sure about that,” he said. “It’s like she’s on constant high alert. It must be this business in New York that has her so edgy.”

  “Hmm.” I didn’t want to get into a dissection of Grace’s personality right then, or maybe ever. “Any leads from the other interviews?”

  “This will be a tough one, I think,” Mac said. “According to the family and everyone we’ve interviewed, Derek Vaughn was a great guy and no one would want to harm him.” Mac shook his head and sighed. “He seemed a bit too slick to me . . . ”

  Derek wasn’t as perfect as his family wanted to claim, but a brief shiver of apprehension went through me. Could Grace be right? Was it a mistake? Was Paul really the intended victim?

  “No clues from the knife that killed him?”

  “Maybe,” Mac said. He rubbed his unshaven jaw, making a raspy sound. “It was one of those fancy knives with carvings like Diana has in her store. Tom Andrews went to see if she recognizes it and has any record of who bought it.”

  Something tugged at the back of my mind. Had Diana said something about selling an athame? I couldn’t remember.

  “She’s not the only one who sells those—”

  Mac held up a hand. “She’s not in any trouble. We just thought she could help us trace it back to the owner.”

  “Have you heard the rumors about the gambling?” I sat down on the chair opposite the couch.

  “Gambling?” Mac sat up straight. “Who?”

  “I don’t remember now where I heard it, probably Vi told me, and the new neighbor just mentioned it, but Derek had some gambling debts and had to be bailed out by his family. And Theo Lancaster said the two brothers never got along.”

  Mac sat still for a moment. “No. They didn’t share that. I don’t know why families try to hide this kind of thing during an investigation. They must know it will all come out eventually and it just makes them look guilty.”

  “They probably feel like they want to protect his memory.”

  “I’m sure, but they also might be protecting his killer.”

  I hesitated to tell Mac about the fight between Paul and Derek at the costume shop. I had no proof and only an overheard snatch of conversation to go on. But wouldn’t I be just as guilty as Derek’s family if I didn’t at least mention it?

  “How well do you know Paul?” Mac asked.

  I was startled for a moment and wondered if I had spoken aloud. I was about to come to his defense, even though Mac hadn’t accused him of anything, when I realized I didn’t really know him. He was my sister’s husband, and I saw him once a year, if that.

  I lifted a shoulder in a noncommittal shrug.

  “I only see him at Christmas and even then he’s always working. I guess most of what I know about him comes from what Grace tells me.”

  Mac nodded and then studied his hands in his lap. “We got an anonymous tip that Derek and Paul had a disagreement on Thursday up in Grand Rapids.”

  I let out a sigh. “I overheard someone talking about that at the parade, but that’s all I know.” I held my hands up. “I haven’t talked to Grace or Paul about it.”

  “I d
on’t want to put you in the middle,” Mac said, “but when I asked them about it, they downplayed the whole thing. Much different from other descriptions we heard. I guess it’s no surprise that the two men wouldn’t get along. Everyone in town knows about Grace and Derek and how she left him at the altar.”

  “It wasn’t quite that bad. But they were engaged and she did leave.” I stood and paced to the window. “She’s also never returned to tell her side of the story. I think Vi and Mom did a bit of damage control after she left, but it was so long ago I really don’t remember the details.” What I remembered the most was the guilt I felt after she left. And the feeling of abandonment. After years of adoring Grace, I couldn’t believe she would just leave me behind. But she had.

  “It probably won’t lead anywhere,” Mac said. “I’d be willing to bet that whoever killed Derek did it for a much more recent reason. But we will have to pursue it and I’m sure your family will hear about it.”

  I turned away from the window and sat next to Mac on the couch. “Grace did say something interesting to me yesterday,” I said. “She said she had to leave Derek. I’m not sure what she meant, and then we were interrupted.”

  “I was so focused on Paul’s fight with Derek, that I didn’t really pursue Grace’s relationship with him. I’ll follow up with her on that.”

  “I know it’s a strange time to be asking this, since you’ve dragged the parents in for questioning in a murder, but have you thought any more about the kids and the guardianship papers? I think Grace and Paul want to take care of it before they leave next week.”

  Mac turned to me and took my hand. “I meant what I said. First, I don’t think it will ever become an issue. But, if it does, I know you’d want to take them in.” He squeezed my hand until I met his eyes. “We’re a team. I’m just as attached to Seth as you are and I’m sure I’ll feel the same way about Sophie.”

  I felt my shoulders relax. I just hoped things wouldn’t get more complicated after he continued to question them. “Thanks, Mac.”