The Ghosts of Summerleigh Collection

by M. L. Bullock

  Feeling sick to my stomach now, I munched an apple to save the muffin for Ben. I walked down the gravel pathway and made a quick stop by the potting shed to retrieve my fishing pole and tackle box. Then I continued on to Dog River, relieved that I wouldn’t have to hear Momma pretending to be a lady this morning. I expected to see Ben there when I got there, but he wasn’t.

  This had been his idea; he better not cut out on me. I have better things to do with my Saturdays, I lied to myself like I was someone important.

  He was supposed to bring the worms, but after an hour I realized he wasn’t coming. I used my apple core as bait but didn’t catch a thing and succeeded only in losing the core. I had no shovel for digging up worms and no idea where to look for them anyway. I mean, I knew they were in the dirt, but according to Ben, worms liked certain types of soil. He should know—his older brother ran a bait business down at the Escatawpa. About ten o’clock, I decided to go home. Ben had stood me up, and we hadn’t even been on a date. I put Daddy’s pole and tackle box back in the potting shed. I’d try again later, even if I had to get my own bait.

  I’d better go check on Addie.

  I went inside and was amazed to find that Addison and Momma both were still in bed. Now Momma, I could understand. She’d been carousing all night; that’s what Daddy accused her of once. I didn’t know the exact definition of “carousing,” but I was pretty sure it meant acting like a floozy. Momma used to call Jeopardy a floozy all the time.

  I wasn’t home ten minutes when George County’s youngest deputy, Andrew Hayes, arrived at our doorstep. I touched my hair to make sure my bob was in place, but I could tell that this would be no pleasant visit. Sheriff Passeau—I remembered to call him Sheriff and not Deputy, since he’d just been promoted—was here too, and both men were holding their hats in their hands.

  That was always a bad sign.

  I opened the door and waited to hear the news. Had they actually found Jeopardy? Or had something happened to Aunt Dot and Loxley? Last I heard, Loxley had the chicken pox and had been out of school for nearly two weeks. Momma called daily, but Aunt Dot refused to bring her home. I was forbidden to call, but I’d already made up my mind to disobey Momma in this.

  Now it might be too late. “May I help you, Deputy? Sheriff?”

  Deputy Hayes’ expression saddened. “I’m afraid we have some bad news, Miss Belle. We need to speak to your mother.”

  I opened the door and invited them into the Great Room. “I’ll get her for you. I think she’s lying down. She and Addison have been under the weather. Please excuse me.”

  “Thank you, Miss Belle,” the deputy whispered to me as my face flushed. I nodded once and left the room and hurried to Momma’s side.

  “Momma, you have to get up. The sheriff and the deputy are here to see you. I think something bad has happened.”

  To my surprise, Momma wasn’t sleeping. She was just lying there staring off into space. “What did you do, Jeopardy?” I could barely hear her whisper.

  “I’m Harper, Momma. Please get dressed and come see the sheriff. Let me help you. You can’t go in there in your slip.”

  “Get out, Harper. I’ll dress myself, if you please,” she snapped as she crawled out of her tangled sheets.

  “I’ll tell them you are coming.”

  I raced to Addison’s room and woke her up. She immediately got up and got dressed. Apparently, she too believed there was big news. Had to be. Why else would they be here?

  A few minutes later, Momma strutted into the Great Room with a lit skinny cigarette in her hand. These past few weeks had taken a toll on her elegance, but she was still a pretty woman. And even though she’d been misbehaving just a few hours ago, she was acting as polite as the Queen of England now.

  “Would you like something to drink? Maybe some iced tea or coffee? Harper, where are your manners? Please, gentlemen, come sit in the parlor.” They obeyed, but I made no move to put coffee on.

  “Ma’am, we are here at the coroner’s request,” Sheriff Passeau said.

  Momma’s hand flew to her throat, and she gasped. I knew immediately that something was wrong. Momma could pose as pretty as any catalog model, but she was a horrible actor. I was convinced that whatever she was about to hear would come as no surprise to her.

  “Ma’am, your father is dead. He was found this morning at his home in Barton. His housekeeper discovered him in his bed.”

  “What?” Momma said quietly. So this wasn’t what she expected to hear after all. She thought they were going to tell her something else.

  Like what? What did she expect to hear? My stomach soured, and Addison sank down onto the couch beside Momma. Of all the people in the world, Addison may have been the only one who cared about Mr. Daughdrill.

  “I’m sorry to say he did not die of natural causes,” Deputy Hayes said discreetly, “but you don’t have to see him. The housekeeper gave a positive identification when we arrived. I think that’s good enough for us, and we all know Mr. Daughdrill.”

  “How?” I asked, uncaring if I sounded morbid or not.

  “He was stabbed multiple times in the chest,” Sheriff Passeau said, placing his steely gaze on me. “With a pair of shears, presumably while he slept since there was no sign of a struggle. While nothing appears to be missing, we thought maybe you could come and check his property, Mrs. Belle. We may have missed something.”

  Momma rubbed her face with her pale hands. She looked very confused. “You say my father? My father is dead? He has been murdered?”

  Passeau answered, “Yes, ma’am. He’s dead.” He glanced at the deputy as if to say something in their secret police language. I wished I knew it.

  Momma stood to her feet slowly, and I thought she would fall over. Maybe she would faint. To my horror, she began to scream and sob, which made Addison do the same. And Momma didn’t scream once but over and over again. No amount of talking to her would make her stop sobbing. And when she was done sobbing, she began to laugh and talk to herself.

  Deputy Hayes said, “I’ll send for a doctor, Miss Belle. She’s going to need a sedative. You should call your aunt and ask her to come help with her.”

  The deputy had a point, but I didn’t think Aunt Dot would pick up the phone. And then it occurred to me. Momma did expect something to happen. She’d prepared for it, daydreamed about it all morning. But this wasn’t it. What, then? Suddenly, I worried for Aunt Dot. It was no secret that the Daughdrill sisters had tied up over Loxley and that Momma was furious that Aunt Dot hadn’t brought her baby home. There were things going on that I didn’t understand. To top it all off, Momma had been entertaining Dewey Landry. No, I couldn’t fathom any of this.

  “Deputy Hayes, I think my aunt’s phone is out of order. Once the doctor arrives and I get Momma settled, would you mind taking me over there? I would like her to hear the news from one of us, if you please.”

  “Of course I will. Always happy to help a lady.”

  Addison was sitting with Momma now. Momma had her head on Addison’s shoulder, looking at something none of us could see. Sheriff Passeau spoke kindly to her, which was something of a rarity for him. She continued to sob, her face a mess now with streaking black mascara and tear-stained powder. Soon, Dr. Leland arrived at the house with his black bag. With his encouragement, Momma went to bed and took a tranquilizer that would help her sleep. He left me a bottle of about ten more and warned me not to let her have the bottle.

  “People experiencing grief do the unpredictable, young lady. See that you give her only one at a time, and only twice a day. I’ll come back if you need me.” He patted my shoulder kindly and left Summerleigh. He’d always been our biggest peach customer.

  “I’ll be right back, Addie. I promise.” I kissed her cheek and noticed that she had stopped crying and hadn’t said much at all. I worried about leaving her, but Momma couldn’t be by herself right now.

  Deputy Hayes pulled out all the stops for me. He used his siren and horn to get us to Aunt D
ot’s in no time. To my surprise, we weren’t the first people there. A repairman was cutting out wood for a broken window. Aunt Dot ran to me and hugged me.

  “What happened?” the deputy and I asked at the same time.

  “Someone tried to break into the house this morning, not that long ago. I guess that’s what he was trying to do. He shot my bedroom window all up.” Her hands were shaking when she held mine. “Your sister slept through the whole thing.”

  “That sounds like Loxley,” I said with a small smile. “I am sorry to come here like this, but I have more bad news to tell you.”

  “What is it, Harper? Is it Jeopardy?”

  “No, ma’am. It’s Mr. Daughdrill. He died sometime this morning. Someone killed him, Aunt Dot. In his own bed.”

  She sank slowly into her cane-back kitchen chair. “Any suspects, Deputy?”

  “No, ma’am. We’re just beginning our investigation, and with what happened to you, I’m even more concerned. Do you know anyone who might want to harm you? Someone who might want to kill you?”

  Aunt Dot looked at me; her heart-shaped face was sad and kind of broken. “I never think about those things, Deputy. I wouldn’t want to make a list like that.”

  “Well, I think you should come with us. Your sister is beside herself with grief.”

  Aunt Dot stood up and put her glass in the sink. “No, I don’t think I will. And believe me, sir, my sister has all the comfort she needs now. Harper, tell Addison I will come see y’all soon.”

  “Ma’am, I don’t think you understand. Mrs. Belle had to be given a sedative, and these young ladies are by themselves.”

  Aunt Dot brushed away a tear but shook her head stubbornly. “I’m sorry. I have to think about Loxley.”

  I looked at the deputy. “May I have one more minute? In private, Deputy Hayes.”

  “Yes, but I have to get back to the precinct after I take you home. We’ve got a lot going on today, Miss Belle.” He shot Aunt Dot one last look of disapproval and walked out on the porch.

  I turned to Aunt Dot. “May I see Loxley a minute? Is she feeling better?”

  She smiled and accepted the tissue I offered her. “She’s not contagious now. Of course you can see her. Her scabs are healing, and the doctor says she won’t have any scars at all.”

  Just then, my sister walked into the kitchen, looking confused at all the hubbub going on around her. Aunt Dot said sweetly, “Loxley, look who’s here.”

  “Harper!” She raced toward me with her black and white stuffed pony in her hands. We hugged, and I cried; I was so happy to see my baby sister. “Guess what?”

  “What?” I asked.

  She whispered in my ear, “I don’t wet the bed anymore. There aren’t any ghosts here.”

  “That is wonderful, Loxley. That means you’re all grown up now. You’ll be driving a car soon and getting a job as the world’s stuffed animal zookeeper.”

  She laughed and said, “Do they have that?”

  “No, silly. They don’t.”

  “Then I’ll be the first.”

  I hugged her again. “I have to go home now, but I’ll come back to see you again soon. I promise.”

  She poked her lip out but didn’t complain. She wanted to show me her room and all her dresses, but I had to leave. I couldn’t stay another moment or I’d never want to return to Summerleigh. Aunt Dot’s small cottage was so peaceful and quiet. You could feel the love in this place. I kissed them both and ran out of the house crying. This was what love felt like.

  Accepting, healing and peaceful.

  One day, if I was lucky, I’d have that kind of love too.

  Chapter Sixteen—Harper

  Momma wasn’t going to be happy unless she was the center of attention at her own father’s funeral. The First Baptist Church of Desire, Mississippi, turned out in a big way. Although Mr. Daughdrill didn’t attend church regularly, he frequently pledged money to special causes like the girls’ choir. He bought all their robes last year and even paid for their trip to Tennessee to sing at the Baptist Convention up there.

  Oh yes, Mr. Daughdrill was something of a big deal in this community…still, there were whispers in between the speeches and testimonials about the fine citizen they were laying to rest. Since I was so plain and quiet, people talked in front of me like I wasn’t even there.

  Well, there was that time he’d been involved with that one incident.

  Remember when he was asked about that girl?

  Oh, that was so long ago, and he was young himself then.

  No, his granddaughter. They questioned him about Jeopardy.

  Oh, yes, they did. I heard it from…

  And then the conversation broke off because the next person took the podium to make glowing statements about Mr. Daughdrill, a man many people secretly hated.

  Momma had borrowed the fold-up chairs from the church and had them arranged in the Great Room. We’d lit the fireplace to make it look nice in here, even though it was as hot as Hades. I opened the back door to let some of the heat out. Even Mr. Daughdrill’s makeup looked a bit shiny, as if it would slide off his face at any moment. Why she had to bring him here, I had no idea.

  I stood in the back of the room near the open door drinking my soda through a straw when Aunt Dot came in with Loxley by her side. I’d refused to pay my respects and walk by his casket pretending to miss him. I’m sure Momma wasn’t pleased with me, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to see him again, and I was glad he was gone. I would have preferred a more peaceful death for him, but that was beyond my control.

  Like Momma, Addison was dressed to the nines. She wore her shoulder-length hair pulled back in a ribbon and wore a dark blue dress with black sleeves. Such a stylish dress for someone so young. She placed a white rose on Mr. Daughdrill’s chest and walked away.

  She seemed to genuinely miss him, which gave me some relief. If he’d behaved inappropriately with her, she wouldn’t be acting this way. She wouldn’t be acting as if she had just lost the grandfather she loved. No, his death came at the right time. I don’t know how I knew all this, but I did. Call it a young woman’s intuition if you like.

  Ben caught me at the door after the service. “Hey, I’m sorry about your grandfather, Harper.” He stuck out his hand like he was meeting me for the first time. I couldn’t help but notice it was bandaged up. Like he’d been in a fight with someone.

  “What happened to you, Ben? You didn’t show up for fishing, and you look like you put your hand in a wood chipper. Is it serious?”

  “Did you say he put his hand in a wood chipper?” Addie joined us, chewing on a celery stick and smiling at Ben. She was clearly interested in talking with him, which suited me fine. I was still ticked off that he’d stood me up for our fishing date. Well, not date. I wasn’t interested in dating Ben.

  “No, that’s not what happened. Excuse me. Hey, wait, Harper. Don’t run off. I need to talk to you.”

  “Okay, so talk.” I was getting anxious because I wanted to spend time with Aunt Dot and Loxley.

  “Well, I can’t talk to you here. Come outside. It won’t take but a minute.”

  I tucked my cardigan around me and arranged my barrettes. I needed a haircut in the worst sort of way.

  Once we got outside, Ben said, “I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a very long time, Harper Belle. I know you barely know me, and you probably didn’t realize that we’ve been in school together for almost two years.”

  “Really? Has it been that long?” I really wish he would get to the point.

  “I mean to say, I know I’m young. And I know you’re young. We’re both young.” Ben’s dithering was getting on my nerves. And it was hot out here.

  “Spit it out, Ben Hartley. We are at my grandfather’s funeral.”

  He glanced around him and saw that a few people were looking in our direction. Well, if he didn’t want to be embarrassed, he shouldn’t make a fool of himself.

  “What I am trying to say is that I love y
ou, Harper. I have always loved you. And I hope you know I would do anything for you,” he said, showing me his hands and looking at me with a serious expression, “and I do mean anything. Don’t let my size fool you, because I got a heart as big as any other guy. And that heart loves you, Harper Belle.” He took my hand and kissed it as if he was a knight and I was his lady. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen.

  I pulled back my hand and felt my cheeks redden to the shade of a vine-ripe tomato. I said, “Please, Ben. Go home.” I paid no attention to the small gathering that had begun to watch us and even applaud. There was the tittering of laughter from some of the older women and good-natured guffawing from some of the men. Ben sputtered in frustration. Obviously, things had not gone the way he had planned them. He cast an evil eye my direction and stormed off the porch and down Hurlette Drive. I wasn’t going to chase him. I had no idea where he was going. I resolved that I wouldn’t go fishing with Ben Hartley, or any other boy I wasn’t serious about, ever again.

  “Not even eighteen years old and already breaking hearts,” Deputy Hayes said politely.

  “Oh, he’s just a friend. Thanks for coming to the service.” The deputy looked so much nicer today than when he wore his brown uniform. I liked him in blue. “It means a lot.”

  He ducked his head and walked away with a smile.

  Aunt Dot appeared out of the crowd and hugged my neck. “He’s right, you know. You’re as lovely as your Momma.”

  “Bite your tongue, Aunt Dot. I don’t want to be anything like her.” I glanced in Momma’s direction. She was sitting in the red velvet chair receiving a line of guests with a distressed look on her face. She caught me looking, but I quickly looked back at Aunt Dot. “I would give anything for you to be my mother.”

  Aunt Dot sighed and kissed Loxley on the forehead before she ran to our mother, who scooped her up in her arms and made a big deal of her. Loxley sat proudly in her lap as the mourners came forward and expressed their condolences to our family.

  “Once upon a time, I would have scolded you for saying such things, but now I understand a little better. Having Loxley with me, I learned a few things. Your little sister is much more observant than you might believe. I was astonished to hear some of the things she told me. I’m sorry for all you had to go through, Harper. I want to make amends, if you’ll let me. I want to make it up to you and Addison. You had to endure so much with no help from anyone, but that’s going to change.”