Ghost in the Polka Dot Bikini

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

  “Who’s this other guy?” Emma landed a finger on the man she didn’t recognize.

  “That’s Tony Keller. He shot himself about a year or so after this was taken. Word was his studio cancelled his contract, but there were other rumors about him being caught in a homosexual love nest. Not sure which I believe.”

  “Tell me, Denise, did you all go to Catalina together from time to time?”

  “Yes, though usually the men took someone’s boat over to fish and we girls went by ferry and met them there. There were some wild parties on the island.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  Denise grew quiet and stared down at the group photo. “I was just remembering when this photo was taken. Tessa’s birthday was at the end of May. This was taken just before she took off.”

  “Didn’t you find it odd that she just disappeared? Weren’t you concerned?”

  “Until you showed up talking about seeing her ghost, I always thought she’d gone back to Nebraska. And who knows, maybe she did and this whole ghost thing is just your imagination.”

  Emma gave Denise a look that assured her she wasn’t in the habit of having imaginary friends. “Was Tessa the sort who would leave without saying goodbye or give an explanation to her friends?”

  Denise shrugged. “Colleen and I were both out of town on a shoot the week Tessa left. When we returned, her things were gone. There was just the three of us in the apartment then. About a week or so later, we got a postcard from Nebraska saying she’d decided to go home and didn’t want any long goodbyes or for us to try and talk her out of it.”

  “Why would she think you’d try to talk her out of it?”

  “Tessa didn’t talk much about her family, but from what I gathered, home was pretty miserable. She was raised by her brother and his wife, and I got the feeling they were pretty mean to her, even abusive. In the few years we lived together, she never received any mail or phone calls or visits from family members that I knew of. She seemed to be all alone in the world, except for us.” Denise took a drink from her snifter. “Shame, too, because she was such a sweet thing. Rather naïve and innocent. Tessa wasn’t quite as wild as the rest of us. Didn’t hardly drink. Didn’t swear. She was totally enamored of Hollywood. Colleen and I always thought it was a bit strange that she took off like that, but after the card came, we didn’t give it much thought.”

  In her head, Emma replayed part of her discussion with Fran Hyland. “And you’re sure Tessa never talked about going back home to Nebraska?”

  “Positive. Whenever anyone asked her about her family, she’d shut right down. We wouldn’t even have known where she was from if we didn’t see it on her driver’s license when she first came to California.”

  “Did you ever try to reach her?”

  Denise shook her head. “Didn’t know where to start. We just knew she was from Nebraska. She never even told us her brother’s name.”

  “And you didn’t know who she was dating at the time she disappeared?”

  “Not really. She didn’t seem that interested in hooking up with someone steady. She seemed more intent on having fun. And she loved being an actress. She wasn’t bad, either. Not Shakespeare quality, but she probably would have had a decent enough career, especially with those boobs of hers.”

  “According to Tessa’s ghost, she and this Curtis guy went to Catalina on his boat shortly after Robert Kennedy was assassinated. You sure you don’t remember anyone hanging around Tessa who owned a boat?”

  “Some of the guys had boats. Not sure which belonged to who, but I’m pretty sure Worth owned one of them.”

  “Maybe Worth and Tessa were seeing each other before she disappeared.”

  Denise gave the idea some solid thought. “You know, Worth and Tessa did have something going for a short while, but I’m pretty sure it was over long before this photo was taken.”

  “Denise, would you mind loaning me one of those photos? I’d really like the one taken at the club, the one with all of you.”

  In response, Denise unstuck it from the album page and handed it to Emma, who turned it over. On the back was printed in faded blue ink: Tessa’s B’day 1968.

  “Thank you. I’ll return it as soon as I can.”

  Denise flapped her hand gently at Emma. “Oh pish, no hurry. I haven’t looked at these old photos in more than twenty years.”

  Emma stood up and stretched her long legs. Grabbing her jacket, she slipped it on. Denise rose with her. “Thank you for your time, Denise. I really appreciate it.” She held out her hand to Denise Dowd, who took it and shook it with a hearty pump.

  Emma was almost out the door when she paused and turned back. “Are you sure, Denise, that George Whitecastle didn’t have a specific mistress, or maybe one woman he saw more often than any of the others?”

  “Not that I knew of, unless he was very discreet about it. Seemed to me, he bounced from flower to flower too often to have someone on the side in addition to his wife. And he was a very busy man. Where would he find the time and the energy?”

  “And you didn’t know of any of the women in your group, or maybe on the fringes of it, becoming pregnant?”

  “Colleen had a scare once, but, thankfully, that’s all it was.”

  “You have my number. If you remember anything you think might be helpful, please don’t hesitate to call.”

  “And if you find out what happened to Tessa, please let me know. She was a sweet kid. And although I believe what you’re saying about the ghost, I want in my heart to believe that Tessa didn’t die so young.”

  On her way to Milo’s house, Emma called Jackie. “Hey, Jackie. Can you rustle up the phone number for Worth Manning for me?”

  “The ex-senator? I’ll do my best.”

  “I haven’t seen Mr. Manning for several years. You might have to remind him that I’m George Whitecastle’s ex-daughter-in-law. Feel free to say I’m the one looking for the number if you need to.” Emma paused, then added, “Also find me the number for Paul Feldman. He used to be a bigshot producer. I’m not sure if he’s still in the game or not.”

  “You got it. By the way, I was about to e-mail you about those Nowicki numbers. I was almost through the list when I got a hit. Some guy just outside Lincoln said he had a cousin named Theresa. Said her parents died when she was young, and she went to live with her older brother and his wife until she graduated high school and took off for California. No one’s heard from her since. The brother’s name is Jack Nowicki. And get this—according to the cousin, Jack and his wife were these crazy religious zealots who beat on her pretty often. The cousin said Jack lives in Arizona now in a retirement community—probably why he wasn’t on my call list. I found a number for him in Arizona. Do you want me to call him?”

  No wonder, Emma thought, Tessa never talked about her family and home. Still, she wondered why Fran Hyland had said she did.

  “Yes. Simply ask him when was the last time he saw his sister.” Emma paused, thinking of something more for Jackie to say to Jack Nowicki. “Tell him you’re doing background research for a nostalgic piece on the old teen beach movies and would like to find her. It will be interesting to see what he says, given his background.”

  “Will do.”

  “And, Jackie, great work. I have no power to give you a raise, so how about a trip to a day spa?”

  “Woo hoo, the other assistants are going to be jealous.”

  “Don’t tell them.”

  “Are you kidding? Of course I’m going to tell them.”

  As soon as they disconnected the call, Emma thought of something else. She buzzed Jackie back.

  “Oh, and Jackie? One more thing. Could you look up a Tony Keller? Might be Anthony Keller. I think he was an actor in the sixties. Died in 1969 or 1970, around there, possible suicide.”

  When Emma arrived at Milo’s, Tracy Bass opened the door dressed in jeans and a sweater with stars appliquéd across her chest. “Hey, pal,” she greeted Emma.

  “Hey yourself.�
�� Emma shrugged off her jacket before giving her friend a big hug. “What a nice surprise, on many levels,” she added, alluding to the recently disclosed romance between Tracy and Milo.

  Tracy pantomimed an aw shucks. “Milo told me you two were getting together. I had just one early class today so was free to horn in on your meeting. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d love to see what goes on when you two talk ghosts.”

  Emma chuckled and rolled her eyes. “As long as you don’t trot me out for show and tell in one of your classes.”

  “Nah, my sweetie will do that for me.”

  Milo and Emma settled around the old table in the back room, Milo on one end, Emma just to his right. Emma noticed that Milo had restacked the books that had fallen during their last meeting, though the new stack was tilting as badly as the previous one. Milo offered coffee or tea, but Emma declined, citing she was filled to the gills. Shortly after they sat down, Granny appeared.

  “Still no success in getting Tessa to come here?” Emma asked Granny.

  “Not a lick. No new information, either. That gal’s stuck on the same old tune. Curtis is coming for her and she needs to wait.”

  Emma glanced over at Tracy. Her friend was curled up in a large leather chair pulled close to Milo, her hands wrapped around a warm mug of tea. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and her ears fairly hummed in their attempt to pick up any smidgen of ghostly chat. Milo was whispering to her the conversation with Granny.

  “What about the ghost that visited us yesterday, Granny? Any news about her?”

  Milo turned to Emma in surprise. “Was it the same one who came here?”

  “I think so. She—Granny thinks it’s a woman—dropped by my home right after you and I talked yesterday. Didn’t say anything, just spun around the room like a whirling dervish. But this time she came face to face with me, literally. I couldn’t make out any image and she didn’t say anything, but we were definitely nose to nose.”

  In her chair, Tracy shivered with excitement.

  Emma continued. “I couldn’t tell if she was upset or trying to tell us something.”

  “Humph,” said Granny. “I told her to go away and come back when she could act civilized.”

  Milo turned to Granny. “And you have no idea, Granny, who this mystery spirit is?”

  “Nada.”

  Emma frowned at the ghost. “Nada?”

  “It means nothing,” Granny explained to Emma.

  “I know what it means, Granny. Just when did you start saying that?”

  Milo didn’t need to translate to Tracy. She’d picked up the gist of the conversation and was chuckling into her mug.

  “I may be dead, Emma, but I’m not too old or too stupid to learn new things.” The spirit sniffed in annoyance. “I learned it from Alma.”

  Alma Ramirez was the Miller housekeeper. She came three times a week and had been with the family for seven years. So far, they’d been able to keep Granny’s presence from Alma, and the entire family had voted to keep it that way. They didn’t want to lose her.

  “Granny, you know you’re supposed to stay away from Alma.”

  “I’m not bothering her. I just like the way she talks—and sings. She’s always singing along with that contraption she wears in her ears.”

  “Please, Granny. If Alma leaves, my mother will skin us both alive.”

  “I ain’t alive.”

  Laughter erupted from Tracy as Milo filled her in on the bickering. “It’s like this all the time,” Milo whispered to her. “It’s a wonder we get anything done.”

  In frustration, Emma turned away from Granny and started filling everyone in on what she’d learned from Denise Dowd. Pulling the photo she’d gotten from Denise out of her bag, she placed it in the middle of the table and pushed it toward Milo. Tracy moved forward to study it over his shoulder while Emma pointed out the various people.

  Tracy was the first to comment. “Did Tessa look like this in ghost form?”

  Emma nodded. “Pretty much, except she’s wearing a bikini.”

  Milo pointed at Tony Keller’s image. “So you think this Tony Keller might have known something? Is that why you’re having Jackie follow up on him?”

  “I haven’t a clue if he’s involved or not, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to look into his death. My plan is to check out everyone who ran in that tight little group.”

  “Good idea,” said Milo. “You never know what’s going to turn up.”

  “I’m also having Jackie track down the numbers for both Worth Manning and Paul Feldman.”

  “Isn’t Manning a friend of your in-laws?” asked Tracy. “Couldn’t you ask them?”

  “They are both close friends, but I have my reasons for not wanting to go to the Whitecastles.” Emma picked at the wax on the large unlit candle in the middle of the table while ideas circled her head like orbiting planets. “George said he didn’t know Tessa, and asking for these numbers would only raise further suspicion about my purpose, although I’m pretty sure if George and his pals know anything about her disappearance, they’ve synchronized their stories by now.”

  Milo fingered the photo. “But why would George lie to you, considering there’s physical evidence that he did know Tessa? Even if he counted on his wife saying nothing.”

  “Simple,” Emma answered. “He probably thought I’d take him at his word and never thought for a million years I’d be doing research into it, or that it would be important enough to me to pursue.”

  Tracy chuckled. “Poor guy. He underestimated you. Just like his son did.”

  “Could be, or he thought it would be easy enough to explain away should the truth of their acquaintance come out. After all, it was many years ago. He could simply say he didn’t remember at the time I asked him. As for Celeste, she wouldn’t lift a finger to help Tessa, not even in death. And if Celeste thought for a moment that George got rid of Tessa, she’d never help me find out what happened to her. Can’t say I blame her. He’s sick and old—and her husband. And she’d do anything to avoid a scandal.”

  Tracy leaned forward. “But I thought you said Tessa wasn’t George’s mistress.”

  “From what Denise told me, she wasn’t, but I doubt Celeste would believe me.”

  Milo scratched his head and adjusted his glasses. “Wonder why George would tell his wife she was?”

  “Maybe he didn’t,” Emma answered. “Celeste could have assumed she was from what her friends told her, and George didn’t say anything because he wanted to protect the woman who was.”

  “And what about you?” asked Milo.

  “Me, what?”

  “If you find out your former father-in-law is connected to Tessa’s death, are you going to say something to the authorities or let it slide to protect the family?”

  It was a question that had plagued Emma’s mind ever since Milo first said something a few days before about George being involved in a possible murder.

  “Am I legally bound to say anything?”

  Tracy shook her head. “No, I don’t believe you are.”

  Emma pushed the candle away. “Then I guess I’ll cross that bridge if and when I come to it. Might be that Tessa wasn’t murdered. And it might be George wasn’t involved.”

  Tracy gave her a look of skepticism. Milo himself had doubt written all over his face. Only Granny said what was on everyone’s mind.

  “If that child wasn’t murdered, then I’m Barack Obama.”

  Milo turned to Emma, fighting to keep a straight face. “At least Granny keeps up with current events.”

  Emma covered her face with her palms and groaned with frustration. What she really wanted to do was rub her hands up and down over her face, but she knew it would only serve to destroy her makeup. When she removed her hands, Milo, Tracy, and Granny were all staring at her—Tracy with amusement, Milo with concern, and Granny with annoyance.

  “Okay,” Emma said, giving in to the popular theory. “Let’s go with the assumption that Tessa North was murder
ed, or at least gravely injured and left to die on purpose.”

  “What if this Curtis did come back,” Tracy added, “but it was too late?”

  “Phil and I discussed that possibility,” Emma told them. “If Curtis did come back and it was too late to save Tessa, then why was there no body or report of a death in the news? If he returned and she was dead, there’s a very good chance he covered it up.”

  “Or covered her up,” added Granny.

  “Very true,” said Emma. “We’re pretty sure whatever happened to Tessa, her body was never recovered. This Curtis would know where he left her and why. We just have to find him.”

  Tracy raised her hand like a dutiful student. “I have a question. Say you do locate Curtis. What do you intend to do? Have you thought that far ahead?”

  It was the same question Phil Bowers had asked her the night before when he’d called to say good night and see if she’d learned anything new. He’d advised her not to be like a dog that chases cars, only to have no plan once he catches one.

  “Somehow, we need to get him to Tessa. If she sees him, she might feel assured and cross over, as she should. That’s really my goal, to help Tessa cross over.” Emma paused to think, then added, “And if she was murdered, I want to bring her justice. She deserves it.”

  Tracy still wasn’t satisfied. “And if you do find him and he is involved in her murder or cover-up, how do you propose to get him to come along with you to Catalina?”

  Granny bounced around the room in excitement. “We can hog-tie him and smuggle him aboard a boat.”

  Emma looked at the ghost in astonishment. “I am not going to kidnap anyone, Granny.”

  “I’m not exactly in favor of Granny’s plan,” Milo commented, “but how else are you going to convince Curtis to go over to Catalina and face the ghost of Tessa North?”

  Everyone was quiet while silent ideas bounced around the room like a runaway pinball. There were so many variables still up in the air—a plethora of what-ifs.

  “How about this,” Emma said, breaking the silence. “If we do locate him, we can say he won a trip to Catalina. Make it two nights at a nice hotel with transportation. Who can resist that?”