by Rose Pressey
“Do you see anything?” Charlotte asked.
“I see one thing.” The sight of the object sent a shiver down my spine. “There’s a gun on the car seat. Right there.” I tapped the window.
“Are the doors unlocked?” Juliana asked.
I grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. “I can’t believe he left it unlocked with the gun right there.”
“He also steals from people, so I don’t think he’s the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
“Good point, Charlotte,” I said.
Since I wasn’t trained with firearms, I decided it was best that I didn’t touch the gun. However, I poked around the rest of the car. As I suspected, I found nothing. “I should call Dylan and let him know about the car and the gun.”
Maybe it was the murder weapon they’d been looking for. That would be enough to arrest Victor and bring justice for Juliana.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a male voice asked.
Charlotte and Juliana screamed with me. Fear raced through me. Victor was quickly approaching us. An angry snarl curled his lips.
“What do we do now?” Charlotte said.
“I have no clue.” I scrambled back, hitting my head on the top edge of the car.
Victor saw me talking to myself, but that was the least of my worries at the moment. The look on his face let me know he was ready to let me have it. Getting away from him seemed impossible. He had me blocked.
“You have to think of something quick,” Charlotte said.
“There’s nothing to think of.” My stomach clenched with one of my intuitions. “It’s pretty obvious what I was doing.”
“Are you stealing from me?” His eyes were ruthless and remote.
“No, of course not.”
“It sure looks like you were. You better explain yourself before I snap you in two.” He made a breaking motion with his hands.
“That doesn’t sound like it would be good, Cookie,” Charlotte said.
“You’re telling me,” I said.
His dark eyebrows drew together in a scowl. “Who are you talking to?”
“I have ghosts standing beside me. You happen to know one of them. It’s Juliana. Remember her? You killed her.” I didn’t take my eyes off him.
His eyes widened. “I didn’t kill anyone.” His gaze shifted to beside me. “Are you crazy? You think you’re talking to ghosts?”
“He makes me so mad. I’d like to show him.” Charlotte pumped her fist.
I wanted to move to my right, hoping that I could make it over to my car, but he was watching every move I made. “I know you killed Juliana.”
His jaw tightened. “You need to keep quiet and stop messing around. You shouldn’t have been in my car. Now I’m going to have to get rid of you.”
“Oh, Cookie, this is bad. I don’t know how you’re going to get out of this situation.” Juliana sounded as if she was almost in tears.
“She’s a goner,” Charlotte said.
“You’re not helping, Charlotte. You’re supposed to be motivating and reassuring.”
“That’s all I’ve got right now.” She gestured toward Victor. “Look at him. He has rage in his eyes.”
I held my head high. “We know you hid money in Juliana’s car. We found it.”
His face turned pale. “You found the money. Where was it?”
I smirked. “I thought you knew it was in her car.”
“Do you have the money?” He grinned with a malevolence that turned my blood to ice water.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Are you crazy? As if I would give it to you. The police have the money and you’ll never get it now.”
“Cookie, don’t antagonize him,” Charlotte said.
Victor moved a few steps closer to us. Another surge of panic coursed through my body. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. Heather stood by my car. I didn’t want him to see her. How had she gotten here? When I scanned the lot, I spotted her car. She must have noticed me there and stopped to see what I was doing.
He took a few more steps. The closer he came, the more evident the look of fury on his face became. The snarl appeared more sinister.
Heather noticed what was going on and inched a bit closer. She was up to something. She took a few more careful steps. Without saying a word, she reached down and took off her shoe. In one fluid motion, she pulled her arm back and tossed the leather clog at Victor’s head. It was a good thing she had always been athletic. The less-than-fashionable shoe made contact with his head. He yelped and fell to the ground.
“Quick! Do something, Cookie,” Charlotte yelled.
As far as I remembered, I’d never moved so quickly. I spun around and grabbed the gun from the car. My hands shook. What would I do with this thing? Of course it was better I had it than Victor.
With my trembling hands, I pointed the Glock at him, realizing it was just like Dylan’s. “Don’t make a move.” At least I had the upper hand now.
Surprisingly, Victor threw his hands in the air. “You won’t shoot.”
“Way to go, Cookie,” Charlotte said.
“You got it, Cookie,” Juliana said.
Heather raced over to us. “Cookie, are you all right?”
My hands still shook as I pointed the gun at Victor. “I’ve had better days. What about you?”
Victor remained silent. He was probably plotting how to get the gun from me.
She blew the hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, I was scared for a minute.”
“Thanks for throwing the shoe. You gave me a chance to get his gun.”
Her gaze darted from me to Victor. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Victor snapped. “Why don’t you put the gun down? It’s not loaded anyway.”
No way would I fall for that trick. The criminal always told the person who had the gun that it wasn’t loaded. I’d seen that in the movies.
“I’ll take my chances,” I said, still aiming the gun at him. “Heather, get my phone out of the car and call the police.”
“Not so fast, ladies,” a male voice said from the dark.
Chapter 34
Charlotte’s Tips for a Fashionable Afterlife
Shoulder pads, leg warmers, fanny packs,
and bike shorts are just as hideous in the afterlife
as they were when you were alive.
When we looked to the right, Hunter was standing not far away. He had a gun pointed at us. The intensity of his stare seared through me and I had to look away.
“Put the gun down, Cookie, or your friend gets it.” His hand didn’t shake like mine.
“Hunter, what are you doing?” Juliana’s voice caught in her throat.
“Victor and I had a meeting,” he said.
“How could you do this? You were involved in this? I love you . . .” The words faded to a whisper.
“Men are scum, Juliana,” Charlotte said.
It was not the time for Charlotte’s world viewpoint. It looked as if I had no choice but to put the gun down. Making no sudden movements, I slowly placed the gun down on the ground.
“Now move away from the car.” Hunter motioned with the gun.
What was he going to do to us?
“Victor get up, man,” Hunter yelled.
“I can’t believe they were in on this together. All along, I trusted him. I . . .” Juliana’s words drifted off as she was lost in betrayal.
I heard the anguish in her voice. “Your girlfriend is here—her ghost. She’s upset. She can’t believe you did this to her.”
Hunter looked at Victor.
Victor shrugged. “She’s crazy.”
Laughter rumbled deep in Hunter’s chest. “So now you see ghosts? I thought that was what your crazy friend did for a living.” He pointed at Heather. “She runs that kooky store in town, right? I didn’t know you were that way too.”
“Nobody makes fun of my friends.” Charlotte stomped over and shoved him.
Of course it did nothing.
He frowned as if he felt the breeze her movements had caused.
“Tell him that I know he dressed up as a bunny rabbit when he was eight years old and everyone made fun of him,” Juliana said.
I repeated what Juliana had said.
Instantly the smile slipped off his face. “How do you know that?”
“I told you her ghost is here. She’s going to get revenge against you. No matter if you kill me, she’ll still get back at you.”
His frown turned to a glower. “I don’t believe you.”
“Suit yourself,” I said.
“That’s enough talking. Get away from the car. You’re coming with us.” Victor reached down, grabbed the gun, and pointed it at me while Hunter aimed at Heather.
Since Heather and I could pretty much do nothing to stop them, I was rethinking that trying-to-solve-this-on-my-own thing. I wanted to use my phone, but had no way to get to it.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
Hunter answered my question, surprising me. “It has to be done. But I told you before I didn’t kill Juliana.”
“Who killed her then? It had to be Victor,” I said.
The smile on Victor’s face was anything but friendly. “I wanted my money. If I had to kill Juliana to get it, so be it.”
“In case you didn’t realize, you can’t get money back from a person after they’re dead.”
“I never knew the money was there,” Juliana said.
“Plus, she didn’t know the money was there,” I conveyed her message.
“I told you he is the dimmest bulb in the chandelier,” Charlotte said.
“So are you here to help Victor get the stolen money back?” I asked Hunter.
“I’m here to help myself. I want nothing to do with Victor.”
“Don’t you want to bring your girlfriend’s murderer to justice?” I tried to remind him to do the right thing.
“Not at my expense.” His words came out with impatience.
“What a snake,” Charlotte said.
“That works out for me now, doesn’t it,” Victor said with that same evil smile.
“Shut up!” Hunter yelled at him.
“How could you do this? Don’t help him,” Juliana yelled.
Hunter’s hand trembled and the gun moved downward. “I would never have hurt Juliana.”
Yet he was ready to hurt us?
Hunter continued. “I didn’t kill Juliana. Victor was looking for the stolen money.”
“I knew you had the cash. I’d better get it back,” Victor warned.
“So you were working together to get it back?” I asked.
“Both of them need to be in jail,” Charlotte said.
Hunter motioned for us. It looked as if I wasn’t getting out of this one. If only I had a chance to call Dylan.
“Ask him where he hid the money when he first took it,” Juliana urged.
“Juliana wants to know what you did with the money after you took it? I know you didn’t put it in the car right away.”
Hunter looked at me for a moment and then he said, “I hid the stolen cash at my grandmother’s home.”
“You should be ashamed that you did that to your grandmother.” Charlotte waved her finger at Hunter.
“Why would you do that? You put your grandmother at risk,” I said.
He ran his hand through his hair. “I was in a hurry. Victor was coming for me. I did the first thing that came to mind.” He motioned with the gun. “Now stop talking and get in my car.”
“I wish he’d stop waving that thing around. Obviously, he doesn’t know how to use the thing,” Charlotte said.
“I didn’t put my grandmother in danger. She can take care of herself,” Hunter said.
“We went to visit her, you know?” I said.
“Yes, I’m aware. You’re lucky you got out of there,” Hunter said. “She was suspicious of both of you. She called me to come, but you left before I got there.”
“What a sneaky grandmother,” Heather said.
“I was suspicious of that woman.” Irritation pinched between Charlotte’s sculpted eyebrows.
That was the first I heard of it. Charlotte was just saying that now?
“Why hide it in the vintage stuff? Didn’t you realize she would give it away?” I asked.
“I remembered a purse that she had with a secret compartment inside. It was a perfect hiding spot for the money.” Hunter opened his car door.
“I told you he doesn’t think things through,” Juliana said. “He was always doing things like that.”
“Before I got back to retrieve the money, my grandmother had given the vintage items to Juliana.”
“I bet that freaked him out,” Charlotte said. “Serves him right.”
“Your actions got Juliana killed,” I said.
“I don’t need you to remind me of that. You need to stop asking questions. This isn’t an interview for the newspaper.” Hunter waved the gun.
Just as we started to get in his car, Victor said, “Hunter drop the gun. You’re not going anywhere until I get the money.”
“What do you mean? I helped you. She was going to call the cops. Now you can get away,” Hunter said.
“I’m getting away, but I’m doing it with the money. I know you still have the cash. I’m not falling for this story that the police have it,” Victor said.
“But they do. I found it,” I said.
“Shut up. I don’t believe any of you. Now drop the gun before I shoot.” He focused his weapon on Hunter.
Hunter slowly placed the gun on the ground and then held up his hands.
“This has more twists than a pretzel,” Charlotte said.
“I told you I hid the money. Juliana had no idea stolen money was hidden in the purse my grandmother had given her.” Hunter’s hands remained high above his head.
“Drop the gun and put your hands up.”
I recognized the voice right away.
“Thank goodness he’s here,” Charlotte said. “I could just kiss him.”
I wasn’t sure how Dylan had found us, but I was just thankful that he had. Victor placed the gun on the ground and then put his hands up.
“Are there any more guns?” Dylan asked as he moved by me.
I pointed. “There’s one beside Hunter.”
Dylan kept his gun focused on Hunter and Victor long enough to retrieve both guns then instructed the men to place their hands behind their heads and lean against Hunter’s car.
Other police officers arrived and escorted Victor and Hunter to the police cruisers and placed them in the back seat.
I was glad Dylan didn’t have to handle those guys alone any longer. Juliana had moved over to the car and was staring at Hunter. She was heartbroken that he had betrayed her love. I wished I could take away the feeling. Charlotte moved over to her and tried to comfort her. Heather and I stayed back so that we could talk to the police. They had a lot of questions for us.
“How did you know where to find me?” I asked Dylan when he walked over.
“I was driving by and just happened to spot your car parked over there. I thought I’d check on you and that was when I saw the scene,” Dylan said.
“Oh, he was checking up on you. Cookie, you could never hide from anyone in that car,” Charlotte said.
This was one time when I was glad about that. “I’m glad you did,” I said to Dylan.
“What brought you over here?” he asked.
I looked down at my shoes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid the question forever. “I saw Victor’s car and I came to check it out.”
Chapter 35
Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Shopping
With vintage clothing,
you can get a great quality piece
at a fraction of the cost of new.
The next day we were at my shop. Well, except Juliana. She had moved on since she knew who’d murdered her. I was glad that she had
been able to find peace, but of course I’d miss her. Charlotte wasn’t going anywhere. She was giving me orders on which dress to put on the mannequin.
It was a bright day and a new start. I’d chosen to wear a late 1940s navy blue dress. The designer was unknown, but the dress was stunning. The pockets, collar, and cuffs were all cream-colored. The fabric had the same cream-colored polka dots. The fitted bodice showed off my curves. At least that was what Charlotte had said. The dress was truly gorgeous. For shoes I’d picked 1950s pumpkin orange patent leather peep-toe stiletto mules. The vamp was a shirred patent leather on one side and a corresponding side wrap to close the top. My handbag was a trendy spotted animal print with tortoiseshell Lucite handles. It added a bit of whimsy to my outfit. I was really into mixing patterns lately.
Charlotte was leaning against the counter. “You know something, Cookie? Why haven’t you just asked the cat if she’s your grandmother?”
“I did, and she didn’t respond.”
“Maybe she wasn’t ready to talk then.”
“I suppose, but I didn’t think she was that fickle.”
“Combine your grandmother with the cat and I think it’s the most fickle thing on the planet.”
She had a point there. “But like I said, Wind Song only talks when she’s ready.”
“You should try it again,” Charlotte said.
Wind Song was pretending to sleep, watching us out of the corner of her eye.
I knew she was really listening. I felt her stare. “I suppose we could try again.”
Wind Song closed her eyes.
“I don’t know how easy it would be to get her to talk today. Besides, I feel ridiculous asking.”
“Any more ridiculous than talking to ghosts and a cat you think is psychic?” Charlotte asked.
“No, I suppose not,” I said. “How will I get her to talk?”
“Lure her over with some of those treats she likes so much.”
I didn’t think it would work, but I had to give it a shot. First, I needed to retrieve the Ouija board from Heather’s place.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, dashing for the door.
I made it over to her place and back in record time. I pulled out the bag and rattled it. Immediately Wind Song looked at me and jumped down from the window sill.
