by Rose Pressey
“There’s a ghost in your back seat.” I gestured with a tilt of my head.
She swerved, and the car in the lane next to us honked. Perhaps I should have told her a different way. Or waited until we were parked.
“Oh, my gosh, Celeste. What’s going on? Are we in danger? Do I need to pull the car over?”
“No need to pull over. I know who the ghost is,” I said.
“Who?” Sammie asked breathlessly.
“I met her at the river when I was painting. Her name is Ama. She used to live on the land where the church is now.”
“Interesting.” Sammie peeked into the rearview mirror, hoping to see Ama. “Is she nice?”
“She’s super nice,” I said.
“Thank you, Celeste,” Ama said as she leaned forward in the seat.
“She doesn’t know why she’s here, though.” Shifting in the seat slightly, I kept my eye on Ama.
“Maybe Madame Gerard can answer that question for you,” Sammie said.
“I doubt it. I was here the other day, and she didn’t even see Ama,” I said. “Which is weird because I thought Madame Gerard was able to see when a ghost is around.”
“You already came to see Madame Gerard?” Sammie’s voice rose. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
I nervously tapped my fingers against the seat. “It was a spur of the moment thing. I guess I didn’t think anything of it.”
“What did she say?”
I hesitated before answering. “She just said that I was in danger.”
“What? See. I knew you were messing with things you shouldn’t mess with. I think you should quit that craft fair right away.”
“I can’t just quit. Plus, I think we’ll figure out who did this soon,” I said.
“If Madame Gerard didn’t give you any helpful information, why are we going back again?” Sammie asked.
“It’s just a feeling I have, I suppose. Something tells me she might have information for me this time.”
“It’s kind of like you’re psychic too.” Excitement filled Ama’s voice.
Soon we arrived at Madame Gerard’s place. There was only one tiny light on in the cottage-style house, though the neon OPEN sign was still lit up against the dark night. We all hurried out of the car and raced up the path toward her front door.
“We still have five minutes to spare,” I said, checking the time on my phone.
“I hope she answers the door,” Sammie said. “I think she’ll be unhappy with you that you waited until right before she stops for the night.”
“I feel bad about that, but this is urgent,” I said.
Once in front of the door, I rang the bell. My heart beat faster as I wondered how Madame Gerard would react to seeing us on her front porch. Several seconds passed with no sound.
“Do you think she’s already asleep?” I asked.
“She could be,” Sammie said.
It felt as if someone was watching us. I saw an eye peeking out from the window. The rest of the face was covered by the lace curtains. Another few seconds went by, and the sound of locks rattling came from the other side of the door. The door opened just a bit. She didn’t speak.
“Madame Gerard, I know it’s late, but I was wondering if I could talk with you,” I said.
My anxiety spiked as I thought she would tell me to go away and close the door in my face.
After a couple more seconds, she opened the door wider and said, “Come in.”
Sammie grimaced. “I hope she doesn’t yell at us.”
We filed into the house and moved to the living room with the large round table. Without being instructed, we took seats around the table. Madame Gerard went to the candles and lit them. Smoke still came from some of them as if she’d only blown out the flame seconds earlier. She joined us at the table, taking a seat across from us. The crystal ball was still placed in the middle of the table. Van was on the seat beside me.
Madame Gerard eyed Sammie and me. She still hadn’t noticed Ama.
“What is the reason for your visit tonight?” Madame Gerard asked. Before I had a chance to answer, she held her hand up. “Wait. I sense something.”
She closed her eyes and placed her hands on the crystal ball. Sammie lifted an eyebrow, and I shrugged. I had no idea what Madame Gerard was sensing. She rubbed the ball, and after a few more seconds, she opened her eyes.
“You are in danger, but you have to go back to the river.”
My eyes widened. “If I’m in danger, why would I want to go back to where I found the body? I assume you mean I’m in danger because of the killer who is still out there on the loose.”
“There’s something that you missed, and you have to go back to retrieve it,” she said.
I didn’t like the sound of this.
“If it’s dangerous, why should I go back and put myself in danger?” I asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Because it’s important that you find this item.”
“But can you tell me what it is?” I asked.
“No, I don’t know what it is,” she said.
“So I have to go to this dangerous place and comb around for something, but I have no idea what it is.”
“Maybe I can help you.” Ama leaned forward, trying to gaze into the crystal ball.
“You asked for my help, and I’m telling you what I see,” Madame Gerard said with frustration in her voice.
Sammie touched my hand to let me know that I should just agree to this and leave.
“All right, I’ll hunt for it,” I said.
I didn’t understand why Madame Gerard wanted me to go to the river and explore, but I just agreed instead of arguing.
“Do you have any other clues for me? Like where exactly I might find the item?” I asked.
She peered into the crystal ball again. I waited on pins and needles, hoping that she would have some clues for me other than the vague-sounding things she had said.
Madame Gerard opened her eyes again. “No, I have nothing.”
Well, that was anticlimactic.
“I suppose we’ll leave you alone now. I’m sorry I came so late,” I said.
“Wait just a minute,” she said, holding up her hand.
“Yes?” I said, sitting back down.
Maybe she’d figured out something else to tell me that was worthwhile.
Madame Gerard focused directly on Ama. “Why didn’t you tell me about her sooner?”
She had seen her. “I wondered when you would notice she was here. She was here last time as well.”
Madame Gerard scowled. “You should’ve told me sooner.”
“I figured there was no reason if you didn’t see her,” I said.
Madame Gerard seemed upset that she had missed the ghost until now. Maybe she felt that was putting her expertise in doubt. I couldn’t help it if the ghost was hiding from her.
“I found her at the river,” I said.
Okay, that sounded as if I was talking about an object that I’d discovered.
“What I mean to say is that she found me. I think I painted her spirit here from another dimension.”
“This is very odd,” Madame Gerard said. “Very odd indeed.”
I released a deep breath and leaned back in the chair. “Yes, it’s strange. I don’t understand it, and I don’t think Ama does either.”
“So there is a connection to that area where you picked up the spirit,” Madame Gerard said.
“Now you should understand why I don’t want go back there.”
“But do you understand why you should go?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not really, but I see what you mean, kinda.”
The gold bracelets on Madame Gerard’s arm jingled when she gestured. “Well, make sure to take the ghost with you. I have enough ghosts coming in and out of here. I don’t need to add another one.”
Sammie and I got up from the table. I motioned for Ama to follow us.
“Thank you again for the information,” I s
aid.
Madame Gerard walked us to the door. “Let me know what you find.”
I hadn’t expected her to say that. I figured she would just be glad to get me out of there and maybe not see me again.
“I’ll let you know.”
She closed the door and locked it.
CHAPTER 15
A good display is appealing for customers. Plus, it might distract them from seeing the ghosts hanging around.
Sammie and I headed toward her car. I carried Van in my arms. Somewhere along the way, I’d lost Ama. She stood on the sidewalk staring at Madame Gerard’s place. It was almost as if she was transfixed by the tiny house. Maybe her curiosity was aimed at Madame Gerard. She’d been awfully quiet while we’d been inside, though Ama seemed kind of quiet all the time.
I rushed back over. “What’s wrong, Ama?”
She didn’t acknowledge me for second. But soon she directed her attention toward me as if she had suddenly snapped out of her trance.
“Oh, I guess I was just checking out the place.”
That seemed kind of odd, but nonetheless, I motioned for her to follow us.
“We have to get back. It’s getting late.”
She got into the car with us, and we pulled away from Madame Gerard’s place. I hated that night had settled around us. And now I had to walk back to the trailer in the dark. Nonetheless, it had to be done. I wouldn’t let Sammie walk me back because she would have to go back to her car in the dark. I didn’t want to put her in that danger.
Maybe I could call Caleb and have him walk with me. Yes, that was what I would do, even though I liked to think that I could walk back on my own. However, in this situation, it was just too dangerous. And I felt Caleb would agree.
Sammie rolled into the church parking lot as close to the craft fair area as she could get.
“Are you going to walk from here?” she asked with hesitation in her voice.
I knew by her tone that she didn’t want me to do that.
I pulled out my phone. “I think I should call Caleb and see if he can meet me here.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said. “I would much rather you do that.”
I sent Caleb a text message and hoped that he was somewhere nearby. I didn’t want to waste any more of Sammie’s time.
“What are you gonna do about what the psychic said?” Sammie asked.
“Well, I guess I have to go to the river and see what she’s talking about.”
“You’re not doing that tonight, are you?”
“No, of course not. I’m not that crazy,” I said.
“Whew,” Sammie said. “Maybe you should have Caleb go with you there too.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I said. “I shouldn’t go alone. Though I don’t know how I’d convince him that we need to walk down there.”
“I think you should do more painting there,” Ama said. “If Caleb goes with you, you might not be able to do that.”
“I suppose he wouldn’t want to hang around while I painted. But I don’t want to take the chance of running into anyone dangerous again. Last time, I bumped into Karla. And we all know how she feels about me. She thinks I stole from her.”
When my phone dinged, I noticed that Caleb had responded to my message.
I’m at my trailer. How are you?
I’m in the church parking lot, and I’m a little scared to walk to my trailer. I wondered if you could walk with me?
I sent the message. He responded right away.
Of course, I can meet you. I’m on my way.
Sammie gazed up at the black sky with sparkling stars. “Well, it is a perfect night for a romantic walk.”
“I hardly think being escorted to my trailer because there’s a killer on the loose is romantic,” I said.
“You have a point,” Sammie said.
Sammie and I sat there discussing lighter topics to take our minds off the heaviness of our recent experiences. We talked about maybe going on a girls’ trip soon. Which seemed like a lot of fun to me. I thought a trip to the beach sounded like a great idea.
“We can enjoy piña coladas while relaxing on the sand,” I said.
“At night, we can go dancing,” Sammie said.
“Oh, that sounds like fun. Can I go too? What’s a piña colada?” Ama asked.
My attention shifted to Sammie. “The ghost wants to come with us on the trip.”
Sammie’s charming, lopsided grin appeared. “Of course, she can come with us.”
“A piña colada is a drink,” I said. “It tastes like coconut and pineapple.”
Sammie laughed at my answer to Ama.
Ama rubbed her stomach. “Sounds delicious.”
Movement caught my attention. Still on edge, I jumped and clutched my chest. Thank goodness, it was Caleb approaching the car.
“Oh, he scared me,” Sammie said.
“Me too,” Ama said.
“Thanks for driving me, Sammie,” I said as I reached for the car’s door handle.
“You’re welcome, Celeste, but just be safe out there. You know I worry about you staying out here with a killer right around the corner,” Sammie said.
“Well, it’ll all be over soon,” I said.
“Don’t say that,” she said with a frown. “It sounds too final.”
“I mean the fair will be over, not that I will be over. At least, I hope not. Call me when you get home,” I said as I got out of the car.
“I will,” she said.
Ama had already gotten out from the back seat and was beside Caleb. She had slipped right through the car door. Caleb waved as he walked up to me. He tossed his hand up at Sammie too as she drove away.
“Were you ladies out for a late dinner?” he asked.
“Yes, something like that,” I said, being a bit vague.
He just quirked an eyebrow but didn’t ask for more details.
“Thanks again for coming to walk with me,” I said.
“You don’t have to thank me for that,” he said. “I was more than happy to walk with you. I wish you’d ask me to do this all the time.”
“Oh, he likes you,” Ama said.
I didn’t bother to relay that message to Caleb. No way.
“So at least things have kind of been quiet around here today,” I said.
“Yes, thank goodness for that. How are sales going?” he asked.
“It could always be better. I think the murder at the craft fair has slowed things down. To be honest, I’m shocked anyone has showed up. Actually, I can’t believe I’m still there. What about you?” I asked.
“It’s been pretty good actually,” he said. “I’m glad too because I want to use the extra cash to fix up some things around the house. I was thinking that curiosity over the murder has brought more people out.”
“That’s a bit disturbing,” I said.
As Caleb and I made pleasant small talk, I sensed that someone was watching us. Should I mention this to Caleb or just ignore it? It was probably my imagination. However, when I caught him peering around, I assumed that he had picked up on it as well.
“It seems as if someone is watching us, doesn’t it?” I asked.
He took me by the hand. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
We stopped and peered around at our surroundings.
“I don’t see anyone, but they could be hiding anywhere.”
Caleb squeezed my hand. “Let’s hurry up and get back to the trailer.”
We rushed across the field until we made it back to the trailer. I was so exhausted that I was ready to just collapse into bed, but Caleb didn’t seem as if he was all that tired.
“Would you like a glass of lemonade?” I asked, trying not to yawn. “We could sit outside and enjoy the breeze.”
“I would like that.”
After I put Van down for a nap, I grabbed a couple of glasses of lemonade for Caleb and me. I headed back out of the trailer with the glasses balanced in my hands. Caleb met me, taking one. We sat in
the lawn chairs in front of the trailer. Lights hung along the outside of the trailer lit up the area with a soft glow. Stars twinkled in the black sky. A warm breeze drifted in from the south.
Caleb and I sat in silence as we sipped on the lemonade. Pierce and I had enjoyed lemonade like this too. I had to admit I’d really enjoyed my time with him as well. How could I have two fabulous guys in my life? Of course, neither one of them had exactly made their intentions known. Sure, I’d had a couple of dates with Caleb, but it wasn’t exactly a boyfriend and girlfriend thing. I suppose that was neither here nor there now. My mind was busy solving a murder. We drank our lemonade in silence.
“So are you going to tell me what you all were really doing tonight?” Caleb asked before taking another drink.
How had he known that Sammie and I weren’t really out to dinner? Was I that transparent? I supposed I wasn’t a good liar.
“What makes you think we weren’t out for dinner?” I asked, taking another drink from my glass.
“You always get this expression on your face when you’re doing something suspicious. You need to work on your poker face,” he said, gesturing toward my face.
I almost spit out my lemonade. “I guess I do need to work on that, right?”
“Just a little bit. So are you going to tell me?” he asked again.
I hated to admit it, but I supposed I had to just tell him the truth. Apparently, he wasn’t going to stop asking.
“Sammie and I went to see a psychic. I was hoping maybe she could help me solve the murder. You know psychics do that all the time.”
Caleb focused on me. I was nervous to hear what he had to say about this.
“You’re right; they do help quite a bit sometimes. What did she say?” he asked.
My eyes widened. “Really? You don’t think I’m ridiculous for doing that?”
“Like I said, they have been known to help. Though I still don’t think that you should be involved in the case.”
“Well, going to a psychic isn’t exactly ‘involved. ’ I was going to relay the information to you.”
“So you really didn’t find out anything?” he asked with disappointment in his voice.
“No, I suppose I didn’t learn anything tonight,” I said.
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that. And I definitely wouldn’t tell him that the psychic had told me to go back to the river. He wouldn’t stand for that at all. But maybe I should just have him go with me. It would be safer that way. Did I have the nerve to ask him that, though?
