by Rose Pressey
“Yes, please,” Caleb said.
Aunt Patty walked away, leaving Caleb and me to discuss the ghosts again. I’d rather talk about something else. If only I could block out the chatter from the ghosts. Caleb couldn’t hear any of it, so as far as he was concerned, this was a perfectly quiet and charming dinner. But he probably noticed the strain on my face.
“Are they still arguing?” he asked.
“Well, currently they’re just standing there, glaring at me. So I suppose I’ll have to ignore them for the time being.”
“Maybe we should’ve gone to the psychic first,” he said.
“It’s okay. I’m sure they’ll behave, right?”
A few minutes later, Aunt Patty came back over with the food.
After setting the plates down, she said, “Are they still here?”
I gestured with a tilt of my head. “Right over there. They’re being good right now, though. Fingers crossed that continues.”
“Well, that’s good to know. I’ll say a prayer that everything works out,” she said, smiling at the location I’d pointed out. “Enjoy the food. I’ll talk to you before you leave.”
She winked at Caleb again. Surprisingly, the ghosts allowed us to enjoy our food. They were checking out the rest of the restaurant, going around from table to table. People sometimes acted as if they sensed something, but no one had a clue that there were ghosts walking around. It was kind of fun to watch them, actually. When we finished, Caleb and I moved up to the counter to pay for the food.
“Where are you two headed now?” Aunt Patty asked.
“We’re going to a psychic,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “I suppose that’s normal for you. Back in my day, we used to just go see a movie on a date.”
This was another date? I supposed it appeared that way, but I was never sure with Caleb.
“Well, we’re trying to get the ghosts to move along. Hence the reason for the visit to the psychic.” I lowered my voice so that they wouldn’t hear.
I didn’t want the ghosts to know that was why we were headed to the psychic. If they knew that, they might not want to go inside. I wanted this to go as smoothly as possible. We said good-bye to Aunt Patty and headed outside.
When we reached the truck, we saw that the ghosts had already jumped on the back. They had no idea what I had planned. Caleb pulled the truck out of the parking lot and headed out for the psychic’s place, though I hadn’t told him where to go.
“How do you know where her place is?” I asked.
“I know where just about everything is in town,” he said.
“Yeah, I suppose you would.”
I thought maybe he secretly had been to the psychic’s place before. After all, he had agreed with the idea of going rather quickly. Maybe he was more open to this kind of thing than he wanted to admit. Soon we had arrived in the parking lot for Madame Gerard’s place. Her driveway had been expanded, and the pavement went around to the back of the house. He pulled the truck up and shut off the engine.
“Well, I hope this leads to a successful outcome,” Caleb said.
“You and me both,” I said as I unbuckled my seat belt.
The ghosts hopped out of the back as Caleb and I got out of the truck.
“Where are we now?” the grandfather asked.
“This is a psychic, and she’s going to be able to talk to you as well,” I said.
“I don’t need to talk to anyone,” he said in a rough voice. “I just need for my granddaughter to come to her senses.”
“Perhaps that will happen if you talk to the psychic,” I said in frustration.
“Doubtful,” Ama said in a sassy tone.
As we walked toward the path, I said, “I have to warn you all that Madame Gerard is a bit peculiar.”
“Oh, yeah, what does she do that’s peculiar?” Caleb asked.
“Well, she has a lot of locks on the door. I’m not sure what that’s all about. Plus, she seems a bit suspicious of everyone who comes around, even though she’s running a business. I’m sure she’ll give you an odd gaze when she sees you.”
“I’m used to people thinking I’m a bit peculiar,” Caleb said.
“I’m serious. She’s an odd duck.”
“I wouldn’t think much of it,” Caleb said. “Duly noted, though.”
“I’m not sure that she’ll be thrilled to see that I’ve shown up at her place again. I got the impression last time that she was tired of seeing me.”
“How many times have you been in the past?” Caleb asked.
“Not that many, just a couple. But I brought the ghost around, and Madame Gerard couldn’t see her, so I think that upset her.”
“So that has everything to do with the psychic and not you,” Caleb said.
“I suppose,” I said. “At least I hope so.”
When we reached the door, I pressed the bell and waited. A couple of seconds went by, but still no sound came from the other side of the door. I peeked over and saw that the OPEN sign was lit up.
“Maybe something’s wrong,” I said.
“She could be sleeping,” Caleb said.
“I don’t know, but I am getting a strange feeling. This makes me nervous.” I pressed the bell again, just in case she hadn’t heard it. “If she’s sleeping, maybe the ringing will wake her this time.”
Still, after a few more seconds, nothing happened.
“Maybe I’ll go around and find a back door. I’ll knock back there,” Caleb said.
“Okay, I’ll stay here.”
I watched as Caleb went around the side of the house. If Madame Gerard spotted him back there and didn’t know who he was, it would really freak her out. But also, if she was in trouble, I wanted to help. Maybe she had fallen and couldn’t get up.
“Is everything all right?” Ama asked.
“I hope so,” I said.
“I can go in and see if I can find her,” Ama said.
“You shouldn’t get involved,” her grandfather said.
Before I had a chance to say yes or no or her grandfather had any other input, she just walked right through the door. He mumbled something under his breath and followed after her. Still there was no sound from the other side of the door. A couple of seconds later, Caleb came back around the side of the house.
“I didn’t get an answer back there. The doors are locked, and nothing seems out of place. Maybe she just forgot to flip the sign off and left with someone.”
“That’s probably the case. At least I hope so, but nevertheless, the ghosts went inside to find her,” I said.
“Well, that’s a handy little trick, isn’t it?” Caleb said.
“I suppose Madame Gerard is used to ghosts coming around anyway, so it shouldn’t surprise her if she sees them,” I said.
A second later, Ama popped out from the door, along with her grandfather.
“She’s inside, and she’s tied up with her mouth gagged.” Ama rushed the words out.
“Oh, my gosh. Are you serious? Caleb, Madame Gerard is inside tied up.”
Caleb pulled out his phone and placed a call. Next, he tried the doorknob.
“No signs of forced entry. The perp might still be in the house with her. I’m going to have to break the door down,” he said.
My eyes widened. “You can do that?”
“Well, we’ll see,” he said.
“I told you she has a bunch of locks on the door. I think they’re deadbolts, and breaking those might not be possible.”
Caleb backed away from the door a few steps.
“All right, stand back, Celeste,” he said. “I’m going to kick it in.”
“I wish I could get the locks unfastened. I’d be able to just let you in,” Ama said.
That would be fantastic, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. I just hoped that Caleb didn’t get hurt trying to kick in the door.
“You should stay out of this,” the grandfather said.
Caleb ran and kicked his foot against the door wher
e the knob was located. With a loud crash, the door fell to the ground.
My eyes widened.
“Wow, that was impressive,” Ama said.
I hoped that Madame Gerard wasn’t unhappy that we had knocked her door down. However, we were there to save her. There was no time to be upset about a broken door.
“Stay here, Celeste,” Caleb yelled as he ran into the house.
Caleb pulled his gun from his side. Things were getting serious now. I was conflicted about whether I should stay put or not. He had asked me to, but I didn’t want him to be in danger while he was in there. What if he needed help?
“Don’t worry, Celeste,” Ama said. “I don’t think anyone else was in the house.”
“Oh, good, that means that I can go inside,” I said.
“Wait. He told you to stay here,” the grandfather said. “Another one who doesn’t listen.”
I stepped over to the open doorway and peeked inside.
“She’s at the back of the house in the kitchen,” Ama said.
“Don’t encourage her,” her grandfather said.
Apprehension took over as I eased into the house. A noise came from the back of the house. Therefore, I had to let go of my fear. Don’t worry, Caleb, I’m here to help. I hurried the rest of the way into the house. Some of the chairs were knocked over that had been sitting around the table in the living room. Apparently, there had been a struggle.
When I reached the back area, I peeked into the kitchen. Caleb was untying Madame Gerard. Ropes had been wound around her wrists and her ankles. Her mouth had been gagged with a white kitchen towel. Who would do such a thing?
“Madame Gerard, are you all right?” I asked, even though I knew she couldn’t answer.
“I told you to stay outside, Celeste. It’s dangerous,” Caleb said.
“That’s exactly why I came in to help,” I said. “Ama said that no one else was in the house, so I figured it would be okay.”
“Well, you can’t take a ghost’s word for it,” Caleb said.
“You should take my word for it,” Ama said with a scowl.
“My granddaughter wouldn’t lie,” her grandfather said in a growly tone.
Caleb removed the tape covering Madame Gerard’s mouth.
“Ouch,” Madame Gerard yelled. “Watch what you’re doing.”
“Who did this to you?” Caleb asked as he proceeded to untie her ankles. “And what exactly happened?”
“I don’t know who he was. All I know is he was tall with brown hair. The man just came in here and attacked me.”
“Are you physically harmed? Does anything hurt?” Caleb asked.
“I’m all right. He just brought me back here and tied me up. I suppose he was hunting for money. I heard him out there digging around through my stuff. But luckily, I don’t keep my money here. There’s not much anyway, and I go to the bank often. I know that there are thieves out there, and I’m not gonna let them get to me.”
I was just glad that we’d come along when we did. There was no telling how long Madame Gerard would’ve had to stay in here, tied up, before someone discovered her.
“I had a feeling something was going to happen because this ghost kept coming around, trying to warn me. But I didn’t listen. I just kept on doing the same thing I always do, and the next thing I know this person is coming to the door. Why do you think I have so many locks? I don’t trust people, and for some reason this guy convinced me that he wanted a reading, and I let him in.”
“Well, if the man seemed nice, it’s understandable how that would happen,” I said. “You didn’t know he had bad intentions.”
“It’s hard to know for sure who is bad. I’m psychic, but not perfect. I can’t be expected to sense everything.”
“No, of course not,” I said.
“Like I said, the ghost was trying to warn me, and next time, I will listen.”
“See, this is why you should listen to me,” Ama said. “When I give you warnings, you should listen. We ghosts know what we’re talking about.”
Caleb helped Madame Gerard to her feet.
“What’s going on here?” a male voice asked.
When Caleb and I spun around, we spotted Pierce standing in the doorway.
“We found Madame Gerard tied up. Someone broke into her place and attacked her,” I said.
Pierce stepped into the kitchen. “Have you checked the rest of the house?”
“It’s all clear,” Caleb said.
Pierce motioned for other officers to come inside. “See if you can find anything.”
The officers rushed inside, fanning out across the house.
“Is this really necessary?” Madame Gerard asked.
“We want to make sure you’re safe, ma’am,” Pierce said. “We’ll dust for fingerprints and any other evidence we can find. Can you describe everything that happened?”
“I have to tell this all over again?” she asked.
When Pierce nodded, she began her story all over again. I listened closely, hoping that she would remember something new this time, but so far, it was exactly the same story. Caleb stood beside me. This didn’t go unnoticed by Pierce. Caleb’s fidgeting let me know that he felt out of place and unsure of what he should be doing. He was used to taking over the situation, but now he had to let Pierce handle it.
“It seems like this is just a random burglary,” Pierce said.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Caleb said. “She could’ve been followed or otherwise been a target. We’ve had some break-ins around here lately.”
“That’s why I said it’s probably just a person finding another random target,” Pierce said.
Caleb said nothing more, but he still seemed as if he was suspicious of Pierce’s answer. I wasn’t sure what to think.
“Rest assured, if there’s any evidence here, we’ll find it. With any luck, we’ll get fingerprints and catch the person right away. Everything will be just fine, Madame Gerard,” Pierce said.
Based on the frown on her face, I sensed she didn’t believe a word Pierce said.
When Pierce stepped away to talk to some of the officers, Caleb went after him. Would they argue? Maybe I should talk to them. Caleb didn’t want to be left behind on whatever was happening with the investigation. I walked over to Madame Gerard when the paramedics were finished checking her out.
“Are you sure you’re all right now?” I asked.
She waved off my concern. “I will be fine. Don’t you worry about me.”
Madame Gerard was one tough cookie, and I knew she would be all right physically, but I worried this might have an effect on her mental state. Being attacked was terrifying.
“Don’t let them tell you that this isn’t connected to that murder,” she said with a wave of her slender finger.
My eyes widened. “What you mean? How do you know?”
“It’s just a sense, I guess. There’s a little voice in the back of my head telling me. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling it’ll come to me. Just be safe.”
I appreciated the warning, but I hoped that Madame Gerard would follow the same advice.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right? If you think this is connected to the murder, you should tell the police.”
“Do you think they’ll listen to me? He already thinks it’s a random burglary.”
“I can talk to him,” I said.
“Like I said, just be careful,” Madame Gerard said.
“I promise I will be careful,” I said.
“By the way, why were you here?” she asked.
“We came to talk about going out by the river, like you told me. I only found a piece of trash.”
“Whatever you found . . . it’s significant. I don’t care how minuscule you think it is. You must take it seriously.”
“I’ll take it seriously,” I said.
I supposed she could be right about the trash. After all, I had found that Danny drank that same type of soda. So maybe she was right. Pie
rce and Caleb came back inside the kitchen from the back door. I felt bad leaving Madame Gerard after what had happened, but I couldn’t stay forever. She assured me that she would be fine. The police said they would check in on her. After the police wrapped everything up, we said good-bye to Madame Gerard and got into Caleb’s truck to head back came to the fair.
“What do you really think happened back there?” I asked when Caleb took off down the street.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Do you believe it’s a random attack? Because you said otherwise to Pierce.”
“I believe it may be that the person had been watching her and knew that she was alone,” he said. “Why? Do you think it’s someone else?”
“Yes, I do now,” I said.
“Like who?” he asked.
“I think that this has to do with the murder at the craft fair.”
He flashed a confused expression. “What makes you think that?”
“Because Madame Gerard told me.”
“Really? What did she say? Why would she say that?” Caleb stopped at the red light.
I shrugged. “It was just a feeling she had.”
“Well, as detectives, we have to go by more than feelings.”
“Maybe. But you do have feelings about things, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” he said.
CHAPTER 19
Secure your displays. A chaotic wind could blow through at any time and spoil all the fun.
Up ahead, I noticed a car pulled over on the side of the road. As we grew closer, I recognized the vehicle and the two men standing outside trying to push the thing. Oh no. Now Caleb eased off the gas pedal and merged onto the side of the road. I knew he would stop. Normally, I would have thought this was a good thing, but considering that I knew the two men trying to push the car, I wasn’t sure we should stop. Okay, since they were my brothers, I had to help, but I knew this would end in some sort of catastrophe.
“I’ll see if they need some help,” Caleb said, shoving the gearshift into PARK.
Obviously, Caleb hadn’t recognized my brothers yet.
“You know who that is, right?” I asked.
Caleb shut off the truck. “No, who are they?”
“When you get closer, you’re going to recognize them,” I said.
