by K. M. Waller
“He asked if he could give me his acting resume. Then I used the desire spell on him.”
“Ris!” She sucked in a breath at the jolt of pain raising her voice sent through the front of her head.
Ris chuckled. “Turns out the only two things that man desires is fame and that rude chick, Ramona.”
Tim coveted all the things Samuel had. “But no mention of the ghost?”
“Nope. And after seeing all the people in the house, the only two who could have any knowledge of ghosts would be Samuel and his assistant Dee.” A cloud covered the sun and created a darkened room. Ris turned on the light. “What am I looking for?”
“Look for spectral hauntings in the index.” Amira closed her eyes against the bright fluorescents. The urge to rest tugged at her. Samuel had been a target and he didn’t fit as a suspect. If Dee controlled the ghost, then Amira would place her as the best actress she’d ever seen. No one fit. Except for Cookie. She had known Mellie and she believed in ghosts.
Ris tapped her arm. “Don’t fall asleep. I need you to tell me what to look for.”
A soft tap came from the bedroom door. Ris unlocked it and let Lex inside.
He sat on the side of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. “How’s the head?”
“It feels like someone hit me with a lamp,” she answered. “What’s going on with the ghost?”
“Samuel has decided to take back up ghost hunting, and I think he may have the right idea. We need to ramp up finding Mellie and sending her back to the other side.”
Amira shook her head and groaned at the effort. “No. She asked me for help.”
“Then she played Louisville Slugger with your head,” Ris said.
She glanced at Lex and then Ris, addressing them both. “What’s stopping the person controlling her from bringing her back and doing it all over again?”
Lex’s face tightened. “We don’t know that she’s being controlled. From what I’ve witnessed, she’s just stirring up trouble.”
“Either way, she needs peace before she’s banished.”
Lex cracked a couple of his knuckles. “It’s not a banishment.”
Ris snorted. “Jordie is right. You two really do bicker like an old married couple.”
Amira cut her eyes to her sister. “Keep researching.” She glanced up at Lex and the lines around his eyes softened. He pulled one of her hands in his and squeezed their fingers together.
Ris popped her gum. “Can’t I use a spell to bring her forward?”
Lex shook his head and held out his other hand. “Only the person with the object can bring her forward.”
She handed him the manual, and he flipped through a few of the pages.
Ris stretched out on the floor. “But does the person who ‘maybe’ controls the object know that?”
“What do you mean?” Amira asked her sister.
“What if we trick the person into thinking that we have a way to make Mellie appear?”
Lex closed the manual. “How are we going to do that?”
Ris snapped her fingers. “I know a great guilt spell. The desire one worked really well on Tim, and the guilt spell is very close in nature. We set it up for every single one of the suspects and then have them spill their guts one by one. It’ll be a Scooby Doo-type trap. We can have everyone sit at the table while we do a séance. Since I’m a ‘medium in training’ no one would question me calling the ghost forward to talk to us. The person with the object won’t be able to resist outing themselves.”
Amira closed her eyes while she waited for Lex to give in. She knew he would. He was in a hurry to get the assignment over. Why did it always come back to magic in the end?
She felt him adjust his position on the bed. “That stills leaves us open to revealing a real ghost in front of a bunch of regular humans if something goes wrong. The assignment dictates we keep the ghost off screen. She’s not supposed to exist.”
Ris groaned and rolled to her side. “This is complicated. But I’ll work with Jordie on how to trick the ghost puppeteer and keep it looking like the entire weekend was a hoax.”
“Whatever we decide to do,” Lex said to Amira, “you’re sidelined for the rest of the assignment.”
“No. By the time we get set up this evening, I’ll be recovered enough to join in. Ris will need my magic as a backup in case something goes wrong.”
Lex glanced at Ris. “Can you talk some sense into your sister?”
Ris snickered. “Sorry. Walker women don’t like being told what to do.”
Amira pressed her lips together.
“I need a moment alone with Amira,” Lex told her sister.
Ris stood up and her dry chuckle preceded her to the door. “It doesn’t matter what you say, you aren’t changing her mind.”
She popped her gum one final time and walked out.
Lex pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “There are too many people here to keep tabs on everyone’s movements. I need to know you’re safe.”
“We’re partners. And I know you want to control every aspect of the assignment and keep me safe, but you’ve got to let me make decisions for myself or this is never going to work. Getting hurt might be part of the job. If you smother me, I’m just going to resist you harder and our working together is what will solve the assignments. We have to find a better balance.”
His eyes clouded with unease. “You think I’ve been smothering you?”
She smiled to soften her words. “Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll back off.” He let go of her hand. “But it’s not going to be easy.”
“I know, and I’ll work on being more patient with you.”
He nodded and leaned down to press a kiss on her cheek. “Then let’s get back to business. Looks like we’re using magic again to solve an assignment.”
Amira felt her smile slip into a grimace. “I think I’m learning the hard way that we can’t avoid it.”
“Everyone except Ramona saw you with the photograph. Samuel is clueless as usual. That leaves Tim, Dee, and Cookie. Who do you think is the next most likely suspect? I might be able to work them for answers before we have to go through with a séance.”
“I can tell that Cookie knows more than she’s telling. I like her but in my mind she’s the most likely suspect.”
“What’s her motive?”
“That’s the one thing I don’t have worked out. If our theory is right, the person had Mellie push Samuel’s mom down the stairs, then Samuel, and finally had her attack me.”
Amira paused to take a breath and sat up. Lex looked like he wanted to make her scoot back down, but he kept his lips pressed together.
She continued, “Something Cookie said bothered me. She said his mom decorated with old ghosts to punish Samuel for chasing ghosts. I think she’s the only one who’s made a connection that the ghost is from his past.”
“I need to keep Jordie on Tim and Samuel. I’ll have Ris come back to sit with you until you’re ready to come downstairs. I don’t want you vulnerable while I question Cookie.”
“If Mellie had wanted to kill me, she could have picked up the lamp and finished the job before you got here. I have a feeling whoever sent Mellie in here wants to ramp up the attention.”
“But Samuel wasn’t asking questions about Mellie. Why was he a target? The ghost’s moves are erratic and they don’t make sense.”
The throbbing increased, and she pinched her nose. “How are you going to keep Samuel busy until tonight?”
“Jordie may have to put in overtime to send them on a wild ghost chase until we get set up. They still think he’s the deep pockets, so they’ll let him have some say in their search for the ghost.” He stood by the bed. “What does Ris need for the guilt spell?”
“Other than her charming personality, I think she already has everything. She practically spelled Tim with a flick of her tatted wrist.”
Lex’s grimace made her chuckle, but she sobered at the small bur
sts of pain it caused. “I need you to promise that justice for Mellie will be a priority tonight.”
“I promise I’ll do my best.”
She reached for his hand and they entwined their fingers. “The new LSP motto.”
“No, the new LSP motto is ‘don’t let Sparsh find out.’”
Chapter Eleven
Lex made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Dinner was past due, and he imagined Cookie didn’t appreciate all the inconvenience. He found her sitting at the counter, her dinner in front of her. She gave him a nod when he entered.
“It is serve yourself night. I may be the cook, but I am not a beck and call servant.” Her tone sounded more defeated than the usual harshness she projected.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“You don’t want to be a part of the big goings-ons with the prizrak hunting?”
“I don’t really believe in all that stuff. I just want an awesome television show with a nice revenue stream. Although I’m not really sure Samuel Chase is the right host for this show.”
Cookie perked up. She glanced around and lowered her voice. “My Tim is a much better actor than Samuel. He studied in L.A., you know. He deserves to be on the television.”
“I saw his impressive resume.” Lex moved to the stove to dip some chowder into a bowl. Cookie was fond of her nephew and less fond of Samuel. Why did she work so closely with the family? He’d assumed she held some loyalty to Mrs. Chase.
Jordie had run background checks on all the occupants of the B&B. Tim had run into some financial troubles but had no criminal record. Nothing to indicate a violent history that would link him to Mellie’s disappearance.
Cookie returned her focus to her food.
Lex kept the conversation focused on Tim. “Did he do any child acting?”
“If only I had known of his true talents when he was young. But he was a sullen, angry boy when he came to live with me.”
“He seems to have outgrown it.”
She jabbed her index finger into the counter. “I worked hard to get him out of this town. When he came back, my heart sank. He deserves better than the stables and working with horses.”
Lex sipped the corn chowder. “Were you good friends with Mrs. Chase?”
Cookie pinched her lips. “We were for a time, until she made some promises she didn’t plan to keep.”
He nodded and stirred his soup, hoping his disinterest would further the conversation. What could Mrs. Chase have promised that would cause a rift in their friendship?
Dee walked in, her shoulders slumped. “I can’t dissuade Samuel from chasing this so-called ghost around the big house. I’m done trying for the night.”
She dipped a bowl of soup and sat down beside Cookie.
He pointed his spoon at Dee. “Why don’t you believe in ghosts?”
“I started out as a research assistant for the Ghost Getters show. I studied everything there is to know in the ghost world, and there is one universal truth—ghosts do not exist.”
Cookie harrumphed and took her bowl to the large dishwasher.
He nodded toward Cookie. “She seems to think that the ghost is the reason for all the mischief in the B&B.”
“Cookie is superstitious, but that’s part of her charm.”
Cookie rolled her eyes and walked toward the door of the kitchen. She called back, “Do your own dishes.”
Lex chuckled. “She’s not the warmest log in the fire.”
A smile returned to Dee’s face. “That’s true but she’d do anything for Tim, that’s for sure.” She glanced down at the table. “How’s Amira?”
Amira’s look of determination popped in his head. It would take two broken legs to keep her from coming down the stairs for the séance. “The bump on her head is going to be less goose egg and more eggplant by tomorrow, but she’s a trooper.”
Dee focused her gaze on him, her dark eyes serious. “I think she likes you as more than her boss.”
Lex quirked an eyebrow. Her statement said a lot more about how she felt than about her observations on Amira. “Do you think assistants and their bosses should risk getting involved romantically?”
Her face pinched. “I don’t think bosses should date hateful women who smoke.”
He sat back in his chair. “I don’t think we’re talking about Amira and me anymore.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. That was very unprofessional. I guess I’m tired from all the excitement today.” Dee gathered her half-eaten soup and headed to the sink. She turned around. “I don’t mind taking your bowl for you.”
Lex let her have the bowl. He reluctantly agreed more and more with Amira and Ris’s plan if for nothing else than to prove that no one in the B&B controlled Mellie. Sometimes a vicious ghost was just a vicious ghost. Mellie had found a soft spot in Amira and had exploited it. Cookie might do anything for Tim, but she wouldn’t use a kid—ghost or not—to do it. Tim and Ramona were a little too self-absorbed to concoct such a plan. Dee only wanted Samuel’s happiness. He didn’t need a desire spell to know what each person in the house wanted. These people needed an advanced class in repressed emotions and communication.
Glancing around the kitchen, he let out a groan. With a few hours before Ris would convince everyone to sit in on a séance, he would spend the time looking for the object. Only about a hundred or so objects for him to touch. He closed his eyes for the briefest second that luck would be on his side. He systematically touched everything that could have possibly belonged to a seventeen-year-old girl. The amulet stayed cold throughout his search.
On to the séance if nothing else than to prove the ghost controlled her own actions.
∞∞∞
Amira spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. Lex and Ris refused to let her help set up for the séance or assist with the guilt spell. After the sun went down, she got up and changed into a flowery dress. A chill snaked through the air so she added her jean jacket. The mirror above the dresser didn’t do her any favors and showed her a dark bump on her head and circles under her eyes. The pain would be worth it if they could help Mellie get peace and move on to the other side.
Lex tapped on the door before entering. “Jordie and Ris have convinced everyone to meet in the main dining area for the séance.”
She met him at the door. “How did they get everyone to agree to it?”
“The only one she’d had to get on board was Ramona.”
Lex looped her arm through his and they made their way downstairs. Ris stood at the head of the table and Amira had to hold back a laugh at her appearance. Her sister was dressed in a mauve gown that reached the floor. The sleeves were long and had a touch of medieval flair around the wrists. The dress probably came from the thrift store in Britton.
Jordie dimmed the lights and Ramona assisted by lighting candles set in front of every chair. Ris tapped a spoon against a crystal glass filled with water. “It’s time. Please sit in front of a candle.”
Samuel sulked in a chair in the back corner. “Séances don’t work. I’d prefer to hunt the ghost with my equipment.”
Tim sat in the chair directly beside Ris opposite from Lex. Anything to put himself close to the spotlight. Cookie sat beside him, her hands twisting in front of her. Dee sat beside Lex, while Ramona and Amira took up the next two chairs beside them.
Amira picked at the edge of the tablecloth. This would only work if the person who controlled the object could be pressured into revealing themselves.
Ris sat down and lit the final candle in front of her chair. She opened a bag and removed a bundle of sage. “I need something of our spirit.”
The occupants glanced around the room at each other. Amira didn’t think such an obvious ask would oust their villain, but she gave her sister kudos for trying. When the room stayed silent, she pulled the picture from her purse.
“Will a picture of her do?”
Ris nodded as Amira knew she would. The séance was as fake as the reality television show, but eve
ry move they made had to be as if they expected Mellie the ghost to appear and answer their questions. They needed the person to get very nervous and blab once Ris started the guilt spell.
Lex had his doubts about a person controlling Mellie, but Amira believed with all of her heart that someone forced the ghost to cause trouble.
After Ris lit the end of the sage, she waved it over her head and thanked the cosmos in advance for providing the answers they needed. She stood and walked around the room, waving and thanking until she’d made a full circle. The burning sage smelled like cedar and the smoke tickled Amira’s nose.
Ris sat back down at the head of the table and closed her eyes. She placed one hand on top of the framed picture. “Spirit, are you with us?”
The scene played out like every séance Amira had ever seen on television. The flames from the candles danced, creating shadow puppets on the walls.
Ris swayed her head from side to side. “I can’t get a good reading. We need to gather our cosmic energy together and hold hands.”
A long, drawn out sigh erupted from Samuel.
Ris pinned him with a stare. “Mr. Chase, your mother wants to pass on a message.”
He perked up, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. “Yes?”
“She said get your butt to the table and participate, her ‘little Sammie boy’.”
He narrowed his eyes, but moved to the table as directed.
Ris rolled her head back and forth and mumbled something unintelligible. Amira rolled her eyes. She’d told her to keep the theatrics to a minimum. The mumbled words were obviously the guilt spell.
If it worked, the killer would make a mistake. She watched each person closely. Cookie closed her eyes and seemed genuinely focused on bringing forth a spirit. Dee couldn’t pull her gaze away from Samuel. Tim watched Ramona. Both Samuel and Ramona looked put out, but since they’d arrived neither had been truly excited by anything. Well, other than Ramona perking up at the mention of money. Jordie and Lex were also watching all the table’s occupants.
Nobody showed a single sign of guilt.
