by Jeulia Hesse
“I’d like for them to stay, if you don’t mind,” she stated, pulling a chair from one of the nearby tables and sitting down facing the Officer.
“I know you spoke to the Deputy already. Thank you for taking the time in doing so,” Agnes replied. A crease appeared between her eyebrows. “How did you know I wanted to speak to you myself?”
At Agnes’s question, Layla became extremely ill at ease and didn’t make eye contact. “You didn’t want to follow up with me?” she asked.
The Officer hesitated. “I do want to speak with you, but these men and I just completed our conversation. How did you know to come over now?” She plowed forward, not waiting for an answer. “I wanted to ask you about this morning. Did anything occur... that was out of the ordinary?” she asked haltingly.
Layla continued to not make eye contact and kept her head downcast. “Shawn & Kevin told me what you pointed out to him....” Agnes started, hesitating. “He told me you saw her first.”
“Well yes, I suppose,” the petite woman answered haltingly.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Layla made direct eye contact with each man and then rested her eyes on Agnes. The pure green brilliance of her eyes took Kevin’s breath away. Her gaze was intense. “You don’t believe them.”
It was a statement, clear and simple. Her words hung between them as Agnes considered her answer. “Frankly, I don’t believe anyone. It’s my nature. I have been exposed to the Ghost Files on TV and other malarky such as that. None of this will go into the police report. However, I am most interested in who buried the body in the wall. If any of this gets us closer to solving that then I’m all ears.” Agnes leaned forward and looked directly into Layla’s eyes. “I guess what I’m saying is, I don’t know what to believe. Someone I have known for a long time told me that something hard to believe occurred this morning. Is this a normal occurrence for you?”
Layla continued her steady gaze, taking her time to answer. “It’s not something I talk about and no one here knows anything about me,” she swallowed hard. “I’d rather they didn’t know about this.”
Agnes considered her words. “Is there anything that would cause harm to the people here? Maybe your new employer?”
Layla immediately shook her head emphatically. “Oh no, nothing at all like that. It’s just... people treat you differently when they know,” she said. “I was hoping for a fresh start.”
“Is this a usual occurrence for you?”
Layla’s gaze turned downward again, and she nodded.
“So, you see... ghosts?”
Layla laughed out loud at that. “I see people clearly who are on the other side. I see their energy and sometimes, I can hear them.”
“Do they speak to you?” Agnes asked, curiously.
She hesitated. “Not really...It’s hard to explain.... It’s like... I know what they say. I hear it in my head.”
Kevin nodded in agreement. It did feel like he had heard Annie in his mind. It wasn’t something he’d like to have repeat, but he knew he would not forget it. “Is this something you work at?”
Agnes scowled at him. Evidently, she wanted to be in control of the conversation. “Sorry, science teacher...it’s a phenomenon. That I saw too.”
Layla shifted uneasily in her chair, not sharing Kevin’s sense of wonder at her ‘gift.’ “I really don’t work at it.... It’s not something I pursue.” She continued. “I really don’t want people to know, especially with this new job... and all.”
The two women looked at each other. Agnes looked as though she was trying to absorb what was being said. Layla was anxious to not have this be the catalyst that would cause her to move on. Again.
“I think we can keep this between us,” Agnes assured her, glancing meaningfully at each man in turn. “What did this one say, the one you saw this morning?”
Layla hesitated, swallowing deeply. “She was calling for Shawn.”
“Do you know who she was and what happened to her?” Agnes asked quietly.
Layla shook her head.
“Is that all she said?”
Layla hesitated again, rubbing her palms on her thighs. “She said she wanted them to be found.”
“Them?” Agnes asked, surprised.
“The woman and her baby. She said she wanted them to be found so she could get her revenge on the man who killed her.”
Chapter 31
Kevin sat stunned in his chair as Agnes escorted Layla from the room, thanking her for being honest with them and reassuring her that her secret was safe with them. Shawn sat next to him, watching Kevin’s face closely.
“Did you know?” he asked. Kevin looked at his friend with concern.
Shawn’s eyes teared up. “Yeah, I knew.” He sighed deeply as a tear coursed down his cheek. “Told me after we broke up. I was young and stunned. Before we could figure out what to do, she was gone.” He looked in his friend’s anxious face. “No one knows. Not Christina, not Ada. Just Annie, me and the cops on the case.”
“There was no way that Layla could have known that Annie was pregnant when she disappeared. The police had to get a warrant to get into Annie’s medical records to see if she had disappeared for a medical reason. A young, pregnant, unmarried woman may disappear to have her child and reappear months later, after putting the baby up for adoption. That was the theory the police had hoped for. I just wanted her back. I couldn’t imagine that she would have left because of the pregnancy.”
But the cops still pursued it, as there was nothing else to go on. They looked into clinics and adoption agencies that were all cold. And when she didn’t appear months later, they gave up on that theory. She just disappeared off the face of the earth.”
A chill went up Kevin’s spine. “If no one knew that, then...Layla...It was real?”
“I can’t believe it either. But I saw it with my own eyes.” Shawn rose from his chair, looking out the window onto the patio below. Agnes was outside, walking over the patios as if she were looking at the scene from their vantage points.
Who had done this? Kevin’s mind reeled. How did Christina’s plans to expand the inn’s dining rooms put the inevitable discovery of Shawn’s dead girlfriend’s corpse into play? Would Agnes suspect that they had concocted a story to cover for when the corpse appeared, as Shawn knew it would? Was she thinking Shawn had been supervising the dig out there this morning on the patio, to help ensure the disposal of the bones with the rest of the debris, hoping no one would notice? It was farfetched, but not impossible.
Agnes made her way around the patio as Shawn watched her from the window. The remains had been removed by the coroner and his team, along with any further site evidence that may help to identify the body and the circumstances of death. Agnes scanned the area, observing the surroundings, and likely piecing together the stories of the four people in the vicinity.
She climbed into the cab of the bucket loader, which was stopped, just as it had been left this morning. She observed the vantage point of the operator. “I know I didn’t kill Annie. I know you didn’t kill her,” Shawn stated. His hands clenched the window frame, fingernails digging into the wood. “Who would have done this to her?”
Kevin’s heart went out to his friend. The anguish that this had caused him over the years was unimaginable. Keeping secret that the missing girl carried his child. The police were right to still consider him a suspect, the circumstances were supportive of a motive. Kevin wondered how the elaborate story of seeing the ghost of his dead girlfriend would impact their investigation. But he was confident in what he saw and heard.
Heavy footsteps came down the wooden hallway, followed by a knock on the door. The young trooper entered hesitantly. “Mr. McKinley, Sheriff....” The young man swallowed deeply as both men looked at him sternly. “The Captain is asking that you both don’t leave town for a few days.”
Chapter 32
For the second time this year, Christina found herself in the cemetery for another burial a
nd memorial. This time, the sun was shining and the air was warm. There were few people in attendance for Annie’s funeral. Not many had remembered her, or if they did, they didn’t live nearby to attend. Her only family – Christina, Jeremy, and Daniel – were present, as well as those of whom remained in their small group of friends.
The pastor from Ada’s church said a few prayers over Annie’s coffin before it was lowered into the ground. A light breeze blew by, flapping Christina and Gina’s skirts as they stood side by side at her graveside. Kevin held Christina’s hand throughout the service, as Gina did the same for Shawn.
They had waited all these years for Annie to surface, or for a sign of what happened to her, and she had been in reach the entire time. It was heartbreaking to realize that whatever had happened to her, her killer had the thought to place her body in the stonewall feet from her home. The police were still silent about what they had found, explaining that they needed to complete their investigation before they revealed their findings.
For Christina, to know for certain the fate of her cousin and best friend, was oddly freeing. All the guilt and pain that had haunted her for years was slowly seeping away from her psyche. Her spirits were lifting and a heaviness that had followed her everywhere was easing. She still needed to know what the police thought, and that made her uneasy. When Annie had initially disappeared, they had theorized at the time that it was likely a random occurrence. If she had been abducted, it was most likely someone that was passing through who had found an opportunity when they saw a young girl driving alone at night on a lonely, uninhabited road.
She had held onto that for years – the randomness. It was not likely that anyone she knew could have been responsible. She could not imagine Shawn, Jeff or Kevin having the capability to do such a thing. It was also terrifying to think that it could have happened anywhere. Thankfully, it had not been a factor that added fear to her life. She had enough burden with living while Annie likely was not.
Victor made the brief service just near the end of it. He came and took her hand at Annie’s graveside. Not one to show his emotions, he had gripped her hand as the casket was lowered into the ground. Christina was glad he had come all the way from London. He had some business to attend to in the city but would be able to stay with them for a couple of nights.
They had all gathered later back at the inn, except for Daniel and Jeremy, who left the cemetery together. Layla had served a luncheon that Gina had put together earlier. Christina’s friend was always one to feed people in their time of grief.
“Are you doing all right, my dear? I haven’t had much of a chance to catch you alone,” Victor asked as they brought tea out to the patios. The outside patio space was nearly completed after the police released the area. The interior new dining space was well under way.
Christina sighed. “It’s a lot to absorb. They haven’t provided much detail about what they were able to piece together. I was grateful we were able to have a service for her.”
“It’s been too long of a wait,” Victor replied. “I am glad as well. It feels like she is where she should be.”
Christina nodded. She hadn’t expected a positive outcome for years, so she understood his meaning.
He reached out and held her hand. “You do realize, my dear, that all of this is not your doing. Nothing you did, or didn’t do, caused this for her.”
Christina smiled sadly. He knew her well. “I know. It’s getting lighter for me, just knowing what had happened to her for certain.”
“I am sure Kevin has helped with that as well.”
She nodded. “It feels...inappropriate... I guess is the word....to have the inn when it should be hers.”
He patted her hand. “I understand. But perhaps you could think of it in another way. What you are doing is honoring her and her family by preserving their history and their lives that they spent here.”
“Your aunt worked hard on this place and tried to preserve it as best she could. Annie loved to live here, and she loved you.”
Christina’s eyes brimmed with tears. It was true. This had been their home. What she had done was to preserve the land around them, improve the inn’s usable space by expanding the dining and patios, and bring back the building’s heyday by fully operating.
They sat for some time, enjoying the peace of the afternoon and sipping tea. This was how Victor was able to share himself with his stepdaughter, by quietly offering his support. She had loved him for his tranquil and solid backing throughout her life. He had been her rock.
After a time, Victor broke the silence. “I would have expected to see Jeremy and his father come for lunch.”
She shook her head. “I haven’t had much interaction with Jeremy since I let him go from assisting me early on. He was upset over the change in accounts, and since then we haven’t spoken.”
Victor nodded, appearing to return to his tranquil thoughts; however, it was just the opposite. “I hadn’t wanted to worry you, but there is something out of order in those accounts. There are inquiries being made. I’ll have to find out where the investigation is now. You must keep this to yourself for now.” He patted her hand. “Nothing to be of concern, I am sure.”
Something was clearly awry, and she knew he would not have wanted Christina to worry about it with everything else on her mind. Her thoughts whirled with the information, or rather, the lack of it. She knew better to ask further details; he would offer them when he was ready. She had this experience with Victor before, always trying to protect her. It was simpler to let him.
It occurred to her there was more he should know. “Actually Victor, I had the attorney look at something for me. There was a medication of Ada’s that was mislabeled. It looks like it could have caused her to have a very low blood sugar.” She sighed, relaying the details of her findings. He listened attentively.
“That explains what he asked me to pass on to you, I had forgotten until you mentioned it just now. He said that the pharmacy where the insulin was filled does not carry the higher concentration. If a patient needs the higher concentration, they refer them to a pharmacy in Brattleboro that carries it. So she couldn’t have gotten it there.
“The state pharmacy board is doing their own review, once they are done verifying those details, he’ll let us know.”
A chill climbed up Christina’s spine.
She would need to let Agnes know once they got the final report. Something more sinister was at play than met the eye. What had really happened to Ada?
Chapter 33
Everyone was gone this morning and would be for the next few hours. She relished the silence after all the preparations for the soft opening scheduled for the following week. It had been noisy, with people hustling and bustling about over the past weeks. Once they had been cleared to complete the renovations, there was a surge of activity. Life had indeed flowed on. Christina’s thoughts briefly went to Annie. The police did not offer any further insight to what had happened to her, but it was obvious that she had died from a fractured skull, and her body had been placed in the rock walls that were being renovated at the time. Having her funeral and taking time to grieve her had been freeing. Knowing for certain what Annie’s destiny had been had assuaged Christina’s relentless wondering and guilt. The renovation of the inn – specifically, restoring it to be a prosperous community gem – was a kind of atonement for Annie. Annie had not lived to see her inheritance and to build her life. Christina was doing that for herself, but also for Annie.
Chipper laid his head on her lap and peered up into her eyes woefully. She grinned at the dog and scratched his ears. “Hungry boy?”
The dog responded with a doggy grin and a tail thump on the wooden floor. She rose and got them both something to eat in the kitchen. The morning light was bright. The days had been warm, but now that it was late August and the nights were much cooler, there was good sleeping weather. She had heard there would be an early frost this weekend. The weather in Vermont was ever changeable.
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br /> She shuffled through the new dining room. Her slippers whispered on the smooth wood as she admired the work that had been done there. It looked as though the added space had always been a part of the house, as it seamlessly fit the room. Sipping her coffee, she made her way to her office with the dog at her heels.
A loose paper on top of her desk caught her eye. She noted that it was the draft she and Jim had created. She stared at the handwritten map of the game cameras that Jim had left in the office from their work resetting the cameras the other day. There was something niggling her about the image. Something Gina had mentioned while looking at the same paper drawing...
A path? A line? No that was not it.
Alarm. That was it. No animal large enough would be close by the house without being noticed. It would set off the cameras and a photo would be texted out. That was the game camera alarm system, or a ‘red neck’ alarm system, as she had called it.
No animal large enough.
It was no coincidence that they all went offline all around the same time. The cameras had to be manually adjusted. Something or someone would have had to move them and turn them away, so they were useless. Something or someone.
Christina felt a chill run up her spine and the back of her neck began to prickle.
Fear.
She was alone in the inn. No one was around today, and it would likely stay that way until later this afternoon.
The bones of her long dead friend had just been recovered. The murderer was still unidentified.
The phone in her pocket vibrated indicating an incoming message. She slipped the phone from her pocket to check. It was camera #2. The ‘money shot.’ The image was of an animal large enough to set it off.
