Sweet Obsession

by J A Whiting

  “You sure have a green thumb,” Jenna gushed.

  “It’s remarkable,” Mr. Finch told the man. “Amazing.”

  “You’re a very talented gardener,” Angie said.

  Looking as proud as he could be, Dave walked them around the yard telling all about the plants and how he’d started most of them from seeds.

  As she strolled around the paths, Angie thought back to the conversation they’d had inside the house, and a niggling feeling kept picking at her.

  Was Dave telling the truth about the man and the car parked in front of Dennis Leeds’s house?

  12

  “This is the room we want to use as the nursery.” Jenna showed the room to Angie. It was next to her and Tom’s master suite, had three big windows to let in lots of light, and was one of the smaller second floor rooms which made it seem cozy and perfect for a new baby.

  “I think it’s great. I’ve always liked this room.” Angie stood by the windows and looked out to the street.

  “I think we’ll paint it a soft shade of cream and then add pops of color with accents like a rug, curtains, pictures on the walls, and bedding.”

  “Will the accent colors be pink or blue?” Angie tried to trick her sister into telling her if she was having a boy or a girl.

  Jenna gave Angie a smile. “Nice try, but if I knew what we were having, I’d tell you. I don’t want to know. We want it to be a surprise.”

  “Really? Then why do I have a feeling you know?”

  “It’s your imagination. I really don’t know.”

  “Okay,” Angie said. “If you did know and didn’t tell me, it wouldn’t seem fair since you know we’re having a girl.”

  Jenna gave her sister a squeeze on the arm. “I swear I’d tell you if I knew.”

  Angie didn’t give up. “Do you have a feeling one way or the other?”

  With a laugh, Jenna shook her head. “Do you have a feeling about my baby?”

  “Maybe. You tell me what you think first.”

  “No. It’s another trick.” Jenna led the way downstairs. She and Tom and sometimes, a hired worker had been working on restoring the old house for what seemed like ages. The living room, dining room, kitchen, and master bedroom were finished and beautifully done with shining hardwood floors, softly painted walls, high ceilings, and gorgeous cabinetry and granite countertops in the kitchen.

  Jenna and Tom always said the house was going to bankrupt them before they ever finished it, and now with the baby coming, the renovation would slow to a crawl. Jenna had told Angie one day, “Maybe the house will be finished in time for the baby’s graduation from high school … or college.”

  While making tea in the kitchen, Angie asked, “Has Katrina been around lately?”

  Jenna put some homemade brownies and some sweet and salty cookies on a plate. “She’s around. Sometimes she’s quieter than usual, but whenever I’m in the room the baby will have, I can sense her.”

  “Is she okay with the new addition?”

  “She actually seems happy about it.” Jenna took honey from one of the cabinets and sliced a lemon for the tea.

  A ghost named Katrina Stenmark lived in Jenna and Tom’s house, and there were times when she could be feisty or in a bad mood. One of Jenna’s skills was the ability to see ghosts, but this particular spirit would not show herself. Despite never having observed Katrina, Jenna could feel her presence in the house and knew when the woman was in the same room with her. It took the young couple some time to adjust to having a third person living with them, but now it was second-nature and they would both miss the ghost if she ever decided to move on.

  “I can feel Katrina’s joy whenever I’m in the baby’s room.”

  “I wonder if the baby will be able to see ghosts like you do.” Angie bit into a cookie.

  One of Jenna’s eyebrows went up. “This is going to be interesting, isn’t it? We’ll have to watch these two little ones very carefully for any special abilities.”

  “Why didn’t our skills show up until we all moved here to Sweet Cove? Is there something about the town that draws out a person’s skills?”

  “Or is it because Nana and some of our ancestors lived here? Is there some power around here that we tap into?” Jenna asked.

  “Maybe it was because we were ready to accept our skills?”

  “Hmm,” Jenna said. “Ellie isn’t ready to accept her skills, but the abilities still showed up in her when we moved here from Boston.”

  “Oh, right.” Angie gave a chuckle. “I guess my idea that skills show up when you’re ready for them is completely wrong.” After taking a sip of her tea, she asked, “Do you think about Mom?”

  Jenna sighed. “A lot. Especially when we got married and now that we’re both expecting babies. I wish I could talk to her and ask her questions.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Do you ever wonder about how she died?” Jenna’s tone was soft and quiet as if she was uncomfortable about bringing up the subject.

  “I do wonder.” Angie looked closely at her sister. “She died crossing a street in Boston on a sunny day … a street that wasn’t that busy. A hit and run. Knowing what we know now about our family and paranormal skills, do you think how she died is suspicious?”

  Jenna answered with one word. “Yes.”

  “Maybe we need to look into this,” Angie suggested. “We could talk to Orla about it. She might know something.”

  “If she knew something, why wouldn’t she tell us?”

  Angie cocked her head to the side. “Maybe we have to be ready to hear it.”

  “Let’s talk to Courtney and Ellie and see what they think,” Jenna said.

  Angie finished the tea in her cup. “You know, something’s been bothering me about our visit to Dave Hanes.”

  “What is it?”

  “Could Dave have made up that he saw a man near Dennis Leeds’s mailbox?”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He might have decided he likes the attention he’s getting and a lot of what he told us was mentioned in the news after Agnes Shield’s neighbor gave the police the description of the man she saw leaving Agnes’s porch. Dave might be mimicking that information. The whole thing might be making Dave feel important.”

  “He did mention seeing a car though,” Jenna pointed out. “And was very specific about what kind of a car it was.”

  “Dave could be making that up.” Angie shook her head slowly. “I don’t like to be so suspicious, but when we’re working these cases, I feel like we need to have reservations about what people are telling us. Initially, anyway.”

  Jenna blinked. “I believed him. Am I being naïve?”

  “Probably not.” Angie rinsed her cup in the sink and put it in the dish washer. “What did you think about him telling us he had to take time off from his painting job? He got into a fight with another worker? The boss made him take time away? Why didn’t he just fire Dave?”

  “That’s a good question,” Jenna agreed. “Why keep a troublemaker on the payroll?”

  “Something keeps nagging at me about what Dave told us. I don’t know exactly what it is that’s making me uneasy, but it’s definitely picking at me. I think we should pay a visit to Dave’s boss. Let’s bring it up with Chief Martin. Maybe someone has already talked to the man.”

  Jenna ran her hand though her long brown hair. “There’s quite a bit to sort through. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything right.”

  “Unfortunately,” Angie kidded, “we can’t locate our magic wands.” A couple of seconds later, the grin dropped from her face. “When I was looking at the drawings Mr. Finch made the other evening, one of them made me feel nervous. Really nervous.”

  Jenna’s face took on a serious expression. “Which drawing was it?”

  “The third one in the sketchbook. There’s a pretty house and some kids playing a game in the yard with their mom and dad. There’s a small brown dog in it, too. Mature trees ring the sides of t
he property. A man is mowing the grass in the side yard and another man is on a ladder painting the house. Everyone is happy. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Jenna asked.

  “All I know is every time I look at that picture, I feel anxious and afraid and I feel like I have to run away from it.” Angie’s heart had begun to race just thinking about the drawing.

  “Did you tell Mr. Finch what effect the picture has on you?”

  Angie shook her head. “I didn’t. I don’t know why I didn’t.”

  “Talk to him about it. He might have some feelings about the drawing that match yours. Both of you can search for clues as to why you feel so uneasy when you look at it.”

  “I will. I’ll tell him how I feel.” Angie looked at her sister with worry. “Will our feelings of anxiety and fear and revulsion over the criminal acts we encounter hurt our babies?”

  “Nah. These two kids are resilient.” Jenna winked. “They have to be in order to be part of this family. We run into a lot of weird stuff.”

  Angie smiled. “I’m really glad we’re going through these pregnancies together, especially since we don’t have Mom around.”

  Jenna glanced up at the antique clock above the sink. “We’d better get ready to go. We don’t want to be late.”

  “Let’s hope Agnes Shield’s husband has some insight into why their house was targeted,” Angie said.

  “And let’s hope he didn’t have anything to do with it.” Jenna picked up the keys to the car and started for the door.

  “Gosh.” Angie’s eyes widened. “I sure hope not.”

  “Like you said earlier, we shouldn’t trust anyone.”

  13

  Jenna pulled the car to the side of the road across from the Shield’s home and before they could get out, a man in his thirties thumped on the passenger side window causing Angie to jump.

  After Jenna put the window down, the man peered into the car. “Come on, lady. Don’t park here.” Looking to be just under six feet tall, the man was tanned, with dark blond hair, and was missing one of his teeth. His face was angry. “Can’t you see we’re painting here? Another truck is going to show up soon. We need to be able to move equipment into it.”

  Jenna felt annoyed by the man’s rude behavior. “How did I know? You could ask nicer, you know.” She hit the button to make the window raise and pushed the ignition to bring the engine to life. After doing a three-point turn, she brought the car to a stop in front of the Shields’ house.

  As the sisters walked towards the driveway, Jenna grumped. “Why do people have to be so mean? Am I a mind reader? How was I supposed to know an equipment truck needed to park there?”

  Angie glanced across the street at the painters working on the house. “Look. It’s Blue Sky Painters. That’s the company Dave Hanes works for. I don’t see him.”

  “Maybe they have different teams working at different places.” There was still an angry edge to Jenna’s voice in reaction to being yelled at when she parked.

  Everett Shield opened the door to the young women as soon as they stepped up onto the porch. “Hello,” he greeted them warmly and introduced himself. “The living room is probably more comfortable. It’s pretty humid out here.”

  The sisters joined the man in a nicely decorated living room with a fireplace on one wall and big windows looking out to the green lawn.

  In his late seventies, Everett, tall, slender, and white-haired, offered drinks to his guests and Jenna and Angie accepted glasses of seltzer.

  “How is Agnes doing?” Angie had been worrying about her for days.

  “She’s doing remarkably well. She’s a strong, resilient woman, always has been. She’s the type of person who looks beyond the negative things of life and tries to find a silver lining.” Everett gave a nod and a smile. “I’m lucky I found her ... and that she agreed to marry me.”

  “It sounds like Agnes’s mental state is good,” Angie said.

  “She has her down moments when her spirits drop, but she bounces back. She’s determined to return to her activities. Agnes knows she’ll have to compensate for the loss of her fingers and she’ll have to be patient. She’s a fighter. Nothing slows her down for long. When Agnes sets her mind to something, she does it,” Everett said with pride. “She’s a heck of a woman.”

  “Did you see her today?” Jenna asked.

  “I see Agnes every day. I told her you were coming to see me this afternoon and she asked me to give both of you her regards. She’s moving to the rehab facility tomorrow. Another step in the healing process.”

  “How are you doing with all of it?” Jenna asked kindly.

  Everett’s face softened. “It’s been a difficult experience. I’m not as positive a person as Agnes is. I appreciate and admire that characteristic in her. She’s good for me. Her enthusiasm for life and her upbeat attitude lifts me. I’m not morose by any means. I’m not a negative person. It’s just uplifting to have Agnes around. I miss her not being at home with me.” Everett took a long swallow from his coffee mug. “What happened to my wife has been very disturbing. It’s a violation of our lives. Someone had the nerve to invade our space and harm Agnes. His intent must have been to kill someone. It’s absolutely alarming and unsettling for this to have happened. We’re people who take pride in helping others. We try to be good people. I’ve been having trouble sleeping at night. I worry irrationally about Agnes. Sometimes, I think I hear someone dropping a package on the porch. I have to keep telling myself that things are okay.”

  “Do you think it would be helpful to speak with a counselor?” Angie asked gently knowing that many people wouldn’t take the question well.

  “In fact,” Everett said, “I’ve just started this week. I’m hoping it will be useful. Anyway, enough about me. How can I help?”

  “We were told you weren’t home on the day of the incident,” Angie told him.

  “That’s right. I was away for a couple of days camping with a friend. When I got the call, we raced back as fast as we could.”

  “Are you still working?”

  “Oh, yes. I’m a research scientist at the university. I have a degree in neuroscience. I study learning disabilities. I’m like Agnes. We both enjoy our jobs.”

  “Your neighbor next door believes she saw a delivery person leaving your front porch shortly before Agnes came outside and found the package,” Angie said. “Did you hear Mrs. Lancer’s description of the man?”

  “I did hear.”

  “Does the description sound like anyone you know?”

  “It’s a fairly generic description. There’s not a lot to go on. No one came to mind when I heard about it.”

  “We asked Agnes if there was anything that happened recently that would lead to someone planting the package at your house and she couldn’t think of anything,” Angie explained. “Do you recall anything? An argument? A disagreement? Do you remember Agnes relaying anything about an incident?”

  Everett’s forehead creased as he thought it over. “I don’t remember anything like that.”

  “How about with you?” Jenna questioned. “Have you had any run-ins with anyone?”

  “Me? No, I haven’t. Nothing I recall.” Everett’s face flushed. “Do you think the bomb was intended for me? Was I supposed to pick it up?” The man ran his hand over his face. “Is someone angry with me for something? Was this thing directed at me? I had the idea it must have been random.”

  Angie told the man, “The police aren’t sure if the packages were randomly placed or if people were targeted. They’re still working to make a determination.”

  “Do you know any of the other people who have been involved?” Jenna asked. “Dennis Leeds, or the mother and daughter, Roberta and Sally Reynolds?”

  “I don’t know them. I don’t think I’ve ever met any of them.”

  “What about Dennis Leeds’s wife, Carol?”

  Everett shook his head. “The name isn’t familiar.”
>
  “Lincoln Reynolds?”

  “No. That name isn’t familiar to me either.” Everett looked very fatigued. “All of these people live in Solana, correct?”

  “That’s right,” Jenna said.

  Everett said, “It’s not a large town, but I haven’t met any of these people. At least, I don’t recall meeting them. What is the tie that binds them all together? Is there one, or are the incidents only related because they have the same perpetrator?”

  “The police are working to find the answer.” Angie nodded in an encouraging way.

  “For now,” Jenna said, “we’ll assist by doing interviews and research so the police will have all the necessary puzzle pieces.”

  “Do you go camping often?’ Angie asked.

  “I love camping, being outdoors, the fresh air, having a campfire, cooking on a little gas stove. Agnes is not a fan of such things so I go with a friend of mine, maybe three times a year.”

  “Do you enjoy hiking?”

  “Oh, yes. We hike for miles every day. We take the kayaks and go out on the river or the lake. If the water isn’t too chilly, we’ll swim.” Everett had a wide smile on his face. “I wish Agnes enjoyed it. I’ve been telling her for decades that she’s really missing something.” The man chuckled. “Agnes always says if she went camping she’d really be missing something … her comfortable bed.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with her,” Jenna smiled.

  “Was your most recent camping trip planned well in advance?” Angie asked.

  “It’s necessary to plan ahead in order to get reservations. The camping areas often fill up months in advance.” Everett’s face fell and he stiffened slightly. “You ask because you suspect me?”

  “I ask because we’re trying to find the person responsible for trying to kill people.”