Murder at the Inn

by London Lovett

"You look fine. Let's go greet them."

  I shot Edward a sideways glance as I followed Lana out of the kitchen. He vanished but I was sure it wouldn't be the last time I saw him this evening.

  Lana was already on the porch when I reached the entry. "Welcome to Cider Ridge Inn," she called as the group carried their duffle bags and luggage across the grass. I recognized everyone from their online photos.

  Jamie Neilson led the group with just a small backpack on his shoulders. He didn't bother to help the women with their bags. He was taller than I expected. His long hair was twisted up into a man bun and he was wearing a gray flannel shirt with his jeans and Birkenstock sandals. He looked just Raine's type, but something told me he lacked charm. I could see it in the gray eyes set deep behind black rimmed glasses.

  I smiled graciously at him as I hurried down the steps to help Angela Applegate, Kenneth's younger sister, with an unwieldy piece of equipment, a recording device of some sort. She had her suitcase in the other hand. I grabbed the suitcase, not wanting to be responsible for equipment.

  "Thank you so much," Angela said. Her hair was dyed a severe black which made her fair skin positively transparent. Her blues eyes held a friendly glow. "Kenneth and Rex are pulling the cameras out. Where should I put this EVP recorder?"

  Lana met us on the grass and took the bag from me. She motioned to the one person I didn't recognize or see in a picture. "I'll show you where to put the equipment while Sunni helps Barbara with her things."

  Barbara was a fifty-something woman with curly brown hair and large green framed eye glasses. She had two suitcases, both with wheels meant for slick airport floors and not my overgrown front lawn.

  "Hello, I'm Sunni. Let me take one of those bags for you."

  "Thank you." She handed me the handle on one suitcase. It seemed like a lot of clothes for a few days of ghost hunting. "That one is the heaviest. It has all my notes and reference books." She stopped after a few steps. "Kenny, do you need any help? I have a free hand." She waved her pink fingernails in the air.

  Kenneth waved from the back of the car before leaning into the open trunk. "We've got it." Kenneth Applegate was in his fifties. His dark hair was combed to one side, and his thick beard had flecks of gray. His gunmetal gray sweater matched his gray slacks perfectly, making it look as if he was wearing a gray coverall. He lifted several camera bags out of the trunk. The other man, a man who I recognized as Rex Thunder, mostly because of the unusual name, carried a tripod across the grass. Watching my first proper guests trudge across the lawn reminded me that I needed to get a quote for a cement path leading to the front porch. Just another expensive item on a long list of necessities.

  I carried Barbara's suitcase up the steps. She stopped several times to look back at Kenneth as he carried the camera equipment toward the porch. Ridiculously, I hadn't considered the possibility that they would be taking a lot of pictures of my very un-photogenic home. Of course, since Lana plopped this on me just yesterday, I hadn't had enough time to consider much of anything.

  "Oh my," Barbara said, only it wasn't the good kind of oh my, like—oh my, your new haircut is fabulous. It was more of an—oh my, this will be a long night.

  Jamie, who had not offered to help with the equipment, had already done a quick, uninvited tour of the downstairs. He adjusted his glasses. "So you're the owner?"

  "Yes, hello. I'm Sunni. We didn't have a chance to meet." I badly wanted to add that we missed the chance because he rudely brushed past and into the house without so much as a smile. But I needed to be on my best behavior. It seemed the entire financial state of the town depended on it.

  "Jamie Nielson," he said without a handshake. Instead, he peered up at the ceiling of the hallway. "Is this place water tight?" His laugh was stiff. "I already know it's not air tight. Seems you have more holes than plaster."

  "Yes, well it's a work in progress. Excuse me." I scooted past him to the dining room. Barbara had already reached the dining room. She looked more pleased than she had been in the entryway. She chose a bed near one of the windows and placed her suitcase on the ground. I dragged the other case to the same bed.

  Lana helped Angela choose just the right air mattress that wouldn't be too near any drafts. Apparently, Angela caught colds easily.

  Kenneth and Rex clamored in with the rest of the equipment. "Thanks for all the help, Nielson," Rex growled. Jamie ignored him as he settled back onto the pillows on a mattress and crossed his ankles.

  Rex Thunder was a short, stout man tucked tightly into a corduroy jacket that reminded me of something a college professor would have worn in the sixties. It even had soft leather elbow patches and a pocket protector with pens. I could smell his aftershave and the remnants of a cigar all the way across the room.

  I smiled at Barbara and was about to tell her the direction to the bathroom, but I quickly discovered that her gaze was glued to Kenneth as he set down the cameras next to his mattress.

  I cleared my throat to get her attention. She turned back to me. "Kenneth is so talented with that Night Vision Video Camera," she gushed. "Why, one night, we were in a pitch dark attic in an old house that was plagued with multiple specters. One of the specters decided to shoot through the room and push the door shut. Kenneth caught it all on camera, clear as day, as if it was happening right on a movie stage."

  "Really? So you could see the ghost clearly?"

  "Not exactly. Although Angela was sure she saw two yellow eyes just before the door swung shut." She dropped her gaze and busied herself with the zipper on her suitcase. "He caught whole thing on tape. The door was a good six inches ajar and then click, it was closed." It seemed Barbara Simpson was far more interested and intrigued by Kenneth Applegate than by any lingering spirits.

  "I see. Well, I'm not sure if you'll see many doors closing or yellow-eyed specters, but I'm sure it will be a nice night for all of you." If her story was any indication, it seemed APPS had set the bar quite low in regards to a successful night of ghost hunting.

  Lana stood in the doorway and clapped her hands for attention. "Again, welcome to Cider Ridge Inn. I'm Lana and I'll be here to make sure you have everything you need to make your visit memorable." She waved her hand my direction. "You've met my sister, Sunni, the owner of the inn, and as I mentioned to Kenneth, in our phone conversation this morning, she is also a reporter for the Junction Times, our local paper. She has been assigned to write an article about APPS. I hope you won't mind her asking questions. We would love for our town to get to know all about the work you do for the paranormal community. And with that, the dinner buffet is ready." As she finished, the lights flickered on and off in the dining room. Everyone sucked in a breath and surveyed the room, apparently looking for ghosts.

  "My apologies," I said, "I've had an electrician working—"

  Lana coughed into her hand to get my attention. She scowled lightly at me. "What my sister meant to say was you'll find that the Cider Ridge ghost manifests in many different ways. He is quite the prankster." Right then, Edward appeared standing right next to Lana in the doorway. He stared at the side of her face as she finished her explanation of the flickering lights. Seconds later, he disappeared, and I released the breath I'd been holding.

  I surveyed the faces around me. No one had noticed any paranormal presence. Thank goodness. It seemed we would get through the night without more than a few tantalizing light flickers and the occasional creaks and moans the house made on its own, without any help from an actual ghost.

  Chapter 12

  While the group mingled and ate the delicious fare Lana had laid out, I'd gone into my journalistic observation mode. They were so busy discussing and debating paranormal theories, all while piling their plates high with goodies, nobody noticed me jotting down a few notes. Three things stood out as obvious in the group dynamics. Barbara was absolutely and obviously in love with Kenneth Applegate. Which immediately led to my second observation. Kenneth was absolutely and obviously not in love with Barbara. In fact
, it seemed that his affections were being saved for someone not of this world. He showed both Lana and me the snapshot of the portrait of Lauren Grace, which he kept in his wallet like a man might do with his wife's photo. Even while stuffing his face with Lana's buffet, he spoke on and on about his anticipated stay at Dandelion Inn. The third glaring observation was that Jamie and Kenneth were not on friendly terms. (To put it lightly.)

  Jamie wandered around the table a second time with his plate, piling it high again. Kenneth's nostrils flared in disgust. "Are you going to keep eating, Nielson? The rest of us are anxious to explore the house."

  That statement caused me to jerk my face Lana's direction. She smiled weakly in response.

  "Uh, we'll have to limit it to mostly the downstairs areas," I said hastily. "The stairs are not safe, and a few of the upstairs rooms are a couple thin wood planks away from becoming a downstairs room." I forced a funky little laugh, but my guests didn't share my amusement.

  "But, Miss Taylor"—Kenneth looked toward Lana—"mentioned we'd have full access to the house."

  "Oh did she?" I tilted my head and skewered my sister with a questioning look.

  I could see the industrious gears spinning in my sister's head. "Sunni, how about if you lead up just two people at a time? Surely, the stairs are strong enough for a few people at once. You could stay with them to make sure they avoid dangerous weak spots in the floor." She was on a roll. She moved closer to Kenneth with that salesperson swagger she wore so well. "If you go up in teams, it won't be so intimidating for our resident spirit. He's quite shy and reserved."

  My gaze swept the room for my shy, reserved ghost, but there was no sign of him. Earlier, he'd hovered around for a few minutes watching the guests eat but then left with a growl, muttering something about the sin of gluttony. I'd found it more than ironic that a group of so-called experts had been sitting under the judgmental gaze of a truly unsettled spirit for a good five minutes but it had not slowed their pursuit of the perfect mashed potato puff or turkey quiche. Although, I did notice Angela Applegate drop a piece of grilled squash when Edward brushed past her at the table. It almost seemed as if she'd felt his presence but, she returned so quickly to her plate, I'd shrugged it off as coincidence. Raine had been right in her harsh review of their skills.

  Lana waited, with clasped hands, for everyone to agree with her plan. Growing up with the woman, I knew never to bother disagreeing. During summer breaks, Lana would have our entire days planned and charted before Emily, Neal and I had even rolled out of bed. Eventually, Neal got tired of Lana's activities, like playing pretend school or playing Sea World trainers in the neighbor's pool. (Emily always did an admirable job of playing the part of the seal or otter.) He broke off to do his own thing with his friends. Lana was so hurt she spent a whole week pretending he didn't exist. She went so far as to sit right down on him as he watched television, pretending that he wasn't already in the spot. Emily and I couldn't stop laughing.

  Lana's idea was good, only I wished that I hadn't made a fuss at all. The stairs were not that treacherous and the upstairs rooms weren't quite as delicate as I suggested. I just wasn't thrilled about people seeing the overall state of shabbiness. Now, I was stuck leading small group tours rather than just getting the whole thing over with at once. I needed to tweak the plan.

  "I'm sure the group would like to tour the upstairs together. If we all stay together and tread carefully, I'm sure we can avoid disaster." I sounded wishy-washy, but it was still better than stretching out the upstairs tours. "You can bring whatever equipment up and get it over with—" I cleared my throat. "I mean you can get the data you need while you're up there, then focus the rest of the evening on the downstairs." I'd gone back on my first objection, but the upstairs really wasn't solid and safe for people to traipse around all night.

  Barbara and Angela looked expectantly at Kenneth. From my observations, I'd discovered that both women considered him their leader. Whereas Jamie and Rex were not quite as deferential. Jamie scoffed and rolled eyes at everything Kenneth said. It seemed he wasn't going to wait for the society's namesake to make the decision.

  "While all of you decide," Jamie said sharply, "I'm going to get the EVP recorder and head up those stairs. I'm already sensing far more energy coming from above. If we're going to get any data or evidence, it'll be upstairs." He declared it so confidently it was humorous, especially because Edward had materialized in the kitchen again. He drifted in and out of the guests with ease, even stopping to get an up close look at each one of them. I had to hold my breath to keep from laughing.

  "I think Sunni is right," Kenneth said, utterly ignoring Jamie's proclamations. "It's best if we stay together, as a group, so we can share experiences as we go. Let's get our equipment." He turned to me. "We'll need the entire house dark for our explorations. We've found that spirits are particularly self-conscious and shy when there is too much light."

  Edward found this statement especially amusing. He stepped in front of Kenneth, placed his hand against his stomach and took a deep bow as if waiting for a large applause. I clapped my hands once to show my approval and to get the group's attention.

  "The upstairs has no lighting at the moment. I'll have Lana turn off the downstairs lights once we are all safely on the top floor."

  Lana was quite disappointed that her individual gift baskets were somewhat of a flop. The ghost hunting team had come prepared with electronic tablets for note taking, night vision goggles and hats with lights that could be easily turned on and off. I, on the other hand, had no such paranormal finery, so I borrowed the flashlight from Angela's basket. I carried along my own journalist notebook and I planned to continue my observations. While the group was busy watching for ghosts, I would be busy watching them.

  We lugged ourselves and various devices, including the night vision video camera, digital temperature reader and even a boxy device that used radio frequency to communicate with paranormal entities, up the rickety staircase. We gathered on the landing, and I gave Lana the cue, a short whistle. Seconds later, we were bathed in darkness. I always kept most of the bedroom doors closed, to keep the drafts and unwanted critters from flying into the inhabited rooms in the house. Only one room had leftover furniture, a wrought iron bed frame, a brass light fixture and an old trunk that held a few household and personal items that were embroidered with Bonnie Ross's monogram. There was also a blush inducing, slightly corny love letter written to Bonnie. I was more than certain Edward had written it because the letter had disappeared from my dresser. He'd even broken his golden rule of never entering my 'bedchamber' to take it back.

  Small lights went on and devices fired up as the group split off and tiptoed quiet as field mice through the hallways and dark, drafty rooms. As quiet as their practiced footsteps were, Rex did little to keep his thunderous voice from echoing through the emptiness.

  "I don't believe that we'll find much up here. Contrary to what Nielsen claimed, I'm not getting any reading at all on the EMF meter."

  "Well, we're certainly not going to find any activity with you bellowing through the building and scaring them all off," Nielsen snapped sharply.

  "Who is scaring them off now, Nielsen?" Kenneth asked snidely.

  I recognized Barbara's soft giggle in the darkness. Even Kenneth's sarcasm was charming to Barbara.

  The crew spread out, but Kenneth spotted me standing near the staircase, waiting for them to finish their excursion. He left his team to do the hunting and joined me. "I suppose you don't have much activity since the house was vacant for so long. Now, over at the Dandelion, I understand the beautiful Miss Grace shows herself to guests and staff members regularly. Did I show you the picture I have of her portrait?"

  "You did. It's sort of a fun play on words when you say you have a picture of a portrait," I quipped, but he was too busy fishing the picture out of his pocket again. He turned his hat light on and highlighted the photo with its beam.

  "They say she was even more lovely i
n person." He gazed at the picture with such admiration, it was almost touching. (If it hadn't been kind of creepy.) It seemed the man had developed an obsession with the woman's portrait. I almost worried that he might just run into Lauren's ghost and end up forever heartbroken.

  Angela and Barbara popped out from the closest bedroom. "Where's Jamie? We need the EMF meter right now," Barbara said, out of breath.

  Angela motioned for her brother to come. "It was a strange rush of cold air followed by distinctive footsteps on the wood floors." She was calmer than Barbara, but also had to stop to catch her breath.

  Kenneth hopped into action. "Nielsen, get that EMF meter down to this room right away. We've made our first contact." The entire group disappeared into the empty room with their devices and their tablets.

  "Bloody fools," Edward drawled next to me.

  Chapter 13

  The Electro Magnetic Field device came up empty in the spare room. The disappointed group of ghost hunters had tromped downstairs with long faces but were immediately cheered when Lana announced she had a special toasted marshmallow milkshake for each one of them.

  Raine had decided to stay away, certain that she wouldn't be able to stop herself from asking questions and starting an unfriendly debate. I was relieved. It was one less thing to worry about. It was close to eleven. After the dessert session, I was hoping to slip off to my bedroom. Newman and Redford had taken themselves off hours before when the buffet trays had been covered and put in the refrigerator.

  'Lana and her guests sat in the dining room at the tables she had set up for their discussions. Edward had vanished after he witnessed the circus upstairs, and I was just as glad. It seemed we were going to get through the entire night without major incident. The visitors might leave disappointed with the lack of paranormal activity, but I was anxious for the night to run smoothly into a nice, bright fall morning. Then the group would pack up their tools of the trade and move onto the next inn. Maybe Kenneth would have more luck at the Dandelion. If he was really lucky, he'd come face to face with the woman he loved, Lauren Grace.