Fashions Fade, Haunted Is Eternal

by Rose Pressey

  “Look, it’s Darrin over by that car.” Charlotte pointed.

  Not only was Darrin out by the car, but Krissy was standing with him.

  “Good catch, Charlotte,” I said.

  “What are they doing?” Minnie asked.

  “That’s what we need to find out,” Charlotte said.

  I pulled into a parking spot so that they wouldn’t notice my car. As much as I loved my Buick, it did draw a lot of attention. The officer had stopped at the front of the hotel parking lot. Did he know this was where Darrin was staying? Probably so. Could this be a dangerous situation? I figured I was safe as long as I was in my car. I really needed to lose the cop. He was cramping my sleuthing style. I cut the engine so it wouldn’t draw attention too.

  “Now I wish that I could hear what they are saying,” I said.

  “Get out and go over there.” Charlotte motioned.

  “That’s dangerous,” Minnie said.

  “The cop will see me.” I peeked over my shoulder at the parked police car.

  “Okay, I can take a hint. What you want is for me to find out what they are saying,” Charlotte said.

  “That was what I had in mind, but there’s no need right now.” I pointed.

  Darrin and Krissy were embraced in a passionate kiss.

  “Too much PDA.” Charlotte stared.

  “Don’t watch them,” I said.

  “You’re watching too,” she said, not taking her eye off the couple.

  “What is PDA?” Minnie asked.

  “Public display of affection,” Charlotte answered.

  “Oh . . .” Minnie said through pursed lips. “That it is.”

  “I would say for them to get a room, but it looks as if I they already have one,” Charlotte said. “They just need to use it.”

  After a few more seconds, they stopped kissing.

  “Now what are they going to do?” Minnie asked.

  The couple walked hand in hand into the room.

  “It’s getting late. I should go home. It’s been a long day,” I said.

  “Well, we know she’s not mad at Darrin.”

  “Yes, they’re very much still a couple. Did they work together to kill Tyler though?” I asked.

  “We have to get to the bottom of this,” Charlotte said.

  “Aren’t you going to talk with Darrin now?” Minnie asked.

  “I’d rather wait until Krissy isn’t with him.” I turned the ignition.

  “That’s probably for the best,” Minnie said around a sigh.

  I pulled out of the parking lot. A few seconds later, the officer was following a short distance behind me. He trailed me all the way home. I parked in the driveway and walked inside the house. Before even turning on the lights, I peeked out the window. He had parked along the street in front of the house. Was he going to stay there all night? I needed to call Dylan and ask how long I would be under guard. I’d never gotten around to replacing the door because when I told my father he’d insisted on having his friend come by and fix the door. That was probably for the best. Like Charlotte said, my thing was clothing. I wasn’t that crafty with home repair. At least the handyman had been able to come by earlier in the day and replace the back door. Dylan had also insisted that I add an extra dead bolt lock to the door.

  I turned on a lamp in the living room. It cast a faint yellow glow around the room. No sooner had I turned around than I spotted a piece of paper on the coffee table. Had the handyman left me a note? I reached down and picked up the piece of paper. It wasn’t from the handyman.

  “What’s wrong, Cookie?” Charlotte asked. “You don’t look so hot right now.”

  My hand shook as I read the paper.

  You’re next.

  “Who left this?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

  Charlotte and Minnie rushed over, peering over at the paper in my hand. We stood in stunned silence. The thought hit me. Was I alone in the house? How had the person left this note? I’d added extra locks and fixed the back door. What if this person really was still in the house? I placed the paper down on the table and inched my way back toward the kitchen. The ghosts trailed along behind me. The light in the room was still off. The faint glow from the living room lamp gave me a little bit to see by, but it wasn’t much. Actually, it only added to the spookiness. The back door was shut and the glass window was still intact.

  “Cookie, you have to call Dylan,” Charlotte said.

  “Yes, you simply must.” Minnie once again stood so close that she was practically inside my body.

  I had called Dylan so many times lately because of potential danger that I really didn’t want to do it again.

  “I know you don’t want to, but you have to do it,” Charlotte urged.

  “As long as no one is in the house, then I don’t see why I have to call,” I said.

  Charlotte reached for the note, but I moved it away. “This note is obviously from the killer. Dylan needs to know about it. This is part of the investigation.”

  I sighed. Charlotte was right. The officer was probably still in his car right out there on the street. I could just tell him, but Dylan would be upset if I did that. Plus, the cop would just call Dylan anyway.

  “I should check the rest of the house first,” I said.

  “You’re just stalling now. Dylan will come over here and look through the house.” Charlotte waved her hand at me.

  “Again?” I asked. “Is that really necessary?”

  “Why are you asking me? Dylan’s the one who will search the house. You stay here and Minnie and I will go look through the house. In the meantime, you call Dylan.” Charlotte gave me a stern look.

  “Do it now,” Minnie warned with a point of her finger.

  Charlotte was a bad influence on Minnie. Between the two ghosts and Dylan, I knew that I was outnumbered. Besides, someone had tried to kidnap me. That was kind of a big deal. I was just being stubborn.

  “Fine, I’ll call him,” I said.

  Charlotte and Minnie disappeared around the corner. Now I was alone in the kitchen. Even though I figured no one could see in the windows, I still felt as if someone was watching me. Just my mind playing tricks on me, I suppose. Anxiety was good at doing things like that. I’d left my cell phone in my purse out in the living room.

  I eased back into the living room and passed the paper on the coffee table. Of course I kept my eye on it, as if it would jump out and attack me too. I didn’t even want to look over at the thing, yet I couldn’t stop myself. Fear shivered down my spine. Once I reached the side table in the corner of the room I pulled my phone from my purse and hurried over to the window for a peek outside. When I inched the curtain back and peered outside, the cop car was nowhere in sight. Now he left? When I needed him?

  “Nothing there,” Charlotte announced.

  I screamed and jumped away from the window. The phone flew from my hand and crashed onto the floor.

  “Cookie, you need to calm down. Perhaps a little herbal tea would help,” Charlotte said.

  Charlotte and Minnie had returned. I reached down and picked up the phone, hoping that it wasn’t broken.

  “Don’t scare me like that,” I said.

  “Did you call Dylan yet?” Charlotte asked.

  I touched my phone’s screen and thank goodness it lit up.

  I dialed his number and waited for it to ring.

  “There. I did it,” I said while I waited for Dylan to answer.

  “Thank you,” Charlotte said with a smirk.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” he said when he answered.

  “I don’t know how to tell you this.” I paused.

  “Just spill it,” Charlotte said.

  “Tell him everything.” Minnie waved her arms.

  It wasn’t that easy. Somehow I felt responsible for this. Maybe it was because he had asked me not to get involved. Yes, that was probably it.

  “I found a threatening note in my house. It was waiting for me on the coffee table. The doors are lo
cked just as the handyman said he left them. He dropped off the keys to me earlier.” My words were rushed and full of anxiety.

  “I’ll be there soon,” Dylan said.

  “I bet he’s really irritated with me,” I said when I clicked off the call.

  “Why is that?” Minnie asked.

  “Because he repeatedly has asked me not to get involved. I do the exact opposite and he has to come here and help.” I plopped down on the sofa.

  “Yes, that would be annoying,” Charlotte said.

  She wasn’t exactly discouraging my behavior.

  She held up her hands. “Just telling the truth.”

  I massaged my temples. “So you’re sure you didn’t notice anything unusual when you checked the rest of the house?”

  “Not a thing,” Charlotte said.

  When a knock rattled the door I jumped again.

  “If you’re going to be this jumpy, then maybe you’re not cut out for investigating murders,” Charlotte said.

  I rolled my eyes and headed for the door. As soon as I opened the door, Dylan rushed in and hugged me. I practically melted into his arms. His embrace was comforting when I needed it the most.

  “Is this what you call PDA?” Minnie asked.

  Charlotte howled with laughter. From over Dylan’s shoulder I flashed them a disapproving glance.

  “Where’s the note?” he asked.

  I gestured toward the living room. “I left it on the coffee table right where I found it.”

  He stepped into the room and walked over to the coffee table.

  “That’s exactly where I found it,” I said. “I picked it up to read it and put it back again.”

  Dylan stared at the paper before pulling gloves from his pocket. Next, he took out a plastic bag.

  “He comes prepared,” Charlotte said.

  Minnie shrugged. “I guess that’s why he’s the professional.”

  “We’ll check for fingerprints right away. Unfortunately, I think it’ll probably turn up nothing, just like when we tested for fingerprints on the door. This person knows what they’re doing,” he said, placing the note in the plastic bag.

  “There were no signs of forced entry and no one is in the house. I had the door replaced and extra locks placed on the doors,” I said.

  “Cookie really has been investigating too much. She talks like Dylan now,” Charlotte said. “No signs of forced entry?”

  “Does anyone have a key?” Dylan asked.

  “Just my mother and Heather,” I said.

  “You should give him a key,” Charlotte said.

  Dylan and I hadn’t discussed taking our relationship to that level yet. Though I wasn’t against it.

  “Plus, I know they wouldn’t do something like this.” I pointed at the bag.

  “No, of course not.” Dylan released a heavy sigh. “This really is odd. I should have a look around outside.”

  I was at a loss too.

  “I told you he would take a look around,” Charlotte said.

  Dylan searched every room in the house, then outside as well, but returned having found nothing out of the ordinary.

  When he stepped back into the living room, he said, “Nothing odd or out of place that I can see.”

  “I could have told him that,” Charlotte said with a wave of her hand.

  “He’s the expert. If something is off he would have found it,” Minnie said.

  “Why don’t you stay at my place tonight?” Dylan asked.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Minnie said.

  “You think I’m in danger if I stay here?” A shiver ran down my spine.

  “It’s just that I know you’ll worry and not get any sleep,” Dylan said.

  “Cookie’s a creature of habit. She doesn’t like sleeping anywhere other than her own bed,” Charlotte said.

  I would argue with Charlotte, but she was right.

  “Would you want to stay here?” I asked.

  Dylan smiled. “Sure, I can stay with you.”

  Though I didn’t look at Charlotte, I knew she had a smile plastered on her face. I knew that the slightest noise would spook me. Dylan had his own place though. I couldn’t have him stay over every night. Though Charlotte would love that idea. She already had my wedding planned and I hadn’t even been asked.

  Chapter 17

  Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Clothing Shopping

  Wearing vintage can add a little fun or glamour.

  You don’t have to reserve wearing vintage for

  going out of the house. Try nightgowns,

  robes, or pajamas for a little vintage flair.

  The next morning, I made a little stop on my way to the shop. Dylan had left early. I’d made breakfast of pancakes with blueberry syrup. Nothing like starting off the day with a little comfort food. That didn’t mean I didn’t have a police escort though. Another officer from the Sugar Creek Police Department had followed me. I wasn’t complaining now. Not after finding the note in my house. I had surveillance cameras for the shop, but I decided I needed to add them to my home as well.

  When I pulled into the hotel parking lot, I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I had to know what Krissy and her boyfriend were up to. Since I hadn’t talked to them last night when I stopped here, I thought this morning might be different. Receiving that note had made me more determined than ever to find the killer.

  “Exactly what do you think you’ll discover by sitting here?” Charlotte asked.

  “I don’t know, but I find their relationship to be odd.” I stared at the hotel room door where they had entered last night.

  “It’s not the relationship that’s odd, they’re odd. Two odd people together make for an odd everything,” Charlotte said. “They are odd separately though. Add them together and it’s madness.”

  “That’s a lot of odd,” Minnie said with a laugh.

  “You can’t sit here all day,” Charlotte said.

  “I think they’ll come out for breakfast soon,” I said, not taking my eyes off the door.

  “Maybe they’ll order room service,” Charlotte said.

  “They don’t have room service here. Unless you count the vending machines around the corner,” I said as I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel.

  “Oh, here they come.” Minnie thrust her arm forward from the backseat, pointing.

  “Where?” I asked.

  “I don’t see them,” Charlotte said.

  Minnie sighed. “Sorry, that was just the tree branch moving with the wind.”

  Minnie was a bit excited. Movement from the right caught my attention. It wasn’t the couple, but someone else was behind one of the tall shrubs next to the building. She had shoulder-length brown hair. It seemed strange though, almost as if it was a wig.

  “What in the world is that woman doing?” Charlotte asked.

  “She’s acting odd, isn’t she?” I asked.

  “You could say that, yes.” Charlotte leaned forward in the front seat as if that would give her a better view.

  After staring for a bit longer I recognized the woman.

  “Do you know who that is?” I asked with excitement in my voice.

  “As a matter of fact, I do know who she is. What is she doing here?” Charlotte asked.

  “Who is it? I can’t see that well from back here.” Minnie leaned forward, placing her forearms on the back of the seat. “Plus, I don’t know as many people as you two.”

  Shanna Sizemore was sneaking around the hotel. Why was she trying to hide?

  “There is definitely something fishy going on here,” Charlotte said. “You should get to the bottom of it.”

  “This can’t be a coincidence. Do you think I should confront her?” I asked.

  Charlotte looked at me. “Yes, I think you should ask her just exactly what she thinks she’s doing.”

  Though this made me a bit nervous, I opened the car door and headed across the parking lot. Checking over my shoulder, I wanted to see if th
e police officer was still parked there and watching me. He was still there. How much trouble could I get into with the cop watching me? Knowing my luck . . . plenty of trouble. The ghosts walked with me as we neared the area where Shanna was hiding. She still hadn’t noticed that I was approaching her. That changed quickly though.

  Shanna peered up and our eyes locked on each other. For a second she was frozen. Her shocked expression and the terror in her eyes caught me off guard. Without saying a word she jumped up and took off around the side of the building. I ran after her, but when I reached the edge of the building she was already out of sight.

  “She sure does run fast,” Charlotte said.

  I peered around to see if I could spot her. She was nowhere in sight. I tried to catch my breath.

  The officer ran up behind me. “Cookie, are you all right?”

  This was a little embarrassing. I was used to doing crazy things with only the ghosts watching.

  “I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile.

  Though now I had to give him an explanation for why I’d been running and was out of breath.

  “I saw a suspicious-looking woman hiding in the bushes. So I decided to find out what she was up to.”

  “You should wait in the car just to be safe. I’ll have a look around for her. What does she look like?” he asked.

  She’d probably taken the wig off by now.

  “Average height with brown hair . . . maybe,” I said.

  He frowned.

  “I think she was wearing a wig,” I added.

  He nodded. “Okay, wait for me, please.”

  “He’s wasting his time. She’s long gone,” Charlotte said with a wave of her hand.

  Heading back to the Buick with the ghosts, we climbed in and waited for the officer to return. I hated sitting there and doing nothing. I felt as if I could be searching for Shanna. Plus, I still hadn’t gotten around to talking with Darrin.

  I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel again.

  “Will you stop that? You’re giving me a panic attack,” Charlotte said.

  “It is a little distracting,” Minnie added.

  She caught me watching her through the rearview mirror. I suppose tension was high and anxiety was spiked.