Текст книги "A Haunted Murder"
Автор книги: J. A. Whiting
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 9 страниц)
Chapter 15
The overcast morning was a pleasant respite from the week of hot, sunny weather and Lin hoped the cloud cover would remain for the day to keep the temperature a bit cooler. Before heading off to the first gardening job of the day, she drove to Anton Wilson’s house to drop off the family tree papers she’d borrowed in order to show Viv. She conveniently did not return the interior layout drawing of Viv’s house with the other information contained in the folder.
Just as her finger was about to push on the doorbell button, the door flew open causing Lin to let out a little gasp of surprise.
“You’re bright and early. Come in. Have a coffee? Some breakfast?” Wilson had an apron slipped over his head and tied behind his back. The smell of bacon floated on the air and Lin’s stomach growled.
“I don’t have time really. I just wanted to return the folder.”
“Oh, nonsense. A quick coffee and a muffin.” Wilson took the folder from Lin and turned for the kitchen. “Did your cousin enjoy seeing the family trees?”
“She did.” Lin followed the man into the kitchen where he poured her a steaming cup and indicated the sugar bowl and creamer. “We’d like to find out more about our ancestors. Viv would like to meet you someday.”
“That would be very nice.” Wilson set a blueberry muffin on a white plate and placed it in front of Lin. He turned the bacon over on the griddle and poured an egg mixture into the pan set on the stove burner.
“Do you always make a big breakfast?” She bit into the muffin packed with huge berries. Lin wondered if Wilson had noticed that the interior drawing of Viv’s house was missing from the folder.
Wilson used a fork to swirl the eggs in the pan. “It is the most important meal of the day, you know.”
Lin decided to ask the man some questions. “Did you know the man who was killed down at the docks? Greg Hammond?” Since Greg’s name was written on the paper Lin removed from Wilson’s kitchen table, she wondered how he would reply.
Wilson eyed Lin as he stirred the egg mixture. “I was familiar with him. I don’t believe we’d ever spoken though.”
“What do you think happened?”
“Someone wanted him dead.” Wilson scooped the eggs onto two plates. He placed one in front of Lin who was about to protest, but the man said, “You need your strength. You have a demanding job.”
Lin couldn’t resist the smell so she picked up the fork and dug into the eggs, hoping Wilson hadn’t poisoned them. “Did you know anything about Hammond? Why would someone want him dead?”
Wilson used tongs to remove the bacon onto a plate. His jaw set and he paused with the tongs suspended in the air. “Hammond was an unscrupulous man. He played a dangerous game.”
A shiver ran down Lin’s back. “What sort of game?” She laid the fork across the top of her plate.
“A game he had no business sticking his nose into.” Wilson returned to his task.
Lin’s eyes were wide. “What sort of game,” she asked again, her voice soft.
Wilson seemed to shake himself. “I am engaging in something I find distasteful. Gossip. I really didn’t know the man at all.”
Lin thought that Wilson seemed to know something about Greg Hammond. “You were on the docks the morning Hammond was killed? With Libby Hartnett?”
Wilson slowly raised his eyes and gave Lin a piercing look. “Mrs. Hartnett and I were visiting someone on the docks that morning, yes. Were you there as well?”
“No.” Lin shook her head. “I just heard some people talking about who may have heard something that day.” Her heart was pounding. She stood up from her seat next to the counter. “Did you hear anything when you were near Hammond’s boat?”
Wilson’s eyes were like pools of black ice. “Only the sound of the cool breeze rustling past.”
Lin’s heart thumped. “I’d better get to work.” She sidled around the historian and made her way to the front door. “Thank you for the breakfast.”
***
Still unsettled by her interaction with Anton Wilson, Lin pulled up to the home of her first client and saw a large white truck at the curb. Driving around to park in front of it, she saw “Hammond Landscaping and Design Services” written in black letters on the side of the vehicle. Wondering why someone from the landscaping company was at the house, Lin and her dog got out and walked past the truck. Scuba equipment lay tossed in the back bed.
At the rear of the home’s expansive property, Lin saw Bill, the manager she’d met at Hammond’s company who said he hoped to buy Greg’s business. He was standing next to the owner of the house. The two were going over some blueprints that Lin assumed must be plans for the back garden.
Carrying her gardening tool bag, Lin approached and called out a greeting.
Bill recognized her. “Oh, hi.”
The owner said a quick hello to Lin and then excused himself to go into the house.
“You’re doing some work here?” A shiver of unease slid over Lin’s skin when she saw creepy Leonard holding a notebook and a heavy measuring tape emerge from behind some tall ornamental grasses growing along a section of the lawn. He leered at Lin and gave her a crooked grin, before moving away to the other side of the property.
“We’re putting in stonework here for a patio.” Bill moved his arm in the air to indicate the shape. “A fire pit will be there and a pool and hot tub are going in on that side. We’ll be doing the stone pathways and area around the water features.” The man held out the paper with the design so Lin could look it over. He pointed. “There will be decorative lighting in these areas to enhance the evening experience.”
“It’s beautiful.” Lin tilted her head to the side. “How are things going? Have you completed the purchase of the business?”
“Nearly. It’s been pretty straightforward. I’m going ahead and lining up projects now.” Bill rolled up the design sketches. “You’ve been hired to take care of the gardens here?”
Lin nodded. “I bought a small gardening business before I came back to the island. It must be expensive to buy Hammond’s company, what with all that heavy equipment and the inventory.”
Bill chuckled. “I’d say so. I’ve been saving for a long time to have my own business. With Greg’s business up for sale, I decided to make a bid for his company instead of starting my own. Everything’s in place, so it makes the whole thing easier.”
Lin sighed. “Did you know Greg well? Did he have enemies?”
Bill’s eyebrows went up. “Not to my knowledge.”
“I just wonder what happened.” Lin gave a shrug. “You worked closely with him. Did he seem worried about anything? Distracted by something? Did he have financial problems?”
“We were just two guys working together. He didn’t confide in me. He seemed his normal self.” Bill packed the plans away in his briefcase. “Why so much interest?”
“It’s sad, that’s all. He was a fairly young guy. Cut down in his prime.” Lin made eye contact with Bill and he shifted his gaze away. She said, “You never know what can happen, I guess.”
“Guess not.” Bill picked up his briefcase.
“Do you scuba dive?”
The man gave her a strange look. “What? Why?”
“I saw some equipment in the back of your truck. Did you dive with Greg? I heard he liked to dive, that he liked to treasure hunt.”
Bill’s face hardened. “Where’d you hear that?”
“Just from people talking.”
“We went diving a few times. Greg enjoyed it. He went a lot. I didn’t know Greg to hunt for treasure, though.” Bill scoffed. “Someone you’ve been talking to believes in silly stories.” He looked across the yard. “Leonard. You about finished?”
Leonard nodded and headed toward Bill.
Nicky gave a low whine. When Lin turned her head in Leonard’s direction, a wave of chilled air hit her in the face and she saw the ghost standing expressionless at the corner of the patio. Lin had to stifle a yip of surprise and she quickly shifted her eyes away from the spirit.
“I better get to work,” Lin said. “Nice to see you.” She moved to the gardens closest to the house and started to weed and deadhead the flowers. Without looking up, she could feel Leonard’s foul gaze on her back as the two men left the property and headed off to the front of the house to their truck.
After thirty minutes of weeding, Lin stood and stretched her back muscles. A whoosh of cold hit her like the blast of frigid air when a walk-in freezer opens. She slowly turned around to see the eighteenth-century ghost standing about forty feet away from her.
Lin rubbed her hands on her shorts. “You should show up when it’s ninety degrees outside and I’m dying from the heat.” She bit her lower lip worried that using the word “dying” might offend the ghost, but he stood stoically staring at her just as he always did. “The cold breeze I get from you would be great on those hot days.”
Lin pulled on the hose and turned the handle on the water faucet. “Don’t you get uncomfortably warm wearing that jacket and starched shirt?” She pressed the handle on the hose sending a stream of water into the flower bed. “It would be nice not to have to talk to myself when you’re around.” She gave the ghost a quick look. “It would also be helpful if you could tell me what’s on your mind.”
The ghost stood quietly watching Lin work.
She put the hose on the ground. “My cousin Viv says I should ask you questions.” She turned and faced the apparition. “You’re Sebastian Coffin, aren’t you?”
The spirit held Lin’s eyes for a single second before becoming more and more transparent until he was gone.
Lin harrumphed and reached for the hose. “I’ll be sure to tell Viv that her idea didn’t work.”
Chapter 16
After a long day of gardening, Lin went home and showered and then she and Nicky walked to Viv’s house for dinner. Viv was bustling about in the kitchen when Lin walked in through the back door. The little dog greeted Viv and then darted into the living room to find Queenie.
Viv poured seltzer into a glass, garnished it with a slice of lime, and set it in front of the worn out young woman. “You look beat, but at least you’re clean.”
“I stopped home to shower and change first.” Lin yawned. “I thought I’d get used to the hard work by now.” She tipped the cold beverage to her lips and swallowed. “So did you talk to Libby this morning? Did you ask her what she meant the other day when she said that we shouldn’t let things get into the wrong hands? Did you ask what she was doing with Anton Wilson down on the docks the day of the murder?”
Viv looked sheepish. “I couldn’t get the nerve to ask her.”
“Viv.” Lin used a scolding tone.
“There were people all around this morning. I just never got the opportunity to question her without lots of other ears listening in.”
Lin’s forehead creased. “When she talked about the folder, do you think she was warning us not to interfere with something or was she trying to be helpful to us?”
“My first instinct was that she was being helpful.”
“But?”
“But maybe she wasn’t.”
Lin groaned. “What’s Libby’s connection to Anton Wilson?”
“I have no idea. He only rarely comes into the store. I’ve never seen them together.”
“Well, they were together the morning that Hammond was murdered.” Lin let out a long sigh. “And Wilson didn’t seem to like me questioning him about it.” She swirled the seltzer in her glass. “We need to talk to Libby. Do you know where she lives?”
“I know the neighborhood, but not the house. She works part time at one of the specialty shops in town. We could walk over there and see if she’s working. Dinner won’t be ready for an hour. Want to go now?” Viv looked like she hoped Lin would say they should visit the shop another time.
“Okay.” Lin drained her glass. “We also need to check out the attic. We can’t keep putting that off. We need to find out what the key from the cupboard opens.”
Viv turned the oven temperature down in case she and Lin were out longer than an hour. “Whatever that key opened is probably long gone by now.”
The girls left the house and headed down the brick sidewalks into the center of town where they branched off to one of the side streets. Passing a clothing shop and a bakery, they approached a specialty home décor store.
“I didn’t know this place was here.” Lin looked in the display windows on the way to the front door.
“It’s just as well. We can’t afford anything in here anyway.” Viv stepped inside with Lin following and the two pretended to browse the aisles and shelves.
A voice spoke behind them. “Hello, girls. You found the store, I see.” Libby folded some expensive linen pillow cases and placed them on a shelf.
Lin’s throat tightened. Was Libby expecting us?
“We’re out walking around town until our dinner is ready.” Viv smiled. She waited for Lin to handle the questioning.
“Did you keep those papers safe?” Libby made eye contact with Lin as she reached for another pillow case.
“I did.” Lin nodded. Her insides fluttered with unease. “This is a lovely store.” She tried to make small talk, but thought her voice sounded overly enthusiastic.
“Oh, yes. They carry beautiful things here. I think most people love to surround themselves with luxurious items and here it’s possible to pick up a few pretty things as a treat.” Libby finished stocking the shelf. “Is there something in particular you’re looking for?”
Lin wanted to say “Hammond’s killer,” but she just shook her head. “We’re just looking around.”
The three chatted for several minutes, and then Lin asked as innocently as she could, “Have you heard any news about the murder at the docks?”
Libby frowned. “There hasn’t been much in the news.”
“Are the townspeople talking about it? Does anyone have a guess as to what might have happened?” Lin was working up the courage to ask Libby why she was at the docks that morning.
“People are just making idle speculation, but no one knows anything.” Libby moved to a wooden case that displayed blue and white pottery.
Lin followed the woman. “Anton Wilson told me he was at the docks with you that morning.”
“Did he? And what did he say we were doing?” Libby arranged the display of pottery pieces that had been moved around by some of the customers.
“Visiting someone.”
The corners of Libby’s mouth turned up slightly. “Who did he say we were visiting?”
“He didn’t mention a name.” Lin thought that the older woman was toying with her. “Did you happen to hear anything when you were near Hammond’s boat that morning?”
“Just the sound of the cool breeze rushing past.” Libby smiled sweetly.
Those words are similar to how Anton Wilson answered that question. Now Lin was sure that Libby was toying with her and her blood started to boil. “I don’t think a murder is something to joke about.”
Viv’s eyebrows went up wondering why her cousin seemed so annoyed.
“Neither do I.” Libby’s face was serious. “I certainly wouldn’t joke about someone’s death.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Things aren’t always as they seem, Carolin.”
Lin’s mind was racing. Why did Wilson and Libby give the same answer when she asked them what they heard on the morning of the murder? Did they plan their responses? If they did, why did they? Lin was so confused that she didn’t know what to ask. “I need some air.” She turned quickly and strode to the door. Once outside, she sucked in a deep breath.
A man’s voice spoke behind her and Lin jumped.
“Hey there, Missy.” Creepy Leonard from Hammond Landscaping stood a foot away from her. An unpleasant odor like he hadn’t showered in days emanated from the man. His greasy hair hung over his dark, beady eyes. Lin’s breath caught in her throat and she had to steel herself to keep from recoiling.
Leonard took a step closer. “I been lookin’….”
Just then, Viv stepped out from the store’s front door. Leonard flicked his eyes to her, hesitated, and shuffled away without finishing his sentence. “Have a nice night,” he mumbled.
Relief washed over Lin as she watched the man move away from them.
Viv frowned. “Who was that? What did he want?”
Lin told her where she’d met Leonard. “He makes my skin crawl.” She linked her arm through her cousin’s and they walked along the streets heading back to Viv’s house. Forgetting about running into Leonard, Lin ranted about what was going on. “Wilson and Libby both used the very same phrase when I asked them about that morning on the docks … ‘just the sound of the cool breeze.’ What does that even mean? Did they conspire to use the same sentence? If they did, why would they do that? Did they have something to do with Hammond’s death? They say things, but I feel like their words mean something else.”
Lin stopped short.
“What?” Viv asked, cocking her head.
“Something flickered in my mind.” Lin blinked. “But I lost it.”
Viv sighed. “I hate when you do that.” She looked over her shoulder worried that creepy Leonard might be following them. “Let’s go.” She tugged on her cousin’s arm.
The girls hurriedly walked the final three blocks to Viv’s house.
Chapter 17
Viv and Lin ate their dinner on the deck. The full moon created a silvery patch of light on the backyard lawn. Nicky darted around the property line sniffing and running under bushes enjoying the pleasantly cool evening air.
“That dog is nuts.” Viv sipped from her glass of lemonade.
“The heat knocks him out so when the temperature drops he gets a burst of energy.” Lin raised a forkful of chicken marsala to her mouth. “This is delicious, by the way.”
When the main dish was finished, the girls nibbled on cookies dusted with confectioner’s sugar and spread on top with dark chocolate.
“I can’t get Libby and Anton Wilson out of my head.” Lin sighed. “Not being able to understand them and how they’re connected to the murder, or not, is driving me crazy.”
“Give it a rest. You’ve been thinking too hard. You need to give your brain a break.” Viv reached for another cookie. “I’m worried that no one has been arrested. I’m afraid the police will talk to me again and suspect me of the murder.”
Lin’s heart fluttered with worry. It wasn’t possible that the police could arrest Viv. Could they? “Let’s get these dishes cleaned up. We need to try and find out what the antique key from the cupboard opens.” She leveled her eyes at her cousin. “We’re going up to the attic. If you don’t want to go, then I’ll go by myself.”
After cleaning the pans and loading the dishwasher, the girls climbed the staircase to the second floor and entered the larger of the two bedrooms. “That’s the door to the attic.” Viv pointed to a small door on one of the walls. “The ceiling is slanted so you have to hunch over.”
“You mean we have to hunch over.” Lin reached for the latch and pulled the door open. She knelt down and peered inside. Queenie and Nicky sat beside her eager to see what would happen. “Is there a light?”
“There’s a bulb hanging from the ceiling. There’s a long string. It’s just inside the door on the left.”
Lin leaned in and flapped her hand around until she felt the thin string. “I’ve got it.” The light flicked on. “There’s a lot of stuff. Do you know what’s up here?”
“No.” Viv had her arms wrapped around herself. “And I don’t want to know.”
“I’m going in.” Lin scooted into the attic space waddling like a duck. She moved forward and stood up as much as the ceiling would allow.
“I’m waiting out here.” Viv sat down on the bed.
“I don’t know what you’re afraid of.” Lin called from inside the cramped space.
“For one thing, I dislike small spaces. Number two, it’s full of cobwebs. Three.” Viv paused. “I can’t remember the third reason.”
Lin ignored her. “There’s some old furniture. A rocker. A dresser.” Lin tried the drawers to see if any had keyholes in them. “These don’t lock though.” She shuffled further into the attic calling out the items she came across. “Nothing has a keyhole.” Lin’s tone was exasperated.
She continued to edge around the attic space checking the items that had been stored trying to find something that required a key to open it, but she came up empty. Her lower back ached from the hunched position she had to maintain. “I’m coming out.” She scooted to the door and edged into the bedroom being careful not to hit her head on the low doorframe.
The bedroom light was off. Viv was still sitting on the bed, but her straight posture seemed slightly stiff. Her head was turned away from the attic door towards the open window. Queenie was perched on the sill and Nicky sat next to Viv on the bed, his head facing the window.
“Viv?” Lin stood up.
Viv wagged her hand in the air gesturing for her cousin to stay back. “Don’t come close unless you scrunch down,” she whispered. “I turned off the bedroom light so I could see better.”
“What’s going on?” Lin kept her voice down. She slowly advanced to where Viv sat on the bed in the dark.
“I glanced out the window and some movement caught my eye. I think someone is down there slinking along the bushes.”
Lin’s throat tightened. “Could it be your neighbor?”
“It’s definitely not my neighbor.”
“Where is he? Can you still see him?” Lin attempted to move nearer to the window but was impeded by her cousin grabbing the back of her T-shirt.
“Whoever it is will see you if you get too close,” Viv warned.
“If one of us doesn’t get closer, we won’t get a good look at whoever is out there.” Lin slid across the wide pine floorboards on her hands and knees. Slowly she rose up so her head was next to the side of the window. She squinted. “I see him. At least, I think it’s a him. He’s walking around the shed.”
Nicky whined and Queenie gave a low growl.
Lin could hear her cousin suck in a breath. Viv asked, “Should we call the police? Is he going to steal my bike?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t call the police since they’ve questioned you about the murder. You don’t need their attention on you. Anyway, I don’t get the sense this guy is here to steal your bike.”
“What sense do you get from him?”
Lin’s eyes widened and she straightened.
“Scrunch down. He’ll see you,” Viv warned.
“He’s behind the shed now. I can’t see him and he can’t see me. But I do see something else.”
Lin’s words caused Viv to freeze in her sitting position. She stopped breathing for a few seconds. “Is it a.…”
Lin didn’t answer.
The eighteenth century ghost stood near the property line staring up at the window at Lin’s small oval face peering down at him. His usual translucent appearance was enhanced by the shimmer of moonlight through his body. The thought that the man looked ghostly popped into Lin’s head and she rolled her eyes at herself. He looks ghostly because he’s a ghost.
“It’s the ghost, isn’t it?” Viv’s voice was weak. She sounded like she was going to pass out. “Why is he prowling around my yard?”
“He’s not. He’s just standing there.”
“Well, he was prowling around by the bushes.”
Lin made a face at her cousin. “Viv, you can’t see ghosts. You saw a human out there skulking around. A live human.”
The ghost turned and looked towards the shed. A scuffling sound could be heard. Lin craned her neck to see. A man, his face shrouded in shadow, emerged from the back of the shed, bent, and pushed through the bushes on the property line where he slipped into the next yard.
Lin made eye contact with the ghost as he faded away. She sat back on the floor. What was that all about?
The girls spent ten minutes speculating about the intruder. Lin was about to get up from the floor when the doorbell rang and both girls jumped.
“Who can this be so late at night?” Viv’s voice shook as she stood and hurried to where Lin sat on the floor.
Lin looked up at her cousin. “Can you see the front door from any of these upstairs windows?” She stood.
Viv shook her head. “You can’t see the front door from up here.”
Lin glanced out of the side window to see if the ghost might have reappeared. “Then let’s not answer.”
The bell rang again. The dog whined.
Viv clutched at her cousin’s arm with a trembling hand.
“We don’t need to answer.” Lin tried to calm Viv. “When we don’t respond, the person will leave.”
The whites of Viv’s eyes were bright in the darkness of the room. Her lip quivered. “What if they’re trying to see if anyone is at home and if no one answers, they’ll break in?”
Lin let out a long breath. “Then we’ll block the bedroom door and call the police.” She moved to the threshold of the room so that she could better hear if the front door was being forced open. “Go to the window and watch in case the person moves around to the back of the house.”
The girls waited for fifteen minutes. There were no more rings of the bell. They ventured down the staircase and Viv slowly opened the front door with Lin standing right behind her with the fireplace poker held like a baseball bat ready to strike. The dog and cat perched on the staircase ready to spring.
No one was there. The quartet went from room to room looking outside from the windows. They stepped onto the deck to check the rear yard.
Lin lowered the poker. “Maybe it was some drunk leaving town. He got disoriented and thought he knew who lived here. It was probably a mistake that he rang your bell, realized his error, and went on his way.”
Viv looked skeptical. “Was that a drunk messing around in the bushes near the shed, too?”
Lin didn’t have an answer. She hoped it was the same guy. Just someone who wandered into the yard, confused about where he was due to having too many drinks at a bar in town.
The girls stood quietly for a minute.
“You want to sleep here tonight?” Viv had a hopeful expression on her face.
“Yup.” Feeling too jumpy to go home, Lin was grateful for the invitation.
As the girls were about to walk upstairs to make up the bed for Lin, Queenie and Nicky turned around on the staircase and headed back up.
“Our helpers.” Lin looked at the animals and smiled.
Exhausted and worried, Lin followed Viv up the stairs, not believing for one second that the prowler was just a drunk from town who stumbled into the wrong yard.
