Christmas by the Sea (Haunting by the Sea Book 6)

by Kathi Daley

  “Do you know the cause of death?”

  “Not yet. The medical examiner is working on it. Holly doesn’t appear to have any visible injuries other than bruising on her cheek, so we can eliminate obvious causes such as shooting, stabbing, and blunt force trauma. I’m afraid this might be a tough one to solve. A victim who was able to tell us what happened would really help. I don’t suppose that a ghost might have shown up?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I can go back to the spot where the body was found and take another look around, but I didn’t sense anyone when I was there.”

  “And Alyson?”

  “Seems to be unavailable at the moment.”

  “If it isn’t too much trouble, I’d love it if you would meet me at the house Holly was living in. The roommates all claim that she never called for a ride and never came home, but the easiest explanation is that she did go home, and one of her roommates killed her and then dumped her body. I figure if she died in that house, then maybe her spirit is still there.”

  I glanced at the Santa House. It would be there tomorrow, and this seemed important. “I can do that. Trevor and I are in town. Just give me the address.”

  After I filled Trevor in, we stopped by my house, checked on the dogs, confirmed there were no puppy piddles to find, and let them out to run. I knew my mom would be home soon, so I texted her about the puppy, and she agreed to let him out when she got home. Since he had just peed, I decided it was probably safe to give him the run of the house with the other dogs.

  Trevor and I then headed to the address Woody had given me. When we arrived, Woody’s car was already in the drive. Trevor and I joined him.

  “Is anyone here?” I asked.

  “No. The roommates are all at work. I told them I was coming by to look through Holly’s things and have permission to enter. I didn’t explain that I was bringing a ghost whisperer along, but I suppose that’s something they don’t need to know.”

  “Okay. Let’s head inside.”

  Once we entered the house, I paused and looked around. The place was a total mess. There was garbage on the floor, dishes in the sink as well as on every available countertop, and laundry was piled almost to the ceiling in the laundry room. What did these guys think was going to happen? The housework elves would come by at night if they just left everything where it landed. I really didn’t see how anyone could live like this.

  “Anything?” Woody asked after I had walked around for a moment.

  “No. Not yet. It might be better if I look around alone. Maybe you and Trevor can wait here, and I’ll take a walk around and see if anyone shows up.”

  “Fine with me,” Woody agreed.

  I decided to start upstairs. If the woman we’d found in the woods had been killed in this house and her ghost was indeed trapped here, I figured she would be more likely to make herself known if there weren’t a lot of people around.

  “Holly,” I said as I walked through the house. “My name is Amanda. If you’re here and can hear me, I’m here to help you.”

  I walked slowly through the structure, entering each room as I continued to speak. The house was actually nice beneath the filth. It had five bedrooms, four baths, a large living room, a den, a country kitchen, and a formal dining area. The bedroom that I decided must have belonged to Holly was clean and organized, as was the adjoining bath, but the rest of the house was a pigpen. It looked as if the tenants of the other four bedrooms were all male. I had to wonder how Holly had come to live with them.

  After I had entered and searched every room, I headed back to where Trevor and Woody were waiting. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Holly’s ghost isn’t here. To be honest, I’m not picking up on any sort of vibe that would indicate violence has occurred on the property. Is there anything else we can help you with?”

  “No. Thank you for taking the time to look around.”

  “If you change your mind and decide you do have something else we can help with, just call,” I offered.

  After Woody left, Trevor and I chatted about it and decided we’d missed our window for the skating pictures and would have to get them tomorrow. We still wanted to eat and maybe grab some photos of the lights in town but decided to stop off at our respective residences to change and clean up a bit before heading to dinner. Of course, once we arrived at my place, Mom was home, and the warmth from the cozy fire, combined with Christmas jazz, a fully decorated room, a bottle of wine, and a cheese and olive tray, had me suggesting that maybe we just stay in this evening. Trevor wanted to change his clothes even if we were staying in, so he headed home, promising to pick up some food on his way back.

  “This is so nice.” I laid my head on Mom’s shoulder. Tucker, who was laying on the sofa next to me was snoring softly while the puppy was sleeping in front of the fire with Sunny.

  “It really is. I’ve missed this since you went off to college, and we no longer lived together.”

  “Me too,” I said. “Were there any puppy accidents when you got home?”

  “Not a one, which leads me to wonder why a housebroken puppy would be living alone in the woods. It makes sense that he might have wandered away from home, but if that’s true, why isn’t someone looking for him?”

  “I don’t know,” I responded, narrowing my gaze. “I really thought someone would have called the shelter by now.”

  “He’s an adorable puppy and so well behaved. I can’t believe that someone would have just dumped him.”

  “Unfortunately, it does happen, but he looks healthy and well-fed, so maybe we’ll get a call tomorrow.”

  “Have your plans for tomorrow changed?” Mom asked.

  “No. Not unless a ghost shows up. So far, I don’t feel like I have a role in this investigation.”

  “You did find the body,” she pointed out.

  “That’s true.”

  “It is such a shame,” she said in a soft voice. “A real tragedy. The poor girl was younger than you are. She’d barely had a chance to get started on life.”

  “I know.” I gave Mom’s hand a squeeze. I could sense that talking about the dead girl was upsetting her, so I changed the subject and asked about the Christmas Carnival meeting.

  “It was productive,” she shared. “There’s still a lot to do and such a short amount of time to get it all done, but I’m confident we will pull it all together in time.”

  “I remember when we lived here before, and you were the chairwoman, and everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” I chucked.

  “Don’t even say such a thing. The last thing we need is for this year’s event to go the way that one did. Talk about a disaster.”

  “It wasn’t all that bad.” I tried to sound encouraging. “Yes, there were bad moments, but it all worked out okay.”

  “You almost died,” she reminded me.

  “Yes, I guess there was that. But I actually have fond memories of that Christmas. In fact, I think it was one of my favorites.”

  Tucker lifted his head and looked toward the door. Always the watchdog. “It sounds like Trevor is back. I wonder what he brought to eat. Even though I’ve been nibbling on the cheese, I’m still starving.”

  As it turned out, Trevor brought enchiladas and Chile Rellenos from the Mexican place. He picked up sides of refried beans, Mexican rice, and chips and salsa. It was actually the perfect meal for a cold and snowy night. We set everything up buffet style, we each made a plate and ate in front of the fire.

  “I ran into Woody while I was in town,” Trevor said after we’d all gotten our food.

  “Did he have an update?” I asked.

  “We were standing in line at the restaurant picking up food, so he didn’t want to get into it, but he did say he had new information to share. I mentioned that we planned to have dinner here, and he said he’d call you when he had the chance.”

  “It’d be nice if he could get the case closed quickly,” Mom said. “I’m afraid that given the ambiguity of the cause of death, there are going to be a lot o
f rumors circulating once word gets out.”

  Trevor got up and served himself another chicken enchilada. Once he took a scoop of rice, he sat back down. “We discussed the fact that it seemed likely, given the location where the body was found, that someone accessed the mountain using a four-wheel-drive vehicle via the old jeep trail and dumped her after she was already dead. We know that Holly had been dropped off at the bar and needed to find a ride home. Woody spoke to the roommates, who all swear she didn’t call them, so we’re assuming she found someone else to give her a ride. What if Holly came up the mountain with whoever offered her a ride? Maybe it was someone she’d been dating, and they planned to see the lights and make out. During this make-out session, Holly became angry for some reason and left the vehicle. Maybe the guy had crossed a line of some sort, and she wanted to make it clear she was having nothing of it.”

  “But it was freezing. It seems foolish to wander out into the snow to escape a handsy date,” I pointed out.

  “That’s true, but if Holly had been drinking heavily, she may not have even realized how cold it actually was,” Trevor argued.

  “Trevor makes a good point,” Mom said. “If this young woman did access the mountain via the jeep trail and had been drinking heavily, it seems believable she might have left the vehicle she voluntarily arrived in and simply froze to death.”

  “If that’s what happened, then it seems like whoever just left her there is to blame for what happened,” I pointed out. “I guess we’ll know more once we have the official cause of death.”

  “Maybe her cause of death is the news Woody has to share,” Trevor suggested.

  After we ate, Mom volunteered to clean up while Trevor and I took the dogs out for a walk. Unlike Holly, we bundled up like we were going for a stroll in the North Pole.

  “Are you going to keep the puppy if you don’t find his owner?” Trevor asked.

  “I guess I will. I’m hesitant to get too attached at this point. He appears to be in good health and well-fed, so it’s unlikely he’s been on his own for too long. He seems to be a sweetie, and he gets along with Tucker and Sunny.”

  Trevor took my hand in his while we walked. “Maybe you should give him a name.”

  “Not yet. I’m going to make a few calls and maybe put up some fliers out at Dooley’s Farm and in the neighborhood on the other side of the mountain. If we don’t find the owner in a few days, I’ll name him. For now, I think calling him puppy is fine.”

  “Personally, I like Cooper. Coop for short.”

  “I like Cooper,” I agreed. “If I do end up keeping him, I will definitely consider that name. I’ll need to check with Mac. I sort of remember her mentioning an ex named Cooper. I wouldn’t want to bring up bad memories every time I call the dog.”

  Trevor twisted his lips. “I thought I knew about all of Mac’s boyfriends, and I don’t remember a Cooper but maybe. It’s a good idea to ask her. Will she be home tomorrow?”

  “I think she’s coming home tomorrow afternoon.”

  Trevor stopped walking. We paused to look out over the sea. “So, what are we planning for tomorrow?”

  “I thought we’d pick up where we left off with the photos. I need the interior of the Santa House, the ice skating rink, the downtown area after dark, and the big tree in the park. If we have time, I’d like to get some kids sledding and maybe some scenes with families drinking hot cocoa.”

  “Sounds like a full day.”

  I nodded. “It will be, but it will be fun as well.”

  Trevor turned, so we were face to face. He slid his arms around my waist. “I’m really glad we could be together this Christmas.”

  “I’m happy about that too.”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about that last Christmas we were all together here in Cutter’s Cove before you went back to New York. Back then, in that moment, I really thought we’d share all our Christmases together, but we didn’t.”

  “No,” I admitted. “We didn’t.”

  “But we’re together now.”

  I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. “We are together now. What do you say we make up for all the Christmases we missed and make this the best one we’ve ever had?”

  “I’m on board for that.”

  I pulled Trevor’s head toward mine. When our lips tentatively met, I leaned in to deepen the kiss. I really didn’t know what the future had in store for us, but in this moment, on a snowy night overlooking the sea, I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be.

  Chapter 5

  Woody never called the previous evening, so I supposed he might have gotten tied up with the investigation. I figured I’d get up, grab some coffee and breakfast, and if I still hadn’t heard from him, I’d give him a call. Trevor planned to come by at ten, so we could resume our photo gathering. Many of the photos I wanted to capture needed to be taken at dusk or even after dark, but the interior of the Santa House, along with photos of daytime activities such as snowman building and sleigh rides, could be taken at any point in the day.

  “I guess the first thing I need to do is take you all out for a quick run,” I said to the three dogs who were looking at me with expectation in their eyes. So far, the puppy hadn’t had any accidents. I considered that to be a good sign.

  I pulled on heavy pants, a thick sweater, and heavy boots. My jacket, hat, and gloves were downstairs, so I headed in that direction. It didn’t sound like Mom was up yet, so I left a brief note and headed out the door. I couldn’t believe it was still snowing. Not a lot, just flurries, but for some reason, the little frozen flakes drifting through the air made me crazy happy.

  I’d spent some time thinking about Alyson last night and decided to try calling her again. In the beginning, when I’d first come back to Cutter’s Cove, she’d lived exclusively on the outside, a parallel life of sorts to mine. Once I’d made the commitment to stay in Cutter’s Cove rather than returning to New York, she’d begun to integrate with the part of my essence I considered to be me. Initially, she’d show up frequently on the outside, even if it was just to chat, but the longer I stayed in Cutter’s Cove, the less frequently she appeared as an external entity.

  The fact that she wasn’t showing up now even though I’d called for her had me wondering if at some point the reintegration of my two parts would be complete and she would cease to appear as a separate being altogether. Initially, that was what I’d wanted, but now that we’d spent some time working together, it seemed obvious that having a part of myself that could go where I could not was really convenient at times.

  “Alyson, if you can hear me, I’d really like to speak to you,” I said aloud. “I realize we don’t have a ghost to help at the moment, but there has been a death.”

  I waited, but she didn’t show. I tried a few more times and finally decided to give up. I supposed if Trevor and I did move our relationship toward a place where intimate relations would be part of the package, it might be nice not to have to worry about Alyson popping in and out of my life. Even just talking to Alyson about Trevor felt awkward and weird the few times we’d discussed her obvious crush on him. Maybe it was time for the two of us to become one. I really couldn’t imagine how this would work in the future.

  I’d just called the dogs so we could turn around and head back to the house when my phone buzzed. It was Woody.

  “Hey, Woody.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to call you last night. Things got sort of crazy, and before I knew it, it was too late to call.”

  “No problem. Do you have news?”

  “Holly had a significant amount of a drug that works as a hallucinogen in her system when she died. The official cause of death is still under investigation, but the medical examiner did say that the drug could be a contributing factor.”

  “So, are we thinking she took the drugs voluntarily?” I asked.

  Woody blew out a breath. “I don’t know. She could have died as the result of recreational drug use, or she could have been dose
d without knowing about it. She had whiskey in her stomach, but not much else. If she’d been drinking and doing drugs, that could have led to her death. It’s also possible that someone slipped the drugs into her drink.”

  “Maybe she died due to drug use, but she didn’t walk up the mountain where I found her in heels,” I pointed out. “Someone has to have dumped her there, which in my mind suggests foul play rather than an accident.”

  “I agree. I’m working from the idea that she was murdered and dumped, but at this point, I don’t have a lot to go on. If she was killed, chances are she was killed by whoever she met up with after Cartwright left the bar to check on the break-in.”

  “Someone must have seen something.”

  “I agree. I just haven’t managed to track down that someone yet.”

  “You’ll figure it out.”

  “I hope I can catch a break soon. Both her mother and her grandmother are breathing down my neck to find the killer.”

  “Do they live in town?”

  “No. They live in Tennessee.”

  “And did they know if she had a history of drug abuse?”

  “They both insist that while she has been known to smoke a little marijuana, she would never take hard drugs, and therefore she must have been dosed by someone who either intended to kill her or at the very least intended to cause her harm. I’m afraid that if she did simply OD on her own, I may never be able to give these women the closure they’re looking for.”

  “You are in a tough spot,” I admitted. “If I hear anything, see anything, or even just think of anything you haven’t already thought of, I’ll be sure to give you a call.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  After I clicked off, I continued toward the house. By the time the dogs and I arrived, Mom was up and had coffee made. I still had some time before Trevor would arrive, so I decided to go through the photos I’d taken yesterday and select the best ones to transfer into a file from which I’d choose the photos to be used in the contest. I kissed Mom good morning, poured myself a cup of coffee, and then headed upstairs to the studio I’d set up. I uploaded the photos to my computer and began to sift through them.