Murder Can Haunt Your Handiwork

by Rose Pressey

  don’t want to wake up and find you’ve parked

  too close to the garbage dumpster.

  Analyzing the painting I’d just finished, I realized that I should check that specific section in front of the estate. Maybe that was part of the clue. Had Ellen and her killer been at that section at some point? I felt it meant something important that I had painted that particular spot, and the skeletons had showed up outside the window, too.

  When the craft fair was over for the day, I packed up my supplies and headed off for that section of the estate. Luckily, Mr. Vanderbilt could tell me exactly where to find it.

  “It’s just down that way.” He pointed.

  “Is there any significance to that spot? Do you know what’s there?” I asked.

  “It’s not part of the public tour. I believe they use it for office space,” he said.

  “Interesting. So the employees would definitely have been there,” I said.

  “Yes, most definitely,” he said.

  I couldn’t wait to get there. I just hoped that I found someone who was willing to cooperate and possibly give me answers. I stopped just shy of the building when I saw a couple of employees talking. I’d never seen the women before, so at least they wouldn’t know me. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I darted behind a nearby blood-red rhododendron shrub.

  “What are you doing?” Mr. Vanderbilt asked.

  “I panicked. I don’t know what to say.”

  “You’d better say something, because you have to find out more about this section of the estate.”

  “I know, I know. Let me think,” I whispered.

  “Just be honest. Tell them that you’re investigating the murder,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  “Sometimes people don’t like that. They won’t talk or don’t want to be involved. I have to think of something clever,” I said.

  “Well, I certainly don’t know what it would be,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  “I don’t either. That’s why I’m hiding behind this bush.”

  “You have a good point,” he said.

  I peered out at the employees from behind the branches. A few seconds later, the women stopped talking, going separate ways.

  “You lost your chance,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  “I know. I messed up.”

  “What will we do?”

  “Maybe I can just go peek in the windows and see what’s in there.”

  “You better hope you don’t get caught. They’ll kick you out, and you won’t be able to sell your paintings.”

  I knew that was a real possibility, but it was a chance I was willing to take. After a few more seconds, I got up enough nerve to step out from behind the bushes.

  “What exactly do you think you’re doing?” a male voice asked from over my shoulder.

  Spinning around quickly, I almost fell back into the bushes.

  “Pierce?” I asked. “Why did you scare me like that?”

  “He moves quietly like a cat, doesn’t he?” Mr. Vanderbilt said. “How does he do that?”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “What am I doing here? I think the better question is what are you doing hiding behind the rhododendrons?” Pierce asked.

  “That’s a valid question. If I answer that, will you answer mine?” I asked.

  “Certainly,” he said.

  I explained what I’d discovered and my thoughts on my findings.

  “I thought we were working together.” Disappointment lingered in Pierce’s words.

  “Don’t be upset, chap,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  Too bad Pierce couldn’t hear Mr. Vanderbilt’s words of comfort.

  “We were, until you thought I couldn’t handle myself,” I said.

  “I never specifically said that,” Pierce said.

  “You didn’t have to say it,” I said.

  “I hate to see you two fight. Can’t you get along?” Mr. Vanderbilt asked.

  “Can you forgive me?” Pierce asked with a pleading gaze.

  “How can you say no to that face?” Mr. Vanderbilt pointed.

  I couldn’t say no to that face.

  “All right. Don’t do it again, okay?”

  “You’re back in business.” Mr. Vanderbilt clapped his hands.

  “I can take care of this. I’ll just tell the employee that I’m with the police department and that I need to see the video,” Pierce said.

  “But that’s deceptive,” I said.

  “Only if they ask. Technically, I am with law enforcement, and I need to see the video,” Pierce said.

  Mr. Vanderbilt laughed, which of course made me laugh, as well. Pierce laughed, too. Then I sensed someone watching us, which broke up our laughter. Soon, I noticed a random male employee standing by the door. They were everywhere around this place. He stood at attention like a soldier. With his cropped salt-and-pepper hair and broad shoulders, he seemed more like a drill sergeant. Pierce and I must have appeared crazy for standing there, laughing behind the shrubbery.

  “This is our chance. I can’t wait to talk to him,” I said, gesturing with a tilt of my head.

  “All right. Let’s do this.” Pierce stepped out from behind the bush, and I followed him.

  With an unpleasant taste in my mouth, and my stomach shaking worse than Grammy’s off-balance washing machine, we headed out on our mission. I had to admit it was a bit exciting, although I wasn’t sure I could handle this kind of stress all the time. Pierce and Caleb dealt with this on a daily basis.

  The employee realized we were walking toward him. His panicked expression told me that he wanted to run away. But since we were staring right at him, he knew he was stuck. So much for this man seeming like a drill sergeant.

  “Excuse me, sir,” Pierce said.

  The man grimaced.

  “Yes? The tour starts over there.” He pointed.

  Pierce pulled out his badge and flashed it at the man. The employee eyed the shiny badge.

  “I’m with the police department. We were wondering if this is the area where we would see surveillance video.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, we turned over everything to the police already,” the man said.

  I felt as if my balloon had just been poked.

  “What will you do?” Mr. Vanderbilt asked.

  I wished I had an answer for that question.

  “There may be something we missed,” Pierce said.

  If we didn’t see film from the day of the murder, how would we know what we were searching for? How would we pick a day? We couldn’t view months’ worth of footage. Did Pierce know what he was doing? I was seriously having doubts.

  “Sure, okay,” the guy said weakly.

  I was just as skeptical as he was.

  “What day would you like to see? I have to narrow it down to a time so that I can pull that up for you.”

  “Does Pierce know what he’s doing?” Mr. Vanderbilt asked.

  Apparently, we were all questioning Pierce’s moves. Did Pierce sense the skepticism from us? When Pierce stared at me, I realized he had no idea what he was doing. And neither did I.

  “Somebody had better say something soon,” Mr. Vanderbilt said in a singsong voice.

  I sifted through a million thoughts in my mind. I had a feeling that the murder hadn’t been planned for a super long time, so viewing the day before should be enough.

  “We’d like to see the day before, please,” I said.

  I sure hoped this was the right idea. The chances of us finding anything were slim.

  “Do you have a specific time? Or do you want the whole day?” he asked.

  “We’d like to see the whole day,” I said, trying to sound confident.

  “All right. Well, it might take me a bit,” he said.

  “We have time,” I said.

  The man headed into the building, leaving me alone with Pierce—and Mr. Vanderbilt, of course.

  “Thanks for saving me,” Pierce said. “I was a bit frazzled there when he asked.
I couldn’t think straight.”

  “It happens to the best of us,” Mr. Vanderbilt said as he patted Pierce on the back, but his hand went right through.

  Pierce glanced back as if he felt it. I didn’t mention that there was a ghost touching him. I didn’t want to freak him out even more. He was already flustered from our conversation with the employee.

  “We’re going to be busy today watching this video,” Pierce said.

  “Well, I have a little bit of time. Of course, I have to get back to the craft fair. And I assume you do, too. By the way, how are things going?” I asked.

  “It’s going okay,” he said.

  He didn’t sound that confident. I wondered if that were true.

  “Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked.

  I wasn’t an expert at craft fairs, but I had a couple of them under my belt.

  A couple of seconds later, the employee returned. “Here you go.”

  “That was a lot faster than I thought,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  Pierce took the tiny zip drive from him. “Thank you. We appreciate the help.”

  “Yes, thank you,” I said.

  “No problem. Anything I can do to help solve the murder. It’s a tragic thing that happened,” he said.

  “One thing before we leave,” Pierce said. “Were you here the day of the murder?”

  “I wasn’t here that morning, but I have worked with Ellen and saw some things that made me wonder.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “Well, she had an argument with Tasha Kenmore recently. Tasha was an employee who worked here.”

  “I’m familiar with her,” I said.

  Pierce observed me out of the corner of his eye. I bet he was surprised to know that I had a few details that he may not be privy to. I had a few things up my sleeve, and I was proud of that. Maybe I wasn’t such a bad detective, after all.

  “They had an argument?” I asked.

  I wanted to know all the details.

  “Yes, they argued. I wasn’t sure what it was about. Just that they definitely were arguing. Their hand gestures, and the way they stormed off, gave it away. I was inside the building, watching out through the window, and saw the squabble. I couldn’t hear what was said.”

  Too bad. If only he had heard what words were exchanged. At least I’d confirmed they had been arguing. That was a step in the right direction. The fight gave Tasha the motive for murder.

  “Do you think she had something to do with Ellen’s death?” I asked.

  “Tasha?” he asked with a smirk.

  The expression on his face let me know that yes, he thought she might be involved.

  “It’s possible, but I wouldn’t want to accuse anyone.”

  “No, of course not,” I said.

  “Thank you for the information,” Pierce said, shaking the man’s hand.

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “I hope you can locate the killer. It’s put a black cloud over the Biltmore. People are afraid to be here, thinking that the murderer is still around.”

  Yes, I could tell by the slow influx of people at the craft fair.

  “We’re doing our best,” I said.

  Pierce smiled as we turned to walk away. “You’re really good at this. You have a way with people. Getting them to open up and talk when they might not otherwise want to say anything or be involved.”

  “I guess it’s a knack,” I said.

  “I told you she was good at this,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  “We can get my laptop and check this video.” I pointed.

  “We might be in for a long night,” Pierce said.

  “I think he’s okay with that,” Mr. Vanderbilt said with a smile. “I’d say he was going along with this just to spend time with you. You know you’re not going to find anything on that video.”

  Mr. Vanderbilt had a way of making me blush.

  * * *

  Pierce and I sat in my trailer with my laptop in front of us. The surveillance video was pulled up on the screen. Pierce sat close to me. Of course, that was the only way, since the place was so tiny, and we both had to see the screen.

  “What a cute couple,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  He wasn’t helping matters.

  “We can skip through the parts where no one is here, right?” I asked.

  “Maybe. If we don’t find anything on the other hours, we can go back to this. You never know what you might find when people think no one is watching.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that,” I said. “But you’re right. Do we need snacks for this? Can we fast-forward through it?”

  I had a lot of questions.

  “Snacks would be good,” Pierce said. “I suppose as long as we keep our eyes glued to the screen, we can fast-forward.”

  “He doesn’t sound happy about that,” Mr. Vanderbilt said. “I think he wants to watch as slowly as possible to get the maximum time with you.”

  I ignored Mr. Vanderbilt’s comment as I grabbed a bag from the cabinet. “I hope you like pretzels.”

  “Perfect,” Pierce said.

  I grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the tiny fridge and sat back down next to Pierce. We watched in silence for a bit as he scanned through, fast-forwarding. Several employees walked back and forth across the camera angle. It was nothing unusual. Until Pierce stopped when we spotted Ellen. She stood in front of the building, checking her watch as if waiting for someone. Only a couple of seconds had passed when Tasha approached.

  “Oh, this could be something. It confirms what the drill-sergeant-lookalike employee told us,” I said.

  Within seconds, the women were in a heated exchange. The employee had been right. This was proof that something was amiss between the two. If only we could figure out what.

  “Tasha needs to answer some questions,” I said. “I’ll have to go back to the diner to speak with her.”

  “You talked with her?” With an arch of Pierce’s right eyebrow, the small scar became more noticeable again.

  “That’s where she works. I saw her talking with Stan Knowles before I went inside the diner to confront her.”

  Pierce paused the video. “Wait. You talked to her at the diner?”

  “That’s right, but I didn’t find out much. I have more questions for her, though. She isn’t the friendliest, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I think I get what you mean. Her behavior doesn’t surprise me, since she was fired from the estate. Maybe she can’t get along well with others.”

  When a knock sounded at the door, I almost fell out of my chair.

  CHAPTER 20

  Travel Trailer Tip 20:

  Don’t forget to relax and enjoy time with

  family, friends, and nature around you. It’s

  okay to take a break from your murder

  investigation now and then.

  It wasn’t only the knock that had startled me, but Mr. Vanderbilt had screamed. I supposed he was a bit on edge with everything that was going on at the estate.

  “Who could that be?” I whispered.

  “I’ll check for you,” Pierce said as he got up from the chair.

  I followed him as we moved to the door, which only took a couple of steps. Pierce peeked out the window. A chuckle escaped his lips.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  When he opened the door, I realized why he’d laughed. Caleb seemed surprised, to say the least, to see Pierce open the door.

  “Hi, Caleb,” I said.

  Why did I feel guilty as if I’d done something wrong? Caleb remained speechless for several seconds.

  “I was just stopping by to check on you. Now I see you are doing well.” Caleb eyed Pierce.

  “We were just reviewing surveillance video,” I said.

  Caleb shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “Did you find anything?”

  “We did,” I said excitedly. “Tasha Kenmore and Ellen were fighting the day before her murder.”

  He s
crunched up his face, as if he had no clue who I was talking about.

  “Tasha was an employee here who was fired for stealing. Maybe Ellen confronted her about stealing, and Tasha had to get rid of her.”

  “It’s a very good theory,” Caleb said. “Did you speak with anyone about this?”

  “The other day I spoke with Tasha, but that was before I had this information. Now I’m going back.”

  Caleb stared at Pierce. “I suppose you’re going with her.”

  “The thought has crossed my mind, yes,” Pierce said.

  “Well, let me know if you need any help,” Caleb said.

  I knew Caleb wasn’t all right with this. Maybe when I found the killer, he would realize that it had been for the best.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I’ll let you all get back to whatever you were doing,” Caleb said. “I have a few things I need to catch up on.”

  I wanted to say more, but the words didn’t come. Caleb turned and walked away.

  “Bye, Caleb,” I called out.

  He tossed his hand up over his shoulder. Now I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “That was sad,” Mr. Vanderbilt said.

  Yes, it was sad. Tears formed in my eyes, but I had to hold it together in front of Pierce.

  “I suppose it’s getting late,” I said. “Maybe we can go tomorrow to the diner.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Pierce said. “I’ll meet you here at your trailer after the fair is over.”

  “Okay, that sounds good,” I said.

  Pierce stepped out of the trailer. He turned to face me before leaving. “You’ll call me if you need anything, right?”

  “Absolutely,” I said with a smile.

  He studied my face for a bit longer before turning to walk away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Celeste.”

  A rustling noise made me spin around. I’d thought for sure someone was walking up behind me. No one was around, but my heart had certainly gotten a jolt. Not to mention it felt as if someone were watching me. Perhaps they were hidden by the night or lurking behind a nearby tree.

  “Is anyone out there?” I called out.

  No one answered, but I hadn’t expected a response. I wouldn’t search for the person, either. I was brave, but not stupid. Of course, I was on edge, so maybe my mind was making something out of nothing. It could have just been the wind. A breeze carried across my skin with a delicate touch. Yes, it had to have been the wind. So why did I still have an uneasy feeling?