Case One ~ The Deceit (Trudy Hicks Ghost Hunter Book 1)

by Lori Zaremba

  Chef Patty even taught Chelsea how to carve a rose out of a radish. Patty told her that since she did such a good job, she asked her to make one hundred and twenty more. She didn’t mind, as one of her favorite places in the house was the kitchen, not only because of Chef Patty, but also her new best friend.

  Vanessa hired Jana James to assist in the kitchen. Chef Patty recommended her because they had worked together at a busy diner. Jana was three years older than Chelsea and quick-witted. She had a couple of boyfriends who she would sneak out with now and again, and since she slept in the bedroom next to Chelsea’s, had the best bedtime stories to tell. She was a hard worker, and Connie said both girls more than earned their keep.

  The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the first guest and causing Chelsea to squeal with delight.

  She stood proudly next to Leo and carried armful after armful of coats, furs, and cloaks to the closet.

  She made sure not to drag any on the floor.

  She smiled and curtsied just like Connie had shown her.

  The people were beautiful in all their glitter. She had to keep busy, or she would find herself staring at all the ladies dressed to the nines in beautiful dresses and shiny jewelry. The men wore black tuxedos with white vests and gloves and carried a variety of canes. Chelsea kind of thought the men resembled penguins she saw with Chase and Vanessa at the zoo.

  Piano music filled the house, providing background to the many conversations, continuous laughter, and the clink of glasses. Later, after dinner, several more musicians would join the piano player, and the music would become louder and livelier.

  Everyone got really quiet when Vanessa made her way down the stairs. Her dress was the most exquisite of them all. A deep royal blue, it seemed to shimmer with every graceful movement she made. She wore a headdress that matched, and diamonds dangled from her ears, throat, and on her wrist.

  She was as beautiful as a princess in one of Chase’s fairytales.

  Chelsea sighed as she recalled Nathan on the bottom step waiting for her to descend into his arms.

  She watched as they danced until the wee hours of the morning.

  Theodore, who was Vanessa’s brother, was there with his pretty wife, Gloria. She overheard the couple telling Vanessa that they were going to have a baby. Vanessa was over the moon with the news.

  It was a magical night for everyone. Chelsea recalled that Nathan had invited Connie to dance with him. She giggled because Connie had said she felt like she was floating on air.

  Once all of the guests had gone home, and all the garments were returned to their rightful owners, Chelsea started up the stairs wearily.

  She heard a murmur of voices in the study. Curiosity made her go and see who might be in there. Peeking around the corner, Chelsea enjoyed the image of Nathan putting a ring on Vanessa’s finger. Nathan caught sight of her small form and called out. He summoned her to come closer.

  “Chelsea, Madame Vanessa has agreed to marry me.”

  “Hooray!”

  Both Nathan and Vanessa burst out laughing.

  She didn’t know why, but the news made her so happy.

  “Go on, Sunshine, go on up to bed. You worked hard this week.” Vanessa hugged her, and Chelsea almost burst at the seams from the love she felt in that moment. Vanessa gave her a little push toward the door, encouraging her to go and find her bed.

  Chelsea detoured to the kitchen for a glass of milk. After washing her glass, she went up the back and forbidden stairs, careful to skip over the burned or missing treads, knowing Miss Connie would smack her if she realized she still used these stairs. It was roped off and deemed dangerous after the whole stairwell was on fire a few years back.

  Vanessa said she would have them replaced next spring, not wanting to expose the house to the cold Chicago winter, as the contractor said he would have to open everything up to rebuild the stairs.

  Chelsea made it safely to her room. She changed into a woolen nightgown and tumbled into her little soft bed that still smelled fresh from yesterday’s laundry. She enjoyed a good night’s sleep and dreams full of dancing princes and princesses.

  The days following the party were spent putting the house back in order and preparing for the trip to Chase’s grandparents’ home upstate. Chelsea was excited that she would be going along.

  She had never been anywhere, and a trip such as this seemed like a magical journey to her. She was sad Jana and Chef Patty wouldn’t be going. She would miss them a lot while she was away.

  Vanessa told her she was going because she was the Mistress’s Dog Walker. She did love to spend time with Caesar, and he seemed to like being with her as well, even finding his way to her bedroom at night so he could sleep with her on her tiny bed. She was also in charge of keeping him out of sight and out of trouble, as Mrs. Holland was terrified of dogs.

  Vanessa provided her with two dresses to take along, as well as new undergarments and shoes. She felt very important.

  She packed the items carefully in the small suitcase Connie had given her.

  She also packed a couple of the pretty handkerchiefs Connie had taught her how to embroider. She was no longer allowed to blow her nose on her sleeve.

  She shut the suitcase and declared herself ready to go.

  The day they were to depart on their journey arrived with heavy clouds that promised snow by evening. Chelsea awakened to a bustling household that was preparing for the four-hour trip north.

  Connie and Leo were at the market for supplies, while Frank was fueling up the two cars needed to get them to their destination. Chef Patty and Jana left early in the morning to stay with her sister for a few days and help with her new baby. Connie and Vanessa sent along blankets, diapers, and baby clothes for a newborn girl, along with a card and a gift of money.

  “Babies cost lots of money,” Connie had said the day before. “The best baby gift is a pocket full of cash.”

  With the house empty, Vanessa was up in her room on the third floor, finishing up packing while Chelsea occupied Chase with Caesar in the library on the second floor.

  Hearing a violent pounding on the front door, Chelsea immediately felt the dread.

  She could see through the sidelights of the massive front door that it was the scary man who parked his car down the street. “What could he want?”

  She bent over to pick up Chase, who struggled, as he wanted no part of it. Sneaking over to the steps that led up to the third floor with the squirming child in her arms, Chelsea called up to Vanessa, not sure if she should answer the door.

  Vanessa, once she realized who was pounding at the door, ordered the maid to stay out of sight with Chase. If anyone came up the stairs, she was to lock the door.

  Chelsea thought about Vanessa seeming so calm, like she expected the scary man to show up at the door.

  The banging came again, waking the slumbering Caesar, who had been worn out from all the rough and tumble play with Chase earlier.

  Chelsea almost fainted when she saw Vanessa pick up the mean-looking shotgun Leo had provided for her several weeks ago.

  Cracking the door open so she could see what was happening below, she held tight to Caesar, as he was now snarling. Chelsea looked back into the library and thanked the good Lord above that Chase had fallen asleep on a stack of pillows by the hearth.

  She watched as Vanessa, with the gun in her hands, walked toward the steps, and just as she reached the landing, the front door burst open. There stood the big, scary man with eyes the color of the storm clouds, and with him was a smaller, less scary man, who wasn’t much bigger than she was.

  Chelsea felt her knees go weak, she was so scared, and the pit in her stomach warned her this situation wouldn’t end well. Holding on for dear life to a very disturbed Caesar, she knew she must remain strong. When the man had the nerve to step over the threshold, Vanessa raised the shotgun, pointing it toward the men’s feet.

  The scary man bellowed, “Vanessa, I have come for my son. Put down that dam
n gun!”

  What son? Did he mean Chase?

  “Douglas, go away!” She inched the barrel higher and hollered, “How dare you come into my house with these accusations?”

  Chelsea could see Vanessa’s arms shaking from the weight of the gun.

  The other man spoke, his voice a high-pitched whine. “Vanessa Holland, I have legal documents here requesting an examination that will prove that Chase is Douglas’s son.”

  Chase? Chelsea stole another glance back at the sweet-tempered child, sleeping without care. There was no way he could be the scary guy’s child.

  Vanessa took a step forward. “Who the hell are you?” Her voice was almost a whisper, but the man below could hear her loud and clear.

  “I am Eric Gallow, Mr. Thorton’s attorney.”

  Vanessa stood silently, and Chelsea wondered why Vanessa wasn’t speaking. Maybe she was giving up.

  Leaning forward to get a better understanding of what was going on, Chelsea was startled when Vanessa screeched, making Chelsea’s grip on Caesar weaken.

  “Murderer…murderer! You killed Carlson!”

  Douglas turned toward Eric, questioning him.

  The little guy put his boot on the bottom step as if he intended to walk up toward Vanessa.

  “You bitch!” His voice was so high pitched, and it was the last straw for the tormented dog. Caesar used his heaving muscular mass to free himself from Chelsea’s arms.

  She could no longer hold Caesar back, and he burst through the library door and charged down the steps. The little guy realized Caesar was coming for him, screamed, and ran down the hall to the safety of the basement. Chelsea heard the door slam and Caesar barking ferociously.

  Vanessa glanced in her direction, her face as white as a sheet, but she gave a little smile, letting her know they would be all right.

  Chelsea didn’t share her enthusiasm.

  Instead, she wanted to go to the library, lock the door, and curl up in a ball with Chase, but she knew Vanessa needed her.

  “How dare you!” Vanessa had regained her composure. “How dare you bring this murderer into my house? Your claim that Chase is your son is riddled with conjecture.”

  Chelsea said a prayer as she heard the scary guy speak in a low voice that sent shivers down her spine.

  “Vanessa, call off your damn dog,” he bellowed.

  “Only if you leave my house and never return.”

  Chelsea watched as Vanessa walked down a few more steps with the gun aimed directly at Douglas.

  “Vanessa, put down the gun.” His voice was smooth as cold steel. “I will go, but this is far from over.”

  “Douglas, Chase isn’t yours!” Vanessa now pleaded. Chelsea could hear the anguish in her voice. “Please don’t believe the lies of that covetous and cruel little man.”

  She sobbed and lowered the gun an inch or two.

  Chelsea could see the scary guy’s, or Douglas’s, expression change in his confusion.

  “He had his boyfriend kill Carlson, all because he couldn’t handle rejection.” She wailed with tormented sorrow.

  “What are you saying, Vanessa?” He spread his arms wide.

  “I am telling you that your Mr. Gallow had his boy kill Carlson!” Taking a deep breath, Vanessa’s voice was clear and loud.

  Chelsea could see the confusion on Douglas’s face as he considered what Vanessa was saying.

  “Please, Douglas, I don’t want this fight.”

  “Vanessa, I have to know.” His voice was almost pleading.

  “Douglas, if you ever loved me at all, you will drop this.”

  Vanessa lowered the gun another few inches and descended a few steps.

  Douglas lowered his head to hide the tears that touched his cheeks.

  Vanessa took a hesitant step and went to take another, but this time her foot landed on Caesar’s forgotten red rubber ball, and with a scream of terror, she lost her balance.

  Everything happened so fast, yet it seemed in slow motion, allowing Chelsea to see every painful detail.

  “I heard the scary man yell for Vanessa, as both her feet flew up in the air.”

  The gun exploded as Vanessa hit the first step. It was pointed toward the ceiling before she rolled on to her side. The bullet must have severed the line of the chandelier.

  Chelsea heard the fibers screech one at a time as they began to unravel.

  Vanessa tumbled down the steps, propelled by the force of her descent, cracking her head and apparently breaking her neck along the way.

  The chandelier immediately crashed to the foyer with a loud blast, landing on Douglas, who had stepped forward in a blind effort to help Vanessa.

  Both the chandelier and Vanessa landed on the foyer floor at the same time.

  Chelsea could see Vanessa’s twisted body lying at the bottom of the steps. Caesar came over to rest next to Vanessa. He placed his big head over her heart, seeking comfort.

  She couldn’t see Douglas under the chandelier, but she knew he was dead by the amount of blood that spread over the white marble floor.

  She didn’t know what she should do, so she screamed and screamed…until Connie and Leo came home.

  It was horrible; Connie cried like a baby. Chase woke up and was screaming for his mommy. Caesar snarled and growled at anyone who tried to come near Vanessa.

  Chelsea was finally able to lure him away with patience and determination.

  Leo and Frank worked hard to calm everyone, even though they could barely keep calm themselves.

  It was some time later when Connie read the documents Douglas had brought with him, and whatever the papers contained made her cry all over again.

  Chelsea let them know that there was a man in the basement. Leo said he was dead and that his weak heart must have given out in fright.

  Leo and Frank buried the men’s bodies in the coal cellar while Connie and Chelsea scrubbed the blood from the floor. They didn’t want any scandal to hurt Miss Vanessa’s legacy or Chase…poor little boy.

  They called the morgue for Miss Vanessa. They told the examiner that she fell on the dog’s toy. They lied and said the chandelier fell the day before when they were lowering it to do some repairs.

  They had picked up a million crystals and were still finding them weeks later.

  That day changed everything. The Hollands arrived and took Chase to live with them at their home upstate. Mr. Wilcox came and told the staff that he would be putting the house up for sale in six months and that we were welcome to stay until then.

  Everyone stayed for about a month.

  Leo and Frank found other jobs, and Miss Connie made plans to move south to live with her sister.

  Chef Patty worked at another house in the neighborhood, and Jana ran away. Chelsea never knew to where.

  Chelsea stayed to take care of Caesar; no one wanted him. After that day, he was never the same. He missed Chase and Vanessa terribly, and he turned mean, snarling and growling at everyone, only allowing Chelsea near him.

  Connie helped her prepare for a life without her, as she knew she couldn’t take the child and the dog to her sister’s small house in New Orleans. She gave Chelsea five hundred dollars from the money Vanessa had left her and a letter of recommendation so she could find employment, giving Chelsea instruction on what she would need to survive in the house and beyond. Connie knew there was no way Chelsea would give up the dog to get a full-time position in another house. She also knew Caesar would protect her if she had to once again live in the streets.

  Chelsea knew she would have to be very frugal with the money and spend it only on necessities for Caesar and herself. She found a perfect hiding place for it in the rafters above her room.

  She did find a part-time job as a seamstress downtown but had to remain in the house because even though she tried, no boarding home or apartment would allow the big, cranky dog.

  Connie boarded a train headed toward New Orleans the day after a letter arrived announcing sweet little Chase had died in
an accident. Connie didn’t say a word, she just left, leaving behind most of her belongings and a confused and sad Chelsea.

  At first, Chelsea was afraid, but after awhile she and Caesar did all right, Mr. Wilcox kept the lights on, and daily a man would come and fill up the coal furnace so the pipes wouldn’t freeze, and with plenty of blankets and quilts, they slept warmly enough in Chelsea’s little room.

  The duo lived in this part of the house, being very low key, coming and going out the secret back stairway so no one would discover them and toss them out onto the street. Making a little kitchen in Jana’s old room, she stored her canned goods and utensils in there. She kept milk and perishables hidden in the cold cellar but hated going down to the basement because the scary guy was sometimes there watching her.

  Chelsea could feel his anger, and that had her running to the safety of her room on many occasions, sometimes forgetting her milk.

  The girl and dog stayed through the rest of winter, then spring and summer, and before Chelsea knew it, winter had arrived once again.

  Mr. Wilcox put the house up for sale that winter, but it didn’t seem like anyone was interested in purchasing it, so Chelsea and Caesar continued to live hidden in the servants’ quarters.

  Sometimes she was a bit lonely, but she eventually made new friends with some of the people she worked with, even being invited into their homes for a warm meal now and again.

  She rarely visited the main floor of the house. It was too sad. However, every once in a while, she would visit Vanessa’s room so she could see what she looked like in the big wardrobe mirror.

  Connie had donated all of Vanessa’s clothing and made sure the Wilcoxes got all her beautiful jewelry. Chelsea did find a forgotten pair of shoes in the back of the wardrobe. She was overjoyed that they fit, and she loved to dance up and down the third-floor corridor and in the attic.

  Everything was fine until one morning when she and Caesar were heading out for their usual walk.