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

by Lori Zaremba

  Leslie rested her forehead against the window, staring out at the farmland racing by the van. “She would have grown up to be an amazing woman,” she whispered.

  Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Leslie’s phone.

  While she spoke in hushed tones to whoever was on the other end, Trudy still thought about Chelsea, then Raul, and finally wondered about Nathan.

  He loved Vanessa so much that after her untimely death he just couldn’t bear to stay in the United States, moving back to Paris and finding someone to spend his life with. He married and raised a family; he had survived.

  Her thoughts turned to the dream she had of Douglas and Vanessa with Chase and Chelsea. The love she felt between them confused her because it seemed like in life they had fallen entirely out of love with one another, even to the point they despised one another, and that hatred had ultimately lead to their demise.

  Trudy, not only in her personal life but her previous occupation, knew quite well that there was a fine line between love and hate. She recalled the many crime scenes where a man sobbed over the dead body of the woman he claimed to love more than anything, all the while still holding the weapon he murdered her with in his bloody hands.

  By all accounts, Douglas loved his wife Abigail, and he had admirable loyalty to her. Trudy was also sure Vanessa loved Nathan and would have made an excellent life with him.

  Her dream confused everything. Maybe the love Douglas and Vanessa had shared was much more profound than they revealed…soul mates, perhaps. They found each other in the afterlife, and it was dazzling, joyful, and it gave her hope.

  She also thought of the beaming Chelsea and the sweet Chase.

  That dream blessed her for a reason, and that was how she would always remember them.

  She took a deep breath and could almost swear she caught a familiar whiff of lilac perfume.

  She was still deep in thought when Leslie said goodbye into her cell phone, shaking Trudy from her musings.

  “I got us our next assignment, Trudy Hicks.” Leslie leaned back in her seat after turning down the radio.

  “Oh, yeah?” Trudy gave her a skeptical glance while she navigated through traffic to reach the on-ramp of the Ohio Turnpike.

  “Do you remember Vincent De Luca?” Trudy drew a blank. “You know, the doctor who was at the Johnsons’ dinner party?”

  Trudy recalled the handsome doctor, tall, dark, and in his mid-forties. She smiled thoughtfully at the memory of the distinguished man who just couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Leslie.

  She raised a brow.

  “Yes, we exchanged numbers,” Leslie said, “but not for the reason you’re thinking. Vincent bought an inn on the Jersey shore with his daughter Maggie.” Leslie explained that Maggie had been managing luxury hotels all over the country for the last several years and now wanted a project she could sink her teeth into. Something she could call her own.

  They purchased an inn located on the bluffs between Ocean City, New Jersey, and Atlantic City. Built in 1911, it had originally been a summer home for one of Philadelphia’s most prominent residents. Through the years, it had gone from a residence, then became a personal care home, then divided into apartments, and eventually turned into an inn back in the late 1990s.

  “How many rooms does it have?” Trudy asked, nervous it may be too large for her small crew to investigate.

  “A lot.” Leslie winked at her.

  Trudy determined that if she did this investigation, she would have to hire a few more investigators for sure and get a few more stationary cameras.

  She made a few more mental notes while she waited for Leslie to continue, and when she remained silent, Trudy smacked her on her arm.

  “What seems to be the problem with the place?”

  Leslie looked up from the text she was sending. “Oh, sorry, I was just texting Vincent.”

  Trudy laughed. “Oh, yeah, didn’t you just get off the phone with him?”

  Leslie gave her a wicked smile.

  She continued revealing that everything was peaceful until they started demolishing the inn from top to bottom in preparation for a total remodel.

  “Vincent says he has seen a young blonde girl and heard weeping. They hear a woman’s voice singing, and there’s something very unsettling about the yard where an old caretaker’s cottage once stood. Maggie has seen and heard so much more. Just last week Maggie was ready to go bankrupt and walk away from the project.”

  “Did they do any research on the inn, to learn more about previous residents?” Trudy pulled the van into a parking space at a rest stop.

  “He said he was sending someone next week to the local library and courthouse to do some legwork for us.”

  “For us?” Trudy couldn’t help but laugh. It was not that long ago Leslie was against the whole ghost hunting idea, almost boycotting her efforts. Now she was scheduling jobs, and from the sound of it, agreeing to do them on Trudy’s behalf.

  Leslie unlatched her seatbelt and reached down to grab her purse from under the seat. “I seriously hope you’ll take this job, Trudy.”

  Her persistence caused Trudy to raise her eyebrows. “I bet you do!”

  “I know Paul Johnson gave you and Jason a great recommendation.” Leslie knew that two could play this game.

  “Jason?” Trudy’s heart did a quick flip.

  Leslie tucked away a smile. “Yeah, because the place is so large, he wants surveillance as well.”

  Trudy enjoyed a moment of dumbfounded elation before sobering and turning to shut her door, locking the van while Leslie put Jasmine on her leash. They walked toward the rest stop, happy to stretch their legs.

  Trudy realized her friend was now in full matchmaker mode, and it wouldn’t surprise her at all if she found out Leslie was the one who recommended the good doctor also hire Jason.

  “Vincent will be calling you on Monday. You can shore up the details then.” When Trudy didn’t respond, she joked, “Please just let me know the dates in advance so I can work on my tan and buy a new bikini.” And that earned her a swat on the behind.

  Trudy realized that soon enough she may be doing some matchmaking of her own.

  Once they got back in the van, Trudy decided to share the dream she had with Leslie. The usually skeptical Leslie, who typically would question everything, sat in stunned silence.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” Leslie asked while buckling her seatbelt. “I’ve been so damned worried.” There was a glistening of tears in her eyes.

  “Chelsea is no longer alone,” Trudy said simply, buckling her own seatbelt.

  She checked the time on the dashboard of the van, knowing Dana and her friends would have gathered in the mansion by now, preparing to help Vanessa, Chelsea, and everyone else cross over.

  “They are on their way home…together.”

  Chapter 22

  Trudy pulled her car into the alley behind her Bethel Park home and turned into her small driveway. She avoided the overturned trashcan that both Aaron and Patrick had not bothered to put away.

  She parked outside the garage because it was much too full of equipment and the work van to fit her car. She heard the low hum of music and, looking up at the window for the apartment above the garage, realized that Patrick’s classes must be over for the day.

  After the investigation, he told Trudy he would like to take classes in forensic studies. Trudy was pleasantly surprised and encouraged him.

  Grabbing the bags of groceries and her tote from the back seat, she made her way along the walk that led to the back porch. She smiled at the little patch of lettuce she had planted when she returned from Chicago and was delighted to see it was almost ready to start harvesting. Growing beside the salad greens was a tidy row of spring onions.

  Her raised beds were all cleared and mulched for planting. She was only waiting now on Mother Nature and the promise of no more frost to get the rest of the garden growing.

  She unlocked the back door wi
th her free hand and walked into her cheerful kitchen. Putting the groceries on the table, she looked at the clock on the wall, thankful she had a good bit of time to prepare dinner before Aaron arrived home from practice. She couldn’t remember if he was at hockey or baseball practice, as his schedule was as crazy as hers.

  It had been three weeks since she returned home, and she had been on the run since. She had been busy working on some local investigations, as well as doing a lecture on paranormal research at the local library. Trudy was able to hire a freelance investigator from that event, as well as another cameraman, who had worked with a TV ghost hunting team. Both had substantial experience in the paranormal, and both were just a little on the weird side, which made them perfect in her eyes.

  She also was interviewed by two publications, one in Chicago and the other here in Pittsburgh. Both were interested in her work, writing about how she solved the Vanessa Holland case.

  She was receiving emails and calls every day from people who either needed help with their paranormal situations or just curious about her line of work.

  Trudy considered her business carefully; she didn’t want it to take over her life and her time with Aaron. She also didn’t want to lose sight of herself like she had done while on the force.

  So she treated herself to some downtime with a massage, body waxing, and resumed her workouts at Cousin Louie’s Gym. She realized after the altercation at the abandoned house that she wasn’t in her best fighting form. Not that she expected to do battle often, but if needed, she would be ready.

  She hobbled in her uncomfortable boots up the stairs to her bedroom to change clothes. The room calmed her as soon as she entered it. After she and Michael divorced, she donated the bedroom suite they shared and started from scratch. Now modern traditional and calming, the walls were painted a dove gray, and the white panel furniture was a perfect contrast. The floors were gleaming dark hardwood, and a pale linen spread that belonged to her grandmother graced the bed. She loved the art that she selected with Leslie’s help. They fondly called the collection “lovers.” It was large and small framed black and white prints of lovers enjoying life, and if she squinted, the lovers could look a little like her and Jason.

  Chuckling, she padded to the closet to slip on a pair of loose-fitting cargo pants after she tossed the high heel torture boots that she had worn that day into the closet and slid her aching feet into her favorite hot pink slippers. She selected a thick hair band from her vanity to push back her hair and headed back down to the kitchen.

  She unpacked the groceries and started getting the ingredients organized to make meatballs.

  She thought about the upcoming Jersey job she’d agreed to do with some pestering from Leslie. She decided that with some careful budgeting, it could turn out to be very profitable to her bottom line, which had been in the red since she started the business. Trudy scheduled it for mid-June, as that was the best time for both Jason and Dana. Leslie cleared her schedule as soon as she learned the dates.

  She knew from speaking with the new members of her team that they were excited for this to be the first job working with her and were getting their lives in order as well.

  She was also considering several other locations, one in Connecticut, and one in New Orleans.

  Switching on some music, selecting alternative rock on the satellite radio, Trudy poured a glass of wine before giving her hands a good scrubbing. Clean hands made the best meatballs.

  She knew Aaron would be happy, as other than Taco Bell, spaghetti and meatballs was his favorite meal.

  She made enough meatballs to fill three sheet pans and put them in the oven to brown.

  Her cell phone rang from the counter behind her, and she saw it was Jason. She once again left it to go to voicemail. She spoke with him more than a dozen times since she been home and missed him more and more every day. She sighed. She wasn’t good at this stuff, pining away for a man.

  Their lives were so busy separately that she didn’t see this relationship going anywhere. Part of her already decided that it may be better to end it now, and hopefully forget how unbelievable it felt to be held by him, and make love with him, or be in the vicinity of him.

  Snarling as she heard the alert on the phone indicating that she had a voicemail, Trudy swallowed the wine in her glass, forcing it past the massive lump in her throat before pouring more.

  She tossed the minced garlic in olive oil and sautéed it in a pan before adding the homemade sauce she had canned last fall.

  Trudy decided maybe she was just meant to be single for the rest of her days. She thought about the men she had dated unsuccessfully since she and Michael had divorced.

  Trudy rolled her eyes as the list of dates took her less than a minute to recollect and downed the rest of the bottle.

  The baking meatballs and the simmering sauce smelled heavenly, pulling her from her musings and back to the task at hand. A little tipsy, she added some of the meatballs to the sauce and made magic.

  She had just put the large pot of water on to boil when she heard Aaron come through the basement door with the usual clatter. He took the basement steps two at a time and brought his girlfriend Shelly and his best friend Dante along with him.

  Trudy threw more meatballs into the sauce, then considering the growing boys, she decided to add a few more.

  “Mom, that smells so good.” Aaron then asked, “How soon are we eating?”

  She looked over at the three hungry faces. Shelly was Aaron’s girlfriend as of last week, even though they had been hanging out as friends since last year. She was a cute brunette with wide blue eyes. Trudy noticed she highlighted one portion of her hair a deep purple. Trudy snickered to herself. She knew Shelly’s super conservative parents probably just loved that.

  Shelly must have sensed Trudy’s thoughts because she announced she needed to call her mom to let her know she would be eating dinner here.

  Trudy put the teenagers to work setting the table while she made the garlic bread. Cranking up the music when her favorite Metallica song, “Enter Sandman,” came on, Aaron rolled his eyes when she played air guitar and used her wooden spoon as a microphone. She was having too much fun and didn’t pay him any mind.

  The doorbell rang, and Aaron was visibly relieved to answer it. She was so busy singing off key with Shelly and Dante holding their hands over their ears, she was caught totally by surprise when she heard someone coming down the hall toward the kitchen. She was now singing—screeching—all the while draining the pasta in the sink.

  She sang, “Yeaha!” and lifted the pasta and turned to pour it into the waiting bowl and prepared to belt out another note when she looked up, almost dropping the colander full of spaghetti.

  “Jason?”

  He stood there grinning from ear to ear. Trudy poured the pasta into the bowl before switching off the music. She felt that her face was beet red.

  “Wow, what amazing vocal skills you have,” he scoffed, causing Aaron to raise his eyebrows at him. Both Shelly and Dante burst with merriment.

  “I wasn’t expecting you.” She wiped her forehead with her dish towel, dressing the noodles with some of the sauce in the pan.

  “I tried calling to let you know,” he teased her as if he knew she was second-guessing their chances.

  She wiped her hands and took a moment to walk over and hug him. She let go sooner than she wanted to introduce Jason to Aaron. They shook hands, and she noticed Aaron wore a befuddled expression on his face while he looked Jason over.

  “Aaron, Jason helped with surveillance on the investigation in Chicago.”

  “Cool,” he said before lowering his guard and bombarding Jason with questions about the technology he used.

  Shelly asked if she should add another place setting. Both Jason and Aaron said “yes” at the same time, making Trudy laugh and feel a bit relieved.

  A knock on the kitchen door didn’t surprise her as Patrick poked his head around.

  “You have enough for
me?”

  Trudy hugged him and told him, “Always.” She grabbed the place settings while Jason and Patrick shared a chest bump and talked forensics.

  She told everyone to take a seat while she sliced the garlic bread and allowed Jason to carry the massive oval bowl brimming with spaghetti to the table.

  She noticed Aaron let Jason sit opposite her at the head of the table.

  Everyone held up their plates at the same time, and she happily piled them high.

  They dug in.

  Trudy leaned back with her glass of wine and a smile while listening to Jason banter back and forth with the boys about Detroit being the official hockey town. They laughed and carried on, all while eating copious amounts of meatballs.

  “These are the best ones yet, Mom,” Aaron said around a mouthful.

  “Oh, yeah, you think so?” Even though she made the meatballs the same way every time.

  Her heart did the usual flip as Jason caught and held her eyes. He gave her a nod of appreciation as he lifted his wine glass.

  They worked as a team to clear away the dishes, and when the kitchen was sparkling clean, Trudy sent Patrick back to the garage apartment with a small care package containing spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread.

  Aaron announced he and Dante were going to walk the three blocks to accompany Shelly home. He came over and hugged her and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Don’t be too late. Your dad’s picking you up early tomorrow.”

  Aaron reminded her that he would be home tomorrow to watch the hockey game.

  Trudy turned to give him an eyeful. “You better check with your dad.”

  Aaron scoffed. “It’s the playoffs! Dad knows I have to be either at the game or in my lucky seat here.”

  When the basement door slammed as the teenagers left, Jason walked into the tiny pantry where Trudy was putting a large bowl back where it belonged on the top shelf. He pulled her back up to him and wrapped his arms around her trim waist. “I have wanted to do this all night.” His hands were on her hips, bringing her even closer to him.