14
SEEING GHOSTS
As I was poring over the life insurance policy, I heard the front door handle rattling. I froze, hoping Norm wasn’t going to come charging in and find me sitting at his desk. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard a very familiar and very loud voice.
“Someone has to be in there,” Violet said. She began banging on the door.
“Honey, no one is there. The lights are off,” Hank said.
“Well, how do you explain the fact that the advertisement for the cottage is gone? Someone must have taken it down.” She banged on the door some more.
“Violet, stop it. If someone was in there, they would have come to the door by now.”
Well, that wasn’t exactly true, I thought. I was inside but had no intention of answering the door.
“Where was it exactly, Violet?” another woman asked. I peeked around the corner, making sure to stay hidden in the shadows, and looked at the window. Violet, Hank, and the other couple were staring at the spot where the picture of my cottage used to hang.
“Right there,” Violet said, tapping on the glass. “I really wanted you to see it. It’s so cute and it’s right by the beach. You and Jim really should think about getting a winter place in Florida as well. Think of how much fun we would have. While the guys are off fishing, we can go to the community center. They’ve got lots of arts-and-crafts classes. I was thinking we’d use the second bedroom as a combination guest room and crafting studio—”
“Violet, come on, let’s go,” her husband said impatiently. “Jim and Angela don’t want to hear about this.”
“And we can go for walks on the beach every morning,” Violet said, ignoring his interruption. “I was thinking about going with a tropical jungle decorating scheme in the living room to match the palm trees in front of the house.” She turned to her husband. “Honey, go knock on the door again.”
He shook his head. “I’m telling you, no one is there. We’ll come back tomorrow.”
“I just don’t want to lose out on this place. It’s perfect for us.” She turned back to her friend. “I think there’s going to be a lot of competition for it. There was this woman here earlier who’s also interested in the cottage. She’s going around telling prospective buyers that the real estate agent is dead. Can you believe that?”
“Well, that takes the cake,” the other woman said. “She really must be desperate to get her hands on it.”
Her husband took a couple of steps back and glanced up at the office sign thoughtfully. “You know, she may have been telling the truth. I think I saw something about this in the local newspaper. A local real estate agent was murdered recently.”
Violet looked crestfallen. “Dead? How are we going to view the property now?”
Her friend gasped. “Did you say the advertisement was hanging right here?” Violet nodded. “And when the woman told you the real estate agent had been murdered, you didn’t believe her?” Violet nodded again. “Well, don’t you see what that means?” Violet shook her head. “Her ghost was here. She tore down the sign. The recently departed don’t like it when people make light of their passing, especially ones who have been murdered!”
The blood drained from Violet’s face. “A ghost? Do you think she could haunt the cottage? Maybe this office is haunted too!” she said, clutching her friend’s arm. Their husbands looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
I rolled my eyes right along with them. Ghosts? Haunted houses? Who believed in this kind of nonsense?
I stopped my eye-rolling when I heard Norm’s voice. “Can I help you folks? Did you stop by to sign up for a fishing charter?”
“No, we were just looking at the signs in the window,” Violet said.
“Oh,” Norm said. After a long pause, he added, “My wife was the real estate agent. She recently passed away.” The two couples murmured their sympathies. Violet started to ask something about ghosts, but her husband put his finger on her lips.
“Was there a particular property you were interested in?” Norm asked. He sounded awfully businesslike for someone who had just lost his wife. But maybe getting a hefty insurance payout sped the grieving process along.
“Definitely not the cottage on the beach,” Violet said. “Right, honey?”
“The cottage on the beach? There’s four of them.” Norm pursed his lips. “There’s already an offer on two of them.” I glanced at the file folder in my hand. I knew exactly what he was talking about—Sierra Vista Rental Properties, aka Xander Carlton.
He scratched his head. “We’re still in negotiations with the owner of one of the cottages, but I expect he’ll be heading back to the Bahamas soon and will put it on the market then.” The way Melvin felt about Norm, I couldn’t imagine any scenario where he’d list his property with him.
“The Bahamas. How exciting. We went on a cruise there last year,” Violet said loudly.
Norm rubbed his ear and took a step back. “There’s another one up for sale at the moment, but I think there’s already a potential buyer.”
Violet nudged her friend. “I bet it was that awful woman who was here earlier.”
“What awful woman?” Norm asked.
“We didn’t catch her name, but she was short with medium-length brown hair. Nothing really stood out about her.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was pretty sure Norm wouldn’t figure out it was me based on that nondescript description. Then I got slightly miffed. What did they mean that nothing stood out about my appearance? I was wearing some really cute earrings.
“Tell you what, why don’t you give me your name and number, and I’ll give you a call tomorrow once I’ve had a chance to go through Suzanne’s things?” Norm said.
Thankfully, he entered their details into his phone rather than asking Violet to get a pen and paper out of her purse. They asked him where a good place in town was for breakfast the next morning. While he walked with them a few steps away to point out the Sailor’s Corner Cafe, I dashed over to the window, grabbed my purse, and exited through the back door before Norm could catch me in the office.
* * *
I slid into the booth across from Scooter. “Sorry about being late. I got held up with some work stuff.” I tucked my purse and the file folder next to me on the bench seat. Yes, before you ask, I took the folder with me. After all, it was evidence that I’m pretty sure Norm forgot to mention to the police. “Did you order already?” I asked.
“No, I thought I’d wait for you. Besides, I can’t decide. It’s a toss-up between the baby back ribs and the gator.”
“Alligator? That’s adventurous.”
“Well, we’ve lived in Florida for a while. I figured it might be time we tried it.”
“By we, I’m going to assume you mean you. I have no intention of eating something with that many teeth.”
A tall man wearing an apron and chef’s hat came up to our table. “Mollie, Scooter, it’s nice to see you!” he said.
“You too, Chuck,” Scooter said, shaking his hand. “It’s hard to believe we’re neighbors. The only time we ever see you is when we’re here at your restaurant.”
“This place sure keeps me busy,” Chuck said as he handed us a couple of menus. “If you want to see me going forward, you’re going to have to come here more. I’m selling my property.”
“Both your cottages?” Scooter asked. “Even the one you’re living in?”
“Yep. It’s too much of a hassle to manage the one that’s a rental property, and I can’t keep up with the maintenance on my own cottage, let alone two of them. I’m buying a place at the Tropical Breeze condos.”
“That’s pretty lucky that you found two buyers,” my husband said.
“No, it’s just one buyer. It’s a company that manages a lot of rental properties in the area. Suzanne told me they liked the idea of the two cottages being next door to each other. Sometimes, large families like to rent two adjacent properties and go back and forth between them.”
“That’s the one,” Chuck said. “You know them?”
“I’ve read about them.” I leaned against the corner of the booth to hide the file folder from sight. “Are you sure they’re going to keep them as rentals? Rumor has it someone wants to develop a resort right where our houses are.”
“Oh, I’ve heard that too. I asked Suzanne about it, but she said it was just that, a rumor.” He shrugged. “But to tell you the truth, maybe something like that would be good for business. More visitors to town means more customers.”
“I guess there are pros and cons to that sort of thing,” Scooter said diplomatically.
I felt my purse begin to slip. I wedged myself against it to keep it on the seat.
“Why are you so fidgety?” Scooter asked.
“Me? I’m not fidgety. Just hungry, I guess. I thought there would be nachos waiting for me.”
Scooter pointed at an empty plate. “You snooze, you lose.”
“Did you want to go ahead and order dinner? Do you know what you want?” Chuck asked.
“Can you give me a few minutes to look at the menu?” I asked.
“I was thinking about gator,” Scooter said. “But my little panda bear turned up her nose at the idea.”
“Too many teeth,” I said.
Chuck smiled. “Ah, you’re a vegetarian. No problem. We just added veggie burgers to the menu.”
Scooter snorted. “Trust me, she eats meat. She’s just picky about it. Besides, I think she’d make the worst vegetarian ever. She’d probably just subsist on chocolate and cheese.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said.
“Why don’t you take a few minutes, check out the menu, and a waitress will be by to take your order. I’d better head back to the kitchen. Those gators aren’t going to cook themselves.”
Two couples came into the restaurant, chattering loudly. “There’s only one table left. We’d better grab it before someone else does, Hank,” I heard a familiar woman say.
“Violet, cool your heels. The hostess will be right back.”
“Oh no,” I said, scrunching down in my seat.
Scooter turned around. “Who are you hiding from?”
“Hiding? I’m not hiding.”
“Yes you are.”
“Can you just move a little that way?” I indicated which direction with my hand so that his back would block me from view. “That’s better,” I said.
“Care to explain?”
“Oh, it’s just that I had a little…run-in with one of those couples earlier.”
“Run-in?”
Our waitress came over to our table and set down two glasses of water. “I’ll be back in a few to take your order,” she said.
“Go on,” Scooter said.
“It was just something to do with a ghost.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts.”
“I don’t, but they do.” I unfolded my napkin and placed it on my lap. Scooter gave me a meaningful look. “They think Suzanne’s ghost is haunting her office and our cottage.”
“Why do they think that?”
“They were checking out the sign for our cottage in the window. She thought it would be the perfect house for their retirement. Then when they came back to show their friends, the sign had disappeared.”
“And they think a ghost was behind it?” I nodded. Scooter leaned forward and stared at me. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that a ghost wasn’t involved. Exactly why were you late for dinner?”
“Oh, look, there’s Ken and Leilani,” I said, pointing at the door. “There aren’t any empty tables. Maybe we should ask them to join us.” I waved them over enthusiastically. “Come sit with us,” I said.
“Thanks,” Leilani said as she sat next to me. “We appreciate it. This place is really packed tonight.”
Ken snagged one of the menus and handed the other to his wife. “So, what have you two been up to?”
“Oh, my adorable wife was just telling me some ghost stories,” Scooter said with a smirk.
“You’re kidding, right?” Ken said.
“Of course he’s kidding,” I said quickly. “I was walking down an alley in the dark earlier tonight, and I felt something cold brush against me. I was just joking, saying that it must have been a ghost.”
“Dark alley?” Leilani asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Taking a shortcut. Anyway, it was probably just a raccoon. No big deal.”
Scooter leaned back with a big grin on his face. “Why don’t you tell them about the time you tried to teach raccoons sign language?”
I put my head in my hands. “You promised not to ever bring that up again.” When I glanced up, Leilani and Ken were looking at me quizzically. Scooter was laughing. “Tell you what, why don’t we change the subject? Did you know that Chuck is selling his two cottages?”
Ken slammed his fist on the table. “What? That traitor! I’ve talked to him numerous times about the importance of protecting the turtle nesting grounds.” He snatched Leilani’s menu from her hands. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I refuse to patronize his restaurant.”
“No, we’re staying here,” she said firmly. She took the menu back. “I’m tired and hungry. We’re not going to run around town trying to find another place to eat that meets your standards.”
Ken folded his arms. “My standards?”
Leilani sighed. “Look, not everyone is as passionate about the environment as you are. But lashing out at everyone isn’t going to help. Remember, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
“Hey, folks,” our waitress said as she deposited a basket and small bowl on our table. “Alligator bites and swamp sauce, on the house. I’ll be right back.”
Leilani pushed the basket toward Ken. “Go on. You know how much you love these.”
He pulled a breaded nugget out, dipped it in the sauce, and popped it in his mouth. “They are good.”
Before he could grab another one, Leilani placed the basket in front of me. “Better get some now before Ken eats all of them.”
“Um…I’ll pass. I’m not sure I want to eat anything that comes with something called swamp sauce.”
Leilani laughed. “It’s just a type of barbecue sauce.”
“That might be okay, but maybe with chicken strips instead.”
Ken reached across the table and pulled the basket back. “Good. More for the rest of us.”
After the three of them had polished off the appetizer, I asked, “Ken, what would happen if there was, say, some proof that Norm and Suzanne were involved in the resort development?”
Ken wiped his mouth with a napkin. “That’s the problem. I don’t have any proof. I know they’re in it up to their necks, but it’s all just hearsay. But if there was proof, that would make a huge difference.” He looked at me curiously. “Why, do you have some?”
I smiled mysteriously. “You never know. Something might turn up.”
* * *
The following evening was the night of the weekly barbecue and potluck at the marina. It was hard to believe so much time had gone by already. In the span of just seven days, two people had been killed, Mrs. Moto had “lost” two more collars, I’d managed to get through my first public speech, and I had uncovered a real estate scam.
What I hadn’t managed to do yet was discover who had murdered Darren and Suzanne. The thought of Chief Dalton beating me to the punch was more than I could stomach. As I looked around the patio, I wondered if someone here had done it. Was there some clue I was missing?
I saw Liam at a table with a couple of other young guys laughing, drinking beer, and checking out girls as they walked by. His uncle was over at the barbecue giving Ned unsolicited advice on how to get the chicken skin crispy without burning it. Ken was at the buffet table ladling baked beans and potato salad onto Leilani’s plate. Melvin was sitting in the corner by himsel
f, sipping on a soda.
“Penny for your thoughts, Mollie.” I glanced up and saw Ben smiling at me. “Can I join you?”
“Of course. Have a seat. I’m just waiting for Scooter to get here.”
He set a six-pack of beer on the table. “Want one?” When I passed, he cracked one open, took a swig, then leaned back in his chair. “I’m so glad it’s Friday,” he said. “It’s been such a long week. We’ve been so busy in the boatyard.”
“Is there any word on when we’ll be able to get back to our boats?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I haven’t heard anything. You should probably ask Nancy. She’s been on the phone every day to Chief Dalton, chewing his ear off.”
“That sounds like Nancy,” I said. “I’d love to see how he reacted to that.”
“Not well, I would imagine,” Ben said. “There are very few people who will stand up to her.”
“Ned seems to have developed a bit of a backbone as of late.”
“I heard about that. Something to do with his movie collection.” Ben finished his beer and opened another. “Well, it just goes to show you that there’s a line everyone has that you don’t dare cross.”
I looked at him thoughtfully. “It does make you wonder what would cause someone to snap and murder Darren and Suzanne.”
“I try not to think about it,” Ben said. “I thought when the chief arrested Melvin, that was who did it. But then they released him last night.”
“I spoke with him earlier,” I said. “He was really cagey about the arrest. He told me he didn’t want to talk about it, and then he walked off and sat at that table by himself.”
Ben shrugged. “Maybe it was just about vandalizing Norm’s boat.”
Bodies in the Boatyard Page 18