“Will you keep an out for Bart?” I asked Rebecca.
She nodded though she didn’t seem too enthused by the idea. I couldn’t really blame her. I mean, the man was annoying. I shuddered to think how he came across when he was alive.
I waved to Mindy Kale as I passed her little group.
She gave me the stink eye and then when she saw a leather-clad Kane walking beside me, she gave me even a bigger stink-eye. Thankfully, the rest of her group kept their attentions on the podium. I could kind of understand where they were coming from. I even agreed with their basic mission statement. But there was something just so exclusive about that movement. If you saw ghosts it seemed fine just as long as you didn’t help out the one ghost they disapproved of.
Even in death, Bart Samuel got on their nerves, which was quite the feat for any man.
Either way, this gave me a good opportunity to see who exactly was a part of the group that rose against the man who was taking the natural green away while trying to line his pockets with a different kind of green altogether.
None of them looked like a murderer but then again most murderers didn’t look like murderers either.
“What are you thinking?” Kane whispered in my ear. He was standing a bit too close for my comfort so I gave us a little space.
“Nothing. I was just checking out the Keep Silver Bells Green group.”
“I doubt any of them would hurt a fly. I actually think I saw one of them carrying a spider outside instead of squatting the thing.”
“They’re good people,” I said. “But good people make stupid decisions when you trap them in a corner. Especially when it comes to things they’re passionate about.”
“I’ve seen some of that with my clients. I had to call the cops on a few because they were quite enraged when they found out they were being cheated on.”
“I can only imagine.”
A sharp-looking guy in a suit came out to the podium and the boos immediately started. Mostly from the Keep Silver Bells Green crowd, though a few others joined in as well.
“You didn’t tell me this billionaire was our age,” I whispered to Kane.
“He’s not,” was all he said.
The sharp-looking guy tapped the microphone a couple of times. “Mr. Crane will speak with you shortly,” he said. “He will also answer a couple of questions at the end of his statement. We know this is a difficult time for Silver Bells Cove and we want to make things as smooth as they can be. Thank you for understanding.”
The boos didn’t stop and they only intensified as the man left the stage. A few minutes later he came back but with an older man in tow. He looked to be in his late sixties or early seventies. He had several bodyguards around him as well.
“I’m here today in this lovely town because one of my own has been murdered. I’m here to reassure everyone, law enforcement or not, that I am determined to catch the perpetrator of this cowardly crime. Bart Samuel was like a son to me and his murder will not go unpunished. I’m here today to say that I will put my full power behind this investigation. I am also here to tell you that we will continue to build here and make this town the tourist attraction it deserves to be.”
The boos got louder but so did the claps of approval. Apparently, there were some in town who thought tourist money wasn’t such a bad thing.
“Mr. Crane, what do you say to those who say that Silver Bells should remain as it is?” A young pretty reporter asked. She had long red hair that caught the attention of several of the men in attendance.
“I say that it’s time to start thinking about the future. The projects I’ve implemented across town will lead to dozens if not hundreds of new jobs. The subsequent tourist money will give a boost to Silver Bells Cove’s economy. This is good not just for me but for this town as well.”
Mindy Kale stepped up and took the microphone from the young reporter’s hands. “I’ve done research on your previous business endeavors and most of the towns you’ve done the same to are overrun by big business now. All the small mom and pop shops are practically extinct. What do you have to say about that, Mr. Crane?”
Mindy’s question got a few cheers across the town hall. I myself cheered her on in my mind.
Mr. Crane smiled, almost condescendingly at Mindy Kale and the rest of us. I hated him right then and there. I knew he wasn’t the good man he was pretending to be, but then what billionaire actually was?
He even managed to chuckle. “I’ll have you know that the people in those towns are much better off than they were before. That’s a fact that you can look into right now as well. Big business is not the enemy. Big business is the future. How else are lower-income families to afford basic necessities of life? Thank you, everyone, those are all the questions I have time for today. God bless.”
With that, Mr. Crane was escorted out of the building to the resounding sound of boos. A few people even threw some empty cups up at the podium, one narrowly missing the billionaire as he quickly scuttled away.
The redhead came over to where Kane and I were standing.
“Thanks for the tip, Lucy,” Kane said.
“What can I say? I owed you one. Now we’re even, right?”
Kane nodded. “Until next time.”
“There won’t be a next time,” she said.
“What if I told you I had someone very special with me today. This is Meredith Good and she talks to the dead,” Kane said as he introduced us.
Lucy shook my hand. “Is that right?”
I could see the story writing itself in her eyes.
“Yeah, it actually is. I’m actually working on the Bart Samuel case at the moment. And my office will be open soon.”
Lucy looked at Kane and then back at me. “This is a joke, right?”
“Why would it be?” I said.
She pulled Kane aside and they whispered back and forth while Lucy occasionally gave me a questioning glance, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. Thankfully, Rebecca came back from her little mission so I wasn’t just standing there like a fool. I turned my back on the bickering duo and caught up with my best friend.
“Any sign of Bart?” I asked her. Thankfully, most of the town hall was cleared off by then so I didn’t get too many strange looks.
“He was in the back when that billionaire showed up. He was actually trying to punch the guy!”
“Did it work?” I asked. Now that was something I wanted to see for myself.
“Sadly no. But he did give it his best try. I tried to tell him to come with me but he ignored me and went after the billionaire and his little troupe. Apparently, they’re staying at a private residence at the edge of town.”
“Hmm, we might have to do some snooping later. It appears that the victim was not a fan of his boss. I wonder why?”
“I asked him the same but he wouldn’t say. It was as if I wasn’t even there. There was a lot of animosity there.”
“Talking to ghosts again?” Kane said as he came up behind me.
“As a matter of fact, yes. And apparently, Bart wasn’t a huge fan of his boss.”
“That’s not really a surprise, is it? The guy is practically a politician.”
That much was true. “So, am I getting a page or two in the local paper? It could really help take my business off the ground.”
“Lucy…wasn’t really into the idea. She did say she’ll probably do a story on you if you solve the murder. No pressure, right?”
About an hour later, both Kane and I were sitting on the floor, exhausted. Getting the furniture out of the van and into my office proved to be a harder task than just getting it in the van after I paid for it.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Lucy?” I finally asked the question that was on my mind.
“I just helped her out with a story she was working on. Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
“Don’t be an idiot.” I got up to go. “I’m going to get a drink of some much-needed water. You can join me if you like.”
Gran was more than happy to give us some water. I filled her in on what happened with the billionaire in the town hall.
“If he has his way I’ll be out of a job. What will I do then?”
“Don’t worry, Gran. I’d never let that happen.”
She didn’t say anything to that. How was I going to stop that from happening? Unless I could prove the billionaire was a murderer, there really wasn’t much I could do about it.
“If most of the town signs that petition, can they really go ahead with it?” I asked Gran.
“The properties have already been sold to him. For far more than they were worth, I might add. Bart Samuel came here as well offering an exuberant amount for my bakery and the space you’re using now, too. I knew they were up to no good as soon as I saw the figures they were offering.”
“Why didn’t you just take it? You could have retired in Hawaii or something!”
Gran wasn’t amused. “Silver Bells is my home. I might not have been born here but the best years of my life have been spent here. I had and raised my children here, and my grandkids were born here as well. There’s no amount of money in the world to make me turn my back on all of that.”
It turned out Gran was a passionate Keep Silver Bells Green supporter. Did that mean that she was a suspect as well? Maybe, but not in my book.
Eleven
“Are you sure this is the best idea? In the middle of daylight? If we get ourselves killed, you only have yourself to blame.”
Kane was complaining while I was driving. His van wasn’t inconspicuous enough for this mission. Rebecca was in the back seat rolling her eyes at our antics.
“What else do you propose? I have to go where Bart goes and if he followed this billionaire, that’s where I need to be.”
Kane nodded but he didn’t seem to understand. He was still trying to get used to the whole ghost thing. I wondered how long it would take to convince him of the reality of that situation.
“Take a right up ahead,” Kane said, keeping his focus where it should be.
I did as I was told. We were going in the back of town now and I had no idea what lay there. Kane had googled the properties until we found one that sounded like it could be a billionaire’s headquarters.
Once I saw the picture I knew it was the place. It was a sprawling estate in the middle of nowhere. Privacy and luxury. What more could a billionaire ask for?
“What do you think of this Warwick Crane fellow?” I asked Kane, trying to keep the conversation going.
“I think he’s a businessman, that’s about it. Why?”
“You have nothing against him swooping into small towns like Silver Bells and turning them inside out?”
Kane shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not my hometown. Not that I have much love for my hometown either. I’m more a city guy myself.”
I had to agree with him there. “Me too. Sucks that it’s so expensive, though. That’s why I’m back here. Let’s just hope I get a lot of traveling gigs.”
“You really hate it here, don’t you? I mean, it’s not the most exciting place I’ve been but it doesn’t seem that bad.”
“Try growing up here as the weirdo that talks to ghosts and then tell me how nice and cozy it is.”
“Your grandma seems nice.”
“She is. She practically raised my brother and me. Our parents were never around. Thinking of it now, they still aren’t. They divorced when I was still a baby and went their separate ways.”
“That must have been rough. I don’t know what I would have done without my folks. We’re super close.”
I didn’t want to admit it but that made me a bit jealous. My parents seemed more interested in their own little dramas than whatever was going on with my brother and me. My brother, Troy, took after them in that sense. He was super independent and had no problem being away from family. On one level, I was kind of the same, though I always missed Gran. I just didn’t miss the town she lived in.
“Are your parents still together?”
“Yeah. they’ve been together for over thirty years.”
“Siblings?”
“No. I’m an only child.”
“Uh oh. That must have been nice.”
“I had lots of friends and cousins growing up, so I was never really lonely.”
The mention of cousins reminded me of my own cousin: Sarah. I still couldn’t believe she was head over heels for my ex.
“Take a left up ahead. It should be right down the road.”
The driving was a nice distraction from my thoughts. Just the thought of Jonathan and Sarah together was starting to squeak me out.
“There’s a gate,” I said as I slowly approached the property. “Of course there would be a gate.”
“If you were a billionaire, wouldn’t you want some privacy? Especially if you weren’t so well liked by the locals?”
Kane was making too much sense but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
I went back and parked out of sight on the side of the road.
“I guess we’ll just have to walk from here,” I said.
Kane grunted as he got out of the car. “I told you we should have done this at nighttime.”
“It’s easier to explain if it’s daylight,” I said. “That is if we do get caught. Either way, Bart is here now and that’s the main reason we’re here.”
Rebecca joined us. “Do you want me to go ahead and make sure the way is clear?”
“That would be great,” I told her.
Kane gave me a strange look.
“What?”
“Sorry. I’m still weirded out seeing you talking to empty air.”
“Rebecca is not empty air. She’s actually quite the useful ghost, not to mention my best friend.”
“Do you have any real friends?” Once Kane saw the look I was giving him, he added: “I mean living friends. Of course Rebecca is real. Of course.”
“Not really,” I admitted.
“Never quite fit in with the crowd?”
“Never even tried. If you don’t like me for who I am, then I don’t think you’re worth my time.”
“For what it’s worth, I definitely like you,” Kane said. “As a friend, of course,” he quickly added.
“Of course.” I rolled my eyes at him but inwardly I was smiling. It felt good to be around a real, living person. Speaking to ghosts got lonely sometimes.
“Well, this isn’t going to be easy,” I said when I saw the huge open landscape in front of us, with a huge house right smack in the middle. There wasn’t much room to take cover at all.
“I told you we should have waited.”
“Stop saying that.”
“You do know I have more experience at this than you do. I’m a P.I., remember?”
“So am I. Just of a different kind.”
“Exactly. You’re used to dealing with the dead, and I’m used to dealing with the living. Maybe I should have taken the lead on this after all. If I get arrested again…”
“Again?”
“Incoming! Incoming! Run! Run!” I saw Rebecca flying toward us. Very fast. “You’ve been spotted! They’re coming this way!”
“Oh crap,” I said under my breath.
“What is it?” Kane asked as he looked around. Everything looked calm now but I knew the storm was coming.
“We have to get out of here. Now.”
Just as we turned to go, we heard footsteps right behind us.
“Stop right there!” I heard a man’s voice. When I turned around I saw that he was pointing a gun straight at us. Straight at me.
Just because I talked to ghosts on a regular basis didn’t mean I wanted to become one. I stopped where I was and motioned for Kane to do the same. He already had his hands up in the air. It looked like he had experience with this so I followed his lead.
Two men in dark suits and
guns practically shoved us into an office and closed the door behind them. No, not closed, but locked. This wasn’t going according to plan at all.
Rebecca for her part wasn’t with us. She said she was going to assess the situation and see if she could see where Bart was, if he was here at all. If he wasn’t, this was all for naught.
After what seemed like an eternity, the office door finally opened and a familiar face greeted us. Warwick Crane. He didn’t look happy to see us.
Two of his armed guards were at his side while two more came up behind us, ordering us to sit down.
I felt like I was in one of those Hollywood thrillers where everything that could go wrong does go wrong. I just hoped Rebecca could be of some help. Sadly, Rebecca had as much luck as Bart in affecting the material world. I watched her try plenty of times but her emotions were never strong enough to affect anything. That’s what she said helped other ghosts affect the physical plane: pure raw and not to mention very strong emotions.
“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” Mr. Crane said as he looked at Kane and me. If the look on his face was any indication, he regarded us as minor annoyances. Flies really. I just hoped that he wasn’t in the habit of squashing flies.
“My name is Meredith Good,” I said. There was no point in lying to this man. “You might have seen me at the town hall meeting today.”
“Were you the one cheering or sneering?”
“Neither. I’m actually here because I can see ghosts. And last night, I saw Bart Samuel’s ghost. I’m trying to solve his murder, you see.”
Mr. Crane had an amused expression on his face. “You don’t expect me to believe any of this I hope?”
“I don’t care if you believe it or not. It’s the truth.”
Mr. Crane turned to Kane. “And let me guess, you’re a monster hunter?”
“No, sir. I’m a P.I. I was hired my Mr. Samuel to look into some recent death threats he’s been receiving.”
“It seems you’ve failed at your job, doesn’t it?”
“I’m trying to make up for that now. I’m also working on solving his murder.”
Ghostly Apparitions (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 1) Page 7