A Purrfect Alibi: A pawsitively gripping cozy mystery (The Oyster Cove Guesthouse Book 3)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “We’ll see about that.” Victor puffed up, his tone imbued with the utmost confidence. “I think the discovery of the treasure might make me famous.”

  Millie huffed. “Good luck with that. The previous guests dug up the yard looking, along with half the town. Besides, there is no ghost.”

  Thud!

  We whirled around to see a Staffordshire figurine of a shepherdess with a baby lamb had fallen off the table. Lucky thing it had landed on the red-and-navy oriental carpet or it would have been in pieces. The cats were circling it sniffing and looking up at the table.

  “That’s odd.” Millie picked it up and inspected it for damage. “I wonder how that—”

  “WOOOOHOOOOAAAANNN…”

  The eerie sound drifted through the air, freezing us all in our tracks. Even the cats seemed startled, cocking their heads to one side as if to try to determine what the strange noise was.

  “OOOOHGAAAAAAAHHHH…”

  “What the heck is that?” Mike asked.

  “Is it the pipes?” I ventured, because what else could be making that ungodly noise?

  “Sorry, Sunshine, that’s not the sound of any pipes I’ve ever heard.”

  We were all silent, waiting to hear more, but not a sound came. I thought I could hear Myron whimpering behind Mom and Millie.

  “You don’t think it really could be a ghost?” Mom asked.

  Flora, who had been dusting the top of the newel post, turned around, holding the duster feather side up. “If you’ve got a ghost, I hope you don’t expect me to clean up after it. I don’t do ectoplasmic goo. That stuff is hard to get out of linens.”

  “Don’t be silly. There must be a reasonable explanation…” Millie glanced up at the ceiling as if expecting to see a ghost floating around up there.

  Esther crossed her arms over her chest and turned to Victor. “Maybe it’s Jed. Perhaps he’d like to speak to you now. Go ahead, talk to him. Enlighten us as to what he wants.”

  “Uhh… that wasn’t the plan. I’m sure it’s not Jed.” Victor sounded nervous.

  “You mean there might be two ghosts?” Mom asked. Surely she was joking. She didn’t really believe there was a ghost in the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, let alone two of them?

  Myron peeked out from behind Mom and Millie. His eyes were as big as the old silver dollars he sold for a premium down at the bank, his shoulders were rounded and his hands stuffed in his pockets as if he were trying to become even smaller than he already was. He was probably hoping the ghost wouldn’t notice him and pick on one of us instead.

  “A real ghost…” he managed to utter as he glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. “Hmmm, look at the time. Guess I can’t go look at the gazebo after all. Gotta run!”

  We all watched as he dashed out the door.

  Ghost or not, Myron was spooked. This did not bode well for the guesthouse at all.

  Twenty-One

  Nero eyed Jed. “Really, don’t you think the ghostly moans are a bit much?”

  “I beg your pardon.” Jed swirled indignantly. “That wasn’t me. You think I’d stoop to those sorts of theatrics, do you? No self-respecting ghost would make noises like that.”

  “You did push the figurine off. I saw you,” Marlowe said.

  Jed crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s because that pompous bore Victor was arguing with my Esther.”

  “Your Esther?” Maybe Jed was getting a little too attached to Esther. “Well, I don’t want to presume, but we have had some lovely conversations through her crystal ball. I think she really cares for me.” Jed got all moony-eyed and Nero tried to steer the conversation in a more productive direction.

  “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

  “Probably that fraud Victor trying to sensationalize things for that producer. He was out by the gazebo earlier.” Jed’s expression turned pensive. “Is that where the sound came from? Maybe he was hiding something out there that could produce sound? I know you have all sorts of devices in this day and age and I’ve heard sound come out of that small box Josie always seems to have in her hand.”

  “Her phone?” Nero asked.

  “If that’s what you call it,” Jed said. “Anyway, wouldn’t be hard to have something make those sounds. Someone should tell the person that ghosts don’t actually sound like that, though.”

  “So it’s not another ghost?” Marlowe sounded relieved.

  “Of course not. If another ghost were here, I’d know,” Jed said.

  “What about your wife?” Nero asked. He hadn’t fully dismissed the idea that she might have come here for some sort of revenge on Jed, but it didn’t really add up. Why would she wait all this time and why try to frame him for killing Madame Zenda? He was already dead so nothing would happen to him. No, it was more likely the culprit was of the human form.

  “My wife?” Jed ducked behind a chair. “You haven’t seen her here, have you? I don’t want to run into her.”

  “Haven’t seen her,” Nero said. “Thought maybe you could sense her.”

  “Thankfully not. That woman might have done me in. Though I think we’ll find out about that soon.”

  “We will?” Marlowe asked.

  Jed looked uncertain. “Maybe. Then again, maybe I don’t want to know who killed me. I might just want to stick around on this plane.” Jed sent a lovesick glance at Esther who was walking back to the table with her crystal ball. The group of humans were splitting up. Victor was heading upstairs to his room and Rose, Millie, Josie and Mike looked to be heading to the kitchen. It appeared as if everyone in the house was going about their business, despite the ghostly sounds. Wait… not everyone. Someone was missing.

  “Where is Gail Weathers?” Nero asked.

  “The tea-leaf lady?” Marlowe glanced around. “Don’t know. She wasn’t here when we heard the sounds.”

  Nero looked at Jed. “You haven’t seen her around the place in your ghostly travels, have you?”

  Jed shook his head. “Nope. Been busy watching over Esther. She’s getting my communication nicely now and let’s just say she might scratch my back if I’ll scratch hers.”

  “Ohh, that sounds lovely.” Marlowe scratched at her ear. “Summertime can be very itchy, what with the pesky gnats and all.”

  Nero didn’t take Jed’s words so literally. It sounded like Jed was up to something and Nero wasn’t sure he would like it. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Don’t you go getting your whiskers in a bunch. Josie will benefit from it too,” Jed said. “Now, about that Gail Weathers. Isn’t she the one who always has a cup in her hand? I did see her out at the gazebo earlier today, shortly after Victor made that ridiculous announcement.”

  Nero and Marlowe exchanged a glance.

  “Do you think the noises could have come from the gazebo?” Marlowe asked.

  Nero bestowed a fond look on the young cat. She might be prone to jumping to conclusions, like thinking there was a second ghost, but she was picking up the clues nicely. “I do think it could have. Looks like we better get out there and investigate.”

  Millie’s ample back end stuck out of the fridge as she rummaged for food. “If I was going to fake a ghost, I’d do a much better job than that clichéd moaning.”

  “Well, it scared Myron. He ran out of here like his pants were on fire.” Mom pulled a box of crackers out of the cabinet. “Come to think of it, that might not have been such a bad thing if his pants did burn. Did you see all the cat hair on his cuffs?”

  The fact that Myron had run out like that made me nervous. Apparently he was terrified of ghosts. Now it made sense that he’d been making a big deal about the ghost affecting the financial future of the guesthouse. “I just hope he didn’t run straight to the bank to rip up my loan papers.”

  Millie backed out of the fridge with a handful of various cheeses. “Now, don’t you worry about him. I know his grandmother and if he does anything to hurt the guesthouse I’ll have her give him a talking to.”


  I doubted Myron would keep the loan on his grandmother’s say-so, but at least that was something.

  “He wouldn’t take the loan away, would he?” Mike’s velvety eyes were oozing with sympathy, which made me feel all funny inside.

  I looked away. “I don’t know, but if he does I’m in a bit of trouble.”

  “Not to worry.” Millie pulled a cheese knife out of the drawer and started cutting. “Once we find the killer and prove this ghost business is a hoax, Myron will forget all about this.”

  “Don’t be too sure about that, he’s stubborn and he’s been threatening Josie.” Mom brought the cheese tray to the table and we all sat down.

  “Speaking of which.” I turned to Mike who had sat beside me. “What exactly did you tell him about the gazebo? He mentioned something about it when I saw him at the bank earlier and he did not seem happy.”

  Mike blushed. “Yeah, sorry about that. Anita Pendragon was nosing into the building permits and she saw my notes about the gazebo not being safe and making sure guests knew it was off limits. I guess he overheard us talking. I didn’t realize he’d think it was a big deal, because it’s not.”

  Millie waved her hand dismissively, the chunk of cheese atop her cracker wobbling precariously as she did so. “Of course it’s not a big deal. Anyone can see the place is falling down so anyone with half a brain would steer clear.”

  “Yeah, except I saw footprints near there. The ground is a little muddy and the mud was tracked onto the boards. So, it appears someone was there recently,” Mike said.

  “Victor mentioned something about talking to Jed at the gazebo. Maybe he was scoping the place out,” I said.

  “Probably trying to make sure the setting was dramatic enough. Wouldn’t put it past him to be the one that made the fake ghost noises. You know, to set the stage, so to speak,” Millie said.

  As if on cue, Nero and Marlowe appeared, circling us like vultures waiting for a morsel of cheese to drop. Mom snuck a pinch of Gouda to them.

  Mike shoved a cracker in his mouth. “So that’s why Anita was so interested in the gazebo. I’m sure she’s planning on trying to get a scoop.”

  “She mentioned that she was in cahoots with Victor,” I said.

  Millie’s left brow quirked up. “They’re working together?”

  I nodded. “To get in on this movie deal apparently.”

  “Ha!” Mom said. “I don’t trust either one of them. I once heard Anita say she’d kill for a big scoop and I wouldn’t put anything past Victor.”

  “I don’t think Anita killed Madame Zenda though, because they were working together in the beginning. She was Anita’s ticket to the big scoop.” I reached down to pet Nero, who was tapping at my ankle. He dodged my hand and trotted toward the back door. Just like him to pretend like he wanted something, then walk away when you gave it to him.

  Millie snorted. “So Anita says…”

  “Let’s consider this logically,” Mike said. Mom and Millie looked surprised at his words. It almost sounded like he wanted to help us investigate. Odd, because the last two times there was a murder he seemed against our involvement. Maybe he was mellowing. “Who are your suspects and what are their motives?”

  “Well, there’s Anita because she wants a big story,” Mom said.

  Meow.

  Meroo.

  The cats were meowing at the door so Millie got up to let them out. “And Victor, of course. He wants a movie deal or something.”

  “And let’s not forget Esther,” I said, glancing out the window to see the cats sitting in the yard staring at me. “She seems nice, but she also seems very competitive with Victor about talking to Jed’s ghost.”

  “So you think the motive is this movie?” Mike pressed his lips together. “Seems kind of far-fetched, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s not even a done deal. Murder is pretty extreme.”

  “You might be right,” Mom said. “Didn’t all these people know each other before? Esther knew Madame Zenda’s name was really Betty Sue Lipowitz.”

  Mike nodded. “Ahhh so a previous connection. Maybe the death had more to do with that. Some kind of revenge?”

  Meroooolow…

  The cats muted meows filtered through the window and I saw them pacing back and forth near the overgrown grass at the edge of the lawn. “But she’s not the only one who knew her. Look.” I got my laptop from where I’d stashed it on the counter in the butler’s pantry. The picture of the cruise was still up on the screen. “This cruise was a few years ago. You can see in the picture right up front, the featured psychics are Madame Zenda, Esther Hill and Victor Merino.”

  “Huh, how about that.”

  “Yeah, and Esther was at the bank. Did you know they have a display of older items there? It’s bank history and such.”

  “You mean like buckles?” Millie asked.

  “No buckles, but Belinda May gave me an envelope for Esther.” My attention was drawn to the window again. Now the cats were twitching their tails and looking over their shoulder at me. I had the feeling I should go out there but not until we were done going over the clues.

  Millie’s brows shot up. “What was in it? Buckles?”

  “No, just paper. I’m not sure exactly what was on it though because I was trying to get that out of Esther when the ghostly moans happened.”

  “Speaking of which.” Mom stuck a slice of Swiss on a round cracker and then topped it off with another cracker. “Where did the ghostly noise come from?”

  “Sounded like it was from outside. In the back,” Mike said.

  “How would someone do that? We were all in the foyer.” Mom bit into the cracker sandwich.

  “Remote control?” Millie turned to Mike. “Is that possible?”

  “Yeah, sure. Lots of things are possible these days. There’d have to be a speaker of some sort though, to allow the noise to carry.”

  “That sounds like a lot of trouble to go to, and how would they work the remote without us seeing them?” Millie asked.

  “Maybe they put it on a timer?” Mom suggested.

  Millie squinted at the picture on my laptop. “So Esther and Victor knew Zenda…”

  “And that tea-leaf lady, Gail.” Mom pointed to a face in the back row of the picture and Millie squinted even harder. It was Gail.

  “I didn’t even notice her!” I said. “I was so focused on the names of the other psychics listed on the bill and she isn’t one of them.”

  “Yeah, what is she doing lurking in the back there?” Mom asked.

  Speaking of lurking, she’d been doing that in the butler’s pantry too. She’d said she was looking for tea, but now I wondered. “She seems to lurk a lot. And Anita thought it was suspicious that she didn’t have much of a history as a psychic.”

  “That is a bit odd. Maybe she’s new? I mean, people have to start out somewhere. Look at Millie and me. We weren’t ace detectives last year. We had to learn the ropes.” Mom chewed a piece of cheese thoughtfully. “Then again, Gail was the only one who wasn’t in the foyer when the ghostly noises happened.”

  Millie, Mike and I stared at her. She was right. I glanced out the window to see the cats trotting down the path that led to the gazebo.

  “Maybe she wasn’t there because she was at the gazebo orchestrating the noises.” I pushed up from the table and headed toward the door. “And if she was, she might have left some evidence!”

  Twenty-Two

  “We better hurry, it’s getting dark,” Millie said as we followed the cats down the narrow path that led to the gazebo. It was still daylight, but the sun was starting to dip below the trees behind us as we picked our way through the overgrown grass, saplings and small shrubs.

  It only took about five minutes to get to the gazebo. It stood on a highpoint of land and had a view of Smugglers Cove in the distance. The ocean was a hazy light blue, the sky pink with the reflection of the setting sun behind us.

  The gazebo had seen better days. To say it was dilapidated was an understatement,
though I’m sure it was once beautiful. I could see evidence of gingerbread molding in the corners, fancy lattice underneath and copper flashing on the roof, but all of that was now hidden beneath rotting boards and peeling paint. Grass and shrubs had grown up along the sides, vines wound around the railings and a thin tree had sprouted on one of the benches and grown through a hole in the roof.

  It wouldn’t be this unsightly for long though. Ed would start work soon and it would be grand again… if my loan held out.

  A flock of pigeons flapped out of the crumbling cupola noisily as we approached. Millie stopped a few feet from the structure. “Look! Footprints!” She pointed to the mud where various partial impressions of shoes could be seen. I tried to make out what types of shoes. Surely that would help us figure out who had been here? The work boots were probably from Mike and Ed. There were others too, which looked like some sort of soft-soled tennis shoes. Millie took out her cell phone and snapped off a few pictures.

  The cats had trotted off to the side and were sniffing around under the stump of a large oak tree. Nero glanced back, catching my eye. Was there something of interest over there? But no sooner did I wonder that than the cats came trotting back and sat down next to me, staring at the footprints as if they, too, were considering them as evidence.

  Mike pressed his lips together as we all studied the prints. “There are more prints than when I was here before.”

  “Someone else has been here!” Mom said, as if she wasn’t stating the obvious.

  We’d seen Myron lurking near the barn from the upstairs window. I turned to survey the landscape, I could barely see the barn roof through the overgrowth, it wasn’t close, but if Myron wanted to see the property up close he might have walked here from there or been here first. “Maybe Myron?”

  Mike squatted down to look closer at the prints. “I don’t think so. He wears dress shoes all the time and I don’t see a print that matches that. Looks like work boots and some kind of tennis shoe or sneakers. Small size, so probably a woman.”