“Good job, bro,” I said. “Did you have to set up a date or something?”
“No, I just promised to put him in one of my future movies.”
“He might be waiting a long time to get that reward,” I said and laughed.
“You can be so mean sometimes.”
We passed Jackson. I thanked him, but he ignored me. He was immune to my charms.
“So here we go,” I said. I turned to Rebecca. “Where was he the last time you saw him?”
“He was on one of the top floors. I forget which one.”
“Great,” I said. “He could be anywhere.”
“Sorry, but you know it’s hard to keep track of floors when you’re flying through things, right?”
“It’s not your fault,” I reassured her.
“Did you ever get used to her talking to herself?” Kane asked Troy.
“Don’t ask me. I always found it weird,” he said.
“Guys, don’t talk about me like I’m not even here. And please keep quiet while I look for the sheriff.”
“Remember, we don’t have a lot of time,” Troy reminded me.
I laughed at that. “We’re not going back until I find the sheriff, you know that, right?”
“But I promised Jackson that we would only be five minutes tops.”
Kane was the one laughing now. “You haven’t seen your sister in the field much, have you?”
“That obvious, huh?” Troy said.
“She doesn’t follow the rules. She usually breaks them, actually,” Kane explained. “It’s one of the things I love about her.”
“Please be quiet,” I warned them again. “I don’t want to run into Jonathan. Then we’re definitely going back to the hall.”
That shut them up.
“I’ll look ahead and see if I can spot him,” Rebecca said and I mouthed a ‘thank you’ in her direction.
She came back a few minutes later. “He’s on the fourth floor, flying about. But Jonathan is on the third floor, so you’ll have to be careful.
“We’ll take the stairs,” I said.
“Jonathan is taking the stairs as well,” Rebecca said. “I overheard him talking about the electricity going out again.”
“That’s smart,” I had to admit. “Let’s do this.”
Rebecca was first, of course, to warn us if any other people were in our way. We had a close call running into the hotel manager and Jonathan but thankfully with Rebecca’s help, we managed to avoid both of them.
“This is so cool,” Troy whispered as we reached the fourth floor. “I feel like a spy.”
“Shh,” I warned him. But then I spotted a blurry figure flying about. “I see him.”
He was in the middle of a well-lit hallway whose lights were starting to flicker the longer the sheriff flew through it. Was he already causing a disturbance or was this something else? Maybe whoever cut off the lights was planning on doing something similar soon. Being stuck in the middle of a pitch-dark hallway with a recently dead ghost was not my idea of a good time.
“Sheriff Mitts,” I said carefully. “It’s me, Meredith Good and I’m here to talk about your death.”
The sheriff stopped right in front of me, still floating in the air, his ghostly form a lot less round than his physical body, though still on the heavier side.
“Being dead is so much fun!” He said and flew right through me. He disappeared down the hallway and was out of sight now, going who knows where.
This wasn’t going to be as simple as I thought.
Ten
“What just happened?” Kane asked. “By the look on your face, I’m guessing it didn’t go so well.”
“That’s an understatement,” Troy said. “What’s up, sis?”
“The sheriff just flew right through me and now he’s who knows where,” I said. I turned to Rebecca. “Can you try and locate him?”
“Yup,” she said and flew out of sight.
“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Troy said. “I was hoping for some action.”
“Don’t worry, if Jonathan or one of the other officers show up, we’ll be in deep trouble,” I said.
Rebecca came back a minute later. “He’s on the fifth floor, though by the way he’s moving, I wouldn’t be surprised if he moves on from there pretty soon as well.”
“Did you try getting his attention?”
“Yup. Failed miserably. I’ve never met someone who was so happy to be dead. Oh, and before you ask, I didn’t see any coppers.”
“Let’s go,” I said to Kane and Troy.
We made it to the fifth floor and the sheriff wasn’t there. But then he flew out of one of the rooms.
I stepped into the middle of the hallway.
“Sheriff Mitts, you’re dead and we need to talk about it!”
“Not it!” He said and flew right through me, and then Kane and Troy as well. They both looked like they got chills all of a sudden.
“So cool,” Troy said, with a huge grin on his face. “Maybe you’re not so crazy after all,” he joked.
“Thanks, Troy, that means a lot.”
One of the hotel room doors opened and a groggy looking middle-aged man stepped out.
“What’s all this noise about? Don’t you know people are trying to sleep?” He said to us.
“You slept through a murder?” Troy said. “Damn, that’s rough.”
I gave Troy a disapproving look.
“Sorry, sir. We won’t be bothering you again.” I turned to go.
“Wait a minute,” the man said. “What’s this about a murder?”
“We’re part of a wedding reception downstairs. The power went out and when it came back on, the sheriff was found dead,” Kane said. “I’m sure the cops will be questioning you eventually.”
“Great, now even if I can get back to sleep, I’ll be woken up again. My early flight tomorrow will be worse than usual.”
“Sir, I don’t think you’re going to make your flight. This place is on lockdown at the moment. I hope it doesn’t last through the night, but you never know,” I said.
“Just great. Thanks a lot.”
He shut the door in our faces and locked it for good measure.
“Well, he was nice,” Troy said.
“Yeah,” Kane said. “As if we were the ones that killed the guy.”
“Let’s get out of here,” I said. “It doesn’t look like the sheriff wants to talk anyway.”
“You don’t want me to look for him again?” Rebecca asked.
“No. If he wants to talk, he can come to me. I’m not spending my night chasing a ghost and evading cops. Plus, I’m in the mood for a drink anyway.”
We made our way down carefully. We came in the way we came out, but Jackson wasn’t the only one there now. Jonathan was waiting for us, too.
“What exactly are you playing at?” Jonathan asked, his arms crossed over his chest. “I think I was pretty clear when I told you to stay put. What if the lights went out again? You could have been killed.”
“Thanks, but we can take care of ourselves,” I said. “So, did you find anything useful?”
“Nope. I just locked up all the exits and put some officers on watch.”
I took him aside. “And what if one of the officers did it?” I whispered, trying to make sure Jackson didn’t hear me.
“No, I can’t see that. We all loved the sheriff.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Okay, maybe not love, but respect. We definitely respected the guy. I can’t see one of his cops having anything against him.”
“Well, then who is your prime suspect?”
“You know I can’t share that kind of information with a civilian.”
“You have no idea, do you?”
“None whatsoever,” Jonathan admitted. “That’s why I need everyone that was present in the hall.”
“What about the hotel guests that weren’t in the great hall?” Kane asked. “We just talked to one of them.”
“Were they acting suspiciously?” Jonathan asked.
“No, just annoyed,” Kane admitted.
“We’ll interview them later. Right now, our focus is on the people in the hall. Now let’s go. It sounds like they’re growing restless.”
“What about the ambulance? Backup?” I said, not moving an inch.
“They’re on their way as we speak. Not sure why it’s taking them so long, though. But we already know enough to rule his death a homicide.”
“I was murdered?” The sheriff said. I turned around and found him right behind me.
“Glad you came around,” I said.
“Well, you’re the only person who can see me. Spying on people was fun, though.”
“Do you remember how you died?” I asked him.
“Seriously?” Jonathan said. “You’re talking to empty air.”
I glared at him. “You know very well I’m gifted. Now, I can do this here, away from prying eyes, or I can do it out there, in the great hall, in front of all your wedding guests. Which one do you prefer?”
Jonathan rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right next to Jackson. So don’t even think about running off again.”
I rolled my own eyes once he was gone and turned my back on him for good measure.
“He’s in charge?” Sheriff Mitts said. “I guess it could be worse.”
“So, do you remember anything?”
“Yeah, I remember the lights going out and then a sharp pain in my chest. The next thing I knew I was flying around, feeling better than I have in as long as I can remember. I thought that it might have been a heart attack, but murder? That’s a bit unsettling.”
“You can say that again,” I said. “So, Rebecca here is dead, too,” I introduced them.
“Nice to meet you, young lady,” the sheriff said.
It was actually kind of cute seeing the two ghosts shaking hands.
“How does that even work?” I said.
“We’re on the same plane,” Rebecca said, shrugging her shoulders. “We don’t pass through each other unless we want to.”
“You didn’t see anyone acting suspiciously before the lights went out?” I asked the sheriff.
“Nope. I was enjoying my pecan pie and the next thing I knew, I was a ghost.”
“What about any enemies?”
“Maybe some of the perps I put away for this and that? Other than that, I can’t really think of anyone.”
“You didn’t happen to spot one of them at the wedding?” I said, ever hopeful.
“I’m afraid not,” he said. “Who could want me dead? They couldn’t wait for the pecan pies to get me?”
“Got a wife? Children?”
“No kids. Wife passed years ago. Now that I think about it, I always thought I’d be reunited with her when I died.” He looked at his surroundings. “Not that being a ghost ain’t fun, but is this all there is?”
“No, there’s a door of light that comes for people who are ready to move on. Obviously, your unresolved issue is your murder. I’m pretty sure your door will come when we catch the killer.”
“Then I guess we best get on it,” the sheriff said. “First order of business is to see how Deputy Valentine is going about solving my murder. I trust that you’ll relay any criticisms I have to him?”
I nodded. “Don’t worry. That’s kind of what I’m good at.”
“You know, now that I’m a ghost and all, you don’t seem so weird.”
“Thanks, sheriff,” I said as I followed him to the great hall, walking past a not-so-happy looking Jonathan.
I followed the sheriff to his dead body, which was covered by a tablecloth.
“How undignified,” the sheriff said. “Still, better than croaking on the toilet, am I right?”
“You certainly got a point there.”
Kane, Troy, and Rebecca were right behind me.
We stopped next to the body, which was guarded by yet another officer.
“Deputy Murphy. He’s a good egg,” the sheriff said. Then he took a look at his body. “I want to see.”
“Um, that might not be a good idea. What with all these people around, plus, it might be kind of traumatic for you…”
“I’ve seen plenty of dead bodies, sweetheart. I’ll be fine. Will you?”
I nodded.
“Can I look at the body?” I asked Deputy Murphy.
He shook his head. “No can do. Move along, lady, before I call Valentine over.”
I rolled my eyes.
I waved for Jonathan to come over. He did so, but he didn’t look too happy about it.
“What’s this about?” He said.
“He wants to see the body,” I said, conspiratorially.
Jonathan didn’t get the hint. “Who? Troy? Kane?”
“The sheriff,” I almost whispered. “He wants to see his own body. Now, will you lift the tablecloth before he gets pissed?”
Jonathan sighed. “Fine. But only for a few seconds. Tell him to take a good look, because I’m not uncovering it again. And will you guys please huddle around,” he said to Troy and Kane. “I don’t want to traumatize anyone any more than they already have been by all this.”
“Look now or forever hold your peace,” I said to the sheriff.
“Really?” Jonathan said, obviously not approving.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
Jonathan lifted the cloth and the sheriff looked at his own dead corpse. He didn’t react the way I thought he would. He didn’t run away in fear or turn as white as a ghost. Instead, he just looked at it. Almost fascinated by the grisly sight in front of him.
And then Jonathan covered it up again.
“Interesting,” the sheriff said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a crime of passion.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked him, ignoring Jonathan’s disapproving gaze.
“Because of the weapon used. It’s a steak knife that came along with the meals. That means that this wasn’t premeditated. The killer didn’t bring his or her own weapon. They used what was at hand.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Well, it’s certainly going to make the investigation harder. Let’s just hope there are prints on that thing. Though if there are, I doubt they’re the killer’s.”
Before long, Jonathan started questioning everyone, with a little help from some of his other officers. No one knew anything, of course. The sheriff observed as Jonathan and the others did their job.
He suggested a few extra questions from time to time, which I carefully passed on to Jonathan. He looked annoyed, but he asked the questions anyway. But none of this led to anywhere. We were in the same place we started. Then they moved on to questioning the other guests in the hotel. There weren’t as many occupied rooms as I thought, but then again, Silver Bells wasn’t really a touristy kind of town. And we already had the local inn, so the hotel seemed like a bad idea in the first place.
Once everyone had been questioned, Jonathan decided that we were all free to go, but made it clear that none of us were allowed to leave town until we were cleared of all wrongdoing.
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally. I just want to go home and take this damn dress off. It’s beautiful, but after a few hours, it’s not that comfortable.”
“You’re telling me,” I said, pointing out my own dress and shoes. “There’s a reason I wear jeans as much as possible.”
Jonathan dangled the keys and went to open the front doors for us eager guests. It didn’t budge.
“I must have the wrong key,” he said and tried again.
He failed to unlock the doors a second time.
The hotel manager took the keys from him, obviously eager to get the cops and the body and the guests out of his hotel room. “Let me try,” he said under his breath.
The door still didn’t budge.
They tried another exit, but that one didn’t budge either.
“What the heck is going on here?” Jonatha
n said after a third exit door couldn’t be unlocked.
“Nothing good,” the sheriff said. “Nothing good.”
Eleven
The hotel manager ran around, trying in vain to open the doors. None budged.
“Someone wants us in here, but why?” I said.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Jonathan said. “The doors are probably stuck for some reason.” He turned to the hotel manager. “Right? Who did the locks on this place? I bet you got someone super cheap.”
“We didn’t pinch any pennies if that’s what you’re implying,” the manager was quick to say. “In fact, we’re the most high-end building in this whole town. And a new construction to boot.”
“I’m scared,” Sarah said. “What do they want?”
“It’s going to be all right,” I reassured her. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out in no time. Right, Jonathan?”
He nodded but didn’t look so convinced himself. “Someone’s messing with us. Maybe it’s some teenagers playing a prank.”
I looked at the sheriff’s body covered by a tablecloth. “That would be a pretty cruel prank, don’t you think?”
“You have better ideas?”
“Actually, maybe,” I said, looking around. I’d heard of this happening, and experienced it on a smaller scale, but I had to make sure.
I walked around the edge of the great hall. I tried the exit, but of course, it wouldn’t budge. That wasn’t a surprise.
The sheriff and Rebecca were next to me in no time.
“What are you thinking?” Rebecca said.
I turned toward the sheriff.
“Can you get out?” I asked him.
“I haven’t tried yet,” he said. “But let me see.” He stepped toward the door and tried to go through it. He was pushed back, forcefully, until he landed on the other side of the room.
“Interesting,” I said under my breath. Then I looked at Rebecca.
She rolled her ghostly eyes at me. “Fine, but if I get hurt, I’ll haunt you forever,” she said.
“Don’t be such a baby. You’re already dead, Rebecca, and you already are haunting me in a way.”
Rebecca ignored me and did the same thing the sheriff tried, but the results were the same.
The two ghosts came back with tails between their legs.
Ghostly Wedding (A Ghost Hunter P.I. Mystery Book 3) Page 7