Eat, Drink, and Be Scary (A Ravenmist Whodunit Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Olivia Jaymes

  As I passed the sheriff’s station I glanced into the big window in the front and was shocked to see Lorna and Adam in handcuffs. Both of them were sitting on a bench outside Jack’s office and Lorna’s eyes were red and swollen from crying.

  Two sides of me warred as I stood there on the cold sidewalk and took in the sad scene. Part of me felt sorry for the widow and the trouble she’d found herself in. She might not have been happy with her husband but she probably didn’t want him dead. The other half of me said that she absolutely did want him dead and she’d killed him. My sympathy was misplaced. I didn’t know Lorna well at all, so I shouldn’t be making judgments about whether she was a killer or not. She might be the best person in the world or she might be the worst. Like most people, she was probably somewhere in between.

  It really depended on how far she was either way, didn’t it?

  Missy was waiting for me in the café, sipping an iced tea and chatting with Daisy. I slid into the other side of the booth and breathlessly apologized for being late.

  “I saw Lorna and Adam in handcuffs,” I confessed, tugging off my gloves. “I guess they found them.”

  Daisy nodded knowingly. “They certainly did. They were on the highway headed out of town when the state police pulled them over.”

  “How do you know all of that already?” I marveled. “Lorna and Adam still had their coats on. They couldn’t have been at the station all that long.”

  “Helen stopped by to pick up some lunch for the rest of the station house,” Daisy said with a smirk. “She filled me in while the kitchen made up the order.”

  Helen Calhoun was Jack’s administrative assistant and at least eighty-five if she was a day. She’d been the assistant to the sheriff since I was a little kid and probably rode a dinosaur to work at one point. Jack had been encouraging her to retire since he’d taken the job of sheriff.

  Because of her long tenure, she also had delusions of grandeur and would go around town doing little “citizen arrests” when people were double parked or they crossed against the light. Most of the town’s folk humored her but it had been getting worse lately and she was liable to end up run over by a UPS truck if she didn’t stop.

  Why a UPS truck, you ask?

  A couple of months ago, one had been parked in front of the sheriff’s station while the driver dropped off some packages at a nearby business. Helen had decided she didn’t like that so she climbed into the driver’s seat and tried to re-park the hulking vehicle. She’d scraped four parked cars and rear-ended a deputy before Jack had stopped her.

  Come to think of it, that had been Jack’s first week on the job. Welcome to Ravenmist.

  “Jack is going to blow a gasket,” I said. “He hates the rumor mill in town.”

  “He might have to finally force Helen to retire,” Daisy replied. “Her memory is starting to go, you know. The entire time she was here she kept calling him Sheriff Woods. He retired thirty-five years ago.”

  “So what did Helen say?” Missy asked impatiently. “How did they find them?”

  Daisy leaned down as if to tell us a secret but I knew that everyone in town would know whatever she was telling us by sundown. “I’m not sure but they were driving on the highway out of town. Their story is that they were going to visit a friend.”

  The story was pretty lame. Things didn’t look good for Lorna. Or Adam. That explained the handcuffs and Lorna’s tearstained visage.

  “That’s awful,” Missy said. “Just terrible.”

  “On the bright side, the killers are caught,” Daisy said knowingly, a big smile on her face. “But I knew they would be. I had a vision last night. Sheriff Jack locking up the murderer. I couldn’t see his or her face but I knew he’d get them soon. I had a vision about you, too.”

  She was looking at me. What now?

  “A vision? What was it?”

  Frankly, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to know but I wasn’t going to stop Daisy from telling me. When she had one of her visions, she was going to talk about it.

  “Saw you in a white wedding dress walking down an aisle.”

  I visibly shuddered at the thought, pictures of my wedding flashing in front of my eyes as if I was on my deathbed. Never again.

  “You must be mistaken, Daisy. That wasn’t me. Maybe it was Missy. She and Dylan might get married someday.”

  Rolling her eyes, Missy gave me a little kick under the table.

  “No, it was you. Your mama and daddy were there, too. You had one of them long trains and a big poufy veil.”

  There was nothing in my fashion history that said I was going to wear anything poufy. No, no, no.

  “If I ever get married again – and that’s a huge if – I won’t be wearing a white dress. I’ll just go down to the courthouse and get married by the judge. No fuss. You’ve mixed me up with someone else or maybe you’re having memories of my sister Hyacinth’s wedding. She had a big poufy dress and veil. What is it you said, Missy? She looked like a giant roll of toilet paper. The fluffy, expensive kind.”

  My best friend had her hand clapped over her mouth and was trying to hold in her laughter. We both had some fun memories of that day. Missy and I had been twenty at the time, a few months underage for alcohol but there had been this champagne fountain and when no one was looking…

  Needless to say, we had a marvelous time at the reception and danced to every single song. We danced as if no one watching, if you get my drift. The next day we’d both had a horrible champagne hangover but tried to pretend that we were fine while taking turns throwing up in the hall bathroom of my childhood home.

  My mother, of course, figured out that we were sick and blamed it on the shrimp cocktail. To this day, she won’t let me eat shellfish when I’m with her because she says I must be allergic.

  “It wasn’t Hyacinth. It was you, and you were getting married. Might as well get used to the idea. The right man will change your mind.”

  “If I find the right man, then I’ll keep an open mind. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds like you’re pacifying me but I’ll let you. Now what do you want for lunch?”

  “Chicken and dumplings,” I answered immediately. “And iced tea. No lemon.”

  Daisy made a face and scribbled down my order. “As if I don’t know how you take your tea by now. I should have known you’d want my special chicken and dumplings. The recipe is a secret.”

  They really were the best I’d ever tasted, and I’d tried to duplicate the recipe many times but had never been able to.

  “Someday I’ll figure out the secret ingredient.”

  “Doubtful.”

  “It’s love, isn’t it?” Missy piped up. “That’s what makes it special.”

  “It’s definitely not love. I’ve made that dish when I was in the worst mood in the world. Try again.”

  Missy wrinkled her nose. “Cilantro?”

  “Perish the thought. Do you want the same?”

  Missy nodded and we handed our unneeded menus to Daisy who bustled back to the kitchen, leaving us alone at the table. The restaurant was packed, the lunch rush in full swing.

  “You’re not thinking about that wedding dress thing, are you?” Missy asked as a waitress dropped off my tea. “Daisy isn’t always right.”

  “No, that’s not it. I was thinking about Lorna and Adam.”

  Missy sighed. “You’ve got that look on your face. What’s this one about?”

  “They left town and they weren’t supposed to. Come on, Missy. You have to admit that it’s a dumb thing to do.”

  “It is, but are criminals super smart?”

  “I would imagine a few are and some are stupid. But that just doesn’t make any sense to me. Plus, what is Adam’s part in all of this? Lorna wasn’t having an affair with him.”

  “That we know of,” Missy interjected. “Maybe she was tired of Roger and decided to go with Adam.”

  “Maybe. It just bothers me when it doesn’t make sense.”

&nb
sp; When I’d been researching companies in my past career, I’d always pay close attention when things didn’t make sense. That’s when I’d look harder. I’d usually find something that wasn’t quite what it was supposed to be.

  “You think she’s innocent?”

  Did I? I wasn’t sure.

  There was evidence against Lorna. Terrence had seen her wandering around the morning of her husband’s murder. She wasn’t happy in her marriage and she’d been having an affair. Now she’d been caught heading out of town.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted with a sigh. “I just don’t know. She had motive and opportunity, but she isn’t the only one. And why would she kill Roger? That doesn’t make any sense, either.”

  “Are you back to the Strangers on a Train thing? Because that only works if Lorna and Cherie were strangers. They’re best friends.”

  I’d told Missy about my theory via text and she’d thought as much of it as Jack had. Which was not much at all.

  “I know that, too. It’s just this entire situation is so bizarre. It doesn’t make any sense,” I repeated.

  “Not everything makes sense. We should just be glad that a murderer is off the streets of Ravenmist. We can get back to normal.”

  This town hadn’t been normal in two hundred years. I wasn’t even sure what that meant anymore. But my friend was right about one thing…some things simply don’t make sense. I needed to leave it alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  By the time I returned to the inn, it appeared that everyone had heard about Lorna and Adam. The place was buzzing with conjecture about why they did it and how many other people they might have killed. This time tomorrow, Lorna and Adam would be merciless serial killers who were headed out on a nationwide rampage like Bonnie and Clyde.

  I retreated to my room and kicked off my dressy shoes, placing them inside of the closet. I hoped that Terrence was around. I hadn’t talked to him yet today and I was becoming quite fond of him. He had a fun sense of humor and terrific stories about my grandmother and father. He didn’t talk much about himself though, and I had the feeling that his childhood hadn’t been all that wonderful. Every time I tried to steer the conversation to him he’d change the subject.

  “Terrence,” I called out. “Are you there?”

  A cold breeze ran over me and then he was standing there, wearing the same slacks and buttoned-down shirt. I made a mental note to ask him or Edward whether they were stuck for an eternity wearing whatever clothes they’d died in. If that was the case, I needed to up my wardrobe game.

  “I’m here. I was out earlier though, taking a walk in the backyard. The inn is very busy today.”

  “It’s Halloween,” I reminded him. “It’s practically a national holiday in Ravenmist.”

  He made a face and leaned against the doorway to the closet. “I never liked Halloween much. I don’t like wearing costumes.”

  “I’m okay with the costumes but I love the candy. I also love the decorations.”

  I’d kept up most of the Halloween decorations from the festival but tomorrow they would all come down. I was sort of sad to see the end but then I had the holiday season to look forward to.

  Terrence grinned, looking rather boyish. “I love candy. I wish I could still eat it.”

  “Do you miss food?”

  I would totally miss food. And soaking in a hot tub.

  “Sometimes, but I don’t think about it much. I don’t get hungry or tired, and time doesn’t work the same way it did before.”

  Before. I’d noticed that Terrence never referred to himself as deceased. It was always just about the before. Funny, but now my life was split into before and after, too. Before I knew about ghosts and the after.

  “Terrence, are you sure you saw Lorna Bergstrom that morning that her husband was killed? You’re absolutely positive that it was her?”

  Terrence frowned, his brows pulled down. “I think so. It was from a distance but it looked like her. I could be wrong, though. Why?”

  Sighing, I sat down on the edge of the bed. “I just wondered. She and her friend are in jail right now.”

  “I heard.”

  That made me laugh. “The gossip mill even works for spirits. Good to know.”

  “I overheard some conversations in the dining room. It sounds like they have evidence. It’s good that she’s caught and behind bars, right?”

  It was and I should be happy. The town was celebrating and here I was being all moody.

  “It is good,” I replied firmly. “Like I said to Missy at lunch, everything can get back to normal now. That means getting back to my spreadsheets and purchase orders. I’d better get back to work.”

  Terrence began to slowly fade. “Bye, Tedi. See you later.”

  And with another whoosh of cool air, he was gone. I’m not sure I’m ever going to get used to that.

  I put on another pair of shoes – this pair far more comfortable – and headed directly for my office and my neglected work. I’d had ten thousand excuses this last week for avoiding it but that was all over. I had an inn to run and I’d best get to it.

  I didn’t make it all the way, however. I ran into Cherie coming out of the dining room. She waved me down before I could duck into my office.

  “Tedi, I wanted to say thank you for moving me into another room. It really has been so helpful. I do think that I will be checking out tomorrow morning and heading home to my friends and family. Roger’s parents need me.”

  I’d moved Cherie into a quiet corner of the inn so she could get some rest, but also because Jack’s deputies had taped off the Bergstroms’ and Adam Taylor’s rooms. They also wanted access to Roger’s possessions.

  “I’m glad I could help,” I replied, noticing that her eyes were still red and puffy. I felt so badly for her. She’d come for a fun weekend and now her entire world had exploded. “Is there anything I can get for you? Let me know and I’ll have it sent up to your room.”

  Cherie shook her head. “No, nothing – Wait, there is something you can do for me. I need to get into my old room but there’s yellow tape across the door.”

  “The police did that but I’m sure it’s only temporary. Did you leave something in the room? I can call the sheriff and he can have one of his deputies get it for you.”

  “No, that’s fine. I can get it when they release the room. I just wanted something of Roger’s…I thought it might help. Maybe it’s for the best. It might make things worse.”

  “I can call–”

  “Really, it’s okay. It was a silly idea, anyway. A shirt that smells like him isn’t going to replace the Roger I knew.”

  That was really sweet. Cherie was a heck of a lot more forgiving than I would have been under the circumstances. Roger had been having an affair with her best friend, after all.

  “Just let me know if you change your mind. Jack or one of his deputies can be out here in minutes.”

  Or they could give me permission to go into the room. I wouldn’t touch anything.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you. I think I’ll go upstairs and try to rest.”

  “That’s a good idea. I can send dinner up to you as well.”

  “I think that would be good. I can feel everyone looking at me.”

  “I’m sure they’re not.”

  Boy, that was a huge lie but I was trying to make her feel better.

  She gave me a watery smile. “Perhaps it’s only my imagination. Still, I think I would be more comfortable eating in my room tonight.”

  “No problem. Just let the kitchen know what you’d like and we’ll send it up.”

  Cherie thanked me and left, so I had no choice but to sit down and work. I had to give Jack credit. Two murders in one week and he’d wrapped them up as quickly as he’d said he would. He’d also done it without alienating the entire town. He might work out after all.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Despite all of the distractions, I’d been incredibly productive. For the last sev
eral hours I’d checked item after item off of my to-do list. It was satisfying but it also built up a healthy appetite. I was starving. Missy had her book club tonight so I decided to grab a bite in the kitchen. Delicious aromas from the dinner service had been wafting through the door while I worked and my stomach was in full-on growling mode. If I didn’t feed it soon, it might make enough noise for the guests on the top floor to hear me.

  I was surprised to see Jack and his son Tyler sitting in my dining room perusing menus. For some reason I thought Jack would be stuck at the station but he’d caught the killers, so that probably meant he could relax a little. There was no better way to do that than with a plate of my chef’s deep-dish apple pie. It was the dessert special tonight and I was planning on having a big slice. A la mode.

  Tyler gave me a big smile and a wave when he saw me and I waved back, deciding that it would be rude not to stop and chat at least for a moment. The fact was I really wanted to hear about the case and not from the gossip mill, but I also didn’t want to appear overeager like a murder-groupie.

  “How are you this evening?” I asked in my best professional voice. “Has someone taken your drink orders yet?”

  Jack placed his menu on the table. “Andrea took our drink orders, thank you. What do you recommend this evening?”

  “The trout is good and I would definitely save room for the apple pie.”

  But if you don’t, then there’s more for me.

  Tyler was already turning up his nose at the trout suggestion. “I think I’m going to have a cheeseburger.”

  “Another excellent choice. I think that’s what I’m going to have tonight, too.”

  Andrea dropped off two sodas, her pen in her hand ready to take their order. “Are you dining with them, Tedi? Can I bring you an iced tea?”

  This whole town was determined that I wouldn’t stay single and now they were pushing us to dine together. At least it wasn’t romantic in the slightest. Tyler was here and the dining room was well-lit and lively.