Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore

by Rose Pressey

  “I have something very important to tell you.” I rushed my words.

  “As a matter of fact I am just around the corner. I can stop by if that’s okay?” Dylan asked.

  “Sure, that’s fine.”

  “You sound stressed,” he said.

  “When you get here you’ll know why.”

  “I’ll be there in just a second.”

  “He’s on his way,” I said when I hung up.

  “That was fast. Was he around the corner?” Heather asked.

  “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  “It must be nice to have the police come within seconds of you calling,” Sam said with a smile.

  A minute passed and Dylan showed up. He wore black trousers and a light blue button-down shirt that made his eyes look even bluer. With the top buttons of his shirt undone, it looked as if he had removed his tie hours ago. Heather stepped to the side when Dylan approached the counter. I had no idea how I would explain what Wind Song had done without sounding crazy. That was the story of my life as of late.

  “What happened?” His eyes wrinkled at the corners with concern.

  “The cat got into the beauty salon’s back room and knocked over a bag.” I didn’t even take a breath when I spewed out the sentence.

  He stared at me and a small smile appeared on his face. He was probably waiting for the punch line. “And then what happened?” he asked.

  “It’s what was in the bag,” I said.

  Charlotte waved her hands. “Well, don’t make the man guess. Tell him what happened.”

  “I am sure that the missing shoe was in the bag.” I studied his face for a reaction.

  “The missing shoe that Hannah wore at the crime scene?”

  “Hannah wasn’t wearing the shoes, remember? She had worn the shoes earlier in the day,” I said.

  He rubbed his chin, then said, “Okay, you’re right about that. How did the shoe get there?”

  I shrugged. “That I don’t know. Brooke certainly acted strange though. Maybe you want to get the shoe and see if it’s the mate.”

  Just then a customer entered the shop. We all stopped what we were doing and stared as if this woman had just committed a crime. I figured she thought we were all crazy. Dylan tried to talk in a hushed tone as the woman looked around the room. Every time she picked up an article of clothing she looked over at us. She saw the badge and gun on Dylan’s waistband and her eyes widened. She must have thought I had the best security in town.

  “I’ll go take a look,” Dylan said.

  I knew there was no way he could keep it a secret that I had told him about the shoe. Brooke would be extremely angry with me.

  The customer brought a white blouse up to the counter. “Will that be all for you?” I asked with a sweet voice.

  The woman looked at Heather, Dylan, and then me. “Yes, that’s all.”

  I rang up her purchase and then handed her the bag. She hurried out of the shop and I wondered if I would ever see her in here again.

  Once she’d gone, Dylan said, “Okay, I am going over there. I’ll call you when I find out anything.”

  When Dylan had reached the door, I called out, “Be careful, Dylan.”

  He turned to look at me and smiled. “I will.”

  At the end of the day, I didn’t even want to look over at Brooke’s shop when I left. I locked up and Heather and I stood on the sidewalk.

  “Is anyone coming this way? I’m afraid to look,” I said.

  “I don’t see anyone,” Heather said.

  She grabbed my arm and steered me toward my car. “Let’s go relax and let Dylan do his job.”

  Charlotte and Sam sat in the backseat. They looked cute, but I felt the tension coming from Charlotte. Sam was trying everything to get Charlotte’s attention back there. She was having a hard time resisting him. I pulled away from the curb. When we drove by Brooke’s shop, I slowed down. Dylan was inside talking to her. I wondered what she was telling him.

  I felt bad for ratting her out and being the tattle tale, but it had to be done.

  “Just drive,” Heather said.

  I punched the gas and drove away.

  “I know what we need,” Heather said. “Pizza.”

  “That is the best idea I’ve heard all day,” I said.

  “Pizza is my favorite,” Charlotte said from the backseat.

  Within a couple minutes, Heather and I were in the parking lot of the local pizza place. When we walked through the door, I was almost ready to leave. Heather spotted the same person right away too. Meaghan and Rita were having dinner. We sat at the back of the restaurant and tried to avoid them. Soon they’d left without noticing that we’d even been there. If she’d seen me she would have really thought I was following her.

  Chapter 18

  Sam’s Surefire Sleuthing Pointer

  Be careful of leaving fingerprints.

  Music played and I hummed along as I folded clothing and stacked the items on a nearby table.

  “You won’t believe who is walking in the door,” Charlotte said.

  She was sitting on the settee across from me. The bell above the door jingled at that moment and I whipped around to see whom she was talking about. Meaghan walked in the shop. Our eyes met and she threw her hand up in a little wave. This was awkward.

  “Hello, may I help you?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

  “I doubt she’s here to shop,” Sam said.

  He was probably right about that.

  “I thought I’d stop by and check out the shop since I enjoyed wearing the clothing at the show so much.”

  My expression probably gave away my astonishment. Would she mention what had happened at her home? The fact that she had accused me of following her? She was acting as if nothing was wrong. I figured I’d go along with her game.

  “Is there something in particular that you are looking for?” I asked.

  Charlotte stood beside her and eyed her up and down.

  “No, I suppose I just came to look around.” She touched a blouse on the rack beside her.

  “Yeah, sure,” Charlotte said. “She’s lying like a dog.”

  “Feel free to look around and let me know if you need anything,” I said.

  “I wouldn’t take my eyes off her,” Charlotte said.

  Usually I would think Charlotte was just being too cynical, but this time I figured I’d follow her advice. I took my position behind the counter so I would have a better view of what Meaghan was doing. She strolled around the store. Every so often she would stop, pick an item from the rack and look at it, and then hang it back. She also took more than a few glances my way while she shopped. Was she really looking for clothing? I pretended to be involved in my paperwork, but I was really watching her out of the corner of my eye.

  After a couple of minutes, she approached the counter. “You know, maybe I do need help finding something. I need a new dress. Perhaps something in black.”

  I moved from around the counter. “What style dress are you looking for?”

  “Maybe she needs something for a funeral,” Charlotte said.

  The thought had crossed my mind, but I certainly wasn’t going to say anything.

  “Maybe knee-length. I like the forties styles that you brought to the show,” she said.

  I pointed across the room. “I have a few dresses over there that I can show you.”

  She followed me across the floor. Sam and Charlotte weren’t far behind us. Meaghan pulled out a black dress, looked at it, and then placed it back on the rack.

  I pulled out a couple of dresses to show her. “This one has lace detail around the neckline and this one has a nice waistline. I love the way it fits. It would look great on you,” I said.

  Meaghan studied the blue and red dresses I’d shown her. “I’ll take both of them.”

  “Oh, she’s really up to something,” Charlotte said.

  I tried to hide my surprise. “Sure, I can ring them up for you.”

&
nbsp; I took the dresses from her and headed back to the register. As I wrapped the dresses in tissue paper, Meaghan played with the jewelry displayed at the counter.

  “I guess you’ve been wondering about the designs you saw at my place,” she said.

  That among other things. I glanced up at her.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Sam said.

  I had no idea what to say, so I just shrugged. “I just try to mind my own business.”

  Charlotte snorted. “You know good and well she isn’t going to believe that.”

  Yeah, Charlotte was probably right about that.

  “The clothing you saw at the fashion show were my designs,” Meaghan said casually.

  I froze. “What do you mean?”

  “Melanie was using the designs that I made.”

  “Why would she do that?” I asked.

  “Good question, Cookie,” Sam said.

  “She stole them from me. When I confronted her about it, she said she would give me credit. But she didn’t.” Meaghan handed me her card.

  I took the credit card from Meaghan’s outstretched hand. “Did you ask her why she didn’t give you the recognition?”

  Meaghan looked down. “It would do no good.”

  I handed her the card back. “I’m sorry.”

  “This is getting interesting,” Sam said.

  “I just wanted you to know so that you didn’t think I had stolen Melanie’s designs.”

  I handed her the bags. “I’m sorry for the other day at your place.”

  She smiled. “Think nothing of it.”

  This might have been the first time I’d seen her smile.

  “So who do you think killed Melanie?” I asked.

  She looked me right in the eyes. “I have no idea who killed Melanie. I suppose the police arrested the right person.”

  “But what if they didn’t? Wouldn’t it be terrible if the wrong person went to jail?”

  “Just terrible,” she said. “But I’m sure the police have everything under control.”

  She believed that, so why didn’t I? Was it simply because of Charlotte and Sam? Were they the only reason why I questioned Hannah’s innocence? Hannah had a motive to kill Melanie as much as the rest of them.

  Meaghan held the bags up. “Thanks again for the dresses.”

  “She didn’t even try them on,” Charlotte said.

  That was odd. But I guess she assumed the dresses would fit her. Meaghan turned and headed for the door.

  “I have one other question.” I followed her.

  “Why didn’t she mention the encounter at the park?” Charlotte asked.

  Meaghan turned to face me. “Yes?”

  “Did you happen to see Melanie wearing a silver bracelet? It had little silver charms. She bought it from me.”

  Meaghan’s expression changed. “I’ve never seen it.”

  With that she walked out the door.

  “Well, I guess that tells us all we need to know. She knows about the bracelet and she’s lying,” Charlotte said.

  “It would appear that way,” Sam said. “Plus, stealing designs would be a motive for murder.”

  “Yes, it would be a motive,” I said.

  “You should look into this further.” Sam stepped over to the window to watch Meaghan.

  Charlotte leaned against the counter. “I agree.”

  Meaghan hadn’t looked back when she stormed out the door. Even if she did have a motive, there was no way to link her to the crime. Hannah was the only one who could be connected to the murder.

  As Meaghan walked down the sidewalk, Heather stepped in.

  “Was that the assistant?” She gestured over her shoulder.

  “Yes, that was her.”

  “Wow, what did she say?”

  “She bought dresses.” I hurried across the floor toward the register.

  Heather followed me. “I can tell by the look on your face that you weren’t expecting that.”

  I rearranged the jewelry display so that the rings were all lined up in a neat row. “No, I wasn’t. I’m sure she had another reason for being here. She told me that the designs we saw were in fact hers and that Melanie had stolen them.”

  “Whoa, that is a big deal.” Heather placed her burlap tote bag on the counter.

  “Yes, that’s what I thought. I just don’t know if she’s being completely honest,” I said.

  “Well, there is one thing we can do for more information.” Heather loved talking with Wind Song and I knew by the twinkle in her eyes that she wanted to communicate with the cat again.

  “So we should ask the cat?” I asked.

  Heather pulled out her deck of tarot cards. “You got it.”

  I placed my hands on my hips. “Something tells me you had this planned before you even came over here.”

  She set the cards on top of the counter. “I just come prepared, that’s all.”

  Wind Song jumped from the window and strolled over to us. The cat leaped onto the counter, taking position in front of the cards.

  “Okay, Wind Song, do your thing.” Heather spread the cards across the counter.

  The cat reached out her paw and selected a card.

  “It’s the High Priestess card,” Heather said.

  “What does that mean?” I leaned closer.

  “It means there is something missing and you have a decision to make.” Heather tapped the card with her fingernail.

  “Perhaps that means there’s a clue that you’re missing,” Sam said.

  “You might be right,” I said.

  “Well, we know there’s a clue missing somewhere.” Charlotte sounded impatient.

  “Which card is next, Wind Song?” I asked.

  The cat finished licking her paw and then picked another card. I inched closer for a better look.

  “Which card is it?” I asked.

  Heather picked up the card. “It’s the Moon. This means you should avoid something. It means there is something lurking close by.”

  “That could be anything,” Charlotte said.

  Yes, now I would definitely be looking over my shoulder more often. “That’s definitely a warning,” I said.

  Wind Song jumped down from the counter letting us know that she was finished for the evening.

  “Well, maybe we can use the clues the cat gave us along with everything else we know,” Sam said.

  Unfortunately I didn’t think we had that much to go on. People acting suspiciously was hardly reason to suspect them of murder.

  “Which building should I avoid?” I asked.

  I wanted the cat to pull out another card, but she was already sleeping in the sunshine.

  “It looks like you will have to figure out the rest on your own,” Charlotte said.

  I sighed. “It wouldn’t be easy to do.”

  Heather patted my hand. “Try not to worry so much, okay?”

  “We should get out of here and do something,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

  Heather picked up the cards and put them back in her bag. “I wish I could, but I have an appointment for a reading.”

  I shut off my computer. “I understand. Maybe I should just go home and relax. Take my mind off things.”

  Heather looped her bag on her shoulder. “That’s exactly what you should do.”

  “We can’t do that. You have a lot of work to do.” Charlotte paced across the floor.

  “I can’t rest because I have the ghosts.” I gestured.

  “Cookie, you know you want to do this, too, so don’t try to guilt us.” Charlotte waved her finger in my direction.

  Okay, maybe I did, but I didn’t know what to do next.

  “Could the cat have meant Brooke House?” I asked.

  Heather shifted her bag to the other shoulder. “Maybe, after all, you did see her and Meaghan together.”

  “Yes, I should talk to Brooke House too.”

  “Now you’re getting a plan together,” Sam said.

  �
��Get your things together and let’s go.” Charlotte motioned.

  “Okay, I need to leave,” Heather said.

  I moved around the counter and gave her a hug.

  “Call me if you find out anything,” she said as she walked toward the door.

  “I will. Thanks for everything.”

  Wind Song meowed at Heather when she stepped out the door. It was her way of saying thank you. I knew that she liked when Heather brought over the cards or the Ouija board. I had grown to enjoy our talks with the cat too. If only I could figure out where the cat had really come from and how she did what she did. That was yet another mystery I needed to figure out.

  I turned the sign in the front window and shut off the lights. Now I had to figure out my next move. I walked outside into the cool evening air. The sun had set and the stars were beginning to make an appearance. I climbed into the Buick and Sam and Charlotte joined me.

  “Where to now?” Charlotte placed her hands on her lap.

  “Well, I figured I’d go home and have dinner.” I pushed the key into the ignition.

  “And after that?” she pushed.

  “Well, after that I’m not sure.”

  Charlotte tapped her fingers against the seat. “Hmm. What to do now?”

  I was sure she would come up with something soon.

  There was one more thing I had to do, but I wasn’t sure if I should mention it before dinner. I had to go to see Shandra Johnson. She wasn’t that friendly when I’d seen her, but I would give it a shot. I turned the ignition and then pulled away from the curb.

  After seeing Sam and Charlotte’s long expressions, I said, “Okay, after dinner and a little relaxing we can go talk to the designer.”

  “I knew you would say that,” Charlotte said.

  “It’s probably the next thing that you should do,” Sam said from the backseat.

  “You all always get your way,” I said.

  Chapter 19

  Cookie’s Savvy Vintage-Clothing Shopping Tip

  Add classic pieces to your wardrobe first,

  then you can find the fun or wacky items.

  The next morning, I maneuvered the Buick out of the drive and headed out on the highway toward Savannah. I’d planned on going last night, but I’d had a little problem finding the correct address for Shandra. Once I’d gotten the right one this morning, the ghosts were ready to go. I’d barely had time to grab a piece of toast on my way out the door.