“Yes, he does, but we’re not the ones to do that. Please. I’m serious. It’s already awkward enough for me.”
Jack didn’t believe in ghosts, and even if I could convince him they were real, he hadn’t given me the chance. Not that I’d exactly tried, but it didn’t matter. His ego was too bruised from the events surrounding Bobby Joe’s murder.
“You’re such a fuddy dud. What happened to the Chantilly that used to like a good time? I miss her.”
“Her husband left her for another woman and then her parents died. That’s what happened to her.”
Her eyes softened. “Oh, sugar, I’m so sorry. What was I thinking? Of course your life is a hot mess.”
I laughed. “Actually, my life is going really well at the moment. I’ve got a great job, and I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m happy, Gen, and I don’t want to mess that up by getting involved with a man that clearly has an ego the size of Texas.”
“What about one with an ego the size of Rhode Island?”
“Nope. Not interested.”
WHEN THE GAME FINISHED, Jack nodded at me as I handed out the snacks. Austin’s playing was perfect. He scored three goals out of five, leading the team to their third win in a row. I peeked over at the team as Jack spoke to them but didn’t make eye contact with him. Gen had talked up a storm about his short hair, defined, chiseled jaw line and broad shoulders, and even though he was obviously attractive—anyone would say that—I acted like he wasn’t all that. I didn’t even believe myself though, and I doubted Gen believed me either.
Austin’s eyes lit up when he saw Gen, and at first, he took off toward her at full speed, but running excitedly toward a middle aged woman wasn’t the cool thing to do, and when he realized that, he stopped himself, giving her an obligatory wave instead.
Austin and Gen had a special relationship. She’d lost a baby years ago, a little girl, and that’s when she and Jeffrey found out kids weren’t in the cards for them. Only six months pregnant, the doctor told her another pregnancy would likely kill her and the baby. So, Gen replaced the love for the child she lost with a devoted love for my son. It certainly wasn’t Scott nor I that got him that game station he sat his butt at nightly.
I’d have to get her back for that somehow.
We stopped and got Austin Chick-fil-A on the way home. We didn’t have many fast food spots in town, but they were popping up in the surrounding area, and I wasn’t opposed to a shake now and again.
“Heavens, that man does have a crook in his behind about you, doesn’t he?”
“How about we talk about this later?”
Gen glanced in the seat behind her and waved her hand in front of her face. “Ew. That boy smells like rotten peaches and raw onions.”
I laughed. “Fruity and hamburger like. That’s exactly it. I couldn’t quite place it, but you nailed it.”
She continued waving her hand in front of her face and rolled down her window. “Bless his heart, he’ll never get a date smelling that kind of foul.”
“He cleans up nice, and besides, he’s not allowed to date until he’s forty.”
“Right. That’s what your daddy thought, too I’m sure.”
He’d said exactly the same thing as I just did, so I couldn’t argue. “He’ll shower off the stink when we get home and give you a proper hug.”
“Well, I hope so. I’m worried that stench has already seeped into the silk on my shirt.”
“It’s bad, but it’s not that bad.” Unless it was on furniture. Then I’d smell it for days.
The whole time we chatted about Austin and his awful smell, he kept his head down in his phone and didn’t acknowledge us once.
WE SAT OUTSIDE ON MY front porch with a glass of white wine and chatted. I wasn’t much of a drinker, hardly drank at all, but a celebratory glass every now and again was fine by me. My head would end up stuffed, and I’d probably wind up with a low-grade headache, but Gen was worth it.
“So, you ready to tell me what’s going on?”
She sighed. “It’s so much to tell, I don’t know where to start.”
“How about with how a perfect marriage could fall apart in a matter of months? When I moved, everything was fine between you two. Like I said, perfect marriage.”
“Sugar, what you see on the outside doesn’t always reflect what’s going on in the inside, you know that. Things haven’t been what they seemed in years.”
My stomach sank. “Years? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“A lady never shows her dirty laundry in public. It’s not proper manners.”
“Well, if you’ve really left him, private could very soon become public. Trust me. I have experience in that.”
“Scott deserved a swift kick in the behind for up and leaving you like that. And for another woman. Why, the only thing that stopped me from getting a billboard made calling him a good for nothing cheater was my love for you and that boy inside. But let me tell you this, if anyone ever does that to you again, I’ll break every bone in his ever-loving body. I promise you that.”
I had a strong suspicion Gen was transferring her anger at her own husband to my ex, and I was completely okay with that. “What happened with you and Jeffrey? Maybe I can help.”
Gen didn’t cry, but her voice caught as she’d swallowed back the urge. Never show your true feelings, that was Gen.
“Honey, it’s me. You can talk to me. Is he having an affair?”
She laughed, a wholehearted belly laugh. “Oh, heavens, no. What cause would he have? I’m the perfect wife, doting on him like he’s a king, both in the bedroom and out. He knows a good thing when he sees it.”
A year ago, I would have wished Scott felt that same way. That job belongs to his current wife. “Then what’s going on?”
She steadied herself in the rocker, took a long breath and let it out. “I think he’s up to no good with the business, and I need to get out before it gets bad.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The other day, I went looking for some information about one of the charities we give to, the senior dog sanctuary near the shore? You know the one, right?”
I nodded.
“Well, when I pulled the file out of his desk, I just happened to see something in the drawer. Something that I know I shouldn’t have touched, but I just couldn’t help myself.”
“What?”
“It was a bank statement for a business I’d never heard of, and it had my name on it.”
I repeated what she said but ended it as a question instead of a statement.
“Emm hmm, and there’s a lot of money in that account.”
“Did you ask him about it?”
“Heavens, no. But I made copies of it, and I’ve done as much research as I can, and I can’t find anything about that business anywhere. Plus, the bank account is overseas. You know what that means.”
It could mean a few things, but I had a feeling it was one of the ones that wasn’t a good idea. “Have you contacted the bank?”
She crooked her finger. “Come with me.”
We walked to her car in my driveway, and she entered the code onto the keypad. When it unlocked, she popped her trunk and removed a portable metal safe.
I had a feeling if she opened the safe, I wasn’t going to like what I saw.
She carried it back to the porch but didn’t open it. “I checked our joint accounts, and the ones for the house were fine. They had the normal amounts they always did, but the general business account? It was negative.”
“Negative?”
She nodded. “So, I called the banks and checked because I didn’t want to go online in case there was some way Jeffrey could track that, and he’d cleared it out in person a week ago. Over seventy-five-thousand dollars.”
“Maybe he got a new account and hasn’t told you yet?”
She sipped her glass of wine. “He’s been acting strange lately. Nervous, even paranoid, but when I asked him about it, he said he was fine, just typical
work stress, and I shouldn’t worry my pretty little head.” She flinched. “He’s always telling me I shouldn’t worry my pretty little head. Like I’m some dumb blonde that can’t think for herself.”
“I’m sure he’s not thinking that, and I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for what’s happened. You should talk to him.”
“Chan, I told you, I contacted that bank overseas. According to them I’d just wired that exact amount into my account two days ago. They have my signature on the paperwork. They emailed me a copy. He’s forging my name and setting up a business in it, then transferring our money to it along with other money from God knows where. He’s either planning to leave me and take all the money,” she stared me straight in the eyes. “Or he’s doing something illegal.”
“Jeffrey? No. Not him. I don’t believe he’d do either of those things.”
“The business account in my name? It was opened two years ago. I have all the bank statements. He’s been depositing into it the whole time. There was over seven-hundred-thousand dollars in that account as of two days ago.”
When she said was, her eyes lit up, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “Was?”
She tapped a seven-number code onto the safe’s lock, and when it clicked, it automatically opened. “Yes, was.”
I stared down at stacks and stacks of hundred-dollar bills. “Oh my gosh, you took it?”
“Well, of course I did. It’s in my name after all, so it belongs to me.”
“You don’t—you can’t—I don’t think—” I couldn’t speak properly. My brain, a jumbled mass of shock and fear couldn’t find the right words. “But he’s going to find out.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“He’ll come here. He knows I’m the first person you’d call.”
“He’s out of town. He won’t even know I’m gone until he checks the accounts.”
“I...I, Gen, you need to—”
“To what? Go home and deal with things, or figure out what the heck my husband is doing with a business and a bank account in my name, forging my signature, and not telling me a single thing about it?” She slammed the portable metal safe shut. “I need to figure out what my husband is up to, and that’s what I’m here.”
“Because you want me to help?”
“No, because I can think clearly here, away from my house, our house, and it gives me time. He won’t figure out where I’ve gone for at least two days.”
That was only true if he didn’t check on the money, and I was confident he would.
GEN HANDLED THE SITUATION like she did a new set of tires—a minor inconvenience she must suffer through—while I tossed and turned all night trying to figure out what to do. I’d finally come to a conclusion, but it wasn’t one I liked.
The next morning, I got her settled in for the start of the day, drove Austin to school, and headed straight to work. Even though my mind stayed stuck on Gen and her situation, I had a job to do, and since it paid the bills, I took that seriously.
Olivia brought coffee from Del’s.
I all but snatched the nutty smelling heaven from her hand. “You deserve a raise.”
Her face brightened from the smile stretching across her face. “I sure won’t argue that.”
I wouldn’t have either, and I wasn’t kidding. Olivia did a lot for the society, and she did deserve a raise. I’d already requested one from the higher ups, and I had a strong feeling she’d see it on her next paycheck. I hadn’t told her because I didn’t want her disappointed if it was delayed.
“Today’s a busy day again.” She handed me three files. “But I’ve been doing some research of my own, and I think these would be great additions to your tour thingie you’re working on.”
I scanned the files. “Oh, wow. Thank you. When did you have time for this?”
“Miss Chantilly, I’m currently unattached and my nights are free, so what’s a girl to do, pout in her Cocoa Puffs or get stuff done?”
“You’re amazing, and you don’t need a man to busy up your nights, trust me.”
She smiled. “Not all women have the battle scars you have. I intend to earn my own, if that’s the case, I mean.”
I nodded and headed up to my office with her following behind.
“You might could take your friend to see those places. Might be a fun little tour of the town. Could lift her spirits.”
I flipped around on the stairs. “What do you mean, lift her spirits?”
“A woman knows another woman’s game face, and your friend had on her best effort, I could tell. Women like her, the debutantes of their era, they put on a happy face when necessary, but—” she pointed at her own eyes. “The eyes give it away every time. That friend of yours? She’s got pain in her, and she needs you to help her heal. That’s why she’s here.”
“For a young woman, you’re pretty intuitive.”
“Why, thank you. My momma taught me to look closely and listen to what others don’t say, so sometimes I see things others don’t.”
“Duly noted.”
I spent a few hours doing interesting work things like scheduling property assessments, updating property requests, and researching a few answers to emails I’d received over the past week about properties and people from Castleberry’s past. I’d just finished an email and went to call Gen when Olivia knocked on my door. “There’s a man here to see you, and he seems pretty upset.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s his name?”
He didn’t say, but he made it clear he intends to stay here until you talk to him.
“Jeffrey,” I mumbled under my breath. “I’ll come down.”
“I’ve got a tour starting in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, thank you, Olivia. I’ll be right there.”
I gathered my composure, flattened the wrinkles in my floral print shirt, and causally walked down the stairs like I had no idea who was there, even though I knew exactly who it was. “Jeffrey? What a surprise.” I walked toward him, but he brushed me off.
He paced the marble floor at the bottom of the stairs, and when I spoke, he stopped, looked up and me, and I saw the tension in his face. “Is Gen here?”
“Gen? What? No. Are you okay?” I wasn’t lying. Gen wasn’t at the historical society office at that very moment. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly the truth either, but it wasn’t a full-blown lie.
“I’m fi–fine. I need to talk to Gen. She’s gone. She’s not answering my calls, and I’m worried something’s happened to her.”
“Have you contacted the police?”
“What?” He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. “No, no. She’s not...I’m not...I thought she’d come here. We had a fight. It wasn’t good. She left without saying anything. I thought maybe she’d come here.”
Well, at least I wasn’t the only one not being entirely honest.
“I’m sorry. She’s not here. I haven’t talked to her.” In the past thirty minutes at least.
Jeffrey was a big man. Big in the sense that he’d put on a few extra pounds. At about five foot nine inches, the weight didn’t show as fat, but more like bulk. It suited his longer hair style well, giving him a casual, friendly look. Only at that moment, he appeared frazzled and panicked over friendly.
I used that as an opportunity see what I could find out. “What kind of fight did you have? Did it get physical?”
He glanced at the floor then back at me. “What? No. No, nothing like that. We just...we just argued. We don’t argue, you know that. We have a great marriage. It was...it was just a fight. People fight, right? It happens.” He ran his hand through is black hair. “I need to find my wife.”
“Well, she’s not here, but if I hear from her, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”
He pointed at me. “Yeah, yeah. You do that. Tell her it’s important, and tell her I’m sorry. For everything.” He turned around and rushed out the door.
Olivia had been standing in the corner watching. When he left, she p
eeked out and raised her hand. “Excuse me, is everything okay?” I knew the excuse me was meant to be good manners on her part, but I still planned to break her of the habit eventually.
I sighed. “Yes, no. I mean, it’s complicated. Hopefully he won’t be back, but if he does come around again, please don’t say anything about Gen being here, okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
GEN SLAMMED THE PITCHER of iced tea down onto my kitchen counter. “He what? I can’t believe he found me.”
“Technically he didn’t find you, but I don’t think he believed me when I said you weren’t here, and I really didn’t like lying to him.”
“Oh, sugar, I know, and I’m sorry. I should go. You don’t need this.”
I blocked her from walking out of the kitchen and toward the small guest room. “No, no. That’s not what I mean. I don’t want you going back to him. He knows you did something. I saw it in his eyes.”
She tried to smile, but her mouth couldn’t quite get there. I noticed her eyes welling up with tears, and I pulled her into a hug. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
I encouraged her to get dressed and come with me to review the properties Olivia suggested for the haunted tour.
After she came back to the kitchen, she said, “You sure? Do you really want a hot mess like me putting a damper on your day?”
“Of course.”
“So, you think I’m a hot mess then?”
“No, you’re not a hot mess, but I want you to come with me. I’m putting together a tour to start the week of Halloween.” I’d been tidying up the kitchen and stopped. “Oh my gosh, that’s what you need, a party.” I flipped around. “Let’s throw a party. Everyone in town can come. I’ll make it a pre-haunted tour kickoff party to get people excited about the tour, and you’ll be in your element.” Gen not only knew how to work a party, she had a flair for planning them, and I knew the distraction would do her good. “What do you say?”
She hesitated. “What if he comes back?”
I paused before I spoke. “Let’s talk to Jack. Maybe he can help.”
Ghosts are People Too Page 3