The Pine Hill Inn

by J A Whiting

  “What a terrible, sad story.” Livvy looked off across the room at nothing in particular. “What do you think caused her death? It couldn’t have been an accident. The timing is too coincidental. While the suitor was visiting, Rebekah died? No, it can’t have been an accident. And from what you tell me about her, I don’t believe Rebekah would have killed herself. No way.”

  “Then that leaves murder,” Ella said softly.

  “A strong, smart, hardworking woman who wasn’t allowed to make her own decisions about her life.” Livvy shook her head.

  “It was the times, the customs, the way things were back then. Rebekah probably couldn’t have expected things to go any other way,” Ella pointed out. “Sometimes, parents would take their daughter’s wishes into account, but Elias must have seen Rebekah’s marriage to Jebediah as the path to a life of means for his daughter … a good life, a comfortable life, a life of ease.”

  “Rebekah sounds like she was a firecracker,” Livvy pointed out. “It mustn’t have been easy to have a daughter like that. Elias was probably puzzled and confused by Rebekah’s refusal to go along with his wishes.”

  Raisin meowed her agreement.

  Livvy leaned forward. “Is Elias the one who killed her?”

  “Maybe whatever happened to her was an accident,” Ella guessed. “I don’t mean an accident where she tripped and fell while walking in the gardens. I mean maybe a scuffle broke out during an argument over the suitor and somehow she smacked her head on something. Whoever she was with may not have intended for her to die. It could have been an accidental death.”

  “I suppose so,” Livvy admitted, and then frowned. “But I don’t think that was what it was.”

  “Elias claimed to be proud of her and her independent ways,” Ella said. “You think her father would kill her over her refusal to marry someone?”

  “He might have. Rebekah disrespected her father. It could have enraged him.”

  Ella pressed her fingers to her forehead.

  “We could ask Rebekah about it,” Livvy suggested.

  Ella lifted her eyes to her sister. “I don’t know. It might be too upsetting for her. Especially now, at this time of year. Rebekah died in the fall. Maybe we should wait a few months to bring it up with her. She’s been dead for over two hundred years. A few more months won’t matter.”

  “Want to walk with me to Jack’s preschool? It’s time to pick him up. A walk in the fresh air would do us both good.” Livvy looked over at the cat. “You, too, Raisin. Too much lying around.”

  Raisin glared at Livvy’s insinuation that she was being lazy, but she stretched and jumped down to go on the walk.

  The town was decorated with fall wreaths, flowers, pumpkins, and garlands of yellow, orange, and red leaves. A few stores had life-sized witches and skeletons propped up at their doors. The town common was decorated with about thirty scarecrows set up by participants in the annual contest.

  The sisters crunched over fallen leaves and pulled their sweaters closer.

  “It’s really chilly today,” Livvy noted. “Oh, look over there. That’s the mean guy from the inn. What was his name? The one who was harassing Leo.”

  “I see him. It’s Brian Milton.”

  The young man was dressed in jeans, a black jacket, and a knitted black hat pulled down around his face. He was standing near a car on a side street off of Main talking to another man. Brian stood in a menacing stance, looming over the person he was speaking with. He gave the man a hard push on the shoulder, and the guy stumbled back a few steps.

  Brian advanced and hit the guy across the face.

  “What’s he doing?” Livvy said with alarm.

  Brian began to punch the other man.

  “Hey,” Ella yelled across the street.

  “I’m calling the police.” Livvy pulled her phone from her sweater pocket.

  Suddenly, someone walking on Main spotted the fight and ran towards the two men. He yanked Brian off the victim and pushed him to the ground where he held him down, the side of his face pressed into the cement.

  The victim stood up fast, and shakily ran away.

  With Raisin dashing ahead of her, Ella ran across the street to give some assistance to the man pinning Brian down.

  Brian flailed, but the man held him tight.

  When she saw who it was, Ella’s eyes widened. “Liam.” She pulled her belt off her jeans and handed it to the journalist who used it to bind Brian’s hands.

  “That was quick action,” Ella praised Liam.

  “Hi, kitty cat.” Liam spotted Raisin standing with an arched back, hissing at Brian. “Did you come to help, too?”

  A police car’s siren sounded and in a few minutes, the black SUV pulled to a stop next to the sidewalk where Brian was being held on the ground.

  Livvy ran over. “That guy was beating up another man.”

  “The victim ran off,” Ella explained and gestured to Liam. “This man saved the day by breaking up the fight.”

  Brian was loaded into the backseat of the SUV where he was questioned by one of the officers. The second law enforcement officer spoke at length with Liam, Livvy, and Ella, and when he had what he needed, he thanked them for getting involved.

  Liam wiped his hands on his jeans. “Thanks for the help,” he told the sisters.

  “We didn’t do anything,” Livvy said. “You did all the work. Listen, you two stay and chat. I have to go get Jack from school.”

  Livvy hurried away, and Liam asked Ella, “Are we still on to finish the interview tomorrow?”

  “Yes, sure.” Then Ella changed her mind. “Are you busy now? Would you like to get an early dinner and do the interview while we eat?”

  Liam’s eyes brightened. “Yeah, I’m free. That would be great.”

  “I’ll treat. The hero of the day needs a reward.” Ella smiled. “We just have to take Raisin back to the house first. There’s a nice Italian restaurant around the corner from my place. Do you like Italian?”

  “I love it.”

  Raisin trilled, and she and the two humans strolled back through town towards Ella’s house.

  14

  “How is Rebekah doing?” Liam had a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in front of him.

  The restaurant was half-empty since they’d decided to have dinner together early. The space had brick walls, wood floors, a bar counter made of brushed copper, cozy booths and tables, and green plants set here and there.

  Ella sat across from Liam at a table tucked in a corner near the windows. “Rebekah’s been quiet lately. There haven’t been any problems.”

  “Why do you think so?”

  Ella said, “I asked her not to frighten the inn’s guests. It seems she took my request to heart.”

  “Did you ask her again if she wanted to cross?” Liam lifted his glass of red wine.

  Ella smiled. “I always ask her. She always refuses.”

  “I wonder what keeps her here.”

  “I found some information the other day. I found it by chance. I found some letters from Rebekah’s parents to their friends and family members.” Ella told Liam how Rebekah would not go along with her father’s wish for her to marry a wealthy Boston merchant. “And when the merchant was visiting the inn, Rebekah was found dead in the gardens.”

  Liam’s eyes widened. “Did the merchant kill her?”

  “The letter just referred to Rebekah’s passing. It didn’t insinuate that there was foul play involved.”

  “An accident?” Liam suggested.

  “I don’t know. It’s a coincidence, isn’t it? During the time the merchant her father wants her to marry comes for a visit, she ends up dead.” Ella leaned forward. “Could her father have killed her in anger over her refusal to marry the man he chose for her?”

  “Will you talk to her about what happened?”

  “Eventually. She died during the fall season and I’m worried if I bring it up with her now, she’ll become very upset. I thought I might wait a few months
.”

  “You know her best,” Liam noted. “That’s probably a good idea. Have you seen Leo?”

  “Only a handful of times. Livvy and I have spoken with his brother and girlfriend. It seems Leo inherited a good deal of money from his father.”

  Liam’s face showed concern. “Did the inheritance play a role in his death?”

  “It could have, but we don’t have enough information yet to be sure,” Ella said.

  A minute went by with the two people enjoying their dinners, when Liam asked, “Do you mind if I ask you some more questions for the interview?”

  Ella dabbed some tomato sauce from her lips. “I don’t mind. Go ahead.”

  “So far, I’ve learned that your family members could see ghosts from a very young age and that your skill is the best in the family.”

  “My mother, Jodie, also has very strong ability to see ghosts. I probably inherited it from her.”

  “Does she work with ghosts?”

  “She and Aunt Kay have the store in Salem. They do a little bit of everything and will help a ghost when someone asks them to.”

  “You told me you have two cousins in Salem. Are you close with them?”

  “Oh, yes. They’re just about Livvy’s and my best friends. Kara is the one who does psychic readings and has some talent with telekinesis. I mentioned her in our earlier conversation, but I didn’t tell you about the telekinesis. Our other cousin is Colleen. She gives readings, too. She’s clever and funny and fun. We all say she has healing hands.”

  “What does that mean?” Liam asked.

  “Well, for example, if you have a headache and Colleen puts her hand on your head or on your temple, the pain will usually go away within five minutes,” Ella explained.

  Liam had a look of disbelief on his face. “Really? That’s very hard for me to believe.”

  “Colleen is trained in hypnosis,” Ella said. “Hypnosis can be very effective in helping people get rid of ailments, stop smoking, lose a fear of public speaking or a fear of flying, lose weight, reduce stress or anxiety, or help eliminate insomnia.”

  “Isn’t hypnosis just a performance on a stage?” Liam asked.

  “It isn’t that at all. No one can be hypnotized without wanting to be. Colleen tells me that all hypnosis is really self-hypnosis, and that it’s simply a state of heightened concentration that you use to help you address things you want to change in your life.”

  Liam mulled over what he’d just heard.

  “Colleen is also a librarian and Kara is a physical therapist,” Ella added.

  Liam smiled. “You have a very interesting family.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Do you have the ability to sense things?”

  “How do you mean? Like things about the future?”

  Liam nodded.

  “No, I can’t see anything about the future, but sometimes, when I talk to someone or shake their hands, I can get a sense of the past. Maybe a hurt they suffered, or a trauma, or something really great that happened to them.”

  “Did you sense anything about me when we shook hands?” Liam asked.

  “I didn’t pick up on anything. It may have been because I was angry and annoyed that Jin arranged the interviews with you without asking me about it first. Emotions like that can block my ability to sense things about someone.” Ella tilted her head to the side. “Is there something from your past I should have felt?”

  “I think everyone likes to keep some things about themselves private,” Liam said.

  “I think you’re right. At least, until people get to know each other better.”

  After dinner was over, Ella walked home and was changing into comfortable clothes when she got a text from her brother.

  Can Livvy and I drop by?

  When Livvy and Ben knocked on her door fifteen minutes later, Raisin rushed to greet them.

  “Hi, Cutie Cat,” Livvy told the feline. After Raisin got a good amount of scratching from Ben, they went to sit around the coffee table in the den with slices of pie and coffee.

  Raisin nestled in between Ella and Livvy on the sofa.

  “I was at Livvy’s for dinner,” Ben told her. “Mom called and wants to know if we’re all going to the Magical Ball this year. Colleen is going to buy tickets for whoever is going. She can get them at a discount if she buys by tomorrow.”

  “I’ll go,” Ella said. “It was fun last year.”

  “Ava and I are going, too.” Ben lifted a forkful of pie to his lips. “Livvy’s undecided.”

  A look of surprise crossed Ella’s face. “Why?”

  “We’d have to stay over and the next day is a school day for Jack.”

  “Mike doesn’t go,” Ella pointed out. “Mike and Jack can stay home. It’s an important night to get together with our family and other witches. Kara and Colleen will be disappointed if you don’t come, and so will Mom and Aunt Kay.”

  “You’re right. It’s a fun night, and it’s a chance to invigorate our senses,” Livvy said. “And with all that’s going on, we need all the positive energy we can get.”

  Ben smiled at Ella. “I was hoping you’d be able to convince her.”

  The siblings chatted about what was going on in town, and then the conversation turned to the fight the sisters had witnessed near the common.

  “Nothing like that ever happens in Green Hill,” Ben said. “I’m glad Liam jumped in right away and the police arrived so fast.”

  “Liam didn’t hesitate,” Livvy said. “He took that awful Brian Milton down with ease. That Milton guy worries me. He’s trouble. Do you think he was arrested?”

  “If he was, it would have been an overnight stay in jail with a date to appear in court,” Ben told them. “He may have gotten off with a warning since the guy he was beating on took off. I doubt he’d press charges against Brian.”

  “We should be able to press charges.” Ella sipped from her coffee mug.

  “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that,” Ben said.

  “Have you talked with Liam yet?” Ella asked her brother. “Has he followed you around?”

  “The day before yesterday we had a long talk. I brought him out to the barn and showed him my set-up. He was very interested in it,” Ben said. In addition to being a firefighter and a ghost investigator, Ben had a big barn behind his house where he had a blacksmith shop. He didn’t work on shoeing horses, but instead molded iron and steel into tools, door handles, hinges, hooks, gates, railings, light fixtures, and helmets and swords for historical reenactors. “I showed Liam how to make a part for a lantern. It was fun.”

  “I meant did you talk about the family business and our skills?” Ella said.

  “Oh, yeah. We did. I didn’t go into a lot of detail about spells and intentions or anything like that. I told him I didn’t have your abilities,” Ben looked from sister to sister. “I told him the women in the family were the ones with the paranormal talent.”

  “Did he ask what you could do?” Livvy questioned.

  “I told him I worked on the investigations, but that I wasn’t as insightful as you two are.”

  “Did he ask if you can see ghosts?”

  “Yeah, he asked. I explained that I couldn’t see spirits as clearly as you could, but I knew when they were around and that I mostly could see them with my peripheral vision.”

  “How do you think he’s handling all of this information?” Livvy asked.

  “He seems shocked initially, but I think he’s open to new ways of thinking,” Ben said. “I don’t get the impression Liam is close-minded at all. This is all new to him. I think he’s actually enjoying it.”

  “He’d better not make us look bad when he writes this article.” Livvy’s eyes were dark. “Or else.”

  Ben was about to say something when his phone buzzed. He read the text message and looked up.

  “We’re needed. That was Paul and Lisa at Woodstock Ghost Hunters. They’re having an issue. They want us to come.”

  15
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br />   After arriving in Connecticut, Livvy drove her SUV down the off-ramp and took an immediate right onto a dark, secluded road. Ben sat in the front passenger seat, and Ella and Raisin were in the back.

  Paul and Lisa Woodstock had a stellar reputation as ghost helpers and took on more difficult cases than Livvy, Ben, and Ella, but the families often worked together and assisted with ideas or techniques. The couple was in their forties and had been working with spirits for over twenty years.

  “Paul and Lisa have been trying to get rid of a negative spirit in this house for about three months. The people who own the place are Louise and Harold Pinter. They bought the mansion with the idea to make it into a bed and breakfast and to have Halloween activities there during the month of October. They haven’t gotten very far with their plans even though they bought the place five years ago. The ghost is often in a rage, breaking things, throwing things, causing all kinds of trouble. Finally, the Pinters called on Paul and Lisa to see if they could help.”

  Livvy drove up a long, black, twisty driveway. What looked like an enormous gothic mansion rose up before them, dark and ominous.

  “That’s the house?” Ella’s voice shook slightly. “It looks like a haunted mansion,” she deadpanned. “We should have invited Liam along.”

  “Or Detective Damon,” Livvy kidded. “He might change his mind about spirits after living through this experience we’re about to have.”

  Raisin meowed.

  When they pulled to a stop in front of a huge carriage house to the left of the mansion, Paul and Lisa met them at the car.

  “Things have gone from bad to worse.” Lisa’s face looked pale in the moonlight.

  “The Pinters have moved out and are living in the apartment above the carriage house,” Paul gestured to the structure. “We called you because of the state the spirit is in. He won’t talk to us anymore. He’s become dangerous.”

  Ella’s heart sank when she heard this.

  “Do you know who the spirit is?” Livvy asked.

  “He lived here in the early 1800s,” Lisa told them. “His name is Louis Belgrade. He was very wealthy. His wife, Sophie, fell in love with a man who lived about forty miles from here, and the two of them plotted Louis’s murder.”