If the Haunting Fits, Wear It

by Rose Pressey

  Grandma Pearl’s Pearls of Wisdom

  Everything’s better with a monogram.

  “Would you like to get a lemonade?” Dylan asked. “I think it’s fresh and not some powdered stuff.”

  “I’d love that,” I said.

  The stand was nearby, so we made our way through the crowd for a lemonade. The next thing I knew, the crowd grew. People shoved their way closer to the street. Dylan lost his grip on my hand. I looked around for him, but I couldn’t see him in the crowd. It was as if he’d disappeared. The best thing I could do was to go to the refreshment stand. He’d probably be waiting there for me. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the stand, Dylan was nowhere in sight.

  “This is ridiculous, Cookie. How did you become lost like a child at a parade?” Charlotte was standing beside me now.

  I picked up my phone and held it to my ear. “I don’t know how I got lost. You saw those people shoving me. I’m lucky I didn’t get trampled.”

  I dialed Dylan’s number, but the call wouldn’t go through. Apparently, there was no service in the middle of downtown. I seriously needed to reconsider my cell phone provider. Dylan was probably trying to call me too.

  I released a big sigh and continued to scan the crowd of faces for Dylan. That was when I noticed the men. At that same moment, they spotted me. Our eyes met. I took off running, trying to make my way through the crowd, but people weren’t cooperating and stood in my way. Some people even shoved me as I tried to break through. It looked as if I wasn’t going to get away from the men.

  When I glanced back, the men were still trying to get to me. I had to find a place to hide so they wouldn’t find me. I figured the crowd would be enough to keep me separated from them, but somehow the men were keeping up with me. When I reached a line of shiny new cars parked along the street, I decided to hide behind one of them.

  “You should see if the door is unlocked, Cookie. The windows are down. You can hide in the backseat,” Charlotte suggested.

  I reached up and tried the handle. The door was open. Could I really hide back there?

  “Someone will think I’m trying to steal the car,” I whispered.

  “You’ll only be there a minute,” Charlotte said.

  “It probably won’t be necessary to stay. I think they’re gone,” Maureen said.

  “Not so fast. Here they come now,” Ramon yelled.

  I pulled on the door handle, opened it, and crawled into the backseat. Once I was all the way in, I closed it behind me. I couldn’t believe I was hiding in someone’s car. What would Dylan say? I knew he was looking for me. The ghosts were standing guard outside the car.

  “What’s happening now?” I asked.

  “Here comes a man. Hold on,” Charlotte said.

  The next thing I knew, the front driver’s-side door opened and a man got in the car. Fortunately, he hadn’t looked in the backseat yet to see me lying there. He cranked the engine and shoved the car into gear. I didn’t know what to do. I was paralyzed. Should I let him know I was back there? I don’t know what he would do, but if I didn’t say something, there was no telling where he would drive me.

  Things had happened so fast that the ghosts barely had time to register that I was gone. I’d never left them that quickly, and I just assumed they would be able to keep up with me. That didn’t happen this time. They would think I had left them on purpose. In my defense, getting into the backseat had been Charlotte’s idea. The car slowed down, but we were still moving. The car was going no more than five miles an hour. Cheers from the crowd filled the air. The parade was under way.

  I wanted to look out to see where we were. I eased my way over to the window. So far, the driver still had no idea I was back there. When I looked out the window, I realized I was in the parade. The car was part of the parade. The crowd was cheering. I wasn’t sure if they saw me peeking out the back window. Suddenly I made eye contact with someone. I was looking right at Dylan, and he was looking back at me. I’d never seen that expression on his face before—it was one of complete and utter shock.

  Would he believe me when I told him that I just felt like being part of the Kentucky Derby Pegasus Parade? The man glanced back and saw me.

  “What the heck are you doing back there?” he asked. “Who are you?”

  I knew my answer would sound completely crazy. “You see, sir, there were two men following me, so I had to get away from them. I jumped in the backseat of your car so they wouldn’t find me.”

  “You can’t be back there.” The man’s loud voice boomed through the car.

  “Well, it’s a little too late for that now,” I said, sitting up in the backseat.

  I waved at the crowd as we drove by.

  “You’re not part of the parade,” he said.

  “It looks more suspicious if I don’t wave to people.”

  People were waving at me now.

  “How am I going to explain this?” he said.

  “Just tell them the truth, I guess.”

  We continued down the street. I made eye contact with the ghosts. Their mouths hung open as they stared in shock. After the parade had progressed several more streets, the man pulled over.

  “Are you going to leave me here?”

  “You’re lucky I didn’t call the police.”

  I wished he had. At least I’d lost the men. Now I had to find Dylan. After getting out of the car, I stood on the sidewalk, staring at the tall buildings of downtown Louisville. Everything was closed for the day. My cell phone rang. Thank goodness, I had service again.

  “Where are you?” Dylan asked.

  “It’s a long story, but I need you to pick me up.”

  Chapter 28

  Cookie’s Savvy Tips for Vintage Shopping

  If you have the time while traveling,

  make sure to check out local vintage and thrift shops.

  You never know what treasures you may find.

  After my ordeal at the parade, I’d had Dylan drop me off at the hotel so I could rest. My stress level was at the max. A couple of hours had passed, and I’d gone out to find a snack at the store around the corner. The rest of the evening, I planned on relaxing in front of the TV and writing for my blog. That always eased my tension.

  I pulled into the hotel’s parking lot and around to the back, where I parked my car close to my room. I liked to get that spot because I could look out the window and keep an eye on my car. I didn’t want anyone messing around with my baby. As I backed the car in, I noticed a black truck parked not too far away underneath a big shade tree.

  “Do you see that?” I asked the ghosts. “Underneath that tree?”

  “It’s that truck,” Charlotte said.

  “Yes, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The person is waiting for me,” I said.

  “I’m going over to find out what they’re doing,” Charlotte said.

  Before I had a chance to say anything, she was gone. Not that I would have stopped her. Actually, I was glad that she was going. I turned off the car and waited until Charlotte returned before getting out. If the situation escalated, I might have to drive off. I’d call Dylan and have him meet me here with the police.

  A few seconds later, Charlotte returned.

  “What did you find out?” I asked.

  “There’s a woman in the truck. She was on her phone, and I’m pretty sure she was talking to Mandy. She hung up not long after I got in the truck.”

  “That was unfortunate timing,” Maureen said.

  “You should go over there and confront her.” Charlotte shook her fist.

  “Oh, that sounds dangerous.” Maureen’s eyes widened.

  “That’s because it is dangerous,” Ramon said. “If it has anything to do with Mandy, I would never confront her.”

  I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, contemplating whether I should go over to find out what this woman wanted. I weighed the pros and cons of doing that. She could want to fight me or even worse. I was pretty sure she had trie
d to cut me off so that I’d have an accident. Plus, she had tried to run over me with her truck.

  “Okay, I’ll do it,” I said, opening the car door.

  I had to go now before I changed my mind. I moved over to the side lot, close to the building. I wanted to conceal my presence so that she wouldn’t know I was walking up to her truck, although she was probably waiting for me. That was her entire reason for being there. She hadn’t been paying enough attention, though, to even realize that I’d pulled into the parking lot. The closer I got to the truck, the more my nerves ramped up. With the tinted windows on the truck, it was impossible to see what she was doing.

  I pushed my shoulders back and stood up a little straighter as I marched over to the truck.

  “Go get her, Cookie,” Charlotte said.

  “Just be careful,” Maureen added.

  “I would go ahead and punch nine one one into your phone if I were you,” Ramon said.

  I stepped up to the truck and knocked on the window. The woman didn’t lower the window or open the door. The windows were tinted, but now that I was closer, I could make out her silhouette. I knew she was there. I wasn’t going to give up, and I wasn’t going away until I talked to her.

  After a pause, she cracked the window and glared at me. “What do you want?”

  She had blond hair that reached to her shoulders in waves. She wasn’t as gaunt-looking as Mandy. This woman had fuller features.

  “What do I want?” I asked. “More like what do you want?” I placed my hands on my hips. “You’re the one who’s been following me. I want an answer. I want to know why you’ve been following me.”

  “Mandy. That’s why I’m following you. I want to put a stop to it,” she said as she opened the truck door and got out.

  She was several inches taller than me. I looked up, and she peered down at me like a giant oak tree towering over a tiny acorn.

  “Mandy is my best friend, and I’m looking out for her.” She stepped closer.

  “Yeah, I know this lady,” Ramon said. “Her name is April. She’s crazy. You should leave now, Cookie, before this gets any worse.”

  The only way it could get worse was if she actually punched me, and it looked like that was where this was headed.

  “I’m not following Mandy. All I ever see is your truck and you trying to run over me,” I said.

  “Yeah, I will get you if you get in my way again. I’ll do it all over again. You can take this as a warning.” She reached out and pushed my shoulder.

  I stumbled backward.

  “Okay, it’s definitely time to leave,” Maureen said.

  I should have left, but this just made me even angrier. I pushed April’s shoulder in return. Of course, she didn’t stumble backward as I had. My shove had absolutely zero effect on her, as if I had tried to push a brick wall. Did she lift weights?

  “It’s like a Chihuahua fighting a pit bull,” Charlotte said.

  “Cookie, this will not end well for you,” Maureen said.

  “You’re the Chihuahua, remember?” Charlotte said.

  Maybe so, but I knew some Chihuahuas who stood up for themselves. That being said, I wasn’t completely crazy, so I told April to leave me alone. I turned around and stomped away.

  “Is she following me?” I whispered.

  I didn’t want to turn around and let her know I was scared.

  “No, she got back in her truck,” Ramon said.

  “You were brave, Cookie. I’m proud of you.” Charlotte smiled.

  As soon as I walked into my room, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw that it was my mother’s number. I picked it up right away because I knew she would be frantic if I didn’t answer.

  “Cookie, how are you, honey?”

  My mom sometimes still treated me like I was six years old, but that was okay. She was a great mother, and if it made her happy, I was okay with it.

  “I’m all right. Is everything okay? How’s Dad?”

  “Well, it’s hard since I’m away from him and staying here in Sugar Creek. He came over to see me a couple of nights ago.”

  “Stop right there. I don’t want to hear anything about that visit. Is anything else going on?” I asked.

  She chuckled. “Well, the real reason I’m calling is because I’m concerned about Heather.”

  “What’s wrong with Heather?” I asked.

  “I know she wouldn’t tell you this, so that’s why I felt the need to do it. Someone has been following her.”

  “What do you mean following her? Who is it?” I asked, with concern evident in my voice.

  “I think it might be related to the murder case. I think the person who killed Maureen is following Heather. She might be onto them, and they’re worried that she’ll go to the police.”

  Heather was being followed? Now I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I never wanted to drag any of my friends or family into my investigations. It looked as if I had done it with Heather this time.

  “Has she told the police about this?” I asked.

  “Well, no, I don’t think she has said anything yet. I don’t even think she knows that I know.”

  “Maybe you should tell the police,” I said.

  “I thought perhaps you could tell Dylan, and he could share it with some of his colleagues.”

  “Sure, I can do that,” I said. “Have you gotten any clues on who this might be? You actually think it might be the killer?”

  “We have some suspects, like Maureen’s husband and the woman he was having an affair with. There are also some of Maureen’s neighbors. They had had an argument over some kind of meeting that Maureen was in charge of.”

  “I can have Dylan look into all of those people,” I said.

  “That’s a good idea, Cookie, and in the meantime, I’ll try to keep an eye on Heather.”

  “Just be safe, Mom,” I said. “Now I’m worried about you too. Maybe I need to come home.”

  “No, that’s not necessary. I can take care of myself, and we won’t let anything happen to Heather.”

  “All right,” I said around a sigh. “But I’m telling Dylan, and we’ll get to the bottom of this right away.”

  “I know you will, darling. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “I’ll be home soon.”

  “That didn’t sound like a good call,” Charlotte said.

  The ghosts stared at me. I knew they were looking for any sign of trouble on my face.

  “No, everything’s fine.” I forced a smile.

  I didn’t want Maureen to worry. She would think that she was the one responsible if anything happened to any of my friends or family. I picked up the phone and dialed Heather, but she didn’t answer. It went straight to her voice mail, which was kind of odd because she always picked up when I called. I left a message and told her to call me back. I hoped that she did soon. Although now that I thought about it, I didn’t know if I should tell her what my mother had said. She really should know.

  After I hung up the phone, the ghosts were staring at me. I was pretty sure they were suspicious. When Heather called back, I would have to get away from them for a moment so that I could tell her what my mother had shared.

  Chapter 29

  Grandma Pearl’s Pearls of Wisdom

  Stay classy and sassy.

  I’d been out running a few last-minute errands, grabbing things for Danielle’s Derby Day outfit. As I headed down the sidewalk toward my car, my phone rang. I recognized Ken’s number. I hoped nothing was wrong. I picked up the phone.

  “Hey, Cookie, I was wondering if you had time to meet me?”

  Since I had been kind of putting him off the entire trip, I figured we should talk a bit.

  “Sure, where would you like to meet?” I asked.

  “How about we meet over at this place called The Bourbon Bar that I just passed. I can get you the address,” he said.

  “Yeah, sure, that’ll be great.” I took down the address and hurried into the Buick.

  “I
love bourbon,” Ramon said from the backseat.

  The place was just a few streets over, so it only took a couple of minutes to get there, even with the traffic. After finding a parking spot, I put money into the meter and walked into the restaurant. It was called The Bourbon Bar, but it was actually a restaurant. The walls were lined with rich wooden shelves holding bourbon bottles. They looked like soldiers in formation. A long bar was at the right, and tables were grouped to the left. It didn’t look as if there was a single table available. When I looked across the room, I spotted Ken. He waved me over to a table in the corner.

  “It’s dark in here,” Maureen said. “I can barely see where I’m going.”

  “It’s called mood lighting,” Charlotte said.

  Ken pushed to his feet and then pulled out the chair for me. “What do you think of the place? Are you ready for some bourbon?”

  I sat down and picked up the menu. “I’m not sure about bourbon at this time of day. However, I think I’d like to try this blackberry-and-bourbon cobbler.”

  Ken laughed. “That sounds like a good plan.”

  When the waiter arrived, we placed our orders. I ordered the bourbon-glazed turkey sandwich with sautéed vegetables, and Ken ordered the barbequed sliced brisket. While we waited for the food, we discussed our Kentucky trips so far and the upcoming Derby. Luckily, Ken hadn’t mentioned anything about Dylan or anything related to our current situation. After a few minutes, our food arrived. While eating, we continued our chitchat. Conversations were always easy with Ken.

  After we finished, Ken picked up the check.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said.

  He looked me in the eyes. “I want to.”

  “Well, okay. Thank you,” I said.

  “What about we go on this tour that I just saw?”

  “What kind of tour?” I asked.

  “It’s for historic homes in town. Apparently, they have amazing historic homes here.”

  Wow. I really did want to see that.

  “Okay, what time does it start?” I asked.

  “In half an hour. We would have just enough time to get over there. It’s within walking distance.”