The Hauntings Of Sugar Hill: The Complete Series

by M. L. Bullock

  “Is that the best you can do? Your brother struck me far harder than that. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  I squatted down beyond her reach and stared her in the face. “If you think you can surprise me with anything that’s in my family tree, then you are sadly mistaken. Now get out of this house.”

  She crawled to the couch and staggered to her feet. “I’m not leaving without my daughter! I want my Ida back. I was wrong to leave her with you all. You are a family of devils, and you sent the devil to torment me. I want my daughter!”

  “You’ll never have Ida. She’s mine now.” And I was true to my word. I went back into the ballroom and did just as I had threatened. I tapped the sheriff on the shoulder and with a smile, led him to the hallway to ask him to attend to my matter.

  With an irritated frown, one that I was determined to ignore, he agreed to take care of it. Finding Livy passed out on the sofa, he arranged for her speedy removal. “Imagine the nerve of her, showing up here. I’ll make sure she’s kept until she sobers up.”

  “And then? You can’t let her go. She said some horribly slanderous things, things she can’t be allowed to repeat.”

  “I can’t keep her locked up for bad language or spreading gossip,” he replied with a chuckle as if I were a child asking if Father Christmas would visit me. I could see there was no arguing with him. “Anything else I can do for you, Miss Dufresne?”

  “No, Sheriff. That is all I need. Thank you for your discretion.” I returned to the ballroom to find Emilio searching for me. I didn’t want to be here, and I didn’t want to believe Livy’s words. Surely it couldn’t be true. Dominick would never betray me so deeply. There was a waltz playing, and I was anxious to still my beating heart and put Livy’s cruel words behind me and out of my mind.

  No, Emilio was not a handsome man, but he had a kind face. He smiled down at me, and I smiled back, but every few moments I looked past him. I had to keep my eye on Champion. Where was he? I could see his plump little wife in the arms of Moody Banks, a scoundrel if ever there was one. Emilio attempted to make small talk as he moved around the room. Yes, he was as graceful as any gazelle, and I felt light as a feather in his arms. I had to admit to myself that I was looking forward to another dance with him. I felt safe with him, like we were in our own world, safe from my growing fear. Before he had a chance to ask for another dance, a man thrust his way between us.

  A deep voice broke into my daydream. “I believe this next dance belongs to me.” As the music began to swell, Champion pulled me away from Emilio’s comforting arms.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Summer Dufresne

  “Many of you were expecting to see my glamorous cousin, Avery Dufresne, this evening. I’m sorry to disappoint you. In case you didn’t hear the good news, she recently married. And in case you didn’t hear the not-so-good news, she had an accident on her honeymoon. She broke her leg water-skiing.” The expected groans rose like a wave in the ballroom. The light fixtures flickered as if they too wanted to respond to the bad news. “I’m happy to report that America’s Newscaster hasn’t suffered major damage, but she won’t be able to attend tonight. She asked me to send her love and well wishes and to thank you all for being a part of this worthy cause. Please, be seated.”

  The elegant gathering recovered quickly from their disappointment and took seats at tables around the ballroom floor. I looked out at the happy faces, glad to see that our guest list had been right on the money. We’d invited two hundred and fifty people to this event, and it was safe to say that we were very near that number, with people still coming in. Right on cue, the lights dimmed, and the screen dropped down on the back wall. Pulling the microphone a little closer, I stood behind the podium, wearing my blue gown with tiny Swarovski crystals sewn into the bodice. I felt like a million bucks.

  “As many of you already know, since the beginning of the Starlight Foundation, the organization’s sole purpose has been to aid and assist returning veterans. In recent years, that purpose has narrowed to providing treatment for lost or impaired eyesight. Because of your generosity, over fifty veterans have received necessary medical care, and the majority of those have had some restoration of their eyesight.” Applause circulated through the room, and I nodded and applauded with them.

  “Tonight, with your pledges and continued support, we will be able to increase that number dramatically over the next five years. I know personally that many of you do a great many good things for our community and for the Starlight Foundation. I encourage you, friends, to continue your good work, and I ask you to join me in helping the Starlight Foundation continue to make these dreams come true.” I was surprised to receive another round of applause but accepted it as graciously as I could.

  “If you’ll give me a few moments, I would like to show you this brief video. Our Starlight Foundation grant recipients had a few words of thanks to share with you.” I nodded to Robin, who played the video. It was a moving piece of work, powerful footage demonstrating the impact of the Starlight Foundation. As someone who was regularly involved in charities and other nonprofit organizations, I felt good about sharing this information and making this request for funding to our friends and family. I knew the money would go to the right place. At the end of the presentation, the screen retracted and the lights came up slightly. I called Dolly Jane to my side. Many in our family had not yet seen her walk, and her presence tonight made the event even more special.

  “Dolly Jane, if you’ll help me. I would like to recognize a few people who are very important to the foundation.” For the next few minutes, we passed out awards to our faithful contributors, but we also recognized some of the recipients. The audience clapped for Dolly Jane as much as they clapped for anyone else, and I let it warm my heart.

  “I don’t know about you all, but I’m ready to dance.” I smiled as I surveyed the room one last time before relinquishing the microphone to Lucas, who had another presentation to make. I wasn’t sure what his topic was, and that bothered me since I was an A-Number One Control Freak, but I didn’t make a fuss. As I stepped down, I caught my breath. I spotted a face I never dreamed I’d see again.

  Was that Jamie? That couldn’t be Jamie! I stared for a solid ten seconds before Lucas touched my arm and Dolly Jane took me by the hand and led me back to my table.

  Lucas smiled at the audience, quickly becoming comfortable in the spotlight. “Tonight, I would like to kick off the festivities with a few surprises. The first surprise goes to my cousin, Summer Dufresne. No, you don’t have to come back. Summer, you do so much hard work for us, and we’d like to thank you with a round of applause.” Surprised, I waved at the gathering and tried not to stare at the man with Jamie’s face. That was the man I’d seen at the mall. I thought I’d been hallucinating.

  “We think our host,” Lucas continued, “ought to kick off our first annual Starlight Ball by leading us in the opening dance. I would dance with you myself, but I have two left feet. Just ask my ex-wife.” The attendees politely laughed, but I was frozen in my seat. Where was Lucas going with this? I wanted nothing less than to dance with anyone.

  “I’ve arranged for your first dance of the night to be much more special than that. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Captain Eric Richards.” What the hell? Richards? I watched as Jamie’s look-alike crossed the shiny wooden floor and held out his hand to me.

  “Miss Dufresne?”

  “Yes?”

  “May I have this dance?”

  I stared at him. Yes, same eyes. Same square jawline. Same curve to his lip. What in the world was going on?

  “Aunt Summer, go on!” Dolly always called me “aunt,” probably because there was such an age difference between us. I felt her nudge my side, and I gave him my hand.

  “Yes, thank you.” Picking up my gown, I walked with Captain Richards to the center of the dance floor. A hush fell over the crowd as the lights lowered again and the music began to play. Thankfully, the song wasn�
��t anything too sentimental. It was an instrumental, a straight waltz, nothing fancy. I could do this.

  People applauded as we stepped together to the music. Thank God this wasn’t a fast song. That would have been the ultimate nightmare. Lucas wasn’t the only one with no rhythm. A few seconds later, other couples began to crowd onto the dance floor and I could breathe easier.

  Captain Richards didn’t shower me with smiles. I could see he was as curious about me as I was about him. “Thank you for your service to our country, Captain Richards.” My mind raced to try and pull up his name on my mental invitation list. It wasn’t there. Perhaps Lucas had arranged it. I sure hadn’t planned on leading the ball attendees in a dance.

  “Thank you for your work with the Starlight Foundation.”

  We danced for another minute without speaking. “I have to know. Are you related to Jamie Richards?”

  “Yes,” he said as he spun me around and then pulled me close.

  “I thought so. You favor him a great deal.”

  “I hear that a lot,” he said without a hint of a smile. “We have, I mean, had our differences.”

  “I’m so sorry he’s gone. He was one of the nice guys.”

  “Jamie was many things, but I wouldn’t describe him as nice, Miss Dufresne. Stubborn? Yes. Bull-headed. Yes. Nice? Rarely.”

  It wouldn’t be polite to argue with Captain Richards about his brother, or cousin, or whatever Jamie was to him, so I decided to take a different tack. “Aren’t they the same thing, stubborn and bull-headed?”

  “Not in Jamie’s case.” The song ended, and we walked off the dance floor.

  “Please sit with me for a moment. Unless you have other Dufresnes you have to dance with.”

  “Just one.” I was surprised by that, but I didn’t ask questions. With the number of cousins eyeballing him, I wouldn’t doubt it. Yes, he was a lot like Jamie. Catnip to the ladies.

  “Fair enough. I have so many questions to ask you, but I don’t want to be rude. If I may ask, how are you related to Jamie?”

  “We were brothers.”

  “Oh, I see. I tried to find you when he passed away, Captain Richards. I really did. I couldn’t leave him in limbo like that. I hope you get a chance to visit his resting place while you’re here in Mobile County.”

  “I probably won’t, but I have no complaints about the arrangements. Jamie would have liked being here. Anywhere but home. We didn’t have the happiest time growing up. I’m the younger brother, and I got to escape most of what he experienced. Jamie wasn’t so lucky. It’s a long story, but he had a chip on his shoulder. A chip the size of Texas. I’m not surprised by what he did.”

  “I am. I would have never guessed he would even consider something like that. I’m sorry I didn’t see the warning signs.”

  We sat awkwardly for a few minutes, and he appraised me with his Jamie-like eyes. The more I studied him, the more I saw the differences. “Were you two close?” he asked.

  “No. He dated my cousin Avery for a while, but I don’t think that went anywhere.” No way would I tell him about Jamie and me. Nothing ever happened between us, despite what I’d hoped. “He helped me on an investigation, just a small background matter, but that was all. I take it his ex-wife isn’t happy with me, though. She’s trying to get a payday out of me.”

  “Evelyn? She’s bluffing. It’s true that money is everything to her, but if you bark at her, she’ll back down.” His voice took on a sharp, venomous tone that surprised me. “And believe me, I should know. I was married to her for six months.”

  “What? You were married to Jamie’s Evelyn?”

  “Technically, she was my wife first. But yeah, I married her right after high school. She’d never met Jamie, but when she did, that was it. She threw me over and married him as soon as the ink dried on the divorce papers.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that…I think.”

  “What a dance partner I’ve turned out to be. Sorry about that. I guess being here where he was and talking about him like this brought up some unresolved emotions. Didn’t mean to be a downer.”

  “Didn’t I see you in town the other day? At the mall?”

  “I only just arrived last night, so no. That wasn’t me, and I’m not much of a shopper.”

  “Oh, my mistake,” I said, but I wasn’t sure I believed him. If that wasn’t him, who was it?

  “Captain Richards, you promised me a dance.” Dolly Jane was beside me now and staring at the captain expectantly.

  “I didn’t know you two knew each other.” I poked her in the ribs. I couldn’t believe how grown she was getting, and she looked a treat in her red and white polka-dot dress.

  “We met earlier, and I like his suit. I can dance now because my leg is fixed. Mommy’s been teaching me. Come on, Captain. I have to go soon.”

  “All right. I’ll be back for my follow-up dance, Summer.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I answered stupidly.

  Dolly Jane practically dragged him onto the dance floor, and I hoped and prayed it wasn’t an indication that she had her “aunt’s” hormones. At least she had good taste. He was a sight in that uniform. I laughed, watching them sway to the music together. The captain was at least two feet taller than Dolly, but she looked like she’d won the lottery.

  I scanned the room. Everyone was having a good time, drinks were flowing—and then I saw Jessica.

  “Hey, Jessica. Over here!” I watched my friend step onto the dance floor. I’d saved her a seat at my table, but she wasn’t paying a bit of attention. She was walking past me and toward the center of the dance floor. She wore her hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. I liked it. She’d evidently found a gown or purchased one. It was a bit old-fashioned, but the emerald green fabric suited her coloring. “Jess!”

  Her rapt expression troubled me. I glanced in the direction she was staring but saw nothing and no one. Instinctively, I followed her. “Jessica!” I called after her, my voice drowned out by a Righteous Brothers tune. Oh no! She was going into one of her trances!

  She stopped when I called her name again. She had a peaceful smile on her face, but her eyes were looking past me.

  And then she vanished.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Avery Dufresne

  I decided that calling Summer after the Starlight Ball would be a good idea. She couldn’t possibly misinterpret my phone call as mistrust or questioning her organizational skills, and I couldn’t take it anymore. All day long, the thought that something had gone horribly wrong nagged at me, and I knew it had nothing to do with me breaking my leg. I mean, that went horribly wrong. Who breaks their leg during a vacation, much less a honeymoon? After my water-skiing accident, I’d been ready to go home, but Reed insisted we stay. It was like he never wanted to go back, but I didn’t feel that way. I wanted nothing more than to go return and uncover the source of this impending doom.

  “Let me wait on you, Avery. We can spend some time here at King’s Point, watching the whales and whatever else tickles our fancy. I’ll wheel you down to the beach.”

  “And I can watch you snorkel in the cove,” I said sourly, but it didn’t deter him. He wasn’t going to let me forget I had two left feet on skis. I never should have started showing off, but in true Avery Dufresne fashion, I couldn’t help myself. Reed hadn’t been lying at all. He had mad water-skiing skills, and I’d been a fool to think I could compete with him. A big fool, but apparently, my ego knew no bounds.

  “Now, now. Who’s being a sore loser?”

  I couldn’t resist a swing at his arm, but he moved out of the way. “At least bring me the phone so I can check on Summer. I’m dying to know how the ball went and how much money we collected.”

  “Fine, workaholic. There’s no arguing with you. I’m going to make us a drink.”

  “That’ll go great with this pain medicine,” I said with a smile as I dialed the number. “Coffee for me, please!” I watched his handsome frame disappear into the kitchen as he
grunted his answer. After this phone call, I’d talk him into moving me to my favorite lounger by the picture window. I couldn’t stand being stuck in the bedroom…not by myself, at least.

  “Hi, Robin? This is Avery. May I please speak to Summer?”

  “Hi, Avery. I think she’s still talking to the police. Can I have her call you back?”

  “Police? What police? What’s going on?”

  “Oh, no. She didn’t tell you? I’m not sure I should be telling you this. I mean I would have thought she’d have told you by now. Jessica Chesterfield is missing. She was at the ball, and then she disappeared. Nobody has seen her, and we’ve looked high and low. Sugar Hill is swarming with Dufresnes.”

  “Why? What do the police say? Do they have any leads?” I put my hand over the receiver and called for Reed. “Get in here!”

  Robin’s voice sounded breathy, and I could tell she was moving to a quieter place. “They say they can’t start searching for another day, but that hasn’t stopped Summer. Apparently, Jessica has to be missing for forty-eight hours before they’ll do anything. Summer isn’t having it, though. She’s…oh, here she is. Hey, Summer, it’s Avery.”

  As she made her way to the phone, I whispered to Reed, “Jessica is missing.”

  “Jessica Chesterfield? Missing how? I didn’t even know she was at Sugar Hill.”

  Summer’s voice sounded tired but also kind of rushed. “Avery? I swear I was just about to call you. I guess you heard. It’s Jessica. She was at the ball, and then she was gone.”

  “You think someone kidnapped her?” I grabbed Reed’s hand. “What is going on? I knew there was something, but I couldn’t have imagined this.”

  “No, not exactly. I was looking at her, Avery. Looking dead at her, and she disappeared as though she walked through an invisible door. Of course, I can’t tell the police that, but I don’t know how we’ll find her. I think she’s gone for good. Disappeared right in front of me.”