“He stole that internship from me. The least he could do is pad my retirement.”
Distantly, I hear Kalina reply to Logan. “There are only two keys. Victoria has one and Ava the other.”
“So you’re taking bribes, both in sample products and money from the big vendors,” I clarify, hoping the app is getting all this.
Victoria can’t seem to keep the smile off her face now. “I think of it as an effective marketing strategy for them.”
“Sal was going to report you to the head office, so you killed him.”
“It was his own fault.” Her grip tightens on the candlestick. “He was going to ruin me once again. I had to stop him.”
Before I can breathe, she grabs Tabby by the back of the neck. “Tell your boyfriend you’re fine. We’re just chatting. You’ll meet him upstairs in a bit.”
Tabby screeches, dangling by her scruff. “Or what?” I dare her.
“What do you think?” She gives the feline a shake. “I’ll kill the cat.”
I purse my lips. “You could try, but I don’t think it will work, unless she’s on her last life.”
Tabby glares at me and swipes a claw through the air.
The candlestick rises over Tabby’s head. “Tell him.”
“Fine,” I mutter. Raising my voice, I inform Logan, “Everything’s good. We’re talking weddings. I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes and we can resume where we left off earlier.”
A long pause. Logan seems confused as his muffled voice comes through the door. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. It’s all good.”
There’s murmuring between him and Kalina, and then the sound of retreating footsteps.
Victoria drops Tabby, who darts under the bed. She then taps one end of the candlestick in her palm, reminding me of Logan with his flashlight.
Not waiting for her to attack, I launch myself around her to get to the exit.
My shoe catches on a crumpled edge of a throw rug. I lose my balance, knocking into the side of the bed and then flailing into the wall.
Victoria advances, candlestick aloft.
I throw up my hand to ward off the anticipated blow. “Now you’re going to kill me, too?”
“I’m certainly not going to allow you to ruin everything!”
“Logan and Kalina know I’m in here.”
She lowers her arm, but only to pull back the rug and throw it aside. “Not if I throw you in the cellar.”
“What?”
She slips her fingers between two wooden boards where a notch is missing. A square of flooring rises to reveal a hidden room below. “I’ll say you left, and I don’t know what happened to you.”
I scramble to my feet, my ankle screaming in pain. “You’ve lost it, Victoria. The jig is up.”
She uses the candlestick to point at the cellar. “I’ll escape before they ever find your body. There’s a secret exit to the stables down there. I’ll be drinking Mai Tais on the beach and you’ll be one more ghost in this haunted establishment.”
Fun thought, that. “You have no idea how terrifying that actually is for me.”
She advances and I push off, ignoring my unstable ankle. Sidestepping her swing, I reach for the door handle, but the candlestick connects with my back, pain erupting between my shoulder blades.
I fall to my knees. She claws at my hair and grips a chunk before jerking me away from the door and onto my back. I see the candlestick arc in the air and come down toward my head.
Tabby’s high-pitched screeching meeeeowwwww echoes in the room. Victoria screams.
I grab the weapon in her grasp and yank. Off balance, she tumbles to the floor next to me, releasing my hair. I scramble to wrench the item free and smack her in the arm. Tabby defends me once more, leaping from the bed and landing on Victoria’s face.
As Victoria shrieks and tries to remove the cat, I crawl for the door. “Help!”
As I reach it, she grabs me and hauls me backward. I elbow her in the ribs, then pivot to punch her. Poor Tabby lies limp near the bed.
Victoria stumbles. I kick her in the stomach for good measure.
As she gasps and doubles over, finally sinking to the ground and not moving, I throw open the door.
Logan is there. I fall into his arms.
27
Sunday dawns bright and clear. The morning is packed with the last of our attendees finalizing dates, times, and products they want for their upcoming weddings. I feel a cheerful relief to what has been hanging over the whole event due to Sal’s death, although I’m sore from my encounter with Victoria.
Kalina does an excellent job taking over as coordinator, ensuring that all have a successful conclusion, and lining up another for next year, back here at the hotel.
“Isn’t it great?” she asks, as she carries a yearly planner. “Vendors are already putting deposits down! We’ll be able to fix up more of the rooms so everyone who registers has the option to stay here during the fair.”
“It’s a great place for this.” I hand her my card. “You can put us down, too.”
Rosie raises her eyes from her laptop where she’s itemizing a bride’s order. “We’ll need a larger booth next year, and at least three rooms reserved for that weekend. Top billing for the runway, and complimentary child care.”
“I’ll make a note.”
Mama has brought several city council members and is showing them around. They stop next to Kalina. “We have a few ideas we’d like to run by you for a Fourth of July festival. The Thornhollow Chamber and Council have to okay the details, but I think this would be the perfect place for it.”
As the two walk off, chattering and making plans, Detective Jones arrives and pulls me aside. “Victoria confessed after three hours of interrogation,” he tells me. “You were right. The dibbler was used to kill Sal, and she planned to sneak out last night. I’ve uncovered an illegal network she was tied to. They steal wedding supplies and resell them on the internet. Also found an evidence trail of the bribes she’s been taking and depositing in an offshore account. She’s made quite a lot of money over the years. Apparently, she was about to change her identity and live on an island.”
“So I did good, huh? Made you look competent.”
It seems to pain him to agree. “You have a bit of your dad in you. A nose for this stuff.”
“And you appreciate me putting my life on the line to catch her, right? Leading to you putting a gang of thieves out of business, too. Wow, pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.”
He reaches out and pats my shoulder. “Don’t get a big head, Fantome. You did well. I’ll buy you a coffee one of these days.”
After he leaves, I meet with Reverend Stout and a friend of his who’s a Catholic priest. I ask the priest to perform a ceremony at the gravesite of Tallulah's child.
I don’t share the details, and he seems okay with that. Tabby sits next to the marker as he blesses the soul of the child, asking the angels to escort the child to heaven. My ancestor is no worse for her efforts to stop Victoria, having recovered from the blow dealt her.
I see Tallulah peeking out from behind the tree. She gives me a sad smile. “Monroe was stillborn,” she tells me as the priest reads a verse from his Bible. “I went a little mad when Mama couldn’t make him cry. I’d lost too much blood giving birth and ended up out of it for days. When I finally came to and had my wits about me, she told me she’d taken care of him. We never spoke of it after that, and until that maid discovered the bones, I’d assumed she’d buried him in an unmarked grave.”
I’m relieved to know the child didn’t suffer.
“I never told the father, your friend’s daddy. I never saw him again after he left this place, and I didn’t know what I’d say to him. It was one night, our secret love affair, and I thought the baby would be a reminder to me about that connection. I had so much grief after Monroe died, I couldn’t function right. Mama did everything she could to help my mind, but it was off. Guess I’m sort of glad Abe found lov
e with someone else and had a happy life.”
She fades after the ceremony is complete.
The men leave, and Gloria catches up with me. “I have good news,” she announces. “I contacted an investor friend who is interested in helping Baldwin and Kalina fully restore the hotel. She’s part of a local historic property committee, and since the building and acreage are relatively unchanged since it was built, she feels it will qualify for acceptance into their Historic Landmarks Program. That’s sure to bring tourists who love historical markers from all over the country.”
Tallulah appears behind Gloria, and so does Gloria’s father. They don’t say anything to me or each other, but I see them exchange a look. Something passes between them; they’re coming to an understanding.
“That’s amazing.” I put an arm around her. “Say, do you have a minute? We need to finish our conversation about your dad.”
“Of course, ma cherie.” She draws something from her pocket. “Here is my favorite picture of him. Doesn’t he look like the man in that old photo you found?”
He does indeed. “Handsome guy.”
We stroll past the courtyard and stand looking at the rolling hills while I tell her everything I know. The sun reflects on the lake, turning it into dozens of diamonds.
She sheds tears over Tallulah and the baby, and states she had no idea about her father’s life before he married her mom.
“You know I speak to those who’ve passed over sometimes, right?”
She nods. “Like your dear auntie.”
“Tallulah and your father have both been here the whole weekend. I think she’s found some peace now, so I’m delighted you’ve taken an interest in this place and are going to help it thrive again.”
Tallulah nods. “All is forgiven,” she says. I know this is directed at him rather than us.
Gloria looks around as though searching for the ghosts. Not seeing them, she takes my hand, and we begin walking back. “I’m overwhelmed thinking about all of it. Thank you for telling me.”
The midday sun is warm on our faces, and some of the early spring bushes are blooming. “It really is a spectacular place,” she says, stopping to smell a flowering vine growing along the courtyard’s entrance.
Tabby lies on a warm patio stone, purring. Kalina bursts from the atrium and rushes to us. “You’re not going to believe this.”
After this weekend, there isn’t much that would surprise me. “What happened?”
She sees the distressed look on my face and waves it away. “The news is out about the event, the murder, Victoria, and everything. There’s a movie producer who just called and offered to shoot a documentary here. The local papers are also asking for feature stories.”
Gloria claps. “Excellent news.”
I smile. “Very cool.”
“That’s not all. Are you familiar with the theater group a few towns over who do the mystery dinners? They want to host one here next month.”
She squeals with delight and Gloria and I laugh. Through the window, I see Tallulah waving at me, as if to say goodbye. She’s smiling, too.
Gloria tells Kalina about her investor as I observe the ghost. Tabby rises to her feet and watches along with me as a glowing lighted doorway appears in front of Tallulah. She hesitates for a moment, still leery at what waits for her on the other side. When she glances at me, I nod, offering her encouragement.
Others float toward the portal, their phantasmal figures flying by and through her, as though they’ve been waiting for this chance. The woman I saw the night of the runway show stops and stands next to her. Now that I see them next to each other, I recognize their similarities. Apparently, Tallulah’s mother, Mary Mae, has been hanging around a long time as well.
Gloria’s father appears beside them, and in his arms is a baby. Tallulah’s face lights up and she reaches for the child.
Abe pats her shoulder then walks into the light. Tallulah squeezes her son in a hug and he coos and laughs. The sound reaches my ears and makes me happy.
A glance back and she mouths the words, “Thank you.” Her mother gives me a serene smile.
I nod, and witness their forms disappearing into the light. Tabby meows.
Sherlock appears near the cat. “Well done, Ava.”
Persephone materializes at my side. “They’re all at peace now.”
“Are you okay?” Kalina asks. She and Gloria are staring at me.
Oops. Must have missed something. “I’m so happy for you,” I tell Kalina. “It’s time this place had new life.”
28
After the never-ending weekend, I’m exhausted but happy by the time Logan and I arrive at The Wedding Chapel that evening.
I perk up when I find it decorated with hearts, a full meal ready and waiting from Queenie, and Arthur and Lancelot happy to see me. Even the gargoyles on each side of the steps and the knocker seem relieved I’m home.
“Too quiet around here,” the knocker says as Logan unlocks the door.
Luckily, he can’t hear the inanimate objects.
Tabby doesn’t even glance at the boys as she heads upstairs. I’m not the only one who’s tired.
Logan leads me out to the garden, the food artfully arranged on the gazebo’s table. Moxley is lounging near the water fountain and barks a greeting. Red and pink roses, greenery and baby’s breath fill a vase. Fairy lights twinkle from the railings and the arch.
Brax has brought over the B&B’s fire pit, which burns brightly and warms the air. The late evening sun splashes across the scene, tiny sparks jumping up, and the scent of burning wood filling my nose.
Logan has secured a new bottle of champagne and pops the cork. Music comes from the back porch, a few birds singing along before they nestle down for the night.
I’m finally able to let go of everything that happened and simply sit and enjoy the moment. I’ve been dreaming of it for a long, long time.
“Life is never dull with you,” he says, pouring me a glass.
“You can still back out, you know. I won’t hold you to your earlier proposal.”
He grins. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Where there’s food, there are cats. Tabby has revived and joins us on the lawn. Arthur and Lancelot prowl around, pretending not to be interested, but keeping an eye under the table in case crumbs drop. Moxley doesn’t roam, but he’s every bit as zeroed in as they are. It feels right to have them here, witnessing what I anticipate is about to happen.
Of course, Logan makes me wait for it, insisting we eat while it’s hot.
The meal is delicious and I’m stuffed by the end. I sense my aunt here, and I suspect my mother and Queenie are hovering near their phones, waiting for me to call and tell them about the proposal. Because, of course, they already know.
Every once in a while, I feel someone’s eyes on us. I glance at the bed and breakfast, but never see Brax or Rhys. Doesn’t mean they aren’t watching.
As we finish with Queenie’s famous rum bread pudding—a favorite of mine that I’ve managed to get Logan hooked on—he clears his throat and raises his glass in a toast. “To us.”
Simple and sweet. I gently clink mine against his. “To us. You’ll always have my heart, Logan.”
Tabby jumps on his lap, pawing at the inside pocket of his blazer. He pats her head, deposits her back on the ground, and removes the small blue box.
As he rises to come to my side, I reach across and stop him. “You don’t have to get down on your knee. You don’t even have to ask me again. You know the answer.”
He laughs and drops to one knee next to me. “We’re doing this my way this time.”
The diamond must be three carats. I’m scared I’ll lose it, but then I hear my aunt say, “No, you won’t. You’ll love it and care for it, just like you will him.”
Tears sneak into my eyes. Logan looks so gallant and handsome in the firelight. “Ava Fantome, will you marry me?”
Any guy who’ll put up with all my quirks a
nd weirdness with seeing spirits and talking to cats is one in a million. I lean over and kiss him. “Yes, please.”
He returns it, taking his time to thoroughly steal my breath. As he takes the beautiful ring from the box, slipping it onto my finger, I wiggle my hand so it catches the light. “Wow.”
“If you don’t like it, we can exchange it.”
“It’s perfect.” And it is. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Persephone pops in, eyeing the remnants of our dinner. “About time.”
Ignoring her, I hug Logan around the neck. Tabby jumps on his empty chair and meows. Aunt Willa appears in the distance. She blows me a smooch, her big smile the last thing I see before she vanishes once more.
Mama and Queenie don’t even wait for the text. They’ve been hiding inside the whole time, and startle me when they rush out the back door squealing and clapping. Moxley gets to his feet and barks.
Each embraces me, then Logan. Brax and Rhys come over, and we go through the whole hugging thing again.
Inside, the celebration continues with my dad showing up. “You take care of my baby, y’hear?” he tells Logan and Logan promises to do so.
“Daddy,” I chastise.
He hugs me. “I know, I know. You can take care of yourself. Congratulations, Ava.”
I’m filled with hope for the future for all of us, getting on with our lives and creating happy ones in this small town in Georgia.
After the others leave, Logan and I settle on the couch. I waggle my finger some more, admiring my new diamond. “It’s so big.”
“Too much?” he asks.
“Never.”
He smiles and kisses the end of my nose. “I figure once we’re married, I’ll move in here, if that’s okay. It’s definitely larger than my apartment. Can the cats handle Moxley?”
“Of course. Maybe we can blow out the wall between two of the upstairs bedrooms and make a suite.”
“The hotel is rubbing off on you.”
“It sure is grand. Haunted, but cool.”
He rubs my hand with his thumb. “I’ll keep my office, of course, and I can use the apartment for poker nights.”
Hearts & Haunts, Confessions of a Closet Medium, Book 3 Page 13