I shook my head. “Then we’re back to premeditation again, and if it had to do with gambling debts, I can’t see anyone being dumb enough to think killing a man is a good way to get money out of him. Besides, there were defensive wounds. Ernie said so.”
Shuddering, Jacy tossed the last rind of crust back into the box and flipped the lid. “Ernie will figure it out, and now that my belly isn’t trying to eat me from the inside out, I’d like to stop talking about grisly things and look around here some more. Aren’t you dying to see the upstairs? There’s a tower room. I’ve always wanted a tower room. What do you think is in it?”
“Hard to say, but I’d put money on there being some type of fruit basket on the wallpaper.”
Jacy snorted. “There does seem to be a theme to the decor.”
The pink and blue ones in the kitchen might have been the busiest of Mrs. Willowby’s choices downstairs, but she’d carried the motif throughout. Even in the parlor, the pattern of gold over an ecru background turned out to be an abstract version if you squinted when you looked at it.
“You think it was on purpose? Or did she just really love baskets of fruit? Who’d have ever thought there were so many different possibilities?”
The keys were all still on the kitchen table, and I still had the one for the garage in my pocket, so I put it in the pile of ones we’d already matched to doors.
“Same goes for door locks.” I handed half the remaining keys to Jacy and trailed behind her as she practically bounced up the stairs.
The second-floor landing angled left into a dimly lit hallway with doors on both sides—all of them locked, naturally. Jacy had chosen the one she was sure led to the tower room and had already begun testing her keys in it when I stepped up beside her.
“Wait, let me see the lock.” I hunkered down, rested a formerly clean knee on the dusty floor, and checked for the center pin like David had shown me. There was none. “None of those are going to work, they go to a different type of lock.”
Jacy’s face fell. “Well, shoot. It’s a little like a treasure hunt, and I was hoping one of these was the key.”
“Try these,” I handed her several solid barrel keys. “See how there’s no hole in the end? One of those should fit. Meanwhile, I’m going for door number two.” I’d already spotted a pin-type lock across the hall.
Somehow, the testing of keys and the opening of doors turned into a race, and when I heard the snick of a turning key, I knew Jacy had won.
“Ooh, this is it. Look, Ev. See the stairs going up? I found the tower. I feel like Nancy Drew.”
Gently nudging her out of the way, I took a look. “Looks dusty up there. I really don’t want to take a third shower today. Maybe we should wait until the morning.” It took everything I had to maintain a deadpan tone.
“Are you nuts? You stay down here if you want to, but you’re not ruining this for me. If there’s a bed up here, I might never come down.”
“Okay, Rapunzel. I’m sure Brian will appreciate the nightly climb.”
Flipping her hair and striking a pose, she said, “I’m totally worth it.”
Laughing, I followed her up the stairs until she stopped dead near the top and I nearly banged my head on her butt.
“Whoa,” was all she said.
“What? Get out of the way so I can see.” When she didn’t move, I pinched her calf, and she yelped.
"Ow! That wasn't nice." But she scaled the last two steps, and I finally got a look at the tower room.
The narrow space boasted a three-sided view and contained only four items. A tall chair, a matching table holding a small notebook, and a pair of binoculars.
“Oh, Mrs. Willowby. You were a nosy one. Look, you can see my place from here. We could signal each other by flashing the lights in Morse code.”
The fact that I could picture us doing exactly that didn’t stop me from teasing her. “Okay, Trixie Belden.”
Jacy picked up the notebook and blew the dust off the top. “Shut up. You read the same books I did as a kid. What do you think is in here? A list of all the naughty things she saw?”
“Maybe.” I’d moved closer to the front window, and the sight of Hudson’s wife struggling to start her lawn mower had pulled my attention. “She looks so sad.”
Joining me, Jacy looked down. The titillating possibilities in Catherine Willowby’s notebook would have to wait. “We should go help her. It doesn’t look like she has anyone else, and I heard Hudson’s mother shut Neena out of everything to do with the funeral.”
As we descended, Jacy carried the notebook as far as the hall table and dropped it there to be retrieved later.
Even in the subdued light of early dusk, I could see the glint of tears on Neena’s face as she poked the priming bulb a few times, then yanked the starting cord on an older model push mower. The engine failed to start.
"Stupid piece of crap." She gave the machine a kick as we crossed the street. As far as I could tell, the lawn looked fine. Other than a couple of dandelion heads popping up, the grass could go at least a few more days before it would need cutting.
“Need some help?” I never know what to say in these situations, but one of Jacy’s greatest assets was her ability to focus in on what was needed most. "We have this same model, and I know a trick to get it to start." Her easy manner and light tone were meant to put Neena at ease, and it worked. At least a little.
“I was hoping you were going to say you had a sledgehammer and we could bash it to smithereens.” Neena’s gaze cruised toward me. The way her posture stiffened slightly, I figured she expected me to bring up her recent tragedy. “Now that I’m on my own, I have all these things I have to learn to do. Mow the lawn, keep track of vehicle maintenance.”
She gave the mower another kick. “Reporters hounding me for sound bites so they can dredge up fake sympathy for the poor widow of the murdered man. My husband is dead. He’s dead. Someone killed him. I don’t even know what to do with that information right now. It’s too much to process. So I thought I’d find some mindless activity, something to blow off some steam. But no. Because this thing,” another kick, “is a piece of crap.”
“Tell her I love her.” Hudson’s voice sounded loud right next to my ear, and I jumped. We were going to have to talk about the rules sooner rather than later. I couldn’t tell him to shut up without looking like an idiot, and I wouldn’t give her his message for the same reason.
“Just like ours, the priming ball isn’t working anymore.” Jacy grabbed the handle and heaved the mower up on its left-hand side. She held it there for a moment and then dropped it back down. "Go ahead, give it a try now."
Looking skeptical, Neena did. Her expression turned to surprise when the engine sputtered to life. She let it run a few seconds, and when she let it die off, I made a note to buy some hearing protection before I mowed my lawn.
“I … thank you. I—” As if she’d been holding it in for a long time, a sob burst out of Neena. “I don’t … this is all so—”
Nearly crying herself, Jacy stroked a hand down the new widow’s arm, then pulled her in for a consoling hug. “I’m so sorry for your loss. We both are.” With an arm still around Neena’s shoulders, Jacy gently led the way to the front steps of the Montayne home and settled them both on the top one.
I added my own consolation while Hudson continued to badger me, and I did my best to ignore him. “Neena, are you dealing with all of this alone? Will anyone from your family be coming to stay?”
The question elicited another fresh spurt of tears, and I wished I’d never asked, but no one should go through such a grievous loss alone.
“There’s no one, and Hudson’s mother has taken over the arrangements for the funeral. She wouldn’t even let me pick out his suit. If she had her way, I wouldn’t be allowed to attend the service at all. She didn’t think I was good enough for her little saint, but she didn’t know everything about her son.”
Right now wasn’t time to offer my opinion of Hu
dson’s mother, especially with him standing right there. At least he’d stopped bugging me for the moment.
“I never thought my mother would do something like this. She and Neena butted heads, but then again, I never planned on dying and leaving the two of them alone. Tell Neena … tell her—” I didn’t know ghosts could choke up, but I guess you learn something new every day. “Never mind.” He paused, then said plaintively, “Listen Ev, I know I acted like an idiot coming on to you like I did, but I’d never have cheated on her. I just wanted you to think I would, and then I was going to turn you down cold. Give you a taste of your own medicine.”
Then who had he been banging the headboard with? My mouth popped open to ask, and I had to slam it shut to avoid making a fool of myself by asking stupid questions of thin air.
With half my attention focused on Neena and Jacy, I almost missed it when Hudson asked a favor of me. “Would you do something for me? Make friends with Neena. Be there for her even if it seems weird. She's a good woman, and she has no one else. I'll feel better if I know she's not alone. We have a history, you and me. You owe me that much. Say you will. Please."
Technically, I didn’t owe him anything, and the favor I was already doing for him—or avoiding doing for him—should balance the scales for a lifetime. But Neena was hurting. Anyone with eyes could see her pain, and I wasn’t about to take out my annoyed feelings for her dead husband on her. All I could do was nod and watch him fade away.
"If you want to take your mind off things for a few hours, I've moved into the house across the street, and we're exploring the upstairs rooms. We'd love to have you join us. I can't promise it will be fun, but I can guarantee you'll be distracted and dusty and probably need a shower when we're done."
Half a second after I blurted out the invitation, it occurred to me I hadn’t said much to her up until now, and I probably came off as abrupt and a little awkward. Sorry, that’s what happens when you’re pestered by a ghost.
Bless Jacy, she piped up and smoothed things over.
“It looks like you could use some company right now, and Everly’s right, taking your mind off your troubles might help them seem more manageable later. We’d totally understand if you feel like this isn’t the right time for socializing, though. It’s your call.”
Whether she would have said yes or not, she never got the chance. Neena was still contemplating our offer when Ernie Polk cruised up the street and pulled into her drive. He had his official face on when he stepped out of the car.
“Mrs. Montayne. If I could have a moment.” He swept a look over the three of us. “Everly. I wasn’t aware you two ladies were acquainted.”
It sounded like an accusation. “Everly is moving into the house across the street. She and Jacy were being neighborly.” I hadn’t expected Neena to stick up for me, but then, she might have taken his tone of voice as personally as I did. She didn’t offer to invite Ernie inside, and he didn’t ask, but I saw the curtains twitch at the house next door.
“We were headed over to my place anyway. Why don’t you come inside and ask your questions away from prying eyes.”
Neena shot me a nod of thanks, which I returned with the tiniest of smiles. If I wanted to get rid of Hudson, it looked like I was going to have to make friends with his widow. Fine by me. She seemed nice, and we were in similar boats.
Okay, hers was the Titanic and mine was a dinghy, but we were both survivors of shipwrecked marriages. I know that’s a stupid metaphor, but I’d had a rough week.
Trailing behind, Jacy pushed the lawnmower inside and closed Neena’s garage door. The skin on the back of my neck prickled like there were eyes on my back as I crossed the street with Neena. Dusk was on the edge of giving way to twilight as we stepped inside.
The long day of work following a sleepless night had not prepared me for a sudden bout of nerves. Did Ernie suspect me again? Or was it Neena who made his eyes go flat? Lord knew she had more reason to kill the man than I did.
Because the parlor was still crowded with unpacked boxes, I led my guests down the hall to the kitchen. “Can I get you anything? I could brew some coffee, or there are soft drinks in a cooler around here somewhere.”
“It’s on the porch. I’ll be right back.” Jacy gave me a look that I interpreted as an order to not let Ernie start without her. She wasn't gone a minute and returned with a couple of cans in each hand and a rueful look. "They're warm. The cover wasn't shut tight, and all the ice melted." She set them on the table, and when I went to get some glasses, directed me toward the dishwasher.
“No matter, we have plenty of ice.”
“None for me, thanks,” Neena said, her voice husky with emotion. “I don’t like iced drinks. Neither did Hudson. It was one of the things we had in common.”
Until she mentioned it, I’d forgotten that about him.
CHAPTER 20
"Reason I'm here is we found Hudson's truck." Ernie dropped the bombshell, and Neena sucked in a breath so hard I heard it whistle through her teeth. She didn’t ask for details, so I did.
“Does that mean you found the person who …” I substituted a word for the one I’d been about to say “hurt him?”
“’Fraid not. Seems he sold the truck several hours before the attack.” The way Ernie watched Neena’s face was all the clue I needed to know there was more to the story.
Face burning red, Neena exploded. “Don’t sugarcoat it. He sold the truck to pay off a gambling debt. Why didn’t you come right out and ask me if I knew my husband was puttin’ our money into card games? Of course, I knew. Why do you think he was living at the Bide A Way?”
Dryly Ernie replied, “You did say you had marital differences, and he was catting around. I put two and two together right enough.”
“You put two and two together and came up with six, you mean. What makes you think my husband was catting around?”
All it took was for Ernie to glance my way, and the heat of Neena’s fury turned toward me.
Holding up my hands, I protested. “Wait. I wasn’t sleeping with Hudson. For one, I don’t sleep with married men, and two, I’ve sworn off all men for the foreseeable future. Frankly, and this is no reflection on you, Ernie, but I’m not a fan of the gender at the moment.”
Neena’s gaze never wavered.
“Okay, I admit I did tell Ernie I heard Hudson, um … well … he had someone in the room. I’m sorry, Neena. I would have told you about it, but there hasn’t really been a good time.” Nothing on this earth would drag the admission that he’d hit on me from my lips. Not when his ghost had admitted he hadn’t meant to go through with anything.
The very last thing I expected was for Neena’s face to break out in a tight smile. "Oh honey, I know you weren't sleeping with Hudson. My honey was a one-woman man. I kicked him out to teach him a lesson, but that didn't mean I couldn't pay him a visit, if you know what I mean."
“Can you blame me? Just look at her.” Hudson popped in behind Ernie and almost made me spit my drink.
Oblivious to the specter hovering over him, Ernie pressed his lips into a thin, disapproving line, and amended his notes.
“Let me get this straight. You’re saying you were with Hudson on the night of his death?”
“Sure was.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me this before? I could make a case against you for providing false information.”
She rolled her eyes. “Now, Ernie. You know I didn’t lie. You never asked me that. Not specifically. You asked when he was home last, but you never came right out and asked me about the last time I’d seen him.”
This time, Ernie was the one whose face burned red. “It was inferred.”
“Implied,” Jacy corrected automatically, and Ernie huffed out an exasperated sound.
He rectified the mistake and grilled Neena on her movements as they pertained to the night of Hudson’s murder. After leaving her husband sated and satisfied, Neena had stopped at the Gas N Go for gas and a Payday bar.
&n
bsp; “I always get hungry. You know … after.”
“That’s my girl.” Hudson crowed. “Built for speed and got a tiger in the tank.”
That was more information than I really wanted, and what’s more, it was being given behind Neena’s back. Sort of.
Ernie took Neena back and forth over her story several times, but she didn’t budge an inch in the retelling, so he moved on to the matter of Hudson’s truck.
“Here’s a copy of the bill of sale, and I’ve never known Millard Davidson to lie. If he says Hudson sold him the truck, I believe him.”
“He probably did,” Neena said. “It doesn’t surprise me in the least.”
Hudson poofed before Neena baldly explained how the loss of his head coaching position had pushed him into a downward spiral that ended with him gambling away most of their savings. What she failed to explain was what had cost him the job. It seemed Ernie already knew, so he didn’t let any details slip, either.
“That’s your marital difference,” she told Ernie. “I won’t live with a betting man. Especially one who wagers more than he can afford, and Hud couldn’t seem to help himself.” Given the shadows haunting her eyes, I suspected her husband wasn’t the first man in her life with a similar weakness.
Having stayed quiet longer than I’d ever known her to, Jacy was the one who asked, “How’d he lose his job?”
Neena’s shoulders rounded as she huddled in on herself. “I love my husband, but sometimes the man was dumber than a sackful of tree stumps. One of the basketball players got hit upside the head with a weighted ball during practice. Pure accident and no one could argue the point, but the boy had a concussion. It was the final game of the tourney, and being a senior, it woulda been the boy’s last game before graduating, so he begged and said he’d tell his folks it happened after the game, not before, and Hudson gave in and let him play.”
I couldn't determine from her tone exactly how Neena felt about what had happened, but there was no denying it had been a stupid thing to do.
Ghost Mortem Page 13