Red Velvet Waffle (The Diner of the Dead Series Book 15)

by Carolyn Q. Hunter

  “Me too,” Sonja agreed.

  After each having a few cups of joe, they got dressed in fresh clothes—Frank had used his washer and dryer to clean her jeans and shirt—and drove out to the hotel. Walking in toward the front desk, they spotted the hotel manager, Scotty, standing there.

  “Morning Sheriff, Sonja,” he nodded. “Are you here to follow up on the whole Benjamin thing?”

  “No,” Frank replied. “We were actually wondering if you could point us to which room Maddy Marion is in?”

  “Oh, you mean that sweet girl who used to be on TV?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “I’m sorry to say you just missed her.”

  “What?!” Sonja exclaimed.

  “She left about twenty minutes ago, said she was going back home,” he shook his head. “It was a real shame, she’s been a delight to have around this past week.”

  At this, Sonja blinked a few times in a row. “Excuse me, the past week?”

  “Yep, she always gave me a really warm smile and a hello whenever she came down from her room for breakfast.” He nodded toward the small dining room off to the side. “You two are welcome to some if you like. We always have leftovers anyway.”

  “Now, hold on,” Sonja insisted. “You said she’d been here a week?”

  “That’s right, checked in last Sunday.”

  Sonja’s jaw dropped.

  “Thanks, Scott,” Frank nodded, leading his girlfriend away.

  Once they were outside and out of earshot, he turned to her with an inquisitive look. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Why was Maddy here a week ago?” she thought out loud. “Ben only called her the same day he told us about the haunting, and she told me she only arrived late that same night.”

  “Do you think she had something to do with all of this?” Frank asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Sonja sighed.

  Suddenly, her phone began to ring. Pulling it out of her pants pocket, she saw that it was Belinda. “Hello?”

  “Sonja, it’s me.”

  “What’s up?”

  “It’s gone,” she told her matter-of-factly.

  “What’s gone?”

  “The book I showed to both you and Maddy yesterday at the library. It’s gone.”

  CHAPTER 17

  * * *

  Sonja had a hunch about what was going on, but she hoped she was wrong. Frank did as she told him and drove back out to the farm.

  He insisted on knowing what was happening and she reluctantly tried to explain that someone was probably feeding the ghost energy, talking to it, convincing it to haunt anyone who came out to the farm.

  “I don’t know if I can believe all that,” he replied, turning off the dirt road and crossing the old bridge for what felt like the hundredth time. “But I can hardly believe anything I saw the last two nights either,” he admitted. “So, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  “I’m hoping I’m wrong.”

  “If nothing else, I guess we can get our bags and your van while it’s still daylight around here.”

  Pulling up in front of the house, Sonja instantly spotted a car parked beside the barn with Idaho plates. “I was right,” she pointed, feeling her heart sink with disappointment. “She’s here.”

  Getting out of the car, they both could hear the strange chanting noises coming from the barn.

  “Come on,” Sonja urged.

  Stepping into the barn, Maddy knelt in the center of a newly drawn circle. The old book she’d taken from the library laid open in front of her.

  “S-Sonja,” she stuttered, suddenly stopping mid-chant.

  Shaking her head, Sonja sighed disappointedly. “I was hoping I would be wrong.”

  “This isn’t what it looks like,” she stood up in protest.

  Sonja pointed at the book on the floor. “You’re feeding the ghost energy. You told it to haunt Benjamin.”

  “No,” she defended herself. “I didn’t.”

  Frank stepped in. “Maddy, we know that you’ve been at the hotel since Sunday. Can you explain that?”

  “I can explain.”

  “Benjamin said there was a strong increase in activity this last week, which was right after you arrived,” Sonja pointed out.

  “Okay, I admit it,” she confessed. “I did check in on Sunday, but not for the reason you think.”

  “You better tell us everything.” Sonja folded her arms defiantly, feeling angry and betrayed by her friend.

  “Benjamin’s been calling me on and off since December, telling me how eerie things had started happening around the farm. This last month, he was getting really nervous about it all, told me the occurrences were happening closer together,” she shrugged. “I told him I could come out and see what I could do, see if I could sense a spiritual presence, but he told me not to.”

  “You came anyway,” Frank noted.

  She nodded. “I arrived on Sunday. I didn’t want him to know I was here, so I checked into the hotel instead.”

  “What did you do then?”

  “I’ve spent the last week trying to exercise the spirits from this farm, but from my hotel room. I thought maybe I could do it remotely.”

  “It didn’t work?” Sonja asked, still a little skeptical about this whole story.

  She shook her head. “No, if anything it made things worse. Then, when he called me the other day, scared out of his mind, I didn’t know what to do.”

  Sonja sighed. “Look, we’re friends, Maddy, is this the whole truth?”

  “What reason would I have for haunting Ben?”

  “I don’t know,” Sonja admitted. “I just don’t know.”

  “I’m telling you, I would never do anything to harm Ben,” Maddy reiterated. “He was like family.”

  Frank sighed, stepping close to his girlfriend. “Sonj’, even is any of this is true. We’d have no way of proving it. There would be no grounds for arrest.”

  “You’re right,” Sonja groaned, looking down at her feet and kicking the dirt. As she did so she noticed a print there.

  Looking at Maddy’s feet, she couldn’t help but ask, “What size are your shoes?”

  “Size nines, why?”

  Sighing, she turned to Frank. “She’s telling the truth. It isn’t her.”

  * * *

  It was another dead end, and Sonja was getting tired of dead ends. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe the ghost was acting of its own accord and no one living was involved.

  Unfortunately, she just couldn’t believe that. The size seven shoe prints in the dirt the other day still bothered her.

  “Do you want me to come down in the cellar with you?” Frank asked as he opened the front door to the farmhouse.

  “No,” she told him, “I’m sure it’s fine in the daylight.” Walking into the house, she headed straight back to the kitchen, through the pantry, and down the stairs into the cellar. Sure enough, sitting just outside the coal bin was her bag where she’d dropped it.

  Trotting across the room, she picked up the bag and turned to leave as quickly as she’d come. As she did, her foot accidentally kicked the mannequin.

  The whole thing rattled like a baby’s toy.

  Sonja vaguely remembered hearing the same noise the night before when she’d pushed it over. She’d thought nothing of it at the time. The thing was cracked and hollow, and it could have been easy for little rocks or pieces of dirt to get in there.

  This time, the sound made her curious. Standing the mannequin up, she heard it again. It seemed to be coming from inside the head.

  “Sonja, are you almost done?” Frank called from the pantry.

  “Just a minute,” she yelled back up at him.

  “Don’t stay down there too long,” he urged her.

  Twisting the head with all her strength, it came loose. Turning it upside down she looked into its neck and saw something glitter inside. “What the heck?” Holding her hand out, she poured the contents into her palm.

/>   Several shiny, pre-cut diamonds came out.

  CHAPTER 18

  * * *

  A half hour later Frank and Sonja stood on the front porch of a little quaint cottage house in town. Corrie Bennet opened the door in response to their knocking. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept, with big bags under her eyes.

  “Oh,” she mumbled. “Good morning, Sheriff. Sonja. What are you doing here so early?”

  “Do you mind if we come in for a moment?” Frank asked.

  “S-sure,” she stumbled, opening the door wider. “I just put on a fresh pot of coffee. And today, I’m going to need it.”

  “Not sleeping well?” Sonja asked, stepping in.

  “Not at all,” she admitted, shutting the door and leading them into the living room. “Have a seat.”

  Both of them sat on the couch and waited patiently while Corrie poured a few mugs of coffee and brought them in on a tray. “So, what’s this all about?”

  “We wanted to talk about the Hinkley Farm,” Frank admitted.

  “The farm?” she asked, sitting across from them in a red Victorian armchair.

  “We heard you were interested in buying it?”

  “That’s correct,” she confirmed the point. “I’d asked Benjamin about it a few times when he was . . .” her voice trailed off and choked a little.

  “Corrie,” Sonja said, leaning in slightly. “I notice you’re not wearing that necklace of yours today.”

  “Oh, that old thing?” she laughed quietly. “I lost it recently.”

  “Did you?” Sonja asked, trying to keep her tone from being too sarcastic. “Did it look anything like these?”

  She took out a plastic baggie containing the diamonds from the farmhouse.

  Corrie instantly turned green, looking a little sick. “W-Where did you find those?”

  “In the cellar of the farmhouse,” Frank noted.

  “Oh my,” she whispered. “Who would have ever guessed those were in there?”

  “You would,” Sonja shot back. “A few weeks back you were over there rummaging around for items to borrow for the antiques fair, am I right?”

  “That’s right,” she nodded. “But what does that have to do with anything?”

  “Did you find these in the cellar while you were down there?” Frank asked.

  “O-Of course not,” she stuttered. “I would have let Benjamin know right away if I had.”

  “Would you?” Sonja raised an eyebrow. “Or did you steal one, thinking that even if he did know, he wouldn’t miss it?”

  “I did no such thing,” she defended herself. “I bought that necklace recently.”

  “I thought you said it was old,” Frank caught her in the lie.

  “Uh, well, I meant it was an old necklace that I bought recently.”

  “Do you mind showing me the receipt for that?” Frank asked. “Just a preliminary measure, I assure you.”

  Corrie looked completely upset, digging herself further and further into a hole. “I-I don’t think I have it anymore.”

  “Then surely you had the necklace insured.”

  “I hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”

  Frank nodded. “Very well, then. These will go to the city’s funds then, and the house will likely be torn down.”

  “No,” Corrie exclaimed, standing up. Instantly, she realized she was caught.

  “Do you want to tell us the truth?” Frank demanded.

  Corrie sighed. “You’re right. I found those diamonds and took one. I was sure Benjamin didn’t even know about them, and if he found them, he wouldn’t be any wiser that I’d taken one.”

  “But then you decided you wanted them all,” Sonja said.

  She nodded, “I thought I could buy the farm, and all that junk would become rightfully mine. Those diamonds could likely cover the cost of the farm and then some, so it would be like getting a steal.”

  “But Benjamin wouldn’t sell?” Frank asked.

  “He wouldn’t budge on the matter. Then I decided to take another approach. I’d heard about the strange things happening on the farm, and that Benjamin believed he may be being haunted. I decided I could use that information to try and convince him to sell. So, I went to the library to see if I could dig up anything on the old farm, any stories or old records about previous occurrences that I might show him to scare him a little. But then, the librarian said there may be better resources for me and took me to see them.”

  “Oh no,” Sonja muttered.

  “I-I found this weird book about communicating with spirits, getting them to sort of do what you want. I didn’t really believe in ghosts, but figured, why not? If anything, I could convince Ben that a ghost had drawn the circle in the barn as a warning.”

  “So, you tried it?” she groaned.

  Corrie nodded, her eyes tearing up. “I wish I hadn’t. I thought, worst case scenario, nothing would happen. Best case, Benjamin gets a little spooked and sells the farm.” She shrugged. “I never expected that Ben would die.”

  “Well,” Sonja asserted. “Those ghosts are real, and they’re malicious. When you granted them power, they did haunt Ben. On top of that, they were angry enough to follow him to that hotel and kill him.”

  Corrie had tears running down her face. “I didn’t want anyone to die,” she moaned. “I only wanted the diamonds. If only I’d known,” her voice trailed off.

  “Come on,” Frank whispered. “I can’t arrest you for witchcraft, but I can arrest you for theft.”

  CHAPTER 19

  * * *

  “Finally,” Frank sighed, sitting at his normal booth in the corner of the diner, “I get to try this delicious recipe.”

  “The Red Velvet Waffle,” Sonja beamed, serving him the warm dish with chocolate frosting over the top, chopped almonds, and raspberries. “It seems to be fairly popular.” She motioned to the rest of the dining room where many patrons were eating the new menu item.

  “Sit down with me for a while,” Frank asked.

  “I really should get back in the kitchen,” she shrugged.

  “Just a minute,” he pleaded. “We need to talk.”

  Taking a seat, she groaned. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Sonja?” he said, raising a questioning eyebrow.

  “Yeah?”

  “Tell me honestly, how many of the homicide cases that we’ve worked on together had some sort of . . .” he struggled for the right word.

  “Ghost?”

  “Yes, that’s it. How many of them had ghosts involved?”

  Sonja licked her lips, afraid to say.

  “Be honest with me,” he reiterated.

  “All of them,” she whispered.

  “All of them?”

  She nodded. “Frank, I really am sensitive to ghosts. That’s why it always seems like I’m around when a new homicide case starts. Sometimes I just sense something is wrong, can feel a spirit nearby. Other times, ghosts actually lead me to the body.”

  “I see,” he nodded, taking in this new information. He looked a little overwhelmed.

  “Frank? Are you okay?”

  “Look,” he sighed, reaching over and grabbing her hand. “I wanted to apologize for how I acted this week. I approached this whole case in a very unprofessional manner.”

  Sonja shrugged. “It makes sense. It was something you couldn’t understand. It was new and frightening, and I don’t blame you.”

  “You don’t?”

  “You were faced with some very frightening and unexplainable things this week, events that have the potential to turn your whole world upside down.”

  “Well, it has done that,” he agreed. “I’ve gone from no belief in ghosts, to a very strong belief in a matter of days. I’ll admit, I was in some serious denial at first, but after what you said to me in the office, I knew I needed to man up and face reality—no matter how unreal it seemed.”

  “And I’m sorry,” she added, squeezing his hand. “I could have been a lot more delicate with
this whole situation. I just forgot how scary it was the first time I encountered a ghost. Heck, it still scares the living daylights out of me sometimes.”

  “Thanks,” he nodded. “So we’re good?”

  Smiling, she leaned in and kissed him passionately. “We’re very good.”

  As she stood up, he kissed her hand. “You’re the best thing in my life.”

  “Thanks,” she beamed proudly.

  “By the way, what happened with Maddy? Did she go back home?”

  “No, she’s going to stay with me a few days longer. After all, we haven’t seen each other in over a year.”

  “And you need to make up for accusing her of murder?”

  Sonja laughed and shook her head. “You could say that.”

  “And I shouldn’t expect a lot of dates this next week,” he sighed knowingly.

  “Actually,” Sonja smiled. “How about a steak dinner tonight?”

  “Just you and me?” he gushed slightly.

  “Yep, you and me,” she paused, raising an eyebrow. “And Maddy?”

  “Maddy?”

  “Please,” she begged. “She’d love to come along.”

  “All right,” he groaned, a smile still on his face. “Maddy can come too.”

  * * *

  Back in the kitchen, cooking up a storm, she couldn’t help but wonder how her relationship with Frank would be from now on. While he knew she was sensitive to the supernatural, he had no idea about the extent of her powers.

  She was a full-blown medium, after all. She had a pet cat at home who was a ghost. The world was filled with all sorts of crazy things—witches, possession, demons, and so much more.

  How would he handle these things if she were more open with him?

  She decided to not tell him everything, yet. He didn’t need to know the full range of abilities her powers gave her.

  Sighing, she added more chocolate covered raspberries onto the top of a waffle and put it in the service window. Ringing the bell, she shouted the order number.

  Besides her worries about Frank, and his ability to handle the craziness that inherently came with, she also couldn’t stop thinking about the farmhouse. Those ghosts were still out there.