Giving Up the Ghost

by Marilyn Levinson

  As she walked toward her car, a young woman in a black leather coat dashed across the parking lot and made a bee-line for Gabbie.

  She extended her right hand. "Hello, I'm Aurora Dutson. I wonder if I could speak to you for a minute."

  Gabbie had no choice but to shake the proffered hand. Puzzled, because the woman couldn't be a day over thirty, she said, "Are you a parent? I don't believe I have a student named Dutson."

  "I'm not a parent. I'm a reporter for The Record. And you are?"

  Furious, Gabbie unlocked her car, and spun around. "I've nothing to say. Please go away."

  "But it's my job to ask questions." The reporter whipped out a notepad and a pen from her huge leather bag.

  "Not in a school, you don't," Gabbie snapped.

  Aurora smiled, immune to Gabbie's hostility. "Were the students upset to hear that Barrett Connelly was murdered? I understand from his neighbors he was persona non grata among his peers."

  "I've nothing to say." Gabbie got in and slammed the door shut.

  "Do you think this murder has anything to do with Cameron Leeds' death?"

  Shocked, Gabbie opened the window and stared up at her. "No, I don't. Why do you ask?"

  "Because Barrett and his friend discovered Mr. Leeds' body on the beach. Eight months later, Barrett's found shot to death in the same vicinity."

  Gabbie glared. "Irresponsible assumptions give the press the bad reputation it deserves." She raised her window and turned on the ignition.

  The reporter shrugged, put away her notepad and pen, and walked off.

  Gabbie hugged herself to still her trembling body. "Of course there's no connection between the two murders," she whispered, while breathing deeply to regain her composure.

  When she was calm enough to drive, she headed for town. She longed to block out her visceral reaction to the reporter's question, but that was impossible and stupid. If Gabbie had learned one thing from the upheavals of the past year, it was the importance of confronting any issue that alarmed her, immediately and head on.

  Why had she'd been so upset by the suggestion that the same person had killed Cam and Barrett? Undoubtably, because it meant the murderer was agitated and wouldn't hesitate to kill again to protect himself. And she, who'd been instrumental in reopening the investigation to prove Cam's death was no accident, had better watch her step.

  She didn't have the heart to go home to Cam, who was bound to bombard her with questions. Craving the noisy camaraderie of the living, she drove to Logan's Place. Even if the murderer were present, there was safety in numbers. Maybe, among all the comments and speculations about who killed Barrett, she'd pick up a kernel of vital information.

  She opened the door to the bar and was enveloped by the sound of voices raised in lively discussion and the heady aroma of meatloaf.

  "Gabbie, we're over here."

  She waved back at Reese and headed for the table, silently chiding herself for having allowed herself to grow fond of a potential murderer. No, Reese couldn't have done anything that horrendous. She greeted Terry and Jack, and smiled when Reese introduced her to Sam and Cleary, two insurance agents who worked in the new office building just outside of town.

  Terry winked as she sat down beside him. "I was telling the guys how I discovered Barrett Connelly's body when I was out running this morning. I'm the one who called the police. You can read about it in tomorrow's paper."

  His boastful manner was irritating, especially since she knew Terry had almost thrown up at the scene.

  Gabbie winked back at him. "I heard all about it--every last detail."

  A look of alarm replaced the glow of excitement on his handsome face. She leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Don't worry, I'll keep your little secret."

  He exhaled with apparent relief.

  "What are you two going on about?" Reese demanded. When neither answered, he turned to Gabbie. "I thought you'd set your sights on Darren Rollins."

  Gabbie felt the color rise to her cheeks as the men guffawed and slapped the table with delight. Her putdown of Terry had boomeranged. She remained silent as he told the rest of his story.

  When he finished, she said, "That same reporter tried to question me in the school parking lot. Can you imagine the nerve?"

  "She's only doing her job," Terry said.

  "She's talking to everyone in sight," Reese said. "I wonder if anyone's told her most of the town's glad to be rid of that troublemaker."

  "Reese!" Gabbie couldn't hide her shock.

  "Well, it's true. The Connelly kid was nothing but trouble." Jack took a long draw from his beer bottle. His second beer, Gabbie noticed from the empty beside him.

  Mike came over, and Gabbie ordered a tuna fish sandwich and coffee.

  Sam said, "I hear the Ross kid is missing. Or has he shown up at school?"

  "No, he hasn't," Gabbie answered before anyone else could speculate.

  "I wonder if he and Connelly had a falling out," Cleary mused. "Maybe they got into a fight and Ross shot him accidentally. And he now he's afraid to show his face. "

  "That's probably what happened," Jack said. "Did they find the gun?"

  "I don't think so," Reese said. "Either the killer tossed it somewhere, or took it with him."

  "Or her." Terry glanced at Gabbie.

  "Thanks for the equal opportunity," she said, and they all laughed.

  "Where could Ross be?" Jack said. "I didn't hear that any cars are missing."

  Sam shrugged. "Maybe he's dead. Or maybe he hitched a ride out of town."

  "Nah, he's not dead," Reese insisted, "or they would have found the body by now. The kid's lived here all his life. He's bound to have plenty of hiding places."

  Gabbie thought of Todd's shed in the woods, but said nothing.

  As though reading her mind, Jack said, "You think he's hiding out in the woods?"

  Terry pounded Jack's beefy shoulder. "Could be. Why don't you be a good citizen and join the search party out looking for him?"

  Jack gave him a slow smile, revealing the space between his front teeth. "Maybe I will. Maybe I'll do just that."

  Despite her intention to listen and learn, Gabbie found the conversation had taken away her appetite. She asked Mike to wrap up her sandwich. The men laughed good-naturedly, and were still discussing Barrett's murder when she left. She stepped outside just as a chubby young man was about to enter. They nodded to each other, and then Gabbie smiled because he looked familiar. Though his face was fuller, he resembled Cam.

  At the same time, it must have dawned on him who she was. "Excuse me, are you Gabbie Meyerson?"

  "Yes, I am. And you must be Roland Leeds. Darren mentioned you'd be coming."

  "You're leaving." He sounded disappointed.

  "Yes. I'm going to the police station to see Darren."

  "I just left him there, dealing with the frantic parents of a missing boy."

  "Todd Ross's parents," Gabbie said. She hesitated, then said, "Did the ME find anything conclusive?"

  "Yes," Roland began, and moved aside to let two women enter the restaurant. He led her around to the side of the building. "Cause of death was a blow to the back of the head by a blunt instrument. The skull had been struck twice. It was the second blow that killed him."

  Gabbie inhaled sharply. "I see."

  "I'd love to sit down and talk to you at length," Roland said. "Darren tells me you convinced him to open the investigation into Cam's death."

  "I suppose," she said, deliberately vague, as she had no idea if Darren had told Roland of Cam's ghostly presence.

  As though reading her mind, Roland burst out laughing. "I know about Cam. Can't wait to see him."

  "Then by all means come for dinner tonight. You and Darren."

  "I'd like that." He extended his hand. She took it, meaning to shake hands, but he drew her hand to his heart. "Gabbie, I can't thank you enough for caring. My brother pulled some shady deals in his life, but he didn't deserve to be murdered."

  "No
, he didn't. See you around seven. You know the way."

  Gabbie smiled as she got into her car. Meeting Roland had the calming effect of a good massage. He'd struck her as intelligent, self-possessed, and capable of getting results. He was an ally, someone whom she and Darren could trust in this town overrun with possible suspects. Gabbie nosed out of Logan's parking lot, waited for a pickup truck to pass, and eased onto Main Street.

  As she began her left-hand turn, she caught sight of a blue car in her rearview mirror. It came closer, bearing down on her tail. Gabbie stomped on the brake as the small car, which had jumped the red light, squealed around her, overcorrected itself, then sped on its way.

  Her anger changed to curiosity when she recognized the clenched white face of Sonia Russell. Gabbie took off after her. The chase ended a few blocks farther when Sonia suddenly veered right, into the parking lot of the brick building that housed the post office and the police station. She dashed up the four steps to the station. Gabbie waited until Sonia was inside then went in after her.

  She entered the vestibule in time to hear Sonia say to the pretty Latina behind the glass, "I must speak to Darren."

  The dispatcher looked up from her paperwork and blinked. "Okay, but Chief Rollins is busy right now. Please take a seat."

  "Busy?" Sonia put her hands to her head and shook it from side to side like an angry toddler. "I can't wait. Tell Darren it's important. Tell him it's about Cameron Leeds' murder."

  Gabbie's mouth fell open. Dear God, don't let it be that Charlie killed Barrett, after all! The dispatcher exchanged glances with Gabbie before saying to Sonia, "I'll tell the chief you need to speak to him. Be right back."

  Gabbie sat quietly near the door, hoping Sonia wouldn't throw a fit and accuse her of having followed her. But she needn't have worried. Sonia remained stone-still until Darren entered from a side door. He approached, his manner as gentle as if he were speaking to a small child or a gravely ill person.

  "Hello, Sonia. I'm with some people now, but I promise to talk to you as soon as we're done. Is Charlie all right, alone in your house?"

  "This has nothing to do with Charlie," she snapped. "It has to do with me."

  "Fine," Darren said. "We'll talk about it. I have a room where you can wait for me. I'll only be a few minutes." His eyes flitted to Gabbie before he beckoned to Sonia to follow him into the inner offices.

  His hand was on the door knob when Sonia said, "Didn't your secretary tell you? I came to talk to you about Cam."

  Slowly Darren turned to stare at her. "What does this have to do with Cam?"

  Sonia's face crumpled. Tears streamed down her face. "It's been eating away at me. I can't keep it secret any longer." Her shoulders heaved with sobs.

  "I've tried to pretend it never happened. It was easy when everyone thought he fell off the bluff because he was drunk. But now everyone's wondering who killed him, so I have to tell you. It was me."

  Darren looked stricken as he put a hand on Sonia's shoulder. "You're upset. I must advise you to call your lawyer before you say another word."

  She brushed his hand away. "Of course I'm upset, and I intend to tell you everything, Darren Rollins, right here and now."

  "All right, tell me."

  Sonia stared at her bony hands, clutched together as if she were praying. "I heard Cam was leaving so I went to the cottage. I was angry." She looked up at Darren. "I brought a gun. That gun, the one those monsters took from Charlie."

  "You drove there?"

  She nodded. "I parked on the road and began to have my doubts. I wondered if it was just some stupid rumor that Cam was going away. 'Sonia,' I told myself, 'you're the one Cam cares about. He's told you so often enough. Have faith, even though he's sowing his wild oats with that bitch next door.' But when I opened the front door and saw the suitcases, I knew it was true."

  The dispatcher came through the side door. She was about to speak when Darren's look warned her away. She went back through the door.

  "Cam was writing at his desk. He didn't hear me come into the den because he had a CD blasting. He was going away and treating me like dirt--just like every other man I ever knew. I was furious but I couldn't bring myself to shoot him, so I turned the gun around and swung the butt down on his head."

  Sonia shivered. "He slid to the floor and lay there, next to the open drawer. I came around and saw his eyes were closed." She swallowed. "He didn't move. I could tell he was dead."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Gabbie left the police station ten minutes later, still shaken by Sonia's confession.

  "Relax. I don't think she killed Cam," Darren murmured as he escorted her down the steps.

  "Roland told me it was the second blow that did it. Even so, what she did was awful."

  He squeezed her arm. "Gotta get back to the Rosses. They're furious because their son is still missing. Then I have to question Sonia in her lawyer's presence. Not to mention the small matter of investigating Barrett Connelly's murder."

  "And Cam's." Gabbie gave him a crooked smile. "Roland's coming to dinner tonight. You're invited too, but I see you're much too busy to make it."

  His grin sent her heart soaring. "Are you kidding? I have to eat sometime. Besides, I want to check out a whole bunch of new facts with Cam. Though I doubt I can get there before eight."

  "That's fine. It will give Roland more time with Cam."

  He patted her shoulder. "Remember, no sleuthing between now and dinner."

  "That's for sure. I've had enough excitement for one afternoon."

  The delayed reaction set in the moment Darren disappeared inside the station. Sonia's mad confession and all its implications flashed like strobes across her brain. Gabbie's legs threatened to buckle. She grasped the wooden railing to keep from sliding to the ground.

  She gulped down air until she felt steady, though her head continued to reel. Sonia had struck Cam and left him for dead! A spark of anger kindled deep within her, the likes of which she hadn't experienced since her former husband had tossed out their marriage along with the trash. Cam was dead because of Sonia. She'd left him vulnerable and unconscious, and the murderer had finished him off.

  As far as Gabbie was concerned, Sonia was guilty. She wouldn't be charged with murder, even though she'd set the crime in motion.

  She walked slowly to her car, acknowledging that she was more upset than she'd realized. For the first time since she'd left her old home, she sorely missed the few close friends to whom she could turn whenever she felt blue. A long, empty afternoon yawned before her. What to do? Where to go?

  The answer struck her as she switched on the ignition. She headed for Tessa's beauty salon for a manicure and some gossip.

  * * * *

  "You're not one for making appointments, are you?" Tessa said as she entered the shop. The place was empty except for three customers. The manicurist was reading a newspaper at her station.

  Puzzled, Gabbie blinked. "Sorry. With all that's happening, I don't know what I'm doing from one minute to the next."

  "So I hear. Playing detective and teaching must keep you very busy."

  Gabbie waited for the smile that meant Tessa was teasing, but it never came. Annoyed, she said, "I stopped by for a manicure, but if you're all booked up I'll come another time."

  Tessa nodded, as though ceding a point. "Don't be silly. Marie can take you right now."

  Gabbie made no reply as she sat down in the chair opposite the manicurist. She could be as snippy as the next one. Still, she had no idea why Tessa, who had called only a few days ago to find out how she was doing, was now freezing her out.

  She paid scant attention as Marie soaked and filed and painted her fingernails, all the while carrying on a conversation with another patron about how awful it was that a young boy in the high school was shot to death. But when Marie wondered--her voice lowered to almost a whisper--why on earth a policeman would come to the salon to question Tessa's husband about the murder, Gabbie listened.

  A
h, So that's it. She sat quietly, letting her nails dry, until Tessa stopped beside her chair.

  "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you before."

  "We're all on edge." Gabbie considered telling Tessa about Sonia's confession, but then decided it was police business and not public knowledge--at least not yet. "Nobody can relax with a murderer or two loose around town."

  "Well, my Don didn't kill anyone."

  Gabbie raised her eyebrows. "I didn't realize he was a suspect."

  Tessa threw her a look of disbelief. "I bet! Interesting how things got all fired up after you moved into the Leeds' cottage."

  Gabbie felt her cheeks blaze with indignation. "Someone in this town killed Cam, and Barrett caused trouble long before I came here."

  Her protest did nothing to soften Tessa's attitude. "Your boyfriend hassled Don twice last week. He sent a county homicide detective after him today."

  Gabbie decided to let the boyfriend comment pass. "Why? Did Don have a run in with Barrett Connelly?"

  Tessa hesitated, and then said, "There was an incident last summer. Connelly slashed the tires of our brand new Mercedes. Don was livid. He went to the kid's father and demanded that he pay for new tires. The man laughed. Said he'd pay if Don had proof it was his son who did the slashing."

  Mercedes? Where had Tessa and Don gotten the money for a Mercedes? "Did Don see him vandalize the car?"

  Exasperated, Tessa exhaled loudly. "No, but someone saw him running like crazy a block from here. That same evening three other cars had their tires slashed. All three were parked behind the shops."

  "Weren't the owners of the other cars angry as well?" Gabbie said.

  "Of course they were angry. They called Darren, and he questioned Connelly." Tessa grimaced. "With the usual lame results. But the damage wasn't as extensive and their cars were mostly old wrecks."

  And they weren't as incensed, Gabbie decided. Still, Don had every right to be furious at a kid who had deliberately vandalized his new car. But why wait several months to take revenge?

  She had opened her mouth to ask if Barrett had done anything recently to anger Don, when a stunning redhead, who looked at though she'd been poured into her black leather jumpsuit, burst through the door. She pranced around on high-heeled boots, fluttering her right hand like a banner.