The Stubborn Schoolhouse Spirit (The Penelope Pembroke Cozy Mystery Series)

by Nickles, Judy

  “What about the financial end?” Jake asked.

  “Chuck keeps the books, but he said he’d like everything audited once a quarter, so I made an appointment with the same CPA Dad used in Little Rock.”

  “Not a bad idea, Brad. I mean, the boy’s young. This is his first job.”

  “Funny you should say that, Pawpaw. He said the same thing. Said he didn’t want to screw things up because he missed anything.”

  “Good for him. Well, as long as you’re satisfied, that’s all that counts.”

  ****

  At the end of January, while she was touching up some paint on the woodwork in the main room of the school, Shana announced to Penelope and Mary Lynn that she was finally going to meet Tabby Taliaferro. “I’m driving over to Little Rock on Saturday, and we’re taking her to the zoo.”

  “That’s a good neutral place,” Penelope said.

  “The weather’s supposed to be good.”

  “That will help.”

  “I’m scared to death, Penelope.”

  “I know you are, but it’ll be okay.”

  “What if she doesn’t like me?”

  “Maybe you won’t like her.”

  “I love children.”

  “Then go with the idea in mind it’s going to be mutual love at first sight.”

  Shana pushed her hair out of her face. “Peter’s wonderful.”

  “You’ve only known him a little over a month.”

  “Long enough.”

  “Maybe not.”

  “We’ve done a lot of talking. He calls two or three nights a week after Tabby’s in bed. We have a lot in common.”

  “I probably shouldn’t ask, but have you told him about…”

  Shana slumped against the warm radiator. “Not yet.”

  “You’re going to have to tell him before some old biddy around here gets her jollies out of doing it,” Mary Lynn said.

  “He’s not here much and then only to work on the boiler.”

  “He came with you to the Crystal Rainbow Convention.”

  “We didn’t stay long.”

  “Don’t risk letting him find out from somebody else, Shana. And don’t go into the conversation beating yourself up. You made a mistake, and you fixed it.”

  “Not really.”

  “You were going to leave Travis before everything happened,” Penelope reminded her.

  “I still feel ashamed of what I did.”

  “That just shows you were brought up right—that you’re the right kind of girl.”

  “What if Peter doesn’t think so?”

  “Then it’s his loss, Shana. Trust me.”

  ****

  On Saturday, Penelope ran into Millie Dancer on the square. “I haven’t seen you since New Year’s,” Millie said.

  “One Reuben goes a long way with Daddy.”

  “I didn’t mean I hadn’t seen you because you hadn’t been to the Sit-n-Swill. Where have you been keeping yourself?”

  “Well, the B&B was full for the Crystal Rainbow Convention. Mary Lynn and I have been cleaning and painting at the old school.” Penelope hesitated. “Has your friend Marlo found a place for her shop?”

  Millie frowned. “She’s really close-mouthed about it, but I think she’s negotiating with a realtor about a house on the corner of Sandalwood and Amaryllis Avenue.”

  “That’s the old Barnes place. I didn’t know it was on the market. Have you and Mike known Marlo a long time?”

  “Not really. She was only in Fayetteville about two years, but she biked with our club.”

  “A biker? She’s a biker?”

  Millie frowned again, this time more directly at Penelope. “We were a group who liked to travel around on our bikes and camp out, that’s all. We weren’t like the ones who used to come into the Sit-n-Swill.”

  “They don’t come anymore?”

  “Not since New Year’s Eve. I guess the word got around that we’ve upgraded some.” The irritation faded from Millie’s expression. “I know people don’t understand that there are bikers and bikers.”

  “I guess not. No offense, Millie.”

  She shook her head. “I’m just crabby today. We’re still having trouble with the fireplace, so Mike’s afraid to light it when we have customers. I’m scouting some antique shops today to find things to set in it just to fill up the empty space.”

  “It’s a shame you can’t use it.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s not worth the risk.”

  “Right.”

  “I’ll get out to the school one of these days and see what you and Mary Lynn are up to.”

  “Things are taking shape. We haven’t had anymore trouble with the boiler.”

  “Maybe I should have your heating and cooling guy look at the fireplace.”

  “Well, he knew about old-timey boilers. It’s Taliaferro Heating and Cooling in Little Rock. He’s in the phone book.”

  “I’ll talk to Mike and possibly give him a call. Don’t be a stranger, Penelope.”

  “I’ll ask Daddy if he’s interested in a Reuben tonight.”

  ****

  When Penelope came in from town, she found Jake cleaning up the left-over lemon pie. “Marlo Howard is looking at the old Barnes place,” Penelope blurted.

  “It’s been empty awhile. Guess the kids finally got tired of paying taxes on it.”

  “I’d swear I haven’t seen a sign in the yard or anything.”

  “Houses sell without signs in the yard.” He scraped the last of the filling from his plate and placed the fork across the top. “You and Mary Lynn run across anymore hants at the old school?”

  “No.”

  “Staying out of the basement, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “That must satisfy old Jeremiah.” He cackled at his own joke.

  “It wasn’t an old man we heard,” Penelope snapped. “I ran into Millie, which is how I knew about her friend and the Barnes place. I told her you might be interested in a Reuben tonight.”

  “I could eat one.”

  “And have one beer.”

  “One beer.”

  “She said they’re still having trouble with the fireplace.”

  “Can’t figure that one out.”

  “Daddy, I never asked you, but you had to hear that sound when the fire went out.”

  “Wind.”

  “There wasn’t even a breeze that night.”

  “Not even a small one off Short Creek?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t you drive out to Rosedale Bridge to rondayvoose when you left the bar?”

  “So you heard that much anyway.”

  “Yep.”

  “It wasn’t a rendezvous. Not exactly. I swear, Daddy, that man is so infuriating.”

  “What did he want? Besides the obvious.”

  “What do you mean, the obvious?”

  “Nellie, a man doesn’t meet a woman at Rosedale Bridge to play marbles in the moonlight.”

  “Oh, Daddy.” She took a soft drink out of the refrigerator and sat down across from him. “He asked about Marlo Howard—her name, what she was doing in Amaryllis. And about the new manager Brad hired to run the Point.”

  “Well, well.”

  “I asked Millie today how long she and Mike had known Marlo, and it seems she was in their biker club in Fayetteville.”

  “She’s a good dancer.”

  “You danced with her?”

  “Once. Why not?”

  “There was something about her that turned me off from the beginning, but then I thought she must be okay if she’s a friend of Mike and Millie.”

  “They’re relative strangers, too.”

  “Not really, not anymore. Shana told me Mike’s singing in the choir at he Methodist Church, and Millie fills in at the piano sometimes.”

  “She’s in Little Rock at the zoo with that Taliaferro fellow and his little girl today, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, and I hope
it’s going well. She was nervous about meeting Tabby. And she still hasn’t told Peter about Travis.”

  “Can’t be easy to ‘fess up about something like that.”

  “No, but she has to do it before he hears it from someone else.”

  “I agree, but it’s still not an easy thing to do.”

  “If we’re going to eat at the Sit-n-Swill tonight, then I don’t have to cook. I think I’ll call Mary Lynn and see if she needs help at the school this afternoon.”

  “I’m going to take a nap. Eating lemon pie is hard work.” He pushed back from the table and winked as he rubbed his lean midsection.

  ****

  Penelope edged her SUV close to the left brick wall of the porch steps and got out. Almost immediately, she felt her feet flailing in midair as an explosion rocked the ground beneath them. Scrambling up again, the broken edge of the bottom step cutting through her jeans, she rushed up to the door screaming Mary Lynn’s name.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The women collided on the porch. “What the blessed heck happened?” Penelope demanded, checking Mary Lynn over for damage.

  “The boiler. I think it was the boiler.”

  “It blew up?”

  “I didn’t hang around to find out.”

  Penelope dug her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans and dialed 911.

  The women huddled in Penelope’s SUV while the firemen checked out the basement. The fire chief took off his helmet as he came down the steps toward the car. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Fine? Fine? The blessed boiler blew up!” Penelope thrust her face through the window and glared at the man.

  “It wasn’t the boiler,” the chief repeated.

  “Then what was it?” asked Mary Lynn.

  He shook his head. “Nothing in the school as far as I can tell.”

  “But we heard it. Felt it.” Penelope turned to Mary Lynn for support.

  “Mrs. Pembroke…Mrs. Hargrove…I’m not denying you heard and felt something, but the boiler did not blow up, the fuel tank is in one piece, there’s no smoke, no fire, nothing.”

  “Something blessed blew up,” Penelope insisted. “It did.”

  The chief shrugged and began to unhook his yellow slicker. “Everything is fine, but while I’m here, I’ll remind you the building will need to be inspected before it opens to the public.”

  “I know. I’ll get it done.”

  “I can do it for you, Mrs. Hargrove. Come by the station and pick up a list of what we’ll be looking for. Give me a call when you’re ready.”

  When the trucks had gone, Penelope opened the door. “I don’t believe everything is all right. I’m going to have a look for myself.”

  The radiators squealed and groaned in a lower key as they entered the building. “I don’t like this,” Mary Lynn whispered.

  “Why are you whispering? There’s nobody here but us.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “Oh, get over it, Mary Lynn. The place isn’t haunted.”

  “You heard the same thing I did the other day.”

  “The more I think about it, the more I’m not sure.”

  “Judas!” Mary Lynn muttered and stalked off toward the back.

  “More like Doubting Thomas,” Penelope called after her. “Are you going down there?”

  “Yes, I am. I want to see that boiler for myself.”

  “I’ll go with you. Is the light working?”

  Mary Lynn flicked the switch by the door she called ‘the key-hole’. Nothing happened. “That was a brand new bulb,” she said.

  “Where’s your flashlight?”

  “In the other room. It has new batteries.”

  Flashlight in hand, Mary Lynn led the way down the narrow wooden steps. As she reached the bottom, the flashlight flickered and went out, and the sound of male voices filled the air.

  The women’s upward retreat beat out their previous time by several seconds. Breathing hard, they leaned against the wall and looked at each other in wild-eyed silence. Then, without a word, they headed out the front door to their cars.

  ****

  Penelope almost stumbled over Shana sitting on the back steps of the B&B, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed into her hands. “What’s blessed wrong?”

  Shana lifted red, swollen eyes. “I told him.”

  “Come in the house. It’s too cold to sit out here. Your face is so wet, it’ll freeze.”

  Shana got up and followed Penelope into the house. “I told him.”

  “So you said. I assume he didn’t take it well.”

  “He said he appreciated the fact I was honest with him, but he said he has to think about Tabby.”

  “Spoken like a true father. So it’s over?”

  “I don’t know. He left me hanging.”

  “How?”

  Shana sank down at the table and leaned on her elbows. “We had a wonderful time at the zoo. Tabby’s the sweetest little girl, so reasonable and agreeable. I think she really liked me. Anyway, we did the zoo and then went out for hamburgers.” Shana accepted the paper towels Penelope handed her and mopped her face. “And then Peter dropped Tabby off to play with a friend, and we went for a drink.”

  “That’s when you told him.”

  “Yes. He just sat there looking at me while I spilled my guts.”

  “And said he appreciated your honesty.”

  “Right. Then he told me Tabby’s the most important person in his life and the biggest responsibility, and he has to be sure the people around her are the kind he wants her to learn from.”

  “You can understand that.”

  “Yes, I can, and I said so. He took me back to his house to pick up my car, and that’s when he said he’d call me.”

  “Call you.”

  “But I don’t know for what. To ask me out, break it off, tell me what he really thinks of me?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Shana lifted her chin. “I made a big mistake, but I cleaned up my act. I’m doing all right.”

  “I agree.”

  Her head went down again. “Oh, Penelope, I’m crazy about Peter Taliaferro.”

  Penelope crossed the kitchen and rubbed the girl’s shoulders. “I know, honey. You just have to tell yourself you’ll get over this bump, too.”

  ****

  Penelope couldn’t help looking around the Sit-n-Swill, always full on weekends, but though she recognized the familiar faces of the regulars, there were no bikers—and no Sam. Millie had said word had gotten around about how the place had upgraded. Penelope guessed that was a good thing.

  From the jukebox, Hank Williams warbled about someone’s cheating heart.

  Mike brought Jake’s Reuben and beer. “Sure you won’t have anything besides that soda, Penelope?”

  “I’m filling up on these pretzels.” She indicated the basket in the middle of the table. “They’re pretty good.”

  “I get them from a supplier in Jackson, Mississippi, actually. Those and the potato chips to serve with sandwiches.”

  “Jeremiah Bowden came from Mississippi.”

  “I wish he’d go back.” Mike pulled out a chair and sat down. “Millie said she told you we were still having trouble with the fireplace. The thing is, there’s no reason. The wood’s dry, and it’s good. I bought two cords from Green Havins at the end of December. Everyone around here gets their wood from him, and no complaints.”

  “Why do you think old Jeremiah’s behind the problem with the fireplace?” Jake asked, setting down his sandwich.

  Mike laughed. “I don’t, not really, but he built the house on this spot and lived in it a while.”

  “He could still be here,” Jake said.

  “Oh, Daddy, don’t start with that.”

  “What?” Mike asked.

  “Daddy says the story goes that Jeremiah haunts the basement boiler room at the old school.”

  “Whenever the heat was cranky, we’d say it was Jeremiah
Bowden down there pouting about something.”

  “Pouting?”

  “Seems his sister Daisy, who was the first teacher at the school when it was only two rooms, married some ne’er-do-well who went off and left her. Rumor has it he spent the rest of his life trying to find the man and take his revenge.”

  “You didn’t tell me that, Daddy.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  Penelope rolled her eyes. “Do I have to pull every blessed bit of information out of you?”

  “No, just ask nicely.” He reached across the table and patted her hand.

  “What else did people say about old Jeremiah?” Mike asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. He built this town, you know, but from what I hear, his family didn’t fare as well. Heard one of his boys rode with Jesse James.”

  “Everybody says someone in their family rode with Jesse James,” Penelope said.

  “Well, it might’ve been true. And another one went out to Texas and just disappeared.”

  “He just had two sons?”

  “Three, I think, but I never heard anything about that one. He had two daughters though. They both married well and moved off to greener pastures. But his sister Daisy stayed here. She was Jessie Ruth Collier’s mother.”

  Penelope snapped the pretzel she was holding. “Her mother?”

  Jake nodded. “Everybody knows that.”

  “If I knew, I forgot. Jessie Ruth Collier gave the money for our library,” Penelope explained to Mike. “She married well, too.”

  Mike’s eyes widened. “Collier Memorial. Of course.”

  “And she left the school property to the town with the proviso they couldn’t sell it. Why, I don’t know.”

  “Most likely she didn’t want it torn down,” Mike said. “Old schools fall victim to the wrecking ball everyday.”

  “It’s odd the property would end up in her hands,” Penelope mused. “She was only a niece.”

  “Probably Jeremiah left it to her mother, Daisy, and she passed it down,” Jake said.

  “I guess that makes sense.”

  “Sure it does.”

  “It’s odd people around here don’t know more about the town’s founder,” Mike said. “I went to the abstract office and found out about this particular piece of property, but even Mayor Hargrove didn’t know who it belonged to originally until I told him.”

  “Did it actually belong to Jeremiah Bowden or Daisy?” Penelope asked.