The inside of the place matched the outside. It was messy, full of beer bottles and smelled vaguely of stale potato chips. It made Clarissa feel better about her own less-than-stellar housekeeping skills. Sure, her place was always in need of a thorough vacuuming thanks to the cat – but it was nothing like this!
“Hello?” Parker called uncertainly as he looked around. “Gigi, are you here?”
“Parker, look!” Clarissa hissed.
She pointed to a cardboard box that was sitting in the hallway. Sticking out of the top was a framed picture of Gigi Prescott and Donnie Davis. Curious, Clarissa pulled the box open to see what else was in there. She spotted more framed photos, a heart-shaped necklace and a few stuffed animals.
“Can I help you?” a female voice asked.
Startled, Clarissa jumped back – and right into Parker. Gigi had emerged from a bedroom at the end of the hallway and she looked as alarmed as Clarissa felt. It was no wonder. She probably hadn’t expected to find strangers in her house snooping through her things!
“Sorry!” Clarissa said guiltily. “I – I’m Clarissa Spencer. I was at the coffee shop when –”
“I remember you,” Gigi said, her voice sounding shaky. She smoothed her black hair back and when she did, Clarissa noted that her hand was trembling. “You were one of the few people who stayed calm. You called the ambulance. Thank you. For trying, I mean.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more,” Clarissa said solemnly. “How are you holding up?”
Gigi shrugged. Then her gaze fell on the cardboard box in the hallway. “It’s too hard, seeing pictures of Donnie and me,” she explained, as though answering an unasked question. “I packed it all up so that, you know…things that remind me of him would be out of sight.”
Clarissa nodded sympathetically. “How long were you two together?” she asked.
“A few months,” Gigi replied. “I know it doesn’t seem like long but…” She trailed off. Then she looked at Clarissa and Parker as though she was only just seeing them for the first time. “I’m sorry, but why are you in my house?”
“Your uh…roommate let us in,” Parker explained.
Gigi rolled her eyes. “I should have known. Pro tip: don’t find a roommate on Craigslist. Or better yet, don’t have a roommate! Unfortunately, this was about all I could afford…stupid student loans.”
“Your roommate seems um….nice?” Clarissa commented.
“He’s a little weird but totally harmless,” Gigi replied. “He mostly just sits in the basement eating potato chips and playing video games all day. Sorry about the mess,” she added. “I gave up on keeping the house clean once I realized he’s determined to live in a pigsty.”
“It’s no problem,” Clarissa assured her. “Listen, Gigi, I’m a reporter here in Sugarcomb Lake. As I’m sure you can imagine, everyone wants to find out exactly what happened to Donnie. I understand he had a peanut allergy?”
Gigi nodded. “If he ate peanuts his throat would swell up and make it hard to breathe. He was always really careful about what he ate. Every time we went into a restaurant, he’d make sure the employees knew about his allergy.”
“Did he um…did he tell the owner of Just Desserts about his allergy?” Clarissa asked. She couldn’t help but feel like this part of her investigation posed a conflict of interest. But it was a question that had to be asked.
“Yes,” Gigi said, much to Clarissa’s relief. “I’m pretty sure she knew.”
“What did you two order the um…the day of the incident?”
Gigi furrowed her brow as she tried to remember. “I think Donnie ordered a chocolate chip muffin. I think we both did. I was pretty distracted. Donnie’s ex-wife was in the coffee shop,” she explained. “Seeing her got me all flustered just because I wasn’t expecting it, you know?”
“Oh!” Clarissa exclaimed, trying not to let on how interested she was in that revelation.
“Look I’m sorry but I have to go,” Gigi said. “I need to get to work. There’s only one other bartender scheduled for tonight, so I can’t just call in. Besides, I need the money. My bills aren’t going to pay themselves.”
“Alright, we’ll be on our way,” Clarissa said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. “If you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I really want to get to the bottom of what happened. And again, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
As Clarissa and Parker walked back to his shiny red sports car, he seemed bothered.
“What’s the matter?” Clarissa asked.
“Her boyfriend just died and she’s going to work?” he asked in disbelief.
Clarissa shrugged. “Different people cope with tragedy in different ways,” she pointed out. Then she lowered her voice. “And besides, Gigi said herself that she needs the money. By the looks of this place, I don’t think she was exaggerating.”
“Yeah, but…” He trailed off and looked upset.
“What is it?” Clarissa pressed.
“If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be…I’d be devastated,” Parker said. He grew quiet then. “Let’s not talk about this anymore,” he announced. Then he reached over and gave Clarissa the biggest, longest hug ever.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Clarissa reassured Parker, her words muffled by his chest.
“You’d better not,” he said, tightening his grip until she could barely breathe.
“So should we see a movie now?” she asked when the hug ended.
Parker gave her a knowing look. “You want to go home and work on your investigation.”
“How did you know?”
He smirked. “I know you. How about we order a pizza and do some brainstorming?”
“I love you,” she blurted out. Then she reddened. She still felt awkward about saying that word.
“I love you too,” Parker replied, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
Clarissa beamed at that. Suddenly everything felt right in the world.
Well, everything except the mystery of how Donnie Davis ingested a peanut.
Chapter 06
When Clarissa and Parker arrived at her house, it was just beginning to storm. Giant raindrops were beginning to fall from the sky and the wind was really picking up. It seemed Sugarcomb Lake was in for a real doozy.
They got out of the car and made a run for the front porch.
Suddenly there was a loud crack.
“What was that?!” Clarissa gasped, whirling around.
Parker peered out toward the forest. “I don’t know, but I’ll go take a look,” he offered.
“No, don’t,” she said. “It’s dark! And it’s raining!”
“I’m not afraid of the dark,” he laughed. “And I’m already soaked, so what’s a little more rain?”
Before Clarissa could protest any more, Parker disappeared into the heavily treed woods. She hurried inside, intending to find an umbrella to take to him. But when she unlocked the front door, she was greeted by sheer chaos.
Every light in the house was flickering. Photos on the wall were shaking in their frames before crashing noisily to the floor. Down the hall, Clarissa could hear the bedroom doors repeatedly creaking open only to violently slam shut again. And the cat was going nuts.
The fluffy black feline was charging from room to room, growling ferociously. It would crash into one wall only to turn and race toward the other end of the house. The poor thing had worked itself up into quite the tizzy!
“Cat, what’s going on?” Clarissa demanded.
“Can’t talk,” the cat panted, sounding exhausted. Then it dramatically collapsed in a heap in front of the fireplace. Almost immediately, Clarissa could hear snoring.
Realistically, she didn’t need Cat to tell her what was going on. There was only one explanation. It was immediately clear to Clarissa that there was some sort of supernatural presence in her home. The realization sent chills up her spine.
Suddenly the door opened.
“Whoa, relax, it’s just me. You seem jumpy. Are you okay?” Parker asked as he stepped inside and wrung rainwater out of the bottom of his shirt.
“Yeah,” she fibbed, because what else could she say to him?
“When I was coming out of the woods, it looked like the lights were flickering,” he said, completely unsuspecting of what had actually been taking place. “I guess the power is cutting out due to this bad weather, huh?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
“The noise we heard was just a big tree branch that snapped in the wind,” Parker informed her matter-of-factly. “So you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Clarissa almost burst out laughing at that.
She had nothing to worry about? Her house was haunted! She was beside herself as she tried to figure out what to do about it. Even though she really didn’t want to be alone, she knew she had to get rid of Parker as soon as possible. Then she could enlist her aunt’s help in getting things back to normal.
“All of a sudden I’m feeling really sleepy,” Clarissa said, feigning a yawn.
She hated to fib to her boyfriend, but she didn’t know what else to do. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and she couldn’t think of anything more desperate than a ghost infestation!
“Should we skip the pizza?” Parker suggested.
Clarissa nodded apologetically. “Yes please. Sorry…rain check?” she asked hopefully.
“You bet.” Parker leaned in to kiss her. “Get some rest.”
Somehow, Clarissa managed to stand in the doorway smiling sweetly and waving as Parker backed out of the driveway. It was only after he had driven away that she went into full out panic mode.
She lunged for the phone and dialed her aunt’s number as fast as she could.
“Hello!” Matilda chirped brightly, answering on the third ring.
“I need your help!” Clarissa gasped, skipping all pleasantries. “Come over!”
“What’s wrong?”
“My house has a ghost infestation!” Clarissa said tearfully. As if right on cue, a cold draft blew over her, causing goosebumps to form on her arms. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end, and it was taking every bit of restraint she had not to scream and run outside.
“Okay, well I’ll come take a look in the morning,” Matilda said, sounding unconcerned.
“What? No! I need you now!” Clarissa insisted.
“Fine,” Matilda sighed. “I guess binge-watching my favorite TV show can wait. See you soon.”
“Hurry, please!” Clarissa implored.
As she waited for her aunt to arrive, Clarissa paced back and forth in the living room. She snuck a peek at the cat. It was curled up in front of the fireplace snoring contentedly. How could the little beast sleep at a time like this?!
The cat seemed to react to ghosts much like a normal feline would react to a bird. It enjoyed giving chase and making its authority known, but it wasn’t actually frightened. But Clarissa, on the other hand, would have much rather dealt with a rogue bird than a home-invading ghost!
There was a crash on the porch, followed by a sharp rap on the door.
“My new phone got rained on,” Matilda huffed as she pulled off her big floppy hat.
“Thank you for coming!” Clarissa exclaimed, ushering her aunt inside. She opted not to point out that perhaps her aunt shouldn’t have taken the phone out in the pouring rain – especially whilst flying. The last thing she wanted was to be annoying when she so desperately needed Matilda’s help!
Setting her soggy hat and phone down, Matilda walked inside the house.
As Clarissa looked on in confusion, her fiery-haired aunt marched purposefully into the kitchen. Then a loud and very one-sided argument could be heard. Suddenly the kitchen window slammed shut loudly.
Curious, Clarissa peeked into the kitchen.
“Is everything okay in here?” she asked timidly.
“It was just Victor,” Matilda said, looking exasperated. “He decided to drop by to visit you. I told him he shouldn’t come by unannounced,” she added helpfully. That was ironic, because Matilda herself loved to drop by unannounced!
“Your pet ghost came to visit me?” Clarissa asked, stunned.
“He’s not my pet,” Matilda corrected her matter-of-factly.
“Why was he slamming my doors, messing with the lights and making my photos fall off the walls?” Clarissa demanded. “Are all ghosts such rude houseguests?”
“He was upset that you were ignoring him,” Matilda explained.
“I was ignoring him?” Clarissa repeated incredulously. “I didn’t even know he was here!”
“I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn’t listen to a word I had to say. He flew out the kitchen window in a huff. Sometimes Victor gets these ideas in his head and can’t be reasoned with,” Matilda said with a roll of her eyes.
“So uh, he’s gone now?” Clarissa asked hopefully.
“Yes. But you two should really make nice with each other,” Matilda said. “Victor is insulted you haven’t wanted to meet him yet. He doesn’t understand why you’re scared of ghosts. Frankly, I don’t understand it either.”
“It’s because ghosts are, well, ghosts!” Clarissa exclaimed.
Did she really need to explain it any better than that? It seemed to her that her apprehension ought to be self-explanatory! Then again, Matilda wasn’t exactly one to respond to logic…
“You’re being silly,” Matilda said.
Clarissa made a face. “Well can you tell Victor I’m sorry for offending him?” she asked, hoping that she and the bad-tempered ghost could reach some sort of truce. “I honestly didn’t mean to upset him.”
“You can tell him yourself.”
“What do you mean? I thought he left?” Clarissa asked, looking around nervously.
“He did. I’m going to bring him by the house tomorrow night,” Matilda announced. “Hopefully that stubborn hothead will have cooled off by then. And,” she added sternly, “I expect you to make him feel welcome!”
Clarissa wanted to protest.
She wanted to insist she had no interest in meeting a ghost.
But she knew that would only offend her aunt – and further aggravate Victor.
She decided it was best to stay on the temperamental ghost’s good side.
“How about eight o’clock?” she suggested reluctantly.
Her aunt smiled. “That sounds perfect. Victor will be so excited! See you tomorrow.”
****
At eight o’clock sharp, there was a knock on the door.
Clarissa jumped. Then she smoothed her hair nervously. She had no idea how to play hostess to a ghost she couldn’t even see! She hoped her aunt would provide some guidance. Then she could just follow Matilda’s lead.
“Hi,” Clarissa greeted her aunt.
Then she looked around the front porch.
“Hello, Victor,” she said, hoping she was looking at the right spot.
Matilda threw back her head and let out a laugh. “Victor isn’t here, silly.”
“Oh,” Clarissa replied, feeling her anxiety level decrease a bit. “Where is he?”
“He’s out for a walk in the cemetery,” Matilda shrugged.
“He goes for walks in cemeteries? Isn’t that kind of morbid?”
“What do you mean?” Matilda replied. “Sometimes he visits friends. Other times, he likes to sneak up on the teenagers who go out there to smoke. He’s kind of a prankster that way. But anyway, he’ll stop by the house when he’s done.”
“Okay. So listen, um…exactly how do I communicate with Victor?” Clarissa asked with a puzzled expression on her face. “Obviously you can see and hear him, but I can’t. So what am I supposed to do when he does show up?”
“Don’t overthink it,” Matilda replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It will be fine.” She walked into the living room, her soggy shoes making wet squelching nois
es with every step. After plopping down on the couch, she asked, “So what have you been up to lately?”
“Actually, I’m investigating a suspicious death here in town. A guy named Donnie Davis died of a peanut allergy, but no one can figure out how he came to ingest a peanut in the first place. He was at my best friend’s coffee shop at the time.”
Matilda stroked her chin. “Could the ingredients your friend used have been contaminated?”
“No,” Clarissa said, shaking her head. “I spoke with her earlier today. The health inspector had Liana’s muffins sent away to a lab for testing. There were no traces of nuts in there whatsoever. It’s looking more and more like somebody tampered with Donnie’s muffin.”
“Who would do that?” Matilda asked.
“He was there with his girlfriend –”
“Ooh! You think the girlfriend did it?” Matilda interrupted excitedly. “That’s scandalous! It’s even more scandalous than the soap operas I watch! I love it! No disrespect to the deceased intended, of course.”
“I spoke to Donnie’s girlfriend and she told me something interesting,” Clarissa said once her aunt had stopped bouncing up and down and clapping her hands. “She said that Donnie’s ex-wife just happened to be in the coffee shop the day he died.”
Matilda’s eyes widened. “That’s even more scandalous!” she trilled, looking as though she needed a bucket of popcorn so she could sit back and watch the small town drama unfold. Clearly she needed to get out more.
“I don’t know anything for sure,” Clarissa cautioned. “It’s just a lead I need to follow up on.”
“Oh! That’s a fantastic idea!” Matilda crowed.
Clarissa blinked. “Pardon?” she asked, wondering if she had zoned out and missed something.
“Victor says we should hold a séance,” Matilda exclaimed excitedly. “I think it’s a great idea!”
“Wait - Victor is here now?”
“Yes, yes,” Matilda said impatiently. She was clearly more interested in the idea of holding a séance than in introducing her niece to her ghostly companion. “I need paper and markers! I’ll draw up a makeshift Ouija board for us to use. Then we can ask the spirits to help us with your investigation!” she chirped in delight.
A Whisper of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 5) Page 4