“How can we be sure that he wasn’t home when May fell?” she asked.
“I’ve heard that he often frequents Kennedy’s. I’ll ask around.”
The edges of Anna’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “Your network of spies again?”
“I know a lot of people, so I hear a lot of things.” She stared at Anna. “That remark you made to Sherman about finding May was pretty harsh. Is something bothering you?”
“Bothering me? Someone deliberately hurt May tonight. Of course I’m bothered. Aren’t you?”
Erna’s eyes flared. “I may not look it, but I’m furious with myself. I’ve been expecting trouble ever since the séance, but I thought that it would be directed at Sherman, not at May. I thought that he would be safe as long as they were together.”
Anna glanced at Erna before turning right off Main Street. “What are you talking about? Who did you think would be after Sherman?” The streets were deserted, but she slowed down for a yield sign anyway.
“The Raes. Certainly Tiernay, and maybe Greg, too.”
“You think Tiernay and Greg are behind this? Why?”
“I have no proof, Anna, so this is pure conjecture, but to establish her reputation in town, I should think. Let’s look at this logically. Either Evelyn’s ghost possessed Tiernay on the night of the séance, or Tiernay faked it. If we discount a true possession, we must ask ourselves why she would do that. To make us believe that she has genuine occult powers seems the obvious answer.”
“I agree. Tiernay is some kind of egomaniac. She wants everyone to think that she’s important.”
“Possibly. It might be self-aggrandizement, or it may be a ruse to bring business to her store. Or it might be part of a larger scheme.”
“What larger scheme?” Anna asked, pulling up in front of Erna’s house and letting the car idle.
“What if Tiernay intends to hold more séances? She could charge a handsome fee for her services while asking people to do things under the guise of following their departed loved one’s wishes. She could easily defraud the gullible of their life savings. Perhaps she and Greg have already done so elsewhere, and their reputation just hasn’t caught up with them yet.”
Anna considered Erna’s words for a moment. “Do you really think that’s likely?” she asked.
But Erna seemed lost in her own thoughts. “If Tiernay wants to build a reputation as a medium, there have to be consequences for Sherman not acting upon Evelyn’s alleged desire for revenge. Tonight’s accident may have been intended for Sherman, not May. If something had happened to him, Tiernay could have said that Evelyn was punishing him for not obeying her wishes. And who better to pick upon than a recluse with a drinking problem and guilt associated with his wife’s death? Sherman is the perfect victim, and Tiernay has chosen us to be her stooges!”
“And you think Tiernay’s plan backfired, and May became the victim instead?”
Erna turned to her. “It’s possible. Tiernay may have been late arriving at May’s apartment, or Sherman may have left for Kennedy’s earlier than usual. If Tiernay was waiting for him on the steps when May came home, she would have been forced to attack May instead. Either attack could be blamed upon a spiteful Evelyn. It will be interesting to hear what Tiernay has to say about May’s fall.”
Anna shook her head. “One thing I don’t understand. If you didn’t want Sherman to be alone, why did you seem to disapprove when May told us at the séance that Sherman was going to stay with her?”
Erna smiled. “That was just a ruse, dear. If I had told May to invite Sherman to move in, she would have balked at the idea. Haven’t you noticed that she doesn’t like being told what to do? Fortunately, May has always had a soft spot for Sherman, compounded, no doubt, by her animosity toward Evelyn, so it seemed likely that she would make the offer on her own. Plus, I didn’t want Tiernay to guess that I suspected her and wanted Sherman safely out of her reach. But I underestimated Tiernay. I shall ask Steven to redouble his efforts to keep his eye on the Raes.”
“You’ve talked to Steve about them already?”
“Certainly. I also asked him to check into their backgrounds.”
“And has he found anything yet?”
“No, but you know how slow bureaucracy can be. I’m hopeful that he’ll find something soon to confirm my suspicions.” She pointed at the clock on the car console. “It’s getting late, and you have to get up for work in the morning. Why don’t we talk again tomorrow, after we’ve heard how May’s doing? I’ll telephone Gerry and call you at work. You should go home and get some sleep.” She climbed nimbly out of the car and turned to wave at Anna from the sidewalk.
Anna waved back, and waited until Erna had let herself into the house before heading for home. Erna’s suspicions of Tiernay seemed far-fetched. Sure, she didn’t like the young woman, but that was because she thought Tiernay was vain and wanted to draw attention to herself. You didn’t have to look any further than the way she dressed and her flaming-red hair to see that. And she talked about having special powers and belonging to covens, too. But maybe Steve was right, and it was all just an act to bring business into the store.
Anna parked her car in the driveway and got out. On the way to her front door, she thought about Greg. She liked him, even though he was a playboy. Greg could probably charm a girl straight into bed, if he wanted to. But there was a mischievous quality about him that seemed as good as a wink, as if to say, “We both know what we’re doing here, and no one is pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes.” She’d hate to think that Erna was right, and that he and Tiernay were scheming to cheat grieving widows and widowers of their life savings.
Her train of thought was disturbed by Wendy’s whine on the other side of the door. “Hi, girl,” she said, getting down on one knee and hugging the dog after letting herself inside. “You must be wondering what I was doing, charging around in the middle of the night and leaving you here all alone.
Wendy licked her cheek, and Anna laughed and scratched behind the dog’s ear. Climbing wearily to her feet, she looked at her watch and groaned; it was 12:42 a.m. The alarm would be ringing in less than six hours. She hung her jacket in the closet and trudged down the hallway to bed with Wendy padding after her. The dog settled on the floor of the bedroom with a sigh as Anna slid back under the covers.
“I’m too tired to worry about it tonight. It’s a big, confusing mess, but it’s just going to have to wait until tomorrow. Night Wendy.” The dog’s tail beat a steady response on the floor, and that was the last thing Anna heard until the alarm went off in the morning.
Chapter Twelve
Anna rushed home from work on Friday to have supper with her son before going to see May in the hospital. Erna had called late that morning to report that May had just come out of surgery. An orthopaedic surgeon had repaired a break in her tibia with a rod and screws, and put her leg in a plaster cast. May had also suffered a blow to the head, but the extent of the injury was unknown. For now, the staff was running more tests and would keep her in the hospital a couple more days for observation. Erna and Anna planned to meet at the hospital during visiting hours that evening. Gerry was bringing Erna out that afternoon as soon as he could get away from the store, and Erna was going to stay with May until Anna could give her a lift home that night.
After Ben had left, Anna made a pit stop at May’s store to buy her friend some flowers. She had wrapped one of her own vases in a towel and slid it into a plastic bag before leaving home so that she wouldn’t have to hunt for a vase at the hospital. Once inside, she saw Sherman working behind the till with four customers waiting in line to pay for their groceries. He was too busy to notice her as she headed to the produce section where bouquets were displayed in two large buckets. Finding a nice bouquet of red and yellow daisies and chrysanthemums, she helped herself to a floral liner and headed for the checkout. Greg stood just in front of her in line, and she hesitated before greeting him, remembering Erna’s suspicions. But she couldn�
��t just ignore him, so she said hello.
Greg cradled a bunch of bananas, a bag of coffee, and a small carton of premium ice cream against his chest as he leaned back to say, “It’s sad, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
He nodded at Sherman, who was frowning as he pulled a woman’s debit card from the payment machine and re-inserted it. The woman glanced over her shoulder at the line-up; Anna recognized Cindy from the liquor store.
“He used to be a bank manager, but now he can’t seem to get the hang of a debit machine,” Greg said.
As everyone watched, Sherman handed the machine to Cindy, who studied the display for a few seconds. “Okay, try voiding the transaction,” she suggested. Sherman nodded and pressed a couple of buttons.
“Now put in the amount again.” Sherman did as she instructed. Cindy pushed a button, waited for the response, and entered more information until the transaction was completed.
“Thank you for your help,” Sherman said, red-faced. “I think I know what I did wrong this time.” He handed Cindy her bag of groceries, but she leaned against the counter for a little conversation rather than leaving right away.
The middle-aged woman in front of Greg rolled her eyes and said in a not-so-quiet voice, “They shouldn’t have left him alone to run the store even if May’s in the hospital. Obviously, he doesn’t know what he’s doing.” She stepped up to the counter and plunked her groceries down, squeezing in beside Cindy, who picked up her shopping and left.
“I heard about the accident. How’s May doing?” Greg asked. Anna studied his face, wondering if he really cared, but his concern seemed genuine enough.
“She’s doing okay. I’m just on my way to see her in the hospital,” Anna said, indicating the flowers in her arms.
“Tell her that Tiernay and I hope she’s feeling better soon.” Greg was about to say more when a can clattered onto the floor and rolled toward them.
“Excuse me,” Sherman said, hobbling around the counter to chase after the can while the impatient customer sighed and put her hands on her well-padded hips.
Greg bent quickly and caught the can with his free hand, passing it back to Sherman with a short bow.
“Thanks,” Sherman muttered.
“My pleasure.”
The woman looked grim as she handed her debit card to Sherman. He accepted it with a polite, “thank you,” and inserted it into the machine. The transaction proceeded smoothly, and the woman took her grocery bag and stalked out of the store, cheated of the opportunity for further complaint.
Greg stepped forward with a pleasant smile as a harried mother and small child joined the line behind Anna. “Just a few things tonight,” he said, placing his items beside the scanner.
Sherman weighed the fruit and scanned the items. “That’ll be $17.59, please.”
Greg leaned forward with two bills protruding from his fingers. “I even have cash,” he said with a smile. Sherman reached for the money and somehow managed to knock the cardboard lottery sign off its stand.
“Whoops,” Greg said. “I’ll get it.” He picked the sign up off the floor and replaced it while Sherman fumbled for his change in the till. Avoiding Greg’s eyes, Sherman handed the money back to him.
“A pleasure doing business with you, sir,” Greg said with a pleasant smile. He waved at Anna and left.
“How’re you doing?” she asked Sherman as she placed the flowers beside the scanner.
“Do you want those wrapped?” he asked, pointing toward a roll of florist’s paper on the counter behind him.
“No thanks. Just put them in a bag so they won’t drip. They’re for May. I’m on my way to see her now.”
Sherman nodded without looking up and scanned the flowers. “That will be $18.98, please.”
“I’ve got cash, too,” Anna said, handing him a fifty.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the money. “Listen, tell May not to worry about the store, and tell her that I’m sorry about last night.” His face was blank as he gave Anna her change.
“I will,” Anna said, picking up her purchase. She hesitated, and the woman behind her sighed. “Look, about last night. I want to apologize for the remarks I made about May’s accident. Her fall had nothing to do with you, and I was upset when I said them. I didn’t mean to imply that you were to blame in any way.”
Sherman glanced up at Anna’s face. He looked both bone-weary and tense at the same time, but there was a softening of the reserve in his eyes.
“I understand, Anna. Thanks.”
She nodded. “See you later, Sherman,” she added before hurrying out of the store for the parking lot.
When she arrived at the door to May’s hospital room, Anna found her friend propped up on pillows having a quiet conversation with Erna. It was a semi-private room, and the curtain surrounding the other bed was closed. Erna looked around and smiled as Anna slipped into the room.
“Look who’s here to see you,” she said as Anna circled to the other side of the bed. May’s face looked drawn and colourless as Anna bent to kiss her cheek.
“Hi, doll,” May croaked, her glazed eyes drifting up to Anna’s face.
“I brought you some flowers,” Anna replied. She spent the next few minutes filling the vase with water from the bathroom and arranging the flowers. “Here they are,” she said, placing them on the shelf next to May’s window.
May smiled. “Hey, they’re from my store.”
“Where else would I shop?” Anna asked, sitting in the other visitor’s chair beside Erna.
“The nurse just gave May some pain medication, so she’s feeling a little groggy,” Erna explained.
“Good stuff. I’m pretty high,” May mumbled.
“Gerry just left to get some supper. We’ve been chatting about last night,” Erna said. “May’s having trouble remembering, but that’s to be expected, poor dear.” She gently squeezed her friend’s hand where it rested on the blanket.
“I remember the ghost,” May said, her bottom lip jutting out.
“Ye-es,” Erna said. She turned so that May couldn’t see her and raised her eyebrows at Anna.
“You said something about a ghost when I found you,” Anna said.
“Uh huh. A big, black ghost.” May nodded her head up and down and giggled. “In a big, black dress.”
“Where did you see the ghost?” Anna asked.
“On my stairs. Couldn’t see him, but he was there. Made me fall.” May swivelled to look at her two friends, and frowned. “Call Father Winfield. Tell him to make the ghost go away.”
“I will, dear,” Erna soothed. “Anna and I will take care of the ghost for you.”
“Good. Scared me. Don’t want to see it again.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Tired. Going to sleep now.” Seconds later, she was snoring.
“What do you think?” Anna whispered to Erna. “For not remembering much about last night, she seems pretty sure that she saw a ghost.”
“I think that someone was trying to frighten her, or Sherman.”
Anna shrugged. “So, what are we going to do about it? We can’t go to the police with a ghost story.”
“No, but I will drop by the RCMP station to talk to John Fox Child. Perhaps I can convince him that something criminal is going on in town, and the police will be more vigilant. I haven’t seen Steven lately, but I believe that he’s had a few days off.”
“What about May? What’s she going to do when she gets out of the hospital? She can’t manage the stairs to her apartment like this.” Anna gestured toward May’s cast.
“I should think not. I’ve been talking to Gerry about it. He’d like to take his mother home, but the bedrooms in his house are on the second floor, and May can’t sleep on the couch until the cast comes off. I’ve told him that she can stay with me. She won’t have to worry about stairs at my bungalow. It will be nice to have some company for a change, and I can look after her until she’s mobile again.”
“That’s a great solution, Erna.
I could have put her up in Ben’s old room, but she’d have been alone while I was at work.”
“Exactly. My house is best.”
They turned to look at their friend, who was sleeping peacefully.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything we can do but wait to see what happens next,” Anna said. “Maybe whoever is responsible for this didn’t intend to hurt anyone, and things will calm down on their own.”
“Maybe,” Erna said in a doubtful tone.
Chapter Thirteen
The following morning was cool and overcast as Anna walked downtown for her Saturday breakfast at The Diner. She had had a troubled night’s sleep full of dreams of ghosts and falling down stairs, and had slept in later than usual. It was almost eleven, and her stomach was grumbling with hunger. She had a utility bill to pay, however, and the bank was only open until noon on Saturdays, so she would have to postpone breakfast until after a stop at the bank. That wouldn’t be too much of a hardship, however, since the bank was right next door to The Diner.
There were three customers ahead of her when she joined the line-up to wait for one of the two tellers. When it was her turn, Shirley, the friendly middle-aged teller who had been at the bank since Anna had first moved to Crane, waved her forward.
“Hi Anna. How’re you today?” Shirley asked, her smile extending to her crinkly blue eyes.
“Just fine, thanks. I’ve got a bill to pay,” Anna said, plunking her purse down in front of the teller’s wicket and taking out the paperwork. She handed over her debit card and waited for Shirley to process the transaction.
“Anything else I can do for you?” Shirley asked after stamping the invoice and returning it to Anna.
“Yes. I need change for the vending machines at work this week. Can you break a ten for me?” she asked, handing over the bill.
“Sure,” Shirley said. “Toonies okay?”
Anna nodded. “Please.”
Shirley paused, studying the bill, and frowned.
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