Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks

by Madison Johns

  I hurried back to the mansion, noting the lights coming from the third floor window. I should have known all along that the cleaners weren’t who they said they were. They’d been searching for the money the whole time! Katherine had accomplices after all, and they might just find something the cops missed.

  I called Stuart and told him to get back to the mansion and pronto. I didn’t stay on the line to listen to him say for me to wait for him. They might get away before he got here, and I just couldn’t risk it. Caroline tried to block my way on the stairs, but I ran right through her. I retrieved Eleanor’s pistol as I heard loud noises coming from the third floor. I was on my own now, just me and Caroline, who was glued to my side.

  “Agnes, don’t go up there alone.”

  “I don’t have a choice. Stuart is on his way. I can’t let them get away.”

  I slid Eleanor’s revolver in my pocket for safekeeping, and slowly moved up the stairs. Larry held a flashlight for Gary, who had a mallet and chisel and was hammering away between the bricks of the wall that protruded out about a foot. Although this room had no fireplace, the chimney loomed directly over it on the roof.

  “Hurry up,” Robert shouted. “It won’t be long before those old bats will be coming upstairs for bed.”

  “I’m trying, but how can’t they be hearing all this pounding up here?”

  My thoughts were that it was because this house was built solid as a rock with thick walls, but if they didn’t hurry, someone might just discover what they were doing. “I’d check to see if a brick was loose, personally,” I said out loud, then clapped my mouth with my hand.

  The three men stopped what they were doing and stared over to where I stood with the quivering Caroline. “Here we go again.”

  I moved my hand down and asked, “So you’re Katherine’s accomplices?”

  Robert pulled out a gun, pointing it at me. “She’s my sister, or was before she died. I wasn’t involved in her schemes, but she spilled the beans when I saw her with wads of cash. She refused to bring me in, so after her death I came here to locate the money she conned out of those people.”

  “Did she also tell you where the money is?”

  “No, but since that man came here to search in this room, it has to be in here. We overheard the cops arguing about not being able to lock down the scene, and luckily the feds are now looking elsewhere.”

  Caroline wailed. “Oh, no!

  When I looked to see what she was looking at, I saw only a blank space, but then a black mist rose to the ceiling near the window, taking the shape of a man with sharp jagged teeth. I’m not sure if it was my expression or not, but the mallet and chisel fell to the floor with a bang, and the men ran screaming from the room, their heavy footsteps pounding on the stairs as they descended. I watched from the window, smiling in satisfaction as the feds were now here, rounding them up and ushering them to cars.

  I wasn’t too concerned about the black mist that floated nearby. It pointed out one specific brick and had disappeared by the time Stuart raced into the room.

  “Mother, are you okay?”

  “O-Oh yes,” I stammered. I pointed out a brick. “You might want to search behind that brick. Robert, one of the cleaners that Sara hired, was the brother of the woman who called herself Katherine. He took the job here to find the money Katherine had hidden.”

  “Why that brick? It looks like they were searching above that area.”

  I took a hold of Stuart’s shirt. “Trust me, check that brick.”

  I refused to leave while more feds piled into the room and hammered away at the bricks until one large chunk was lowered to the floor. A man then shined a flashlight inside, coming back with a large trash bag. He handed it to Stuart who yanked out a wad of cash rolled up with a rubber bands wound around it.

  “Looks like we found the mother load,” Stuart said.

  When he showed me the inside of the bag, I was overwhelmed. I had to say, “That looks like more money than what Jack Winston and Elsie Bradford handed over to Katherine.”

  “Barbara Billings, you mean. Katherine was just an alias.”

  “Really?” I asked as if I had no idea. “Is it only me, or does Barbara Billings sound like an alias, or actress’s name? Wasn’t Billings the last name of the Leave it to Beaver mom?”

  “No, that was Billingsley,” Sara said as she waltzed into the room. She then nodded to Stuart. “Find what you’re looking for finally, handsome?”

  “Yes, looks that way. Sorry to be bothering you again so soon.”

  Sara rubbed a hand down Stuart’s arm. “Not a problem. When you’re done, why don’t you come on down for a drink? Elsie Bradford made the most marvelous spiked lemonade.”

  All eyes were on Stuart now, who calmly explained, “That’s against the FBI policy, I’m afraid. Besides, my wife is the jealous type.”

  Moraine, his wife, cleared her throat. I hadn’t noticed her.

  Sara’s hand flew to her mouth. “I … I’m sorry. I had no idea he was married. I’d love to treat you both to dinner sometime.”

  “Like my husband said, it’s really against policy.”

  “I hope you don’t think I meant to hire a woman of questionable scruples?” Sara said.

  “Well, did you?” I asked.

  “Not at all. I put an ad on Craig’s list and screened all candidates. Since Katherine lived in Michigan, she seemed like the best person for the job, and for the most part she helped me out.”

  “Craig’s List?” I said. “That’s the worst place to hire someone off of.”

  “Unless you do a background check,” Stuart added. “So is that who hired the cleaners? Katherine?”

  “Yes, she handled all the preparations and Andrew recommended that Agnes and Eleanor oversee things. I had no idea they had planned to look into Katherine’s death for the most part,” Sara explained.

  “Yes, my mother and her meddling partner, Eleanor, know a thing or two about solving mysteries. If it wasn’t for my mother tonight, the cleaners would have found and made off with the money.”

  “I don’t believe that Robert was involved in his sister’s crimes. He just came along after the fact. You can’t blame him for wanting to find that money.”

  “I suppose not, but if he knew what his sister was doing, he should have contacted the police instead of searching for the money with the intent to take it for himself. He pulled a gun on you, Mother.”

  “He did, but I just feel like he was desperate. His sister had just died and it was a crime of opportunity.”

  “We’ll be looking into what Robert really knew and when. If he had no connection to his sister’s illegal activities, he won’t have any worries. He’s actually fortunate Len didn’t find out what he was up to. Len was the real deal, a dangerous man.”

  “Yup,” I said. “One who lost his life in this very room. On Facebook he had an alias, Peyton Murphy.”

  “That Robert and his cohorts came outside blabbering that they saw a demon up here,” Moraine said with a snicker.

  “Ghosts, now demons?” asked Sara. “I’m not sure I’m ready to run a bed and breakfast that is haunted. Whatever will the customers think?”

  “That this place is haunted. I highly suspect that you’ll never have a vacancy if word gets out.”

  “That’s good, but we shouldn’t really play the whole haunted mansion up.”

  “I’m with you on that. Let’s go downstairs, Sara. I’m really ready for a glass of lemonade after the day I’ve had. I’ve had a gun pointed at me twice today.”

  “I tried to tell you to wait and let us handle the cleaners on the phone,” Stuart said. “But I don’t blame you for doing what you did. Without you, we’d be searching all night for that money.”

  I led Sara from the room and once we were in the dining room, I explained to everyone what had happened upstairs, wondering where Andrew was.

  “So you saw a real demon up there, Agnes?” Elsie asked with a shudder.

  “No
t exactly sure what I saw. I just knew that it meant me no harm.”

  Eleanor gave me a hug and whispered, “I don’t blame you for not bringing me, but next time, please don’t go alone to check things out.”

  When she pulled away, I said, “I didn’t go alone. Caroline went with me, but she disappeared when that other ghost showed up.” I was glad when nobody asked who Caroline was.

  Elsie handed me a glass of her spiked lemonade. “Sounds like you need this more than me.”

  I took the glass and downed it. “This is so good, Elsie. I’m so sorry everything happened the way it has. Hopefully, the FBI will be able to return your money.”

  “I hope so, too. Jack really needs to get into the good graces of his son again.”

  I drank in silence, enjoying the company, but when I asked Sara where Andrew was, she told me he had gone back to the Tawas Beach Resort to gather his belongings. I was glad that he’d be back soon because I really didn’t want to be alone tonight, not after everything I’ve gone through today.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I made my way back to the drawing room and Caroline was admiring the picture I had found.

  “Who is that?” I asked as she took my hand. In the blink of an eye, I was transported back in time. I now stood in the bedroom where Sheriff Peterson had found the suitcase packed with clothing from the 30s. A very much alive-looking Caroline was packing the suitcase, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  When she ran from the room and down the stairs, a man ran after her, brandishing a silver pistol. She screamed as a shot went off, wood splintering on the doorway as she sprinted from the mansion. Caroline ran toward the woods as a man shouted, “Caroline, come back. That woman meant nothing.”

  Branches scratched Caroline’s arms and she raced through the woods and cemetery, making it into town. She panted to regain her breath and strength and stumbled across US 23 just as a black car raced toward her. Agnes could see the man’s tense face, his foot slamming on the accelerator, striking Caroline. She flew into the air like a ragdoll, landing with a loud thump in the middle of the street as the car raced away and out of sight.

  I knew in an instant that it was the same man whose picture was in the suitcase. He’d murdered Caroline.

  I nearly fainted as I fell back into a chair in the drawing room, now transported back to the present. Caroline’s ghostly figure was here, too, and so was the man who had murdered her—the same man from the picture.

  “I’m so sorry, Caroline,” he said. “I didn’t mean to run you down, but I just couldn’t bear you leaving me.”

  Caroline’s face dropped. Her eyes grew heavy, her teeth bared as she raced toward the man. She shoved him through the door, chasing after him and both of them disappeared. I had to cover my ears now as her screams and wails became louder and louder.

  When Sara walked to join me, she didn’t seem to see or hear Caroline throwing the man’s ghost through one wall after the next.

  Caroline picked up the picture. “Where did you get a picture of my grandfather, Malcolm? He really had a tragic life. His fiancé, Caroline, was a victim of a hit and run. He married my grandmother a few years later, but even though she had just given birth to my father, it continued to haunt him enough that he took his own life at the age of thirty-two, right here in the mansion. Right here in the third floor room. I wanted to tell you earlier, but it’s just so morbid to talk about that. I suppose after everything you’ve been through, you deserve to know the truth.”

  “Thanks, that really explains things. Now I have a clearer understanding about who might haunt the mansion, and who has been haunting me personally.” I told her about Caroline, making her promise not to breathe a word to anyone and she readily agreed.

  * * *

  By the time Andrew got to the mansion, things had calmed down. Caroline had quit screaming and her intended, Malcolm, was long gone—at least for the moment.

  Andrew took me into his arms and we retreated upstairs. He never asked what had happened and I wasn’t willing to tell him the whole truth. Elsie, Mr. Wilson, Bernice, and Millicent were all assigned rooms, and believe me, nobody bothered to ask questions about what had happened, which I was happy about. Even Eleanor, who knew me best, retired to her own room.

  I now knew what had really happened to Caroline and why. What was most unclear to me was why she was still here. Perhaps she had stayed to settle the score with Malcolm, but how could she, really? It was clear that Malcolm was a victim of his own jealousy and rage. In one moment, he ran down Caroline and put a whole chain of events into motion. In some way, he must have loved her. Otherwise, why would he agonize so over her death? In a way, Caroline haunted him even though she hadn’t been able to come to the mansion until I came here. That wouldn’t lessen what he had done, but it explained it to me. Hopefully, in time, they’d settle their differences.

  Epilogue

  “So there’s no connection to Barbara Billings’ brother Robert and her illegal activities?” I asked Stuart.

  “None that we can find. They won’t be charged for anything since we were able to recover the money.”

  “I suppose there’s no crime against them lying to me,” Sara said as she put a straw to her lips, making sucking sounds as she drank her pink drink with a little umbrella stuck inside.

  Stuart nodded. “Background checks is all I can say.”

  “But I did check. Her Facebook profile seemed on the up and up.”

  “Yes, but so did the International Energy company that she was selling bogus stock of. It’s not worth mentioning since it’s non-existent, or a figment of Katherine’s imagination,” Stuart explained.

  “I know. I checked Katherine’s page, too. That’s how I figured out who Len McGroovy really was—Peyton Murphy. I had no idea that Stuart had been investigating the same man who was involved with Katherine in her scheme, but it seems that Katherine had indeed screwed over the wrong man when she didn’t hand any of that cash over to Len. We’ll never really know what Katherine had seen that day on the third floor that resulted in her death though. Is that the only reason you came to town, Stuart?”

  He squeezed my hand. “Yes and no. When I heard about your accident, I came, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, but why have you stayed away so long?”

  “After college, I went right into the FBI academy. I’ve always wanted to be a special agent.”

  “Yes,” my daughter Martha agreed. “Always playing cops and robbers.” She whispered to me, “He always made me be the criminal.”

  “I can see that. I hope that both of you have decided not to stay so far away. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

  “I can’t make any promises, Mother, but I’ll try my best.”

  I left it at that. I had no choice but to take things as they came. Stuart had the right to live his life as he saw fit. It really bothered me to think that he’d put his life in danger as an agent, but in so many ways he was just like his father, my late husband, Tom. Both of them felt inclined to enforce the law.

  Eleanor and Andrew joined us on the patio of the Butler Mansion. There hasn’t been a vacancy since the mansion opened as a bed and breakfast, and Sara had left it up to Eleanor and me to run the place. One of our first duties was to seal up the third floor room since the ghosts preferred it that way. We were sure to fix the brick wall in that room with all the original bricks as opposed to replacing them with new ones. I’d hate to renovate the place and have the ghosts leave. The truth was that mansion was their home, and home they should stay.

  Elsie and Jack were sitting at another table. They had gotten their money back and were quite sweet on one another. I personally couldn’t understand it, but as Eleanor had often said, “There was someone for everyone.”

  Sheriff Peterson and Trooper Sales were enjoying the party as well. I imagined that Peterson was just happy that I had stayed out of his hair on this case for the most part, and I was, too. While they had been involved in the case in some way, the
FBI had taken over and wrapped things up.

  Caroline has never left my side completely, but she fades in and out at will. As it turns out Caroline is quite useful at times and is always willing to help out, even though Eleanor isn’t completely at ease with her presence. All I know is that life has taken a strange turn for all of us and we’d be fools not to accept any extra help that came our way, even if it came from a ghostly apparition. Caroline was here to stay and I was happy to have her as my newest partner in crime.

  Thanks to my many readers who have followed the series — you are my constant cheerleaders. Feel free to contact me on Facebook, Facebook, Twitter, or join my email newsletter located on my website http://madisonjohns.com.

  About the Author

  At forty-four, sleep deprived from a third shift job but certain her years of caring for senior citizens could result in something quite unique, Madison Johns made the decision to write. Little did she realize how her decision was soon to change her life.

  Her Agnes Barton Senior Sleuths mystery series not only opened the door to an amazing writing career but also quickly made their way onto Amazon’s bestsellers list for cozy mystery and humor. But Agnes and her fellow sleuths didn’t stop there. Madison’s charming cast of senior characters also went on to three times seize coveted spots on the bestsellers list of USA Today.

  With her stories accomplishing feats she had never quite imagined, Madison is now able to live the life she loves—as a full-time writer. When not writing, she spends her days with her two children, a black lab named Sparky, and Jackson, a hilarious Jackson Chameleon who keeps her company while she plots her next series.

  Madison is an active participant on Facebook. She loves to hear from readers and fans. Visit her on the web at: http://madisonJohns.com and be sure to follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/madisonjohns and http://www.facebook.com/madisonjohnsparanormalromance to keep up with her exciting new Clan of the Werebear paranormal romance series.