The Ghost Maker

by Kara Lane Barstow

  Daphne approached one of the display which held a lovely side table. It was made of dark wood, covered in what looked like ivy engraved into the wood. But then she noticed that there were several patterns across the wood, including flowers and even animals. Each of the three drawers had different knobs. One was jewel toned and looked like a sapphire, one was a lamb painted in white enamel, and the third was an intricate design of curlicues in bronze. The top of the table was made out of polished stones cemented together to form a table top. It glistened under the light shining from above. Next to the table was a stand holding fliers that described how to create the table.

  Daphne took one of the fliers before moving over to one of the larger displays. This one had a backing that was broken into columns. Each column had tile on the bottom, paint or wallpaper above it and then a lighting fixture above shining on all three rows. The flier there offered suggestions on pairing tiles, paints and wallpaper along with lighting for bathrooms.

  Daphne continued to wander as she heard Chris talking with someone at the back of the store. She collected a few more fliers as she made her way back to them. She knew her Uncle Reg would enjoy the ideas and suggestions in the fliers. Painting was his primary medium, but he enjoyed dabbling with textures and tools. She thought he would enjoy walking around this store and exploring its ideas. Along the way she selected a woodworking tool for her uncle, he would have fun playing with this on Christmas.

  She found Chris talking with a compact little man. She could see the light shining off his bald head. He reminded her of a Christmas elf in his dark green corduroy pants and burgundy, button down sweater. His gray eyes sparkled under silver rimmed glasses when he gave her a welcoming smile before tuning back to answer Chris. “Yes, yes, I have the light kit that she requested, new lighting for the greenhouse. Craig has been saving up to buy it. He’ll be thrilled.”

  The man went into the back room and came back carrying a large box covered in pictures of lighting and a smaller box in wood on top. “I forgot, your mom also wanted this shotgun cleaning kit. When she called about it this morning I told her that I would have to order it, but then I found this one in the back.”

  Chris picked up the plastic box and read the cover. “Shotgun cleaning kit? Why would she want this?”

  “I assumed it was another gift for Craig, doesn’t he shoot? I think I’ve seen him with a shotgun before,” the man offered.

  “But he doesn’t hunt with it, he only has it to scare of wild animals.”

  “And he’d want to keep it clean so that it doesn’t blow up in his hands.”

  Chris shrugged, “I guess, just seems like an odd gift to give him. He doesn’t really like having to carry it, but a necessary evil. Maybe he asked her to get it.”

  “I really like your store,” Daphne said to the man after he completed Chris’s sale and turned to her. “I love how you have all these idea stations.”

  He smiled and nodded. “Thank you. I like to help people do more than just fix pipes or put in new lightbulbs. My kids and I come up with the ideas.”

  “I think it’s wonderful, my uncle’s husband would love this place. He’s an artist and is always looking for new ways to express himself. I think he’ll enjoy this kit and these fliers.”

  He beamed at her as he completed the sale.

  “Mr. Hanson, can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.” He replied as he bagged the gift.

  “You remember the day Stephanie left town with Russ. Did you see her that day?”

  “Yes,” he replied slowly. “I was working that day, I saw her leaving the stationary store around two.”

  “Where did she go?”

  “To the General Store.” He handed the bag to Daphne. “I told all of this to the sheriff.”

  “Oh. The sheriff is looking into Stephanie’s actions that day?”

  The man nodded, and Russ’s as well. I didn’t see Russ, so I couldn’t help him there.”

  “Thanks.”

  He wished them a good day and showed them out.

  “I hadn’t planned on Christmas shopping, but I couldn’t resist. What a great store.” Daphne said as she exited the store.

  “Told you,” he smiled at her. “there have been some great science projects done at our school because of that store.”

  “So the stationary store or did you want to go to the general store?”

  “Let’s put this stuff in the car first.” Chris said as he unlocked the back door. “I don’t want to lug it around. Plus who knows if we’ll run into Craig. Mom would kill me if I spoiled her surprise.”

  “What is it?” Daphne asked.

  “I think it is some kind of special light for growing plants. Craig is obsessed with growing things.”

  “Sounds like Brandon, they would probably get along great. They could trade secrets on soil alkaline and water tables. But then Brandon’s obsession is limited to grapevines, so it might be boring for Craig.”

  Chris put his packages and hers into his car, locking it again before guiding her into the stationery store.

  In a way, it reminded her of the hardware store. Displays instead of aisles, but each display focused on one specific product type like paper, pens, whiteboards and binders.. Pamela Blake stood in the back of the room talking to a tall, thin, unsmiling woman. She wore her black hair in a tight bun. She was very pale, which made her black eyes seem unnatural.

  As they approached, Chris greeted them both, “Hi Ellen, Hi. Ms. Blake.”

  “Chris!” They said in unison.

  He bent down and kissed the older woman on the cheek and grinned at Ellen. When she smiled back at him, Daphne was stunned by the transformation. Her smile softened her eyes and features into beauty.

  “This is my friend Daphne.” He said indicating her, “Daphne, this is Ellen Lowell, she owns this store and you remember Pamela Blake? Hope I didn’t ruin your party last night?”

  “Not at all dear, you simply livened it up a bit,” she smiled at him. “Besides it seemed like old times separating you two to keep from killing each other.” She then turned to smile at Daphne, “so glad to see you again dear, I thought maybe you would have left town after last night.”

  “I haven’t left yet, “ Daphne said. “Chris promised me an escape from the craziness of the Bay Area, and I’m holding him to it.”

  “Well, you couldn’t find a quieter place,” said Ellen with a sour frown. “Nothing ever happens here.”

  “This is a lovely shop,” Daphne said looking around.

  “Thank you. Were you looking for something?” She asked, sounding a little more pleasant.

  “Actually, yes,” Daphne said, thinking of her mother who enjoyed collecting pens and the opportunity of making a sale, might jog Ellen’s memory. “My mother collects pens, you wouldn’t have anything unique would you?”

  She frowned again, “I don’t know about unique, I try to keep the stock pretty standard.”

  “What about that lovely calligraphy set? The green one?” Pamela asked her.

  “Oh, that, maybe, it’s right over here.” She said gesturing to one of the display cases.

  In it, Daphne saw several pens that she assumed the shopkeeper kept locked up because they were a little more pricey than the Bic pens that hung in packages of ten and twenty around the store. She saw nothing that she thought Ice would like, until Ellen pointed out the calligraphy set. The nib holders and case were carved out of Jade. When Ellen passed it to her, Daphne could feel the smoothness of the Jade and liked how the holder felt in her hand. She thought Ice would like the set.

  “I’ll take it, I think my mother would love it.”

  “Really?” Ellen beamed at her, before frowning again. “It is very expensive.”

  “How much?” When Ellen gave her the price, Daphne nodded. It was expensive, but not as high as she feare
d. Ellen’s attitude made her think it was a museum piece, costing thousands.

  “That’s alright then,” Daphne said, handing her a credit card.

  Ellen’s hand shook as she took the card, but she went over and rang up the purchase without another word.

  “Well that worked out nicely, didn’t it?” Pamela asked the room. “I remember when your Dad bought that set by mistake.” She turned to Daphne. “He thought he was buying just a regular, cheap set as a special order for one of his customers who was thinking of learning calligraphy. I think the purchase put the store in the red for some time.”

  “Not quite that bad,” said Ellen, “but it was not a smart purchase. He couldn’t even return it.”

  “How is your Dad?” Chris asked.

  “He’s fine, enjoying retirement. He comes in once in awhile to help with inventory. Mostly it is just me in the store.’

  “Didn’t Stephanie used to work here?” Chris asked.

  Ellen nodded, “She did, for a few months.”

  “Was she working the day she left town?”

  Ellen nodded again. “For a few hours. She was supposed to work the whole day. Dad and I were doing inventory so we needed to be in the back. She went and got us lunch and then asked if she could leave early. It had been a quiet day, so Dad agreed.”

  “Did she say why she wanted to leave early?”

  “No, just that she had something she needed to do. We thought maybe her mom had called because she had been looking at her phone when she asked.”

  “What time did she leave?” Chris asked.

  “Around 2 PM, maybe a little before. Why?”

  “Just trying to get an idea about what happened that day?”

  “Chris, does this have anything to do with what Russ said? About his not seeing her that day?” Pamela asked.

  “It does, yes, I always assumed that she left with him, but if she didn’t, then I need to know what happened to her.”

  “Russ could have been lying.” Pamela stated. “He has been known to. I know he’s my nephew, and I love him dearly, but he could have given her a ride out of town and then lied about it, especially if she dumped him again.”

  “But you heard what the sheriff said, that he was seen before leaving town and he was alone.”

  Pamela brushed that aside. “That only proves that he got gas alone that day, it doesn’t mean he didn’t go back and get Stephanie. Although why she would leave with him, I have no idea.”

  “Which is why I’m trying to find out what happened that day.”

  “Do you think something happened to her?” Ellen asked.

  “Yes, why else has she stayed away?” Chris said. “What else can you tell me about that day?”

  “She bought a pen set as a graduation present for you.” Ellen said, “Dad sold it to her at cost. It was a nice set, came with a matching key ring. She had it with her when she left.”

  “Which way did she go?”

  “I don’t know, I was in the back room when she left.”

  “Thanks Ellen,” Chris said as he removed his keys from his pocket as he was going toward the door. He stopped when he saw Ellen staring at him. “What?” Chris asked.

  “Nothing, just thinking about Stephanie,” she said and turned away.

  Chris shrugged, waved at Pamela while holding the door open for Daphne.

  He locked her purchase in the car and pointed toward a building down the street. “The General Store is just down there. Maybe they can tell us what Stephanie bought that day, or if she said anything them. The owner is Deputy Becky’s father.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  He acknowledged everyone he passed along the way, either greeting them by name or sending them a wave. As they reached the parking lot next to the General Store, Daphne saw a woman standing by the wall watching people walk by. She wore light blue sweats and tennis shoes. Her black hair was cut short and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. She looked familiar to Daphne but she couldn’t place her. Chris didn’t acknowledge her but Daphne nodded, the woman’s eyes grew round but she didn’t say anything, only giving her a quick nod in return.

  They went into the store, and Chris greeted the man working the cash register. He could have been two men. He was pushing seven feet and his arms were thick with muscle. He looked like he should be on tour with the WWC rather than working in a store.

  “Christopher! You’re home. Good, good,” he bellowed. Daphne resisted the urge to cover her ears.

  “Hey, Mr. Modena. How are you?”

  “Good, good. Can’t complain.”

  “That’s Tony Modena,” Chris explained as they made their way further into the store. “He owns this place. Becky, the deputy you met last night, is his daughter.”

  “Really?” Daphne exclaimed, finding it hard to imagine how that mountain of a man could be the father of the petite deputy.

  “Yeah, wait until you meet his wife, Meg.”

  She didn’t have long to wait. As they reached the back of the store a tiny woman with black hair cropped short over pointed ears bounced out of the back room. Her sea green eyes slanted up at the ends, as did her delicate nose. A generous mouth blossomed into a smile when she saw Chris.

  “Chris, you’re home! Becky said you were here.” She wrapped herself around Chris in an intimate hug before blasting a smile at Daphne. “You must be Daphne LaVaigne. I’m Meg.”

  Without waiting for a response, she held up a finger and ducked back through the swinging doors. She immediately returned carrying two boxes of Swedish chocolates which she pushed into Daphne’s hands. “Here, I’ve been holding these for you.”

  Daphne frowned at the packages and then beamed back at Meg. “These are my father’s favorites.”

  “Yes, I didn’t know who, not for certain, but I knew you would want them. I’m glad you decided to stay in town after last night. You need to heal and so does Chris. You are the only one who can help him. By helping him, you’ll help yourself.”

  Before Daphne could respond, Meg wandered off. She turned to look at Chris who was watching her with a bemused look. “She’s a character.”

  Daphne gestured with the chocolates. “What did she mean by…” Daphne didn’t know where to start, “all of it?”

  Chris laughed, it was good to see him laughing again. “Meg is psychic, or at least extremely perceptive. She’s a little scary.”

  “She’s psychic?” Daphne asked, not hiding her skepticism.

  “Yes, woman-who-can-see-ghosts.” Chris responded. “But not about everything. She’s a whirlwind and unconventional, as you can tell by looking around the store.”

  “How so?” Daphne asked, glancing at the products on the nearest shelf. She could see immediately for herself what he meant. In front of her were six jars of a popular peanut butter. Just the one brand. And instead of other nut butters or even jelly and jam like other stores, next to it were cans of olives. Only just one type of olive, sliced olives with peppers to be exact. Next to that was a stack of match books. Then below those items sat toilet paper next to boxes of raspberry tea.

  Chris laughed. “Like I said, it isn’t organized very well, or at all. Meg doesn’t have the patience for it. Instead she just shoves whatever she has in her hands into whatever empty space she sees.”

  “How does anyone know where anything is? How does she know what she needs to buy?” Daphne asked.

  “Like I said, she’s a bit psychic.” Chris explained. “She buys what she feels needs to be bought and if someone can’t find something, she leads them right to it. She’s fascinating.”

  “She seems too young to be Becky’s mom,” Daphne said.

  “Stepmom. Becky’s mom was murdered in the parking lot about seven years ago. Meg showed up one day because she ‘sensed’ she was needed. Becky’s dad hired her and within the year they were married. Becky�
�s crazy about her.”

  “She’s interesting.”

  “That she is, I meant to ask her about Stephanie. Why don’t you look around and I’ll go track her down again.”

  Daphne explored the aisles, shaking her head at the odd combinations of goods. At one point, Meg bounced up to her to hand her two boxes of Kleenex and a tin of Chamomile tea saying only “You’ll need these and you should check out now,” before bouncing off again. There really was no other way to describe the woman’s movements. It was like watching the ball in a pinball machine.

  Daphne stood staring at the Mountain Man, that’s what she saw when she looked at Tony Modena, a mountain-shaped man. “I would like to buy the chocolates. Meg gave me the Kleenex and the tea, but I don’t need them.“

  “If Meg says you need them, then you do. Trust me.” He said and rung up her purchases, bagging the chocolates separately.

  Daphne shrugged suspecting that she had just been duped and conned by pros. She paid for the items and grabbed the bags. As soon as her hand closed over the bags, the screaming started.

  Daphne almost dropped them, but managed to hold on as she rushed to join a handful of shoppers converging on aisle six. In the center stood Chris. His face pale as the frail, old woman in front of him screamed at him. Daphne pushed her way through the crowd.

  “Where is my daughter? What did you do to her? Why did you kill her? How could you? She loved you!” She sobbed as she grabbed hold of Chris’s jacket. She sagged against him as he just stood there staring at her. “Where is her body? I just want to bury her? Is that too much to ask?”

  Instead of looking around for help, he gently grabbed the woman’s arms and tried to stand her upright. She sagged against him, all of her energy spent. Her limp gray hair fell uneven around a gaunt face. Tears fell from tired and bloodshot eyes. The pale blue sweatsuit she wore bagged at the knees and elbows, it was much too large for her boney frame.