by K. M. Waller
A tall, lanky woman with golden brown skin and short-cropped black hair bounced into the front entrance. With her multi-colored pants and bright pink shirt, she radiated perkiness. Amira placed her age somewhere between Ris and Ally’s.
“Hi, y’all. I’m Dee, Mr. Chase’s personal assistant. Ramona said y’all will be staying with us for a few days.”
Amira jutted out her hand, immediately loving Dee’s slow, southern drawl. “Nice to meet you, Dee. I’m Amira.”
They shook hands.
“Amira’s a lovely name,” Dee said. Next, she smiled at Lex. “Mr. Dimas, if you follow that hallway straight through, you’ll see glass double doors that lead out to the terrace.”
When Dee’d said Dimas, it’d come out like Dee-moss. Amira felt an instant liking for the young woman.
Lex nodded, his professional persona back in place, and strolled down the hallway as directed.
When he was out of earshot, Dee grabbed his suitcase by the handle. “Would you like some coffee before we head upstairs to your rooms?”
“Tea would be better if it’s not too much trouble.” Amira rolled behind Dee toward the kitchen which appeared to be in the back of the house. “This house is amazing.”
They rounded a sharp corner and came through to a kitchen, one twice the size of Tea Haven’s. A rectangle island took up a large space in the middle of the open area with several stools placed around the edges. Two cake plates with scones and fruit beckoned to her.
Dee grabbed two mugs from a cabinet. “You’d think it was built in the 1800s, but Samuel had it commissioned a couple of years ago after he bought the land.”
“Really? Had he always planned to run a bed and breakfast?”
She smiled and popped a coffee K-cup into an expensive silver machine on the counter. Then she held up a couple of boxes of tea bags. Amira pointed to the Earl Grey.
Dee grabbed a kettle from the stove and poured hot water over the tea. “He never planned to run it himself. Running a B&B had been his mother’s dream, but she passed away right after they finished building.”
Amira’s gaze settled on the marble countertop and empathy for Samuel gripped her chest. She played with the sparrow dangling from her necklace. “I didn’t know about his mom.”
Heavy clomping preceded a round woman who huffed into the room. Her pink chef’s outfit, hat, and matching cheeks gave her a cotton candy vibe. Sprigs of brown hair stuck out from the hat. Bright pink appeared to be the uniform for the staff. Amira approved, having an affinity for the color.
The woman threw her arms in the air. “Deliver me from the uppity. De-liver-me. Who in the world orders an ‘all fruit’ breakfast?”
Dee smiled warmly at the woman, who spoke with a Russian accent. “Amira, this is Mrs. Petrov, but we all call her Cookie.”
Cookie lowered her arms and narrowed her eyes at Amira. “Do you eat bacon?”
Amira grinned at the woman. “Only as much as I can.”
Cookie glanced at Dee and pointed to Amira. “Non-uppity.”
Dee’s smile never faltered. “Be nice, Cookie. Amira and Mr. Dimas are here to pitch a new television series to Samuel.”
Cookie moved to the oven and took out a flat pan covered with tinfoil. Underneath were several pieces of thick bacon. She placed a few on a plate and shoved it in front of Amira.
Mother nature, this is pure heaven. Her mouth watered.
Cookie sat down on a stool and watched Amira eat the bacon as if she didn’t believe her earlier admission about loving it. After Amira inhaled two pieces, the woman glanced at Dee. “So that is why Ramona is fawning over the man with mysterious eyes. Did you tell her about the prizrak here under this very roof?” Amira licked the bacon grease from her fingers. “The what?” “She means a ghost.”
“Real ghosts here?” Amira feigned innocence. “Did Samuel build the house on an ancient burial ground or something?”
“They followed Ramona and Samuel here. Before they showed up, no prizrak.”
Ah, one of them may have brought the object with them.
“Cookie, that’s enough. Samuel wouldn’t appreciate our gossip.” Dee’s smile had soured. “Perhaps our guests would like a refill on their mimosas?”
Cookie puffed out her impressive bosom and grabbed a glass pitcher from the large stainless steel refrigerator. She stomped out the door, mumbling in what Amira guessed to be her native Russian language.
Dee’s smile returned, and Amira noted the woman’s obvious loyalty to her employer.
She didn’t want to lose the discussion of the ghosts now that they’d been brought up. “Should Mr. Dimas or I be concerned about these ghosts? Are they hurting people?”
“No one has seen any ghosts but Samuel. I won’t deny there have been some odd goings-on since we arrived, but I’m afraid Samuel’s mental break at the ending of his Ghost Getters show has most likely gotten the better of him.”
“Oh yeah. Something happened to him in a small town in South Carolina, right? Were you there with him?” Had Dee been part of the crew in Burberry? If so, sitting this close would be another good test for the non-recognition spell.
“I didn’t travel with him to on site locations for filming. I was stationed in his office in L.A. until he needed the break.”
“What about his girlfriend, Ramona?” Amira took a long, measured sip of her tea.
Dee tugged on a necklace around her neck, the movements proof of a simmering frustration. “I don’t know where Ramona was at the time. Maybe if she’d been nearby, Samuel would’ve had the proper support he needed.”
The accusation was strong in Dee’s voice and she didn’t debunk the romantic relationship between Ramona and Samuel. Since Ramona had introduced herself as Samuel’s business partner and not significant other, Amira wasn’t sure how to define their relationship status.
The parallels hit too close to home.
The perky assistant’s smile returned, but Dee’s face showed signs of discomfort. Not wanting to wear out her welcome too soon, Amira let the discussion of ghosts and Samuel’s mental breakdown drop, which felt slightly ironic considering that Samuel was a ghost hunter by occupation. Dee may not believe the hauntings were real, but the LSP wouldn’t be involved if they were a figment of Samuel’s imagination. She made a mental note to circle back around to Cookie later when they could speak in private. That woman reeked of true believer.
“Are there any other guests staying over the weekend?”
“The last of the guests left over a week ago. We’re trying to minimize Samuel’s stress until he’s a hundred percent, so we’re not booking again until the spring.”
“What about the teenager I saw in an upstairs window?”
Dee’s hands stilled. “There aren’t any teenagers here. Maybe it was the way the sunlight hit the window.”
Really? After setting her cup on the counter, Amira pointed to the ceiling. “I’m dying to see our rooms.”
Getting settled and scoping out the grounds would be step one.
A woman’s piercing scream filled the air and moved through the thin walls.
Or maybe step one would be to investigate the screaming.
∞∞∞
Lex jumped up and wiped his pants with the cloth napkin while a seething Ramona glowered at the woman who’d brought out the mimosa pitcher.
“Cookie! You did that on purpose,” Ramona hissed.
Amira and Dee rushed through the double doors and out onto the terrace. Dee moved to stand behind a still seated Chase, who appeared unaffected by the screaming and yelling.
“What happened now?” Dee asked.
“Cookie dumped a pitcher of mimosas on the table. My suit is ruined.” Ramona gestured toward him. “Not to mention she’s upset our guest.”
“I was not touching the pitcher when it toppled over. It was as if an invisible hand pushed it.” Cookie shrugged off Ramona’s accusations, a smile playing at the edge of her lips.
Amira glanced at Lex
and he shrugged too. Cookie was right. They’d been talking about cable versus streaming networks when the pitcher had seemingly turned over on its own. He hadn’t expected the ghost to create trouble so early in the day, but the more it exposed itself, the easier it would be to catch it.
Ramona pushed her way between Dee and Chase. “Sammie, are you going to say something? Anything?”
“I’ll have a talk with Mother.”
Ramona threw her hands in the air. “I guess it’s time for another telephone session with Dr. Shuman.”
Dee patted Chase’s shoulder. “He doesn’t need a therapist, he just needs to rest. Your shrill voice and shrieking isn’t helping. Come on.”
She tugged on his arm until Samuel stood, and she led him through the door and into the main house.
Ramona turned to Lex, parts of her expression tightly wound like a yo-yo before it dropped down on its string. “Why don’t you and your assistant get settled? We can continue our discussion at dinner. I’m dying to hear more about your proposal. The sooner Samuel and I get out of this country nest the better.”
He wouldn’t guess her old enough for Botox, but there was little doubt she used it on her smooth forehead. From her designer clothes to the diamonds that adorned her fingers and wrist, he placed her firmly in the high maintenance category. No wonder she wanted a new television deal for Samuel. The B&B would hardly keep the money flowing like she’d been accustomed to. He glanced at Amira in her simple dress and denim jacket. Beautiful without even trying.
Cookie smiled and waved at Ramona’s back. She turned to Lex. “Do you eat bacon?”
“Is that a trick question?” he asked.
Cookie wiggled her eyebrows. “Come see me later and I will feed you a real meal. You are too skinny of a man.”
Amira picked up a clean napkin from the table and handed it to him. Merriment danced in her eyes. “You smell like an orange grove. I think this is a first for us with you being the messy one.”
Cookie bustled through the doors, leaving them alone on the terrace.
He stopped trying to dry his pants. “I need to change, but first let’s walk the grounds for a few minutes.”
He led her out into the middle of the grass-covered yard, where he was certain no one or nothing could hear them.
“What did you find out from the assistant?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. Dee doesn’t believe there are ghosts, only weird coincidences, and Samuel’s the only one who’s supposedly had any contact. The house is new and his mother recently passed. The screaming interrupted the rest of my info gathering. How about you?”
“Ramona talks too much and Chase talks too little.”
“The amulet any help?”
“It warmed right before the big spill. I knew something was coming but had to play it off not to arouse suspicion. It’s good the ghost is showing up so early in our visit. We can have this assignment wrapped up by the end of the weekend.”
“Samuel mentioned his mother just now. Do you think it’s her ghost hanging around?”
“I’m not sure yet.” He moved a little closer to her and toyed with the edge of her jacket. “Why the change of plans to being my assistant? I would have corrected Ramona’s assumption if you let me.”
She cleared her throat lightly and pushed his hand down. “Um, it’s a better cover. Now we have an upstairs and downstairs thing going on. Dee and Cookie are more likely to talk to me, and Ramona definitely has her eyes set on you. By the way, neither one of those gals are fond of Ramona.”
“Investigation through gossip?”
She pointed to his crotch. “Better than getting all wet.”
Wait for it…
Her face bloomed with color. “Oh my, forget I just said that.”
“It’ll be hard.”
She gasped and slapped his arm. “You’re terrible.”
He laughed at her unintended innuendos. One of the many traits he found adorable about her. “You make it too easy.”
“What’s our next move?”
“I’m going to tour the house and look for hot spots. The amulet will warm up wherever there has been an encounter. Maybe we can focus on one area when we set up our ghost watch tonight.”
“Good plan. I want to check out the stables after I check back in with Dee. I keep thinking back to the man failing to herd the horses toward the house. They didn’t seem thrilled with the idea. The manual mentioned animals being more in tune with ghosts, and I want to see if the horses have always been wary of the house, or if it started when Ramona and Samuel showed up.” She nodded toward the house. “I want some private time with Cookie too. She’s a true believer.”
He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb over her palm. The playfulness in her eyes retreated. She pulled her hand to her side. “I’d better get moving.”
Why did he always pick the wrong moment to connect with her? He stamped down the warring feelings swirling into a sandstorm around his usually dry heart. It was better for both of them if he kept all their dealings professional. The kiss had confused things. He should’ve said something in the car before they’d arrived, but he’d missed his opportunity. Slow and steady, he told himself. The conditions needed to be better before they could take things to the next level. He needed patience.
They parted, and he headed back inside the house. He ascended the curved stairs to find his room assignment so he could change clothes and get down to the business of tracking the ghost. Halfway down the hallway, Ramona appeared, wrapped in a shiny black robe that stopped well above her knees. She wiggled a shoulder and the material separated at her cleavage.
Lex trained his eyes on her wrinkle-free forehead.
“I’m so sorry our meeting was interrupted. Maybe we could discuss it further inside my room.”
Lex glanced up and down the hall. He really didn’t want to encourage Ramona on any romantic level, but Amira had a great point about questioning the occupants of the B&B alone. Each person would have a different take on the hauntings and where they stemmed from.
If nothing else, he could find out what had drained the cocky and somewhat annoying personality out of Samuel Chase. Not that he missed the troublemaker, but he couldn’t stand to see a broken man.
She closed the door behind him. A tart perfume mixed with the scent of orange juice filled the air. This was the first room he’d seen, and from what he knew of B&Bs, each one usually had a name and its own personality. If they hadn’t named this one yet, he’d suggest “sterile.” A bed with a white chenille blanket sat in the middle of the room. To its left was a dark dresser with nothing on top. No pictures on the walls either.
“Are all the rooms this stark?”
Ramona perched on the edge of the bed. “No. Cookie doesn’t like me, so I got stuck with this.”
“You and Chase don’t share a room?”
“Ha! Mother would never allow that in her house.”
Since there wasn’t a chair in the room and he’d rather not sit on the bed, he leaned against the door and crossed his arms. “I thought his mother had passed.”
“Dead and buried, but still somehow an annoying presence.” She moved to the window and cracked it. Then she lit a cigarette. After she blew out a stream of smoke into the crack, she glanced back at him. “Don’t tell.”
“What’s the rush with getting Chase back on television? He appears to need some time to get his act together.”
“He doesn’t know what he needs.” Her tone carried an edge of annoyance.
“But you do?”
“He needs to work again. Really work. After that bee allergy fiasco on his last ghost chase, he’s been obsessed with the supernatural.”
“Wasn’t he already obsessed? He chases ghosts.”
She waved the cigarette around. “Samuel never actually believed in all that spooky malarkey. He believed in ratings and endorsements and vacations and money. Important things.” After a final drag, Ramona stubbed the cigarette butt out on the window
sill. She let one side of the robe slip off a shoulder. “What do I have to do to make this project happen?”
Lex reached back and fumbled for the doorknob. He had to make an escape as to not encourage Ramona into thinking he’d be up for her unsubtle convincing. “I need to change. We can talk more about the project at dinner.”
He backed out into the hallway, Ramona close behind. A movement to his left drew his attention away from her advancement.
Dee and Amira rolled suitcases toward them but stopped when they noticed him in front of a half-naked Ramona.
“What the heck?” Dee had spoken the half question, but ended her words with a roll of her eyes, as if she didn’t need an answer.
Amira’s eyebrows arched, her silent question more condemning than Dee’s spoken one.
He had nothing to feel guilty about. Any agent would’ve taken the same opportunity to obtain information. Keep telling yourself that, slick.
After several seconds of awkwardness, Dee rolled his suitcase to him. She handed him a key. “Your room is The Wraith. Amira will be beside you in Happy Spirit.”
Ramona tapped his shoulder, her Cheshire cat grin speaking volumes about her personality. “Until later.”
She shut the door, and he finally noticed the name of her room. Bloodsucker. That sounded about right.
Amira walked past, her gaze trained on the end of the hall. “I see you found a ‘hot spot,’ Mr. Dimas.”
As much as he wanted to follow Amira to her room and explain what she’d seen, he couldn’t risk their exposure. He’d share what information he’d gained with her when the ghost couldn’t hear him.
Lex glanced at his watch and tried not to groan at what would be a long drudgery of an afternoon. He pulled out his phone and texted Jordie. He needed some background information on Chase’s mother and similar hauntings in the area.
Samuel’s voice came from the room opposite Ramona’s. Lex leaned against the door and could make out phrases only. “Sorry, Mother” and “I’ll get rid of them” were two of the fragments that traveled clearly through the door. Could he be talking to a ghost? Or did the man truly have a psychotic break?