by Vella Day
“I’m afraid so.”
Hmm. Maybe Aunt Fern was right. If I had the clothing details correct, Steve would have to at least consider that I might be telling the truth—or had somehow sneaked a peek at the crime scene photos.
“Did our esteemed sheriff know anything that was helpful?” Aunt Fern asked.
“Just that he is working with the sheriff over in Liberty. She is working on Morgan’s death while Steve is still trying to find out who robbed Floyd Paxton.”
What followed was a serious of questions about the female sheriff, but I really didn’t want to get into whether or not I thought she and Steve had a thing for each other. It was none of my business.
“After my chat with our esteemed lawman, I went to talk to Drake.”
“He’s always been your go-to guy, hasn’t he?” my aunt asked.
She understood how important our friendship was. “Yes. Only Drake wasn’t there—Jaxson was.”
She nodded. “I’d heard he was back.”
“Why didn’t you tell me he’d come home?”
“I thought Drake would have mentioned it. In fact, I was a bit upset that I had to hear it from Dolly, and you know how much it galls me to not be the first in the know.”
The rivalry continued. “Why, yes I do. I can see we need to work harder at communicating.”
“We sure do,” she said.
Iggy grunted. “And I’ll keep you in the loop too.”
He lifted his upper body. “You better. Don’t forget how talented I am about finding information.”
“You are.” His clues had helped solve Cliff’s murder.
That led me to wonder how valuable a ghost could be. “Uncle Harold, if I wanted you to spy on someone, could you do that?” I had no idea what his abilities were.
“I could, but I wouldn’t since I don’t think it’s right.”
Good old Uncle Harold. I bet he’d do whatever Aunt Fern asked him to do though. “Good to know. Anyway, back to my day. I told everything to Jaxson—including talking to the ghost. When I said I wanted to question some of Morgan’s neighbors, Jaxson kind of freaked, saying it might be dangerous.”
“I’m glad he did,” Uncle Harold said. “You have no idea how many crazies there are out there these days.”
Considering Morgan had been shot in the back, my uncle might be right. “Which was why Jaxson insisted on coming with me.”
“Good for him,” my aunt said.
I explained how we drove to Morgan’s neighborhood, met two of his neighbors, and what they told us.
“Emma Paxton is alive? Well, I’ll be,” Aunt Fern said.
“Apparently.” I told her that Jaxson is going to see if he can find her address. I also mentioned that since Morgan’s front door was open, we were obligated to go to town to report it.
“Very clever way of worming your way into the sheriff’s department. Did she tell you anything?” my aunt asked.
“No.” I didn’t refute the fact that I had used the possible break-in as a way to find out something, because that was true. I then told them about meeting Morgan’s twin on the steps of the sheriff’s department. “I swear I thought Morgan had come back to life.”
“He has a twin? I never knew that, but if Harold’s twin ever showed up, it would scare me for sure,” Aunt Fern said.
“I don’t have a twin,” Harold shot back.
Aunt Fern waved a hand. “It was just an example. Since Trevor didn’t know about Morgan until now, I bet Morgan didn’t know about Trevor either.”
“You’re probably right,” I said. “We filled Trevor in the best we could, though there wasn’t all that much to tell. When Jaxson and I returned to town, we went to where I saw Morgan the first time, and I called out to him. I had more questions for Morgan after visiting Liberty.”
“That’s good that you returned to where you first saw him. We often hang out in the same spot,” Uncle Harold said.
I liked that I had a resident expert in house. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I explained that he said Joe Delaney wanted to buy his uncle’s land, but that Floyd had turned him down. When Joe asked Morgan about selling, he said no too. According to one neighbor, Joe got really mad.”
“If anyone tried to take the Tiki Hut from me, I’d put up a fight,” she said.
Taking and buying weren’t the same thing, but I held my tongue. “Morgan said that Sandy Vickers was his uncle’s attorney. I’m hoping she’ll know something.”
“That’s good, dear. Great work. It seems as if Jaxson was quite a help today.”
“He was. I never would have guessed it.” I snapped my fingers, pretending as if what I was about to say was a side note. “I probably shouldn’t mention this, but I went to see Dolly a few minutes ago.”
I waited for the disapproval. My aunt looked over to where Uncle Harold had been floating. Even though he was no longer visible, I sensed he was still there.
“Uncle Harold, why do you keep disappearing? Can’t you feed off of my energy since we’re blood relatives?”
My heart fluttered and my breath caught. Then my uncle appeared. “I can, but I don’t like to. I’ve heard it’s not very pleasant for the relative.”
Uncle Harold remained visible, but I could feel his presence. It wasn’t enjoyable, but I didn’t mind. “It’s not bad.”
My aunt lifted her chin. “Did Dolly have anything to add?”
“Just that she’ll talk to Joe Delaney to see why he wanted that land so badly.”
“She’s a good person to do that. What are you planning next?”
“After talking to the attorney tomorrow? I have no idea.”
Chapter Nine
The next day at work was so slow that it forced me to go over what happened yesterday many, many times. I still couldn’t believe I could see and talk to ghosts. It was crazy. I probably should have asked Hazel if there was a time limit on my ability to see them. I hoped not. I liked having access to the dead.
The dead! How could I have forgotten that my mom could connect with them? She might not be able to see them, but perhaps she could contact Morgan if he didn’t have enough energy to appear. I could ask him questions through her. While her discussion with our deceased deputy a few weeks ago had some inaccuracies, Morgan might be more forthcoming if he understood it was to help with his case.
Penny, my best girlfriend, placed a hand on my arm. “Hey, you okay?”
“I’m fine, why?”
“You’ve been quiet all day.”
I pulled her over to the coffee stand. “That’s because I promised Iggy I would try to do a spell to turn him green.”
“Oh, no. That’s terrible.”
Penny loved that Iggy was pink. “I know, but he’s been begging me forever. But don’t worry, Hazel mixed up the ingredients, and the spell didn’t work.” That was the truth—just not all of it.
I probably should have told Penny about the ghost sightings, but the Tiki Hut Grill wasn’t the right place to be discussing it. Nor did I need Joe Delaney or Charles Paxton to hear about the investigation—at least not before Dolly was able to speak to Joe. Not that I thought they were necessarily involved, but if the killer thought they knew something, he might harm them.
Besides, if I told Penny at work, she would have squealed with joy at my newfound ability, and the whole restaurant would have wondered what was going on. I already wasn’t pleased that six others knew—or eight if I included Uncle Harold and Iggy. No doubt, Iggy would blab to Aimee just to show how much he knew.
“Please give Iggy my sympathies,” Penny said. “I know he wanted to be green.
I almost chuckled. Penny was such a softy. “I will.”
Her mood suddenly brightened. “I have some news.”
For a split second, I thought she was going to tell me she and Jaxson had gone out on a date. Penny had the hots for him when they were in high school, and when Jaxson had first returned to Witch’s Cove, Penny had instantly swooned.
“What is
it?” I asked. And no, I was not holding my breath, hoping she wouldn’t say she had shared a drink or a kiss with Jaxson.
She sighed. “Sam and I had a nice talk.”
Oh, no. That was worse. I’d been through this with her before. She and her ex-husband had a rather volatile history together. “I hope that was all it was.”
She winked. “It might have been a little more. Glinda, he’s changed since that incident with his former partner.”
Victor. “How has he changed? It’s only been a month.”
“He stopped taking all that stuff to enhance his physique.”
Okay. That was a step in the right direction. “That’s good, but hasn’t he stopped before?” Penny was so gullible.
“Yes, but he means it this time.”
Uh-huh. “Good to know,” I said. If we discussed it further, I might say something I’d regret. “Did you hear that Jaxson is back in town?” I had no idea why I brought that up. At least for the next few days, I needed Jaxson to focus on gathering information on those persons of interest and not on some fan girl who would love to go out with him. Since she and her ex-husband might be back together, perhaps she was no longer interested in Jaxson.
“I did. Is he here to stay?”
Why was I the last to hear the news? “I really couldn’t say. I know he’s working with Drake though.”
“I’ll stop in the shop and say hi.” A couple came into the restaurant and sat in her section. “I better go. I don’t need your aunt yelling at me for shirking my duties.”
Aunt Fern didn’t yell. She calmly told the servers to stop wasting time—like I was doing right now.
Once Penny left, I checked my phone to see if Jaxson had texted me, but he hadn’t. Darn. After work, I planned to see if my mom could help with contacting Morgan. Regardless of the outcome, I would then check with Drake and Jaxson to find out if they’d made any progress on tracking down Emma Paxton or if they had found anything on the other two men.
“Glinda?” my aunt called.
I looked over at the cashier’s counter. “Yes?”
“Table four is waiting.”
Like I said, she wasn’t a fan of daydreaming. I wonder if by drinking that pink potion, there had been more than just the one side effect of seeing ghosts.
I rushed over to take their order. Normally, I spent time chatting with the customers, which inevitably would lead them to ask why I was dressed all in pink and wearing a bejeweled pink crown. I would then explain that everyone who worked at the Tiki Hut Grill was required to wear a costume to work, and that we all chose characters we could identify with. Everyone thought it cute that I was Glinda, the Good Witch of the South.
Considering I hadn’t told my best friend about trying to help a dead man, I probably should be the Wicked Witch of the West instead. If I had to dress like her, I’d have to wear a black witch’s hat, a black gown, and paint my face green. I shivered at that thought. Black was so not my color.
It seemed like forever before three o’clock rolled around, and my shift was over. Before I clocked out, I had to refill the condiments. Once I completed that task, I didn’t dawdle since I had people to see and a crime to solve.
As I walked past the cashier’s counter to leave, my aunt crooked a finger and motioned me over. She then pointed to the floor at her feet. “Look who’s here,” she said with a smile.
I leaned over the counter. “Aimee?”
The black cat looked up “Hiya, Glinda.”
She looked happy, but I wasn’t sure why the cat was there. “You can go upstairs to visit Iggy if you want.”
“That’s okay. I like being with Fern.” Aimee rubbed her head against my aunt’s leg, and I swear it was my aunt who purred.
“That’s great.” I think.
“Where are you off to?” my aunt asked, as if it was totally natural to have a talking cat at her feet.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Uncle Harold thought about this new addition. He usually visited my aunt in that very spot most days. “I haven’t seen mom in a while, and I wanted to catch up. For some reason, the funeral business takes a hit during the summer, so she hasn’t needed me to help out.” Not that the residents of Witch’s Cove didn’t die, but they seem to pass more often when it was a bit colder.
“Tell her I said hello.”
I smiled. “I will.”
After I changed, it took all of sixty seconds to reach my parents’ funeral home. I unlocked the back door and entered. While I understood the need to maintain a chilly temperature, especially near where they kept the dead bodies, I still shivered.
I headed to the funeral home’s back office space. Through the slightly open door, I could see that Mom was at her desk. I knocked, and as expected, Toto, barked. I stepped inside, knelt down, and gave the little Cairn Terrier some affection. “You doing okay, boy?”
Toto barked his answer. My mom turned around. “Glinda, I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I know. I’ve been busy. Can we talk?”
She set down her papers and then took off her glasses. “Of course, sweetie.”
Toto trotted over to my mom. She leaned over, picked him up, and placed him on her lap. I pulled up a chair. “It’s a long story that begins with Iggy.”
My mom chuckled. “Doesn’t it always? What has he done now?”
Once more I explained how I’d asked for a spell to turn him green, and then how it had gone wrong. “The next thing I knew this ghost appeared in front of me.”
“A ghost?”
I had expected that surprised reaction. I calmly explained who Morgan Oliver was and how he’d asked me to help find his murderer. I didn’t see the need to discuss my interaction that took place afterward with Steve, Jaxson, or Dolly just yet.
“What can I do to help?” Mom asked.
“Morgan keeps disappearing on me since he doesn’t have the energy to take his human form for long. Since I have more questions, I thought maybe you could contact him. He’s a real nice guy. I can write down what I want to know if you could ask him for me.”
“I would be happy to. Let’s go to the conference room where I can spread out.”
She handed me a pad and a pencil. My mother gathered some candles, along with her blend of special herbs. After she closed the door on an unhappy dog, we left.
“This place is dead,” I said, not intending to make a pun.
“Business has been slow, but I’m actually glad. I thought your dad’s health was back to normal, but of late, he’s looking pale.”
My blood pressure plummeted. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. He says he’s fine, but I don’t believe him.”
“You need to make him go to the doctor.”
Her chuckle was rueful. “That’s like trying to convince you to get a real job.”
We’d been over that topic many times. Was I living up to my abilities? No. I had a degree in math, but teaching middle schoolers had not been my thing. I loved being with adults and helping them—whether it was serving them food or trying to solve a crime. For now, being a waitress suited me.
We entered the empty conference room. “While I set up, write down your questions,” my mom said.
I knew the routine. I scribbled down what I wanted my mother to ask Morgan, and she turned off the lights and then lit some incense, something I don’t remember her doing when she tried to contact the deceased deputy.
“When did Morgan die?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know exactly. Maybe a week ago.”
Once I finished writing my questions, I slid the pad across the table. She studied it, nodded that she understood, and then lit the candles. Only then did she sprinkle the herbs in a clearly defined circle around the candles. “I need to concentrate,” she said.
That was my cue to sit quietly. I thought about calling Morgan’s name, but this was my mom’s show. She mouthed something, closed her eyes, and sat very still. When the candles flickered and the herbs started to
move on the table, my body froze. Someone or something was here. I didn’t see Morgan, but maybe his spirit had come.
“Did you know you had a twin brother?” my mother asked.
One of the chairs scraped across the floor. Morgan couldn’t move anything, so what had caused that? Were some spirits angry at Morgan?
“Uh-huh. I see. No, no, Glinda met him in person.” She opened her eyes, looked straight at me, and mouthed, “What is his name?”
“Trevor Whitehall,” I whispered. I personally thought this contact from beyond the grave wasn’t nearly as effective as me talking to Morgan outright, but I understood how hard it was for him to appear.
“Trevor Whitehall. No? I understand. Joe? Who is Joe?” My mom looked over at me, her brows raised.
It would take me five minutes to give her all the details. I needed to keep the explanation as brief as possible. “Floyd’s neighbor.”
“No, wait,” my mom said. She slumped against her chair and then blew out a breath. “I’m sorry, Glinda. He left. He also told me that he never wanted to be contacted like that again.”
“That doesn’t sound like Morgan. He was very cordial when I spoke to him both times before.”
“Hmm. Do you think there is another Morgan Oliver?”
“Anything’s possible, but an imposter wouldn’t know about Joe. I’m betting that Morgan is just frustrated that his killer is at large.”
“You’re probably right. At least we tried. Now tell me who Joe is.”
Not wanting my mom to feel left out, I told her about my discussion with our sheriff, with Morgan’s neighbors, the Liberty sheriff, and then with Dolly. Joe’s name had been brought up a few times. “Now you’re caught up.”
“I don’t like you snooping around like this. It could be dangerous.”
I’d heard that one too many times. “I know. That’s why it might be time for me to take some self-defense classes or maybe even learn how to handle a weapon.”
“Don’t even think about using a gun. I know a girl can never be too careful, but if you carry one, and the other person gets the drop on you, they could take the weapon away and kill you.”