by Fitz Molly
Sunny was pretty good at the eye-batting move, too. Was it a Maine thing? “You hit the nail on the head, Tilly,” fluttering her eyelashes at Tucker. “Charlotte seems to quite like hearing your stories about Audrey. Plus, I’m not leaving until I find out what’s happening with Mocha. So, Tucker, you can count on us to stay through the weekend.” Sunny smiled like she’d quite enjoyed throwing him a curveball.
“At least,” Tilly added.
I wanted to clap and dance a jig, but I didn’t want to upset my goldfish again, so I behaved myself. For now.
Tucker’s mouth fell open then closed several times in succession like a poor fish out of water gasping for air. The poor man was struck speechless. Probably a first. He certainly never expected Tilly or Sunny, a couple of country bumpkins in his opinion, to give him a hard time. The nerve!
“We’ll see about that,” he sputtered, getting in the last word before he stumbled back to the mansion.
“That was a dazzling display of devious defiance!” I said.
“It was, wasn’t it?” Tilly said as she pushed herself out of the pansy chair. “Now, it’s time for lunch, Sunny. I’m sure Birdie has a feast ready. Let’s see what other trouble we can cause.”
I hooted with laughter. With friends like this, being a ghost was almost bearable.
Mocha led the way inside. I took up the rear behind Tilly and Sunny, impatient to see the next act of this show.
Chapter Twelve
I couldn’t smell Birdie’s incredible luncheon spread, but the platters of cold cuts, sliced vegetables, cheeses, next to hot quiches, homemade rolls, and pots of tea and coffee, made my memory buzz. In a good nostalgic way.
I drifted off to my corner for surveillance and possibly some shenanigans.
Mocha jumped onto her usual spot right next to where I’d normally sit. Gasps and cries of protest rumbled around the table.
“The cat can’t sit at the table,” Charlotte said. “I know Mummy allowed it, but she’s not here. Can someone move Mocha? Please?” She stared at Sunny expecting her to deal with the cat.
I breezed around the end of the table and hovered behind Mocha. The curtains fluttered in my wake, which made her stand, arch her back, and hiss until she looked at me and settled down. Interesting how she sensed my presence, then recognized me even while I was invisible.
Sunny moved to my chair and stroked Mocha. “I’ll make sure she behaves herself. She misses Audrey, too, you know, and she probably gets comfort from familiar routines. So just forget she’s here,” she said in a gentle, scolding manner. There were a few rolled eyes and pinched mouths, but no one made a move toward Mocha. No one dared pick her up and risk a claw attack.
Birdie gestured for Tilly to take the chair next to Michael. Charlotte and Tucker sat opposite them, with Douglas at the end across from Sunny and Mocha. It looked like a friendly gathering, but I knew looks could be deceiving. I wondered how long it would take for the snarky comments to erupt. I figured a few minutes at the most.
“I’ll pull up another chair and squeeze in next to you, Douglas,” Birdie said, breaking her tradition of eating separately in the kitchen when I had company.
I almost choked at the glaring stare that comment received from Tucker. Charlotte raised her eyebrows, but quickly composed herself. Michael smiled. He’d always had a soft spot for Birdie, or he knew enough not to cross her. She might contaminate his food and send him into an anaphylactic shock. Douglas, to his credit, scooched over enough to give her room. I attributed that to his idea of outsider comradery.
“Isn’t this nice?” Birdie said. She looked at everyone sitting around the table. “I haven’t had company since Audrey’s accident, which made for a long and lonely month.” She raised her glass of water. “To Audrey. Wherever she is. I hope she’s causing trouble and looking down on us today. I have to tell y’all, sometimes it feels like she’s right here with me. Does anyone else get that warm fuzzy sensation?”
“I do,” Charlotte piped up. “Especially earlier when Tilly was sharing her memories about Mummy. I felt like she had me wrapped in her arms. Do you feel her too, Daddy?”
“Can’t say I do, Honeybunch. But then, your mum and I haven’t been all that close for quite a few years.” He spread his napkin across his lap and lined up his special silverware, spacing each one the exact same distance apart.
Tucker gulped down half his water. “I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a warm sensation. It’s more like creepy goosebumps.”
“I agree,” Douglas muttered. “Drafts and goosebumps.”
Birdie sent a small covered dish to Sunny. “That’s for Mocha. I wasn’t sure if she was joining us.” Then she helped herself to a piece of quiche and passed the pie plate along. “I have to say, it’s a good thing Audrey’s not around to hear how quickly y’all throw around the insults. Now, eat up. I spent all morning in the kitchen.”
Good old Birdie. I couldn’t ask for a more loyal person who had a few surprises up her sleeve. I didn’t know when she’d decide to reveal them, but I was positive there’d be fireworks of outrage. I couldn’t wait. In the meantime, I planned to relax and enjoy the action right in front of me.
Sunny scratched Mocha behind her ear while she cleaned her whiskers after her lunch. “This certainly is an unusual mansion,” she said to nobody in particular, “with all the turrets and wings jutting out from the main part of the house. I’ve been thinking that if I’d lived here as a kid, I would have climbed out my bedroom window and explored every nook and cranny while spying in all the windows. I bet I would have seen all kinds of things under the cover of darkness.”
She shoveled a forkful of quiche in her mouth and blinked a smile as she chewed.
Her seemingly innocent comment elicited several shocked expressions.
“Now, why on earth would you think of something like that?” Birdie asked. “That’s just downright dangerous. Climbing around on the roof at night? All that would get you is a fall and a broken neck,” she scoffed.
Michael grinned, though, and leaned back. “What an interesting idea. I was one of those kids, but climbing out my castle window was much more of a challenge with the steep slate roofs several stories above the ground. I did slip once but caught myself before I did any serious damage. But, of course, that’s when I was much younger and more agile. Now? At seventy?” He chuckled. “I’d have trouble getting out the window if this place was on fire. What about you, Tucker? I bet you were one to escape after your curfew.”
Tucker’s face took on a bright red color to match the pocket handkerchief in his breast pocket. “I don’t like to talk about my younger, risk-taking self. That’s all in the past and doesn’t fit at all with my current stable, hardworking persona that I carefully present to others.” He patted Charlotte’s hand. “Right, dear? You’d have my hide if I pulled a stunt like that.”
Charlotte slid her hand free and dabbed her lips with her napkin. “I have to admit, you do follow the rules, Tucker.”
Douglas, taking this all in, finally stopped stuffing his mouth for a moment. He had such terrible table manners. Crumbs flew when he bit into his roll, and drips of coffee stained his shirt, giving him more of a homeless person look than a lawyer with some esteem. Thanks to me.
“You know,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if this idea would fly with you folks, but with all this talk about climbing out windows and sneaking around rooftops, I want to share something.” He drained his coffee cup and set it down with a clatter. I knew exactly what was coming. “What do you folks think about a destination amusement park right here in Frog Hollow?”
Everyone stared at him, eyes blinking, and brows rising.
“That’s why I’ve decided to jump into the mayoral race,” he added like that would make everyone shout hip-hip-hooray and pat him on the back.
“Mummy would hate that idea,” Charlotte said, bursting his bubble with five words.
“Audrey? She was always so modern and forward-thinking. I suspect she’d
have gotten behind the idea,” Douglas said like he was convincing himself.
I floated over the table, making the flower arrangement sway in my breeze. There, that’s what I thought of his idea. I was glad that no one else jumped on board. At least they had some loyalty, even if one of them murdered me.
Mocha stood up and walked across the table toward Douglas. His eyes bulged the closer she got, and his face turned purple from holding his breath. She stopped, stared at him, and then jumped down. Without words, she had no trouble sending him a sharp message. And it wasn’t pretty.
Chapter Thirteen
I followed behind as Tilly and Sunny trudged up the two flights of stairs to my apartment. As soon as we were inside, I relaxed. Who would have imagined that being a ghost would require intense concentration? I mean, it looks like ghosts just hover and float around, right? What a shock to discover it was a lot more than that, some good and some bad.
“The morning went well,” Tilly said as she walked to the balcony, then tripped over a chair when I let myself become visible.
“Audrey! You’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that. You’ll give me a heart attack.”
“Tilly, dear, I’ve been at your side all afternoon. No sneaking. You just haven’t seen me.”
Tilly fanned her hand over her face as if it had suddenly become too hot.
“Whatever,” she said, turning to Sunny, who gave us both a mischievous grin.
Tilly recovered herself and said, “I know that pensive look of yours, Sunny. Your wheels are spinning. Spit out your thoughts.”
Sunny leaned over the railing, and for a second, I thought she did plan to spit, but from the way her head pivoted from one side to the other, I realized she was scanning the different rooflines.
“The easiest access would be from that room.” She pointed to a second-floor nook below my balcony. “See, it has a window that opens right onto a roof off to the side?”
Tilly and I craned her necks to get a view of the spot she had in mind.
“It would be easy for someone in decent shape to climb out the window then pull up and over Audrey’s balcony railing.”
“That’s Charlotte’s room,” I said. “She always stays there when she visits.”
“Don’t you mean Charlotte and Tucker?” Tilly corrected me like she was ready to pounce and have him arrested right then and there.
“A logical assumption, but Tucker has an adjoining room. His window drops straight to the ground, so no access to the roof,” I said. “When they visited a month ago, on the night I died, Charlotte and Tucker had a terrible argument. I heard an ear-shattering door slam. It practically rocked the whole mansion. I assumed she’d locked him out of her room.”
“But you don’t know for sure?” Sunny asked.
“I don’t.”
“Okay. Tucker is a maybe. Now, what about Douglas? Where does he stay?”
“You can’t see his window from here. He’s on the other side of the mansion, but it’s possible he climbed out and made his way all the way around. It’s a lot trickier but doable, I suppose. Except, Douglas is the least athletic compared to Tucker or Michael. I think he’d be afraid he’d slip off the roof and break his neck. No, he’d find another way to sneak to my balcony.”
“And Michael?”
I floated from one end of the balcony to the other, imagining the layout from the outside. “Michael stays across the hall from Charlotte and Tucker. It’s a steep drop out his window, but if he dangled, he’d have a fifty/fifty chance of landing onto another roof without breaking a leg. Then, he’d have to climb back up and around to my balcony. It would take some skill and at seventy, I’m not sure it’s in him to take that risk.”
As we stood and surveyed the roofline, Mocha effortlessly jumped onto the balcony. From where? I hadn’t even noticed, but it did give some merit to Sunny’s theory. An agile person could manage the same maneuver as Mocha.
Sunny pursed her lips and pondered the situation. “If someone wanted to climb onto your balcony, I think it’s safe to say that the best route would be from Charlotte’s window. Tonight, when it’s dark, I’m going to wander around on the roof to see how to access your balcony from each of the other rooms.”
“That’s ridiculous!” I said. “I don’t want you putting yourself in danger. I can easily float around and scout out any potential routes.”
“But how would we know if any particular route is passable in the dark by someone who’s not a ghost?” she asked. She had a good point. I was beginning to see why Tilly was attached to her. Pretty, smart, and such good company.
“No, I have to take the risk to find out if my theory could work. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything stupid like slip and fall.”
A knock on my apartment door interrupted our planning session.
“Who is that?” I said and floated toward the door.
“Wait, Audrey!” Tilly whispered. She reached for me, but, of course, her hand only clutched air. Her command got my attention, though. “I’ll get the door. You need to make yourself invisible.”
Oh, right, I’d forgotten. What a nuisance this was.
Tilly walked slowly, waiting to open the door until I was out of sight. But still very much in the room.
“Charlotte,” Tilly trilled like a temple bell. “What a wonderful surprise. Come in. Sunny and I were just enjoying the view from the balcony. And the aroma drifting up for the garden? It’s like a spritz of perfume. Exquisite. Come and join us.”
“I don’t want to be a bother,” she said, wringing her hands nervously.
“Don’t be silly. This is more your apartment than Sunny’s and mine.” Tilly gently pulled her in and led her right past me to the French doors. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to hug my daughter.
“I feel it again,” Charlotte said. She looked over her shoulder as if she expected to see me. My heart, if I’d still had one, would have shattered. Maybe, when this murder was resolved, I’d find the courage to show my new self to Charlotte. For now, though, it just didn’t feel like the right thing to do. I couldn’t risk scaring her away forever.
“It must be this apartment,” she said, moving onto the balcony. “It’s like Mummy is right here with me.”
Tilly patted her arm. “She is, dear. She is. Now, sit down and tell us how you’re doing.”
Tilly slipped into one of the balcony chairs, and Sunny gestured to Charlotte to take the chair next to her. She played hostess and said, “I’ll get the freshly squeezed lemonade that Birdie sent up for us. Be right back.”
Tilly patted Charlotte’s hand while I stayed in the background. “You seem tense, dear. What’s on your mind, Charlotte?”
My beloved daughter let out a deep, heart-wrenching sigh. “It’s Tucker. He’s furious with me for bringing up divorce. I just want him to leave, but he refuses until after Douglas reads the will.” Charlotte bowed her head and sobbed into an embroidered pink handkerchief.
“Why would he care about the will?” Tilly asked, like it wasn’t as obvious as the crooked nose on Tucker’s face.
Charlotte looked at Tilly with tear-filled eyes. “He wants to know if Mummy left anything to me. I waited too long to divorce that cheating scoundrel. Now, I’ll have to share any inheritance with him.”
“He cheated on you?” Tilly’s jaw clenched with anger. “Oh, Charlotte, I’m so sorry. I say cut those ties with the biggest, sharpest shears you can find. Don’t endure one more second of heartache.”
“You sound just like Mummy. She would have told me the same thing.”
That’s true, and I would have danced a jig to have Tucker out of her life, no matter the cost.
Sunny returned with three glasses of lemonade and handed one to Charlotte. She took a tiny sip then set the glass down, like she wasn’t done sharing.
“Tilly, it’s all because of you that I found the courage to finally tell Tucker I want a divorce.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You told me that Mummy said to be
true to yourself. I realized I haven’t been, but it’s not too late to correct that.”
“Charlotte? Wherever Audrey is right now, she’s very proud of you.”
“I hope so because Tucker threw a bloody fit and really scared me. But I’m determined to stick to my plan. Tonight, I’m locking myself in Daddy’s room. I don’t want to take any chance of bumping into Tucker when I’m alone. I had to do that last time we were here, too. Daddy said he’s going to talk to Douglas and ask if he’ll read the will first thing in the morning. I don’t even care what’s in it. Mummy always did what’s best. I just want Tucker far away from me.”
Yes, my dear Charlotte. I know I did the right thing and you’ll be surprised. Now, to find that murderous maniac in this mansion.
Chapter Fourteen
The afternoon dragged sluggishly into evening. Birdie outdid herself with a sumptuous feast of crispy fried chicken, corn on the cob, and salad followed by peach pie with her homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. After the feast, Tilly yawned and said, “All this food and excitement is catching up to me. I’m heading upstairs to relax.”
Chairs shuffled back. Everyone seemed content to have an excuse to stretch and be done with socializing.
Including me.
Michael, like usual, had saved his dessert to eat in his room. He tucked his fork in the breast pocket of his shirt, such an unrefined habit in my opinion, picked up his peach pie and followed Charlotte upstairs.
Sunny and Tilly climbed the two flights to my apartment. I assumed they planned to get ready for Sunny’s rooftop adventure under the cloak of darkness.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked when we were in my apartment. I wasn’t happy with her plan to traipse around on the roof, where too many unknown accidents were possible.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Sunny answered.