Millie on a Mission

by Amanda M. Lee

  “He didn’t come home at all,” Mercedes offered brightly. “I’m sure he’ll pretend he spent the night at the club again, but I have trouble believing he chose a couch over a bed. But that’s just me.”

  Adele’s glare was withering when it landed on Mercedes. “Why must you always be so hateful?”

  “I learned from the best,” Mercedes replied without missing a beat. “You should get up, drink some juice. I have some of those electrolyte packets in the kitchen. Take some ibuprofen, hydrate, and get some food into you. In a few hours your migraine will be a distant memory.”

  Adele waved off Mercedes’ suggestion. “The migraine will pass when it passes. I don’t need your help ... especially because I’m not hungover. You need to stop telling people that or I’ll fire you.”

  “Perhaps I tell people that so you will fire me,” Mercedes supplied. “There could be a behavioral hint in there.”

  “I’m not releasing you early from your contract. It’s not going to happen. In fact, I’m willing to pay you double if you stay for another year. How can you say no to that offer?”

  “I would rather die than continue working for you. Besides, your friend here offered me a job. She says I can work with a bunch of ghost hunters and have regular business hours. I think I like that idea.”

  “I didn’t say you could have regular business hours,” I countered. “You added that bit yourself.”

  “You want me, you’ll give me regular business hours.”

  I hadn’t even tried her food and yet I definitely wanted her. “I’ll figure something out.”

  Incensed, Adele bolted to a sitting position, slamming her hands on the mattress, and then groaned and grabbed her head before flopping back against the pillow. “Ugh. I hate both of you. You have no idea.”

  “I can live with that.” I snapped my fingers next to her ear because I knew it would annoy her. “We need to talk about serious matters now. What’s going on with Danielle? Why did you fire her?”

  “Because she was an abysmal maid.”

  “Really? I heard you fired her because she twisted her ankle and couldn’t carry the linens up the stairs. If so, that’s heinous. She was injured working in your home.”

  Adele’s eyes were narrow slits of hate when they landed on Mercedes. “You just say whatever you want, don’t you? I really am going to fire you.”

  “You’re a tease and we both know it. I’ve been trying to get fired since you hired me. Nothing ever works. I’m going to keep ramping up my efforts until I win. Even if it’s only one day before the end of my contract, I will get you to release me.”

  “That will never happen. I’ll make you stay to the bitter end.”

  “I hope you like your food already licked.” Mercedes was blasé. “That’s how every meal is going to be served between now and then. You’ve been warned.”

  “Ugh. You are just a foul creature. Absolutely foul.”

  Jack cleared his throat to get everybody’s attention. “Not that I’m not enjoying this conversation — which I’m not — but we have important issues to discuss,” he said. “The first is Danielle. Where did she go? I want to interview her about what happened in the stairwell. I speak Spanish, so I should be able to converse with her easier than these two.” He gestured toward Charlie and me.

  “I don’t know where she went,” Adele snapped. “It’s not my job to keep track of fired workers.”

  “We’ll have to find her a different way,” I muttered.

  “I can try making a few calls,” Mercedes offered. “I’m not sure it will work, but there’s no harm in trying.”

  “I would appreciate that.” I meant it. “That brings us to your workers. We conducted background checks on everybody. Jack flagged three people.”

  “No, he didn’t.” Adele adamantly shook her head. “There is no one worth looking at on our staff.”

  “Even Bailey Rankin?” I challenged.

  Adele’s forehead wrinkled. “Who is that?”

  “She’s a maid,” Mercedes replied, her expression thoughtful. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Don’t you know?” I asked. “I mean ... I would’ve figured you knew everything in this house.”

  “Almost everything,” she corrected. “I’ve never liked Bailey, so I didn’t take the time to get to know her. She’s lasted longer than I expected. She’s a real kiss-up. She plays the game well.”

  “She also has a criminal record,” Jack volunteered. “She has an assault conviction that resulted in two months in the county jail because she got in a physical fight with a previous employer. The fight occurred when the woman in question caught her in bed with her boss … who just happened to be that individual’s husband.”

  Adele leaned forward again, this time much more slowly. “Wait ... are you saying that Bailey slept with her boss and then struck the man’s wife upon discovery?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. According to the sources I’ve been able to tap, Bailey makes it a habit to sleep with the man of the house in every location she’s worked because she wants to get pregnant. That’s why she is no longer represented by an agency. News about her has spread.”

  “Well, that little whore.” Adele clutched the blankets tighter. “I’ll make her wish she’d never weaseled her way into my home.”

  “Just make sure you have backup when it’s time,” Mercedes offered. “Otherwise it will be ... bam!” She mimicked punching an invisible person and grinned maniacally at her boss. “No offense, Mrs. St. Clair, but you’ll go down hard. You’re not very athletically inclined.”

  “Shut up, Mercedes,” Adele growled. “I’ve seriously had it with your mouth. It’s going to cause you to lose your job here if you’re not careful.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  The routine between them would’ve been funny under different circumstances. We didn’t have time for it today, though. “Bailey isn’t the only one with a record,” I added, inclining my head toward Jack. “Tell her about the others.”

  “Your gardener Jim Brady has a theft conviction. He stole a riding lawnmower from one of his employers, got drunk, and was arrested by cops for driving under the influence two years ago. To my knowledge, he hasn’t yet made restitution.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Adele countered. “We knew about the lawnmower incident when we hired Jim. The lawnmower in question belonged to Barry Gibson. He was always a jerk – actually tried to outlaw Halloween in the neighborhood because he hates kids and thinks promoting paganism is going to result in a first-class ticket to hell for all of us. He melted down when he found out we thought it would be funny to hire Jim. He’s been a good worker, though. As for restitution ... that’s really none of my business.”

  “Fair enough.” Jack held up his hands. “The last individual I flagged was Aaron Slade. He’s the one I’m most worried about.”

  “Aaron Slade?” Adele furrowed her brow in concentration. “I don’t know who that is.”

  “The handyman,” Mercedes volunteered. She was clearly enjoying the conversation. “He basically handles things like changing all the lightbulbs, inside and out. He fixes the trim and the carpet. Last week he made repairs to the paver stones at the front of the house.”

  “Oh, right.” Adele nodded once and then grabbed at her temples. “Now I remember. Arthur hired him. He said we needed an extra body and he’s the one who brought Mr. Slade in. I had nothing to do with that.”

  I exchanged a quick look with Jack. He was clearly thinking the same thing as me.

  “Did your husband run a background check on him?” Jack asked finally.

  “I’m sure he did.”

  “Then how did he miss the fact that Mr. Slade has been convicted of forcible rape? It happened fifteen years ago. He served only five years for it. He attacked a maid in another house he was working at and forced himself on her. She spent two weeks in the hospital after he was done with her.”

  “That can’t be right
.” Adele looked legitimately puzzled at the news. “I’m sure that Arthur would’ve run a background check on anyone he hired. He somehow must’ve missed that. There’s no way we would’ve hired a sexual predator. We would be liable if he hurt one of the workers.”

  “I can actually attest to that,” Mercedes offered. “There’s no way Mrs. St. Clair would’ve willingly let a man like that on the premises.”

  Jack focused his full attention on the saucy chef. “Have you ever seen him acting out of sorts?”

  “No, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I spend all my time in the kitchen. I don’t pay a lot of attention to the other areas of the house. I don’t really care what happens everywhere else. I barely care what happens in the kitchen.”

  “Ah, such a good work ethic,” Adele intoned.

  Mercedes pretended she didn’t hear her. “I’ve only seen him a few times. He’s never been aggressive during any of those interactions.”

  “We still need to talk to him,” Jack insisted. “Do you know where we can find him?”

  “Not for a few hours. He won’t be here until noon.”

  “Then I guess we’ll look around until then.”

  WE LEFT ADELE TO RECOVER FROM HER migraine and started wandering the house without a guide. Adele probably would’ve objected if she’d known what we were doing.

  “I kind of feel sorry for her,” Charlie admitted as we hit the third floor. She was at the front of the group so she could direct us should she catch sight of a ghost. “I mean ... she seems really unhappy.”

  “She makes people unhappy, Charlie,” I pointed out. “I think it’s karma.”

  “I think it’s sad.” Charlie pursed her lips as she moved closer to a window. “I think she has a broken heart because her husband cheats on her. She doesn’t want to admit that — she thinks it makes her look weak — but it’s the truth. She’s insecure because she’s not enough for her husband.”

  “I think it’s the opposite problem,” I argued. “She’s too much for her husband.”

  “That doesn’t mean she isn’t hurt by what’s happened. I think she really loves her husband, and no one wants to be discarded by the person they love.”

  Jack slid his eyes to her, his mind clearly busy. I could practically read his thoughts and offered him an almost imperceptible shake of my head. Now was not the time for whatever drama he was thinking of drumming up.

  Speaking of Arthur, he picked that moment to make his appearance. He wandered into the hallway from one of the far rooms, making me think he’d been home the entire time. “Here’s the lord of the manor now.” The haphazard greeting was out of my mouth before I thought better of it.

  Surprised, Arthur jerked up his chin and met my steady gaze. “Millie?” He looked confused. “Is something wrong? What are you doing here?”

  I had a choice. I could make up a ridiculous lie and try to cover for Adele, knowing full well Arthur would never believe it, or I could simply tell the truth. “Adele thinks you have a ghost and we’re trying to find it.”

  If Arthur was surprised by the news, he didn’t show it. “Of course she does. That’s just … so freaking like Adele.” He shook his head. “Well, carry on.”

  I didn’t want to let him go without asking a few questions. “Do you think you have a ghost?”

  He laughed at the question. “Absolutely not. Ghosts? Nonsense.”

  I briefly held Charlie’s gaze — I was certain she had a thing or two to say about that — but refrained from starting a philosophical argument. “What about the things happening around the house? Did you know weird occurrences have been taking place?”

  Arthur couldn’t hide his surprise. “I beg your pardon.”

  “Like cold spots in the house and weird noises,” I volunteered. “Adele says it has been going on for a while … although if what I’m hearing around the house is any indication, you’re never here. What’s up with that?”

  “I don’t believe that’s any of your business, Millie.” Arthur’s gaze was dismissive as he moved to push past us. I took the opportunity to stare at the end of the hallway from which he’d approached. As far as I could tell, the only things down there were extra bedrooms. “Do you and Adele have separate rooms or were you meeting someone else in one of the extras?”

  “Perhaps Bailey Rankin,” Jack suggested. He clearly didn’t like Arthur. That much was obvious. He stood between me and Charlie, his hands fisted at his sides, and practically dared the man to say anything untoward to either of us.

  “Why do you even care what I’m doing?” Arthur exploded. The guilt that flashed in the depths of his eyes told me everything I needed to know. We were right on the money. “This is my house. I’ll do whatever I want in my house.”

  “Including torture your wife,” I surmised. It was rare that I managed to muster sympathy for Adele — she really was a terrible person — but Arthur was somehow worse. That was telling ... and disappointing.

  Arthur snorted derisively. “Since when do you care about Adele? You two have never exactly been close.”

  “I don’t care about her. I’m just ... here for a job.” It didn’t matter what I said to him. I was never going to change his mind. It was a waste of time. “We want to know if you’ve seen anything weird around the house the past few weeks. That’s all we care about from you.”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen something weird.” He leaned closer so he was staring directly into my eyes. “You’re hunting for ghosts in my house. There’s nothing weirder than that.”

  With those words, he turned on his heel and stalked toward the stairs. He appeared to be officially done with us.

  “He’s an ass,” Jack complained as soon as he was out of earshot. “I don’t like him at all.”

  “Join the club.” I ran my tongue over my teeth. “I don’t believe him. I don’t think he would even know. He’s obviously tied up with other people under this roof. We should keep looking.”

  “Okay.” Jack’s hand automatically moved to Charlie’s back. “I hate people who cheat,” he announced, making me sigh. I was hoping to avoid the drama. “I’ll never be like that.” His eyes were clear when he met Charlie’s gaze. “I tell the truth no matter what.”

  That seemed like a heavy comment given the circumstances, but Charlie brightened considerably at his words, so maybe they weren’t as lame as I thought.

  “I’m glad,” she offered.

  “Me, too.” He moved his hand up to her hair so he could smooth it. “Come on. We should keep looking for this ghost. I don’t want to stay here a minute longer than necessary.”

  He wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

  7

  Seven

  We continued searching because it was all we could do. As chief of security, Jack plotted a plan and we followed it. From wing to wing and from floor to floor we scouted the entire house.

  We came up with absolutely nothing.

  “There has to be something,” I complained two hours into our search as I wiped my forearm across my forehead. I’d somehow managed to work up a sweat even though we were trapped in a drafty house. I looked to Charlie. “You’re the one with magic. Can’t you find something?”

  Clearly uncomfortable, Charlie cast a furtive look in Jack’s direction, and I immediately wished I’d thought better of making demands of her in front of Jack.

  “I just meant ... .” I trailed off, uncertain what to say.

  “It’s fine.” Jack flashed a smile for Charlie’s benefit. “I’m getting used to things and I want to learn everything about what she can do. I’m not exactly thrilled that she told you first, but I guess it’s something I’ll have to get over.”

  “Oh, she didn’t tell me. I saw her work her magic that night when we thought we were looking for the Chupacabra but we were really fighting for our lives with humans.”

  Jack stilled and I could practically see the gears of his mind turning. “You used magic that night to protect yourself.” He was quiet for a mome
nt. “Well, of course you used magic to protect yourself. That was the smart thing to do. I should’ve seen that.”

  “You should’ve seen what?” I challenged. I was already regretting bringing this up.

  “It’s nothing. I just remember thinking at the time that she’d only been saved by a fluke. I was relieved, don’t get me wrong, but I couldn’t put together how she’d managed to save everybody ... including herself.”

  “She’s gifted,” I offered simply. “We’re lucky to have her.”

  “Yeah.” Jack’s eyes were soft when they turned back to Charlie. He was obviously warming to the idea of her powers. Before long, they would be back to their sickening selves and shooting each other flirty looks when they thought no one was looking. I never believed it was possible that I would prefer that scenario ... but I was wrong.

  “What about it, Charlie?” I prodded, deciding to go for broke. “Do you sense anything?”

  Charlie pursed her lips and glanced around, her eyes intense. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “The atmosphere is different here. I don’t know that I can completely rule out a haunting. But I haven’t seen a thing. It’s possible that the house simply has bad vibes because the people inside it are so terrible.”

  “I’ll bet that’s it.” Jack shot her a wink. “Charlie solved it. I think we can be done here and head back to the office.”

  That wasn’t happening. At least not yet. “It’s not even noon,” I reminded them. “If we go back now, they’ll force us into the second half of that seminar. Is that what you want?”

  Jack’s face lost a bit of color. “No.” His lips turned down into a scowl. “I still can’t believe that Laura is the reason for that seminar. Why do you think she did it?”