“There’s nothing here.” Cody said when their search proved fruitless.
The music continued, growing louder. Ta da da dan, dan, daaaan…
Juniper ran her hand along the wall seams. “I got nothing either.”
“Wait a minute. I think I remember something.” Juniper raced into the servant’s quarters with Cody closely in tow. “There was a rug right here on the attic floor when I toured the house. After Kaitlyn’s murder, you or rather the police took the rug as evidence,” Juniper dropped to her knees, “and I remember thinking the floorboards looked like they’d been cut or replaced.”
Juniper pulled a carpenter knife from her pocket and ran it along the floor then she wiggled it and it moved. Their eyes met as Juniper lifted a trapdoor.
“What do you know?” Cody commented.
Cody helped her set the removable floor aside. The strains of the orchestra were louder now, clearly emanating from deeper in the dark passage.
“Now what?” He asked.
“We explore.”
“You wait here,” Cody said. “I’m going to check it out.”
“As if I would allow you to go in there by yourself,” Juniper scoffed. “This is my house, Detective.”
Juniper turned on her pocket flashlight and led the way.
The passage was narrow, only a couple of feet wide. But there were surprisingly no cobwebs, which meant someone had used it other than the ghost. Still the air was musty, and Juniper coughed several times while they made their way along the tiny passageway, following the sound of the music until the passage split in two directions. Cody shone his flashlight down the passage to the right, then to the left. He shrugged.
“Eenie, meenie, miney, moe,” Juniper chanted and went to the left. They walked for another minute before coming to a wall.
“It’s a dead end.”
“That’s weird. It’s like the Winchester House.”
A decoy I guess. They turned back and this time they went the other way at the fork. They descended a narrow flight of stairs to a small landing where the passage came to an abrupt end.
The detective cast his light around the walls and ceiling, but there didn’t seem to be any way out. Juniper recalled the neighbor saying her daughter had seen the ghost in their carriage house. Is that where they were?
While Juniper was pondering this, Cody opened the barn style doors and Juniper realized she was correct.
“Why did the music stop?” Juniper whispered.
“Maybe the ghost is gone.”
“Or maybe it’s on a timer set by Kaitlyn’s killer.”
“Sounds like you’re going to need an undercover police presence tonight at the party.”
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary.” Juniper stopped to think about what she was saying. With secret passages and Peter on the loose, she’d be stupid to refuse help. “Yes, okay, maybe it would be a good precaution, in case, you know, he chooses to return to the scene of the crime.”
Juniper glanced at her cell phone. She was due to meet Pike at Cookies & Corsets to get ready for the ball at six, maybe she could squeeze in a meeting with that woman from the historical society before then. She had some questions about this carriage house and she wanted to know what was in that missing book.
Chapter Twenty-Two
_____________
T he woman from the historical society was waiting for her at a table in the back corner of a coffee shop in the next town over; Juniper recognized her from the website. She was a well–put together, somewhat tight-lipped woman. Sixtyish, silver white hair. Attractive in that Helen Mirren way.
“Hi,” She said as Juniper approached. Her eyes slid up and down Juniper’s outfit. She probably wasn’t use to women in work boots.
“Hatti? I’m Juniper. Good to meet you.”
“You’re the new owner of the Doctor’s House?”
“Yes. I’m also a professional historic home renovator, hence the work attire.”
Hatti nodded, and they ordered coffee.
“So, what can you tell me about the Doctor’s House?”
“What do you want to know,” she said as she stirred cream and two packets of sugar into her cup. “Gorgeous property, it was built in 1898 by Doctor Albert Downey for his lovely bride Victoria as a wedding present. The Doctor wasn’t from here but Victoria’s family owned the local saw mill.”
“I had heard that. I’m wondering if there was ever mention of a secret passage?”
“It was quite common to have hidden passages for the servants in those days, so their very well could have been. The Vianu’s house, for example, was built around the same time and it certainly does.”
“What about the carriage house that sits next door—did it used to belong by chance to the house?”
“Why yes it did, it was all one property that was severed back in the 1960s—I believe that was when the other house sold. The house next door to you—Fern and David Battams—that house was actually built for Victoria’s sister Marjorie and her husband, Almer.”
“I heard they were the ones who found Albert and Victoria’s bodies.”
“Yes, so tragic. I couldn’t imagine finding my sister like that.”
“Is it true Almer hanged himself in my foyer?”
“I’m afraid it is. They were upon desperate times and no one would buy the house. When the town’s fire took the saw mill...well, it was the last straw, I guess.”
“Did you hear about what happened to Kaitlyn Patone?” Juniper asked.
“Oh! Oh yes, I did. I could scarcely believe it when I read it in the paper!”
“And now Pearl’s met foul play too. Did you know Pearl?”
“I did. It’s a small town, dear. I know most everyone.” Her blue eyes settled on Juniper. “Oh, wait. Are you thinking there was a connection between Kaitlyn and Pearl and the Doctor’s murder-suicide?”
“I don’t know. I just find it odd that Kaitlyn was murdered in that house and then Pearl was murdered after I started asking her questions.”
“Oh, good heavens.” Hatti sighed and began shaking another packet of sweetener in the air. “Danger does seem to follow you then. Perhaps it was a mistake for me to meet with you.”
Hatti glanced nervously around and then ripped and poured the third packet of sweetener into her mug and stirred vigorously.
Juniper took a gulp of her black coffee, then set the mug down on the table. “Look, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just looking for answers. There was a book written on the history of the town that was on the bookshelf upstairs. I noticed it’s missing. You don’t by chance have another copy, do you?”
“No.” Hatti glanced around once more than bit her lip. “I do have this.” She pulled a file out of her leather satchel. Doctor’s House was written at the top in a round, loopy script.
“It’s the old photos and archives you asked for,” she said. As she opened the file, several photographs fell out. Similar to the sepia-toned photo Juniper had seen at Lulu’s house except these were laminated.
Leaning across the table, Juniper picked one up.
“That was Victoria.” Hatti said.
She was a pretty, clearly pampered woman with a sad expression on her face. Her hair was obviously long but had been pinned up, she carried a parasol and wore a hoop skirt, gazing over her shoulder at the photographer.
“It’s sort of… wistful, isn’t it?” asked Hatti.
“Does anyone know why he killed her?” Not that Juniper fully believed that the spirit of this woman lived at the house, but if she did, then it would be good to know her history. “Was there any speculation?”
Hatti looked surprised. “I really have no idea.”
“There were no clues?”
“There could be. I believe there was a diary passed down through the family, but you’d need to speak to Lulu about that. That’s why I didn’t want to meet at Cookies & Corsets. I thought it would be tacky to discuss in front of Lulu.” Hatti handed her a photo.
“Here they are here.”
In the photos there were two little girls standing on the widow’s walk. There was also a ghostly, barely there figure in the window behind them, hard to make out against the reflection of the glass.
“Is that the ghost of Victoria?” Juniper asked, pointing to the figure.
“That looks like their grandmother,” Hatti said pulling a pair of glasses from her purse. “She owned the house and passed it down to Lulu when she died. They were all very close.”
Juniper looked at the photo again and took another sip of coffee. “Who is the other girl? Does Lulu have a sister?”
“No, no that’s her cousin, you know Helen.”
“Yes, of course. So, you called Pearl the day she died. I saw your name flashing on her cell phone when I found her.”
“Oh, how awful! That’s when it happened. My god,” Hatti said with a little gasp. “What a shock. I almost went over there… how terrible!”
“I know,” Juniper said with a little nod. “I wanted to ask you why you had called, and if you knew anything about her schedule that day?”
Hatti shook her head. “The police contacted me about that already. It was nothing, really. As you know Pearl works—pardon me—worked part-time with me. I was just calling her about a project.”
“Who was the project for?”
“I’m not really at liberty to discuss other clients.”
Juniper counted to three in her head, doing her best to control her temper.
“This is important Hatti. You’re nervous and hiding something. I can tell. Who are you afraid of? Peter?”
“That’s absurd,” Hatti said.
“You can tell me or I can call Detective Lumos,” Juniper said finally. Much as Juniper hated to strong arm her, it needed to be done.
“I think Pearl may have stolen the book you were talking about.” Hatti blurted. “She called me that morning to tell me about it. She said she’d found it—she didn’t mention anything about stealing it.”
Juniper nodded.
“So, do you know where it is?”
She blushed and looked away.
“Hatti?” Juniper urged. “Do you have it?”
“Don’t be absurd.” She checked her phone and then chewed on her lip, in what Juniper was beginning to think was a nervous habit. “It’s… in the mail.”
“Like in her mailbox, you mean?”
“Would you like a refill?” The waitress said, appearing at the table.
“No, we’re almost done.” Hatti replied
After a beat, Juniper said, “Well?” Her words had a subtle edge.
Hatti’s eyes watched the waitress walk back to the counter. Then she turned back to Juniper and blushed prettily and shrugged. “She said she mailed it to the historical society because she felt like it was important and she knew someone was after it.”
Juniper gave her a tight smile.
“So, you should have it in a day or two?”
She made a grunting sound of agreement and checked her phone. “Are we done here? I need to take my grandchildren out trick-or-treating.”
“I’m sorry, yes of course.”
And with that Hatti excused herself, leaving Juniper sitting alone, more worried than ever.
Chapter Twenty-Three
_____________
P ike and Juniper met at Cookies & Corsets to don their gowns for the ball. Lulu helped them lace their gowns but left shortly after. With all that had happened she wasn’t up for the party and had plans to visit her daughter out of town instead. She said Helen had offered to take her. Juniper couldn’t really blame her. From what she’d heard the town loved a good party, and that would make for a lot of nosy people asking Lulu questions.
By the time they’d locked up the shop and crossed the street for the Doctor’s House, Lulu’s car was long gone.
“We did a good job with those decorations!” Pike said.
The front porch and lawn was festooned with giant spiderwebs, complete with gargantuan black widows lying in wait. White figures fluttered in the eaves, approximating ghostly apparitions. Silhouettes of black cats decorated the windows, which were lit from within with an eerie orange glow.
The place looked packed and there was a line up to get in. The costumes ranged from classic spooky to fancy Victorian, like them.
“I guess they sold the rest of those tickets,” Pike said as they made their way up the porch steps, jostled by a rowdy group of partygoers who reeked of beer.
Juniper thought about the boy she’d overheard who had said Kaitlyn’s death would only add to interest in the Halloween party. How right he’d been.
They waited in line and then showed their tickets at the front door. The foyer was bathed in black light and decorated with more spiderwebs, ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, and skeletons. The air smelled like burnt pumpkin, and the sound system issued eerie pipe organ music, interspersed with ghostly howls and earsplitting screams.
They pushed their way through assorted ghouls, goblins, and ghosts to reach the stairs. Screams emulated from the upstairs Attic haunt.
As they walked up the curving steps, a girl of about fourteen pushed passed them almost crying.
“I think the haunt is a success.” Pike whispered. “It’s too bad Jack had to go out of town, all this work and he’s missing it.”
“I know, but our income property had a plumbing issue. It’s not something that can wait. Hopefully he’ll get back before it ends.”
Juniper peered over the rail to the crowd below, the house full of people playing at being monsters and serial killers; hopefully Peter wasn’t hiding among them.
“I’m gonna go up and try out the attic. Do you want to come?” Pike asked.
The screaming had been constant for the last three minutes.
“No, I think I’ll wait right here for you.”
“Suit yourself.” She said, heading up the stairs.
Juniper walked through the smaller bedroom and out onto the interior balcony that overlooked the landing where the floor-to-ceiling stained glass window looked out over the back of the property. That’s when she noticed the woman in white wandering up the hill. She could have sworn it was Lulu in her frilly white lace dress. She’d only been in the light for a moment but her dark hair had been teased and wild.
Chapter Twenty-Four
_____________
J uniper hurried down the stairs and out the back door. The cool night air was fragrant with eucalyptus and damp earth. The fog had rolled in, lending an eerie vibe to the night.
A girl leaned against the house smoking a cigarette. She must have been in her twenties—young, but not a child. And apart from the red hair, she looked a lot like her mother.
“Hi. Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Juniper said.
She shrugged. “Whatever.”
“You must be our neighbor, Kara? Fern Baron’s daughter?”
“Yeah. Who are you?” She said dropping the cigarette butt quickly and squishing it with her foot. It was clear her family didn’t know she smoked.
“I’m Juniper. My partner Jack and I just bought this house.” She looked at the worry on Kara’s face. “Don’t worry—I won’t tell.”
“Oh thanks! I’m old enough but they wouldn’t approve. I come over here to get away sometimes. So you bought this place, huh? Why?”
“We flip houses for a living.”
“How do you flip a house?” Kara rolled her eyes and made a rude noise.
“Sorry… construction term.”
She shrugged again, unimpressed.
“We buy old houses and fix them up and then sell...” Juniper began, but trailed off as she saw the look of utter boredom on the young woman’s face. “Never mind.”
“No one is going to want to buy this one. Trust me.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s haunted…” Juniper could have sworn Kara blushed a little. But the sullen mask descended, and she shrugged. “There’s a white lady who r
oams the place at night. It’s pretty creepy.”
“So, you’ve seen the ghost?” Now was Junipers chance to get the details, just in case Peter McCloskey wasn’t the perpetrator. “What does she want?”
“How should I know?”
That made Juniper wonder why ghosts couldn’t just help solve the crimes perpetrated against them. “Well, do you know what she looks like?”
“She wears a white dress. It’s always dark, so it's hard to see anything other than that. Her hair is dark though ‘cause I mean if it were light then I would notice. I see her in the upstairs windows sometimes. Pretty much every Tuesday and Saturday night—it’s creepy. Anyway I gotta go.”
Juniper watched her leave. She was clearly still in an awkward phase, and she decided maybe she was younger than she’d initially thought: late teens or very early twenties. Juniper remembered that age well. That was when she had been dazzled by the man who later became her boyfriend, Jack Young, the wild young man who worked for her dad.
Speaking of whom… Jack was no longer so young or so wild, but Juniper sure wished he would hurry up and get back. Even assuming Kaitlyn’s killer was in the wind, there was a lot of tension in this big old house. Creepy tension.
Juniper was utterly absorbed in her thoughts when she heard an odd sound.
A banging. Like metal hitting rock. She listened harder. Was that the sound of dirt being shoveled?
She backed up against the house into the shadows. The sound was coming from the other side of the bushes at the top of the hill.
She took a swig from her punch to build up her courage and contemplated strolling up there. The moon was shining brightly and she could almost make out a motion through the trees.
Was someone there? Or had she imagined it?
Were the ghosts wandering the property in addition to the house, looking for bodies to bury… Get a grip, Juniper, she chided herself. She was going to have to stop listening to those teenager’s ghost stories.
There it was again: a flicker illuminating the tree. She saw the glow of yellowish light, as though from a candle, or a flashlight.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” came a voice from behind her.
Cookies, Corpses & the Deadly Haunt Page 11