A Haunted Disappearance, page 7
Viv stood in front of her. “You’re using the ladder to go over the fence?” She touched the side of her face and sighed. “What if you get caught? You won’t be able to climb back over the fence. You’ll be stuck there in the yard.” Viv pressed her lips together in a worried expression.
“It’ll be okay.” Lin touched her cousin’s arm reassuringly. “Will you steady the base of the ladder for me?”
Viv walked slowly behind Lin to the rear of the yard. Lin propped the ladder against the fence. “If you could just hold it here.”
Viv stepped over and as Lin moved up the rungs, she put her hands on the sides to keep it from slipping on the fence. “Be careful. Don’t break your leg when you jump down on the other side.”
Nicky watched his owner reach the top of the ladder and he let out a whine. Queenie ran to a nearby tree and climbed up and out on a long limb that grew over the fence. Viv saw the cat high in the tree. “I wish I could do that,” she muttered. “Keep an eye on her, Queenie.”
Lin hung on to the top of the fence and awkwardly positioned herself to leap over. She took a deep breath and jumped, hitting the ground with a thud that knocked the wind out of her. She lost her balance and fell on her side.
Viv whispered through the slats. “Are you in one piece?”
“Barely.” Lin rubbed her ankle and gently put weight on it.
“Stay that way. I’m going to sit here until you come back.”
Lin hobbled off through the trees. Her ankle felt better as she moved along. She pushed some branches aside and entered the backyard of the huge house. It was much bigger than she expected and the grounds had an extensive lawn, a water feature, and landscaped garden beds running around the edges of the space. Flowers were in abundance and blooming hydrangea bushes stood along one side of the yard. In the darkness, Lin hugged the edge of the property as she made her way to the back of the mansion. Every few yards, trying to stay in the shadows, she stopped to listen.
She approached a large stone patio with expensive looking outdoor furniture that had been placed in small groupings. Lin turned her attention to the enormous house with the widow’s walk built around the chimney. Taking a few steps closer, Lin froze. She could hear a young woman weeping and the sound of it made the tiny hairs on her arms stand up.
Lin took slow steps in the direction of the crying, but when she reached the far corner of the mansion, the sound seemed to emanate from Lin’s original position. She returned to the corner where she had started and then the weeping seemed to come from the side of the home where Lin had just been.
A cool whoosh of air blew past her. Lin glanced around trying to see if a spirit may have come close and she saw the flash of a young woman dash around the side of the mansion. Her dark brown hair flowed down her back as she ran. Lin moved quickly to the other side of the house, but once there, no one was in sight. Her heart pounded with unease and frustration.
An oddly cold breeze washed over Lin’s skin and she turned around slowly to see Amanda standing on the patio staring at her with big, round eyes. The corners of Lin’s mouth curved up. “Amanda,” Lin whispered. She took a step toward the ghost girl, but Amanda shook her head and then her form started to shimmer and become more see-through.
“Stay,” Lin urged. Her heart sank when the ghost disappeared into the night. Letting out a long, low sigh, Lin started for the front of the house, but halted when she became enveloped in a pocket of icy air. She whirled around hoping to see that Amanda had returned, but what she saw caused her jaw to drop and her heart beat to speed up. On the spot where Amanda had appeared, stood Sebastian Coffin.
The eighteenth-century ghost was dressed in black trousers and a morning coat and he made eye contact with Lin, gave her a little smile, and made an ever so slight bow before the atoms of his image sparkled and spun and rose into the air where they disappeared.
Lin’s breath caught in her throat and then slowly a wide grin spread over her face.
Sebastian.
A gruff male voice spoke behind Lin and caused her to jump. She wheeled around to see a tall, medium built man in his late sixties or early seventies standing before her in the shadows. He had on well-cut dark trousers and a fitted, crisp white button-down shirt. “What are you doing back here?” he growled causing Lin to take a step back.
Her heart was pounding and she stammered, “I …I….” Lin set her shoulders and drew herself up in order to appear less timid. “Who are you?”
“I should be asking you that question since you’re on my property.” The man scowled and pulled his phone from his pocket.
Lin was about to speak when a dog’s bark rang through the air and Nicky pushed his head out from a bush close to where Lin and the older man were standing. The dog made eye contact with his owner and Lin understood.
“There you are.” Lin walked to the bush and scooped the little brown dog from his hiding place under the greenery. She turned to the man with a story to cover her reason for being on the premises. “We were walking and he slipped out of his collar. He ran into your yard. I’m very sorry. I should have rung the bell and asked permission before coming back here, but the house looked dark and I didn’t think anyone was at home.” Carrying the dog, Lin hurried for the front of the mansion. “I’ll be sure to get a better-fitting collar,” she called over her shoulder. “Sorry, again.”
Abbott stared at Lin as she scurried away.
When they reached the sidewalk in front of the massive home, she placed the dog on the walkway and blew out a breath. “Whew. Thanks, Nick.” She winked at the creature. “Abbott fell for it.” As the two headed up the dark street and around the block, the leaves on the overhanging branches rustled and whispered in the chilly late-night breeze.
When Lin and Nicky arrived back at Viv’s yard, they found Viv snoring in the chair by the fence. A bit of drool coated the corner of her open mouth. Lin smiled and gently touched her cousin’s shoulder. “Good thing I didn’t need help or anything.”
Viv started. Disoriented, she blinked a few times and then pushed herself up in the chair. “Are you okay?” Viv flicked her long bangs away from her forehead. “I fell asleep.”
“We noticed.” Lin and the dog exchanged looks.
Queenie jumped down from the tree near the fence. Lin nodded at the gray cat. She knew the feline had been monitoring her investigation of the Abbott’s property and probably alerted Nicky to her plight of being found by Mr. Abbott.
“What happened?” Viv stood up and rubbed at her eyes.
Lin eased the ladder onto the grass, picked up the chair, and carried it back to the deck. She reported what she’d seen in the garden of the mansion and how Nicky showed up to provide a reason for Lin being in the Abbott’s backyard.
“Good dog.” Viv opened the back door and dragged herself into the house. She couldn’t keep a yawn from escaping. “Another ghost? Ugh. What’s going on?”
“I think it must be the ghost of the Abbott’s daughter.”
Viv climbed up the staircase to the second floor bedrooms with Lin and Nicky and Queenie following behind. Viv gestured to the guest room on the right of the landing. “There are fresh linens on the bed. If you want some pajamas, there are some in the dresser.” She looked at her cousin. “Why has the daughter shown up now, after all these years?”
“That’s a very good question.” Lin shrugged.
“I’m going to collapse from exhaustion.” Viv headed for her bedroom door, but before entering she turned back with a smile. “I’m glad you saw Sebastian.”
Lin returned the smile. “Me, too.”
Chapter 13
The next evening, Lin sat at a café table with Libby Hartnett and Anton Wilson explaining to them what she’d learned so far. Libby and Anton sat listening with serious expressions. “We’re no closer to finding out who killed Amanda, but at least I saw Sebastian.”
“It’s odd that he has returned to the Abbott’s mansion.” Anton’s eyed flicked about behind the lenses of his glasses. “Sebastian and his wife, Emily, had been seen in the house for years and then they were gone. It must be about forty years since they’ve been seen in the Abbott place. Odd.” He lifted his slender arm and his hand adjusted the frame of his glasses. “Odd, I must say.”
“There are plenty of questions and not enough answers.” Libby’s blue eyes blazed. She glanced at Anton. “We need to take a drive. With Carolin.”
“It’s too late now,” Anton said. “She’ll be getting ready to retire soon.”
“What?” Lin looked from Libby to Anton. “Drive where? Who is she?”
Libby looked kindly at Lin. “There’s someone we want you to meet, a friend of ours.”
Lin’s eyes widened. “Is this the person who can see ghosts?”
Libby nodded. “She’s very old and quite frail. It isn’t often that she is up for visitors, but I think we need to call on her. Perhaps, tomorrow. I’ll see to it.”
“The sooner the better, really.” Anton lifted the tea cup to his lips. “We need to narrow down some suspects.” He opened his leather folder and removed a sheet of white paper and a silver pen. “I’m putting the boyfriend at the top.” He wrote on the paper.
“His name is Brian,” Lin told Anton. “Brian Murphy.”
“Who else?” Anton tapped the pen against the paper.
Lin leaned forward. “I get negative vibes from the manager at the Irish pub where Amanda worked. He seems like a creep. He wasn’t helpful at all when we went there to ask about Amanda.”
Anton wrote “manager” on the list. “Keep going. Just let your mind free-think. Don’t dismiss anything.”
“What about Jessie?” Viv came up to the table from having been in her office where she’d been doing paperwork. “She claims to have been Amanda’s friend, but who knows? There was something about her that I didn’t like.” Viv sat down in the chair between Libby and Anton. “I think she’s leaving things out.”
“And that girl from the pub who didn’t want anyone to see her talking to us.” Lin’s face clouded. “She seemed nervous. What could be the reason for that?”
“Do you know where Amanda lived?” Libby asked. “Maybe you should go talk to her housemates.”
“Good idea,” Viv said. “I think we should talk to the boyfriend again, too. He might know more than he’s saying.”
Lin had a faraway look on her face. “What about the new ghost?” She turned to Anton. “Do you know anything about the Abbott’s missing daughter? Do you remember the case? Did they ever find a body? Did they think she ran away?”
Anton fidgeted. “Not much was ever determined in that case.” His lips were two tight lines on his face.
Lin sensed tension in Anton’s body language. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Anton’s voice sounded an octave higher and had an almost urgent tone like he was too eager to dismiss the question. He sat ramrod straight and started shuffling his papers.
Lin made eye contact with Libby who gave a tiny shrug. Libby put her hand on Anton’s arm. “It’s not your fault, Anton.”
Anton’s face flushed red and his wiry frame seemed to surge with anxiety. To Lin, what he was giving off was almost palpable. Anton got up from his chair so abruptly that it almost toppled. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Lin watched him rush away with her mouth hanging open. She looked at Libby for an explanation, but the older woman just shook her head. “He’ll tell you someday.” Libby pushed a lock of her white-gray hair behind her ear. She turned her eyes on Lin. “You need to be careful with this case.” She glanced at Viv. “You, too. There are dangerous forces at work here. I feel that it runs deep. Be careful who you trust. Keep your guard up.” Libby swallowed the last of her tea just as Anton returned. He stood next to the table collecting his papers and leather folder.
“I need to get going.” Anton nodded at the women around the table and dashed out of the bookstore.
“I need to be going as well.” Libby stood. “I’ll let you know if we’re going to take a drive to visit our friend tomorrow.”
When Libby disappeared around the bookshelves, Lin sighed. “That was a weird meeting with those two.”
“What’s up with Anton?” Viv looked over her shoulder to be sure no one was around. “Does he feel somehow responsible for the Abbott’s missing daughter? That’s what it seemed like. What in the world could have happened?”
A shudder washed over Lin and she placed her palms on the tabletop to steady herself. “Viv, could all of these things be related?”
Viv’s forehead creased in confusion. “What things are related? How? What do you mean?”
Nicky sat up on the easy chair and let out an uncharacteristic howl that caused Lin and Viv to whirl around. Queenie leaped up on the back of the chair and hissed. Lin stood, goose bumps forming on her arms.
Viv reached for her cousin’s hand and whispered, “What’s going on? What’s wrong with the animals?”
Viv’s boyfriend appeared at the end of the aisle of bookshelves and, spotting the girls, he hurried to their café table, a strange, pinched look on his face.
Viv’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes went wide. Lin stared at him and waited.
John was breathing hard. His pale face was a sharp contrast against the dark brown of his hair. He kept his voice low. “There’s a body.”
Viv slowly rose from her seat. “They found Amanda?”
John shook his head. “No.”
“Who is it then?” Viv questioned.
A heavy weight seemed to be crushing Lin’s chest and she couldn’t get any words to leave her throat. It felt like an eternity before John finally spoke. “It’s the boyfriend. He’s dead.”
Viv gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth and she sank into her chair.
Lin’s vision was all watery and she blinked hard to clear her sight. “Brian’s dead? How? Did he commit…?”
John knew what Lin was about to ask. He cut her off and shook his head. “No. We found him just a while ago. In the house I was showing.”
“What?” Lin sucked in a breath. “You found him?” She felt awful for John to have come upon the body of Brian Murphy.
John sank into the chair that Anton had vacated. He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. “I feel sort of sick.”
Viv hurried to the café counter and retrieved a glass of water for her boyfriend. She set it on the table in front of him and then wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
John sipped the water. “Sorry. I got kind of dizzy for a second.” His hand was shaking when he placed the glass down.
“Where were you?” Viv’s big eyes were full of concern. “Were you alone?”
John shook his head. “I had clients with me. We met Shirley Calder at the house. She’s the listing agent. The house has been empty for a while.” John’s throat seemed to constrict and he coughed hard and took a gulp of water. “We went inside. Shirley was giving her spiel about the house. She opened the door to the half bath on the first floor.” John stopped talking and his whole body shuddered. “I’ll never forget the sound of her scream.”
Viv gripped John’s arm and rubbed it. The three sat in silence for a few moments.
“The kid was in the bathroom. He’d been stabbed in the throat.” John winced recalling the sight of the dead body.
“Oh, John. I’m so sorry you had to see that.” Viv’s eyes brimmed with tears.
Lin had a million questions, but she didn’t feel she could interrogate John in his shocked state so she sat quietly.
“Where was the house?” Viv’s lower lip trembled. “Who owns it?”
John took in a long, slow breath. “It’s an antique Cape over on Tangerine Street. The woman who owns it has moved to the mainland to live with her daughter. It’s been empty for about a month.” Perspiration beaded on John’s forehead.
“You called the police?” Viv still held John’s arm.
“Yeah. Shirley was still screaming and the man I was showing the house to needed to sit down on the floor while his wife tended to him. It was a mess. I made the call. It seemed like forever for the police to show up, but I know in reality it was barely ten minutes.”
“They questioned all of you?” Lin asked.
John gave a nod. “They took statements and then said we could go, but they might want to speak to us again.” He managed a smile. “I guess I won’t be seeing those clients again any time soon.”
“Did you overhear anything the police said?” Lin wondered if the police had anyone in mind as a suspect and might have discussed it within earshot of John.
“I really didn’t hear anything. It felt like my head was full of cotton. It still does. Sorry.”
“Amanda and Brian both murdered.” Viv passed her hands over her eyes. “How can it be?”
“We don’t know for sure that Amanda was murdered,” John said. “She still might turn up.”
Viv went pale realizing that she’d forgotten for a second that John didn’t know about Amanda’s ghost.
“I think we know that the chances of Amanda being found alive are slim to none.” Lin leaned forward. “But why is the real question. Why both of them? Obviously, someone needed them dead, but why? Did they stumble upon something? Were they up to something that somebody didn’t like?”
Viv and John looked dumbfounded. John asked, “What could they have stumbled on that was so serious that they got killed over it?”
“That’s what I need to figure out.” Lin stood up. “I’m going over to Tangerine Street.”
“Not me.” John slowly shook his head. “I’m never going over there again.”
“Can it wait?” Viv looked at her cousin.
“I don’t think it can. Is it okay if Nicky stays with you?”
“Of course.” Viv nodded.
As she turned for the exit, Lin put her hand on Viv’s shoulder and said softly, “Take care of John.”
Chapter 14
Lin practically jogged through town heading for Tangerine Street. A cool breeze off the ocean sent shivers over her skin. When she turned the corner, she could see that a crowd of people had gathered under a streetlight on the opposite side of the road from the house where the young man had been found murdered. She slowed her pace so that she could try to pick up on what people were saying as they passed by her on the dark sidewalk.
