All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt (20 page)

Chapter 27

The next morning was another bright and sunny day, but that dark cloud of an unsolved mystery was no longer hanging over me or Sugar Creek. Much to Charlotte's chagrin, Dylan had been held up at the crime scene, so he'd been unable to stop by. I dressed in an Yves Saint Laurent turquoise-and-yellow-striped circle skirt. My white cotton blouse had a scalloped neckline and eyelet trim down the front. After my morning routine, I joined Alice and Charlotte in the living room, while Wind Song soaked up a sunbeam on the back of the couch.

“It's time for me to go to work. Are you ladies coming with me today?”

Silence filled the air. Finally Alice said, “It's time for me to leave.”

Charlotte was looking down at her feet and wouldn't even look up at me.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Of course I knew what she meant. Charlotte had stayed, and I just assumed that Alice would too.

“It's time for me to move on. My job here is done.”

I sighed. “Yes, I suppose so. I'll miss you.”

Charlotte sniffled. Alice looked to Charlotte. “Now don't cry. Just think, you can sit in the front seat again.”

Well, I supposed that was something. But when Alice was here, Charlotte had stayed around. Before that she had been popping in and out. I hadn't realized how close the two had become.

“You don't have to go. Why don't you just stay around?” Charlotte asked around her sniffles.

“You and I both know that I need to move on. I have friends and family waiting for me on the other side,” Alice said.

Charlotte wiped her eyes and nodded. “I guess you're right.”

Charlotte wasn't as tough as I thought.

Alice got to her feet. She still looked as beautiful as the first day I'd seen her at the plantation. Maybe even more so. I wasn't sure where she was going, but I figured she was about to have a lot of fun if she was going to be with her friends and relatives. She walked toward the front door. Charlotte stood and followed her, but stopped at the edge of the room. Alice turned and offered one last wave and smile. Charlotte sniffled, but then pushed her shoulders back and chest forward. She raised her head up high and waved to Alice as she walked out the door.

She didn't bother to open it; she just walked right through. I rushed over to the living room window and pulled back the curtain. I wanted to know where Alice had gone. Was there a ghostly limo waiting for her in the driveway? Would a shuttle bus pick her up? But she was nowhere in sight.

“Good-bye, Alice,” I said under my breath.

She was one of the sweetest women I'd ever known. Without her, Nicole's killer probably never would have been brought to justice. Wind Song meowed, as if saying her good-bye too.

Charlotte was standing beside me. I looked at her. “Are you okay?”

She put on her brave face. “Yes, I'll be fine.”

I looked to Wind Song and then back to Charlotte. “So, are you two ready to go to the shop?”

Wind Song jumped down from the sofa and went over to her carrier.

“I take that as a yes,” I said.

“Let's go help some people look fabulous,” Charlotte said as she marched toward the door.

“Sounds like a plan.” I grabbed Wind Song and headed out the door.

We piled in the car, but it seemed empty without Alice.

I navigated through town. Sugar Creek was in full summer mode now. Shorts and flip-flops. Sidewalk sales and yard sales. Barbecues and picnics for everyone. The rest of the summer would be great. And I hoped good sales for me too. When I pulled up to the shop, I noticed Ken leaning up against the side of the building.

“He must be waiting for you.” Charlotte didn't even try to hide the excitement in her voice.

“Yes, it does look that way.”

I hadn't expected to see him so soon. Sure, he said he would come by, but I wasn't sure if I thought that would really happen. This would have made Alice so happy. I got out of the car and closed the door. I waved as I made my way over to the sidewalk. He stepped away from the building and joined me when I reached the door.

“Good morning. I hope I'm not too early,” he said.

His blond hair shone in the bright sun. “I thought I'd come by and see you.” He smelled like soap and fresh mint.

I smiled. “I'm glad you did. It's nice to see you under better circumstances.”

He flashed the dimples on his cheeks. “Yes, much better this way. I thought maybe you could go for some coffee.”

“Yes. Yes. Tell him yes,” Charlotte urged.

“I'm sorry. I can't this morning. It's just that I missed so much work yesterday. I'm really behind and need to catch up.”

“Look at his face. Will you please stop disappointing this boy?” Charlotte said.

It wasn't like I was trying to do it on purpose.

He studied his shiny brown shoes. “Sure. I can understand that.”

Charlotte threw her hands in the air. “That's it. He probably won't ask you again. After getting rejected this many times he will finally just give up.”

He'd only asked twice. If he gave up that easily, then did I really want to go for coffee with him? Just then a trim fortyish brunette approached. She looked in the window and then at her watch. She was a little early, but at least I had a customer.

Ken noticed her. “I guess I should let you get to work.”

“Yes, I should get in there.”

The woman walked away. I hoped that she would return in a few minutes.

“Now you're chasing off customers too?” Charlotte said.

I wanted to respond to her and tell her that I couldn't go to coffee with him and wait on customers at the same time. She would have to decide which one was more important to her. But we'd have that discussion later, once Ken had gone.

“How about tomorrow?” he asked, pulling me back to the conversation.

I smiled. “Sure, I'd like that.”

“Well, it's about time you said yes. You're just lucky that he asked again. But what are you going to tell the handsome detective? You can't disappoint him either. I think he really likes you too. See, it's good to have me around. I'm good for your social life. You had none before me.”

“So tomorrow morning? How about we met here at eight?”

“That sounds perfect,” Charlotte answered.

“Eight will be fine,” I said.

That would give me an hour before I had to open the shop.

“Okay, I'll see you then.” Ken smiled again and then turned to walk away.

“It's good that you are going to coffee with him. There's really no commitment that way. It's fast. If you don't like him, then you can drink the coffee fast and get out of there. If you like him, then you can sip the coffee.”

I looked over at Charlotte as I shoved the keys into the lock. “Thanks for the dating advice.”

“You're welcome,” she said.

“I meant that sarcastically.”

She waved her hand. “It's still valuable.”

I supposed she did have a point.

Why had I thought of Dylan when Ken had asked me to coffee? It wasn't like we were dating. He'd never asked me out. Wind Song climbed out of her carrier. Instead of rushing to her favorite spot in the sun, she stayed beside me at the counter.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

She looked at me and yawned. I prepared her food anyway and placed it on the counter. She turned her head, but still didn't jump down from the counter.

“Okay, suit yourself, I'll just leave it here for you and you can eat when you want to.”

She licked her paws and watched me as I sorted through the mail from yesterday. The bell over the door jingled, and I looked up to see if the customer had returned. Heather walked toward me with the Ouija board under her arm.

“Why do you have that? We don't need it anymore,” I said.

“You never know what the cat might have to say.”

Heather placed the board on the counter, and Wind Song moved closer to it. She touched the board with her paw.

Heather smirked. “It looks like she wants to use it.”

I massaged my temples. “I am outnumbered again. I guess if she wants to do it.”

“We thought you'd see it our way.”

“Oh, you two are talking now?” I asked.

Heather laughed. “I guess you could say that.”

Charlotte looked over my shoulder. “Another cat reading?”

“She must have a message for us if she's so excited to use the board,” Heather said as she placed the planchette down.

“Well, I guess we'll see about that,” I said.

I had to admit, she did seem eager to use the board. This had better not be another message about the cat food.

“Okay, Wind Song, do your thing.” Heather motioned.

Wind Song meowed as if answering her. The cat placed her paws on the board. She pushed the planchette around and around, but she wasn't stopping on anything.

“Maybe she's confused,” Heather said.

“Maybe she's trying to decide what to say,” Charlotte said.

“Or maybe she really didn't want to use the thing after all.”

I was just about to give up when she stopped on a letter. It was the
L.

“Okay, what next?” Heather asked.

She moved the thing around, and it looked as if she wasn't going to stop again. But finally she stopped on another letter.

It was an
I.
By the time she had finished picking out all the letters, she had spelled out I LIKE THE GUY.

Heather and I exchanged a look.

“What did that mean? Which guy?” she asked.

Wind Song used the planchette again.
Both,
she spelled.

“Both,” Heather and I said in unison.

Then we both laughed. Charlotte even joined in our laughter. Wind Song looked up at me as if to say, what are you laughing about? At least now I knew how Wind Song felt about Dylan and Ken. If they brought her treats, she really would be in love. She would probably leave me if they brought her catnip.

“Do you think she's done?” Heather asked.

Wind Song placed her paw on the board and looked up at Heather.

“I guess that means she isn't finished with the board,” I said.

“I guess not,” Heather said.

“Do you have another message?” I asked.

Wind Song placed her paw on the planchette and moved it around the board again. She seemed to get right to the point this time. She moved with ease around the board, picking out each letter. So far she'd spelled out
House.
Heather and I looked at each other.

“What does that mean?” Heather asked.

I shook my head. “I have no idea. Something at the house, Wind Song?” I asked.

Wind Song kept moving the planchette. I couldn't wait to see what she was going to spell next. The next word was
Around
and after that she simply spelled
The.

“House around the,” Heather said.

“I don't think she's done yet.”

“This is taking forever. Can't she do that faster? I want to know what she has to say,” Charlotte said.

Wind Song pushed it around until she'd spelled out another word. The last word was
Corner.

“House around the corner?” Heather asked. “What does that mean?”

“I don't know. There aren't any houses around the corner.” It was a few blocks down before there were any houses. There were a few buildings that had been converted into businesses. I wondered if that was what she meant.

“But what about the house?” I asked Wind Song.

Once more Wind Song spelled out a word for us. BEWARE. I swallowed hard.

“Beware of the house around the corner?” I said almost breathlessly. “That sounds ominous.”

“Yes, it does,” Heather said.

Wind Song didn't move the planchette again this time. Instead, she stepped around the board and over to the dish of food. She started eating. Clearly, she's said what she wanted to say.

“We may never know what she meant,” Heather said.

I shrugged. “Maybe she'll give us another message sometime and let us know.”

One thing I'd learned, though, was that I should listen to the cat. I didn't know how she did what she did, but I supposed that was something I would never know.