Ghosts Beneath Us: A Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery (Spookie Town Murder Mysteries Book 3) (19 page)

Around five o’clock she had a call from Abigail.

“Kate. Happy Easter! I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m doing okay. Cleaning house, settling in and trying not to cry every second. But I’ll be back at the donut shop first thing tomorrow morning. Are you still coming around nine to begin the wall paintings?”

“I am. I have your approved sketches, paint, brushes and everything. I want to at least get started. I’ll bring us McDonald’s sausage biscuits for breakfast,” Abigail added. “I know you like them, too. You supply the coffee.”

“No problem.”

“Have you had supper yet, Kate?”

“No. I’ve been too busy. I’ll scrounge up something here later. There are plenty of leftovers in the fridge.”

“Ech, leftovers. I have a better idea. I made the best Easter ham ever and all the side dishes and we’re about to sit down and eat. Frank, Myrtle, Samantha, Martha and Ryan are here, too. It’s a real party. We’re going to play cards or Dominos after. Come over and join us for supper? We have more than enough. I have a chocolate Easter bunny here with your name on it.”

Kate, as Abigail, was a chocoholic. “You do know how to tempt me.” She wasn’t going to go over there. She didn’t want to intrude on their holiday, not with all her tears. Then Abigail said the final thing, along with the chocolate enticement, that could change her mind.

“These are people who will become your neighbors, your friends, visit your shop–Martha and Myrtle, I can guarantee, will be there most mornings wanting their donut fix. They’ll be your best customers and promoters. Besides, my kids want you to come. They can’t bear the thought of you, or anyone, being alone on Easter. Please come over.”

So she did. She’d wanted to see Abigail’s house. People had told her it was so lovely inside. She washed her face and hands, brushed her hair, put on clean clothes and drove the short distance to the home Abigail had rehabbed. It wasn’t hard to find because Abigail had given her detailed directions.

And she’d spent the evening with her new friends. She’d eaten a grand meal, laughed a little and played Dominos until late that night. She went home with a chocolate Easter bunny. She had the best evening she’d had in a long time and was glad she’d gone.

There was a churning fog creeping over the town and its roads around her mother’s house, hiding the driveway and the trees. She’d been warned about the fog but this was the first time since she’d moved home she’d actually encountered it. Living in town it hadn’t been as bad and for the life of her she couldn’t recall it ever being this dense when she’d been a child. It scared her but inching her car along she made it home.

The minute she unlocked the door and entered the house she knew something wasn’t right. It was a shiver that rippled up her spine and she was suddenly cold. Someone had been in her home. Everything she’d already cleared out and reorganized, everything she’d straightened up, was now trashed. There was rubbish littering the table and the kitchen floor. The table had been moved. The chairs were piled up in a corner. The refrigerator was wide open. Someone had taken the food out and scattered it everywhere.

She moved from room to room and, shocked at what she was seeing, took in the blatant destruction. Who would do such a thing and so soon after her mother’s death? Who would be so heartless?

Who would be so vicious?

She didn’t know what else to do so she telephoned Abigail. “I hate to bother you so late…but is Frank still there? I need to talk to him.” As quickly as she could she let Abigail know what had happened and then Frank got on the phone. The two of them were at her house ten minutes later.

“I was afraid this was going to happen.” Frank studied the chaos. “It follows the pattern.”

“What pattern?” she pried. “You mean the destructive poltergeists?”

Frank sent her a stern glance. “There is no such thing as poltergeists. This was deliberate vandalism made by live people for a human reason. Whoever did this wants you to be scared so you’ll sell this house. Someone wants the land around here. They’ve been buying it up and when the home owners won’t sell then these sort of attacks, or worse, start. In the scheme of things, Kate, this isn’t too bad. Windows or possessions haven’t been broken beyond repair; nothing burned. Your basement wasn’t touched, either. I’d guess you came home before they completed the damage.”

“Funny you should say that about someone wanting to buy this house…because before she died my mother kept going on and on about ghosts and men in suits who wanted her to sell. She said they were bothering her day and night. I thought she was making things up, part of her illness, but now I’m beginning to think not.”

Frank and Abigail didn’t stay long. Kate was advised to call the police in the morning, because Frank doubted if anyone on the sheriff’s department would come out on Easter night, and make a report so it’d be on file.

“Do you have a gun?” Frank asked.

“A gun? No. I won’t have one in my home. I don’t believe in guns. Guns kill people.”

“Guns don’t kill people,” the ex-cop said with a frown, “other people kill people.”

“If you won’t have a gun in the house,” Abigail gave her an alternative, “then get yourself a big stick and always lock your doors.”

“Do you actually believe whoever did this will return and do it again?” Kate had been at the door showing them out.

“From what I’ve seen I wouldn’t be surprised,” Frank said. “But let me know if anyone comes out to talk to you about buying the house. Call me right away. Anytime. I want to come over and talk to them myself. Just call me.” Frank had given her his cellphone number.

“I will do that,” she’d promised. And Frank and Abigail had gone home.

She was too weary and disgusted to tackle the cleanup that night so she went to bed. She kept a baseball bat next to her on the dresser, in case, because she didn’t feel safe and Abigail had warned her to.

*****

She and Abigail arrived at the shop later the next morning than they’d planned. They had agreed on a later time the night before after the house break-in. Kate had to report the crime, wait for the sheriff to come out and inspect the premises, and then clean it up some before she could go into town.

For days she was uneasy, living in her mother’s house and waiting for something else to happen. During the daylight hours she was in her shop preparing for the grand opening, Abigail painting the donuts portraits on the walls that were turning out wonderfully. Kate’s business was almost ready to open. All the furniture and glass cases had been brought in and installed. The tile and carpeting had been laid; the ovens and frying vats brought in.

At night she reluctantly traveled back to her mother’s house because she couldn’t leave it empty after what had happened. Someone had to watch over it. It was more than just a house, it was her inheritance, her ties to the mother and family she’d lost.

She breathed easier every day when nothing else happened.

Then the impeccably dressed man and woman in suits knocked on the door and, glancing out the window, she grabbed her cell phone and called Frank.

“Keep them there as long as you can. I’m coming right over.” He hung up.

She waited in the open doorway behind the screen door, her hand on the locked latch. “Can I help you?”

“Good evening Mrs. Greenway,” the man in the dark suit with the fancy white shirt opened with. A tall, thin fellow, he was wearing a blood red tie. “I’m Scott Lethgrow and this is my associate Maria Smith. We’re with Lansing Corporation.” He had a business card held out towards her in his hand. She didn’t open the door to take it.

“Lansing Corporation?” Kate repeated. “I’ve never heard of it. Is it a realtor?”

“Not exactly.”

“What kind of company is it then?”

The man evaded her question. “It’s privately owned, but it is interested in purchasing your house and land here.” The man’s middle-aged face attempted to reflect compassion when he spoke his next words. “We’re sorry for your loss, Mrs. Greenway. We heard your mother passed away.”

“She did. Over a week ago. And I don’t want to sell this house or my land. So you’re wasting your time.” Kate’s inner alarm had gone off. She could read people fairly well and these two in front of her weren’t what they presented themselves to be. They wore fake smiles on their fake faces. Their eyes held a tinge of slyness. They made her nervous.

“Are you sure, Mrs. Greenway? We’ve already purchased quite a few parcels around here and the company is gun-ho on obtaining the rest. There are only two holdouts and a few other homeowners we need to see until they have what they need. We were told your mother’s property is run down. The structure itself is shifting on its foundation and needs extensive repair work. We heard your mother left it in disarray, a real pigsty. We know you’re opening a business in town and never expected to live so far out here with all its problems. We could take it off your hands and for a very fair price. Top dollar, in fact.”

How do they know all that?
“Then why would you want it?” She wished Frank would get there. He’d know how to handle these vultures.

The man seemed to be studying her, assessing her resolve. His gaze avoided hers. It wasn’t a good sign. “Could we come in and talk about this?”

Her inner voice whispered:
Don’t let them in
. “I don’t think so. We have nothing to talk about. As I told you the house is not for sale, nor the land. I’m staying here. End of discussion.”

For the first time the woman, a short brunette with long hair swirled up into a tight bun at the base of her slender neck spoke up. “Surely you have heard about the unfortunate incidences that have been occurring around here to your neighbors? It doesn’t seem to me this community is very safe. You know,” the woman’s eyes were boring into her through the screen mesh, “anything can happen to a woman alone these days. If I was you I’d consider selling and getting out, moving into town where it’s safe. As my associate here said, we are authorized to offer you an excellent price. Are you sure we couldn’t just come in for a minute and discuss it?” The woman had her hand on the doorknob.

Now Kate was angry, yet underneath it she was growing more and more uneasy. Why wouldn’t these two take no for an answer and just go away?

“I said
no
. No to you coming in and no to me selling this house. Ever. I am not interested. Don’t you understand English?” She made sure her voice was firm. “I’d like it if you both would go. Now. Get off my property or I’ll call the police.”

The man shifted on his feet and a forceful expression slid over his features. “We don’t like taking no for an answer. Is there anything, anything at all we can do to persuade you to sell?”

“Nothing. Just leave please.”

The woman was about to say something else but Kate beat her to it. She couldn’t help herself. They were frightening her. “I’d advise you to leave now before my friend gets here. I’ve called him and he’s on his way. He’s a retired homicide detective who used to work for the city of Chicago. He’s been following, investigating actually, these recent unfortunate incidences in the neighborhood and I’m sure he’d like to talk to you–”

The change in their demeanor was instant. They apologized for disturbing her and the man shoved out the words, “I’ll just tuck our card here in your screen door in case you change your mind. Call us anytime. Nice speaking to you.” And they hurried off to their shiny ebony sedan with the tinted windows and raced away as if the police were after them. It almost made Kate laugh, seeing who they were essentially running from. But in reality she was sorry they’d left before Frank got there. He’d really wanted to speak to them.

Five minutes later he was at the door and she let him in.

“Sorry Frank, you just missed them. They’ve gone. They were getting really pushy–even more than that I felt
threatened
–and I asked them to leave. They weren’t going to until I said you were on your way. Then they were out of here like spooked birds.”

“Why would they run off because I was coming over?”

She hated to admit her mistake, but she thought it might mean something if she did. “Well I might have mentioned you were an ex-cop. Sorry. But they were creeping me out and it popped out.”

“They didn’t want to talk to me. That’s kind of telling.”

“They left their business card.” She handed the scrap of paper to him.

“Lansing Corporation,” Frank read the name in a black block font off the card. “And there’s a telephone number. That’s all. No address or anything. Now in my book that’s suspicious.”

“It is unusual. Are you going to call them?”

“Darn right I’m going to call them
and
Google them on the Internet. But I don’t think I’ll get much satisfaction either way…unless…I actually set them up in person, but somehow don’t reveal my true identity. I know for a fact they want Tina’s house and she’s gone…so perhaps I can set a trap for them.”

“Set a trap for them?”

“Pretend to be a relative of Tina’s who expects to inherit her house.”

 “Oh, I get it. Pretend to be her heir and have them come out to discuss you wanting to sell everything, huh?”

Frank nodded. “Why not? They don’t know what I look like or my name.”

He shot her a questioning look. “You didn’t tell them my name, did you?”

“No.”

“Good. I’ll take on a false identity and act gullible. Possibly I’ll get more information than a telephone number and I’ll be able to track them down and find out who they’re working for. ”

He was sitting at the kitchen table, staring around at the destruction. “This really is still a mess, isn’t it?”

Her eyes scanned the room. “It is. I’ve cleaned it up a lot since it happened, as I hope you can tell, but I have so much more to do. I still can’t believe someone trashed my house.”

“Take my word for it, there are some really bad people out there, Kate. I’ve seen worse things than what’s happening here in Spookie back in Chicago. Much worse.

“You know I’ve been thinking, as much as you believe you should stand guard here over your mother’s home, it might be best if you stay above the donut shop for a couple of days and away from here. After what happened Easter and especially those visitors of yours today and what you said to them–telling them you definitely aren’t selling–I don’t think you’re safe here alone. Just a feeling I have.”