Ghost On Duty (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 2) (12 page)

Roy gave me a look, but there was a bit of humor in his gaze. “Do you mind, Janice?” he asked her.

She minded alright, but she pretended she didn’t. “Not at all. I’m sure you two have plenty to get settled between you. But I’ll go for a walk out here in the vineyards. I love these open vistas.” Sami came strolling up to her at that moment. “Oh my, what a beautiful black cat,” she said, and started off with Sami in tow.
 

Barnaby must have seen Sami from under the edge of the cloth, because he set up a racket like you’ve never heard, and I got my first taste of what is was going to be like, living with a parrot.

“How often does he do this?” I asked Roy in horror.
 

Roy just grinned. “About once an hour. And I don’t have a cat to set him off.”

I groaned and he laughed, but his smile faded as he looked at me. He moved closer, but only in a way to make it easier to speak softly. “Mele, about Janice,” he began.
 

I tried to turn away but he grabbed my arm. “Wait. Just let me say this. She’s only staying with me because she has no other place to go. The guy she was living with threw her out. We’re old friends and…”

“Old lovers?” I couldn’t resist saying it.
 

A look of pain came over his face, then vanished and he looked annoyed. “That was a long time ago,” he said. “That isn’t what’s going on now.”

“Really? It looks to me like she’s got other plans.”

“She can have all the plans she wants, she’s not staying. I told her she has to go by the weekend.”

I looked up and tried to read his eyes. He looked sincere, but I’d been lied to before. “You know what?” I said, looking down at a lonely cyclamen blooming in the dirt. “This has nothing to do with me. You don’t have to make excuses. It is what it is.” I pulled out of his grasp. “Let’s get this done.”

He wanted to say something more but I just shook my head and we started to work on getting that enormous cage into the aviary so we could release the parrot.
 

“Okay,” I said to Roy once we stood back and watched Barnaby begin to explore his new home. “Before you go, I really need to go over a few things with you. First off--what exactly happened last night?”

He looked surprised. “You don’t remember?”

“Of course I remember. But I know I’m going to have to go in for questioning today and I want to keep it clear in my mind what I saw, what we did. It’s all such a blur. Do you know what I mean?”

He hesitated and looked a bit pained. I glanced away and saw Aunty Jane sitting under a tree, fanning herself with a bamboo fan, not paying any attention to us.

“Mele,” he continued, standing with his legs wide and sort of antagonistic as far as I could tell, “we can go over the facts if you want. But we can’t coordinate our stories. That wouldn’t be right.”

“Oh!” I shivered. “Of course not. I didn’t mean…”

But did I? I wasn’t so sure.
 

“Okay, here we go.” He was talking quickly and crisply, as though he wanted to get this over with. “We went to look for Jasper.”

“Yes.”

“Because he shot at you earlier in the day.”

I nodded.
 

“It was dark and there wasn’t much light. You stayed in the car. I went tromping through the woods. I didn’t find anything. But something found me. And shot at me. Luckily, I think he was trying to scare me off, not kill me.”

I nodded. “Okay. I heard the shot. I panicked. I got out of the car, even though I had no idea where you were, and I went looking.”

“In the dark.”

“In the dark. With no flashlight.”

“Silly girl,” he said softly, but his eyes were luminous.

I shook my head, going back over the emotions of that moment. “I was so scared that you’d been shot. I went running into the woods until I got where I could see the house. Then something started coming toward me and I hid behind a tree.”

“What did you see?”

I tried hard to remember every detail. “A man came past me, very close. He was carrying something that flashed in the darkness, and I think it might have been a gun.”

“Did you see who it was?”

“No. I was hiding, trying not to be seen. So I didn’t see who.” I sighed. “But I did see enough to know he was a man with wide shoulders. But that’s all.”

Roy nodded. “After I got shot, I was in a sort of shock state for a few minutes. I fell to the ground and moaned, and he went off. I could hear him. Then I began to get control back and I sat up. Then I stood up and came through the woods until I found you.”

“By then I’d found Jasper. On the ground. Shot dead.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t see him at first.”

“I didn’t see him until I fell over him. It’s my way.”

“Right.”
 

I added, “And we’re both sure Jasper wasn’t the man walking through the woods with a gun. And he wasn’t the man who shot you. Right?”

“Right.”

“Okay. I’d say we both saw things pretty much alike. Thanks.” I smiled at him. “I feel a lot more ready to face your captain now.” I sighed. “So why do you think Jasper was killed?”

“Because Jasper wasn’t quite right in the head and lived in the forest. Off and on, but still….”

“Just for that?”

 
Roy shrugged and gave it a bit more thought. “He either killed Ned himself, or saw who did it.”

“Ah.” Of course. “You don’t think it was Peg?”

“I don’t know. It might have been Peg. But I don’t think mothers kill their sons too often. Unless they’re trying to stop them from doing something.”

“Like what?”

He shrugged. Not very helpful, that. “It could be something we haven’t even imagined. It could be a situation we know nothing about.”

I thought about the other people I knew—of Bobby with his vaguely illicit business dealings. Had he been trying to clear the way for his sales business to flourish? Of Lance—could he be harboring old resentments that were eating away at him, things that he was compelled to avenge? There was Ginny Genera and her brother Tony—what did all this running cover up about them? There was Gary Kramer, the phony environmentalist, and Peg with her hatreds and anger, her sister Sue and her nephew Andrew—could they have been behind attempts to avenge Peg’s painful past? Was Jasper’s death somehow personal? There was even Ellie Chang and her mother, Rose, though I couldn’t think of a reason in the world why they would want to kill anybody. But then—you never did know, did you?

Still, it just didn’t seem possible that any one of them could have been behind all this.
 

“I’ve gotta go,” Roy said.
 

“Sure.”

“I’ll call you later.”

I looked at him and shook my head.
 

“No,” I said, and I felt like my heart was an egg, cracking in my chest. “Don’t bother.”

Chapter Thirteen

I had a meeting scheduled with the Village people to go over some of the last minute plans for the performance. I went a little early to see if I could help anyone who was falling behind. I had a check list of things I was supposed to evaluate and assess. Were these people ready for this? How was I to know?
 

But I had to pretend to be wise and experienced, and I was determined to do my best to make sure things went smoothly for these nice people. I figured I had to keep a firm balance between being too cocky, and putting them off, and being too timid, and scaring them with the possibility that I didn’t know what I was doing—and wouldn’t have their backs if something went wrong. I tried to act like I was worthy of their faith, but I was nervous. If I’d been wearing my official orchid, it would be drooping about now.
 

The opening day for the performances was only three days away. Every one I talked to was sure the vote was going to go in favor of the pageant. What wasn’t quite as sure was how the results of the offer from the developer would pan out. Some villagers were afraid that greed would win over the hearts and minds. The final day for that one was December 18
^th
as well.

 
I asked around about the brochure. Most people had seen it but few had any idea who had been passing it around. A couple did say they thought it might have been Lance, but that just didn’t make any sense. The pageant was very important to Lance and his mother. Their entire family legacy was wrapped up in it, and in the village itself, and if the people voted to continue the lawsuit, that would be in jeopardy. Even worse, if enough decided to sell out to the developer, the whole thing would be gone.

Lance arrived after I’d been there for awhile and he had his mother with him. It looked so touching to see the way he treated her, so gentle, so admiring, and she was beautiful and gracious to everyone. I got a chance to talk to her for a few minutes. She asked me questions about Hawaii and about Bebe and seemed to be a genuinely nice person. There was certainly no ambiguity as to her opinion on the vote.

“We need everyone on board,” she told me. “I hope you’re doing all you can to encourage people to do the right thing. It’s so important that we keep Victorian Village the priceless place it’s been, and that we keep the Pageant going. It’s the signature jewel in our city crown. Without it, we’re just another bedroom community.”
 

She went to talk to some of the other people preparing for the display and I used that as a chance to ask Lance about just exactly what was going on.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “How can people sell houses they’re leasing?”
 

He hesitated as though he really didn’t want to get into it, but finally he told me. “They don’t sell the property, they give up their right to the lease. If enough vote to do it, they can forfeit their leases to the consortium and the consortium can sell out to the developer.”

“But why would they do that?”

“The developer is offering a nice big chunk of cash to anyone who volunteers to forfeit by the deadline. Those who hold out will be left holding the bag. They’ll lose their house anyway, but won’t get much for it. That’s the incentive, you see.”

I started to ask him another question, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me close, as though he wanted to tell me secrets. “Listen, once the vote is over, we’ll know how the land lies,” he said. “Whatever the result, I’d be honored if you would go to dinner with me. We can mourn, or celebrate, as the case may be.”

“Sure,” I said, smiling at him. I still didn’t get it, and I still wasn’t sure what would make him mourn or celebrate, but I did feel the emotions he had churning inside. I knew this was important to him and I wanted to help him if I could.

 
The vote was scheduled for three in the afternoon and they were only expecting those who were directly involved this time. I went home for lunch and found Bebe about to leave, looking as though she’d been crying.
 

“Where are you going?” I asked her, alarmed.
 

She looked defiant. “I’m going to get a Christmas tree.”

“A real one?”

“Of course. Isn’t that what you told me? That’s the only kind that counts. You need that fresh pine aroma.”

“Or spruce.”

“Whatever. You know what I mean.”

“Of course I do. But…Bebe, why are you crying?”

“Don’t ask. I’ll just start a flood.”

“Okay.” I gave her a one-armed hug. “Uh…does it have something to do with you deciding all of a sudden to get a Christmas tree?”

“Yes.” She sniffed and her lip quivered. “Mele, I’m thirty five years old and I don’t have any kids. By this age, I always thought I would have kids. I have ornaments, you know. Boxes and boxes of ornaments for the tree. I got them when Jimmy and I…when we started thinking about having kids. But then… .”

She hiccupped. I wrapped her in my arms.
 

“Oh sweetie,” I cooed. “You have plenty of time for kids. Don’t be sad.”

Her sigh was heartbreaking. “If Jimmy hadn’t died… .”

Bebe and Jimmy Miyake had met when he came to Hawaii to study tropical plant cultivation. His family had developed Miyaki Farms and the emphasis was already moving from fruits and vegetables to cut flowers. They fell in love and she came to California to marry him. They’d been the perfect couple—until cancer had destroyed all that.
 

“Oh Bebe, I’m so sorry you lost Jimmy. He was such a good guy.”

“And he would have been such a g…g…good father.”

“Yes. The best.” I took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go get a tree.”

She brightened. “You want to come with me? Don’t you have to get back to the Village?”

“That can wait. This is more important.”

She smiled at me and I smiled back and we went to the lot and bought a big, very aromatic tree. We brought it home and put it up and Bebe seemed to brighten as she organized the ornaments, talking about her childhood in Hawaii, talking about Christmases with Jimmy.
 

I was about to leave for the village when I got the call I’d been expecting all day. Captain Stone wanted to see me. More questioning.
 

“Sorry,” I told the assistant who called me firmly. “I have a community meeting to handle this afternoon. I won’t be able to come in until tomorrow.”

After some hemming and hawing, the assistant made an appointment for eleven the next morning. I hung up feeling happy that I’d stood up for my rights—so to speak.
 

But Bebe was frowning. “I don’t like that man,” she said. “He seems to have something against you. Can’t he see how naturally innocent you are? What kind of an investigator is he, anyway?”

“You know, Detective McKnight said that too.”

“What?”

“That Captain Stone doesn’t trust me.”

“Oh!” She put down her box of ornaments with a decisive slap. “That does it. I’m calling Reid Carrington.”

“Who?”

“Reid Carrington. He’s over in Destiny Bay. We’re related to him. He’s a cousin twice removed or something. But he’s also a really good lawyer. I’m going to call him and see if he’ll help us.”

I groaned. I wasn’t guilty of anything and I didn’t feel that I needed to bring out the heavy guns until someone tried to charge me with something. “Don’t do it yet,” I told her. “Let’s wait and see what happens when I go see the captain tomorrow.”