Gem of a Ghost: A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery (4 page)

“You think I’m nuts, don’t you? Like everyone else.” Lainey straightened. “And maybe I am.”

“I’m not judging you, dear. I just want to know if you really hear the voices.”

After crossing her arms again, Lainey turned her back on Emma and stared out at the blue horizon. “No, not audibly anyway.” She turned back. “It’s like I’m two people, and one of me is trying to destroy the other.”

“Do you still get those urges?”

“Not since I’ve been here.”

“And what about your fiancé? What does he think of all this?”

At the mention of her fiancé, tears started dripping down
Lainey’s
cheeks as if on cue. Emma got up and went to her. The young woman sobbed against Emma’s shoulder.

“I love Keith so much, Mrs. Whitecastle. But how can I marry him like this? How could he ever want me, knowing how unstable I am?”

Kelly had filled her mother in on Keith Goldstein, Lainey’s fiancé, when she’d told her about Lainey’s engagement a few months earlier. A premed student, Keith had met Lainey at a party last fall. Kelly had met him when she was home for the holidays and had found him both smart and likeable.

“What does Keith say about all this?”

Lainey pulled away. “At first he was very concerned and thought maybe I had blacked out while driving. He’s premed at UCLA.”

Emma nodded. “Kelly told me that.”

“He nagged me into getting a complete physical, but my doctor found nothing physically wrong with me.” She took a deep breath. “When it happened a second time, the doctor ran more tests, and I also went to a therapist. The therapist thought it might have something to do with my father—some sort of delayed reaction, especially since it involved running a car off the road.”

Emma shot a look at the tree, but Max was gone. “Had anything like this ever happen before?”

Lainey shook her head quickly back and forth, her long dark hair swaying. “I was destroyed when my father died. It was horrible. And after my mother sent me away, I was miserable for the first year; I was so lonely. But I’ve never thought about killing myself.”

Lainey took a seat back at the table. This time she sat facing out and leaned back against the table top. “Through all this Keith was great. He was so concerned about me. But when I stabbed myself—” She stopped and looked down, her hair covering her face. Emma could hear sniffles.

“After the stabbing,” Lainey continued, “he said it was obvious to him I didn’t want to get married.” She looked up at Emma, her face streaked with tears. “He said whether I knew it or not, I’d rather die than marry him.”

“Why would he think that?”

“Because it started right after we got engaged. The first accident happened less than two weeks after he gave me the ring. Oh, Mrs. Whitecastle,” Lainey wailed. “Keith said horrible things to me after the stabbing.”

Emma sat down next to Lainey, who was now sobbing into her hands, and put an arm around the girl.

“He said I was like one of those animals … you know … the ones who’d rather chew off their leg than be trapped. I got so mad I threw my engagement ring at him and told him to go to hell.”

“Did you feel trapped, Lainey?”

She dropped her hands and looked up at Emma with genuine surprise. “Absolutely not. I loved Keith; I still do. I knew I wanted to marry him two weeks after we met.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffed. “Ask Kelly. I told her that when I saw her in December.”

“Where’s Keith now?” Emma dug into her purse and pulled out a tissue and handed it to Lainey.

After cleaning herself up, Lainey continued. “We moved in together right after New Year’s. I own a condo near campus. It was convenient for both of us.”

“He’s still in the condo?”

“He started staying with a friend, another guy at school, after we broke off our engagement, but when I decided to come here I told him to stay in the condo while I was gone. It would be better for his studying, especially so close to the end of the school year. After school ends, he’ll move out.” Again the tears started.

Emma was almost to
her SUV when she heard someone call her name. She turned to see a thick, older woman wearing a white lab coat and white orthopedic shoes walking toward her with surprising energy, in spite of a slight limp.

“Mrs. Whitecastle, a moment, please,” the woman called.

Walking back through the parking lot, Emma met the woman halfway.

“Mrs. Whitecastle,” the woman said, “I’m so glad I caught you. I’m Dr. Garvey, Kitty Garvey, Lainey’s doctor here at Serenity Place.” She held out her hand to Emma, and Emma shook it.

“You’re the facility’s resident doctor?”

“Actually, my husband, Dr. Michael Garvey, and I own and operate it.” She smiled. “Everyone calls me Dr. Kitty. He’s Dr. Mike.”

Dr. Kitty had a wide, friendly face, with lined cheeks and fluffy silver hair. Rectangle-shaped glasses with red plastic frames perched on her nose, secured by a multicolored beaded chain that hung around her neck.

“Do you have a moment?” the doctor asked Emma. “It’s about Lainey.”

Emma became alarmed. “She said she’s doing much better. Is that not the case?”

“Oh, no, she is doing much better.” The doctor smiled. “She’s such a charming young woman, isn’t she? The residents and staff both love her to bits.” The doctor paused and adjusted her glasses. “I understand you’ve known her a long time—that you’re the mother of one of her childhood friends.”

“That’s right. I’ve known Lainey since she was a little girl.”

“Do you intend to come back and visit her?”

“Should I not?” Before Dr. Kitty could answer, Emma added, “I know she got upset during my visit today, but I think it did her good.”

“It did her a great deal of good, I’m sure.” The doctor paused. “Mrs. Whitecastle, let me be blunt. You’re the first person who’s visited Lainey since she’s been here. When you called today and inquired about visitation, I was standing in the reception area. I told the desk clerk to give you special permission to visit today during our afternoon free time instead of waiting until Sunday, our usual visiting day.”

“Joanna Reid, Lainey’s mother, hasn’t been here?” Emma’s anger toward Joanna threatened to boil like a teakettle.

“No, I’m afraid not. She hasn’t even called. Lainey’s young man called a couple of times when she first got here, but not lately.” The doctor pursed her lips. “Lainey has mentioned you and your family in our talks. I think it would be good for her if you visited again.”

“Of course, Doctor.” Emma considered an idea she had while speaking with Lainey. “In fact, I was thinking of inviting her to my cabin in Julian for a visit. It’s about ninety minutes from here. It’s peaceful, and I have access to horses. As I recall, Lainey used to ride when she was a girl.”

The doctor beamed. “I know Julian well. Dr. Mike and I go there every year for their apple festival.”

“Can Lainey leave the facility?”

“She can leave anytime she wants, although I think she still needs a bit more time with us, at least until we’re sure she’s going home to a stable environment. But for a short weekend, I think it would do her a world of good to visit you in Julian.”

“How about next weekend?” Emma suggested. “I can pick her up on Friday afternoon and bring her back on Sunday evening.”

“Before we tell Lainey, how about you and I talk by phone later in the week. Let’s see how she’s doing before we get her too excited.”

In agreement, Emma pulled a business card out of her purse and wrote her cell number on the back, as she had with Joanna. She handed it to the doctor. “Call me anytime, Doctor, about anything having to do with Lainey.”

Dr. Kitty studied the card. “You’re
that
Whitecastle? The one who does those shows on the paranormal?”

Emma nodded, pleased the doctor hadn’t asked if she was related to Grant Whitecastle or the burger company. “Yes, that’s me. Do you watch the show?”

“Goodness, no. I’ve just heard about it from several friends who enjoy it. They’ll be tickled to find out I’ve met you in person.” The doctor leaned in and whispered. “Please don’t be offended, but personally I think it’s a lot of hooey.”

Hooey nor not, Max Naiman chose that moment to show himself again. He didn’t materialize completely, but Emma definitely discerned a slight outline of haze standing next to the doctor.

“Fix this, Emma,” Max said, his face narrowed with concern. “Please.”

six

“Simmer down, you’re going
to bust a button.” Granny studied Emma with her signature scowl.

“But Granny, Lainey’s own mother hasn’t called or visited her in a month. Doesn’t that get your goat?”

“Of course it does. That poor child needs a mother at a time like this. Good thing you visited.”

“But I’m
not
her mother,” Emma stressed. “She should have her own mother, not some stand-in.”

“From what you’ve told us so far about Joanna Reid,” said Phil, only hearing Emma’s side of the conversation, “in this case, the understudy is much better than the original. At least I know you’re a wonderful mother.”

They were seated on the porch of the cabin. Phil and Emma were dressed to go into town for the dinner at the Julian Grill they’d skipped the night before. Emma was perched on the porch railing. Granny was fully materialized and seated in a rocker next to Phil. She rocked gently back and forth, the chair barely moving under her spirited power. The empty rocker to Granny’s left was not moving at all.

“Where’s Jacob tonight?” Phil asked, noting the still rocker.

Granny glanced at the chair. “He’ll come around after you folks leave for your supper.” Emma relayed the answer to Phil.

Phil feigned hurt. “What? He doesn’t like our company?”

“What he likes is peace and quiet,” the ghost answered. “He’s not gonna have that with the three of us yammering like magpies about this poor girl.” Again, Emma acted as interpreter.

Granny gripped the arms of her rocker and looked at Emma dead-on. “So, chief, what’s our assignment?”

Emma nearly fell off the railing with surprised laughter.

Phil sprang from his chair to steady her. “You going to fill me in, or do I have to play twenty questions with Granny?”

Once Emma stopped laughing enough to catch her breath, she repeated what Granny had said. Laughing himself, Phil turned to the chair he assumed held the ghost. “Granny, you do say the damndest things. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

Emma ran a hand over her face. “From TV, where do you think? Now that it’s not football season, my mother says Granny has become addicted to crime dramas.”

Granny stopped rocking and twisted her face into an even deeper scowl. “Now just a cotton-picking minute. Who do you think turns on the TV and watches them shows with me? It ain’t Dr. Miller, that’s for sure.”

After being fed Granny’s comment, Phil buried his face in the side of Emma’s neck, just below her ear. His laughter tickled her skin. “She has a good point,
chief
,” he said, his breath warm on her neck. “Your mother is her enabler.”

Playfully Emma pushed Phil away. “Enabler or not, there is no assignment.” Emma looked directly at the ghost when she spoke. “You got that, Granny? We’re simply going to help Lainey through these tough times if we can.”

Granny was not happy. “But what about that ghost haunting her mother? He could be haunting Lainey, too.”

“That ghost is Max, Lainey’s father. And while I’d hate to think he’s causing his daughter’s suicide attempts, it does seem Lainey is having some paranormal experiences and doesn’t realize that’s what they are.”

Seeing that both Phil and Granny were giving Emma their undivided attention, Emma continued. “I questioned Lainey about what she remembers right before each attempt on her life. Each time she remembers feeling very cold.”

“So if it is Max making her do this stuff,” Phil said, “it means she can hear him.”

“Not necessarily,” Emma explained. “When I asked her about the voices, she said it wasn’t something she heard as much as something she felt. Like she
felt
driven to kill herself—almost as if she were obeying some unseen master.”

“Evil master,” added Granny.

“I agree, Granny. Whatever is causing her to do these things is evil.”

Phil shook his head. “It’s unconscionable that a parent, even the ghost of a parent, would do such a thing to his own daughter.”

Emma’s face turned sober. “Parents have been known to do horrible things to their children, Phil. Or don’t you read the news?”

“But I thought you said Max was a good dad when he was alive.”

“He was, at least that I could see. But who knows what happened right before his accident or after he died.”

Granny shook her head at Emma’s comments. “I’ve never known any spirit changing from being a decent sort while alive to being evil after death. Death might take them by surprise and they may be upset for a bit, but in time they get over it. But if a person was nasty in life or angry about something at the time of their death, there’s a good chance they’ll be a nasty spirit. Remember that Mrs. Manning? Her ghost was spiteful. Lainey’s mother sounds like she might be a humdinger in the afterlife, too, if she don’t change her spots.”

After Emma’s translation, Phil looked at Granny. “So whatever you were in life is how you spend eternity?”

“Not always, but for the most part,” answered Granny. “Though I’ve seen some not-so-nice spirits become quite pleasant after a while. If a person does change after they die, it’s more likely they were unhappy while alive and find peace in death.
Rest in peace
ain’t just some saying you carve into a headstone.”

Emma repeated Granny’s words to Phil.

“So,” Phil began after digesting Granny’s explanation, “if Max Naiman was a good and loving dad while alive, it’s unlikely he’d harm his daughter now.”

Granny got up and went to Phil’s side. Standing on tiptoe, the tiny ghost blew into his right ear.

Phil winked at Emma. “There’s my answer.”

Open mouthed, Emma stared at the two of them. “Unbelievable.”

When Granny took her seat in the rocker again, Emma told them about seeing Max. “Max showed up today when I was visiting Lainey. He didn’t say a word, just watched her, almost like a guardian angel. When I was leaving he showed up, but I couldn’t say anything to him in front of Dr. Garvey without looking like a wingnut.”

“Did Max say anything?” asked Granny.

Emma nodded, still lost in thoughts of Max Naiman. “His parting words to me were
fix this
.”

Phil looked surprised. “Weren’t those the same words he said at the restaurant?”

“Yes. Guess they were meant for me after all, except this time he said ‘please.’”

After a few beats of silence, during which Emma thought about Max and Lainey, she turned her full attention to her present company. “I hate to cut our weekend short, Phil, but I need to head back to LA tomorrow morning. There are two people I want to talk to before Monday, if I can—Joanna Reid and Keith Goldstein.”

“I thought Joanna didn’t give you her contact information.”

“She didn’t, but Lainey did, as well as Keith’s.”

“You going to run this by Milo, too?”

Emma shook her head. “Milo left yesterday for a series of paranormal retreats in England. He’s one of the presenters. Tracy went with him.”

Tracy Bass was Emma’s closest friend and a college professor. While Tracy couldn’t see or hear ghosts, she was very interested in the paranormal. She and Milo Ravenscroft had met when Emma first started discovering her special talents, and the two had, in time, become lovers.

“I thought Milo hated stuff like that.”

“Normally, yes, but this is more of an educational thing. They do two week-long retreats back-to-back with very small groups at some old castle. Tracy encouraged him to do it.” Emma smiled. “Personally, I think Tracy just wanted a free vacation in England. After the retreat, they’re going to do some traveling around the countryside.”

Phil nudged a stray rock on the floor of the porch with his boot. “How about I come with you, then?”

“Why?”

“I’d feel better if you’d let me come along, Emma. These things tend to get you into hot water. I’d worry less by your side.”

“But what about your work? You must be swamped getting ready to leave for your trip with the boys.”

“I hadn’t planned on doing much this weekend, and I’ll bring along my laptop just in case I do need to address something. We can take separate cars, and I’ll drive back to San Diego on Monday morning.”

Emma smiled at him. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

Emma put an arm around Phil’s waist and snuggled. “It would be nice to spend the rest of the weekend together, and my parents would love to see you.”

“Not to mention,” Granny added, “they’d feel better knowing Phil had your back while you go snooping around.”

Emma frowned at Granny. “I don’t need Phil to watch my back, Granny.”

“Yes, you do, you little fool. And tell him to bring his gun.”

Emma stomped her right foot once on the ground. “And he’s
not
bringing his gun.”

Phil chuckled, easily filling in the gaps in the conversation without a translator. Emma slipped her arm away and turned to him, her hands on her hips. “You’re not bringing it, are you?”

“I hadn’t thought of it, but maybe it’s not such a bad idea.” One look at Emma and Phil amended his comment. “No, Fancy Pants,” he assured her with a laugh and a soft stroke of her arm. “I’ll leave my gun at home.”

Emma gave him a quick, solid kiss. “Thank you.”

“Humph.” Granny got up again from her chair and started for the far end of the porch, her image beginning to fade. “You’re both a couple of fools.”

“Granny,” Emma called to her. “There is something I’d like you to do for me, if you want.”

The ghost spun around, her lined face wreathed with eagerness. “I knew there’d be an assignment.” She floated back, coming to a halt in front of Emma and Phil. She looked up at Emma, her mouth pursed with purpose. “Shoot, chief.”