Ghostly Graveyard (Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Book 17) (10 page)

“Hi, Zoe, how can I help you?” the clerk asked.

“Can you ring this up back here?” I asked. Hopefully she would or I’d lost my place in line for nothing.

“We’re really only supposed to do layaways and returns here, but after all the help you gave me when my boxer got lost I’m happy to break the rules. Just let me finish ringing in this return.”

I looked at the costume in the clerk’s hand and gasped. It was the exact same robe I’d seen the man in the cemetery wearing.

“You sell these robes?”

“Yeah. They’re monk costumes. Do you need one for Zak? This is an extratall.”

“No, Zak has a costume. Do you happen to know who returned this?”

“Evelyn Straw. Her husband Fred was going to wear it, but his cousin died, so they’re going to be out of town this weekend.”

I knew Fred Straw. He was a nice guy and I seriously doubted he was the man who’d scared me in the cemetery.

“Do you know who else bought this costume?” I asked.

“It depends. If they have an account with us and they slid their discount card when they bought the costume we’d have a record. If they used a credit card we’d have a record. If they paid cash and didn’t have an account with us we wouldn’t have one. Why do you ask?”

“I can’t go into detail, but it might have to do with the investigation into Duncan Wright’s murder. Can I get a list of everyone who bought the robe?”

The clerk hesitated.

“It’s important.”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt. But don’t tell my boss I gave it to you. He tends to be prickly about things like that.”

The clerk handed me the list as soon as it was printed. There were five names, including Evelyn Straw’s. “Do you know how many of these robes were in inventory?” I asked.

The clerk looked it up. “We ordered seven.”

“And were they all sold?”

“We have one on hold for Dover Wood and the one that was just returned by Evelyn. The rest are no longer in inventory.”

If there were seven robes and I had five names, including Evelyn’s, that left Dover and one other. “So there’s one that’s unaccounted for.”

“Like I said, we don’t keep track of cash customers unless they slide their card. We don’t have a lot of cash sales, but they do occur from time to time.”

If Dover hadn’t picked up his costume yet it couldn’t have been him I saw in the cemetery. I knew everyone on the list the clerk had handed me and couldn’t really see any of them being a killer, but someone had been lurking around on the night I’d found Duncan’s body. It would be just my luck that lucky number seven was the man in the cemetery, but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least have a chat with each and every one of the five people I did have.

Interactive Reader Portal
: If you want to read the story chronologically, read chapter 5 of
Zimmerman Academy
now by clicking on Zim2. Once you finish reading it, there will be a link to bring you to the top of Chapter 10, and you can continue on from there. If you prefer to read
Zimmerman Academy
as a separate story, or if you prefer to skip the chapters narrated by Phyllis, continue on to Chapter 10 now.

#Zim2

“You’re up early,” I said to Alex the next morning. She was sitting at the kitchen counter staring into space. I could tell she had something important on her mind. Alex was a serious person who tended to have serious thoughts.

“I’m trying to decide what to do about the cats.”

I’d spoken to Alex the previous evening about the fact that it was time to find homes for the feline family we’d been housing.

“This is the hard part about fostering animals,” I admitted. “In the process of caring for them you come to love them, and when it’s time to say good-bye it creates a void.”

“It’s going to seem so weird when they’re gone,” Alex said. “I’ve gotten used to getting up in the morning and going in to check on them first thing. And the kittens are so cute. And fun.”

“If you want to keep one of the kittens I’m sure we can accommodate one more animal in the house.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about. While the kittens are supercute, I think Sasha needs us more.” Sasha was the name Alex had given to the mama cat. “So if it’s okay with you I think I’ll keep her and let Jeremy find homes for the little ones.”

I smiled. “I think that sounds like a good plan. We’ll need to have Sasha spayed so we don’t have any more kittens. I’ll make the arrangements when I get to work this morning.”

“Okay.” Alex sighed.

I put my hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. “Is there something else on your mind?”

“I got an e-mail from my mom.”

“And something she said upset you?” I asked.

“She said it wasn’t going to work out for her and Dad to come back to the States for the holidays. I knew they wouldn’t be here for Thanksgiving, which is why I agreed to go with Scooter to his grandparents’ farm, but I really thought they would come for Christmas. At first my mom wanted me to meet them in New York, but after I talked to her she said they would come to Ashton Falls instead, so I could show them where I’m living now. It would have been fun for them to be here with all of us for Christmas.”

Alex’s parents were archaeologists who traveled the world looking for artifacts.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s been a while since you’ve seen your parents.”

Alex looked at me. “The thing is, my mom offered to arrange for me to come to South America for Christmas because they couldn’t come here. I don’t want to go to South America. I want to stay here in Ashton Falls. Now I don’t know what to do. If I tell my mom the truth I might hurt her feelings.”

Somehow I doubted that. Alex’s parents really didn’t go out of their way to spend time with her. Last year she would have been left alone at the boarding school she and Scooter were attending if he hadn’t brought her home with him. I felt bad that Alex felt bad about feeling the way she did.

“What if you had a really good reason for needing to stay in Ashton Falls over break?” I asked.

Alex looked at me. “Then I could tell my mom that while I would love to come for a visit, I really couldn’t because of this previous obligation.”

“Exactly.”

“What obligation?” Alex asked.

I furrowed my brow as I considered the situation. In order for Alex to stay, as she wanted to, without running the risk of hurting her mother’s feelings, which she was afraid she might, she would need a really compelling reason to stay. One that her parents would understand. Something academic-based would be best. It was obvious they put academic achievement above all else.

“Why don’t we talk to Zak and Phyllis about it? I’m sure between the two of them they can come up with an important project that requires your attention.”

Alex smiled. “Thanks, Zoe.”

“I’d better go nudge Scooter out of bed. He seems to be sleeping in later than usual and I don’t want him to be late for school.”

“He was up late working on his spelling words. He even asked me to help him study. I get the feeling it’s bothering him that he isn’t as smart as Pi and me. I tried to explain to him that we all have our own talents and he should be proud of the fact that he’s athletic and funny.”

“Yeah, he said something to me about not being included in the Academy. When we first talked about it he seemed fine with the fact that you and Pi would be spending your afternoons there while he would be attending public school, but now that classes have started I think he feels left out. It really wouldn’t work to have him do the half day thing you and Pi do while he’s in elementary school, but I’ll talk to Zak about some sort of special project he can be involved in.”

“I think that would be a good idea,” Alex said. “Of course he’s so busy with sports after school I don’t know when he’d have time to participate in a project, but I do think he needs to feel that he’s part of this big thing you and Zak are doing. Maybe he can help Zak with something.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like maybe a computer game. Scooter likes to play video games. Maybe if Zak has time they can develop one together.”

I smiled. “That’s an excellent suggestion. I’ll talk to Zak about it.”

I decided to drop the kittens off at the Zoo that morning. Now that Alex had made her decision it was best to make a clean break. I knew how hard it could be to say good-bye to animals you’d nurtured for weeks or even months. I still remember the devastation I felt when I’d released into the wild one of the first bear cubs I’d rescued. He came to me weighing less than five pounds. I’d had to bottle-feed him until he was able to be weaned onto solid food, and during those first weeks he’d toddled around my office while I worked. I’d even bought him a stuffed doggie to sleep with. I knew in my mind that I couldn’t keep him, but he felt more like a pet than a wild animal. When the time came to release him I began to imagine every possible challenge he might face. As I watched him walk into the woods, my heart shattered. I’d cried the entire drive home.

“Are those the kittens?” Jeremy asked when I walked in through the front door of the Zoo with a travel crate.

“All four of them. Alex decided to keep the mama.”

“I’m sure we can find the little darlings wonderful homes. How’s Alex doing with the separation?”

“Okay, considering. The first time is always the hardest.”

“I spoke with her about it last night at Phyllis’s dinner. She seemed to really be struggling with the whole thing.”

“Yeah. Alex tends to take almost every decision she makes very seriously. I’m afraid at times she overthinks things, but I suppose that’s a side effect of superintelligence. Once she came to a decision, though, she seemed to be okay with going through with it.”

“I’m glad.”

“How’s our lethargic cub?” I wondered.

“Scott came by yesterday to look at him. He wants us to put him on a special diet, so I segregated him from the other cubs for the time being. He seems about the same today, but Scott didn’t seem overly concerned.”

“Did he look at the retriever when he was here?”

“He did. He said the cast should come off in a week.”

We’d had a golden retriever brought in about a month before that had been hit by a car. He’d suffered a broken leg and cuts and bruises but was going to be just fine. We never had been able to track down an owner, so we planned to put him up for adoption once he was cleared by Scott.

“I’ll take the kittens back and get them settled,” Jeremy said.

“Okay. I have a few calls to make and then some leads to follow up on. Is Tiffany here?”

“Yeah. She’s in the back.”

I found Tiffany cleaning the dog runs. If there was one thing that could be said for having a job at the Zoo it was that there was always something to do. If there wasn’t something to be cleaned, there was someone who needed to be walked or fed.

“Hey, Zoe. How’s it going?” Tiffany asked.

“Busy. Can’t stay long. I wanted to ask if you would be available to stay at the house for a week or so over Thanksgiving.”

Tiffany’s face lit up. “Really? You know I’m always more than happy to stay at your five-star home. I’m kind of surprised you’re going to be away for the holiday, though.”

“Pi is going to a music event with some of the guys from Jeremy’s band and Scooter and Alex are going to his grandparents’. Zak thought it might be a good time for us to have some couple time, so he made us a reservation at a resort in Colorado.”

“Sounds wonderful, although I think if I lived in your house I’d never want to go anywhere else. Is it okay if I have Scott come stay with me?”

“Absolutely. I’ve been meaning to ask how things are going between the two of you. Not that it’s any of my business, but you know I’m nosy.”

Tiffany laughed. “Things are going well. I’d say we’re dating seriously, and while we’re very much exclusive, neither of us has brought up anything more permanent. I kind of have a feeling Scott is working up to that, so I’ve decided to be patient and let him set the pace. I’d like for him to meet my parents. I was actually thinking about inviting them to Ashton Falls for a few days over Thanksgiving.”

“If you decide to invite them feel free to have them stay at the house. In fact, consider the house yours to use as you’d like. We’re taking Charlie with us, but the rest of our menagerie will be there to keep you company if you end up wanting some alone time.”

“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

The first stop I made after leaving the Zoo was the grocery store to speak to Ernie Young, one of the six people who’d bought a monk’s robe from the costume shop. I’d called Evelyn Straw from my office, who’d said the costume she’d bought for Fred had never been opened. I offered my condolences for the loss of Fred’s cousin and then called the costume shop to confirm that the robe had been returned unopened. That left me with five possible suspects: the other four I had names for and the one who’d paid cash.

“Hey, Ernie,” I greeted him as I walked through the front door. One of the awesome things about Ernie’s market was that much of the time Ernie was right there at register one to greet you.

“It looks like I get to enjoy a double dose of Zimmerman this morning.”

I must have looked puzzled because Ernie continued, “Zak was in earlier buying supplies for your Halloween party.”

“Oh. Good. I’m glad he remembered because it totally slipped my mind. I hope you’ll be able to stop by.”

“Plan to. I have a costume and everything.”

“Awesome. What are you coming as?”

“A psycho killer.”

I frowned.

“I bought a monk’s robe and a Jason Voorhees mask at the costume shop.”

“Oh. It sounds like a scary costume. Have you tried it out? I thought I saw someone dressed like that on Friday.”

“Wasn’t me. I was in Bryton Lake with the family for the weekend. Might have been Jim you saw. He mentioned that he might try his costume out at the Haunted Hamlet. We ended up buying the same robe, but he has an ape mask instead of a Jason one.”

“Yeah, it was probably him.”

“So what can I help you with today?” Ernie asked.

“Help me with?”

“I’m assuming you came in to buy something.”

“Oh. Yeah. I did.” I picked up a candy bar and set it on the counter. “Midmorning munchies,” I explained.

After I paid for the candy bar I really didn’t want but still somehow ate, I headed toward Jim’s Taco Hut. Of the men on the list, Jim seemed the most likely to become violent, although none of them really struck me as being the killer. Still, if I had to choose between Jim, Ethan Carlton, and Dr. Ryder Westlake, Jim would be my man.

“Here for a taco?” Jim asked as I walked through the front door.

“Uh, yeah, I could do a taco.”

I was going to gain ten pounds by the time I finished this investigation.

“Did you go to the Haunted Hamlet over the weekend?” I asked.

“I went on Sunday. I had to work until closing on Friday after one of my guys didn’t show up and I had tickets for a concert in the city on Saturday. Shame about the haunted house. I was really looking forward to it. I even planned to wear my
Planet of the Apes
costume.”

“Yeah,” I agreed as I accepted the taco and began pouring hot sauce over it. “It really was a drag that the haunted house was closed before it even got started. Not only were there a lot of disappointed people but we lost a lot of revenue. I’m sorry you had to work late on Friday. It was really rocking downtown.”

“By the time I got off at eleven most of the fun was over. Oh, well, maybe next year. Can I get you anything else?”

“No. This will do it. Thanks.”

If Jim had worked until eleven on the night I saw the hooded man in the graveyard it couldn’t have been him. The problem was that all I was left with was Ryder Westlake, Ethan Carlton, and the man or woman who’d paid cash. I seriously doubted either Ryder or Ethan would hurt a flea, although I didn’t know for sure that the masked man had killed Duncan. It was possible someone else was the murderer and the masked man just happened to be wandering around the graveyard. Still, either Ryder or Ethan would have stopped to help me when I fell. Additionally, either man would have tried to help Duncan had they noticed the body.