Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks (15 page)

“You said everything went black,” Eleanor began. “But how long were you out? Didn’t you realize you were dead?”

 “No, not at first I didn’t. I woke up in the middle of the road got up and ran to the side of the road. It was then that I saw the ambulance and my body laying there.”

“That must have been just awful,” I said with a shake of my head.

“It was. When the ambulance sped away, it never occurred to me that I should follow it.”

Eleanor wrinkled up her face. “So you didn’t see a light or anybody coming for you?”

“Not at all. All I could think about was how I sure got the bad end of the stick.”

“What did you do after the ambulance left? Did you go anywhere all these years?”

“I tried, but I could only go as far as the side of the street. I stood there for many years watching tourists bustle on the streets and trains roaring past. East Tawas changed and I was just stuck here, watching it all happen. When I saw Agnes’ car roar past, I tried to tell her to slow down, that another car was on a collision course with her, but she didn’t see me. When those cars collided, I was thrown into the passenger’s seat and was along for the ride. The ambulance came and this time, I was allowed to leave with it and Agnes.”

“So you weren’t able to leave before, but suddenly you could,” Eleanor said. “Were you run over in the same spot Agnes had the accident?”

“Exactly the same place. Look, I’m not sure how this whole ghost thing works. All I know is, that I was able to go where Agnes went, like the hospital. I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to see me or not, but when she buried her head under the blanket I knew she did. When she was still unconscious, I felt like the angel of death. I expected she’d die and we’d be able to transition to the next stop or to the everlasting life. Being a ghost is no fun, especially when you’re all alone.”

“If you weren’t able to leave before,” I began, “then how are you able to disappear at will, and travel to other locations like the Butler Mansion when I’m not even there?”

“Sorry, I can’t help you there. I really don’t understand how this whole dead thing works. I almost wonder if I had that ability long ago, but never knew it.”

“Do you have a family?” Eleanor asked. “Or—”

“The thing is that I can remember few details. Until you ladies found that newspaper article, I didn’t remember how I died, or much of anything else.”

“And now?” I asked.

“Well, now I can’t remember much except my accident. I don’t know why, but I have the feeling that whoever did this to me has passed on.”

“What about the ghost at the Butler Mansion? The man I saw you chasing through a wall yesterday?”

“Actually, Agnes, I just don’t know. All I know is that I wanted to speak to him. None of the ghosts at the mansion will speak to me.”

“How many gh-ghosts are there?” Eleanor stuttered.

“Well, I’m not sure the exact number, but there’s one woman who lives in the attic. She’s a bit grumpy and chased me out when I visited. She told me she doesn’t like my type. I’m still not sure what that means.”

“So a man and a woman,” I said. “I sure hope they decide to behave themselves when the mansion opens as a bed and breakfast.”

Eleanor drank her tea. “Perhaps you could ask them to, Caroline.”

“I suppose I could try, but like I said, they don’t talk to me.”

“Perhaps you need to make them listen to you,” I suggested.

“I’ll try right now,” Carolina said as she faded away in a puff of smoke.

Connie’s eyes opened wide when she joined us. “I knew I shouldn’t have allowed you girls to go through those newspapers. It’s so thick down here. Did you g-girls see that black smoke down here? I sure hope a g-ghost won’t decide to take up residence in my basement now.”

“Smoke? No. You see any smoke, Eleanor?”

“Nope, but I’m sure ready to head back to East Tawas and maybe check out how things went for Martha,”

I offered to help Connie straighten up the basement, but she shooed us away. I personally was happy with a few things. I knew more about Caroline than I once did, and now I didn’t have to hide the truth from Eleanor.

Chapter Twelve

I called Martha and she told me she was home, so Eleanor and I made our way there. Parked alongside my trailer was a black car that I believed belonged to the coroner, Walter Smitty.

“Oh, boy,” Eleanor said as we jumped from the car after it screeched to a halt. I heard a panting sound, but when I didn’t see a hellhound, I remembered that Leotyne’s pooch had met its end and that his ghost had chased Caroline up a tree.

I hadn’t made it ten feet before I heard a growling and snapping at my feet, but for some reason, the ghost of a dog isn’t nearly as menacing as the real thing, so I ignored him.

Eleanor was the one who rapped on the door, and a red-faced Martha stuck her head out. She quickly ushered us inside and whispered, “Help, I can’t get him to leave.”

“Did you find out anything yet?”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been battling his advances ever since he arrived.”

I strode over to Walter and said, “Hello, there. I’m not sure if you remember me or not.”

He downed the contents of his shot glass. “Oh, yes—the investigator.”

“Investigators,” Eleanor piped up. “What are you doing here?”

“Martha invited me, but I didn’t expect anyone else to arrive. I sure hope you haven’t brought that Sheriff Peterson with you.”

“Of course not. What makes you think he’d be here?”

“Well, it seems like we have a difference of opinion. I know he’s the sheriff and all, but I’ve never been asked to withhold autopsy results before. Why, do you know he released information that he’s still investigating Katherine’s death, or I should say Barbara Billings?”

 “Barbara Billings?” I asked in shock.

“Yes, she’s the woman you found at the mansion. It seems she was using an alias, or so the sheriff says.” He poured himself another shot. “I know I shouldn’t be divulging this information since he’s investigating, but she wasn’t murdered.”

I flopped on the seat opposite Walter. “You don’t say? Well, what did her in then?”

“Heart attack I suspect, but there really was no sign of clogged arteries to speak of. I’ve seen a case like this some years back, but that defied reason, too.”

“And the toxicology reports?”

“All came back clear. I even checked to see if she had been given any insulin. I had a case years ago where someone gave a healthy patient insulin and it caused them to go into cardiac arrest. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she was too far gone to be revived.”

“So did the sheriff tell you why he wanted the results kept quiet?”

“He wanted to investigate more since she was suspected of running a stock scam. It seems she’s victimized quite a number of residents in Tawas.”

“Oh, I know, and thanks for the information. I sure would never get that juicy of a tidbit from Peterson, that’s for sure.”

“Don’t tell him I told you so, please.”

“I sure won’t.”

“Has anyone claimed the remains yet?”

“That’s the strangest thing … no. So either they don’t know, or are too worried if they’re involved in her criminal activity.”

I sighed. “I just don’t understand any of this. I had hoped to get some kind of clue, but I haven’t come up with anything. This information has cleared the names of some of my friends that were scammed by Katherine.”

“She has ties to Bay Port, in the thumb in Michigan, or that’s what her driver’s license that Trooper Sales found said.”

“Is there anything else you could tell me?”

He leaned closer to me. “How does a man get close to your daughter, Martha? I had thought she was raring to go, and once we got here she gave me the cold shoulder.”

“She’s like that. Actually, she dates younger men for the most part.”

He squared his shoulders. “That explains it. I might as well head home, then.”

“One more question from a medical standpoint. Is it possible for someone to be scared to death?”

He stood. “It’s quite possible if the person was truly frightened enough that it could trigger an overflow of adrenaline that would cause the heart to go into abnormal rhythms that just can’t sustain life. They’d essentially drop dead.”

“Did you find evidence of that during autopsy?”

“The heart didn’t look damaged at all, but this is a plausible cause of death. I’ve listed it as a heart attack. It was brought on by unknown circumstances, in my opinion, since her heart didn’t seem to have any defects.”

That made so much sense to me. “Thanks.”

“I’d love to know what you two find out. Like what caused Katherine’s heart attack. What would frighten her so bad? It might explain the fingernail marks on her neck. She must have grabbed her neck when she went into distress. I imagine by then she was having difficulty breathing. Not as interesting a death as caused by a vampire, like you both thought. Actually, that would have been a more interesting case,” he chuckled. “One for the record books you might say, eh?”

I would have laughed, but I felt it was one of those jokes someone who does autopsies for a living might tell, so I just nodded.

We waited until Walter was out the door before I began to pace. “We can’t run to Bay Port now. There simply isn’t time. We’re expected back at the mansion by five.”

“I could make a few calls, or check her Facebook account,” Eleanor suggested.

Martha brought out her laptop and Eleanor’s fingers flew on the keyboard, searching Katherine’s name and her alias. Both pages seemed quite similar, with one eerie coincidence; there was a man on her friend’s list that resembled the man who kidnapped Stuart and me! I went to his page, but wasn’t able to see any information. He certainly didn’t have the name Len McGroovy like he told me his name was. His profile name was Peyton Murphy. It listed his address as Bay Port, Michigan.

“Martha, where is Stuart?”

“Oh, how would I know? He’s undercover, you know. He wouldn’t tell me the particulars, but he did say that visiting you at the hospital wasn’t the only reason he was in town.”

My face fell. “That’s disappointing. I imagined as much since the last time I saw him, he was spying on someone at the beach. We were even kidnapped when the man confronted him, or I should say us.”

“What on earth?” Eleanor said. “When did this happen?”

“That day I left you with Martha. I lied to you about going to see Dr. Thomas that day, but I did tell you I was trying to find Stuart. Well, I found him and got myself into the middle of Stuart’s investigation.”

Martha put the whiskey bottle to her lips and took a swig. “I think I need a nip for this story.”

“I whacked the woman in the head.”

“What woman?” Eleanor asked as Martha took another drink.

“Stuart’s wife. She’s a lovely woman except for the holding a gun on me part. After I knocked her out, we rolled out of the moving van.”

“Why weren’t you hospitalized after that?” Martha wanted to know.

“The van wasn’t moving all that fast yet.”

“I see. Well, you’ve had quite an adventure already. What else have you been up to without anyone knowing?”

“She sees dead people. I mean ghosts,” Eleanor added. “We’re trying to unravel the story, but it looks like there’s an even bigger mystery at hand.”

Martha laughed. “Seeing ghosts isn’t enough for you two?”

“Nope. Since Katherine died of natural causes, we have to wonder what that Len character is looking for. I personally have to wonder where Katherine stuffed all the money that she swindled out of everyone, or mainly, Jack Winston and Elsie Bradford.”

Martha took another drink and choked on it. Eleanor promptly trotted over and gave her a pat on the back. Once she was able to talk again, she continued. “I suppose you two had better get moving, It’s already four o’clock. You’ll have to sort all of this out later. If you don’t get back to the mansion soon, Sara might have one of those Hollywood wig-out moments.”

I did one final search on Facebook for International Energy, but instead of finding a picture of that Len McGroovy character listed as president under his alias, Katherine was listed as president.

“There’s a page for International Energy,” I informed Eleanor and Martha who then gathered behind me, reading the screen. “I suppose they needed to have a page just in case someone checked them out.” I hit the link on their ‘about’ page, stating it was a website, but it ended up with a broken link. “It seems they don’t have a website anymore.”

“Maybe it’s bankrupt just like Jack told Elsie,” Eleanor said.

I nodded and lit out the door, more in a hurry than ever before. I had to check this out and possibly find the cash I was convinced was hidden at the mansion. It was clear now why Len was in town and why someone might be investigating him—like my son. Eleanor and I buckled in and the ghost dog hopped in the back seat, yapping up a storm.

I sighed and backed out.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“You remember that hellhound of Leotyne’s?” When Eleanor bobbed her head in agreement, I added, “He’s dead and is a ghost now. He’s riding in the backseat.”

“So now we have a ghost dog to add to our list of crazy things going on?”

“So it appears.”

Instead of Eleanor remarking about that, she gripped her purse with both hands while the car jetted toward the Butler Mansion.

Chapter Thirteen

I rolled up the drive of the Butler Mansion and Caroline appeared in the backseat of the car before it came to a halt, but the ghost dog took one look at her and chased her from the car.

I got out and sauntered toward the porch where there was a red carpet rolled out for guests to enter. Lit jack-o’-lanterns decorated with horrific carved faces sat on the steps, and well, basically, all over the porch. I carefully ascended the few steps and Elsie greeted me.

“I was wondering if you girls would ever get here. Sara arrived ten minutes ago and was fussing about you two not being here. We told her you went out to get ice cream.” When I gave her a look, she added, “Well, it seemed like a good enough idea at the time.”