Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks (7 page)

“Why did you trust her anyway?”

“I don’t know. I overheard her talking to a customer at the Bay Port Inn about an investment tip she got from her stockbroker brother.”

“What was the investment in?”

“Solar technology, an outfit called International Energy. It sounded like green technology that would be all the rage these days. I expected to get in on the ground floor and she told me I had bought fifty percent of the stock.”

“Which would net you quite a sum if it went global.”

“Yes. Katherine told me that they were expanding business in the South that would really put them on the map financially. You know, everyone these days is all about green. If they had only planned to do business in the North I would never have handed off the money, but the South has far more sunlight than we get up here so I figured it was a sweet deal.”

“Why would you even trust someone you didn’t know like that?”

“She was so convincing and I had to do something to increase my cash flow.”

“How did you get the money from your son?”

“I took it without his knowledge. I still don’t think he knows it’s gone, but when he does, it’s gonna be World War III around here. He might seem calm enough now, but don’t be fooled. There is plenty of Jack Winston in him.”

“And you never planned to harm Katherine after she swindled you?”

“Of course I did. That’s a pretty normal reaction. Now that she’s dead, I’ll for sure never get my money back.”

Jack’s eyes widened, but I didn’t pay any attention to what that was all about as I suggested, “It might be better if you told your son the truth about the money before he finds out.”

“What money?” Henry asked from behind me.

I whirled and said, “Geez, don’t you know you shouldn’t be sneaking up on old folks like that. You gave me a near heart attack.”

Henry pursed his lips. “How else do you think I find out about what the old man is up to?” He crossed his arms.

“Confound it. You’re sneakier than a snake, Henry. Okay, I might as well up and tell you that I found your checkbook and wrote myself a check for twenty thousand a few months back,” Jack admitted.

Henry’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Why on earth did you need that kind of money?”

“I ran into what I thought was a great investment, but it looks like I got swindled, and now as it turns out, that woman, Katherine Clark was found dead at the Butler Mansion,” Jack said somberly. “She was the one I gave the money to.”

“What kind of investment, exactly?”

“A solar technology company, International Energy. Katherine told me I was getting in on the ground floor and would be getting a fifty percent interest in the company. They were planning to expand into the South, even. Sounded like a good deal at the time.”

“Why on earth did you do that, Dad?”

“You’re barely giving me enough money to get by with.”

“Two hundred a week isn’t much for Jack. He’s used to living the highlife,” Eleanor said.

“Well, I just didn’t want to see him throwing all of his cash at those bimbos.” Henry’s shoulders drooped a bit now. “Is there any way we can get the money back?”

“That’s where we come in,” I began. “We need to find out if Katherine still had the money, or if someone else was also involved in her scheme.”

“I just don’t understand why she came to town or took a job at the Butler Mansion,” Eleanor said. “Why turn up in the same town where the man lived that you swindled?”

“Unless she was sure that Jack wouldn’t call the cops,” I said. “At what point did you realize that she took your money Jack, or did you?”

“I still believed I could at least get my money back if she’d only speak to me.”

“You still thought that after she threatened you?”

Jack took a drink of his lemonade, and then said, “Well, I guess I just didn’t want to believe it. Agnes, maybe if you and Eleanor dig into Katherine’s death, you might just find the money.”

“If it’s in her bank accounts there might be a money trail. Did you write the check to her for the twenty thousand?”

“No, I wrote it to myself. Katherine insisted she get the money in cash. That way she’d be able to buy the stock right away. With a sizable check you’d have to wait ten days for it to clear the bank.”

Eleanor bobbed her head. “He’s right, Agnes. You’d have to wait with a check.”

“I’d sure like to know if this International Energy is a real company or a dummy corporation set up to look authentic for an elaborate scheme.”

“If that’s the case, Aggie, that Katherine might have swindled more folks in town.”

“Exactly, and I can’t help but think that she targeted senior citizens, which really makes me sick to my stomach.”

“Sounds like you ladies have a case to unravel,” Henry said. “Come inside, Dad, and we’ll go over your finances. The last thing I want you to think is that I’m trying to take your money. I just don’t want to see you go broke.”

Chapter Six

We walked through the house to where Martha sat next to Brad, who was in an in-depth conversation about the best surfing beaches with Tony. When Martha spotted us, she said, “Oh, Mother. Give me a ride back to my car.”

Brad barely looked up, and when she wasn’t able to even get him to look up at her when she announced she was leaving, she stomped off toward the door with us in tow.

When we were back in the car and I was backing up, Eleanor turned to look at Martha in the backseat. “Brad seems nice, but is he—”

Martha sighed. “Probably. I sure know how to pick them.”

Eleanor faced the front again. “Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m sure you’ll find a new one on the beach later.”

That was classic Martha. She liked young men and had a healthy supply. Even though she was forty, she was quite shapely and dressed provocatively most days. Cat suits were her favorite piece of apparel. She did have a gig at the local realty office once, but she’s not a conformist. She instead prefers to live for free in my Winnebago that has been parked at the Tawas campground next to the pier.

“How about after we drop you at your car, we follow you back to the campground?”

“Sure, I can throw something on the grill.”

“But shouldn’t we get back to the mansion soon?” Eleanor asked.

“We will, but I’m sure Bernice is overseeing things just fine.”

The man who had closed it behind us earlier opened the gate, and Martha hopped out on the other side and followed us to the campground. I glanced in the back seat to assure myself that my ghost partner was still with me and she was, but staring out the window.

“Why do you keep looking back there, Agnes?” Eleanor wanted to know. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I gripped the steering wheel and laughed nervously. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

“Ever since the accident, you seem a bit off-kilter, is all.”

“Well, I did rattle my head.”

“People change sometimes after an accident. How have you been feeling, really?”

“I’ve had some headaches. That’s why I had a CT scan yesterday.”

“Did you get the results?”

“You know, I never did. I’m sure if there were any problems, Dr. Thomas would have told me.”

I made the turn into the campground and parked alongside my Winnebago where a group of young men were sitting on the picnic table, all of them wearing cutoff shorts.

“I’ve never seen so many bare-chested men in my life,” Eleanor said. “It looks like it won’t be long before Martha has herself a new beau.”

“Nothing new there, but just why are these men here when Martha isn’t?”

“Not sure, but looks like she’s not too upset about it,” Eleanor pointed out as Martha raced from her car that she parked in a hurry to greet the men.

Eleanor and I struggled out of the car, which made me believe that Eleanor was about as tired as I was. It had already been a long day. While Eleanor made her way to the group of young men, I stopped and looked across the way, where the black monstrosity of a trailer stood with thick drapes covering the windows like usual.

Leotyne Williams rolled into East Tawas a while ago and hasn’t left yet. Eleanor and I have also called her a gypsy, on account of she lives in a trailer and is of Romanian descent. Of course, early on we also thought she was a witch. I think it had something to with the fact that she has long, stringy hair and wears long black dresses despite the heat. The ghost floated nearby, and instead of joining Martha and Eleanor, it might be the time to ask Leotyne to look into that crystal ball of hers, since she’s known to be a clairvoyant. She’s also given me advice in the past, but it’s usually sketchy at best. More like a riddle than anything else, but it’s always rung true, so I have learned to take her advice.

I rapped on the door and the ghost bobbed next to me when Anna Parsons opened it. I had met Anna in the hospital on one of my numerous overnight stays there. Leotyne took Anna in not long ago when she needed a place to stay and Anna is Leotyne’s apprentice.

“Hello,” I said as I clambered up the steps of the trailer and Anna raced out of the way, pressing herself to the wall of the kitchenette.

Before I had time to ask if Leotyne was here, I jerked my head sideways as an earth-shattering scream coming from Leotyne echoed in the trailer. My ghost companion was also quite frightened and her mouth was wide open in a screaming motion, too. She formed a black mist that flew into one wall of the trailer after the other, sending books flying to the floor. Leotyne grabbed a broom and began to swing wildly at the mist and I shouted, “Stop it! You’re scaring her.”

Leotyne stopped mid-swipe. “Scaring her? She’s wrecking the place.”

“That’s because you were screaming.”

Leotyne put the broom down. “Why’d you bring a ghost into my trailer for?”

“It’s okay, I won’t let her hurt you,” I cooed to the ghost that appeared in silhouette form now, her chest rising and falling. She then threw her ghostly arms around me and I hugged the air lightly since if I did it too hard, my arms would go straight through her. Or that was my reasoning, since this was
way
bazaar.

Leotyne smoothed her hair and straightened her clothing now, motioning Anna to join her at the table. “It’s okay, dear, the ghost is with her.”

Anna raced over and sat down, her eyes round and wide. “I-I didn’t think gh-ghosts were real.”

“Of all the crazy things for someone to say that proclaims herself as clairvoyant. Of course they’re real,” I said as I sat opposite them and the ghost floated close by. “I’m staying at the Butler Mansion and I can tell you that I’ve seen one there, too. Or I should say, Eleanor and I did.” I pursed my lips since I had to tell them the whole story. At least someone besides me could see the ghost now. “Not sure if you were aware of it or not, but I had an accident where I suffered quite the concussion, and when I woke up this ghost was there and has been with me ever since.”

Leotyne leaned forward, her eyes squinty. “Don’t be too hard on the girl, she’s learning. So it’s attached itself to you, then. When was the first time you saw the ghost?”

“In the hospital.”

Leotyne’s fingers tapped the table. “Interesting. So it had nothing to do with the body that was discovered at the Butler Mansion that they spoke about on the news?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

Leotyne fingered her crystal ball thoughtfully. “The ghost isn’t the same person who died at the mansion recently, but it’s a bit foggy. She’s attached to you for some reason and I’m not so convinced that it was at the hospital for sure, but you could ask around. I expect if someone has seen a ghost at the hospital before, they might tell you. Maybe.”

That really didn’t help much. “They might think I’m off my rocker, too.”

“You are that, Agnes. Have your partner, Eleanor, ask the questions, since she’s perceived as a brick short of a full load already.”

I frowned. “Oh, come on. Eleanor might be a little impulsive, but she’s more sane than most. I can’t ask her to do that without telling her the whole story.”

“You mean she doesn’t also see the ghost?” Anna asked.

“No, and she doesn’t know I see one, either. It’s so hard to keep this all to myself.”

“Yes, it’s important not to tell anyone, but you do need to figure out who she is at some point. Ghosts often want something and you need to figure out what it is.”

I pointed out the crystal ball. “Can’t you see something in that globe of yours that might help?”

Leotyne looked into the crystal ball and shook her head. “It’s all fogged up.”

“Let me try,” Anna said. She then leaned toward the globe, putting her fingers on it. “Yes, all fogged up. She might not want us to tell you who she really is.”

The ghost shook her head.

“Do you even know who you really are?” I asked the ghost. When she only shrugged, I added, “I just don’t understand. Can either of you at least tell me something about the woman who died at the mansion, Katherine Clark?”

Leotyne once again looked into her ball. “Beware of the three o’clock hour.” She then stared at me. “It’s not safe for you to stay at the mansion. It’s a very dangerous place, with many angry spirits.”

“Why angry?”

“That’s all I see.”

“Anna, you try, please. I have to know.”

Anna smiled sadly. “Sorry, that’s all there is to know. Try back in a few days and maybe we can see something more.”

I stood up, more aggravated than ever, just as Eleanor waltzed into the trailer. When she spotted me, she clutched her chest. “Oh, thank the heavens above. I was so scared when I couldn’t find you.”

“Oh, come now. You had to have known I’d be here.”

Eleanor’s eyes darted around nervously. “I suppose. Hello, Leotyne. Where’s your hellhounds?”

“I had only one hound and he’s met an unfortunate end.”

I gulped. “Run over by a car?”

“Nope, old age. Let me just say that he was an old dog.”

“What did she tell you?” asked Eleanor.

“Nothing much. You know, another riddle: ‘Beware the three o’clock hour’ and something about ‘the mansion being dangerous.’”

“I knew it. We shouldn’t be there.”