The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor (17 page)

T
he next morning I woke to a beautiful day. The air was cooler and dry, and the windows were flung open to let in the soft breeze.
This
was the way the South was meant to be enjoyed—with gentle warmth and sunny days in the autumn.

I went downstairs with a lightness in my step that hadn't been there recently. I ate breakfast by myself and paged through the newspaper. Nothing happened to suggest that anything was amiss in the great house.

But when I left the dining room to get started for the day, I walked into the ballroom and stopped short with a gasp.

The ballroom walls, which the previous day had been a vibrant, deep blue, were now scarred with long, jagged streaks of black paint. There was paint on the floor and paint on the ceiling. That beautiful ceiling, which I had worked on for so many days! Looking at all the droplets on the walls, some of which were dripping in long scraggly lines, it was obvious that someone had taken a brush and flung paint all over the room. I walked quickly to the sitting room, trying to avoid stepping in any drops of black on the floor. The sitting room had thankfully been left untouched. I was confused, shocked, dismayed. I ran to the doorway of the ballroom and took off my shoes. I was going to run upstairs to find Evie and Graydon when the front door swung open. Heath peeked his head around the door. He smiled when he saw me.

“Good morning!”

Then he saw the look on my face. He came inside quickly and closed the door. “What's wrong?”

I couldn't speak. I pointed to the ballroom and he looked through the doorway. He turned to me, his face mirroring my own. “What happened?”

I shook my head and finally found my voice. “I don't know.” I gulped. “I don't know. It was like that when I went in there just a minute ago.”

“When did it happen?”

“I don't know,” I repeated. “Sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning. I haven't been in there since then.”

“Does Dad know?”

“I doubt it. I just found it myself.”

Heath went to the stairs. “Dad!” he called up, a sense of urgency in his voice. “Dad!”

We could hear doors opening upstairs. Graydon's head appeared over the railing upstairs. “What is it?” he asked with concern.

“Come down here, quickly. There's something you need to see.”

Graydon came downstairs, tying his robe. Evie clattered along behind him, still in her pajamas. Graydon looked from Heath to me, glancing at my bare feet. “What's wrong?”

Heath pointed grimly in the direction of the ballroom. Graydon walked to the doorway, followed by Evie, and let out an expletive.

He turned to me. “What on earth happened?”

I threw my hands in the air. “I have no idea. It was like that when I walked in there just a few minutes ago.”

“Is the paint still wet?” Evie asked.

“I don't know. I'll go see.” I walked into the ballroom and ran my finger down one of the drips of paint on the wall. It was still a bit wet. I bent down and did the same with the paint on the floor. Same result.

“It's not completely dried, but it's not fresh, either. Someone must have done this a few hours ago,” I informed the group.

“That doesn't really help us much,” noted Graydon, “unless someone was down here in the middle of the night and saw it happening.”

“Saw what happening?” asked Vivian. She had come down the stairs and was standing in the entry hall with the rest of us.

“Someone vandalized the ballroom,” Graydon informed her grimly. “There are streaks of black paint all over the walls and drops of paint on the floor and the ceiling.”

“What?” she exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Who did it?” she asked as she looked into the ballroom.

Graydon shrugged. “We don't know.”

“What about the sitting room?” she asked.

“The sitting room is untouched,” I answered.

“Thank heaven for that,” Vivian remarked. “What do we do next?” Everyone looked at me.

“I guess we wait for the paint to dry and then I redo the ballroom,” I said simply. “I'll try to remove as much of the black paint as I can from the walls, but it's going to be hard to do that without damaging the plaster. I may just end up having to paint over the black. The same is true for the ceiling.

“And as for the floor,” I continued, “I'll scrape it off as best I can and restain it.” I shook my head. “This will take some time. I guess I'll get started in the front hall while I'm waiting for all the paint to dry.”

Just then Ruby came in the front door. She looked around at everyone, confused. “Is something the matter?”

“Ruby, do you know anything about the black paint in the ballroom?” Graydon asked.

“No. What happened?”

“Someone splashed black paint on the walls and floor and ceiling of the ballroom. It's ruined and now Carleigh is going to have to do the entire room again.”

Ruby went over to the ballroom doorway and peered in. She turned around, her hands over her mouth, and stared at me with wide eyes. “This is terrible!”

“I know,” I sighed resignedly. “I'll get started today on the entry hall. Normally I like to work on walls first, but I think I'll work on the floor first this time.”

“It had to have been someone in this house,” Vivian said conspiratorially to Graydon loudly enough for us all to hear. “My money's on Phyllis. She's disgruntled.”

Graydon turned to her angrily. “If she's disgruntled, then we have you to thank for it. So don't go around making accusations like that. We have no idea who did it.”

Vivian stared at him stonily for a moment and then said, “Well! I guess we know where your loyalties lie!”

He rolled his eyes. “Vivian, don't start. You know my loyalties lie with my family. But you can't go around treating Phyllis like that! She's worked for us for many years, and her mother for many years before that, so I think we owe her a certain amount of respect.”

“Where is Phyllis, anyways?” Evie cut in, probably to stop her parents' bickering.

“She wasn't in the kitchen when I came down to eat breakfast,” I answered. “I imagine she's in her apartment.”

“Maybe I should go look for her,” Ruby said.

“You do whatever you want,” Vivian replied sourly. “I'm going to work.” She walked out the front door, closing it quietly behind her. Ruby went into the kitchen, presumably in search of Phyllis.

“Carleigh, I'm real sorry this happened,” Graydon said. “You're a good girl to keep working on this house.” Evie, smiling, rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb toward her father at his antiquated chivalry. Her reaction lightened the mood.

“Daddy, for heaven's sake, don't call her a good girl. She's not a child.”

He looked at me sheepishly. “Sorry, Carleigh.”

I grinned at him. “That's okay.”

“I think we need to notify the police about this,” Graydon said. “I'll call them and I'm sure they'll be over here before long.”

He went upstairs, leaving Heath and Evie and me standing in the entry hall.

“Who do you suppose did it?” asked Evie.

“I can't imagine,” answered Heath. “Why would anyone here want to vandalize the house? We all live here.”

“Do you agree with Mother?”

“That is was Phyllis? Could be. Mother sure made her angry last night.”

“I don't blame Phyllis for being mad, but she needs to find a better way to express herself,” Evie replied with a sigh. “Carleigh, what do you think?”

“I have no idea who did it. That doesn't seem like something Phyllis would do, but I really don't know her very well.”

“Carleigh's right. It seems out of character for her. Do you suppose someone could have broken in and done it?” Heath asked.

Evie shivered. “I hope not. That's a scary thought. Don't you think we'd see evidence of a break-in if someone from outside had done it?”

I shrugged. “I don't know. I'm sure the police will check that out once they get here.”

“I wish I could stay here to help you,” Heath told me. “But I need to get into Charleston to work. I've got court this morning.”

“That's okay. This is my job, remember? Just because there's been a setback doesn't lessen my responsibility to complete it. Go on. Have a good day.” I shooed him toward the front door.

He smiled at me and kissed my forehead. “I'll see you tonight,” he promised.

“I'll come down when the police get here,” Evie said, heading up the stairs.

I sighed and stood looking into the ballroom.
Who could have done the damage to the ballroom? Phyllis? Even Vivian? She was pretty angry last night. Maybe she vandalized the room out of spite.
But I didn't want to be the one to suggest to Heath and Evie that their mother might have been the culprit.

I gazed around at the entry hall for a few moments. Some areas of the marble had become discolored through the long years, and I wanted to try to clean them before thinking about having the floor replaced.

I was gathering the supplies I would need to tackle the marble when the police arrived. After looking around the ballroom, they examined the doors and windows on the rest of the first floor. Evie and Graydon and I waited for them in the drawing room. Then they questioned us in turn in the kitchen. They left after explaining that they could find no evidence of a break-in and that this appeared to be a domestic problem. They suggested that we keep our eyes and ears open for anything suspicious, but there appeared to be nothing they could do about it. I was discouraged, as were Evie and Graydon.

I threw myself into my work that day, scrubbing the marble until my arms hurt. I think I was trying to forget about the scars in the ballroom. By late afternoon I was starving and ready for a break. Phyllis came into the entry hall to offer me a glass of sweet tea.

“Ruby told me what happened in the ballroom. The police questioned me, too,” she told me. “It's too bad your work was ruined. I saw how hard you worked in there and it looked nice.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “I wish I knew
why
someone threw paint in there.”

“You know what I think?” she asked.

I looked at her askance. I knew where this conversation was headed. But I answered anyway. “What?”

“It's that dog.”

I shook my head at her. “Phyllis, I hope you aren't suggesting that Addie came into the manor house and threw paint on the ballroom walls.”

She arched her eyebrow at me. “I didn't say the dog did it. But I warned you about stray dogs. They bring nothing but bad luck to a house. It wouldn't have happened if Heath hadn't adopted her.”

“Don't talk like that. Addie doesn't even live in this house! She lives with Heath!”

“Doesn't matter,” she answered, shaking her head. “She lives on this property, doesn't she?”

Apparently there was no reasoning with her. I was exasperated. “Thanks for the tea, Phyllis. I have to take a shower.” I went upstairs and as I reached the top I looked back down out of the corner of my eye. Phyllis was watching me. I shivered. The very idea—that Addie could be responsible for Harlan's death
and
for vandalizing the ballroom! Between Phyllis's superstitions and her belief in ghosts, I was beginning to think she was more than a little creepy.

D
uring dinner my cell phone vibrated. When I looked down at the number and saw that it was from Florida, I excused myself to take the call.

“Carleigh? It's Mom.” Her voice sounded strained.

“Mom? What's going on? What's wrong?”

“Lucy's okay, but Dad is sick.”

I was shocked. “Is he all right? What's the matter?”

“We don't know yet. He wasn't himself when he woke up. Then this afternoon he fainted and when he did, he fell and hit his head. He's bleeding internally and has a broken wrist. He's in the hospital right now and they're running tests. He'll probably be there for several days.

“I think it would be best if you took Lucy back to South Carolina so I can concentrate on taking care of him.”

“Absolutely. I'll be there as soon as I can get there. I can leave right away. Do you think Dad's going to be okay?”

“I think he'll be fine. But it's going to take some time to figure out exactly what's wrong and how to treat him.”

“I'll be there by tomorrow morning. Tell him I'll see him then. And Lucy, too. Bye.”

I hung up and returned to the dining room. I told everyone that I would have to leave to pick up Lucy as soon as possible. Everyone was concerned about my father, but happy that Lucy would be returning to Peppernell Manor.

I ate a little of my dinner and ran upstairs to pack for an overnight. Before long I was in the car heading south.

My emotions were scattered in all directions. I was worried about both of my parents. I knew they had lots of friends in their neighborhood, but what if something happened in the night and there was no one close by to help Mom? What if he fell getting out of the car or out of bed? The
what ifs
were starting to whirl around in my mind until I felt my chest start to tighten.

And besides worrying about my parents, I was very concerned about having Lucy back at Peppernell Manor. As much as I wanted her with me, there was always the nagging reminder that Harlan's killer still hadn't been caught. I didn't want to expose my daughter to the very grown-up things that went along with a police investigation, but my choices were limited. I felt that I couldn't leave Peppernell Manor with the restoration incomplete. My job and my reputation were on the line. Besides, the police wouldn't let me return to Chicago anyway. Also, I was starting to feel at home in South Carolina, and I didn't want to leave Heath behind.

I felt a little better knowing that there were enough people at Peppernell Manor to help me watch Lucy every minute that she wasn't sleeping or in school. They would be happy to help me, I knew. There would surely be days when I would have to devote most of my time to the restoration, and the knowledge that she wouldn't ever be alone in the manor or on the property if I couldn't be with her put me more at ease. I felt some disquiet about the paint incident, but there was nothing I could do except trust that Lucy would be in safe hands while I worked.

I was exhausted when I got to my parents' house. My mother met me on the porch with a big hug. Her eyes looked tired and worried; she appeared to have aged in the short time since I had seen her last. Lucy was still asleep, having gotten to bed very late the previous night.

“How's Dad this morning?”

She passed a weary hand over her eyes. “Okay, I guess. Now that you're here I'm going over to the hospital to see him. I'll be back later and then I'll watch Lucy and you can go visit him. He'll be happy to see you.”

“Do you want to rest a bit first?”

“No, I just want to get over there.”

“Okay.” I watched her get into her car and drive away. I went indoors and sat down in the living room while I waited for Lucy to get up. I didn't have to wait long. She appeared in the doorway just a little while later and within just a few seconds she was sitting on my lap, her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

“Grandpa's sick,” she told me.

“I know. Grandma is going to have to take care of him when he comes home, so you and I are going back to Peppernell Manor together. Would you like that?”

She nodded, her head against my chest. We spent a quiet morning eating breakfast and watching cartoons. I had just sent Lucy into the bedroom to pick out her clothes for the day when Mom came home.

“How's Dad?” I asked.

“He's still in a lot of pain, but he's very anxious to come home. They've found something wrong in his intestines, but apparently it's treatable,” she said. “He's making friends with all the nurses.” She rolled her eyes and smiled and I had a feeling she and Dad would both be okay.

“I'll go see him right after lunch,” I told her. “I'm taking you and Lucy out.” She smiled gratefully and sat down on the couch.

“Why don't you sleep for a bit first?” I suggested. “I'll take Lucy out for a walk while you rest and then we'll find a good restaurant.”

After Mom got a much-needed nap the three of us had a leisurely lunch together at an outdoor restaurant where the tablecloths were made of paper so Lucy could color to her heart's content. Mom and I talked about the care Dad would need when he got home.

“Carleigh, I don't want you to worry. Dad and I will be just fine. Do you think you could come down and spend Thanksgiving with us?”

“That would be nice. Could I bring someone with me?”

“Lucy? Of course!”

“I don't mean Lucy.” I blushed. “I mean Heath, Evie's brother. He and I have become very close, and he just adores Lucy.”

Mom grinned. “Why didn't you tell me before? Sure he can come! I can't wait to meet him!” She winked.

“I'm not sure he'll be able to come, but I'll ask him. He actually asked me to stay at Peppernell Manor for Thanksgiving with his family.”

“Well, maybe you can visit after Thanksgiving, then.”

“Let's just see how it works out. I'm not going to decide just yet.”

She patted my hand. “We'll be here if you want, but do what works best for you.”

I dropped Mom and Lucy at the house before going over to the hospital to see Dad. He was sleeping lightly when I got there, so I waited in a chair next to his bed until he woke up.

“Hi, Dad. How are you feeling?”

“Carleigh! What are you doing here?”

“I came to pick up Lucy and take her back to Peppernell Manor so Mom can devote her time to you when you get home.”

He snorted. “Your mother. I don't want Lucy to leave!”

I smiled at him. “Tell you what. I'll bring her back for a visit if you get better soon and don't give Mom a hard time.”

“Deal.”

We talked sports for a little while until he started to look tired again. I left after promising to see him again before returning to Peppernell Manor.

Before we left early the next morning, I went over to the hospital to see Dad one more time. He looked better than he had the day before, and he couldn't wait to get home. My mother was going to have her hands full keeping him from overdoing it once he was released. I didn't take Lucy to see him since I thought she might be afraid once she saw him in his hospital gown with all the tubes that were hooked up to him. She and I left Mom late that morning with a promise to be back soon. Lucy waved at her until she was out of sight.

On the long drive home, Lucy alternately napped and chattered about the things she did with Grandma and Grandpa. She asked countless questions about the people at Peppernell Manor, and we sang and told stories.

We arrived at Peppernell Manor that evening. When Lucy burst through the front door everyone was there to greet her: Heath, Evie, Graydon and Vivian, Ruby, and Phyllis. She was thrilled with the attention and talked nonstop until she finally fell asleep on the sofa in the drawing room. Heath carried her upstairs for me. I tucked her in and fell into bed myself, happy to have her back with me once more.

I let her stay home from school the next day, since both of us were still very tired. I wanted her near me as much as possible, so she spent most of the day in the drawing room, playing dolls with Ruby and napping, while I worked on the floor in the entry hall. Most of the stains were coming out with a lot of elbow grease on my part. I had already spoken to a specialist who could come in the following day and finish removing the stains from the floor. I was very happy that the marble floor could be saved. That floor had witnessed so many generations of family and guests and important visitors that I hated to think that it might have to be replaced with brand new marble.

That evening Lucy begged me to take her over to see Heath and Addie. I happily obliged her since I wanted to see them, too. I had seen Heath briefly after Lucy and I returned from Florida, but it would be nice to spend time together, just the three of us and Addie. I hadn't told Heath what Phyllis said about Addie; I wasn't sure I wanted to. He might not be thrilled to learn that Phyllis thought of Addie as an omen of bad luck. And Addie was overjoyed to see Lucy at the carriage house. She ran tirelessly in circles around Lucy until we were all dizzy just watching her. She licked Lucy's face until she couldn't stop laughing. We took a walk together in the gathering darkness, Lucy and Addie running ahead of Heath and me. It was a short walk, since Lucy had to be in bed early. She was excited to be going back to school in the morning to see her teachers and her friends again.

As we walked back toward the carriage house, Addie started behaving a little strangely. She crouched low to the ground and began to growl, a low throaty sound that was a bit scary. Lucy tried to walk over to her and pet her, but I took her hand and led her away. I didn't want Addie to bite her. After all, we didn't really know much about Addie. And in spite of myself, I thought briefly of Phyllis's warnings.

Heath suggested that I take Lucy back to the manor and put her in bed. He said he would text me later if Addie was feeling more like herself so I could go over to the carriage house.

“Heath, maybe you could come over to the main house tonight. I really don't want to leave the house while Lucy is alone in the bedroom.”

“Sure,” he agreed.

About an hour later, I did get a text from him:
A
DDIE'S FINE
. C
OMING OVER
.

I went downstairs to meet him in the drawing room.

“Thanks for coming over here tonight. I know you're more comfortable in the carriage house, but I need to be near Lucy until the police have told us that they have the person who killed Harlan.”

“I agree completely,” Heath said. “I haven't heard anything lately. Maybe I'll give them a call tomorrow to see where their investigation stands.”

“What do you think was wrong with Addie?”

“I have no idea. Probably just some small animal spooked her.”

“I wasn't going to tell you this, but Phyllis has a theory about Addie. She says stray dogs bring bad luck. She's positive that Addie is going to bring all kinds of mayhem to Peppernell Manor.”

He shook his head. “Sometimes Phyllis's superstitions are a bit much.”

“I sort of told her that was silly.”

“Good. Want to sit outside? We may not be able to go out on my patio, but we can at least enjoy the sky and stars. It's nice and clear out tonight.”

I followed him out to the veranda. We sat on a wicker loveseat from which we could see out over the trees lining the front allée. I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder.

“It's beautiful out tonight.”

“It is,” he agreed.

From the direction of the carriage house came the sound of barking. Heath mumbled, “I wonder what the problem is now.”

“Should you go see?”

“I think she's all right. She's probably mad that I left her alone tonight.” He chuckled. “This is my punishment.”

I hoped being left alone was Addie's only problem. We sat hand in hand for a short time, just enjoying the night sky, while Addie's barking continued. Evie poked her head out the front door after a little while.

“What's the matter with Addie?”

“She misses me,” Heath answered with a smile. Evie rolled her eyes and went back inside.

“I probably should go check on her.”

We said good night and Heath left. The barking stopped just a few moments later. I smiled to myself.
That dog is spoiled already!

The next morning Lucy and I were at breakfast when Graydon joined us in the dining room.

“Goin' back to school today, little one?” he asked Lucy.

“Yes,” she replied happily, her mouth covered in jam.

“Looks like there's a storm brewing way down south in the Caribbean,” he told me. “I was watching the television in our room. They say we may need to keep our eye on this one.”

“You mean an h-u-r-r-i-c-a-n-e?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Lucy,” I said quickly, “let's clean you up and get ready for school.” I didn't want to have any discussion of a hurricane in front of her.

We left for Charleston a short while later. I stopped at a few stores after I dropped Lucy off, then headed back to Peppernell Manor. I turned on the radio while I drove. The news program had a brief mention of the storm churning off the coast of Hispaniola. I had never been in a hurricane and had no desire to experience one. And I was worried about my parents in Florida. I fervently hoped it would skirt the East Coast.

The marble specialist had arrived by the time I returned to the manor. She worked steadily for most of the day and was able to complete the stain removal on the floor of the entry hall. When she was done, we stood together in the front doorway and surveyed our work. It was beautiful. As usual, I took pictures to compare with the ones I had taken before I started work. I showed them to the woman who had finished the floor and she was amazed at the difference.