Town Haunts (11 page)

“They’re
coming,” she said, kneeling down again and holding her friend’s
hand. May’s eyes blinked open, and she squeezed Anna’s hand to show
that she understood. Two minutes later, a gurney came rattling down
the sidewalk as the two men rounded the building and trotted toward
them, bouncing a bright flashlight beam off the wall until it
focused on the two women on the ground.

Anna got to her
feet and backed onto the apartment stairs to make room. But then
she thought of Gerry, and hurried back to retrieve May’s cell phone
as the paramedics started their examination.

“What’s her
name?” the middle-aged man asked.

“May Weston,”
Anna replied as she eased May’s fingers from her cell.

“How old is
she?”

“Sixty-three.”
The man nodded. “I’m going to call Gerry,” Anna said, patting May’s
hand. “Her son,” she said to the paramedics.

Hurrying back
to the stairs, she scrolled through the phone’s menu, finding
Gerry’s name second on the contact list, right under Erna’s. She
called his number, but his wife said that Erna had already called,
and that Gerry should be there any second.

“We need more
light,” the younger paramedic called, holding out a bunch of keys.
“We found these in May’s coat pocket. See if you can open the
apartment door.”

“Sure,” Anna
said, scrambling to her feet. She grabbed the key ring and ran up
the stairs, using her cell phone to light the way. Fumbling with
the lock, she tried key after key before finding the correct one
and opening the door. A dim light shone from a lamp on a side table
in the living room; May must have left it on.

“Sherman!” she
shouted, feeling for the switch on the foyer wall. The ceiling
light flashed on, and light poured out the door and down the
stairs. “Sherman!” Anna called again, taking a few seconds to check
the bedroom and the bathroom. He wasn’t there. Anna checked her
watch. It was almost twelve o’ clock in the morning. Where was
he?

She left the
apartment and descended halfway down the stairs. Gerry had arrived,
wearing a parka over his pyjamas. He glanced up at her, and Anna
waved. Together they watched the paramedics brace his mother’s neck
and leg, flinching when May groaned in pain. When the men had May
settled on the gurney and Gerry was following them back up the
sidewalk toward the parking lot, Anna called, “Where are you taking
her?”

“Oilfields
Hospital,” the middle-aged paramedic called over his shoulder just
before the group rounded the building and disappeared.

Anna nodded.
Oilfields wasn’t a very large hospital, but it was close to Crane
and could probably provide May with the care she needed. She sank
down onto the stairs, deciding to stay out of the way until her
friend was loaded into the ambulance, but the chill from the wooden
stairs penetrated her pyjama bottoms, and she shivered. No point in
getting cold. Anna trotted back into the apartment, where she
pulled one of May’s home-made afghans from the back of the couch
and wrapped herself in it. Leaving the door open to provide light,
she climbed down the stairs backward, studying each step as she
went. Reaching the bottom, she peered up at them again. They looked
perfectly sound. Maybe May had tripped over a shoe lace and bumped
her head in the fall? Evelyn’s ghost had been preying on all their
minds since the séance, so it wasn’t too farfetched that she would
mention a ghost after a bump on the head.

Anna frowned.
What had happened to Sherman? Was it just a coincidence that he
wasn’t home, or had he somehow been involved? She heard an engine
start up; the ambulance was leaving for the hospital. Climbing the
apartment stairs once more, she left May’s cell phone on the coffee
table and rummaged through the kitchen cupboards for light bulbs.
There was no point in Sherman tripping on the stairs in the dark,
too, whenever he got home. Choosing an outdoor bulb from the
collection, Anna went outside to replace the burnt-out light. Only
it wasn’t burnt out. There was no bulb in the socket at all. She
stared at it, wondering how she had missed seeing it before.
Someone had deliberately removed the bulb, maybe even hoping that
May would be hurt. Whoever had done it, it sure as hell hadn’t been
a ghost. Anna shook her head in disgust. Who would want to harm
May?

“Anna? Anna,
are you there?” she heard someone call. It was Erna. Shoot, she
should have called Erna as soon as the ambulance had arrived.

“I’m at the
apartment,” she shouted. She ran down the stairs and met her
friend, dressed in a wool coat, scarf and hat, as she came around
the side of the building.

“Erna, you
walked all the way over from your house at this time of night?”

“I had to. I
couldn’t sit at home worrying about May. Have they taken her to the
hospital?”

“Yes, you just
missed her. Her leg was broken in the fall.” Erna’s lips pressed
together into a tight line. Anna took her arm. “You’ve got to come
see this,” she said, leading the elderly women up the stairs and
indicating the empty light fixture. “Look at what I just
found.”

Erna stared at
the socket. “Do you mean that the bulb was missing when May came
home?”

Anna nodded.
“Someone wanted to hurt her.”

Erna turned to
look at Anna, her eyes troubled. “I hadn’t expected that. This
changes everything.” She glanced inside the apartment. “Where’s
Sherman? What does he have to say about May’s accident?”

Anna shook her
head. “He’s not here. I don’t know where he is.”

A crease
appeared between Erna’s eyes. “Maybe we should search for him,
Anna. With what just happened to May, he could be in danger.”

Anna stiffened.
She was angry at Sherman for not being here when May needed him; it
had never occurred to her that she should be worried about him
instead.

“Let me just
screw in this bulb so that no one else falls down the stairs, and
we’ll go look.”

But they didn’t
have to go far. Just as they were about to climb into Anna’s car,
Sherman appeared, limping toward them. There was something odd
about the way he held himself; he moved as if he were a mechanical
man. It wasn’t until he joined the two women that Anna could smell
the alcohol on his breath.

“Ladies,” he
said, tipping his ball cap, “Why are you out at this time of
night?” Anna wrinkled her nose and backed up a step, folding her
arms over her chest.

“We came to
help May,” she said, a grim expression on her face. “Where have you
been?”

“At Kennedy’s
for a nightcap.” Kennedy’s was the local tavern, situated right on
the edge of the highway before entering town. “But what’s that you
said about May?”

Anna studied
his haggard face in the parking lot security light. His eyes were
bleary, but he looked concerned.

“She fell down
the apartment stairs and broke her leg.”

“No! How is
she?” His shock seemed real enough.

“Someone
removed the bulb from the outside light so that she couldn’t see
when she came home from work. After her fall, she must have lain
there for hours.”

Erna turned to
look at her while Sherman stared back dismally. “That’s horrible,”
he said. “Poor May.”

“What time did
you leave for Kennedy’s tonight?” Erna asked.

“I’m not sure,”
he responded, looking confused. “May was still in the store. I
waved at her when I went by, but I don’t think she saw me.”

“Was the
outside light on when you left?” Erna asked.

Sherman
strained to remember. “Yes, yes, it was. The sun had set, so I’d
have noticed if it wasn’t on.”

“Was anyone
hanging around the side of the building?” Anna asked.

“No.”

“Or in the
parking lot?” He shook his head.

“You were gone
a long time for a nightcap,” she added.

“There was a
football game on. I stayed until the end.”

Anna studied
him coolly, like a bug under a magnifying glass. “Too bad you
weren’t here when she fell. You could have helped May right away,
rather than leaving her out in the cold for hours.”

Sherman gaped
at her, his skin looking pasty. Anna didn’t care if she was
twisting the knife into the wound; he shouldn’t have been out
drinking when May needed him.

Erna gave her a
sharp look before taking Sherman’s arm. “I’m sure that she’ll be
fine. They’ve just taken her to the hospital. She’ll be well looked
after there.”

“Are you going
to the hospital now?” he asked Erna.

“No. Gerry is
with her. We’ll call in the morning to see how she’s doing. Why
don’t you go to bed, Sherman? It’s late, and we’re all tired. We’ll
let you know how May is once we hear in the morning.”

“All right,” he
said, looking grateful. “Tell her I can work for her in the store,
if it helps. I worked with May a couple of nights this week, so I
know what to do. Tell her I hope she feels better soon.”

“We’ll be sure
to do that,” Erna said, patting his arm. “Off you go. Get some
rest.”

Sherman nodded
and limped his way through the parking lot. Anna and Erna watched
him until he disappeared around the side of the store. Erna
sighed.

“Come on, I’ll
take you home,” Anna said, turning toward the car. She clicked the
remote to unlock the doors, and they climbed inside. Starting up
the engine, Anna pulled out of the parking lot and turned right
onto Main Street.

“How can we be
sure that he wasn’t home when May fell?” she asked.

“I’ve heard
that he often frequents Kennedy’s. I’ll ask around.”

The edges of
Anna’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “Your network of spies
again?”

“I know a lot
of people, so I hear a lot of things.” She stared at Anna. “That
remark you made to Sherman about finding May was pretty harsh. Is
something bothering you?”

“Bothering me?
Someone deliberately hurt May tonight. Of course I’m bothered.
Aren’t you?”

Erna’s eyes
flared. “I may not look it, but I’m furious with myself. I’ve been
expecting trouble ever since the séance, but I thought that it
would be directed at Sherman, not at May. I thought that he would
be safe as long as they were together.”

Anna glanced at
Erna before turning right off Main Street. “What are you talking
about? Who did you think would be after Sherman?” The streets were
deserted, but she slowed down for a yield sign anyway.

“The Raes.
Certainly Tiernay, and maybe Greg, too.”

“You think
Tiernay and Greg are behind this? Why?”

“I have no
proof, Anna, so this is pure conjecture, but to establish her
reputation in town, I should think. Let’s look at this logically.
Either Evelyn’s ghost possessed Tiernay on the night of the séance,
or Tiernay faked it. If we discount a true possession, we must ask
ourselves why she would do that. To make us believe that she has
genuine occult powers seems the obvious answer.”

“I agree.
Tiernay is some kind of egomaniac. She wants everyone to think that
she’s important.”

“Possibly. It
might be self-aggrandizement, or it may be a ruse to bring business
to her store. Or it might be part of a larger scheme.”

“What larger
scheme?” Anna asked, pulling up in front of Erna’s house and
letting the car idle.

“What if
Tiernay intends to hold more séances? She could charge a handsome
fee for her services while asking people to do things under the
guise of following their departed loved one’s wishes. She could
easily defraud the gullible of their life savings. Perhaps she and
Greg have already done so elsewhere, and their reputation just
hasn’t caught up with them yet.”

Anna considered
Erna’s words for a moment. “Do you really think that’s likely?” she
asked.

But Erna seemed
lost in her own thoughts. “If Tiernay wants to build a reputation
as a medium, there have to be consequences for Sherman not acting
upon Evelyn’s alleged desire for revenge. Tonight’s accident may
have been intended for Sherman, not May. If something had happened
to him, Tiernay could have said that Evelyn was punishing him for
not obeying her wishes. And who better to pick upon than a recluse
with a drinking problem and guilt associated with his wife’s death?
Sherman is the perfect victim, and Tiernay has chosen us to be her
stooges!”

“And you think
Tiernay’s plan backfired, and May became the victim instead?”

Erna turned to
her. “It’s possible. Tiernay may have been late arriving at May’s
apartment, or Sherman may have left for Kennedy’s earlier than
usual. If Tiernay was waiting for him on the steps when May came
home, she would have been forced to attack May instead. Either
attack could be blamed upon a spiteful Evelyn. It will be
interesting to hear what Tiernay has to say about May’s fall.”

Anna shook her
head. “One thing I don’t understand. If you didn’t want Sherman to
be alone, why did you seem to disapprove when May told us at the
séance that Sherman was going to stay with her?”

Erna smiled.
“That was just a ruse, dear. If I had told May to invite Sherman to
move in, she would have balked at the idea. Haven’t you noticed
that she doesn’t like being told what to do? Fortunately, May has
always had a soft spot for Sherman, compounded, no doubt, by her
animosity toward Evelyn, so it seemed likely that she would make
the offer on her own. Plus, I didn’t want Tiernay to guess that I
suspected her and wanted Sherman safely out of her reach. But I
underestimated Tiernay. I shall ask Steven to redouble his efforts
to keep his eye on the Raes.”

“You’ve talked
to Steve about them already?”

“Certainly. I
also asked him to check into their backgrounds.”

“And has he
found anything yet?”

“No, but you
know how slow bureaucracy can be. I’m hopeful that he’ll find
something soon to confirm my suspicions.” She pointed at the clock
on the car console. “It’s getting late, and you have to get up for
work in the morning. Why don’t we talk again tomorrow, after we’ve
heard how May’s doing? I’ll telephone Gerry and call you at work.
You should go home and get some sleep.” She climbed nimbly out of
the car and turned to wave at Anna from the sidewalk.