A Ghost in Time (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 3) (3 page)

“How did you end up with it, anyway?” I asked, picking up a carrot stick from an arrangement she’d put on the table for Michael to nibble on. “It seems like one of those things that you would normally avoid like the plague.”

She rolled her eyes. “I was the one with the weakest excuse when they were looking for someone to dump the job on. Believe me, I didn’t ask for it. It’s thankless.”

I nodded. I’d heard at least her side of some of her recent phone conversations—and I knew a bit about the background of all the anger. Nobody likes to feel they’ve been cheated and lots of the growers were harboring hard feelings about what they considered a lack of attention to their problems during the last Spring Flower Show.

Since I was about to take over this year’s planning, some of them had already come to me to explain how they felt. Emotions were riding high because the flower contest was a big deal. The winner got a feature in the slick Clearly Coastal Magazine and got treated like a local potentate for most of the year to come. There were six major flower growers in the valley and a number of minor players as well. Each had a different strong suit. Bebe’s was her special line of wild flowers mixed with standards in flower bouquets selling in supermarkets—the Natural Look, she’d named it. Starflower had a lock on the Spring Flower market, tulips and snapdragons. Fred’s place grew prize-winning long-stemmed red roses, especially around Valentine’s Day and Christmas. The others ranged from Asiatic lilies to white orchids—anything that bloomed. Every one of them was sure his own fields produced the best flowers in the valley—and each wanted to make sure the debacle of the previous year didn’t happen again.
 

“It was horrible,” Bebe explained. “I was as upset as anyone. We all felt so helpless. It’s no wonder it made some people a little nuts. And that was one reason I didn’t fight too hard against taking this position. I did want to make sure someone was paying attention this time.”

And now we two were in the middle of the storm. Lucky us.

I glanced at Michael. He was looking awfully comfortable as he lounged there, watching Bebe. For just a second, I let my natural instinct to protect my aunt surface and I resented how casually he seemed to think he could come and go in her life. But when you came right down to it, it was Bebe’s call, not mine. Besides teaching biology at the local high school, he was an advisor to the 4H Club and used one of Bebe’s warehouses for their meetings and projects. And he was a pretty good guy, all in all. So I smiled at him and got up to feed the cats.
 

We have two of them. Sami is the original. He’s a beautiful black beast who’s been Bebe’s for a long time, and his nose is a bit out of joint in that he now has to share the place—and our affections—with Silver, a huge cat and very cuddly, who I adopted from a victim of one of the murders I accidentally got involved in—the same person who once owned the parrot I could now hear squawking from his aviary in the back yard. I supposed I was going to have to go out and feed him, too.
 

Silver came the moment he heard the can opening, his eyes gleaming and his purr loud as the thunder I thought I’d heard earlier.
 

“Where’s Sami?” I asked him, but he flicked his tail disdainfully and didn’t seem to want to discuss it.
 

Sure enough, once I went out back to check on the parrot, it had started to rain. I scanned the area, looking for Aunty Jane, but didn’t see her.
 

Where does a ghost go when it rains
? I wondered.
And for that matter, where the heck was Sami?

“I haven’t seen him all day,” Bebe said when I went back in. She frowned. “He usually comes around for a belly rub at least six times in the afternoon, but he didn’t show up. I guess he’s got business somewhere else.”

She gave me a look and I took it to heart. We hadn’t seen Sami for over twenty-four hours and she was beginning to think he might be gone for good. That would be a tragedy. I pushed the thought away and began to go through drawers, pulling out mats and silverware to set the table for dinner.

We had a delicious taco salad, full of cheese and seasoned meat and tomatoes and crunchy chips. Good food and a little wine--we talked and laughed all through it. But it was obvious that our minds kept going back to Starflower Moon and her angry opposition. I could tell Bebe was nervous about the coming confrontation at the town meeting.
 

“Hey,” I said when she’d brought it up for about the fourth time, “I’ll be there with you.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I’ll back you up.”

Michael looked concerned. “Do you want me to come, too?” he asked her.
 

“Oh no, of course not.” Her laugh sounded tinny but I could tell she meant it. “This is business. Mele and I both have reasons we have to go, but you don’t. We’ll be okay.”

“Though we are going to risk being beat up by Star’s army,” I noted ruefully.
 

Michael made a quizzical face and I explained about the apprentices.
 

“They are fiercely loyal to her,” Bebe chimed in. “They follow her everywhere. They just adore her.”

I begged to differ. “I don’t think it’s true love so much as true greed,” I said. “She is the source of all good things for them: a cool place to live, jobs, recommendations, money.”

“The good old payoff has its place,” Michael agreed.
 

“Sure. But that means she can get away with a lot of strong arm tactics most of us can’t.”

“Exactly,” Bebe said. “And the rumor is, she uses those people to invade other growers land and do nefarious things.”

Michael looked surprised. “Such as?”

Bebe sighed. “Well, okay, I might as well say it. Most people think she was behind what happened last year. There are those who think she got her people to infiltrate and poison some of the best plants of her competition. She definitely won the flower show with her amazing tulips. But she didn’t have much opposition. Everyone else’s best show flowers went sickly that day. Including mine.”

“Wow.” Michael stared at her, amazed. “Couldn’t you pin it on her?”

Bebe shook her head. “There wasn’t any proof.” She looked worried. “There’s been some talk of hiring guards this year. Only most of the growers want us—the organization, that is—to foot the bill, and we just don’t have the funds.”

I wrinkled my brow, thinking hard. “What we need is our own little army to counter hers.” I looked up at Bebe, struck by a great idea. “Why don’t we use some of your bundler girls to patrol the fields at night? Or Michael’s 4H kids!”

Bebe’s laugh was humorless. “Armies that clash in the night?” she murmured.

I nodded. “Sure. It could be like the Crips and the Bloods, the Jets and the Sharks. Yes! We need our own gang.” I flashed some gang signs so she would know I was serious.

But she was shaking her head. “You’re crazy.”

“No, listen to me….”

“You listen to
me
. We can’t do that. We can’t put children in jeopardy. Believe me, whoever poisoned the plants last year was ready to do harm to anyone in their way. You could tell. And it seems to most of us to fit the image of Star to a T. Are you going to ask one of Michael’s little innocent angels to go up against that?”

I sank back, frustrated. “I guess not.”

“We’d have to hire real guards. And that is just not in the budget.”

Michael was pulling on his jacket. It looked like the evening was over. Bebe offered to walk him to his car and I smiled, guessing there was going to be some kissing in the rain, if that was still happening.
 

Right after they went outside, the phone rang. I picked it up.
 

“Let me speak to Bebe,” the voice said coldly, and though I’d only talked to the woman once, I knew it was Starflower.
 

“Just a moment please,” I said, meaning to go out and call Bebe in. But then I hesitated. Why should I make Bebe miss out on all that kissing just for this? So I didn’t go anywhere. I listened, though.

“Yeah,” she said to someone else in the room with her. “Don’t worry. This will be a piece of cake. I can handle it.” There was silence for a long moment, and then she began to hum.
 

I frowned. I’d heard that tune before, and recently. What was it? Oh yeah. A Strauss waltz. Now where had I heard that?

Bebe came in before I remembered. I assumed the kissing had been sparse to none judging by her timing. I gestured toward the phone.
 

“Starflower,” I mouthed at her as I handed her the receiver.
 

She looked pained, but she began talking in tones both measured and polite. I waved at her and headed for my room. I was ready for bed. A few minutes later, Bebe’s angry voice brought me right back. I arrived just in time to see her slam the phone down.
 

“You okay?” I asked, surprised. Bebe never lost her temper like that. I’d never seen her so angry.

“Oh! That woman!”

“What did she say?”

“I… .” She just shook her head and began to pace around the room.
 

“Did she threaten you?”

“Of course. She always threatens me. But this time, she went too far. She got a little too personal and I could just…. Oh!” She let out a muffled shout and kicked the plastic trash can that stood near the sink. It went flying across the room. Luckily, it was empty.

I watched her, unable to think of a thing to say that could comfort her and help her calm herself. My best guess was that we just had to wait for the anger to work through her and slowly seep away.
 

Finally, she turned toward me and gave a little half laugh. “I’m sorry honey. I hate to have anyone see me like this. Why don’t you go on to bed? It’s late.”

“What are you going to do?”

She shrugged. “I think I’ll take a long hot shower. And then I’ll go to bed, too.” She managed a smile in my direction, then took two steps toward me and wrapped me in her arms, holding tight. “I’m so glad you’re here with me, Mele,” she said, her voice broken. “I’m just sorry… .”

I hugged her back. “You have nothing to be sorry about,” I told her stoutly. “That horrible woman is the one who ought to be sorry. When I see her tomorrow…. .”

She leaned back and looked into my face. “You’ll do nothing,” she said firmly. “You’ll smile and remain calm. You can’t let her win.”

“But… .”

“Don’t you see? She does these things because she enjoys making other people crazy. Don’t let her see that it worked. Don’t give her that satisfaction.”

I took a deep breath. “You’re right,” I said. “Okay. I’ll try. But it won’t be easy.”

“No. It never is.” She sighed. “Now go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Okay.” I kissed her cheek. “I love you, Bebe,” I said, feeling emotional, feeling full of love for her….and for my mother, her sister, a woman I hardly knew.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” She squeezed my shoulder and gave me a watery smile. “Now off you go.”

I went.
 

I went to bed, but I didn’t actually go to sleep for hours. I had too much going on in my head. Something told me that storm Roy had mentioned was on its way. We’d only had a taste of it so far.

Chapter Four

In the morning, the sun was out and the earth was drying. Everything looked crystal clear through the newly cleansed atmosphere. I went out and had a half hour run to enjoy it.

It wasn’t long before I ran into Ginny Genera, the perpetually training marathon runner who graced our local byways. Today she was wearing electric green and I pretended to be blinded when we came face to face.
 

“Hey, Ginny,” I called out.

“Mele! Long time no see!” she called back as we closed into the same space. She kept running in place, so I did the same.

“Where’s that hot guy of yours who’s usually chasing after you?” she said, ignoring the way I’d teased her for the neon outfit.
 

“I don’t have a hot guy of my own,” I said, pretending to be sad about it. “I just borrow one now and then.”

Ginny grinned. “Are you telling me that particular handsome officer is up for grabs these days?”

“Why? Are you planning to make a play for him? Where are you going to find the time? You’re always training.”

“I think I could make time. I’d hate to leave a good man like that just lying around, unused and all. Such a waste!”

We laughed and parted ways, but it did give me a twinge to think of how many other women around town would like to get Roy to pay some attention to them. And here I went trying to avoid him. Was I nuts?

Probably. And that was why I was running hard, trying to get my head on straight.
 

When I got back, I saw Aunty Jane in the back yard.
 

“Hi Aunty. What’s going on out here?”

She looked up from under her straw hat and motioned to me. “Eh, sweetheart, come closer and see. I’m making a little lake for the menehune. Look! I made them houses. A kauhale, for sure.”

 
“No kidding?” I tried to keep the skepticism out of my voice. I wouldn’t have insulted her for the world, but the thought of this sweet old ghost setting up little doll houses around a puddle she’d created from Bebe’s irrigation system—all for the leprechaun-like menehune--was a stretch.
 

But upon closer inspection, I had to hand it to her. She’d taken sticks, palm fronds and some wooden shingles and formed a pretty fair imitation of a little Hawaiian village, all gathered around her little “lake”.

“What happens when the water goes off?” I asked her, since her project seemed to be based on the timing of the watering system.
 

She gave me a sly look. “I turn it on again,” she said.
 

I laughed. “Oh boy. I sense a confrontation coming with Bebe, and pretty soon.”

“Bebe.” She shook her head and her lower lip stuck out, defiantly. I wasn’t sure if she’d said it with scorn or sorrow. Whatever had been in her mind, I didn’t like it. Something in her manner began to bother me.