Blackvine Manor Mystery (14 page)

“
T
IP
IT A LITTLE MORE to the left. Perfect!”

George stumbles down from the makeshift step stool, the whole stack of heavy books toppling over. “Picture four, done.”

He turns to Bella, pushing his glasses up into his black, curly hair. Alexis’ words are burning in his ears but when he sees Bella’s nervous little smile he feels better. She looks around the apartment, her hand swimming in the air as if she’s trying to come up with another task for him to complete.

Finding nothing, she asks, “How about I make us some coffee?”

“Sounds great.”

Bella clears some bubble wrap and empty boxes off her denim sofa and gestures for him to sit down. “I ended up unpacking all of the kitchen stuff late last night so this is one thing I can do without digging through ten boxes.”

George tries to relax. “Couldn’t sleep last night?”

She pauses, her hand on the kitchen faucet. “Yeah, something like that.”

“You’re in good company here. I’m a night owl and Alexis is up at all hours, when she’s here.”

Bella fills a red kettle with water and puts it on the stove. “Is she living with Maxwell?”

“Temporarily.” George runs a hand through his hair, knocking his glasses onto the floor. “While some … uh … work is being done at her place.”

She measures out coffee grounds saying, “I’m guessing he doesn’t live here. Doesn’t seem like it’s his style. Or maybe too many memories?”

George wipes his glasses on the hem of his shirt. “I don’t think about my landlord’s style all that much.”

“Sorry.” Bella joins him on the sofa. “I confess, I’m a gossip.”

“Then you should be having tea with Mrs. DuBois. She’ll tell you everything.”

She laughs. “Actually I ran into her yesterday.”

It’s George’s turn to chuckle. “More like she showed up at your open door while you were unpacking?”

Bella pulls a face. “Something like that. But, second confession, she told me all about you.”

He fumbles putting on his glasses and frowns.

“Oh, don’t worry! She loves you and made some very good points about how you are perfect for me.”

His cheeks redden. “And she told you all about my hobby?”

“The mumbo jumbo?” Bella slaps his leg. “I’m only teasing. I guess I’m just a skeptic like your landlord. Except I’m much more open-minded, especially after last night.”

The red kettle whistles and she runs over to pour the hot water into a French press. George’s cheeks get redder as he finally processes what she said about him being a perfect match for her.

“The reason you didn’t sleep well?”

Bella nods. “The reason I stayed up and unpacked all my kitchen stuff. Including coffee mugs. Here. I really need this.”

She hands him a tall mug decorated with a large diamond design.

Distracted and nervous, George asks, “Is this where you work? McCormick’s Jewelry?”

She blinks her eyes wide before laughing. “Oh, yeah. It’s a paycheck until I launch my own jewelry line. Fine Shine. That’s what I’m going to call it.”

He takes a few gulps of coffee before retracing his thoughts and asking, “So, Mrs. DuBois told you about my paranormal investigations?”

“In the midst of singing your praises and telling me some of the ghost stories from around here.”

“I hope she didn’t scare you off.”

“Not at all. In fact, she made me feel better. I thought I was losing my mind. Every time I turned around a drawer or cabinet was open and I didn’t remember touching them.”

George nods. “And last night?”

“Last night, around 6:30 p.m., I fell asleep here on the couch and when I woke up every single cabinet and drawer was open in the kitchen. I was terrified and ran out into the hallway. Mrs. DuBois heard me and opened her door.”

“Did she tell you our neighbor Doug had, um, similar things happen in his place?” George decides to skip the part about the shadow thief rifling through the drawers.

“A little bit. She told me I should talk to Alexis. Alexis has some kind of ability?”

He shrugs, wanting to keep Alexis’ confidence. “I know a psychic medium, Alice Manetti, if you want someone to come here.”

Bella shrugs and sips her coffee. “I don’t know. Why don’t I start with you?”

George tries not to be too hopeful. “How can I help?”

“I know I made fun of your website. I didn’t know it was you! And I’ve never had anything like this happen to me before. Do you think you could stay and investigate here? I feel better with you around.”

He wills his heart to stop leaping around in his chest but jumps up himself and says, “I’ll go get my equipment right now.”

She looks around at the bright windows. “Do things actually happen during the daytime?”

“Around here they do.” he says before biting his lip.

George heads upstairs to grab his camera equipment, chastising himself out loud. “Why don’t you just help her pack up and run away now, Stupid?”

He’s loaded down with a tripod, two cameras, a microphone, and an EMF detector when he heads down the stairs again. Halfway down he hears an earsplitting scream from Bella’s open door. Dropping everything except a handheld camera, he charges to her apartment, turning the camera on as he runs.

Inside Bella is covering her mouth with both hands to smother her screams as she dodges around the center of her living room. One of the coffee mugs smashes at her feet and she screams again.

“George, help!”

Objects lift off of surfaces all around her: a picture frame, the television remote, a handful of paperback books, and the other coffee mug sloshing hot coffee on the hardwood floor. They swing around her in an impossible circle before swiping across and narrowly missing her head.

George drops the camera and charges in to save her.

M
AXWELL STANDS OVER ALEXIS’ SHOULDER
, watching the footage George just sent. “You’re right, I don’t see any strings or wires.”

Alexis tries not to grind her teeth. “There couldn’t be. All the objects move at different rates and different trajectories. And they cross paths in ways wired objects would get tangled.”

“Projections?”

She hits play again and points out, “The coffee cup smashes right here. And you can see the other one spilling on her. See? Her shirt gets stained.”

“Fancy editing?”

“George just shot this himself! Oh, what am I doing? I don’t care what you think. He asked me to go over there and help. I’ll see you later.”

“No, wait!” Maxwell grabs both her shoulders as she jumps up, turning her to look into his eyes. “I don’t know what to think. I really want there to be a simple explanation.”

She takes a deep breath, “I’m just glad you didn’t say ‘normal’. There might not be a normal explanation for any of this.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Alexis softens. “So you’ll be open-minded and I’ll let you come?”

He kisses her cheek and grabs his car keys. “But you have to admit Bella LaRue sounds like a fake name. And not everything on her rental application checked out.”

“You still rented to her.”

“Well, it’s not that easy to find renters for an actively haunted apartment building. And what about that?”

She snaps on her seatbelt and crosses her arms. “What about what?”

“She called about an apartment before the vacancy sign was up, faked some information on her application, tells George she doesn’t believe in ghosts, and has a paranormal blow-out in her place in the first 48 hours. That doesn’t seem odd?”

“Remember we have different definitions for that word, same as our different understandings of the word ‘normal’,” Alexis reminds him.

Maxwell snorts. “I’m just saying we shouldn’t trust everyone right off the bat. And you should tell George to be careful.”

“I should tell him to stop flirting with a girl he likes because you’re suspicious? Maybe you should wait in the car.” She gets out as he parallel parks in front of Blackvine Manor Apartments.

“I’ll be in my office if you need me,” he calls out as she heads up the sidewalk without him.

* * *

A
lice Manetti
, the psychic medium, is already in Bella’s apartment when Alexis arrives. Her silver bracelets are jangling as she walks around, dragging her hands along the walls.

“Strange, strange energy here.”

Bella is watching her intensely but breaks into a cheerful grin when she sees Alexis. “Hello! Come in. George speaks very highly of you and I was so glad when you said you’d come.”

“Nice to see you again, Bella, right?”

The blonde woman smiles and nods. “Yes, Bella LaRue.”

“Is that French?” Alexis can’t help but ask, cursing Maxwell for getting into her head.

“Something like that,” Bella says. Gesturing to Alice, she asks, “What is she doing?”

Alice sweeps her hands over her head, palms reaching across the room. “I mostly channel spirits from the other side, but sometimes I can sense residual energy. Tell me about what happened this afternoon?”

Alexis crosses the room to pat George on the back. He’s busy behind his camera but gives her a warm smile as Bella explains.

“I asked George to investigate my apartment after I’d had a strange experience last night.” She turns to Alexis. “All my drawers and cabinets opened on their own. He left to grab his camera equipment. I was finishing my coffee when I noticed his cup starting to … I don’t know … shimmy across the table. It got really cold in here or I got the shivers, I’m not sure which. Then all of a sudden things started flying up into the air. He recorded most of it.”

Alice waves her hand away, refusing to watch the footage. “You felt cold? Do you think there was a presence here with you?”

“I have no idea. I’m kinda new to all this.” She looks to Alexis again, who gives her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. We have a tendency to believe people first and then investigate. Unlike some people.”

“I guess that’s my cue,” Maxwell says from the doorway.

“Mr. Upside Down,” Alice chuckles. “Still so skeptical?”

He shrugs. “I’m working on the whole open-minded thing. It is nice to see you again, Ms. Manetti. Any idea what happened here?”

“Yes and no,” she says and goes back to feeling out the room.

Bella frowns at Alice before her brow clears and she says brightly, “So what do we do now?”

“Alexis is better suited to this task, I think,” Alice says. “Her abilities have a wider spectrum than mine.”

Alexis tries not to give in to the tightening in her chest. “I can try.”

Everyone gives her space as she takes a few deep breaths, concentrating on her own energy. The long inhales help her build up her energy before she sweeps her hands around her in a circle, creating a space for open communication. Finally, she slips off her necklace, holding the black onyx and pearl pendants in her hand as she silently asks the spirits of the room to come forward.

“I see Otto. He’s mad; trying to push something aside.” Alexis turns to Alice, “There is a dark mass blocking him out.”

Alice is watching Bella before Alexis addresses her. “Yes, there is some force that wants silence.”

“What could it be? I’m not sure what sort of spirit it is.” Alexis watches Otto being blotted out by a heavy shadow.

“The drawers and cabinets opening, the objects flying, those details point to a Poltergeist.” Alice chews her lip.

“But there’s something else?” Alexis can feel the spirits of Blackvine Manor trying to tell her something, warn her of some new danger.

“Watch out!” Maxwell yells, throwing himself across the room.

He and Alice fall onto the sofa, narrowly escaping a heavy bookshelf as it crashes to the floor.

G
EORGE TAKES ALICE HOME
AS Maxwell and Alexis help Bella clean up.

“So, this Otto pushed the bookshelf over?” Bella asks.

Alexis frowns. “No, why would you think that?”

“Oh, right before it happened you said he was trying to push something out of the way. And I guess it makes sense he wants the ghosts, or whatever, here to stay quiet. He was the murderer, right?”

Maxwell clenches his jaw but says nothing. He continues to examine the bookshelf as it takes all three of them to hoist it back into place.

“You’re sure you’ll be okay here? You don’t have somewhere else you can stay?” he asks as he and Alexis head for the door.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. Thanks though.”

He and Alexis walk in silence down the hallway and into the small office marked ‘Superintendent’. She closes the door behind him as he takes up his regular place behind the old desk, his feet up on the corner.

“I’m not going to say you were right,” Alexis tells him as she sits down in her usual straight-backed chair.

“A little suspicious of Ms. LaRue?” He waggles his eyebrows at her. “Why the change of heart?”

“How about you, hero detective? I thought you’d be on fire to tell me you found strings or springs or something on the back of that bookshelf that caused it to fall over.”

“I’m open-minded now, remember? Besides, there wasn’t any evidence on that bookshelf. And, you felt how heavy it was, it could not have just fallen over on its own. So, what’s your theory?”

“I don’t know. It feels like maybe the Poltergeist didn’t want Alice sharing any more information.” Alexis runs a hand through her hair.

“And Ms. LaRue?” Maxwell taps his long fingers on the edge of the desk.

“She was strange, right? Frightened enough to call us all in there but completely fine with spending the night there alone. Weird.”

“So I wasn’t totally off base feeling like she staged it.”

Alexis has to agree. “I felt it too. Except she didn’t rig the bookshelf and she couldn’t have known what was going to happen. Could she?”

“That sounds like a good question for Alice.”

She gets up and leans over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank God you were there.”

Maxwell drops his feet off the corner of the desk, letting his shoes slap on the floor. “Well, that settles it. I’m going to call in a favor at Otto’s old precinct and see if they can run a background check on our Bella LaRue. What are you going to do? Need a lift home?”

“Home to your loft?” Alexis smiles before she looks out the window and watches Bella heading down the front steps. “I think I’ll take a little walk. See you at your place later?”

Maxwell winks at her. “Most definitely.”

* * *

A
lexis realizes
at the corner that she has no idea how to follow someone without being seen. When Bella settles on the bench at the bus stop, she has to think quickly. Running through the alley, she barely reaches the bus stop before the bus slows down and stops. Fumbling for change, she manages to deposit the right amount and scrambles for a seat just before the bus stops to pick up Bella.

There is a moment of panic when Alexis realizes she may have gotten on the wrong bus as Bella takes her time getting up from the bench. She breathes a sigh of relief and hides her face behind her hair when Bella finally boards the bus.

The bus heads downtown and Alexis wonders what she hopes to discover. Some of Bella’s story and actions don’t make much sense but that probably means nothing. When Alexis first moved into Blackvine Manor Apartments, her actions made even less sense. She has to admit that is the reason she’s following Bella, for the thinnest wisp of a possibility that Bella is connected to Blackvine Manor and therefore a lead to her mother Amelia.

Alexis is just berating herself for chasing a random hunch and not acting rationally at all when Bella suddenly jumps up and gets ready to disembark. She rushes down the front steps of the bus as Alexis slips out the back and dodges behind the nearby bus shelter. Bella marches into the large grocery store on the corner of the block.

“Well, I’m already a stalker; I may as well get a snack while I’m here,” Alexis mutters to herself before running across the street and following Bella inside.

It is even harder to follow Bella inside as she moves sporadically from aisle to aisle, sometimes back tracking and sometimes skipping three aisles at a time. At one point she spins around and Alexis is sure their eyes met but Bella doesn’t see her. Instead, she turns around and peeks around the corner of a banana display.

Alexis decides her best strategy is to find a vantage point near the front of the store and simply wait to see what Bella is doing. She sets herself up at the long shelf of magazines and is halfway through scanning an article on Feng Shui when Bella approaches the checkout counters.

Grabbing a bag of chips off an end display, Bella goes to the self-service checkout lane. She scans the bag of chips, paying with a card, while constantly watching someone two counters over. Alexis shifts in order to see the other person. Moving around a tall spinning rack of sunglasses, she drops the magazine.

Standing in line, fidgeting with a rose-printed silk scarf is a woman with long, auburn hair. She has large, round sunglasses on even inside but there is no mistaking her.

Amelia Tennon-Cole pays for her deli sandwich and disappears out the front door.