Authors: Madison Johns
“Blanche,” I said.
She slowly turned her head, a slight smile on her face as she whispered, “So you finally figured out who I am?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s not like there’s anyone else who died here,” I said, even though I hadn’t known the whole history until tonight. “What I don’t understand is why you’re still here.”
Blanche rocked back against the light. “I just didn’t want to leave my children, but my father took them from the lighthouse after I died.”
“Did you try to leave with them?”
“I tried, but I wasn’t able to leave the lighthouse, and it seemed that my father didn’t even know I was here with him. I don’t think he could see me. Nobody has except for you and that young man.”
“You’ve scared Cliff so badly that he left and didn’t even want to come back here.”
“It’s not my fault. I’m so lonely, and when I realized he could see me, I couldn’t help myself from gravitating toward him. He’s quite handsome.”
“I’ll have to agree with you there, but I might be able to help you out if you allow me to. I’ll only do it if you behave yourself during the wedding, though.”
Her eyes almost became live now. “Like how? Can you help me cross over?”
“Well, no, but I do know a few ghosts.”
“Not that woman I saw here once. I’m the lady of the lighthouse, and I’m not about to allow any other female ghosts here.”
“That was Caroline, and she’s attached herself to me, so I do hope you can tolerate her presence at least on my wedding day.”
Blanche looked out the window for a moment before turning back to face me. “I suppose I’ll have to then, but only because you asked me to. You let her know she’s only to attend the wedding, and then she needs to leave right afterward.”
“Okay, but I do know a certain ghost that is quite manly. Hopefully, if I introduce you to him, you’ll get along.”
Her hands went to her hips as she stubbornly said, “I’ve never met another spirit before, and I’m not sure I’ll like him at all.”
“Give it a try before you rule it out, but I won’t bring him right now. I’ll let you mull it over.”
“Thanks, but if you don’t mind, I need to be alone now. I love the solitude up here.”
My knees were shaking as I looked over the horizon. “That’s just fine by me. I’m very afraid of heights.”
I moved to walk down and Blanche said, “It’s easier if you live ones go down facing the other way until you get past the first part.”
“You mean like backwards!” I shouted in a panic.
“Yes, just be careful. I’d hate you to lose your footing and die from a nasty fall. Then you’d be stuck here with me.”
“Thanks for the encouragement.”
I pressed my back against the light until I was able to grab the metal handrail and carefully stepped down, moving cautiously, ensuring my foot was indeed on the first step before I lowered my body. I kept working until I was past the first spiral and then turned myself so that I was now able to descend the steps. It was harder going down than up, but my dizziness dissipated somewhat the closer I got to the bottom.
Eleanor, Andrew, and Martha were looking up at me as I came off the last step. I wiped my brow as perspiration collected in large beads.
“Agnes, you’re white as a ghost,” Eleanor remarked.
“I bet I am. That’s the scariest place I’ve ever been. It’s such a tiny space all the way at the top. If I weren’t so scared of heights I might have enjoyed the view more. I think my knees were knocking so loudly you must have heard it all the way down here.”
“Sounded like you were talking to yourself up there,” Martha said.
“Well, no. I was talking to Blanche and asked her to behave herself at our wedding. I’m planning to introduce her to Malcolm, if she’ll let me, but she doesn’t want to have Caroline here. She did say that Caroline can be here for the wedding, at least.” I went on to explain who Malcolm was.
Andrew just shook his head, and Martha’s jaw slacked open. “So you’re playing matchmaker to the dead now?”
“No, but Blanche is lonely, so it might help her to have some companionship.”
“How about I leave you to discuss this matter amongst you women? I’d rather not know the particulars,” Andrew said. “You know I don’t like to hear you talk about ghosts. It makes me think you’re imagining things, since I can’t see them. It’s very unnerving.”
“I could always ask Caroline to reveal herself to you,” I suggested with a wink.
He raised a hand. “Please, don’t do that.”
“So are we going to have a rehearsal dinner?” I asked.
“We’ll have it at the Butler Mansion,” Martha said. “I already made arrangements with your friends and Millicent. It seems that Tony, Henry Winston’s partner, wants to help out with the wedding. He plans to come out here to decorate for the ceremony.”
That brought a smile to my face. “That'd be great, since I’m not that good at decorating.”
“I’ll leave you women to talk. I need to get Mr. Wilson over to the Butler Mansion. He’s been missing his granddaughter, Millicent, and it seems he wants to speak to her about the wedding.”
I waited until Andrew had walked up the hallway, and only then did I say to Martha, “I was hoping you could tell me a little about Vivian Miller.”
“Vivian?”
“I thought you were friends?”
Martha squinted her eyes and gave me the strangest look. “Actually, no. I mean, I’ve met her a few time at Barnacle Bill’s. She’s quite a partier, you know.”
“I figured as much, but is there anything you can tell me about her, like, does she have a job?”
“Not that I know about. She’s a magnet for men, though, unsavory ones at that. The type of men you’d never catch me talking to. Probably why her son hung out with people so much older than him. I imagine that led him to his troubles. I heard he’s missing, is that right?”
“He’s disappeared. Not sure about missing, but I have a feeling that he might be mixed up in the thefts in town. There was high-end merchandise in her house when we went there to question her. Of course, she made it sound like it was on account of whatever Robert was mixed up in. I would personally think that Vivian would put her foot down with her son, get him some help—possibly send him to live with relatives until things blew over. Or to get him away from the bad element that he seemed to have run into.”
“What can you tell me about the men you’ve seen Vivian with at the bar, like what made you think they were unsavory?”
“They just had the look. You know how when they look at you, it just gives you the creeps?” She wrinkled her brow before adding, “And then there was the man with the tattoo. He was scary. Why would anyone have a tattoo put on his face, of all things?”
My eyes widened and words failed me.
“A tattoo of what?” Eleanor asked.
“A dragon tattoo. Wasn’t there a book and movie called
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?
” Martha laughed. “But why do you two look like you just found the golden ticket?” Martha asked.
“Because we did, or golden clue possibly. We’re going over to question Vivian again. It’s quite obvious to me that she was holding back on us.”
“Of course, her neighbors could have told you that, going by the way they reacted,” Eleanor said. “Most of them wouldn’t even speak to us,” she went on to explain to Martha.
“Oh, wow. Do be careful. I’d go with you, but I’m grounded here, as you know. Cliff and I have more painting to do.”
I nodded and took off up the hallway, ignoring Cliff, who was speaking with the giddy pastor. Eleanor shouted for me not to leave without her, and I did stop and wait for her at the door until she caught up. We then went back to the car, and I tore off toward Vivian’s house.
Chapter Nineteen
“Slow down, Agnes. I’d like to get there in one piece.”
“What if Vivian has been the key to this entire investigation? She might even be the ringleader.”
“That might very well be the case, but do you really think that she’ll just spit that out? I don’t know any criminal who would do that.”
“We’ll simply confront her is all, like I do every suspect when I figure out they are the one we’re looking for. Her neighbors had a reaction to the goings-on at her place, which is reason enough to know that she’s involved in something big. I wish I had thought about it before. The man with the dragon tattoo was the real clincher for me.”
“But what about her son? He’s missing. Do you think his own mother offed him? And why just hand over the guns to us?”
“Because it’s all part of the plot. She knew we’d not leave empty-handed, and she had planned to have those guns go missing again, later.”
“Except that the Hill boys would know where to look.”
“Which is why Robert is suddenly missing, so he can take the heat for it.”
“Where do the Hill boys come into it?”
“Vivian knew that they’d come looking for her again, and that’s why someone went over to their place and planted evidence. They either took those boys, or they escaped, which, in that case, they might be gunning for her if they’ve figured out Vivian was behind the thefts.”
Eleanor gripped her purse. “Okay, but I’m just not so sure if Vivian is the ringleader. She hardly looks smart enough, if you ask me.”
“Looks, my dear, can be quite deceiving.”
“Shouldn’t we call for some reinforcements, just in case?”
“No, not until we’re sure. I hardly think that Vivian would be any threat to us.”
“What if the man with the tattoo is there, or her other goons?”
“If it looks like anyone is there, we’ll call in the cavalry.”
“We could, but again, we can’t be sure of any of this.”
“Please don’t say that. We have plenty on Vivian now.”
“Except that if she doesn’t have any guns at her house, they won’t be able to do anything. If the ATF were at her house once, I believe that they’re watching her still for signs that Robert returned.”
I knew Eleanor had a valid point, but I just wasn’t ready to acknowledge it yet. No, I’d give Vivian a real shakedown first, and speak to Stuart if the sheriff wouldn’t believe us.
I coasted past Vivian’s house, and there weren’t any cars in the driveway except hers. Instead of parking in her driveway, I parked at a neighbor’s house in an attempt to remain unseen.
“Here we go again. I’m getting so tired of parking in one place, and walking all the way to where we’re going.”
“Look how it worked out for us in the past.”
As we walked toward the house, I couldn’t help but notice that the patio door looked like it was open slightly. “Eleanor, look. Do you think something is up here?”
“Should I call 9-1-1?”
“Yes, do it now.” I kept walking. “But I’m not waiting. Vivian might be in trouble.”
“Oh, great. From ringleader to victim of a crime in the span of five minutes.”
When I made my way through the backyard, I listened intently for any sounds, voices, or anything else that would alert me that I should not walk right into whatever might be happening inside, but my sleuth instincts told me we’d discover something we’d wish we hadn’t.
“Agnes,” Eleanor whispered as she was on the phone with 9-1-1. “What should I say?”
“Just tell them there’s been a break-in.”
I slowly moved the door open enough for us to enter with my shirt, so as not to disrupt any prints, and stepped inside. On the other side of a wall, there was someone’s arm on the floor—a woman’s arm! I tiptoed forward, glancing around the wall, and the lump that was in my throat dropped to my heart with a heavy thud.
I then pressed my back against the wall.
“What? Eleanor asked with her phone pressed against her chest.
“It’s Vivian’s body. She’s been murdered.”
Eleanor spoke to the 9-1-1 operator again, this time reporting that a murder had been committed. I made my way into the living room. It was covered with feathers, and a pillow was lying on the floor, with blood on it. Vivian had been shot in the head.
“It looks like someone tried to silence the gunshot that killed her.”
“Yes, but did they catch her unaware, or execution style?”
“Hard to tell.”
Sirens blared as they drew closer, and Eleanor waited until Sheriff Peterson and Trooper Sales came lumbering through the door, kicking it open. As it slammed against the wall, I said, “Really?”
“What are you two doing here?” Peterson wanted to know.
“We came here to speak with Vivian and found her dead,” I innocently explained, since that was the truth.
“Well, you should have waited for us to arrive before you entered the residence,” Trooper Sales said. He motioned to the cops who entered next. “Search the house. For all we know, the killer is still here.”
“If he was, I imagine he would have killed us, too,” I said.
“I know, which is why you should have waited on us,” Trooper Sales said.
Stuart came through the door, looked at the body and then us. “Jesus, Mother, really?”
I shrugged. “Don’t blame me. We only came here to question Vivian again. We thought she might be the ringleader in the gun thefts.”
“How exactly did you deduce that, Sherlock?”
“Well, it all comes down to the man with the dragon tattoo.”
Sales slapped his head. “Really? I can’t wait to hear this one.”
“We heard that Robert was seen with a man who had a tattoo on his face. When we questioned the woman at the teen dance place, looking for Robert, she told us that the tattoo man came there asking questions about Robert, and that he gave her the name Rosco.”
“A dragon tattoo,” Eleanor said. “Then there was a high-end item, like this curved television here.” She then looked at the empty space where the television once was. “Well, it was here.”
“Vivian told us that it was a gift from one of Robert’s associates. She also mentioned that whoever Robert was involved with might come to kill Robert, and possibly her. She did hand the Hills’ guns over to us, after all.” I frowned. “It sounds very improbable now, but we believed she was a ringleader after we heard she was seen drinking with a man who had a dragon tattoo on his face at Barnacle Bill’s.”
“Vivian played it off like she didn’t know where the television came from, but I think it came from that man with the tattoo,” Eleanor added.