Gifts of the Ghost

Finally, I crossed my arms. Nothing was going to be perfect, and if I continued to wait for the right setup, then Aunt Linda would be home and want to talk to me. I wouldn’t be able to work at all once she had arrived. It was now or never. So I plopped into my chair. After sliding the phone into the tripod, I pushed the record button, and Shadow settled into the doorway to be my live studio audience.

Thirty seconds into the video, the dark sheet I’d thrown over one of the windows fell and changed the lighting of the room. Then the phone rang, but I didn’t bother answering.

“Scotch Bonnet,” I yelled, startling Shadow from her perch on the threshold. Scotch Bonnet was my own version of a non-cuss word. If this wasn’t the right situation for a few almost-bad words, then I didn’t want to know how much worse it could get.

It only took a minute to fix things so I could try again, but each time I had to restart, my mood soured a bit more. The phone rang in the middle of my twelfth attempt. Maybe this was a sign that I needed to wait for a different day to do this video. I glanced at the screen.

“Hey, Auntie,” I grumbled since I already knew who it was from the caller id. “What do you need?”

She sounded in a much cheerier mood than I was now. “How are things going at home, Mags? Did you get the videos done? You didn’t answer when I called the other two times.”

“That was you?” I scowled in confusion at her words. So this was her fourth phone call today and the third time she’d asked me about my videos. Something was behind her constant attempts to find things to ask me about. She didn't normally try to check on me this much.

“Oh, yeah, just checking on you. Finish your videos?”

“Working on it. Was that all you called for?” I kept my voice polite, so she didn’t think I was trying to get rid of her.

She sighed. “No... Do you know where the invoices are for those new scents we ordered?”

I’d told her this already, yesterday. “I put them with the other bills that need to be paid once the insurance money comes in.” I let out a sigh of frustration.

She cleared her throat. “Where did we put those exactly?”

“What?” Her question didn’t make any sense, but I told her where the invoices should’ve been. She should’ve known this. “In the insurance file with all the phone numbers and the agent’s card. Remember?”

She rustled for a moment. “Ah, yes, I found them. Thank you, dear.” She paused as if hesitating before her next question caught me off guard. “Have you had any visitors lately?” She lowered her voice slightly. “You know, special visitors?”

I rocked in one of the porch rockers and tried not to worry about why she’d be asking that. “No, not since we turned those papers into the museum.”

The ghost of our relative, Maggie, hadn't seemed to need to appear since there wasn't any immediate danger. Hopefully, she wouldn't, at least, not until I found her burial site and helped her find eternal peace.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work. See you in a bit.” Aunt Linda hung up without waiting for me to say bye.

“What I need is a ghost to help me keep things from interrupting me,” I muttered under my breath as I started the video again.

Though, there was nothing Maggie could do if she did appear. She didn’t impact physical objects easily, and I wasn’t even sure she’d show up on camera. Wouldn't that go viral though? The ghost of a female revolutionary war spy.

I almost had the wax just right for the candle video when the doorbell rang. Wax splashed over me, and I winced. It wouldn't burn me, but it didn’t exactly feel good, either. Being a chandler, I was used to a bit of hot wax in the same way beekeepers were used to dealing with a stinger or two. I hurried to the door, shaking my hand to cool the wax faster.

Officer Don, the cop who had helped deal with Kim, stood on the other side.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern and pointed to my hand.

“Burned myself a little when the bell rang.” I gave a tight smile as I waved my hand at him.

“Why don’t you go put that under some cold water?” He seemed agitated. “I can come in and wait while you take care of it.”

“Sure,” I chuckled as I held the door open with my elbow so he could enter.

He stepped into the kitchen, following me like a mother goose. “Do you need some help?” His offer seemed unusual for him. What did he need to tell me? Why was he being so nice? He was always nice, but his voice held an edge of concern under it.

“No, thank you, though,” I said with a sigh, peeling the wax off my hand and wrist. I’d never understand why some women paid to have this done to their legs. “Hot wax is a part of doing business when you’re in the candle industry. It doesn’t even hurt as much as most people think. At least candle wax isn’t strong enough to remove hair. Otherwise, I’d have to wax my other hand to even them out.”

Ha. Like I would purposefully wax anything but my eyebrows. I’d never been brave enough to try anything else.

Where had that thought come from? I was simply trying to delay whatever he was going to tell me. It didn’t seem like it was going to be good news.

I took a deep breath and turned toward him, careful to keep my arm in the cold water. “Out with it. Is there something new that’s developed?”

There was no point in trying to gently pull off the bandage when his expression was this solemn. It had to be bad.

He shrugged and held his official blue cap in both hands, sort of rotating it between them. A nervous tic I’d noticed of his. “The case against Kim is solid. Unfortunately, the FBI hasn’t found anything that can be used against her family. There isn’t any evidence to prove that they were involved with your parents’ deaths.” He looked so apologetic, as if it was his fault that the FBI wasn’t progressing as we’d hoped.

“Kim admitted to their involvement. Isn’t that enough evidence?” My arm flung water droplets everywhere as I threw my hands up in frustration. “She confessed. How much more of a solid form of evidence can they need?”

“She did that in private. There wasn’t a recording. For some reason, nothing of the confession was taped and can’t be used against the family. And even then, she confessed that someone else committed a crime. And that supposed criminal is dead.” He shrugged as if waiting for another outburst from me.

“It’s not your fault,” I sighed in resignation. He had nothing to do with the cameras or if they were recorded properly. Don would’ve done anything to keep this case moving. “Thanks for telling me.”

Well, Scotch Bonnet. This just stinks. I slammed my hand on the counter, sending a tingle through the sensitive skin. Now what?

3

Don tucked his hat beneath his arm, grabbed the dish towel from the oven, and handed it to me to dry my hands as I fumed at the turn of events.

“Look, I’m really sorry,” he said as I took the towel. He stood there with his hands on his hat as if he wasn’t certain about what to do with himself. “If you’d like a ride to your next court date, I could pick you up. They want you to testify, right?

“I have a car,” I said, wetting the dish towel and dabbing it on my hand to clear off any remaining wax droplets.

He cleared his throat. “Well, this way, y ’know, you wouldn’t have to go alone.”

“Oh.” It would be nice to have someone there on my team since I was nervous about the whole thing. “The lawyers have asked me to testify,” I said, finally freeing myself from my train of thought. “I don’t want to.” My hands twisted nervously at the idea, wringing the dishtowel nearly into a knot. “I know that it’s what I need to do, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

He laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It’s your choice, of course. If you can, then it will go a long way to convincing the judge that she’s guilty. They’ll need your testimony to make the conviction stick.”

Aggravated, I paced back and forth in the small space. “Is it even worth going to all this trouble if the people who killed my parents aren’t punished for what they did?”

“Kim needs to be punished for what she did.”

“At least they didn’t kill Aunt Linda.” I sighed, but then it hit me. “I guess Kim almost did kill her. That’s way too close to losing my parents all over again.”

“Look, no pressure,” Don said, wringing his cap in his hands. “We don’t have to go together. I just thought that if I could be there to lend some support and help you through the process that it might be easier for you.” He shrugged as if it wasn't really that big of a deal.

My brain flew to Wes, my British viscount veterinary crush. He’d been MIA since he’d gotten back from an out-of-town work conference. I’d made a few excuses about him having to catch up on work at his veterinary practice in Larkhaven, but I wanted him to be at the trial as well.

Maybe I had just imagined that he was okay with everything making its way into the public eye. As a member of the Howe family, he might have been more bothered by the documents that I’d released than he’d let on.

Don had been around during all the chaos. He’d honestly made me feel safe and had been a great help as my life slowly fell apart. And that counted for something, didn’t it?

“Yes.” I let out like a breath I’d been holding. I just needed to give him an answer before I could think too much about it. “I’d really like that since Aunt Linda can’t be there with me while I’m testifying.”

“That is, if you’re sure that won’t be too much trouble,” I hastened to add. “I wouldn’t want you skipping work on my account.”

A half-restrained chuckle shook his chest as a smile broke out across his face. “Not at all. I’d love to be there for you.”

He nodded toward the towel that I’d unconsciously wrapped around my arm and part of my hand. “How’s your burn doing?”

“Huh,” I said absently, unwinding the towel. “The stinging isn’t bad, but…Huh.” I stared at a few raised welts where the wax had been the hottest. I’d never been burned by wax quite like that before. “I’ll need to check my temperatures. It shouldn’t have been hot enough to cause a blister. At least not like that.”

He grimaced at my arm. “Doesn’t look bad enough to need a doctor, though. Do you have any burn cream?”

I grinned. “In my line of work, I’d be stupid not to have some in the house.”

“Do you want me to get it?”

“No, I can do that. It takes more than a little burn to stop me.”

He chuckled and put his hat back on. “Now that’s some truth.” He stopped mid-turn and glanced back at me. “Should I pick you up about an hour before we have to be there?”

I tipped my head to the side and smiled. It was nice to be thought of like that, and I appreciated it more than he probably knew. “That would be perfect. Thank you for being willing to lend my support for this. Not everybody would be willing to do that.”

“Anytime,” he chuffed, with an almost sauntering step toward the living room. “I should probably skedaddle. I’m technically on duty right now.”

“I’ll see you out.” I felt a little better about the trial. It was going to be bearable now. At least I’d have a friend rooting for me.

As I closed the front door behind him and turned back toward the kitchen, I spotted Shadow sitting on the table next to the sink. Maggie stood beside her. Oh, no. I hadn’t seen Maggie in a while, and her turning up again wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

She gestured toward my cell phone, sitting on the counter. It had been far enough out of the mess I’d made while flinging my wet hands around that it hadn’t gotten ruined.

I jogged toward it and picked it up. An email from the fire inspector. The blaze was definitely arson. They had definitive proof and everything they needed to make the case against Kim stick.

There was another email right after that one, and it was from the company securing the stairs to the attic. Aunt Linda’s attic hadn’t burned in the fire. While the rest of the house had been practically destroyed, the attic hadn’t been as badly damaged, so the remaining structure had been rebuilt enough for us to retrieve whatever important items we could from up there.

The email also contained an invoice and an estimate of when the project was supposed to be stable enough for me to hike up the stairs. They were certain that it would be safe within a week.

Questions brimmed on the tip of my tongue for Maggie as I looked up, only to find her gone.

I shook my head at her vanishing act. If only I could’ve found proof of who killed Maggie, then I could’ve found her body. Maybe finding her body would have released her from being trapped in Larkhaven.

Shadow hopped up onto the counter and allowed me to scratch her behind the ears as I reread the emails and thought about what was coming.

All my video content wasn’t going to make itself, so I went back into my overflowing workspace to see what I could do with the time I had left. With only a few more hiccups, I was able to produce a few videos that I’d be able to upload and schedule for posting, which I desperately needed so I could stay relevant and visible.

The phone rang, and for a fleeting moment, I hoped it might be Wes. But no such luck. Caller ID said it was Aunt Linda calling, yet again. Not that I minded, but I couldn’t help wondering where Wes was and what he was doing. I missed him.

“Hello?”

“Mags, I can’t find those jars we ordered for the new scents.” Aunt Linda sounded frazzled.

“Oh, those should still be in boxes in the back room.” Why couldn’t she find anything lately? I was going to have to put her on a multivitamin.

“Any visitors?” Aunt Linda asked again.

I rolled my eyes, but Don had come by, and she’d probably want to hear about what he’d said. “Well, funny thing. Don, the cop, dropped by. He said that Kim’s confession didn’t get taped.” I frowned, stamping down a burst of fury at the problem. I unfolded and re-folded the wet towel I’d used earlier. How had they messed up the recording? One button. That’s all anybody had to push. They did this for a living. How did— No. I brought that train of thought to a screeching halt since it wasn’t helpful.

Aunt Linda sighed. “He mentioned that when he came by earlier. He thought you could use someone to be there for you at the hearing.” She waited for me to protest. When I didn’t, she added, “He’s a nice young man. I think he’s sweet on you.”

Ah, so that was why she’d called approximately fifty-seven times since I got home. “Thanks, Auntie, I already told him he could take me if it wasn’t too much of a bother.”

“Why would you be a bother?” She dismissed my concern. “He’s not going to think that when he wants you to like him. It’s how dating works.”

Dating? She thought we were dating. I continued to fold and refold the towel again and again until I remembered the email from the repair company for the house. “The structural company sent a notice telling us that the stairs should be safe to go in the attic soon.”

“Don’t you think that we should just hire someone to tear the whole place down? Is it really going to be safe for us to be there after all that’s happened?” Aunt Linda suddenly sounded tired.

I looked down at the towel, not really paying attention to much except the weariness in Aunt Linda’s words. When I glanced up, Maggie was standing next to me, appearing distressed and shaking her head no.

Maggie didn’t want anyone tearing down the attic or messing with our family history. Not that I blamed her one little bit. It felt totally wrong to me, too. I studied Maggie’s expression. Who knew a ghost could have such an expressive face?

“Mags? Are you still there?”

“Oh, um, I don’t think anyone else should go up there except for you or me. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Fine. If you think so. We just need to make sure that you’re safe when you go up the stairs,” she cautioned. “I can’t have anything happen to you.”

“It’ll be okay, Auntie,” I promised. “Besides, I want to look around up there for clues about Maggie’s ghost, and I’m sure there’s all kinds of important stuff up there.”

“Well, don’t be disappointed if you don’t find anything. Either way, dear, I’ll be home in a little bit.”

“Be safe, Auntie. See you soon.”

4

The next day, I got up bright and early, ready to start working on more content. While it was true that I should’ve been doing videos, I missed all my book club people. Aunt Linda had been working up at the shop a lot more lately since things needed to be ready to reopen and the shop was her baby. Once upon a time, the book club had been mine.

Maybe I could summon my bookish friends on a whim. I sent out a barrage of texts, requesting a book club meeting later in the day, and with enough enthusiastic replies, we were able to schedule an impromptu meeting.

After a shower and breakfast, I sat down to plan what videos to make next. More dipping, of course. Those were always popular and led people to our shop. Maybe some footage of the burned-out house. They’d like to see that, and I could talk about the repairs.

I had more followers now than I did only a few months ago. It was more important than ever that I make up for the lost revenue from the shop with social media content. However much Aunt Linda disliked it, it was currently saving our bacon. But the harder I tried to focus on making videos, the more my mind wandered to my book club friends. Since I wasn’t getting any work done at home, I decided to head into the shop.

So I grabbed my phone, purse, and key fob to head into town. If nothing else, I needed coffee. The radio was on, and I hummed along to the song playing. As I glanced behind me, I noticed a car following much closer than was normal in a place like Larkhaven.

I mashed on the gas pedal and sped up, but the car behind me maintained the same speed as I did. Town was rapidly approaching, but I was anxious that the car was still following me.

Just as I was about to try the turn right three times trick to try to lose them, the sound of sirens filled the air. I pulled the car to the side of the road as fire trucks and police cars raced by. Distracted by the emergency vehicles, I lost sight of the other car from my rearview.

Maybe I was being paranoid. My heart pounded in my chest, and I wiped my sweaty palms against the steering wheel. I was probably overreacting, right?

But I had a reason, didn’t I? It hadn't been that long since someone had tried to hurt us. The buildings still reeked of smoke.