Along Came A Needle: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery (5 page)

“No, that's not a good idea.” I looked at Diana to see if she'd agree with me. Disturbing people in the middle of the night wouldn't have been a good move.

I didn't have to try to persuade her much longer. Ruby's face lit up. “You know what, scratch that idea. I have a better one. Now, bear with me.”

Uh oh. Here we go
. When Ruby's face lit up like that, that usually meant that she had some sort of an epiphany, but not in the angelic, hear the angels singing kind of way. It was more akin to 'let's do this crazy thing and worry about the consequences later'. But that theory only applied when and if she was nowhere near her husband Hank. He was a good egg. Always had been.

We all met in college and have been thick as thieves for over twenty years. Hank was mellow, level headed, cerebral. Ruby was a brilliant nurse, a kind, generous friend, and a purveyor of fun, but she was also unafraid, brash at times, and more full of energy than anyone I'd ever met.

I'd like to think that I shared some of their traits, but truth be told, I was more inclined to  react when it came to things in my personal life and less inclined to want to venture out of my comfort zone. Recent history set aside, I used to be rather conservative and quiet – at least, three days a week.

“Enlighten me. What insanity are you planning for us?” I asked.

She grabbed a stack of files out of one of the desk drawers and said, “Here, go through these and tell me when you find something.”

I looked at the stack she handed me. “What is this?”

“Files,” she shrugged. “Look at them. If my hunch is right, I think we're bound to find something interesting.” She handed a pile of files to Diana, who seemed perfectly content to search through Flynn's belongings.

Diana whispered, “Mom, just look. I think I know what we're looking for.”

“Would anyone care to fill me in? Remember, I'm not telepathic like you two.” I grumbled sarcastically.

Ruby shut the lights off. “Quiet. Look for history. We didn't want to tell you this because you are excitable, but now we have no choice. This place is haunted. It's like a local legend. We need proof that Flynn is alive or proof that he's not.”

I wasn't following. A minute ago, she swore that I'd seen a ghost. “I don't understand. What do you know that I don't know and why would you bring me to a haunted place? I don't like haunted houses.”

Ruby yawned. “Mercy, we're just trying to help you unwind here. We thought it'd be fun.”

Her yawn was infectious. Soon I was yawning and ready to collapse in my bed.

“How are you helping me? All I wanted was a few days of sleep and some time alone with the two women I love the most in the world. Now, look what I have – a place called The Felon House, a crazy murder mystery, a best friend who has me searching through a man's personal belongings – what's next? I get arrested?” I knew I was speaking too loudly, but I was agitated.

“This,” Ruby pointed to the stacks of open files, “has nothing to do with Flynn's death. This is just for my own curiosity. Consider how much it will ease your mind to know whether or not you saw a ghost. If he's alive, mystery solved, right? If we figure out how they pull off their murder mysteries, then we win and you can sleep your weekend away and call it good. But, if we find evidence that this place is really haunted, then how cool would that be?”

While Ruby was imparting her infinite ghost wisdom on me, Diana was nose deep in a book. “You have to see this Aunt Ruby. Come here.”

Great. Now, she had my daughter believing this stuff.

“What is it?” I asked, walking over to her side to see what she thought she found.

Ruby grabbed the book and took it to the window so she could see what Diana's younger eyes could see.

“I knew it!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Knew what?” I still couldn't see what she thought she'd found. From my angle, it was blurry words on a page.

“It is haunted. Now, I need to see this in better lighting, but this looks like some kind of a visitor log, detailing what experiences visitors had when they stayed here.” Ruby explained, but I still didn't understand what that meant to me.

Ruby squinted her eyes to read. “I can't see it. Getting older really is a pain in the patoot, isn't it? Let's take this back to my room and look it over in there.”

I turned to look at Diana. She looked exhausted. She could barely keep her eyes open by this point.

“We can't take that book out of this room? What if someone notices it's gone?” I asked.

“We'll bring it back first thing in the morning,” Ruby promised.

It only took us a few seconds to put the room back in order and get the book out of the room. Ruby shut the door behind us and we quickly shuffled to her room to take a look at the book.

Ruby tossed the book on top her bed. I almost had a heart attack, fearing that the old book would fall apart and we'd never be able to patch it back together. Something fell out of it.

I stood up to retrieve it and nearly fell over when I saw what it was.

With my hands shaking, I picked it up off the floor and said, “Please tell me that this is some kind of joke.”

Diana took it from my hand and gasped. Her hands began to tremble. “Did you see the date?”

I mumbled a response. I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Ruby stood behind us and looked down at the photo. “Is that...” Her voice caught. She knew who it was. There was no denying it.

“That has to be a coincidence, right? I mean, he's not the first person that...” I couldn't find my words. This whole thing had me questioning everything I thought I believed. Had I seen what I thought I'd seen or was I mistaken?

“What do we do now?” I asked Diana and Ruby.

“We research further, don't we? What does this really mean anyway? It doesn't prove anything, other than Flynn...” Ruby started.

Diana interjected, “But, what if it proves that what Mom saw was really some kind of ghost?”

“Well, you can't blame me for that.” I'd spent the last hour and a half listening to Charlie, a friend I'd met while on assignment in Nebraska.

“Explain it to me again. This time without all the 'it wasn't my fault' stuff.” Charlie fancied himself a bit of a comedian, but what the Sheriff failed to realize is that no one actually believed he was funny and people only laughed at his lame attempts at joking because he carried a badge and had the power to throw our little behinds in the Klink.

“I don't know why Ruby thought it'd be a good idea to call you in the first place. I told her that all you were going to do was make fun of me.” My frustration levels were on a steady climb and any conversation with Charlie would increase it tenfold.

“Quit being so dramatic. Now, say this again. You're in a haunted house and someone died, then came back to life?” Charlie laughed a hearty laugh. “This is perfect. Ruby finally came to her senses and had you committed.”

“That's it. I'm hanging up.” I handed the phone to Ruby. This was her idea. She would have to deal with him. I don't know what she thought he'd be able to do. He didn't live anywhere nearby.

Ruby put the phone to her ear as she smoothed out her pant legs. “Hey, there, Charlie. I see you received a nice greeting from Mercy this morning.” She remained quiet for a moment as Charlie spoke, then she erupted into laughter. Charlie must have been poking fun at me again. I wasn't surprised. That's just the sort of thing he'd engage in.

Diana knocked on the bedroom door. “Are you awake?” She asked.

I opened the door and pointed to Ruby. “She made me call you know who.”

“Charlie?' Diana whispered.

I nodded, rolling my eyes.

“Stop  it, Mom. We both know you like him.” Diana walked over to Ruby, speaking loud enough for Charlie to hear her.

“Mom has been grouchy for days. Hop on a plane right now and save us.” Diana giggled.

I bit my lip. I knew from past experience that the more I protested, the more it egged Diana and Ruby on. They couldn't get enough of Charlie and his shenanigans. It almost made me a bit sad, because they'd only met him on  a couple of occasions, but they behaved like they'd known him their whole lives. If it wasn't for the fact that he'd practically arrested me right before Christmas, no one, including myself would know him.

I listened as Ruby explained what happened here. She did a pretty good job of remaining objective. I was surprised, but I figured that was due to the fact that she was speaking to a man of the law and ghosts wouldn't have been something he would have tended to believe, at least I didn't think so.

“Yes, she's sitting right here, making that face she always does when she gets stressed,” Ruby said, looking at me.

I said, “I don't want to talk to him. All that's going to do is get me more riled up than I was to begin with.” I walked away from her, hoping that she'd understand, and more importantly, that Charlie would understand my frustration.

“Oh, no you don't. You have to talk to him, Mercy.” Ruby held the phone to her ear as she spoke to me.

Bells rang downstairs before we heard Chip's voice calling up the stairs. “Rise and shine, breakfast is served.”

This was really happening. He was going to continue on as if nothing happened?

Diana's eyes met mine. I could see fear in her eyes and I'm sure she could see the fear in mine. “We can go eat somewhere else.” I suggested.

Ruby held the phone out. “No, we're going to eat here. I don't want to miss whatever Chip has in store for all of us. Do you think he'll expect us to sit in the dining room again?” She shivered. “I'm glad I wasn't seated next to him.”

I looked at the phone. She was right. This was something I needed to consult with Charlie about. He'd know how we should proceed.

“So, we meet again,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood between us.

“Looks that way,” he answered.

“Okay, I don't know what to do here. I feel like the right thing to do would be to leave, just go home and try to salvage what we have left of my birthday weekend, but this man died or supposedly died right next to me. I'm at a loss.” I explained.

Charlie's tone was business like and I appreciated it more now than ever. What I was about to tell him wouldn't be easy for me to say and probably would be close to the craziest thing he'd ever heard.

“I saw him, Charlie.” I said.

“You saw the dead man?” Charlie asked, but not to mock me. There was sincerity in his voice.

“I think I did.”

Chip rang the bell and called up the stairs again. I motioned for Ruby and Diana to go ahead of me while I continued speaking to Charlie. They looked at each other, giving each other those knowing looks that teenage girls gave their friends when they ran into their crush on a school bus.

“Stop it,” I warned them. “Please, just act like adults.

Ruby made kissing noises as she closed the door behind her and Diana.

We never truly grow up, do we? At least not the people in my life.

Charlie waited until I spoke again. I took a moment to catch my breath and consider my words carefully.

“I saw someone that could have been Flynn. I can't say for sure that it was him. It was dark and I was hiding behind a plant, but I think it was him. The profile was the same.” I said.

He took a deep breath and said in a calm voice. “Mercy, how many times have you seen him before in your life?”

Right away, I got defensive. I didn't like what he was insinuating.

“I know what I saw. It doesn't matter if I saw him before or not. I was sitting right next to him and we spent most of the evening together.” I explained.

“You did?” Charlie's tone changed.

What was that about? Was he jealous?

“Yeah, he made me go on some dumb hike. I'd just barely gotten here and he gave me some clothes and boots and made me go on a nature walk with him. What kind of welcome is that?” I filled Charlie in on the details of the evening.

“You went on a nature walk with him?” Charlie's voice still showed strain.
Why did that bother him? He and I weren't dating. We were just friends, despite what everyone else in our lives thought we were doing.

“Are you jealous, Sheriff Wagner?” I teased.

He laughed, but I understood that it was because my question made him uncomfortable. Now, I wasn't naive in any way. I knew that our friendship hindered on being a relationship, but we had so many factors working against us, mainly me and my fear of relationships.

My ex-husband James and I had a good relationship. I wasn't frightened due to trauma, but because I was partially afraid of failure and partially afraid of success. I know that makes no sense, but that's the best explanation I have for my trepidation.

Its not that Charlie wasn't a nice, respectable guy. He had everything going for him. I saw the way women gawked at him when he walked by, but I just couldn't bring myself to do the same – in front of people. Now, I may have been a chicken when it came to love, but I wasn't blind. I liked my life the way it was. Simple. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, and the only people that could or would complain were those that had spent the last twenty some years in it. Why complicate things?

A relationship meant that I'd have to invite someone else into my everyday life and would have to bounce decisions off of them. I just couldn't see myself doing that. Maybe for a short time, I'd succeed, but inevitably, I would forget or grow frustrated with the whole process and would do anything to sabotage it.

“No, I'm not jealous. I'm just surprised. I can only imagine how much fun it must have been to hang out with a grouchy nurse, who last I recalled, didn't like hiking.” Charlie said.

“I never said that and I'm not grouchy.” I answered, unable to hide my irritation.

“Well, you sure as beans don't sound too happy,” Charlie laughed.

Here we went again. Did every conversation have to turn into some type of crusade against me?

He cleared his throat. “Okay, why don't you ask me whatever it is you really want to ask me? What it sounds like is that you've been under a lot of stress, you're sleep deprived, you witnessed something that would shock anyone, including a seasoned professional like yourself, and now you want an excuse to duck out quietly.”

He didn't know how right he was, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

“No, I want to know what the protocol here is. Shouldn't the police have closed this place down or something?” I asked.

“No, the police could have made the suggestion, but it's not their place. Business owners can do what they want as long as techs have finished their jobs. If the police thought it was a homicide, they may have sealed it off, but since you're still there, I guess they don't think its a homicide.” Charlie said, adding, “Are you sure you saw someone that looks like the dead guy? How do you know it wasn't his business partner?”

“I think I know what I saw. I don't know if Ruby explained this to you or not, but this place is supposedly haunted and last night when we were going through the files in Flynn's office, we...”

Charlie interrupted me. “You were snooping through his files? Why? You do know that's called breaking and entering, right? Mercy, you could be arrested for that. What has gotten into you?”

Someone rang the breakfast bell again. I needed to hurry the conversation along and this was as a good an opportunity as any to do just that.

“They're calling me again. I should go. It looks like Ruby and Diana want to stay, so I'm sorry for bothering you with this. We're fine.” I apologized and hung up quickly, so he wouldn't have a chance to scold me about our pseudo-investigation.

“Ms. Mares, will you be joining us for breakfast this morning?” Chip was standing outside my bedroom door as soon as I opened it.

“Oh, hi, yes. I'm sorry. I was on the phone.” I said.

He smiled. “Well, breakfast is served at seven-thirty am every morning. We keep things on a tight schedule so that everyone is on the same page and gets to take part in all of the wonderful adventures we have planned.”

I thought he was joking, so I laughed, grabbing his arm. “My idea of adventure is sleeping all day long.”

He gasped. “Maybe some Bed and Breakfasts will let you do that, but we won't here. I like to think of The Felon House as an adventure vacation destination. You can sleep when you're dead is our motto.”

Please tell me that he's joking.

“Adventure vacation? You're serious?” I asked.

Chip stepped aside so I could go down the stairs. “No, I'm not kidding. Didn't you see that on the website before you booked your stay here?”

“I didn't book it. My daughter did. I'm beginning to think there's a lot of things I haven't been made aware of around here. Since we're on the subject, I have to ask you something.” I said, judging his mood.

He stopped. “Go ahead.”

“Was that scene in the dining room yesterday part of the theatrics you are famous for?” I asked as he took a step back, clutching his chest in horror.

I went too far, I take it.

“Mr. Givens?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

That's all I need is another dead B & B owner. Way to go, Mercy! Kill the poor man, why don't you?

“Why would you ask such a thing?” He asked with venom in his voice. “I am just trying to cope here and keep this business running smoothly. You have no idea how devastated I am. My friend died right in front of my eyes. Now, you want me to prove to you that my friend actually died? I don't mean to be rude, but you give me no other choice.” He walked away briskly, leaving me standing on the stairwell, feeling like a complete louse for asking such an insensitive question.