Ghostly Graveyard (Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery Book 17) (5 page)

I knew I shouldn’t let the situation bother me. I had my own family now and didn’t need to spend every holiday with Dad. But for some reason all I wanted to do was cry.

“Long day.” Zak pulled me into his arms when we finally got home and got everyone settled. By the time we’d finished at the Haunted Hamlet we were all too tired for an elaborate dinner, so we’d picked up takeout and brought it home. Then I remembered I needed to go get Charlie and return Shep to Ellie, so Zak got the younger two kids to bed while I did that. Poor Ellie looked exhausted, but she’d managed to get Mariah to sleep, and it looked like the tired baby might sleep through the night. She still hadn’t heard from Levi, and Skye still hadn’t regained consciousness. I could tell Ellie was at the end of her proverbial rope, so I offered to stay with her overnight so I could help with the baby, but she swore she’d be fine.

Charlie was happy to be going home; he wasn’t used to being away from me for long periods of time, but I offered to bring him back the next day if Ellie thought it would help. She thought she and Mariah might come to the park with Zak, the kids, and me for the concert. I offered to pick her up if she decided to attend. It would be good for both her and Mariah to get some fresh air.

“I feel like I could sleep for a week,” I agreed with Zak’s assessment. “At least we don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow until midday. I think the kids are exhausted as well.”

“They both went out like a light,” Zak confirmed.

“Did you know my parents are going to Switzerland for four weeks?” I asked.

“Your mom mentioned it. I would have said something, but she asked me to let her tell you. I’m kind of surprised it took this long.”

“She didn’t tell me. My dad did.”

“I take it that upset you?”

I shrugged. I was trying to be more secure and mature now that I was married with children, but Jealous Zoe was sometimes still lurking just around the corner.

“She asked if we wanted to go,” Zak explained. “I told her that I couldn’t really get away, but if you wanted to go with your parents…”

I put my head on Zak’s shoulder. “I don’t really want to go. And I can’t imagine being away from you and the kids. I guess I just felt like the
other
daughter when Dad first mentioned it. Harper is going to grow up knowing her Montgomery grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Other than my grandparents, who terrified me when I was a child, I never had the opportunity to meet the rest of the family.”

“I’ll take you to Switzerland anytime you want,” Zak assured me.

“I know. I’m just being Zoe. Did Pi make it back home?”

“Not yet.”

“Should we be worried?”

“Why should we be worried? He called to check in, and as tired as we are, it’s only eleven. We agreed that he’d check in and that he’d be home by midnight on the weekends unless other arrangements had been made and he’s stuck to that,” Zak said.

“Yeah. It’s just that Alex mentioned to me that Brooklyn told her Pi had been hanging out with a kid she classified as bad news.”

“Brooklyn has a tendency to act possessively toward Pi,” Zak reminded me. “They seem to enjoy hanging out, but if you ask me, she’s a lot more serious about the relationship than he is. I think we should listen to what she has to say but look for other motives as well.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Pi’s new friend is taking him away from Brooklyn. It’s possible she’s simply jealous and trying to convince us to discourage the relationship. Pi’s a good kid. I think we should trust him to make his own decisions until such a time when he does something to show us we shouldn’t.”

“You’re right. You’ve really nailed this parenting thing.”

Zak smiled. “So how am I doing with the husband thing?”

I rolled over so I was looking Zak in the eye. “I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied, now that I think about it. Maybe you should do something about that.”

Zak pulled me on top of him. “Maybe I will.”

Interactive Reader Portal
: This book contains a story within a story. Phyllis’s thoughts are included as a separate story at the end of this book. If you want to read the story chronologically, read chapter 4 of
Zimmerman Academy
now by clicking on Zim1. Once you finish reading it, there will be a link to bring you to the top of Chapter 5 of the main story, and you can continue on from there. If you prefer to read
Zimmerman Academy
as a separate story, or if you prefer to skip the chapters narrated by Phyllis, continue on to Chapter 5 now.

Zim #1

“My grandparents want me to come to the farm for Thanksgiving,” Scooter announced as I drove him to school.

“I see.” Why was it that I was suddenly feeling deserted? “I’m sure it will be nice to see them. It’s been a couple of months. Will your dad be there?”

Scooter shrugged.

“Well, Zak can arrange for you to go visit your family either way. Did they say how long they wanted you to come for?”

“Grandma said I should come when school lets out on the Friday before Thanksgiving week, and then I can come back the Sunday after Thanksgiving. She said Alex could come with me.”

“Did you ask Alex if she wanted to go?” I wondered.

“She said she would if it was okay with you.”

I wanted to say no, it absolutely wasn’t okay with me, but I wasn’t
really
Scooter’s mother, and it was perfectly reasonable that his actual grandparents would want to spend time with him. And while Alex wasn’t related to them, Scooter would have a lot better time if Alex went along.

“If Alex wants to go then that’s fine with me. I’ll talk to Zak today about scheduling Coop to take you and bring you back.”

Coop was a private pilot Zak often hired.

“It looks like it’ll just be Zak and Pi and me for Thanksgiving.”

“Pi is going to that band thing.”

“What band thing?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Just some band thing. He said he talked to Zak about it and it was okay with him.”

I found it odd that Zak hadn’t mentioned anything, but perhaps he was still looking into it. I pulled up in front of the school.

“Don’t forget to ask your teacher about the spelling words you’re supposed to be studying.”

“I will,” Scooter promised as he opened the car door.

“And please be sure to find out when your class is going to the Children’s Museum. Your teacher said she would send home a note, but so far I haven’t seen it.”

“Okay.”

Scooter slammed the door.

“Love you,” I said to the boy who was halfway to the school building.

I turned to Charlie. “Should we go see Jeremy?”

He barked.

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Charlie and I headed to the Zoo. I hadn’t spent nearly as much time as I’d like with the animals I’d committed to care for as of late. Jeremy Fisher and Tiffany Middleton, who worked for me full-time, were great. I knew the animals were fine as long as they were in their care; it was I who suffered when I stayed away too long. I love my family more than I can say and being a wife to Zak and a surrogate mom to Pi, Alex, and Scooter was very rewarding, but I needed to have my time with my four-legged friends.

“Fantastic concert yesterday,” I said to Jeremy as we walked in the door. Charlie trotted over to greet Jeremy, who was standing at the front counter, playing with two of the kittens we were getting ready to adopt to a new family.

“Thanks. I thought it went well,” Jeremy answered as he bent over to pet my small sidekick. “Pi has turned out to be a huge asset. I know you have plans for him that go beyond the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he has real talent.”

“Yeah, he really is good. Zak is grooming him to work for him when he graduates college, but young adults don’t always stick to the career path the authority figures in their lives choose for them. Pi does seem to enjoy working with Zak, so I guess we’ll see if he can stay serious and out of trouble.”

“Any particular reason why you think he might not?” Jeremy asked.

I shared with him what Brooklyn had told Alex.

“I don’t know the kid Pi has been hanging out with, but he hasn’t said anything to me that would indicate that he was doing anything that might get him into trouble. I’ll keep an eye on the situation.” Jeremy laughed. “I can’t believe I’m saying that. It wasn’t that long ago when
I
was the one getting into trouble.”

I picked up one of the kittens, who had decided to attack my shoelaces. What was it with kittens and shoelaces?

“You’re a father now,” I pointed out. “Being a parent changes your perspective.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Has Pi said anything to you about a band thing over Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah. Some of the guys in my band are going and they invited him. He seemed excited about it, and the guys will make sure he stays out of trouble. I mentioned it to Zak and he said he thought it would be fine.”

“Yeah, it sounds like fun. Pi seems to really get along well with the guys in spite of the age difference.”

“Pi’s easy to get along with and he has a good head on his shoulders. He’s good with kids too. Morgan loves him.”

Jeremy had a point. Pi did seem to have his head on straight these days. I’m not sure why I was being such a worrywart.

“Morgan certainly was having fun at the concert yesterday,” I commented. “Mom and Dad joined us, and when you guys started in with that new song you’ve been working on Morgan, Harper, and Alex were all dancing around in a circle.”

“I’m sorry I missed that.”

“I took a video. I’ll forward it to you. I’m trying to be better about catching adorable family moments on film. By the way, are you and Morgan coming to the Zak and Zoe Halloween spooktacular this year?”

“We are,” Jeremy confirmed. “We’re meeting up with your parents to take Morgan and Harper trick-or-treating first. I think Phyllis and the girls might join us. We’ll be by when we’re done.”

“Great. I’m superexcited about it this year. I was going to ask Ellie to do the food again, but she has her hands full with Mariah. Maybe I’ll ask Kelly if she can help out.”

Kelly Arlington was Ellie’s assistant at the Beach Hut, the lakeside restaurant Ellie owned.

“Ellie seemed to be doing better with Mariah yesterday,” Jeremy commented.

“Yeah. I think the baby is getting used to her, which makes the whole thing easier. I noticed Levi didn’t show, like I hoped. I feel like I should have a talk with that guy.”

“Best friend or not, I wouldn’t,” Jeremy counseled. “Trust me, Ellie and Levi need to work this baby thing out between them. I know you love them both and want them to be together, but this is a major issue. I think it’s a good thing for them to each decide where they really stand before they make a commitment and then regret it.”

I sighed. “You’re right. I can’t believe you’re better at this relationship stuff than I am.”

“Not better, just more objective. I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’ve made a decision about the cat family at your house. It might be time to begin looking for homes for them.”

Alex and I had found a cat in the process of having kittens seven weeks earlier. We’d helped the mom to deliver four healthy babies who had been living in one of the extra rooms at the house ever since. I knew Alex was attached to them, but we already had three dogs and two cats. The last thing we needed were five more cats.

“I’ll talk to Alex. I know she’d love to keep them all, but that isn’t practical. I’d be open to allowing her to keep either the mom or one of the kittens. Once she decides what she wants to do, I’ll bring the others down so we can begin looking for homes for them. They really are cute. I bet we’ll have no trouble placing them.”

Jeremy picked up one of the kittens and placed it in the travel crate we supplied to our adoptive families. “When these two little darlings leave we’ll be completely out of kittens. Which is a good thing. We only have two adult felines to place, so I’m sure the kittens you have at the house won’t be here long.”

“Did the guy who wanted to adopt that lab mix check out okay?” I wondered.

“He checked out great. He’s coming by to get her this afternoon. I think I found a home for the sheltie as well. A good one, with lots of room for him to run.”

“Wonderful. I guess I’ll head back and check on the wild animals. Call me if you need me.”

The Zoo was built to have two distinct sections. Three, if you counted the small animals, which were caged in the center of the building, to the right of the area for domestic animals. Each dog had their own kennel, with both an indoor and outdoor component. There’s also a play area where the social dogs could play.

The cat area was designed as sort of a lounge. Felines who got along with others were allowed to roam freely in the large area that was equipped with climbing posts and pillows to lounge on. Kittens and their mothers were kept in the nursery.

In the center of the building were cages for squirrels, birds, and other small animals. To the far left was the area where we kept the larger wild animals such as bears, mountain lions, and coyotes. We currently had five bear cubs and two injured coyotes in residence. We released our injured and orphaned animals as soon as they were able to survive on their own.

“Hey Zoe; Charlie,” Tiffany greeted us. “I’m glad you’re here. That cub from the Riverton fire has been acting lethargic the past couple of days. I first noticed it on Friday, and when I came in to relieve Gunnar this morning he confirmed that he’d been off his feed. I called Scott and he said he’d stop by, but I thought you’d want to know.”

Scott Walden was our local veterinarian.

“I do. Thanks.”

I walked over to the cage in which the cub was housed and looked in on him. Poor thing. He’d been through a lot. He seemed to be doing better, so I hoped that whatever was wrong was no more than a temporary setback.

“How’s the murder investigation going?” Tiffany asked.

“It’s not. I really want to track down Duncan’s killer, but I was busy with family stuff the entire day yesterday.”

“That’s good. Your family should be your priority. What does Salinger think?”

“Salinger is out of town. There’s a sub up from Bryton Lake who seems to think I did it.”

“You? Why?”

I shared some details of my very public tirades in the day or two before the murder.

“Yikes. That really does make you sound guilty.”

“Tell me about it. I was furious with the guy. A lot of other people were too, but I was more vocal about it. I’ve pretty much determined that the best way to divert suspicion from myself is to find the real killer, but I’m not sure where to start.”

Tiffany opened the bear cage and tossed in some fresh fruit. “Most times the best place to start is with what you know.”

I explained what I’d learned from Willa and Hazel concerning Duncan’s interest in documents he’d only been able to access due to his familiarity with the women. I also shared that he was camping out at the old mine and that he didn’t appear to have any intention of actually helping with the Haunted Hamlet in spite of the fact that he all but took it away from me.

“Have you been out to the mine?” Tiffany asked.

“No, not yet.”

“Seems to me to be as good a place as any to start.”

Tiffany was right. It
was
a good place to start. I explained what I was doing to Jeremy and then Charlie and I headed out of town on the old highway. After the mine was closed the road that led to it had fallen into disrepair, leading to a paved surface that was riddled with potholes. I found myself wishing I’d left the cute little car Zak had bought me at home in favor of my huge four-wheel-drive truck.

In spite of the treacherous road the drive was absolutely gorgeous. The fall leaves were bright and plentiful and the contrast of the yellow with the evergreen trees that grew in the area was breathtaking. When we arrived at the clearing where the old mine offices were located I spotted a trailer, which I assumed belonged to Duncan, off in the distance. I parked the car and exited the vehicle. Charlie and I looked around the area, which appeared to be deserted, before we started off down a recently trod-upon path that would lead us to the trailer.

The entrance to the old mine was a good five hundred feet higher in elevation than the town. The breeze blew through the valley, creating a wind tunnel affect near the mine. I wrapped my arms around my waist as I struggled to stay warm in air that was much cooler than that which I’d recently left.

The first thing I noticed when I approached the trailer was the yellow tape across the door. Apparently, Lesserman had beat me to the punch. I stood on tiptoe and looked in the window. The entire interior of the trailer had been trashed. Everything had been pulled out of the cupboards and drawers and deposited on the floor. Had Lesserman done this, or had he found it that way when he arrived? One thing was certain: someone was looking for something.

I took a few steps away from the trailer and looked around. If I had something to hide I certainly wouldn’t keep it in the trailer. The security of the interior was nonexistent, and unless I planned to be on the premises twenty-four/seven, I think I’d find a more secure location for my treasure. I’d want to keep it close enough so I’d be able to keep an eye on it but also far enough away so as not to make it conspicuous.

I considered the mine shaft halfway up the nearby mountain. Too obvious. The old buildings at the entrance to the mines might make for a better hiding spot. I hadn’t really stopped to check to see if anyone had accessed them lately. I slowly turned in a circle, considering my surroundings.