Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks (3 page)

“That it might be a good time to exploit the haunted history of the place.”

“We can’t say it’s haunted at all, since I’ve never seen any ghosts there,” I lied. But in truth, I can’t say the ghost I had seen had anything to do with the ghosts that might be at the mansion.

“I guess you can believe anything you want to, but there’s something about that mansion that bugs me.”

“Well, another body showed up, but Eleanor and I will be investigating the death of Katherine Clark for sure.

“I expected as much, but you really should be resting more. I’m not ready to spend any more nights at the hospital at your bedside.”

“Well, don’t then.”

“What? And face the wrath of your son, Stuart? I can tell already that he doesn’t care for me.”

“I can’t blame him.” When Andrew gave me a cockeyed look, I continued. “I mean, neither of us knows all that much about Stuart just yet. I’m about as nervous around him as you. I haven’t had time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with him, but I really should do that today. I’d hate to get too wrapped up in a murder investigation when I have personal matters to attend to.”

“Good thinking, Agnes, because he’ll be here shortly. “When I called him last night about your CT scan, he insisted he visit you, and soon.”

I eyed Andrew’s white pants and button-up Hawaiian-style shirt that he wore the day before. “Which is why it might be best if you change.”

“What would you like me to change into, Aggie? One of those shifters that have taken over the book market of late?”

“You could do worse than being a werewolf or werebear, I suppose.”

“Yes, like a vampire, but the medical examiner shot that theory down.”

I pulled out my pink ruffled bathrobe for Andrew, who then threw his clothes in the washer. Right then there was a hard knock on the door. I opened the door to Stuart’s tanned and handsome face. He looked so like his father, who had died at age forty of a heart attack.

Stuart walked inside and raised a brow sharply at Andrew’s ensemble. “What are you doing here?” Stuart wanted to know, not a bit of a smile on his face.

Andrew lounged on the couch and said, “Your mother thought I should wash my clothing so I don’t look out of place in town later.”

“With a town as small as East Tawas, I’m sure everyone knows what you wore yesterday.”

“Stuart,” I butted in. “Andrew is my fiancé.”

“Why on earth would you want to get married at your age, Mother?”

I frowned. “I don’t like the sound of that. Plenty of women my age get married.”

“Really? Like who, specifically?”

I puffed up my chest. “Well, Eleanor has a fiancé, too. She is engaged to Mr. Wilson. Are you planning to chastise her, too, or call her old?”

Stuart gave me a blank expression. “Not at all, Mother, but you’re not getting any younger. You can’t just hook up with anyone these days, you know.”

I would have smiled at Stuart’s protectiveness if it weren’t for Andrew, who cocked a brow. “Hook up with? Is that any way to speak to your mother, who, for the record, you haven’t seen in, like, ten years?”

“I just don’t want you taken for a fool is all, and Andrew sure looks foolish in that robe of yours.”

Andrew laughed outright. “I’ll agree with you there, Stuart, but I assure you that I’m not setting out to hurt your mother in any kind of way. I love her, for one, and she’s sharp as a tack. I can’t see getting anything past her.”

“Andrew’s an attorney,” I added. “I worked for him years ago in Saginaw. We reconnected when he came to East Tawas.”

“What Aggie means is that she was only employed by me back in Saginaw. I was very married then and there was no funny business going on.”

Stuart took the cup of coffee I offered and asked, “So why did you suddenly show up in East Tawas?”

I gasped. “Really, Stuart! Why are you interrogating Andrew like this?”

“Because I want to know the particulars before I give my blessing.”

Andrew stood up and stretched, making way for the kitchen that was open to the living room with only a round kitchen table separating it. He poured a cup of coffee and rubbed his hands briskly. I didn’t have to know why, as the ghostly figure floated from the ceiling and now hovered near Stuart with a huge smile on her face.

Andrew leaned against the kitchen counter and answered Stuart’s question.
“I came to town with a friend. His daughter disappeared in Tadium and Agnes was kind enough to offer her help.”

“That’s another thing. What is this I hear about you investigating crimes, Mother?”

I plopped down on the sofa. This was going to be a long conversation. “Not much to say about it, really, just that Eleanor and I have a knack for solving mysteries and I’m not going to sit here and have an in-depth conversation about it.”

“Which means what?”

“Save your breath, Stuart,” Andrew began. “I don’t approve either, but there’s no telling her to stop doing whatever she sets her mind to do. I’ve tried and failed on many occasions.”

“You do know that’s what the cops are for, right? That you are only complicating cases with your meddling.”

“That’s not true. Eleanor and I come up with some pretty solid leads at times and have solved numerous cases. Even Sheriff Peterson doesn’t get all that mad anymore, and we always keep him abreast of what we find out once we figure out it’s a solid lead.”

“Martha told me all about it. She also mentioned that you and Eleanor barely escaped with your lives several times.”

“Yes, but the cops always show up to save the day and arrest the bad guys or gals.”

“I see. Well, you’re both too old to get yourselves into danger. It’s dangerous enough with all the accidents old folks can have right at home. Now that I’m in town, things are going to change.”

My heart about leapt out of my body at his last statement and the ghost just shook her head. “You can say all you want, but don’t think for a minute that I plan to change my ways with you here in town. If you’re so concerned about me, why have you stayed out of my life so long?”

Stuart sat on a chair opposite me. “I went to college and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history. After college, I traveled extensively, and Martha called me after your accident.”

Traveled extensively
? “How were you able to travel so extensively? What do you do for a living?”

“I took part in a research project after college and I spent most of my time abroad studying ancient civilizations.”

“No wonder I haven’t heard from you. You could have at least invited me to your college graduation.”

“I’m sorry about that, but I’m here now. I really would like to see you and Eleanor cool it on your investigative activities.”

At least he was toning down his attitude. “I can’t do that. Yesterday, we found a body at the Butler Mansion.” I then updated Stuart on what happened, excluding the part about the ghost I’ve been seeing, who was currently stroking Stuart’s face without him knowing it, since he didn’t even react.

This ghost is sure turning out to be quite mischievous. Now I had two mysteries on my hands, or three if you count Stuart’s half-baked story about traveling abroad to study ancient civilizations. Who really killed the woman at the mansion, who was this ghost really; and just why has she attached herself to me? It was bad enough that I wasn’t ready to tell Eleanor or anyone else about my ghostly encounters. I had no idea how I’d be able to keep it all a secret.

Stuart interrupted my thoughts when he asked, “So how do you plan to find out who murdered the woman at the mansion?”

Before I was able to open my mouth, Stuart’s cell rang and he answered it, but didn’t say a word. He then powered off the phone with a flick of his finger and said, “Hold that thought for another time. I’ll see you later, Mother.” He hiked out the door and I watched from the window as he hopped on a black crotch rocket, a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle, and tore off down the drive.

“Well, he sure lit out of here fast,” I said.

“Probably for the best, since his advice won’t be followed by you.”

I ignored the ghost, who was currently pouting by the door. “Good on both accounts. I’m sorry he treated you like that. I just can’t imagine why he thinks you’re one of the bad guys.”

“It’s perfectly understandable. He’s just being protective. If I were him, I’d be the same way.”

I supposed, but it still bothered me that Stuart insinuated that Andrew was no good when he hadn’t even seen me in ten years. Hopefully in time, that would change.

Chapter Three

An hour later, Andrew was dressed in his clean clothes and made an excuse that he had business to attend to in regards to picking up Sara Knoxville from the airport, but he did take me back to the Butler Mansion to retrieve my car.

After Andrew roared off down the road, I stared at the yellow police tape that was strewn across the front door. Drat it. I really wanted to go inside for a quick peek, but Eleanor wasn’t with me and that wouldn’t be right, so I drove to her house and picked her up.

Once Eleanor was seated in the passenger’s seat, I admired her yellow pantsuit with white tank top beneath its jacket. “You sure look great today, but won’t you get hot?”

“Not lately. It’s October, don’t you know?”

“Yes, but it’s in the seventies, dear.”

“Are we going to discuss suitable apparel all day or check out the Butler Mansion? You did say that Andrew was picking up the owner, Sara Knoxville, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

I cranked over the engine and off we went with my ghostly passenger in the back, who toppled over as I shot off. I snickered for a moment until Eleanor gave me a hard stare. “What’s so funny?” she wanted to know.

“Oh, nothing, really. It’s just funny that we’re going back to poke around in the mansion again. I hope we’re able to search it before Andrew brings Sara there.”

“I can’t imagine an actress staying at the mansion.”

“Why not, El? It has much better accommodations than most of the hotels around East Tawas.”

“Not so sure about that. If she stays at the East Tawas Beach Resort, she can order room service.”

“You’re right there. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Hey, Aggie. I sure hope she brings some famous actors or actresses with her, like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.”

I about spit out my uppers. “Seriously? I doubt you’d see anyone that big showing up in town, but she might bring someone with her. I’m not even sure if she’s married.”

“Not according to the tabloids,” Eleanor said. “They barely mention her unless she attends a movie premiere.”

“Lucky for her. I can’t imagine anyone famous would want to be in a tabloid at all since most of the stories are complete fabrications of the truth.”

“That’s not true. I’ve seen impending divorces turn into real ones even though both parties have denied it.”

“Hmmm. What is Sara Knoxville famous for, exactly?”

Eleanor gripped her big black bag. “Oh, you know, she was in that thing about the beach and another about a wedding.”

“Oh, and those are the names of movies?”

“You know my mind isn’t always the swiftest.”

“Neither is mine most of the time, but there are so many movies about weddings that I can hardly keep track. I suppose I could ask Sara when I see her.”

I pulled into the mansion’s drive and it was empty except for the Impala. When Eleanor and I stepped out of the car, I made tracks to the Impala, trying the doors, but they were all locked. “Oh, phooey,” I said.

“You actually expected to find the doors open? That would be too easy. If it is Katherine’s car, I’m surprised it wasn’t hauled off to impound.”

“Perhaps because it’s not hers.”

The ghost floated toward the backyard like she had before, but the door was already ajar by the time we caught up. “Did you do that?” I asked the ghost.

“Did I do what?” Eleanor asked. “I didn’t do anything.”

With an exhale of breath, I walked inside with Eleanor nearly hugging me, she was so close. “Oh, nothing, I was just thinking out loud.”

“You better cut that out. It’s becoming a habit with you lately.”

I shook Eleanor off me. “You don’t need to stand that close to me, El. I can barely breathe as it is.”

“Not sure why. It can’t have anything to do with the fact that we can see our breath inside,” she said as she puffed out a breath, and sure enough, the white mist appeared from between her lips like it does during winter.

“That’s sure strange. It is a tad cold in here, I suppose. Perhaps the air conditioning is on.” I went to check the thermostat, but it was off.

“Since when can you see your breath with the air conditioning on? No system ever makes it that cold,” Eleanor said with chattering teeth. “I-I think this place is haunted for real.”

I wasn’t about to admit to that. The ghost hovered close by, her eyes focused behind us and in the direction of the stairs. I slowly turned, and saw a mist making its way up the stairs.

Eleanor followed my line of vision and asked, “I-Is th-that a-a gh-ghost?”

I made way for the stairs. “We should check out the upstairs.”

Eleanor threw her arms wide. “Are you nuts? I’m not searching a real haunted mansion. I’d rather deal with finding a dead body than a ghost. Corpses can’t hurt you.”

My hands went to my hips. “And neither can ghosts, if that even was one. We might just find out that a ray of light has filtered from somewhere upstairs.”

“Well, I’m not going up there.”

“Fine, then I’ll go by myself.” I flicked the lights on but nothing happened. “That’s odd. The power must not be on yet.”

“That’s what the ghosts want you to believe. They’re gonna lure us up there and push us back down the stairs or something. No way am I going up there.”

“Fine, then stay down here all by yourself.”

“To hell with being in here at all. I’m leaving.”

Eleanor ran for the door that was pushed shut by my ghostly escort, and she must have locked it, too, since Eleanor rattled the door something fierce. “I want out of here.”

“Eleanor Mason. Come here now and quit being such a big baby. There are no such things as ghosts.”