The Ghost and the Mystery Writer (3 page)

C
hief MacDonald sat alone
at the table. Brian had left a few minutes earlier, and Carla had gone back to work. Picking up his cellphone, he placed a call and waited for his party to answer.

“Hey, Chief, what's going on?” Danielle's voice asked over the cellphone.

“I'm at Pier Café and was hoping you could get down here.”

“Now?” Danielle asked.

“Jolene Carmichael has been murdered. Heather Donovan found her body under the pier this morning.”

“Oh my god! That's horrible! What happened?”

“That's what I want to find out. According to Heather, she saw Jolene.”

There was silence on the line for a few moments. Finally Danielle said, “And?”

“What do you mean
and
?” the chief asked.

“You already told me Heather was the one to find her body. And then you say Heather saw Jolene. I just assumed there was more to that sentence.”

“Ahh…I see what you mean. Heather told me she saw Jolene running from the beach to the pier.”

“Heather saw Jolene running from her killer?”

“No. This was just a few minutes before she found the body.”

Once again, there were a few moments of silence. Finally, Danielle said, “Oh, Heather saw Jolene's spirit.”

“That's what it sounds like. I was hoping Jolene's spirit might still be hanging around, and maybe…”

“You want me to talk to her?” Danielle asked.

“It would make this a lot easier if she could simply tell you who killed her.”

W
hen Danielle entered Pier Café
, all the tables were taken, as were all the seats at the counter. The sudden surge in business had more to do with the news a body had been found under the pier as opposed to the popularity of the restaurant's breakfast special. Word had spread quickly in the small town, and many locals had flocked to the pier to get a closer look, only to be barred from the crime scene by yellow tape.

Coffee pot in hand, Carla greeted Danielle. “Sorry, I don't have any empty tables. It'll be a few minutes.”

Danielle glanced around and spied the chief sitting in the corner. “That's okay. I'm meeting the chief.” Danielle nodded toward his table.

“I'll be over in a minute with some coffee. You having breakfast?”

“No, just coffee. I already ate.”

A few minutes later Danielle sat alone with Chief MacDonald.

“Wow, I don't think I've ever seen it this busy in here,” Danielle whispered, glancing around the restaurant.

“I was hoping we could talk alone, but people keep coming up and asking me questions,” the chief told her.

“So what happened?” Danielle asked.

While MacDonald told Danielle what he knew so far about Jolene's murder, Carla stopped by the table with coffee. The waitress was too busy to linger and quickly left them alone.

“I hate to think we have some killer running around, attacking women on our beaches, hitting women over the head for…” Danielle stared blankly ahead and didn't finish her sentence.

“What is it?” he asked.

Danielle shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. “I was about to say for jewelry, and then Cheryl popped into my head. She was murdered on this beach…hit over the head…for jewelry.”

“Not really the same thing. Cheryl wasn't murdered for the necklace, and she knew her killer.”

“Do you think Jolene knew hers?” Danielle asked.

“I suppose it's possible it wasn't a random mugging. You know as well as anyone Jolene was not a likable woman.”

“She wasn't my favorite person. She hated me.”

“Not something most people tell the police about someone who's just been murdered.”

“Please don't put me on your suspect list.”

The chief smiled. “No. One thing I've learned about you, you seem to have great tolerance for people you hate. Sometimes even turning them into friends.”

“Oh, I don't hate anyone,” Danielle scoffed. “I certainly didn't hate Jolene.”

“You know what I mean.” He downed the last of his coffee and then asked, “Do you think Heather really saw Jolene's spirit?”

Danielle fidgeted with her cup's handle and stared into her coffee. “I know Heather is sensitive to spirits. Not quite as sensitive as I am—but she did talk with Harvey, and I know she's caught glimpses of Walt. So it wouldn't surprise me if she saw Jolene's spirit so soon after her murder.” Danielle glanced up into the chief's eyes. “When exactly do you think she was murdered?”

“The coroner said it looks like she was killed sometime last night. But they'll know more after the autopsy.”

“When I walked up, I noticed some of your people still under the pier.”

“Joe and Brian are down there with some others, finishing up. By the way, when you see them, can we just say you were on a walk, and we ran into each other? I'd rather they not wonder why I called you while we're in the middle of processing a crime scene.”

“No problem.” Danielle glanced over at Carla, who was taking food to a table across the room. “Although, when I got here, I told Carla I was meeting you.”

“Well, hopefully she won't say anything.”

Danielle laughed. “We
are
talking about Carla.”

“
I
t was pretty gruesome
,” MacDonald said as he and Danielle stood outside the crime tape, looking in. The body had long since been removed, but MacDonald's team continued to comb the area for evidence.

“How so?” Danielle glanced briefly from the activity at the crime scene to MacDonald.

“Whoever killed her covered her with sand. She was on her stomach, face in the sand, and her poor eyes…” He shook his head.

“What about her eyes?”

He cringed. “Her eyes were open. Sand was embedded in them—it looked so damn uncomfortable.”

“Well, she's dead, so I don't imagine it bothered her,” she reminded him.

“Do you see her?” he asked.

Danielle glanced around. “Not yet. It's possible she moved on. Where did you say Heather saw her?”

“Heather was standing about where we are when she noticed Jolene. She ran by Heather and onto the pier. Heather told me she assumed Jolene was on her way to Pier Café for breakfast. But then she found the body a few minutes later and realized what she had really seen was Jolene's spirit.”

“And she told you all this?” Danielle asked. “Did anyone else hear?” Danielle looked to Joe, who stood under the pier, talking to Brian and another officer. “Maybe Joe or Brian?”

The chief shook his head. “No. Joe and I were the first ones to arrive on the scene. We were both on our way to work when the call came in. When we arrived, Heather was understandably upset. Joe stepped away for a moment when the rest of our team arrived; she told me then about what she had seen. I have a feeling she knows more about you and me than you realize.”

“What do you mean you and me?” Danielle frowned.

“She knows you can see spirits, right?”

“Yeah, that was sort of unavoidable. But she knows I prefer not to broadcast it.”

“Brian thinks Heather is a little…odd.”

Danielle smiled. “Yeah, I think she is too. But then again, I think all of us are a little odd.”

“I get the feeling she's also observant. I think she may know you've been open with me regarding your…
gifts
. When she told me about seeing Jolene, I believe she felt she could trust me, that I wouldn't just write her off as being crazy.”

“Did you ask her if she talked to Jolene? If Jolene told her who killed her?”

The chief laughed. “What, and make Heather think I'm crazy?”

Danielle smiled. “Yeah, well…we wouldn't want that. It was a silly question anyway. Knowing Heather, had Jolene's spirit said anything to her about the murderer, I'm sure Heather would have told you.”

“Heather didn't realize Jolene was dead when she first saw the spirit. And she did tell me Jolene didn't say anything to her—that her initial thought was that Jolene was avoiding her because of what came out after the treasure hunt.”

Danielle glanced around. “I don't see her down here, but if you say she ran up to the pier, maybe we should look up there. Assuming she hasn't moved on yet.”

“
T
here's Danielle
,” Joe told Brian when he spied Danielle standing beyond the yellow crime tape, talking to the chief.

Brian glanced over toward the pair. “I bet she's not thrilled about all this.”

“I don't think she and Jolene were exactly friends. From what I gathered, Jolene didn't like Danielle. According to Kelly, Jolene got pretty nasty with her.”

“When was Kelly around Jolene?”

“I don't think she ever met her,” Joe explained. “Ian and Lily told Kelly about Jolene after the gold coins were found. I guess Lily told Kelly Jolene was a real bitch to Danielle, even planned to sell the emerald Danielle was donating to the museum. Which is why Danielle ended up loaning it to the museum instead of giving it to them.”

Brian frowned. “How could she sell the emerald if it belonged to the museum?”

“I didn't mean she was going to sell it and keep the money, but she's on the historical society board, and she was pushing to display the emerald for a short time and then sell it and put the money toward the museum's building fund. I guess Danielle wasn't thrilled with the idea. No, Jolene and Danielle weren't friends.”

Brian shrugged. “I wasn't talking about Danielle being upset about who was murdered—but the fact someone was murdered in her neighborhood. Especially considering she's trying to operate the bed and breakfast. A killer on the loose can't be good for business.”

“I'd be more concerned with her and Lily's safety. She doesn't have to worry about how this will hurt her business. The bed and breakfast is just a hobby. Danielle—and even Lily, don't need to worry about money.”

B
rian and Joe
were still talking amongst themselves when Danielle and MacDonald turned from the yellow crime tape and made their way back to the sidewalk leading to the top of the pier.

“Has her daughter been notified yet?” Danielle asked.

“I called Melony when I was waiting for you at the diner. I would have preferred to make the call when I was back at the office, but I didn't want to risk someone from here calling her to tell her how sorry they are—while she has no idea what they're talking about. I'm not particularly worried about her hearing it on the news, since she's in New York, and I doubt they'll report Jolene's death there.”

“Isn't the victim's identity withheld until after family is notified?”

“We try. But when Carla showed up at the diner this morning, the first thing she asked, was it true about Jolene being murdered.”

“She already knew?”

The chief nodded. “Small town. Word gets around quickly. There were a few people on the beach when we first arrived and many more after the rest of our team got there.”

Together Danielle and the chief walked down the pier. The few people milling around were looking over the railing, trying to get a glimpse of the crime scene.

“If I don't see Jolene here, it's always possible she'll show up at her funeral. Spirits often want that last farewell before moving on. Any idea when her daughter will have the funeral?”

“According to Melony, there won't be one. Her mother wanted to be cremated and Melony—well, I guess she's decided a funeral isn't necessary. Like I said, she and her mother had issues.”

“She already decided that, just after learning her mother was dead?” Danielle asked.

In response the chief shrugged.

“No funeral? Not even a private memorial for the family?”

“There was no family. Just Melony.”

Danielle let out a sigh. “Well, I guess everyone has to do what's right for them.”

When they reached the end of the pier, Danielle stood by MacDonald's side. The two gazed out to the ocean. The morning breeze gusted up, making Danielle thankful for the warm jacket she wore over her pullover sweater. Her knee-high boots—with her jeans tucked in—gave her an additional measure of protection against the brisk air.

Danielle glanced around, surveying the area. “I'm really sorry, Chief, I don't think…” Danielle froze; her eyes widened. Just beyond the railing, over the water, hovered Jolene's spirit. The apparition ignored Danielle, but stared intently at MacDonald while frantically pointing downward.