Town Haunts (2 page)

Mary bustled
over to the table to take Anna’s order. “We missed you at breakfast
on Saturday. Did you sleep in or something?” Anna often met her
friends for breakfast at The Diner on Saturday mornings.

Anna braced
herself for some extra teasing and said, “I’m sure everyone has
heard that Charlie was taking a seminar in Calgary last week.”

“Uh huh,” Mary
and Steve said in unison.

“So, he stayed
over for Thanksgiving weekend when it was done.”

“And?” Mary
asked with rapt attention.

“And, nothing.
It’s none of your business,” Anna said, smiling to soften the
sharpness of her retort.

Mary smirked at
Steve, who winked back. “How’s he getting along with Ben?” the
waitress asked. Ben was nineteen, and had moved out of the house
just over a year ago to attend Chinook University’s computer
science program. He was in his second year, sharing a house in
Calgary with four other roommates and holding down a part-time job
at a building supply store. He still came home every Friday night
to have supper with his mom, however.

“They sure got
off to a rocky start,” Steve added. “First Ben dragged his feet on
providing an alibi for his father’s murder . . .”

“Ben just got
his back up about that,” Anna interrupted.

“And then
Tremaine brought him in for questioning,” Steve said with a
grin.

“Yeah, that
didn’t help.” Anna shrugged and smiled. “Ben had Thanksgiving
supper with Charlie and me, and no blood was drawn, so I’d say
their relationship is improving.”

Frank Crow, who
was both The Diner’s owner and cook, rang the pass-through bell,
signalling that there was food for Mary to pick up. The waitress
got down to business. “What’ll you have, Anna – the usual?”

“No, I made
pancakes and bacon at home this weekend. What are you having,
Steve?” she asked, peering at his bowl beside the stack of whole
wheat toast. He was eating oatmeal topped with raisins and raw
apple slices. Anna wrinkled her nose; it didn’t look very appealing
to her. Steve must be on one of his health kicks.

“I think I need
a little more protein than that,” she said. “I’ll have the Tex-Mex
Scramble. And a glass of apple juice, please.”

“Coming right
up,” Mary said, spinning on her heels and walking away.

“So, how’s it
really going with Tremaine? Are you happy?” Steve asked, scooping
up some oatmeal with his spoon.

Anna leaned her
elbows on the table. “It’s going really well. Charlie’s a great
guy. I trust him, even though we’re apart so much. Not like my
ex-husband, that dog. And the long-distance thing is working for
me. It keeps us in the honeymoon phase of our relationship all the
time.”

“Yeah, but how
much time have you actually spent together since he left last
spring?”

“Well, he had
to come back for the trial, so that was four days in July. Then we
had his two weeks’ vacation in August, plus this past week for the
course. That’s three and a half weeks. But we talk all the time on
the phone. Well, as much as we can when he’s not tied up with a
case.” Anna sighed. “Problem is, every time he leaves, I have to
get used to being alone all over again. It’s funny. I was fine with
not having a man in my life for four years, but now that there’s
one back again ‒ well, it’s hard when he leaves.” Anna toyed with
the packages of sugar in the bowl on the table while Steve
watched.

The restaurant
door opened. Anna looked up as a young woman paused in the doorway.
Backlit by the morning sun, she was striking in a purple velvet
jacket worn over a snippet of floral skirt and high-heeled, scarlet
pumps. Her most exotic feature, however, was the smooth cap of
flaming-red hair that framed her oval face. The young woman
sauntered over to the counter and claimed the empty stool, laying a
sheet of paper on the counter top before sliding onto the cushioned
seat. The men on either side of her looked up in surprise. Removing
smoky sunglasses, she swivelled on the stool to check out the rest
of the restaurant, crossing her shapely legs as she did so. Her
skirt rode up high enough to revive a dead man’s heart, and the
truckers gaped at her over their shoulders. The young woman spotted
Steve and gave him a half-wave with her fingertips. Steve waved
back and beckoned for her to join him and Anna.

“Who’s that?”
Anna asked, her eyebrows arching as the woman undulated her way
through the tables.

“That’s Tiernay
Rae, the owner of the new store that’s going in where Henry’s old
restaurant used to be,” Steve said, mesmerized by Tiernay’s
progress.

Anna managed to
whisper, “You know her? You sure work fast,” before the young woman
arrived at their table.

Steve rose to
greet her. “Tiernay, you are the perfect ending to an uninspired
day,” he said, whisking out a chair for her. Tiernay smiled at him,
and he seemed to lose himself in her eyes. Feeling like a chewed-up
dog toy spat out for a meaty bone, Anna cleared her throat. Steve
glanced at her before adding, “Let me introduce you to a good
friend of mine, Anna Nolan.”

“Pleased to
meet you,” Tiernay said, leaning forward to offer her hand. As Anna
took it, she noticed that the younger woman had unusually light
blue eyes. Those cool eyes were assessing her. Obviously, Tiernay
was sizing up the competition. She needn’t have bothered, though;
with twelve years between them, Anna had dismissed Steve as
potential boyfriend material years ago even though he had
demonstrated some interest. Besides, she had Charlie to keep her
happy. Releasing Anna’s hand, Tiernay sank into her chair and
turned her attention back to Steve.

“‘Tiernay.’
That’s an unusual name,” Anna said.

“Tiernay is a
Celtic name that means ‘noble.’”

“Oh. Do you
have a Celtic background?”

“No, I’m
French-Canadian.”

Anna nodded as
if she understood, even though she didn’t. “Steve tells me that
you’re opening a new business in Henry Fellow’s old
restaurant.”

“That’s
right.”

“I must say,
you’ve done wonders with the building renovations. It’s been an
eyesore for months, but it looks terrific now.” Henry Fellows, a
long-time resident of Crane and a former member of the town
council, had owned “Hank’s Hearty Home-Cooking,” The Diner’s only
competition in town. The restaurant’s kitchen had been demolished
by a hit-and-run driver last spring, however, and to make matters
worse, Henry had been given a two-month jail term for his
involvement with the accident. He was back in Crane, although no
one had seen much of the fussy, middle-aged man since his
return.

“Thank you,”
Tiernay said, nodding at Anna’s compliment. “Mr. Fellows gave us a
really good price because the place was in such rough shape. My
brother, Greg, drew up the renovation plans himself. I’m very proud
of Greg – he’s got an artistic soul.”

“What kind of
business are you opening?” Anna asked.

“It’s called
‘Healing Hands’ – part store, part massage therapy clinic. I’m a
registered massage therapist, by the way. The store will be open in
the afternoons, and the clinic in the evenings. I’m not much of a
morning person,” she said with a lazy smile, “although I’m up with
the birds lately. There’s so much to do with the store opening this
week.”

“Sounds
intriguing. When do you open?”

“The stars will
be in their proper alignment on Friday.”

“Really? Are
you an astrologist, too?” Anna asked with a condescending smile.
She didn’t hold much truck with astrology.

“Among other
things.” Tiernay leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs
again. Anna wanted to tell Steve to put his tongue back in his
mouth, but kept the comment to herself.

Mary returned
with Anna’s breakfast and plunked it down on the table in front of
her. Catching the waitress’s eye, Tiernay said, “Excuse me, ma’am.
I’m Tiernay Rae, owner of the new store that’s opening across the
street. I wonder if I could talk to the owner about putting up a
flyer in your window.”

Mary paused to
consider her, a hand on her hip. “What kind of flyer?”

Tiernay held up
the poster for Mary to see. “It’s for a cleansing ceremony after
the store closes on Saturday night. Everyone in town is welcome. I
always do a cleansing ceremony when I’m in a new location, plus I
want to get rid of any negative energy left over from the
accident.”

Mary shrugged
and reached for the flyer. “Sure, I’ll put it in the window. Frank
Crow, the restaurant owner, sits on the town council. He’s always
happy to promote local business.”

“Marvellous.
Thanks so much,” Tiernay said with a patronizing smile. “By the
way, would you bring me a pot of green tea?”

“Sure. Be right
back,” Mary said as she left.

“Cleansing
ceremonies, negative energy, stars’ alignment – what’s that all
about, if you don’t mind my asking?” Anna said, picking up her fork
and taking a bite of her steaming, peppery omelette. She closed her
eyes and chewed slowly, taking a moment to savour Frank’s
cooking.

“She’s a
witch,” Steve said. Anna’s eyes popped open, and she stared at
Steve’s grinning face.

“Now, don’t
tease, Steve,” Tiernay said, shaking her head at him. “You can call
me a Wiccan, if you like, Anna, although I don’t like being
pigeon-holed by conformist religious definitions. Healing Hands
will promote physical, emotional, and spiritual health, however
people choose to arrive at it.”

Mary returned
with a mug and a tea pot and plopped them down in front of the
young woman. “Only had brown,” she said over her shoulder as she
bustled away.

Tiernay frowned
at the pot, poured some tea into the mug, and sipped it warily.
Shuddering, she returned the mug to the table before continuing the
conversation.

“Steve here,
for instance, has an imbalance between his left and right sides.
See how his left shoulder is higher than his right? His ‘qi’– his
energy flow – is blocked, which can lead to a weakened immune
system.”

One side of
Steve’s mouth curled upward. “So, how would you suggest I fix that,
Tiernay?”

She studied him
for a moment. “We could start with massage. I’m sure that I could
work out the blockage with my hands. But I could also give you an
herbal tincture that would help dissolve the blockage and purge
your system.”

“I’m not too
keen on the purging, but I sure could use a good massage.”

Tiernay looked
deep into his eyes and said, “Give me your hand.” Their eyes locked
as he slowly extended it. She took it between her own and held it
for a long moment. “It’s a little cool,” she murmured. “We need to
increase your energy flow.” She began massaging the flesh between
his thumb and forefinger, watching his face as she did so. After
half a minute, Steve sighed and closed his eyes.

“That’s it. Let
the tension go,” Tiernay purred.

Anna stopped
eating to watch them. “I think it’s working. Look, the crease
between Steve’s eyes has already smoothed out,” she said with a
sardonic grin. Tiernay ignored her to begin kneading his palm with
her thumbs. Steve’s mouth dropped open.

“Holding a free
clinic, Tiernay?” a baritone voice asked from behind Anna. She
turned and saw a stranger standing at her shoulder. He looked to be
in his mid-thirties, a tall, lean man with shaggy black hair and a
glittering emerald stud in one ear. A prominent hooked nose gave
him an aristocratic appearance, but good-humoured brown eyes saved
him from seeming haughty. He smiled at Anna, swung the table’s
remaining chair around, and straddled it. Steve tried to free his
hand, but Tiernay clung to it as she continued her massage.

“Where did you
pop up from?” she asked, her eyes on her work.

“Oh, I’ve been
all over town,” the stranger replied.

Tiernay
released Steve’s hand with a final caress across the palm and
turned her head to gaze at the stranger. “Anna, Steve, this is my
big brother, Gregory,” she said. “Greg and I are partners in the
store. Greg, this is Anna Nolan and Constable Steve Walker.”

“Yes, but I’m
more of a ‘silent’ partner. I won’t actually be working in the
store,” Greg said. He gave Steve a casual nod, but took Anna’s hand
and raised it to his lips in one smooth gesture. “Anna, I’m
delighted to make your acquaintance,” he murmured, kissing it.
Anna’s eyes assessed him coolly. In her experience, only a
particular kind of man did that sort of thing, and she didn’t want
to meet another one.

“Don’t let Greg
bother you. He likes to practise old-fashioned European
courtesies,” Tiernay said in a dry voice.

“Are you
old-fashioned, Greg?” Anna asked, slipping her hand from his
grasp.

“No, but it’s a
good excuse to kiss the hands of beautiful women whenever I get the
chance,” he replied with an impish grin.

Anna found it
impossible not to return his smile. “And how’s that working for
you?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.

“You’d be
surprised how well a little old-fashioned charm works on the
gentler sex.”

“No I wouldn’t.
I married a graduate of the old-fashioned charm school myself.”

“Lucky you.
Still married to him?”

“We got
divorced, and then another woman shot him,” Anna replied,
straight-faced. “So you might want to rethink some of those old
European courtesies of yours.”

Greg nodded
with a poker face. “You’ll have to tell me all about him some
day.”

“Would it do
any good?” Anna asked, winning a chuckle from him.

“Oh, I like
her,” Greg said.

“So, how’s the
flyer distribution going?” Tiernay asked.

He broke his
gaze from Anna’s face to heft a leather pouch onto the table.
Opening it, he displayed the contents to his sister. “The flyers
are half gone.”

“Well, we’d
better get busy on the rest,” she replied, rising from the table.
Tiernay was about to say more when she paused, her mouth frozen
open in mid-sentence. Her face flushed, and she broke into a
sweat.