Ghost in the Gallery Page 10

  “Beautiful day,” I said after joining Alaric at one of the outdoor tables.

  “It really is. I wasn’t sure that an outdoor event was a good idea in October, but I think you’re going to have near-perfect weather.”

  “I hope so.” I leaned my elbows on the table in front of me. “I’m sorry I missed everyone at dinner last night. There was a conflict in my schedule. Georgia mentioned that you’d made some progress in your investigation.”

  “I suppose I have,” he answered. “It hasn’t been easy investigating something that happened so long ago, but I’ve been fortunate to track down a few of the old-timers in the area who might not have been alive when my great-grandfather was alive, but do remember Jasmine. Quite a few even remember my grandfather, Owen.”

  “Did Owen live in Holiday Bay into adulthood?”

  “He left when he was a young man, but he lived here for his entire childhood, and he came back for visits from time to time after that. The man I spoke to yesterday, Bundy Brannigan, told me that his older brother, Tom, went to school with my grandfather. Bundy is well into his nineties, and Tom passed away a decade ago, but Bundy did say that he remembers speaking to Owen when he came back into town for a visit back around nineteen ninety. Owen was in town to attend the funeral of an old friend, and he and Bundy got to chatting. Apparently, based on things his mother had said to him over the years, it was Owen’s opinion that Jasmine was responsible for Cedric’s death.”

  “We did discuss this at one point, but decided it was unlikely she killed him since she had just given birth the day before,” I reminded him. “Although given the financial issues Cedric seemed to bring to the table, I suppose she might have had someone else kill him. Did you find any sort of proof to support the idea that the financial issues with the newspaper were behind Cedric’s death?”

  “Proof, no, but Bundy did put me in touch with a man named Leonard Wall. Leonard was involved with local politics back in the sixties and seventies. He was friends with a man named Albert Brown, who bought the newspaper from Jasmine in nineteen fifty-five and ran it until the late nineteen nineties. When Brown purchased the newspaper, he inherited old paperwork and files, including bank and financial statements. According to what Brown told Wall, the financial status of the newspaper was a mess when my great-grandfather owned it, which we already knew, but he also said that after Cedric died and Jasmine inherited his half, she took on a partner and the enterprise thrived.”

  “Ainsley mentioned to me that you’d found out that Jasmine had taken on an investor.”

  “Arnie mentioned it, and then Leonard said the same thing. This made me wonder if perhaps Jasmine’s future partner killed Cedric. The man wanted to invest, but Cedric wouldn’t sell, so I suppose it makes sense that this new investor might have wanted to get him out of the way so he and Jasmine could make a go of things.”

  “I suppose the new partner might have been the killer. I wonder if this new partner was also the father of Jasmine’s baby.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Alaric said. “But I guess that does make sense. I’m not sure why Jasmine would keep something like that a secret. It seems as if she liked and trusted this man enough to go into business with him, she might have liked and trusted him enough to admit that he was the father of her child.”

  “Unless the man was married,” I pointed out.

  “I suppose that might be. I still don’t know a thing about this new partner. Maybe that’s the next thing I’ll look into.”

  “The thing I keep coming back to is that Cedric seemed to know he was going to die. If Cedric really was clairvoyant and had known the end was near, why wouldn’t he do something to prevent it? If this new business partner of Jasmine’s did kill him to get the newspaper, why did Cedric let himself be killed?

  “Perhaps he didn’t want to prevent it,” Alaric suggested. “Perhaps Cedric was as miserable as it sounds like he must have been. Maybe he knew his life was in danger, and he actually welcomed an end to things. Naya didn’t seem to think my great-grandfather had a happy marriage. He was a horrible money manager who’d lost any money he’d ever had, so he was always at war with my great-grandmother. My grandfather, Owen, was around five at the time of Cedric’s death. According to what I remember my father saying, Owen was sickly as a child, although he went on to live well into adulthood. What if Cedric was simply overwhelmed by his financial situation, his bad marriage, his sick child, and the tension that must have existed between himself and Jasmine? Maybe he heard a rumor that Jasmine had plans to get him out the picture, and actually welcomed it.”

  “I guess it could have happened that way, but why let Jasmine take his life? Why not control the narrative and end things on his own terms?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “The reality is that unless Cedric wrote it down or told someone what was going on in his mind during this time, I don’t see how you can ever know.”

  “That’s probably true. I hoped the newspaper would have editions going all the way back to the time my great-grandfather started the enterprise, but apparently, Cedric hadn’t kept copies of the oldest editions. But I found out that the museum has copies of the newspapers dating all the way back to the inception of the newspaper. I plan to go and look at them next week. A couple of the people I’ve spoken to since I’ve been here have mentioned that my great-grandfather used to write a weekly column that was personal in nature. Maybe he wrote about what he was feeling. Maybe he didn’t come out and say, ‘I want to die, and the world would be better off without me,’ but perhaps he wrote something that will help me understand where his mind was at the time of his death.”

  “I really do hope you find what you are looking for.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  I pushed my chair back and stood up. “I guess I should go and help the others get ready for the festival. We’ll talk again before you check out next week.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  After I left Alaric sipping a tall glass of lemonade, I headed toward the pumpkin patch to find Jeremy. On the surface, it appeared that everything was on track, but I knew I’d feel better once I’d personally checked in with everyone. When I arrived at the patch, I found Jeremy talking to Mylie, Lonnie, and Lacy.

  “It looks like everything is on track,” I said after greeting everyone.

  “We’re ready to go,” Jeremy confirmed. “The men and women manning the booths have all checked in, the pumpkin patch is ready to go, Georgia and Amy have been working on the food for hours, and Lonnie assures me that the last member of the band they are waiting for is on his way.”

  “It’s nice that the weather turned out so perfect,” Lacy said. “There’s just something special about a crisp but sunny autumn day at the peak of leaf season.”

  “It is just about as perfect as it can get.” I looked around. “Are the kids here?”

  “No,” Lacy answered. “They’re with my parents. Lonnie will be busy with the band, and I didn’t want to have to keep an eye on six kids by myself. Besides, Georgia called and invited Lonnie and me to dinner, and I don’t want to miss that.”

  “I guess you can take pumpkins for them or maybe bring them by for a while tomorrow.”

  “They’re going to stay overnight at my parents, which I have to say I am very excited about. But I might have my parents bring them by tomorrow for a little while.” She looked around the area. “Since I’m childfree, I’m free to help out. What do you need?”

  “I’m not sure. It appears everyone is ready, and the first of the townsfolk have already begun to arrive, so I guess, let’s just have a good time and pitch in where needed. Since Lonnie will be busy with the band, you can hang out with me if you want to.”

  “I’d love to. I wanted to ask about your night with Colt anyway.”

  “My night with Colt? How did you know about my night with Colt?”

  She smiled. “I’m nosy, and I managed to get someone, I won’t say who, to
let it slip. I’m thrilled things are working out for the two of you.” She slipped her arm through mine. “Let’s go find a quiet place to talk, and you can tell me all about it.”

  I wasn’t sure I was the sort to want to tell anyone about something like that, but Lacy was one of my best friends, second only to Georgia, so I supposed I’d need to provide a least a blurry watercolor description of how things had been. The thing was that I had no idea how to describe what had to have been one of the most perfect nights of my life. I realize that I’m a writer, and, in theory, I should have words for every occasion, but this thing with Colt had been a slow burn, building for almost two years before we finally made it past the tentative kissing and shy handholding stages. There really are no words for a moment that seemed to have welled up from nowhere and then totally enveloped us until neither of us knew where our entwined minds and bodies ended, and the rest of the world began. When I’d told Colt I wanted to move things forward, I hadn’t intended to alter our place in the world for all time, but that is most likely exactly what had happened whether we were ready for it or not.

  Chapter 10

  The day had gone perfectly, but I had to admit that by the time the last of the visitors had headed toward their cars, I was ready to slip off my shoes and enjoy a glass of wine on the patio. Georgia, Amy, and Mylie were in the kitchen; Jeremy, Tanner, and Lonnie were putting away some of the outdoor equipment we didn’t want to leave out overnight, and Lacy was chatting with two of the women who were staying at the inn. I didn’t think anyone would miss me if I slipped away, so I headed to the cottage and dialed Colt’s number. I sort of thought he’d be here by now. He hadn’t called to say he was going to miss dinner, but he hadn’t called to say he was on his way either. As the phone rang through to voicemail, I realized Nikki never had shown up. Tanner had been here all day, and he didn’t seem worried or upset, so maybe she was just feeling under the weather and had opted to stay home.

  I left a message for Colt and then called Nikki, who picked up after the first ring.

  “Abby. I’m glad you called. Is the event over? Do you have time to talk?”

  “The event is over, but I have a dinner to get ready for, so I only have a few minutes to talk. What’s up?”

  “Colt arrested Elena for Damian’s murder.”

  Okay, Elena had seemed like a viable suspect in my mind, but I supposed I was still surprised at this turn of events.

  “I tried to talk to him,” she continued. “I tried to tell him that there was no way Elena would kill anyone, but he said that she had means, motive, and opportunity. He really seems to think she’s guilty. What are we going to do?”

  I paused to think about my reply. I could tell that Nikki was upset, so I didn’t want to respond with something that might seem uncaring. Still, Colt was the cop, and he was a good cop. If he arrested Elena, he must have a good reason.

  “Abby? Are you still there?” Nikki asked.

  “I’m here.” I blew out a long slow breath. “I don’t suppose you happen to know what sort of evidence Colt used to make the arrest.”

  “No. He wouldn’t say. He just told me that since the investigation was ongoing, he couldn’t talk about it, and then he assured me that he would never have made an arrest if he didn’t have a good reason for doing so.”

  “I know you really like Elena, but you’ve only known her for a few weeks,” I pointed out. “She did admit to being the ‘ghost’ who was moving stuff around, and she knows the code to the gallery and has the knowledge required to disable the security system. Perhaps she met Damian at the gallery late Sunday night for some reason, and something happened. Maybe it was an accident.”

  “She didn’t do it,” Nikki insisted. “I know she didn’t. I need you to help me prove it.”

  “Me?” I asked, my voice rising slightly.

  “You’re good at this sort of thing. You’ve solved other murders. Plus, Colt will listen to you. If you find proof that Elena is innocent, I know he’ll let her go.” She took a deep breath. “Please, Abby. I don’t know what to do.”

  I knew I was going to regret not just walking away, but this was Nikki, a young woman I liked a lot. “Okay. We can talk about it, but not today. I have a dinner and guests to see to, and then I have the second day of the Harvest Festival tomorrow. Why don’t you come by Monday morning and we can talk? If Elena is still in jail at that point, and you still think she’s innocent, we can come up with a plan.”

  “But Monday is so far away.”

  “I know it seems that way, but it’s only a couple days. We can’t do anything right now, and I have an inn full of guests to see to. Monday morning really is the best I can do.”

  Nikki didn’t answer right away. I suspected she was trying to come up with an argument that would cause me to drop everything and help her right now. Eventually, she spoke. “Will you be seeing Colt this weekend?”

  “I will.”

  “Can you please talk to him? Find out what he knows. Find out why he thinks Elena is the killer.”

  “He isn’t going to share confidential information,” I pointed out.

  “I know, but he does talk to you. If he really does have a good reason to suspect Elena, then I guess we should know that upfront.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” I promised. I could sense the tension in Nikki’s voice. The last thing I wanted was for her to go off on her own and do something we’d all regret. “I’ll see what I can find out, and we can talk Monday morning. But, Nikki…”

  “Yeah.”

  “In the meantime, I want you to leave this alone. I don’t want you to go off sleuthing on your own. If you are correct and Elena is innocent, then there is still a killer out there.”

  She hesitated but finally answered. “Okay. I’ll keep a low profile. I’ll probably even show up at the harvest thing tomorrow. I was supposed to help today, but I guess I flaked.”

  “Showing up tomorrow and helping out is a good idea. If Elena is innocent, we’ll find a way to prove it. But keep in mind that she might be guilty as Colt believes her to be.”

  “She’s not. Thanks for helping, Abby. I knew I could count on you.”

  With that, she hung up.

  By the time I’d hung up with Nikki, Colt had texted and let me know he was on his way. I suddenly felt happy and flushed with the idea that we would be spending another night together. At least I assumed that was the plan. After everything that had happened today, Colt might have other obligations, so I supposed I’d need to be flexible and understanding. I was looking forward to seeing him again, but I didn’t want to be one of those clingy women who didn’t understand about a change in circumstances.

  “I invited Noah and Christy to stay for dinner,” Georgia said after I walked into the kitchen from the patio where several of the guests had gathered to chat while sipping on wine and nibbling appetizers. “Haley is spending the night with her grandparents, so they were free.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing we planned for twenty.”

  “Did you get ahold of Colt?”

  “He’s on his way. I also spoke to Nikki. She told me that Colt arrested Elena for Damian’s murder. She’s really upset, which I suspect is why she never showed up today.”

  Georgia, who’d been dumping salad mixings she’d cleaned and precut earlier in the day into large bowls, paused. “Wow. He actually arrested her. I guess he must have had a good reason to do so. Poor Nikki.”

  “Nikki is determined to prove Elena’s innocence by finding the real killer,” I added.

  Georgia lifted a brow. “Real killer? Nikki is planning to go sleuthing?”

  I nodded. “She seems pretty determined. She wants me to help her. I managed to put her off until Monday by promising to sit down with her Monday morning and come up with a plan. In the meantime, she promised to leave it alone.”

  “I hope she does.”

  I plucked up a piece of carrot that had fallen onto the counter and popped it into my mouth. “Yeah, me too. I
f she’s correct and Elena is innocent, then the real killer is out there. The last thing any of us wants is for Nikki to do something to gain his or her attention.”

  “Maybe I should fill Tanner in,” Georgia said. “He’s her brother, and he’ll be upset if he finds out that we knew Nikki might be in trouble and didn’t warn him.”

  “I’d wait,” I offered. “Nikki is an adult, and even though she lives with her older brother, she’s a very independent adult. If he tells her to leave it alone, that will likely cause her to act rashly. She’s promised me that she would wait until Monday. She even said she might show up here tomorrow. I’m going to talk to Colt about it when the situation presents itself. If he has reason to believe that Nikki might be in any sort of danger, he’ll tell me, and we can pass the information on to Tanner.”

  “Do you think Elena really is guilty?” Georgia asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. She did have access to the gallery, and she admitted she was moving stuff around to create hype. I guess the rumor of a ghost in the gallery as we approach Halloween isn’t a bad strategy. As has been mentioned before, there are a lot of folks who would come to the gallery for that reason alone.”

  “But moving stuff around isn’t the same as killing someone,” Georgia pointed out.

  “That’s true, and I can’t imagine why she would kill Damian. It really doesn’t make sense that he would be at the gallery in the middle of the night unless he was helping Elena with her ghost project. I suppose he might have been doing something else when Elena showed up to do her ghost thing and happened upon him.”

  Georgia set the bowl of mixed greens aside and went to the refrigerator for the dressing she’d premixed earlier. “But according to Colt, the alarm didn’t go off, which makes it seem like Damian was with someone who had the alarm code. There aren’t a lot of people we know of who could have accessed the building without anyone knowing they were there.”