Madison Johns - Agnes Barton Paranormal 01 - Haunted Hijinks Read online

  “It’s to be expected, Aggie,” Andrew said. “I had another case in Detroit, but I’m having an associate handle it. I’m just not ready to leave you so soon since the accident. Plus, I don’t think your son likes me all that much. It might be a good idea to get to know Stuart.”

  “That makes two of us. If truth be known … I don’t know my son all that well these days, either.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Not since he graduated from college, but that was ten years ago. It seems that both of my children have all sorts of reasons to stay away.”

  “That’s not true,” Eleanor said. “Martha is a free spirit and went on a ‘finding herself road trip’, but she eventually came to town looking for you.”

  “Yup. When she was out of money, that is.”

  “You, too?” Walter asked. “Children have a way of doing that, but with the economy like it is, I can’t say I blame them. It’s not like you can find high paying jobs these days. All of the factories have closed or sold out. I remember a time when US 23 had many businesses, but now, most of them have closed down.”

  “Walter, I had no idea that you have lived in Tawas that long,” El said.

  “I haven’t, but it’s been a great vacation spot for my wife and the family.”

  Sheriff Peterson and Trooper Sales came back down the stairs, and Peterson announced, “The upper floors are clear. We’ll be checking the first floor and cellar.”

  “Cellar?” I asked. “I had no idea there was a cellar here.”

  “Oh, and how well do you think you know the Butler Mansion? Have you inspected every square inch during earlier cases?”

  I clammed up when the ghost shook her head. “Nope. Knock yourself out. Can we leave now? I don’t expect that you’ll allow us to inspect the mansion ourselves, so we’ll do it at a later date.”

  “We plan to put up police tape. It’s a crime scene.”

  “Yup, sure is. Too many to count, but don’t forget that the actress, Sara Knoxville owns this place and is opening a bed and breakfast soon and we were hired to oversee things.”

  Peterson laughed. “Well, in that case it seems like you’re off to a good start.”

  I chose to ignore that barb sent my way. We moved to leave and I snickered as the ghost made a motion like it was giving Peterson a swift kick in the pants. Once we were outside, Andrew convinced us to ride with him since I had already admitted that my head was a bit fuzzy. Instead of arguing with him as I had a wont to do, I let it drop since it made all the sense in the world.

  Once we were settled in Andrew’s SUV, with Eleanor in the front seat as it allowed for more room for her, and the ghost sitting next to me, off we went. On the journey to Eleanor’s place, I called Doctor Thomas, who agreed to meet me in an hour. He was the sort of doctor who made house calls, but since he lived a few doors down from Eleanor’s cottage on Lake Huron, it was hardly an imposition.

  Chapter Two

  Eleanor led the way inside her house, inviting Dr. Thomas, who was already waiting in the driveway in his red sports car, inside. I tried to get a good look at the occupant in the passenger seat, but it was really none of my concern. Word is that the good doctor prefers the company of men, but nobody even gives it a second thought since he’s a staple in the community, and the only doctor who makes house calls.

  Eleanor busied herself in the kitchen, rustling up ice tea, while Dr. Thomas joined me outside on the deck. Andrew was kind enough to allow us privacy when I told him I wanted to speak to the good doctor alone. Thankfully, the ghost also took her leave.

  I sat on a wicker chair and motioned Dr. Thomas to a chair next to me.

  Dr. Thomas raised a brow on his handsome face. “What’s the problem, Agnes?”

  I fidgeted. How does one ask a doctor a question like the one I needed to ask? “Well,” I began. “I was just wondering about the medication I’m on.”

  “Are you having some kind of reaction?”

  “W-Would it cause me to see things, like things that aren’t there?”

  Dr. Thomas pulled out his iPhone and began to punch at the buttons on the screen. “You’re not on anything too heavy duty. Vicodin can cause drowsiness, anxiety, and nervousness. You’re not taking Tylenol with it, are you?”

  “No. So it can’t cause me seeing things then?”

  “No, but just to be safe it might be better to quit taking it if you’re concerned. Perhaps it might be a good idea to come back to the hospital and get a CT scan.”

  “A CT scan? I’ll quit taking the pain meds. I’ll just take Tylenol if I get any more headaches.”

  “You’re still getting headaches?”

  “Yes, but they’re not all that bad. I’d really hate to have a CT scan, but it might be a good idea just to make sure everything looks okay.”

  “You sure took quite a blow to your head in the accident. Perhaps it might be best to take time away from your investigative duties. At least until you are feeling better.”

  I massaged my brow and stood as Dr. Thomas handed me a slip of paper with the written orders for the CT scan. This sure was the last thing I wanted to do, but I wanted to be sure that I could rule out any medical condition that might be causing me to see the ghost.

  Andrew took me to the hospital and I had the test, but while I was readying to go back home, I noticed the ghost was still strangely missing. The funny thing was, I kinda missed her. I mean I had gotten used to seeing the apparition.

  Once Andrew pulled into my drive, it was beginning to get dark. I really had to admit that I was quite tired. Andrew sacked out on the couch and Duchess, my cat, leapt on his lap, enjoying the petting she got and purring loudly to the amusement of Andrew. Duchess had hissed at Andrew when we first began dating, but now she sure enjoyed the special attention he gave her. I, on the other hand, had felt too under the weather of late. It wasn’t like I had been ignoring my cat on purpose. She glanced over at me lazily, like she knew I was thinking about her.

  I wandered down the hallway and dressed in my pajamas, crawling into bed. I smiled to myself since the ghost was missing. Perhaps I might just wake up refreshed in the morning and find out this was all a bad dream, or that’s what I kept telling myself. It’s been hard keeping a secret this big from everyone I love, but the truth was that I worried they might just lock me away in an institution.

  It wasn’t long before I nodded off, catching the fragrance of vanilla, which was too hard to ignore, but at that point, I wasn’t willing to think it meant anything. All I know is that I have smelled vanilla from time to time without any real reason. I didn’t currently have any flowers, even in the house, and I was all out of my room freshener that shoots fragrance in the air every half hour or so.

  * * *

  I yawned once I got out of bed in the morning and headed straight for the shower. I’m quite the creature of habit. If I don’t take a shower straight away, I won’t take one until well into the afternoon, but since Eleanor and I have some investigating to do, I hardly had time to laze around.

  By the time I finished my shower and was dressed comfortably in blue crop pants and white shirt with an anchor over the lone pocket, I strode into the kitchen where my handsome fiancé, Andrew, awaited me with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. And this time when I smelled vanilla, I knew it was from the vanilla creamer I always use. A little coffee with my cream, Andrew always said.

  “It sure was cold in here last night,” Andrew remarked. “I froze all night. Even checked to see if the air-conditioner was on.”

  I froze for a moment, but said, “Well, it is October. We get quite cool nights now, especially since we’re so near to Lake Huron.”

  “Oh, I know, but I could have sworn…” He paused. “Oh, never mind. You’d think that I’m crazy.”

  I lifted my coffee mug that Andrew had poured for me with the creamer already added. “What? Do tell?”

  “It’s just that every time I’m near you, I can’t help but wonder if we’r
e really alone—even when we are. Perhaps it was being back at the Butler Mansion again. I’m not sure why Sara Knoxville even wants to open up a bed and breakfast there. Not with all the murders that have happened on the property.”

  I sipped my coffee and smiled appreciatively. “I’m sure it seems interesting to her. Look at how popular paranormal reality television is of late. She could play off the paranormal activity part even.”

  “She’s hardly that type of woman.”

  “Oh, I know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of her Hollywood friends showed up in town to check out the place.”

  Andrew washed his coffee cup and carefully put it on the drain board. “I don’t take her for a manipulative woman, or someone who believes in ghosts.”

  “I never said she was, just that with Halloween coming—”

  “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 knowi
ng 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.