Read Dummy of a Ghost (Novella) (Ghost of Granny Apples) Online
Authors: Sue Ann Jaffarian
Dummy of a Ghost (Novella) (Ghost of Granny Apples) (5 page)
Chris and Edgar, arms around each other, stood at their front door with Pugsley and waved good-bye as Kelly and Emma headed to their vehicle. The ghosts hadn’t made another appearance before they left.
As they walked to the Lexus, Kelly looked over at the house across the street. It was a white house, the shade of a dingy T-shirt, with overgrown shrubs between it and the house next to it. A ramp ran from the driveway up to the porch. An old woman was watching them from the porch. She sat in a wheelchair, a set of binoculars up to her eyes. The binoculars were black and so big they nearly hid her entire face.
Kelly said in a loud whisper to Emma, “Psst, Mom, don’t look now but we’re being Snoop Dogged.”
Emma glanced over at the house in question, staring at it almost a full minute. The woman on the porch never wavered in her surveillance, even under Emma’s returned scrutiny. They stared at each other across the asphalt as Kelly waited for one of them to blink first. Without a word, Emma started across the road in a determined long-legged gait, barely glancing to see if there was any oncoming traffic. Kelly followed in an uneven jog to catch up.
“Mrs. Doxson?” Emma asked as she got close.
The old woman put down the binoculars and stared at Emma with suspicion. “It’s
Ms.
Doxson.”
“Pardon me,” Emma said with a smile, “Ms. Doxson. My name is Emma Whitecastle, and this is my daughter, Kelly. We’re friends of Chris and Edgar’s—the young men across the street. In fact, my daughter went to high school with Chris.”
The old woman studied Emma, taking in her short blond hair, her stylish flats, her slim jeans and sweater, and her designer handbag. Then she turned her rheumy eyes on Kelly, looking her up and down in the same manner. “You two look almost like sisters instead of mother and daughter.”
“We’ve heard that before,” Emma said with a bigger smile. The two Whitecastle women did look a lot alike. “Chris and Edgar were telling us today that you believe their house is haunted.”
The old woman nodded. “It’s true.” She stared harder at Emma, then pointed a knobby finger at her. “I know who you are. You’re that woman on TV with the show about ghosts and all that other weird stuff, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Ms. Doxson, I am,” Emma replied, “and I’m particularly interested in why you think the house across the street is haunted.”
Snoop Dog turned to Kelly again. “And your girl there, is she into that mumbo jumbo, too?”
“No,” Emma lied. “She’s in college. She just came along with me today to see Chris and Edgar.”
From the corner of her eye, Kelly watched her mother. She’d never known her to lie about anything, except when it came to the ghosts. And she knew for Emma the lies in those cases were to protect herself and the spirits. In this case, Emma was protecting Kelly.
The old woman, as round and spongy as rising bread dough, bent forward in her wheelchair and pointed at the house across the street. “There was a murder over there. And everyone knows murdered folks are doomed to walk the earth until they’re avenged.”
“Where did she get that malarkey?” said Granny, who popped up so unexpectedly Kelly reacted with a small gasp and a hop.
Misreading Kelly’s reaction, the gnome of a woman said, “Sorry, dear, I didn’t mean to startle you with the truth, but there you have it.” She looked up at Emma, who’d gotten a few steps closer. “I’m surprised she doesn’t know that, considering you’re her mother.”
“Kelly’s never shown much interest in the topic,” Emma fibbed with a shrug. “You know how kids are today.”
“Yes, I certainly do,” she said with disgust. “It’s all computers and Facebook and texting to them.” She squinted her eyes at Kelly. “You don’t do any of that sexting, do you?”
Astonished, Kelly pointed a finger at herself. “Who, me?”
“Not our Kelly,” snapped Granny. “She’s a good girl. Well, at least most of the time.”
Kelly snapped her head around to Granny. “What?”
“Your girl seems awfully jumpy.”
Emma got the situation back in hand before Sylvia Doxson got too curious about Kelly’s reactions. “Ms. Doxson, do you have any idea who was murdered in that house?”
Using her feet against the boards of the porch, the old woman propelled her wheelchair closer to Emma. “I know it was a man . . . a white man with light hair. I saw him dragged from a car in the driveway. He tried to get away and that’s when someone shot him, more than once, and dragged him into the house.”
“No one else heard the shots?” asked Emma.
“They were muffled, like with one of those silencer things.”
“That woman watches way too much TV,” said Granny with a short sniff. “Way too much.”
Emma hid the smile creeping across her face at Granny’s remark by looking from the Doxson porch toward the home of Mayfair Puppetry. “You said it happened at night? How did you see all that from over here? I don’t see many streetlights along this road.”
“I’ve some night vision binoculars,” she answered as simply as if she’d said she had Earl Grey tea. She tapped the binoculars in her lap. “These are my day ones.”
“Good Lord,” said Granny, “this poor woman thinks she’s CIA.”
Kelly stepped forward. “Don’t any of your neighbors ever complain about you spying on them?”
Emma glanced over at Kelly, sending her a warning signal, but Snoop Dog didn’t seem to mind the question. “They used to all the time,” she answered. “Called me all kinds of names, but after the meth lab thing, they stopped. Seems now they consider me useful. Although they still don’t let their kids trick-or-treat at my house and they aren’t very neighborly.”
“Did you tell the police about the man who was shot?” Emma asked.
“Of course I did,” the old woman answered in a bark. “But they didn’t want to listen to the ramblings of an old woman with too much time on her hands.” She picked up a handkerchief she had in her lap, cleared her throat, and spat into it. “Did you know that was a drug den over there?”
“Yes,” answered Kelly, finding her voice and coming closer. “A meth lab.”
“That it was. I kept telling the neighbors something was funny over there, but no one would listen. A young couple lived there. Not homos like those boys there now, but a seemingly nice regular couple with two little kids. But I knew better. Too many people came and went at night, quiet-like, you know. And they never had any of their curtains open. That house was shut up tighter than a maximum security prison. They even had a nasty dog in the front yard that the kids never played with. What kids don’t play with their dog, unless the dog is only meant to be a mean watchdog?”
“Do you know how the place finally got closed down?” asked Emma.
“What I heard was someone who worked for them got caught selling and turned them in in exchange for a deal. The cops raided the place and everyone and everything got carted off, including those poor children. When that happened, I told the police again about the man I saw killed and dragged into the house. It happened just a week or two before the place got raided, but they told me there was no sign of a murder or anyone fitting that description involved with the place. That house remained empty for a long time after that, until those boys bought it.” She fixed Emma with a laser stare. “They’re not up to anything fishy, are they? I see one of them packing suitcases in and out all the time. The same cases, too.”
“Wow,” said Granny, “she doesn’t miss a trick.”
Kelly laughed. When Snoop Dog turned her old but sharp eyes on her, she stopped, but said, “Chris is a ventriloquist. Those suitcases contain his puppets.”
Snoop Dog looked to Emma. “It’s true,” Emma confirmed. “Chris is an entertainer and quite good. Edgar, his partner, is an artist, also quite talented.”
“What was with the paramedics today?” Snoop Dog asked. “Was that for you or for the white boy?”
“It was for Chris,” Emma answered. “He’d fallen and bumped his head quite badly. Kelly and I found him.” She hesitated, then asked, “Ms. Doxson, did you by any chance see anyone unusual over there today?”
“You mean besides you and your girl?”
“Yes, besides us. Maybe a man just before we got here?”
“No, never saw anything like that. I saw the black one leave. That’s Edgar, correct?” she asked. Emma nodded. “Then a bit later you two showed up,” Snoop Dog continued.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Doxson,” Emma told her.
“You interested in the man who came by last week or not? I called the police on that one.”
Emma and Kelly fixed their attention on Sylvia Doxson. “When was this?” asked Kelly.
“Just last week. Both of the boys were gone, left in separate cars. As soon as the last one left, this guy walked up to the place. Didn’t drive, just walked up to the house quick-like. It was easy to see he was up to no good because he didn’t go to the front door like a friend would. He went around back, like you did,” she said to Kelly. “And hopped the fence. That’s when I called the police.”
“Do you remember what he looked like?” asked Emma.
“Tall and skinny,” Snoop Dog answered. “That’s about all I could tell.”
Kelly held out a hand to the woman. “Would you mind, Ms. Doxson, if I borrowed your binoculars a moment?”
Snoop Dog hesitated, then handed them over. Kelly put them up to her eyes and trained them on the house across the street. With them, she had a clear view of the driveway leading to the back of the house, the front of the garage, and a large section of the wall she’d scaled earlier. She could also see Edgar and Chris at the window watching them. She was tempted to wave to them, but didn’t.
She handed the binoculars back to Snoop Dog. “Thanks. You really can see everything with those.”
“What happened when you called the police on the man last week?” Emma asked.
“They came and investigated, but said they didn’t find anything. The suspect probably hopped the back fence and went through the back neighbor’s yard when the cops arrived. Later, Chris and Edgar came over. They said there wasn’t any sign of a break-in but thanked me for my diligence. That’s what they called it—diligence. First time they’d ever spoken to me except to wave once in a while. That’s when I told them about the house being haunted.”
“Did they believe you?” Kelly asked.
“Didn’t seem to. They were very polite, though. Mostly they just humored me and went on their way.” She looked at Emma. “You going to put this on your show?” she asked. “I’ll bet the ghost haunting that place is the man who was murdered.”
“Have you actually seen the ghost?” asked Kelly.
“I thought you weren’t interested in things like that?” Snoop Dog asked her in return.
Kelly shrugged. “Just asking a question.”
“No,” the old woman answered. “I haven’t. It’s more of a feeling I get. Like now, around you two. I keep feeling a chill, but there’s no breeze. That’s how I feel sometimes when I look over at that house.”
“Again, Ms. Doxson, I want to thank you for your time.” Emma reached into her bag and produced a business card. “If you notice anything else, please give me a call.” She held the card out and Snoop Dog took it. “That’s my office number,” Emma told her. After giving it a glance, the old woman stuck the card into the pocket of her sweater.
Emma started back across the street. Kelly said good-bye and followed behind her mother like an obedient duckling to the SUV. Granny stayed behind, disappearing into the woman’s house.
They waved good-bye to Sylvia Doxson, then turned and waved at Edgar and Chris, who were still peeking out their front window like a couple of owls.
“What’s Granny doing?” Kelly asked.
Emma buckled her seat belt. “Snooping on Snoop Dog, I hope.”
“So,” said Emma once they were on their way home. “We still on for dinner? We can compare notes. I’ll tell you what Shirley told me and you can share what Doug told you.”
“Actually, Granny questioned Doug and I listened while trying to keep up my end of the conversation with Chris and Edgar.” Kelly glanced at her mother. “How in the world do you do this?”
“Do what?” Emma asked.
“Juggle the dead and the undead. I felt like I was between two cars backing up with me caught in the middle.”
“I’m used to it, I guess, but today was an unusual situation. Usually, there aren’t this many people talking at the same time. And if there are, the living usually know the dead are in the room.”
“And you handled that nutty woman like a pro.”
Emma smiled. “My guess is that Ms. Doxson is crazy like a fox. She’s probably a lonely old woman without friends or family. Spying on her neighbors might be one way she stays connected with people.”
“It’s still creepy.”
“True, but people almost always have their reasons for being who they are or doing what they do.”
“It sounded like she could sense spirits, at least Granny,” Kelly said as she watched the houses fly by along the streets on their way to the freeway.
“She definitely senses them to some degree,” answered Emma, “but I don’t think it’s much beyond sensing the change in temperature and realizing what it might be. Otherwise, she would have seen Granny, who was doing everything but waving a flag in the woman’s face. Most people can sense spirits, they just don’t know it for what it is.”
Kelly’s cell phone chimed. “It’s a text from Nate,” she told her mother. “He’s picking me up at seven-thirty tonight, so an early dinner would be great, Mom. We have plenty of time. How about that new vegan place on Colorado Boulevard?”
“Sounds good,” Emma agreed. “We can get in and out before the dinner rush.”
Kelly texted a response to Nate before putting her phone back into her purse.
“How are you and Nate doing?” Emma asked.
“Okay,” Kelly responded with some hesitation. “Every time we see each other it’s like we’ve never been apart.”
“I hear a
but
in there,” Emma prodded.
Kelly shrugged. “But I don’t know where it’s heading or if I even want it to go someplace more serious. We never talk about what might happen after college, except that he’s staying on at Stanford for his MBA and I haven’t decided what I’m doing yet.”
“Does Nate know about you and spirits?”
Kelly looked straight ahead and answered with a chopped, “No.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. She flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder. “He thinks what you do is cool, especially the science part of your show, but I don’t think he realizes that you can communicate with spirits yourself. I’m not sure if he’d believe me if I told him about Granny, and unless we get super serious, does he need to know?”
Emma thought about that a moment. “I think that’s going to be your call, sweetie. But I would advise you not to tell him unless you feel it’s right and he’s ready.”
Kelly nodded while she mulled over her mother’s advice. “Nate’s all facts and bottom lines and plans to go into his father’s investment firm after grad school.” She looked over at Emma. “I’m not sure he’d ever be ready.”
Emma laughed. “Look at how far Phil has come, and he’s a lawyer. He even communicates with Granny in his own way when I’m not around.”
Kelly laughed. “I know. I’ve seen him do it. It’s so funny.”
They rode along the 101 freeway. Traffic was moderate and the day bright yet cooling now that evening was fast approaching. Overhead, rain clouds gathered, threatening a March shower.
“I’ve been thinking,” Kelly said to Emma, “about those broken puppet heads you found and the fact that the workshop was so clean. Even though the police said they didn’t find any evidence to prove Snoop Dog’s complaint last week, do you think maybe there was a break-in and the guys are hiding it for some reason? They did seem kind of nervous when you asked about the broken stuff. Maybe there was a burglar and he went through the workshop and not the house, looking for something to steal.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Emma said. “Maybe he couldn’t get into the house because of the dog, so he broke into the workshop. Shirley told me about the break-in when we were in the bathroom. Ms. Doxson was right about that. There definitely was one no matter what the police said. She said the guy who did it was tearing up the workshop and she’s pretty sure it was the same person who hit Chris today.” She gave Kelly a wry look. “It seems to me that poor Pugsley is being blamed for accidents that might not be accidents.” She shook her head. “But why would the guys lie about something like that?”
“Did you catch the looks between Edgar and Chris when Chris said he fell on the walkway?” asked Kelly. “It was the same look they gave each other when you asked about the broken heads. I think Edgar knows that Chris didn’t trip.”
“I did catch that.”
“Doug said he thinks this has something to do with Edgar’s past. He said it was pretty bad.”
“Shirley told me the same thing,” Emma said. “Maybe Chris and Edgar don’t want to get the police involved because of something that happened in Edgar’s life before coming to California.”
Kelly snapped her head around. “You mean like maybe he’s on the run from the police?”
Emma shrugged. “He could be. It would be interesting to know if Edgar Fairchild is his real name. Shirley also told me that Chris’s parents have done everything to break the two of them up. They think Edgar is a gold digger.”
“He seems like a nice guy, no matter what was in his past.”
“I agree, Kelly. And his affection for Chris seemed very genuine. Those two are in love. I have no doubt about it.” She paused. “Maybe I can ask Phil to do a background check on Edgar, just in case.” She turned to her daughter. “Or do you think that would be too invasive?”
“Is that what you would do if you were working some other mystery?” Kelly asked, looking at Emma with frankness. “And Shirley and Doug do want your help.”
“I’ve never run a background check before,” Emma admitted. “And the ghosts don’t want my help,” she corrected. “They want
our
help. Or would you feel more comfortable if I pursued this on my own?”
Kelly looked out the windshield at the cars in front of them on the freeway while she gave it some thought. After a moment she looked at her mother. “I’m in, Mom. After all, it’s the family business, isn’t it?”
“Only if you want it to be.”
“I want to help Doug and Shirley,” Kelly said. “And if Chris is in trouble, I want to help him.” She looked back at her mother. “Are you okay with that? You know, with me being involved?”
“As your mother, I have serious reservations.” Emma took her eyes off the road for an instant to look at Kelly, then returned her attention to her driving. “As you know, sometimes my helping ghosts puts me in danger. That’s what worries me about you being in the middle of this.”
“And what about you?” Kelly asked, her voice swelling with emotion. “Don’t you think I worry about you?”
“That’s different.”
Kelly turned in her seat to face Emma. Kelly’s strong jaw, so much like Emma’s, was set in stone, doing a good imitation of Mount Rushmore. “Why? Because you’re my mother? Sorry,
Emma
, but that doesn’t fly. Don’t you think Grandma and Granddad and Phil worry about you, too? We all do and you know it.”
Kelly turned back to face forward. They’d ridden along for a few miles in silence, each with their own thoughts and neither budging, when Granny popped in. “Brrrr,” the ghost said, sensing the mood in the vehicle. “It’s mighty chilly in here and I don’t think it’s air-conditioning.”
Neither Emma nor Kelly said anything at first, then Emma finally said, “I’m sorry, Kelly. You’re right. I know you all worry about some of the situations I get into when I’m helping spirits, but I can’t refuse them help when they need it. I don’t know why, but I can’t.”
“I know you can’t, Mom,” Kelly answered in a quiet voice. “And after last fall, I know I can’t either. At first I was scared when T asked for my help with that ghost, then once I got into it, I knew it was the right thing to do. Just like I know the right thing to do is to help Shirley and Doug protect Chris.”
“You two are exceptional,” Granny said. “You can try to ignore it, but it won’t last long. You have a very special calling.”
“Granny’s right,” Emma said. “I know I’ve tried.” She cast a look at Kelly just as Kelly looked at her. The two exchanged soft smiles. “Phil and your grandparents are very understanding.” Emma reached a hand over and patted Kelly’s arm with affection. “I’ll try to be, too, and I’ve loved spending time with you today.”
“Look at this,” Granny said from the backseat. “We’re having one of them Hallmark moments.”
“Granny,” Emma said, getting the conversation back on the matter at hand, “did you find out anything about Sylvia Doxson?”
“Nothing beyond she’s a lonely old woman. From the photos and things hanging on her walls, it looks to me like she might have been a schoolteacher at one time. Her house is tidy but not fancy by any means,” the ghost reported. “I half expected her to be one of them crazy hoarders like on TV, but she’s not. And she can walk.”
Emma looked at Granny in the rearview mirror. “She can?”
“Not well, but well enough to get around her house if she’s not going too far, but she’s slow and gets tuckered out easily.”
“Her breathing did seem labored,” Emma noted. “I wonder if she has emphysema or some other respiratory ailment.”
“Not sure, but she’s not in the best of shape, I can tell ya that. Her mind is all there, but her body is failing fast.”
Emma exited the freeway and headed toward the restaurant. “Granny, are you sure you didn’t sense another ghost in addition to Doug and Shirley at Chris and Edgar’s place today?”
“Very sure,” the ghost answered. “I even popped back over there after I left Snoop Dog’s and checked it out, calling for any spirits to show themselves, but none did, not even Doug and Shirley. If someone died over there, their spirit is probably long gone.”
“So no one died like Ms. Doxson said?” Kelly asked.
“Not necessarily,” answered Emma. “But if someone did, their spirit likely crossed over and didn’t linger.”
“I’ll tell ya this, though,” continued Granny. “Those boys were in the middle of a tiff while I was there.”
“Chris and Edgar?” asked Kelly with surprise.
“Yep,” Granny answered. “And it was about the cops.”
“The police?” asked Emma with her own surprise. “What about the police?”
“They were arguing about calling the police. Edgar was for it. Chris against it. Chris kept arguing that it would ruin everything they had and were building.”
“Did they mention anything specific?” Emma asked.
“No, just that,” answered Granny.
“I find it hard to believe that Shirley and Edgar don’t know what it is they’re afraid of,” said Kelly.
“They may have heard something,” Emma explained, “but can’t quite piece it together.” She looked at Granny in the mirror again. “Granny, see if you can get Edgar and Shirley to come to our house tonight. Before seven-thirty if you can.”
“Will do.” Granny pursed her lips. “Those boys have had a break-in and now an assault and they don’t want the police involved. It definitely sounds to me like they’re hiding something. Maybe they’re doing something illegal like those meth house people.”
Kelly laughed. “It seems to me if anything funny was going on at that house Snoop Dog would have noticed.”
Emma nodded in agreement. “She doesn’t miss much.”
“Mom,” Kelly began, “when we were at the house, did you feel anything weird about it? I could have sworn I felt heavier with each step I took up the walk. It was almost like a weight was pressing on my shoulders, but I didn’t sense any ghosts.”
“I know what you mean,” answered Emma. “I felt the same. There was a sadness about the house, but only on the outside. I didn’t feel it at all once we were inside. Did you?”
“No,” Kelly said. “Inside it felt comfortable and welcoming. I only got that feeling outside.”
“Me, too,” Emma said while she looked for parking near the restaurant. “Maybe Sylvia Doxson is right about the murder. Just because a spirit isn’t showing itself to us doesn’t mean it’s not there. With all the renovations Chris and Edgar did to the inside, it might have displaced the spirit. You know, made it feel unwelcome and confused. Then again, it could just be that the history of the house is tragic and until it gets a total makeover, including the outside, the heavy feeling will remain.”
“But even Shirley and Doug said they didn’t know of any other ghosts at the house,” Kelly reminded her mother.
“Even ghosts don’t necessarily see other spirits,” Emma said. She pulled into a parking spot on the street about a half block from their destination and stopped the engine. “We really need to speak to Shirley and Doug again and ask specific questions. I’ll bet it might jar some information loose that they don’t even realize they possess.”
Kelly and Emma both looked at Granny.
“I told you, I’m on it.” The ghost disappeared. “Later.”
