Read Dummy of a Ghost (Novella) (Ghost of Granny Apples) Online
Authors: Sue Ann Jaffarian
Dummy of a Ghost (Novella) (Ghost of Granny Apples) (6 page)
After dinner, Emma called Phil. They spoke on the phone almost every night when they weren’t together, but tonight Emma called a little earlier and from her office in the guesthouse. She put the call on speaker so Kelly could hear it.
“Phil,” Emma said, “Kelly and I have a favor to ask.”
“Shoot,” said Phil Bowers, who was at his condo in San Diego.
“Can you run a background check on an Edgar Fairchild for me? He’s from Chicago but lives in Encino now. He’s African American and between twenty-five and thirty years old.”
“Are you thinking of hiring him for the show?” Phil asked.
“No,” Kelly answered for her mother. “He’s the partner of a good friend of mine and we think he may have something in his past that he’s hiding.”
“An unsavory sort, then,” Phil said.
“Not that we can see,” answered Emma. “He seems like a really nice young man, but we understand he’s had a rough past.”
“What ghosts are you two chasing down now?” Phil asked, his voice his usual blend of amusement and concern when it came to ghosts.
“We’re not chasing ghosts, Phil,” Emma told him. “The ghosts are the grandparents of Kelly’s friend Chris May, and they told Kelly that they think Chris is in danger. Edgar is Chris’s partner.”
“They came to you, Kelly?”
“Yes,” Kelly told him, “when I was at Elaine and Keith’s party yesterday.”
“Oh boy,” he said, air whistling through his teeth during a slight pause. “So the thing in Boston last fall wasn’t a fluke.”
“Doesn’t look that way,” Emma told him.
“Well, here’s the thing,” Phil finally said. “Unless you can provide a social security number or at least a birthdate or driver’s license number for this guy, it’s nearly impossible to do a background check. I can run his name through Westlaw or Lexis and see what pops up, then eliminate any subjects that don’t fit the age and geographical range, but that’s about it.”
Kelly gave Phil a quick rundown of what had happened since the party. When she was finished, Phil said, “It certainly does sound like those guys are covering up something. I’ll run the broad check and get back to you later tonight or tomorrow.”
“I’ll be at the movies with Nate,” Kelly told him. “So just let Mom know.”
“I will, sugar, but you be careful, you hear?”
Kelly smiled. She had grown to love Phil Bowers like a second father and knew he considered her the daughter he never had. He could sometimes be overprotective, but she liked the secure feeling he gave her. Her own father, while he loved her, didn’t have that protective papa bear gene. “I will, Phil. I promise.”
After the call, Emma and Kelly went back over their time in Encino with Emma jotting down a loose timeline of the events on a notepad. They had just put down everything they could remember when Granny popped in with Doug and Shirley.
“As you requested,” Granny said, presenting them as if on a silver platter.
“Thank you, Granny,” Emma said. “And thank you for coming, Doug and Shirley.” The husband and wife spirits seemed bewildered.
“Is this allowed?” asked Shirley looking around Emma’s office.
“What Shirl means,” said Doug, “is that we’ve never been away from the puppets before. Except to wander around Chris and Edgar’s place, but we’ve never left the premises unless we go along with Chris with the dummies.”
Emma smiled at their naïveté. “Yes,” she told them, “it’s allowed. You can go anywhere you like as long as you’ve been there before. The same goes for people,” she explained. “You can visit anyone you already know if you have a strong connection to them.”
“It takes practice to do it at will,” added Granny, “but you’ll get there. I’ll help.”
“Please make yourselves comfortable,” Emma told her visitors. “Kelly and I have a few questions to ask you about what we learned today.”
Shirley floated over and perched near the love seat. “We’ll help in any way we can.” She looked at Doug, who came to hover near her.
“Of course we will,” he said to Emma.
Emma consulted her notes, and moved them to the middle of her desk so Kelly could see them, too. “Shirley,” Emma began, “you said you think the man who hit Chris today was the same man who broke in last week.”
Shirley nodded, “Yes, I’m almost certain of it, but I’d never seen him before.”
“He might have come back today to finish what he started,” said Granny. “He did assault him while he was outside near the workshop.”
“Good point, Granny,” said Kelly. “He might not have realized Chris was home. The two of them did leave together earlier for brunch. Maybe the guy thought they were both still gone.”
“The first time he was there, did he tried to break into the house or did he go straight to the workshop?” asked Emma.
The two ghosts gave the question a lot of thought before Doug answered, “He did try to get into the house, but Pugsley was barking like crazy.”
Picking up a pen, Emma checked off the same thought, which they had written down earlier. “Do you know of anything of value Chris and Edgar might have in the house or workshop?”
The two ghosts looked at each other, truly puzzled. “Not really,” Shirley answered for the two of them. “They have some very nice artwork, much of it Edgar’s, and of course the tools in the workshop, but that’s about it.”
“I went back to the house after Kelly and Emma left,” Granny told them. “The guys were arguing about whether or not they should call the police.”
Doug shook his head. “They were rehashing that same argument right before you came to get us, Granny. Edgar’s argument is that between the break-in and Chris’s assault they need to get the police involved. I couldn’t agree more.”
“So why aren’t they?” asked Kelly.
“From what I overheard,” added Granny, “it has something to do with Edgar’s past.”
“That about all we understand, too, Granny,” answered Shirley. “It sounds like Edgar might be wanted in connection with something.”
Emma tapped another bullet point on the notepad. “We were even wondering if Edgar Fairchild was his real name.”
“As far as we know, it is,” said Doug. “We’ve never heard them talk about any other name, just that they don’t want to involve the police for some reason.”
“Maybe it’s not about Edgar at all,” Granny suggested. “Maybe it has something to do with the murder Snoop Dog thinks happened there,” suggested Granny. “Or even with the meth lab.”
“But,” Emma pointed out, “that happened several years ago. If someone was returning to the house in connection with that, they would most likely have done it while it stood vacant.” Again she tapped the notepad with her pen. “We keep coming back to this being about Edgar’s past.” She looked up at the ghosts. “I have a friend doing a check on Edgar to see if we can figure it out, but he wasn’t encouraging about the results.”
“What’s so sad,” said Shirley, her mouth downturned, “is that the boys never fight otherwise, only over this. It’s tearing them apart.”
“And it’s only been since the break-in?” asked Emma.
Shirley cocked her head to one side in thought. “No,” she finally said. “I think the discussion about the police started a few weeks before that, but I can’t rightly remember why.” She looked at Doug. “Do you, dear?”
Doug moved around as he dug into his ghostly and often skewed memory. “Didn’t they get some calls that worried them?” He stopped moving. “And a note? I seem to remember a note of some kind.”
“You’re right, Doug,” Shirley said with excitement. “There were a couple of calls to the house and a note left on the door.” She looked to Kelly and Emma. “Again, it was something to do with Edgar and Chicago. I’m sure of it.”
“Were they being blackmailed?” asked Kelly.
“I don’t know,” Shirley answered.
Doug came to stand next to Shirley. “The boys don’t have any money to speak of. They’ve sunk it all into that house and the business. I think it was more of a threat of some kind.”
“I’d really like to get those two to talk,” Emma said with frustration. “We can’t help them unless we know what’s going on. And whatever it is, it seems to be escalating.”
“Why don’t you ladies come to Chris’s show Tuesday night,” Shirley suggested. “You might be able to talk to them there. You know, catch them off guard. I know Edgar’s planning on coming.”
“Yes,” said Doug, his face lighting up at the possibility. “I think Chris is going to pull out all the stops and use both Shirley and me in the show.”
“What’s so special about Tuesday night?” Kelly asked. “Chris mentioned it to me a couple of times and offered me passes, and I heard him tell Edgar not to worry, that he’d be okay by then.”
Doug’s face lit up even more. “Tuesday night is like a battle of the ventriloquists. That’s all that’s on the card that night—ventriloquists and their dummies that have been handpicked by the promoters to enter the contest. Only the best. The winner gets five thousand dollars and a chance to audition for one of the big late-night shows.”
“Yes.” Shirley beamed. “Our Chris is one of the favorites to win. He’s been excited about it for a couple of months.”
Kelly turned to her mother. “I’ll call Chris tomorrow and take him up on his offer for some free passes.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Emma. “Besides, I’d love to see him perform, unless,” she said to Kelly, “you’d rather take Nate.”
“Let me see if I can get four,” said Kelly. “Maybe Nate and I can double date with you and Phil, if Phil can get away.”
• • •
The next day Kelly called Chris. “How are you feeling today?” she asked when he answered.
“Not too bad,” he told her. “Edgar nagged me into going to the doctor this morning. Fortunately, the doc had a cancellation and I got in first thing. He said he doesn’t think I have a concussion. What I do have is a huge and very ugly black and blue bump that hurts like the dickens. Tomorrow night I might put a screw in it and pretend I’m the Frankenstein monster and the dummies are my creators.”
She laughed. “That’s sort of what I’m calling about. Is your offer still good for those passes for the show?”
“Sure,” he said with enthusiasm. “The more people I have cheering me on, the better. We’re allowed four passes for our guests.”
“I don’t want to take them all. How many can you spare?”
“All four. My parents decided not to come and many of my other friends had already bought tickets so they’ll just go to waste if you don’t use them.”
“What about Edgar?”
“He doesn’t need one. He’ll come backstage with me and help me get ready.”
“Great,” Kelly told him. “We may only use three. We’re not sure yet.” She paused. Tuesday was going to be a big night for Chris. Kelly knew if it were her going up on stage, both of her parents would be there, along with her grandparents. “Chris, I don’t want to pry, but why aren’t your parents going? Do they have other plans that night?”
She heard him take a deep breath, then he said, “Like I told you, they aren’t happy about my being gay or my relationship with Edgar. And they don’t see ventriloquism as a viable career path. Add that all up and they just decided to brush it all off as a nonevent. They’ve never been to any of my shows.”
“I’m sorry, Chris.”
“It is what it is.”
“Maybe one day they’ll come around.”
“Maybe, but I hope it’s before Edgar and I get married. I’d hate for them to miss their only child’s wedding.”
“You’re getting married?” Kelly asked, excited. “Why didn’t you say something about this yesterday?”
He laughed. “We weren’t sure yet, but last night we discussed it. It’s not going to happen right away. We want to build the business first, but as of last night we’re officially engaged.”
“Congratulations! I know my mother will be pleased.”
“I’m glad someone’s mother will be. My parents certainly won’t be and Edgar doesn’t have any family.” He paused, then asked, “By the way, how did your visit with Snoop Dog go?”
“She told us all about the meth lab and how she thinks someone was murdered at your house.”
“Yeah, she told us that, too, when she told us she thinks the place is haunted.” He laughed again. “Did your mother pick up any vibes about ghosts while she was here?”
Kelly pressed her lips together. How was she going to skirt this question? There were ghosts at that house but not connected to any murder. “Nothing out of the ordinary for her.” They both laughed.
“But, Chris,” Kelly continued, “Ms. Doxson also told us that you guys had a break-in recently. She said she called the cops when she saw someone hop your back fence. What was that all about?”
There was hesitation on the other end of the line. “Nothing really. We’re not even sure there was a break-in, just her overactive imagination. I told you Snoop Dog is the neighborhood watch.”
Kelly wanted to ask him about his assault and the connection to the alleged break-in, but she wasn’t supposed to know it was an assault and wasn’t sure how to explain how she knew the truth about it. Her mother was so much better at this. But there might be something she could do.
After her call with Chris, she dug through some of her old high school papers and records still squirreled away in her desk. Once she found what she was looking for, she made another call. This one had nothing to do with ghosts and burglars.
“We have the passes for the show,” Kelly reported. She’d found Emma in her guesthouse office. “Four of them. They’ll be at will-call.”
“Did you call your father?” Emma asked her. “He wanted to make sure to see you when you came home this time.”
“Yes,” Kelly said with a touch of drama. “I called him just now. You know, it’s not my fault Dad didn’t see me over Christmas. He’s the one who took off for Tahiti.”
“So,” said Emma, not looking up from her mail, “are you two getting together this time?”
“Thursday. We’re taking Grandma Celeste out for lunch.
All
of us,” Kelly said with emphasis.
Emma looked at her daughter, knowing that dealing with her dad and stepmother brought out the petulance in Kelly. “Honey, I know you don’t like Carolyn, but she is your father’s wife and Oscar is your half brother.”
“It’s not Oscar I object to. He’s cute.” Kelly curled her lip. “It’s her. She’s pretentious trailer trash.”
“Please don’t talk that way, Kelly,” Emma gently scolded. “If your father ever heard you, it would hurt his feelings.”
Kelly turned away with a shred of guilt and looked around. “Where’s Archie?”
“Grandma and Granddad took him for a walk,” Emma told her. “There’s a new dog park not far from here, and he loves to go there.”
Kelly fiddled with the stapler that sat on her mother’s desk, then went around to the other side and threw her arms around Emma’s neck and gave her a big squeeze. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome,” Emma said with a surprised chuckle, “but for what?”
Kelly shrugged. “Just for being you and for being so supportive. And for dating someone cool like Phil.” She let her mother loose and moved to the love seat. She plopped down on it in a slouch.
“Is something wrong?” Emma asked, giving Kelly her full attention.
“Good news, bad news,” Kelly began. “Chris told me that he and Edgar are now engaged.”
Emma smiled at her. “I take it that’s the good news.”
Kelly nodded. “But he also said his parents aren’t going to the show. They don’t support his career or his lifestyle.”
“That’s very sad, but a lot of parents have trouble accepting their children’s orientation. You’d think after all these years it would be different, but it’s not for a lot of people.”
“The gay part aside, do you think Mr. and Mrs. May would be more accepting if Edgar were a successful white guy?”
“Maybe, but who’s to say. It could be they know he has a sketchy past and that’s what’s bothering them. Shirley did say they think Edgar is a gold digger. I’m sure Chris has a trust fund and will come into a nice inheritance one day in the future when his parents are gone.”
“This is just a thought,” Kelly began, her focus drifting off while her mind sorted through some theories she’d had last night right before falling asleep, “but do you think that maybe the break-in and the assault on Chris has something to do with his parents?” She looked up at her mother. “Didn’t Shirley also say that they’ve tried everything to break Chris and Edgar up?”
“Yes, Shirley did mention that.”
“Maybe,” Kelly continued, letting her mind go free with her thoughts, “they sent someone to the house to try to dig up dirt on Edgar but he was surprised both times.” She paused. “Maybe it was Edgar who was supposed to get nailed on the skull and not Chris.”
Emma took a deep breath. “Accusing someone of planning an assault is serious business, Kelly.”
“I’m not accusing them of anything,” Kelly said, a little more defensively than she intended. “I’m simply stating an idea that crossed my mind last night.”
Emma got up and started pacing the room.
“And now you’re thinking about it, too,” Kelly told her. “I can tell.”
“Yes, I am mulling it over,” Emma said with a nod. “I wish I knew more about the Mays, but they are one set of parents at the school I never got to know very well.”
“Did Phil find out anything yet?”
“He was still searching when he called last night.”
“Mom,” Kelly said after a long silence. “Maybe we should tell Chris and Edgar what we know and about Doug and Shirley. Maybe they’ll open up if they know about the ghosts.”
Emma came over to the love seat and sat next to Kelly. “Do you think they’ll believe us?”
Kelly rubbed a hand back and forth over the arm of the love seat. “Who knows, but we’ve got nothing to lose and maybe they’ll listen.”
“When do you want to talk to them about it?”
“Shouldn’t it be today?” Kelly suggested, “since tomorrow is the show? Or, maybe, should we wait until the show is over so as not to rattle Chris before his big night?”
“After might be best,” Emma agreed.
Emma’s phone rang. “That’s Phil,” she said recognizing the ring tone. She picked up the phone and said into it, “Hi, we were just wondering about your search job.” She put the call on speaker and held the phone close to both of them.
“I’m sorry,” Phil told them. “I wasn’t able to come up with anything on an Edgar Fairchild anywhere.”
“Not even in property records?” asked Kelly. “They own that home.”
“Nope. I also ran the address you gave me in Encino and that house is owned by their company, Mayfair Puppetry, Inc.”
“So we’re working blind again,” said Emma.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it’s the best I can do without more personal information on the guy.” He paused. “So where are you going from here?”
“We were just discussing whether or not to go to Chris and Edgar and tell them about the ghosts and what we know about what’s going on,” Emma told Phil. “If we do, we have to be concerned about timing. Chris has a big show tomorrow night and we don’t want to throw him off. There’s a lot at stake for him career-wise.”
“Can you come up for the show?” Kelly asked. “We have passes for it.”
“I’m afraid not, ladies. I’m swamped with work, but I’ll see you two in Julian this weekend, won’t I?”
“Yes,” Kelly answered. “We’re coming down Friday morning and I’m flying back to Boston from San Diego on Sunday.”
“Good,” Phil answered. “In the meantime, you two stay out of trouble.”
“Speaking of trouble,” Emma said, looking around, “I haven’t seen Granny yet today.”
“I heard that!” snapped a disembodied voice. Slowly the cantankerous ghost materialized.
“What did you do, Granny,” asked Kelly, “sleep in today?”
“I didn’t know I had to punch a time clock.” The ghost sniffed, crossing her arms in front of her. “Maybe I should start billing you people for my time. Hourly, like Phil bills his clients.”
Kelly and Emma were laughing, which only made Granny scowl deeper until her eyebrows formed a V.
“What’s going on up there?” asked Phil. “I take it Granny’s made an entrance.”
“Granny got up on the wrong side of the grave today,” quipped Kelly.
Phil laughed.
“And,” added Emma, “she’s decided she’s going to start billing us for her time, hourly, like you bill your clients.”
“Huh,” snorted Phil. “Can’t wait to see that.”
“Are we going to work this case or not?” Granny asked with impatience.
“Don’t get your bloomers in a bunch, Granny,” said Emma. “That’s exactly what we were doing with Phil just now.”
“I couldn’t find out anything about Edgar, Granny,” Phil reported to the ghost. “I’ve got to run now. I have a client meeting in ten minutes. Love you all.”
After Phil ended the call, Emma said to Granny, “Kelly and I were just discussing whether or not to tell Chris and Edgar about Doug and Shirley and how we know they’re covering up something. What do you think, Granny?”
The ghost moved closer and crossed her arms again. “Oh, so now you want my help?”
“Come on, Granny,” Kelly said. “You know we were just funning with you before.”
“I’ll have you know,” Granny said, pointing her hazy nose up in the air, “that I’ve been working the case and have something interesting to tell you.”
Emma got up and retrieved her coffee from where she’d left it on her desk. She took a sip and leaned against her desk. “We’re all ears, Granny.”
“While you two were lollygagging around here I went back over to Chris and Edgar’s.”
“Are they okay?” Kelly asked with concern. “I spoke to Chris a little while ago and everything sounded fine.”
“They’re right as rain,” answered Granny. “Edgar was in the workshop working on the insides of one of the dummies and Chris was rehearsing for his show. Doug was right, Chris is planning on using both Doug and Shirley in his show.” She narrowed her eyes at them. “Of course, he can’t hold a candle to you two comics.”
Emma and Kelly exchanged smiles, but said nothing.
“There was a girl practicing with Chris,” Granny reported. “He called her Judy.”
“Judy Jump,” said Kelly. “I met her at Elaine’s party. She’s a ventriloquist, too.”
“Sure seemed that way,” said Granny. “She was using a dummy that looked like a mangy stray cat that had been run over and left in the middle of the road. Its name is Pumpkin. It was so ugly it was cute.”
“Was Judy funny?” asked Kelly.
Granny pursed her lips before giving her answer. “Hard to say. I’m sure a lot of folks might like her act, especially if they’re drinking, but she seemed kind of sarcastic and vulgar to me. I know Doug and Shirley don’t care for her. They say she swears too much.”
“What about Chris’s act?” Emma asked. “Did you see him rehearse, too?”
“Yes, and it’s not for kiddies either, but it’s more innuendo than outright vulgarity and Chris never uses that bad word that starts with an
F
. You know, Kelly, the one Tanisha uses when her car won’t start or that Phil uses when he steps in horse . . .”
“We got it, Granny,” Emma said, sensing Granny was on a roll and cutting it off before it went too far.
“I’ve never seen someone perform with a dummy before,” Granny said, twitching her nose and continuing with her report, “except on the TV, but I thought Chris was better. Of course, I could be biased.”
“Everything else seem okay around their house?” asked Kelly.
“Yep, except for one thing,” Granny said. “I think Snoop Dog is right. There is a ghost lingering around the place.”
Emma stopped drinking her coffee. “Why do you say that?”
“After I saw everything was in order at Chris’s,” Granny explained, “I went across the street to check on Snoop Dog.” Granny looked from Emma to Kelly and shrugged. “There’s just something about the old lady I like. Anyway, she was sitting on her porch watching the cars go up and down the street. I set a spell with her and after a while Edgar came out to get the mail from the box at the end of the driveway. Pugsley was with him but instead of following Edgar to the mailbox, the dog shot off to the side of the house and started digging under the bushes. A few seconds later Edgar waved to Snoop Dog, then called Pugsley to go back into the house but Pugsley wouldn’t budge. Finally, Edgar got closer to the dog and ordered him into the house again and this time Pugsley obeyed, but I could see the little guy didn’t want to leave the bushes.”
“What did you do?” asked Kelly, now sitting on the edge of the love seat.
“Why, I moseyed on over there, of course,” Granny told her. “I was real quiet and careful when I got close.” Granny showed them how she’d moved by tiptoeing across the floor of the office. Emma glanced at Kelly and the two of them exchanged tight-lipped giggles.
“Then I looked under those bushes right where the dog had been digging, and sure enough, there was a tiny bit of a shimmer. I called to the spirit, letting it know I was friendly. It faded in and out, like it was unsure. You know, like one of them stray animals that’s afraid to take a handout no matter how hungry it is.”
“Did you eventually coax the spirit out?” Emma asked, paying as much attention as Kelly.
Granny shook her head. “Nope. It finally stopped shining and disappeared.” She looked to Emma. “Do you think maybe that’s the murdered guy?”
“That spirit could be anyone, Granny. Maybe a neighbor who died or someone who used to live in the house a long time ago. It’s hard to say.”
“Maybe the body is buried under those bushes?” Granny was getting excited. “Maybe Pugsley knows that and is digging him up.”
“And maybe Pugsley was just drawn to the spirit,” Emma suggested. “You know how dogs love ghosts.”
Granny sniffed, showing her displeasure at her theory being explained away. “And maybe that guy who keeps bothering Chris and Edgar is really there to find the body and get rid of it. Did you ever think of that?”
“Granny,” Emma said, “if the spirit you saw is the murdered man, he’s been there a few years. Anyone interested in getting rid of that body could have done it long before now.” She paused, then added, “Though I do think we should look into helping that spirit cross over, but not until after Chris’s show tomorrow.”
“Ewww,” Kelly said to her mother. “You’re just going to leave a dead body in their yard?”
“We don’t know if it’s a dead body or just a confused spirit,” Emma reminded her. “And if it is the man Sylvia Doxson thinks she saw murdered, he can wait a day or two more to be discovered, can’t he?”
Granny jerked a thumb in Emma’s direction. “She’s got a point.”