Haunted Homicide Read online

  Haunted Homicide

  by

  Constance Barker

  Copyright 2019 Constance Barker

  All rights reserved.

  Similarities to real people, places or events are purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Thanks for Reading

  Catalog of Books

  Chapter One

  The Lucky Dill had seen a boom in business since the two women who worked there and the one who owned it had been integral to solving the murder of a local man dear to everyone’s heart. They had even gotten a few people from far away tell them they had seen the story on their news and wanted to come. The Lucky Dill hadn’t struggled since its opening nearly a decade prior, but they weren’t exactly flourishing either. Josie, the owner welcomed the influx of customers, though she found their constant badgering to be too much sometimes. Verny had hit her limit a couple weeks back and refused to answer any more questions about the entire affair. It was only Cookie who reveled in be able to tell her story over and over again.

  It was probably best for all of them that the excitement had died down and things were finally back to normal. Cookie missed the attention a little, but she was already hatching a new plan for mischief.

  “Are you all set, can I get you anything else?” Verny asked the only table that was occupied except for Lightning’s. At the table were two women and two men and Josie had spent the better part of the time it took her to make their sandwiches trying to figure out who was dating who. She hadn’t gotten very far. They all seemed close, and it was almost impossible to tell. Every time she thought she had paired them off correctly a flirtatious glance or a teasing push made her rethink.

  “This is great, thanks!” One of the women said enthusiastically. The man next to her nodded in agreement with his mouth still full.

  “Good, I’m glad,” Verny said with a grin.

  “I’m really glad you like it,” Josie said from behind the counter. They had all ordered the same sandwich. Her newest special, which wasn’t nearly as adventurous as some of her other sandwiches, was a lobster roll. She would serve it year-round, but Josie was a stickler for using the best ingredients, so she waited for fresh lobster to be in abundance. Some people in town waited all year for her lobster roll.

  “It’s incredible.” The other woman said with a wistful sigh as though she was sad to already be half done with hers.

  “Best one I’ve ever had,” the man with the full mouth added once he finished his bite.

  “Best one there is!” Lightning agreed, using his cane to punctuate his statement by stamping it on the ground. It was a habit that Josie wished he didn’t have; her floors were starting to show round divots from him repeating the action so often. She couldn’t complain too much though, he was their best customer.

  “Better than anything we could get at home,” the first woman said.

  “Where’s home?” Verny asked. With them taken care of she took a seat with Lightning. Josie relaxed behind the counter, knowing that it was a little too late in the day to expect much more business. At most they might get a few people in for coffee and one of Cookie’s baked goods and it was always possible that Gideon and Abel might pop in. At many small restaurants this would be the point in the evening where things start to feel uncomfortable. Too many employees for too little customers, but at The Lucky Dill this was never the case.

  “We’re from St. Louis. I’m Avery,” the first woman said with a bright smile. “This is Sam, short for Samantha.” She pointed to the other woman who gave a wave. “Cody.” The full-mouthed man nodded. “And Simon.” The last member of the table did little to offer a greeting.

  “Can’t imagine lobster is very good out that way,” Lightning said with a shake of his head. He couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to be anywhere other than the town he had spent the majority of his life in.

  “I never thought it was bad,” Cody said with a shake of his head. “Until now.”

  “Nothing better than a Maine lobster,” Lightning said.

  “Freshly caught too,” Josie added. Though she hoped it wouldn’t bother them as soon as she said it. Sometimes people were sensitive about knowing where their meat or fish came from, though that Josie found it more comforting to know.

  “That’s amazing,” Cody said. “I bet all the lobster we’ve had before now was caught, frozen and then delivered. I’ve never tasted lobster so fresh.”

  “Neither have I,” Sam agreed. Josie was glad that she hadn’t freaked them out with her comment. She still couldn’t figure out who was with who, or if anyone was even together. She liked to try and figure out the dynamics of the people who came to her deli. It was like a game or a puzzle and it helped pass the time.

  “What brings you all the way out here?” Verny asked. Usually it would be Cookie asking the questions, but she was out with Buttercup on her evening walk.

  “Well, we are paranormal investigators,” Avery said as if that explained everything. Lightning made a scoffing noise that he attempted to make sound like he was clearing his throat after Josie shot him a look. It wasn’t as though Lightning had previously made his thoughts on the paranormal known to everyone, but it wasn’t exactly difficult to guess what they were.

  “You are?” Cookie exclaimed excitedly making everyone jump a little at her sudden appearance. She must have returned through the back and left Buttercup in the office. The condition of allowing her dog at the deli was that she had to stay in the back while they were open. Josie didn’t want a surprise health inspection and a dog to be the end of The Lucky Dill. “Real ghost hunters?” She asked.

  “We run a website all about it,” Cody replied with a grin. They graciously ignored the second scoff that Lightning made.

  “Really?” Cookie asked sitting with Verny and Lightning. Josie had gotten bored with just standing at the counter and had started thoroughly cleaning.

  “Just hobbyists,” Avery said, giving Cody a look. “It’s what we do in our spare time.”

  “Some people knit, we investigate the dead,” Sam said with a shrug. The fourth member of their group, Simon, hadn’t spoken yet and didn’t seem inclined to. He was either very shy or very rude, it was hard to tell.

  “That’s fascinating,” Verny said. She remembered her daughter, Cici, showing her some kind of online series about paranormal investigations. She couldn’t be sure that it was the same people or not. “My daughter loves things like that.”

  “That’s so cool!” Sam said. “I’m sure she hadn’t heard of us, but we always love meeting people who have similar interests.”

  “We’re a real community,” Avery agreed. Lightning had crossed his arms and was slowly shaking his head as though he was getting ready to tell off a former student.

  “What brings you out here?” Josie asked before Lightning could say anything offensive.

  “I know.” Both Cookie and Lightning replied simultaneously.

  “How do you know?” Verny asked
.

  “Well, there’s only one reason I can think of,” Cookie said. There was a look of mischievousness in her eyes that was unsettling.

  “Only one I know of too,” Lightning said. The guests watched the exchange with amusement, wondering if either of them would be right with their guess.

  “The Charleston House,” Cookie said matter-of-factly. Josie shuddered at the mere mention of the name as if a rattlesnake had slithered across her clean counter. Verny made a sputtering sound as she took a sip of her drink.

  “That’s the one!” Cody said enthusiastically.

  “It’s supposed to be crazy haunted,” Sam said emphatically.

  “It is,” Josie said with another shudder. “I hate that place. I don’t even like driving past it.” She shook her head. Anything scary, haunted or horror was not in Josie’s wheelhouse.

  “That’s unfortunate,” Cookie said, though she didn’t sound like she meant it or that she was surprised.

  “Why?” Josie asked, sensing a plan she wouldn’t be on board with.

  “It’s not haunted,” Lightning finally spat out, as though he had been holding his breath for too long. “There’s no such thing as haunted,” he added with finality.

  “To each their own!” Sam said as though she had been expecting this.

  “We’re not exactly strangers to skeptics,” Cody said with a shrug. “We are less interested in converting the skeptics and more interested in entertaining those who already believe.”

  “I don’t care what you are interested in,” Lightning said with no concern for social graces. He might be their best customer, but Josie worried that he might run off good customers. “There’s no such thing as ghosts and that’s that.”

  “Regardless,” Verny said stopping him before he could go on and really offend their guests. They seemed unfazed by him though. “What about the Charleston house?”

  “It’s open for visitors in just a few days,” Cookie said, giving Josie a sheepish look. “For an overnight stay.”

  “If I remember the brochures correctly, it’s a guided tour during the day, but once the sun sets, they leave you to your own devices,” Lightning added, furrowing his brow.

  “Absolutely not,” Josie said shaking her head at her friend. “Not a chance. Never.” She waved her arms in front of her chest making X’s with them.

  “Not a fan of horror then?” Cody asked Josie.

  “That’s an understatement,” Cookie answered for her.

  “We took her to see a special midnight screening of Poltergeist,” Verny started with a wry smile.

  “Couldn’t even sit through the whole thing,” Cookie continued.

  “Not only that but she spent the whole next week jumping at every loud noise...her own shadow scared her.” Josie’s face turned a deep red as she bounced between looking at Cookie and Verny. She knew that yelling at either of them would bring nothing but more embarrassment. For a moment she felt like a child listening in horror as their mother regaled complete strangers with embarrassing stories.

  “That’s not quite true,” she said trying to save face, but her bright red cheeks and ear tips gave her away.

  “It’s totally true!” Cookie argued. “You stayed at my house for a week straight afterwards.”

  “I thought we might end up taking turns having her stay with one of us every other week,” Verny said with a giggle. The group of paranormal investigators giggled along with her. “That was the last time we even tried.”

  “It’s not everyone’s cup of tea,” Avery said.

  “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity though,” Sam added.

  “Once in a lifetime?’ Josie asked, grateful for the conversation to take a turn away from her.

  “They only open the house up to visitors once or twice a year, and the wait lists are miles long,” Cody explained. “It’s very exclusive.”

  “They only allow in a handful of people every time they open their doors.” As Avery spoke, Josie gave Cookie a reproachful look.

  “Does that mean that you put our names on the list years ago?” She asked disbelieving.

  “I might have,” Cookie said with a sheepish grin.

  “You’ve been planning this and didn’t even tell us?” Verny asked, sounding slightly offended.

  “I didn’t want to get your hopes up if we never made it on the waiting list. For some reason they refuse to tell you how close to the top you are,” Cookie complained.

  “I know, it’s so frustrating,” Sam agreed. “We've been waiting for years, but we always knew that we would have to drop everything and come out here on a whim. We’re lucky it just happened to coincide with our time off.”

  “That is lucky,” Josie said, as if she had a sudden inspiration. “It’s a shame that none of us have time off.”

  “Nice try,” Cookie laughed. “We can take all the time we need, whenever we need it. It’s part of the perks of having an in with the owner.” She winked.

  “It really is a once in a life time experience. Even if you don’t believe in the paranormal, The Charleston House has a rich history. It’s probably worth the visit regardless,” Avery said in an encouraging tone. She was a waif of a girl and looked like a strong wind could blow her over. Sam was a striking contrast to her, a sturdy girl who looked like she would fare well in the middle of a hurricane. Despite their differences, Josie could tell they were joined at the hip – the same way Cookie and Verny were.

  “It’s certainly a rich look at the town’s history,” Lightning agreed. His eyes lit up at the opportunity to talk about the history of the town. In a town that old, there were more than enough stories to tell and Lightning took it upon himself to explain them. “Which is why I also put my name on the list years ago.”

  “You’re going to be there too?” Josie asked in surprise.

  “I will be there, yes. I have been on the list for years, but every time my name got to the top something or other kept me from going,” Lightning grumbled.

  Verny shook her head. “I can’t believe you’ve never been.” By this time, the customers had finished their food and were just enjoying the company. “Lightning here is basically the town historian,” Verny explained.

  “Bah,” Lightning said shooing the comment away with his hands. “I taught history at the high school for nearly fifty years. I just love the past,” he shrugged, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention. Lightning loved attention as long as it was when he was telling a story, if the attention was directly on him, he became incredibly uncomfortable.

  “That’s interesting,” Sam said. “I’m something of a history buff myself, I’d say we all are.” She looked to her companions for assurance.

  “We have to be,” Cody agreed, nodding. “Everywhere we go, every place we investigate starts, essentially, with a history project.”

  “That’s not history,” Lightning argued. “It’s ghost stories.” Simon, their silent member grimaced. Josie worried that Lightning might say something to insult them, and they’d walk out. Simon seemed to be fuming with annoyance.

  “We might be investigating something that you might not believe in, but we do know the real history of the places and the people involved,” Cody said patiently. At least the other three seemed to find it more like a fun debate than anything to be taken too seriously.

  “We spend months studying every place we go to before we go,” Avery insisted. “It’s our first step and we want to know what we are getting ourselves into.”

  “Plus, we need to know the best way to make contact,” Sam said earnestly. Lightning rolled his eyes but refrained from saying anything. He was happy to say something, but Simon had stood up, clearly trying to usher his companions out of the deli.

  “It looks like we're ready to go,” Sam said eyeing Simon. Avery and Cody stood as well. “We’d love to stay, but I think we all need a good night’s rest. We're all going to have a long night soon.”

  “It was great meeting all of you,” Josie said. “I’m g
lad you enjoyed your meals.”

  “We did, it was excellent,” Cody said giving them a thumbs up. “I’m sure we'll be back before the end of our trip.”

  “That’s great to hear,” Josie said warmly.

  “We’ll see you at The Charleston House,” Avery said with a smile and a wave as they headed outside.

  Chapter Two

  “They seemed sweet, that other boy though, a little off,” Verny said clearing the paranormal investigator's table. Cookie jumped up to help her out.

  “He didn’t seem very friendly,” Cookie agreed. She wiped the table down as Verny brought the dishes behind the counter. “Maybe he was just shy?” She suggested.

  “I don’t know,” Josie said. “He almost seemed full of himself, was definitely annoyed when you,” pointing at Lightning. “Made fun of them.”

  “I never made fun of them,” Lightning said sounding scandalized. “I only pointed out that paranormal investigation is a waste of time since there is no such thing as ghosts or the paranormal.” He shrugged.

  “I’d thank you to not run off paying customers,” Josie said narrowing her eyes.

  “I’m a paying customer!” He responded indignantly. “And I didn’t run them off. The only one that seemed bothered was that quiet one.”

  “The Charleston House!” Verny exclaimed, finally realizing she would be spending the night. “I’ve always wanted to go back there.” Verny rarely let herself get too excited for things. More often than not she was a stern woman who took everything a little bit too seriously. Maybe it was her sudden divorce from Cici's, her teenage daughter's, Dad when he decided he wanted a younger model that made her take a turn for the no nonsense attitude, but once in a while she let her hair down. Cookie was the emotional of the pair, though Josie suspected that they were equally full of mischief when they were young. It seemed that Cookie’s mischievousness had survived past their teen years. Cookie was the risk taker, with her devil may care attitude that drew people to her. While Verny and Cookie often butted heads, they remained close. Bickering was just their way of communicating. Most people would be put off, but it worked for them.