All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt (2 page)

Chapter 2

Police and other official-looking folks surrounded the area. The rest of us watched from a distance.

It had been such a lovely day, and now it had taken this tragic turn. How had Nicole fallen in the water? Had she stepped too close to the pond's edge and slipped on the wet vegetation? Had she hit her head on a rock and lost consciousness? Or did she not know how to swim?

I looked around at the shocked faces. In a million years, I knew none of them would have expected this turn of events. What would happen to the film? Nicole was the star, but would they replace her? Or just stop the film?

My mind was spinning with questions as I realized the ghost was still talking to me.

“What a tragic end to such a beautiful life,” she said.

I'd learned from past experience that I couldn't answer her without a formulated strategy. Carefully positioned cell phones or newspapers usually provided good covers, but those items weren't always available when a ghost popped up. If I talked freely with the ghosts, the people around me would think that I was talking to myself. In a town as small as Sugar Creek, word would spread quickly that I was one dress short of a full boutique. I'd recently dealt with another ghost and didn't think I'd have to deal with the supernatural again. Even if I had expected another supernatural visitor, I wouldn't have thought it would happen this soon.

Among the officials I spotted the handsome Detective Dylan Valentine of the Sugar Creek Police Department. Dylan had recently moved here from Atlanta. He had investigated the last homicide investigation in our town. Unfortunately for me, I had been a part of that one. Not because I'd wanted to be involved, but because the ghost of the murdered woman, Charlotte Meadows, had refused to leave me alone until I helped find her killer. That was one reason why I didn't want to talk with this ghost—I didn't want to get roped into another postmortem quest for justice. Of course this spirit wouldn't have anything to do with this latest event. So why was she here?

Would the detective notice that I was in the crowd? I thought about trying to escape before he spotted me, but in a split second it was too late. We made eye contact. He didn't smile, but I hadn't expected him to, considering the current situation. He spoke with the police officer beside him, and the next thing I knew he was walking in my direction.

“Uh-oh,” I said under my breath.

“Is there a problem?” the ghost asked. She looked at me and then followed my gaze. “Oh . . . Do you know him?”

I cast a glance her way. When I thought Dylan wasn't watching, I said, “Yes, he's a detective with the police department.”

“He's the cat's meow,” she whispered.

Detective Valentine was a striking man, with his dark hair and big blue eyes, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

“Good afternoon, Cookie. I wasn't expecting to see you here.” His eyes sparkled under the bright sun.

I could have said the same thing about him. After all, I hadn't expected for there to be a death on the set of the movie.

“I was here to watch the shoot. I helped with wardrobe.” I motioned toward the rack of clothing behind us.

“Did you see what happened?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, I just walked over and there she was, in the pond . . . but a little while earlier, she was talking with someone.” I looked down at my feet and then back up at him. “Actually, they were arguing.”

“You should tell him that I am here,” the ghost said.

Oh yeah, that was exactly what I needed to do.

“In case you didn't hear me, I said if he'd like to ask me questions, I am right here. I've been on this set all day and I saw everything that has been going on. Unfortunately I was inside the building when the murder took place.” She folded her arms in front of her chest and cast a stern glare my way.

I wasn't going to get into this with her right now.

“Did you tell him that she was arguing with someone? Oh yes, you did tell him. I'm sorry. Am I talking too much?”

“Yes, just a little” was what I wanted to say. But I ignored her and kept focused on the detective.

He saw some more official-looking men arriving—probably from the medical examiner's office, I guessed. “I'd better get back to work,” he said and turned to walk away. “I'll be back over in a few minutes to talk with you again if that's okay?”

“Yes. That would be fine.” I told myself he was just doing his job.

“Smile at the man,” the ghost said. “Show him that gorgeous grin.”

How did she know I had a nice smile?

When the detective had walked away, I glanced around. It seemed as if no one was looking my way, so I asked the ghost, “Who are you? And why are you here?”

“My name is Alice Neill. I would shake your hand, but you know . . .”

Yes, I was aware that if the ghost tried to shake hands with me, her hand would simply pass through mine. “Well, it's nice to meet you, Alice,” I said, “but I really should be going now.”

“Aren't you going to introduce yourself?” She examined me as if checking for a name tag. “Besides, you can't leave yet, the detective still wants to talk with you.”

I sighed. “My name is Cookie Chanel.”

Her eyes widened. “Cookie Chanel? That sounds like Coco Chanel.”

“Well, you could say I was named after her.” I didn't feel like getting into the details.

“You're the one responsible for the clothing on the set?”

“Yes, that's me.”

“That was my dress.” Alice motioned toward where Nicole had been.

I frowned at Alice.

“You look confused,” she said.

“I don't understand what you mean.”

“Just like I said. That was my dress. The one that the actress was wearing. It was mine. And one of my favorites, I might add.”

This day had taken a bizarre turn, and it just kept getting weirder.

“The dress is why I'm here,” she said. “I loved fashion when I was alive, so I like to stay close to my treasures. Of course I love fashion now too, but I don't get to shop often.” She chuckled.

“That dress can't be yours,” I said. “It was donated by a woman in Belleville.”

She looked pleased. “That's my granddaughter.”

“You don't look old enough to have a granddaughter. You can't be any older than me.”

“How old are you?” she asked.

“I'm twenty-nine.”

“You look younger. But yes, I do look twenty-five, don't I?” she asked with a smile.

The more she talked, the more befuddled I became.

“So how can that be your dress?” I scanned the area to see if anyone was watching.

Detective Valentine glanced my way again. Thank goodness he hadn't spotted me talking to myself.

“I look as I did when I was young.”

Chapter 3

I'd learned a few things about how being a spirit worked when I'd run into the ghost of Charlotte Meadows. Things like the fact that walking through doors was optional. Ghosts still did it, but they didn't have to. Now I was finding out that ghosts could take on the appearance they had when they were younger. I wondered what age I'd pick if I were a ghost. Probably the age I was now. Twenty-nine was a good age. I'd finally learned how to apply my makeup well, so that counted for something. I'd always had a little too much eyeliner when I was younger.

The ghost was still standing next to me. To be honest, I didn't know quite what to say to her. I should be used to talking with ghosts by now, although chatting to one ghost didn't make me an expert by any means.

“What do we do now?” Alice asked.

What was she asking me for? I didn't have the answer. I watched in stunned silence as the police and other experts worked the crime scene. Detective Valentine looked my away again.

How had I managed to be at the scene of a crime again? He finished the conversation with another officer and headed in my direction.

“Oh, that handsome man is watching you. Is he your husband?” Alice asked. “Good catch.”

“He's not my anything,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.

“Boyfriend?”

“He's a detective. His name is Dylan.”

“Oh, well you'd better be on your best behavior. Maybe you can make him your beau.”

I wasn't going to answer that one.

“How are you holding up?” Dylan asked.

“He's swoon-worthy,” Alice said. “He reminds me of my dear, sweet Joe. That was my husband. Of course he had been my parents' first pick for me. Not that I didn't love the man, don't get me wrong, but . . . Well, just don't let your true love get away is all I'm saying.”

Why was she telling me her life story right now? Having a conversation with a ghost and a living person at the same time wasn't easy. I'd have to ignore Alice right now.

Dylan ran his hand through his hair. “Did you see Nicole near the water? I heard you were the first to spot her.”

I wondered if he was thinking about the fact that I'd been the first to find that dead man in the alley during Sugar Creek's Spring Fling festival. What an unfortunate coincidence.

“When I saw her, she was already in the water.” I closed my eyes, wishing the sight from my mind. “She was floating at the surface. I guess it was already too late. That was when the director spotted her and jumped in the water to save her.”

“I suppose she could have fallen in,” Alice said.

Maybe it was nothing, but I felt I needed to tell Dylan about what I'd seen.

“Earlier I was walking the plantation grounds. I heard what sounded like an argument. When I peeked around the bushes, I saw Preston and Nicole. I think he may have been cheating on her.” I sounded like a gossip, but Dylan needed to know every detail.

He snapped to attention. “That was right before you found her like this?”

I blinked back tears. “Yes, about thirty minutes earlier.”

“Where was the location of their argument?”

I turned around to figure out just where I'd been. “Right over there.”

I hadn't realized just how close to the water we'd been. The detective stared out over the scene. I wondered what he was thinking.

“Let me know if you remember any more details.”

“Yes, absolutely.” My voice was low as I absorbed the chaos around me.

Unfortunately, I didn't think there were any missing facts. How had she fallen in the water? Had she been standing too close? Of course she had. How else would she fall in the water?

One of the officers called out to Dylan. “Thank you for the information, Cookie,” he said to me. “I'll phone you later.”

Dylan walked across the yard and over to the pond where the other officers stood. This wasn't how I thought the day would end. Poor Nicole. She was so pretty, so young. The other people who had gathered looked as stricken as I felt. Some I recognized as her fellow actors, and the others were probably extras. A couple of women hugged each other and wiped their eyes. I hadn't seen Preston since this had happened. Where was he? Did he know about this tragic accident? I hated that the thought had slipped into my mind, but what if this wasn't an accident after all? They had been arguing.

“What do you think happened to her?” Alice asked.

I jumped and clutched my chest. I'd forgotten that she'd been standing beside me.

“You're so jumpy. Maybe you need a nice cup of chamomile tea.”

What I needed was not to talk to ghosts. I looked around to see if anyone was watching before I answered.

“Well, she clearly fell into the water,” I said.

Alice pursed her lips. “I saw their argument too. I'm not so sure this was an accident.”

My eyes widened. “You saw the argument? Where were you?”

“I was right behind you. You just didn't pay attention.”

It was a little disturbing to know that a ghost had been following me around.

“How long had you been behind me?” I asked.

Alice waved her hand. “Don't worry, I'd only walked up behind you moments earlier.”

“Gee, that is a relief.”

Since Dylan wasn't free to talk to me further, it was time for me to leave. Turning, I bumped into a tall blond woman. I hoped she hadn't heard my conversation with Alice. She would think that I'd lost my marbles.

When I looked at the woman's face, I realized she was the costar of the film, Jessica Duncan. The pretty blonde scowled at me.

“I'm sorry,” I said.

As if she were onstage, her frown instantly turned to a smile.

“That's okay,” she said sweetly.

Jessica wiped at her eyes, and the smile was gone. I didn't see tears, but since she wiped at her eyes, I assumed she'd been crying.

“This is such a tragedy. I can't believe it happened. How will the movie go on?” she asked.

Since Nicole had lost her life, I figured the last thing to worry about at the moment was the fate of the movie. “I don't know,” I said.

“She's not that great of an actress.” Alice moved away from Jessica.

Even the ghost didn't want to be around her.

“I was supposed to play the role that Nicole had, you know.” Jessica wiped another tear. “But Nicole got the part. She was better suited for it anyway.”

“She was a great actress,” I said.

Jessica cast a glance at me out of the corner of her eye. “Yes, she was fabulous.”

I detected some sarcasm in her tone.

“I think I'm wanted in my dressing room,” she said and then walked away without saying good-bye.

How had she known she was wanted? Did she have telepathic abilities? I hadn't heard anyone call for her. Maybe she had a previous appointment.

I turned around and headed across the lush green lawn. The concrete pathway had been blocked by police so people were cutting across a yard that they normally wouldn't have walked on. I'd almost made it to the main driveway when I heard a shout.

“Hey, you. Stay off my property.”

I looked around to see who the person was talking to. Since I was the only one there, I figured the comment had been directed toward me. When I glanced to my right, I spotted a woman scowling at me from beside a large oak tree. The gray-haired woman wore a giant floppy straw hat and denim overalls with a sunshine-yellow T-shirt underneath.

She pointed her finger. “You stepped over on my side.”

I stopped and looked back. “I did?”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Yes, you did. My property includes that tree. When you were walking, you moved around it.”

“Oh, I was avoiding a dip in the land. I didn't want to fall.”

Her face was scrunched in anger. “I don't care about your excuses. Just stay on your side. Stupid movie crew has been invading my property.”

“I was just on the way to my car.”

“Can you please instruct everyone to stay on their side of the land?”

“You'd better do what she says, Cookie. I think she'll beat you up if you don't,” Alice said.

“I just work with the costumes. I don't really have anything to do with the movie. Maybe if you talked with the producer. What's your name? I can tell him to contact you,” I said.

I figured if I offered some help that would calm her down.

“My name is Vera Lemon. Those dirty rotten scum know who I am. They just don't care.” Her face was red with anger.

Alice moved over beside Vera. “Now you listen here, missy. You'd better change your attitude. I won't have you talking to my friend that way.” Alice yanked the hat off Vera's head and tossed it on the ground. How had she done that? Charlotte had never been able to move objects. I'd have to ask Alice how she did it.

Apparently, Alice had a bit of a temper. Unfortunately, Vera Lemon couldn't hear a word of what the ghost had said. Vera grabbed for the hat, but fell short and landed on her knees, breaking her fall with her palms. She frowned when she looked up at me, as if I had been the one to push her to the ground.

I rushed over to Vera. “Can I help you up? Are you okay?”

Vera got to her feet. “Don't touch me. I'm fine.” She grabbed her hat and stuffed it back onto her head.

Alice didn't show any sign of remorse. “I just tossed her hat off, I didn't push her to the ground.”

That was true.

Vera brushed grass from her pants. “Just tell everyone to say off my land.”

I couldn't stop looking at how the hat was now lopsided on her head. “I'll see what I can do.” I knew I couldn't do anything, but I wanted to appease Vera.

Vera glared one last time and then stomped away.

“What a very unpleasant woman,” Alice said.

“Well, you didn't help by throwing her hat on the ground.”

Alice straightened. “She made me mad. I didn't like the way she talked to you.”

I walked toward my car as Alice kept pace with me. “You just have to ignore people like that. Don't let them get to you.”

“That's easier said than done,” Alice said.

I glanced back as I headed down the driveway. Vera was nowhere in sight, and I was thankful. This would probably be the last time I was at Fairtree Plantation, so I wouldn't have to deal with her again.