Out of the Shadows (Bellingwood Book 12) (27 page)

"That old guy was crazy nuts," Kitty said. "He thought everybody should believe his story and when they didn't, he was pissed off. He was always muttering about how the whole town laughed at him, but he'd show them. And this was the last year he could do anything about it because it was going to be up for sale next week. He was always going back and forth between the two houses. He thought that if he could prove there was a ghost, nobody would buy the house and he'd be safe."

"Be safe?" Aaron asked. He took his phone out of his pocket again. "Yes?"

He listened and chuckled. "Well, I'll be. That old dog. Right here in Bellingwood, huh? Okay. Thanks."

"They found it, didn't they?" Kitty asked.

Aaron nodded. "Sure did." He turned to Polly and Henry. "What you thought was a raggedy back yard was actually a very well-cultivated marijuana plot. He let weeds grow up at the edges to act as camouflage."

"He said he's been growing it and selling it for years," Kitty said. "He never had to work because of the money he made. Since nobody could live in that house and it had all of those fences, it was the perfect place. That's why he could pay me so much money. Apparently it's high grade stuff. He earned a horticulture degree in college and spent a long time breeding good seeds. He bragged that people all over the country bought his seeds to grow their own. That photographer figured it out. He had lots of pictures and when he took a picture of me one night without my getup on, Mr. Bridger was pissed off. The kid tried to blackmail him."

"And when you heard the kid was killed, that didn't scare you?"

"It probably should have, but we had a deal and I already knew what was going on. I wasn't trying to take more than Mr. Bridger gave me and besides, he kept saying that I was family."

Henry put his forehead in his hand and laughed. "The Springer House is a drug house. That's priceless."

"At least it's not meth," Aaron said. "That wouldn't have surprised me either. There are too many of those operations in the county. This is new. I can't wait to tell Ken this was growing in his little town."

"It's your little town, too," Polly reminded Aaron. She looked at Kitty. "How did Mr. Bridger find you?"

"I don't know. He's always known where my grandfather lived. They stayed in touch for a while. The old guy had a weird crush on Muriel. Nick was a couple of years younger than him and Grandpa was a year older or something. One day he sent me a message on Facebook asking if I'd like to play a Halloween prank on the town and dress up like Muriel and act like her ghost. He made up this whole story about how Bellingwood still believed in the ghost and that it would be cool to bring in reporters and photographers. All I had to do was wear a white dress and glide around up in that solarium."

"How did you glide?" Polly asked.

"Roller skates. And when I was done scaring people, I got down on my hands and knees and crawled out of the room."

"Was that you screaming?" Polly asked.

"I saw you with his dog and that stupid animal knew me. So yeah. I screamed. You went away, didn't you?"

Polly knit her brows together. "Then why did Brutus growl at the back yard if you were upstairs?"

"Because he was there. He's not a nice man. He hit the dog with his stick a couple of times. Brutus hated him."

"We've talked around and around this," Aaron said. "Who is this man that hits dogs and threatened to kill you?"

Kitty looked up. "You aren't even going to believe me," she said. "I hardly even believe it."

"Try us," Aaron said.

"Gregory Springer. He said that the house is his and he's going to claim it before it can be sold."

"Who's Gregory Springer?" Henry blurted out. He put his hands up. "No, I know that he's got to be John Springer's descendant, but how?"

Kitty shrugged. "He said his grandfather owned this house and just because he ran away from Bellingwood didn't mean that the family didn't have some rights. He's bitter about everything. I think his family is totally broke."

"This is so convoluted," Henry said to Polly. "Ghosts, drugs, long-lost heirs. What in the heck?"

"Mr. Bridger contacted them too," Kitty said. "He wanted to stop the sale of this house. Gregory didn't even know it existed until the old man found him."

"So why did he kill Mr. Bridger and why is he trying to kill you?" Polly asked.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe the marijuana. He tried to talk Mr. Bridger into making him a partner because the house was going to be his and if Bridger wanted to keep growing his weed back there, he'd have to get permission. They had a bad fight that morning. Gregory wanted to talk to some guys he knew in Chicago, but Mr. Bridger said that he had a good thing going and didn't want to mess with it. I just left. I wasn't part of that and I already had my money. All I needed to do was show up and scare people. But then when Mr. Bridger didn't come back and I heard that he'd been killed, I knew Gregory did it."

"Mr. Bridger has been dead for several days," Aaron said. "Why did you continue the ruse? Why didn't you just leave?"

"Because Gregory said he'd come after me and my family if I did. He told me that I had to stay through Halloween just like my contract said or I'd be a real ghost. He's mean. Really, really scary."

"I need you to describe him," Aaron said. "Do you know what kind of car he's driving?"

"Oh," she said. "Here. I have a picture of him. I snapped it one day when he was outside. He didn't see me do it, but after he threatened me, I thought I should have something to tell people who he was." Kitty swiped her phone open and showed Aaron the picture. "Want me to send it to you?" she asked.

He chuckled. "That would be great. Good job, there. We'll take it around town and ask questions. Do you know where he's been staying?" He grimaced. "That's ridiculous. I suppose he's staying at the Springer House."

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell us," Kitty said. "And he had a silver rental car. I don't know what it is."

"We'll check," Aaron said. "You need a different place to stay tonight. I can't let you go back to Jim Bridger's house."

"I don't have any of my stuff."

"We have an extra room upstairs in the addition," Polly said. "And I have clothes that will fit her until you get her things out of the house."

"Are you sure?" Aaron asked.

Henry stood up. "You know better than to ask, Aaron. Of course she's sure."

"You stay inside tonight, Miss Hoffen," Aaron said, pointing his finger at Kitty. "Stay away from windows, don't go outside. Just watch television or something. No more haunting, no more living in Jim Bridger's strange world. Got it?"

"It almost seems a shame," she replied.

"What?"

"People were looking forward to seeing me tomorrow morning. You know, on the seventieth anniversary of her death? It was going to be a big deal."

"You're just going to have to disappoint them. Got it?"

"It would be nice to sleep in," she said with a grin.

Aaron picked the photograph up and looked at Kitty, then back at the photograph. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen you with my own eyes. You're the spitting image."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The main kitchen was the only place Polly could imagine preparing this big of a breakfast. She and Henry got up early Saturday morning because she’d invited practically everyone in town.

Henry fried sausage while she put bacon in the oven to crisp. Bags and bags of hash browns, dozens of eggs, more bags of shredded cheese, pounds of butter, sausage and bacon. Once she'd melted butter in the bottom of the pans, she added the hash browns. As soon as Henry finished with the sausage, she stirred it into the egg mixture and poured it over the top. Everything went into the ovens and she grinned at her husband. "We're getting there," she said.

He wiped his hands on the white apron and nodded. "What's next?"

"More sausage?"

He slumped his shoulders and put his hands out, waiting for her to put packages of meat in them. "What's this for?"

"Gravy. It will be great over the egg casserole and I'll whip up biscuits, too.

"It's been a long time since we've done this," he said.

"I miss it," Polly replied. "It's a lot of work, but I like having our friends all together."

"Is Lydia coming and not bringing anything?" he asked.

Polly stopped what she was doing and glared at him, then laughed. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. She's bringing muffins and Andy's bringing fruit. Beryl said she'd bring orange juice and milk." Polly changed the timbre of her voice and danced around. "Both chocolate and white because life needs a whole lot of color."

"Her words?" Henry asked.

"She makes me laugh. Your mom is bringing coffee cake."

"It's to die for," Henry said. "I love that stuff. I could eat the entire cake but she never lets me."

"You never told me that. I'd make coffee cake for you."

He stepped away from the stove top and kissed her nose. "Let Mom make the coffee cake, you just keep doing what you do."

"You're right," she said, nodding. "I have plenty of other things to worry about."

"Do you think that Springer guy will be smart enough to leave town?" Henry asked, stirring the sausage. "The last time we had a murderer in town during the Masquerade Ball, things got a little out of hand. I don't want you stepping in front of a crazed psycho tonight, okay?"

"I promise nothing," Polly said. "All I can tell you is that I'll try to be good."

"That's all I can ask. What do you want me to do now? This is done."

"Maybe pull tables out?" Polly said. "I need to make the roux for gravy and when you come back in, I'll have you help me drop biscuits."

"You won't let me stir them up?" he asked, laughing. "I'm good at making bricks."

She waved him out of the kitchen. "That's why you're in construction. Go ahead. We're in great shape."

"Hallooo," a voice called from the front door.

Henry turned back to a smiling Polly. "Lydia couldn't stand it. She's here to help."

"I'm not surprised."

~~~

By four o'clock, Sycamore House was filled with people. Many had been here for most of the day. Jeff's crew finished decorating the auditorium and Lydia's made sure that everything worked and everyone knew where they needed to be. The sun would be down by the time they opened the Haunted House at five thirty when Polly, Jason, his friends and Eliseo planned to hit the streets. She wore a heavy black sweater and lined black pants on under the Grim Reaper robe. It was chilly and that robe didn't offer much warmth.

Rebecca, Andrew and Kayla had been quite adamant that she not see them until the Masquerade Ball, so they left with Jessie and Stephanie.

Excitement was building in the air and infected everyone. Heath and Hayden Harvey had been part of Jeff's decorating crew and Polly loved watching the two brothers laugh together as they worked. They'd gone out to the inn once things were finished and promised to be back for the ball. Hayden had poked his younger brother when Heath told Polly he was bringing a date. She hoped it would finally be a chance to meet Libby, the girl he'd talked about.

Polly had gone through the Haunted House during one of its last run-throughs since she wouldn't be able to do so during the evening. The big addition this year had been a cocoon and spiders. The cocoon had been shaped to young Skylar from the coffee shop. He was having a blast. They'd spun it around him, making it relatively solid but with an opening in the back for him to enter. Then, where his face was, it was transparent, so guests could see him in zombie makeup, screaming for help - trying to claw his way out. Spiders covered the cocoon and hung from the ceiling of the lounge around his scene.

At breakfast that morning, Lydia had convinced Kitty Hoffen to wear her Muriel Springer costume and dart in and out of the Haunted House often enough to keep people talking. Kitty also planned to come to the Masquerade Ball in full costume, yet wearing a mask. Everyone agreed that she should just own what she'd participated in and have fun with it.

Polly hurried to the barn to help saddle the horses. Eliseo and Jason hitched Nat and Nan to the cart and Jason climbed into his costume after the horses were ready to go. Jean Gardner had been put to work by Eliseo, sewing costumes for Demi and Daisy - long, flowing black capes that billowed out from under the saddle. Eliseo and Jason had worked with them since last Halloween to make sure the waving fabric wouldn't upset them. With their black masks and the capes, the horses were eerie and foreboding.

A line of people had grown outside Sycamore House by the time five thirty arrived.

"I feel like we're at Best Buy on Black Friday," Polly whispered to Jason. "This is nuts."

"It's kind of exciting," he said. "I think it's cool."

"Of course you do." She turned back to Eliseo. "Are you ready back there?"

He lifted his hand in a wave and Polly led off with Jason beside her. "Let's start the parade," Polly said, reaching forward to pat Demi's neck. As frightening as this all had to look to others, she still couldn't believe that one of her best friends was a horse.

They rode slowly past Sycamore House, Polly pointing her staff at those who had waited to see them. They rattled chains in the cart and the clopping of the horse's hooves echoed in the silence of the night.

She led them downtown first. Those who were beginning their evenings stepped back up onto the sidewalks before realizing the people behind the masks were familiar. After that, they rode through several of the more active neighborhoods while children ran from the street. Kids peered out from behind trees and around their parent's legs, squealing and screaming in horror and excitement all at the same time.

Polly finally led them to Beech Street and past those who gathered to wait for Muriel Springer's arrival. She was absolutely furious with herself for not putting Kitty in the coffin and let her rise up and scare the stuffing out of everyone.

Because of the number of cars driving through the neighborhood, the police chief, Ken Wallers, had assigned two of his men to direct traffic. Bert Bradford waved Polly and her parade through, grinning as he did. The fire dancers were chanting and had gathered quite a crowd; people watched the event and continually shone flashlights up into the solarium windows, hoping for Muriel's return. Polly hated to tell them that she wasn't going to be there. Old Jim Bridger would have been happy to see that so many people believed his decades of telling stories.

The sight of the horses, the Grim Reaper and its minions stopped all activity while they passed through the crowd. Polly breathed a sigh of relief when they finally left the neighborhood. From there they progressed to Sycamore Inn. Just before they turned onto the street leading to Secret Woods Winery, Polly texted J. J. Roberts to let him know she was close. They were hosting a corporate party and asked if she'd consider passing by. If there was ever an opportunity to show off her horses, Polly took it.

They rode back to Sycamore House and took another pass through the parking lot before heading to the barn. They'd been out long enough that Polly was going to be late to the Masquerade Ball. Eliseo drove the team out back to unhitch the cart while Polly and Jason rode into the barn.

"What were you thinking about tonight?" Jason asked. "I've never known you to be so quiet. You didn’t talk at all and that's weird."

"Stop it," Polly said. "Really? I didn't talk?"

"None of us did, but it's weird for you."

"I must have been deep into character. The Grim Reaper never says much. He just gathers souls. It's fun watching people respond to us and I had a good time driving past the Springer House."

"Did you see that there were even little kids there?" Jason asked. "They were scared of us, but I don't understand why parents would take them to a little town in the middle of Iowa to see a non-existent ghost. They're just little. They don't understand."

Polly shook her head and pulled the saddle off Demi. She and Jason carried both back to the tack room. "I don't know. These days people are always looking for something that proves there is more to life than what we are dealing with day to day."

"You mean, like God?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Like God."

"So it's easier to believe in ghosts than God?" Jason was stymied.

"Many believe in both. You just never know," Polly said.

Jason followed her back to the horses. "I'll stick with God."

Polly grinned. "That's a good idea."

"Here, give me your robe and mask," Jason said. "If you sneak up the back way, you can change for the dance. I'll take care of things down here."

"Really?"

He scowled at her.

"Okay, sorry," she said. "What was I thinking? Are you coming up later?"

"Mom would kill me if I didn't."

Polly gave him a quick hug and then ran out and up to the house. Cars were pulling in to the parking lot and as she darted to the back, she saw people getting out in gowns and costumes. She was late.

The apartment was empty except for her animals and Polly dashed into her bedroom. After riding for the last hour and a half, she knew a shower was in order, so turned on the water to warm up while she stripped down. Hurry, hurry. She couldn't seem to make the world slow down or her actions move any faster, so finally she took a deep breath while putting her makeup on. It would be fine. Her friends would take care of things until she got there.

She'd been smart enough to set everything out. Not on the bed because the cats would have found her dark blue velvet gown to be perfect for snuggling. Pulling the zipper up her back was an interesting feat of acrobatics, but she finally got it into place and pulled her shoes on. Polly walked over to the mirror to make sure everything was in place and tears filled her eyes when she picked up the mask she planned to wear.

Sitting under her mask was a sterling silver rose pin. Polly pinned it to the lapel of her jacket and slipped her mask over her head, tucking the band behind her ears and under her hair. One last glance in the mirror and she spun, the skirt lifting in the breeze. From the Grim Reaper to a mysterious lady, today brought wonderful costume changes. There were never enough opportunities to dress up and Polly enjoyed every single one.

"Okay," she said to the animals watching her from the bed. "I have to hurry. No more dawdling."

Polly ran out of the bedroom, gathered her composure and quietly opened the front door, smiling at the noise coming up the steps. She was ready for this party.

Black curtains hanging from the ceiling separated the foyer. The haunted house was over, but no one was doing any teardown until tomorrow and Monday. People were still coming in the front door, but most of the party was already happening in the auditorium.

Polly put her hand out to take Sandy Davis's as they walked in.

"Hi Polly, this is my husband, Benji," Sandy said. "Benji, this is Polly Giller."

He shook Polly's other hand. "I haven't been to a Sycamore House party yet," he said. "But I hear they're fun. Is Henry here?"

"He's already inside," Polly said. "It's nice to meet you." She turned to Sandy. "You're getting out a lot these days."

"Thank goodness." Sandy broke away when they crested the door and were greeted by Henry.