Crumb Cake, Corpses and the Run of the Mill Read online

  “What are you doing here? You almost gave us a heart attack.” Juniper clutched her chest.

  “Sorry, sweetie, but I told you I was coming out this week to rip out some of the trees that are affecting the plumbing, remember? Hey, Mal!”

  “Hey!” Mallory said, “I’m just gonna go back upstairs and investigate some more.”

  Juniper nodded and then turned back to Jack, “You said this week, not today.”

  “I know but Finn came in early so I thought I’d come here and get started.”

  He hurried across the floor and wrapped his arms around her. “You all right?” His woodsy scent hung in the air.

  Juniper wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and then nodded. “I’m fine. A little jumpy but fine.”

  “I heard you found another ghost. You want to talk about what happened?”

  “Maybe later.” Juniper grinned halfheartedly.

  “Okay, new subject. This place is great, huh? There’s so many possibilities.” His finger glided across the worn wallpaper and then pointed to the thick roll of papers in her hands. “Those the new blueprints?”

  Juniper nodded, flashing him a determined smile, she added, “Let’s cross our fingers and hope there’s no more red tape from the Planning Commission, and no more whining from the Historical Society.”

  “Why don’t you walk me through what you’re thinking, design-wise, starting with the exterior and I’ll see if I can poke any holes in your ideas.”

  Juniper nodded and they headed out onto the front porch. She much preferred to discuss beams, pipes and rotting wood to rotting people and spooky hauntings. Thank goodness Jack knew just how to take the edge off.

  Juniper checked her watch, eager to begin. Once they were finished going through the mill, she would work out a schedule and make up a list of supplies and equipment they would need. And within a few days, she and her crew would begin the conversion process of turning this wonderful old mill into a sumptuous house.

  “Bear and the guys should be here any minute,” Juniper said, referring to their foreman, Bear O’Neil, and two of her most reliable crew members, Arlo Webb and her neighbor’s twin brother, Jason Battams.

  “In that case,” Jack said, “We’d better get this out of the way.” And with that, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  Juniper didn’t protest. Instead, she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, reveling in the warmth of his touch.

  A truck horn sounded from somewhere down the dirt road and Juniper jolted and tried to take a quick step backward. “Uh, that must be the guys.”

  Jack was smiling broadly as she squirmed. “Must be.”

  He laughed and stroked her hair. “Why are you so shy, Junie?”

  “I’m not shy. I’m just professional and you’re all hands.”

  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m a carpenter then, because we work with our hands.”

  He kissed her again and let her go with a squeeze.

  Jack and Juniper had grown closer than ever over the past few months since they’d gotten engaged. His mother had hinted on numerous occasions that it was perhaps time to tie the knot. She’d even suggested they do it at Jack’s family vineyard.

  She shook off those thoughts and took the opportunity to study the space. The floor planks were dull and a few of the boards around the outer edges were spongy and crumbling after sustaining years of damage. Once those boards were replaced, they could re-sand the surface and add several coats of clear varnish, and all of it would be shiny and new again.

  Things wouldn’t go so easy for the beams above their heads. The porch roof had actually begun to sag from water damage, and those rotten headers and crossbeams would need replacing immediately. The sooner they started work on this portion of the house, the better.

  Jack jogged down the steps and over to meet the guys while Juniper took the moment to regroup, breathing in more fresh air and listening to the constant trickle of water.

  Once she’d cleared her head and regained her senses—that kiss really was more potent than she’d realized—she waved to her guys, who were unloading their tool chests and ladders, with Jack leading the way.

  “Hey, boss,” Jason said, laying his eight-foot ladder down at the far end of the porch and out of the way.

  “Hi, guys,” Juniper said. “Are we ready to get started?”

  “You bet,” Bear said.

  Arlo nodded. “Let’s do it.”

  Jack led them inside, and they looked around.

  “Pike had the power and water reconnected a few weeks ago,” Juniper said, “so the lights should work although they flicker.”

  “Hope you brought bulbs,” Bear said.

  Jack grinned. “I think it’s the wiring.”

  Bear flicked the nearest light switch and an old-fashioned fixture hanging from the twelve-foot-high ceiling lit up. It didn’t exactly lend much light to the large dark space. “Oh, man. This place is awesome. Look at all that stonework.”

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Juniper switched on her flashlight and ran her hand over the wall.

  Jason walked over to the living-room fireplace and studied the mantel. “Holy moly,” he muttered, running his hand along the smooth, highly varnished, six-inch-thick piece of wood. “This is fantastic.”

  Juniper agreed. Beneath the wood mantel, the chimneypiece was made of black marble and the fender was cast iron.

  “Let’s see what condition it’s in,” Bear said.

  Juniper wandered over into the other side of the house to a floor-to-ceiling bay window while Bear got down on one knee and bent over to get a look at the flue.

  The window was one of her favorite features of the house and it faced the river, offering up a fantastic view. The windows looked to be in good condition, but, given their age, Juniper suspected they’d have to replace the sashes and hardware and, in some cases, the glass itself.

  Juniper pulled out her tablet again. “If you’re ready, I thought we’d check out the old wheelhouse in the basement. The place was basically empty aside from rock debris and an old rusted pick axe. They were surprised to find many of the crossbeams and posts were in fairly good shape, despite the usual termite infestation that occurred in houses built near water. Despite their decent shape, though, Jack and Juniper decided to replace all of the crossbeams and the posts to guarantee that those crucial load-bearing beams had a long, healthy life. They would be supporting the weight of the entire house, after all.

  Twenty minutes later, after she’d walked the crew through the plans and they’d discussed next steps, Jack went outside to finish the landscaping while Juniper spread the blueprints out and checked her own list. She turned to Bear, “Okay, since the kitchen is a complete remodel, let’s start in there. You can tear out all the cabinets, take the walls down to the studs, and get rid of the linoleum.”

  She turned to Arlo, “Can you remove all the shutters? We’ll need to scrape and sand them all before we paint.”

  Juniper made another note. “Oh, and, Arlo, can you check the windowpanes for any cracks or other damage?”

  Please, no more surprises, Juniper thought, but didn’t say aloud.

  Juniper was heading up the stairs to check on the ghost situation when she heard Mallory talking to herself. She paused and sat just out of sight on the stairs, unsure whether she wanted to interrupt or not. It was one thing to see ghosts, it was another to talk to them. She was just working up the courage to join the conversation when she heard Mallory say, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this Dr. Downey, but the reason you can’t remember leaving this place, seeing your wife, or even the last time you ate—for that matter—is because you are no longer alive. You died over a hundred years ago.”

  Chapter Five

  J uniper left Jack and the crew to the organized chaos of a full-blown rehab and slipped into town. She was relieved that Mallory had uncovered the identity of the ghost, Dr. Albert Downey, but she was also confused and upset by it.
Something didn’t feel right about the whole situation. Mallory said the ghost swore up and down that he had not murdered his wife Victoria nor had he taken his own life but why else would he be stuck in this world?

  Then again, why was Victoria stuck? She was the victim in all of this, wasn’t she? Maybe it was Juniper’s job to help her come to terms with her death, to acknowledge it, thus allowing her to move onto the next plain. Perhaps, if she got Victoria and the Doctor together they could understand and both move on.

  “Welcome,” an elderly guide greeted Juniper inside the Bohemian Lake Historical society. “I’m Sharlene Spittle.”

  “Hello, nice to meet you.” Juniper glanced around. To her right was a small gift shop, up the stairs were the administration offices, and ahead was a roped off area leading to the main section of the historical society. Juniper dug into her purse.

  “Are you visiting Bohemian Lake?” Sharlene asked, patiently waiting for Juniper to finish rooting through her wallet.

  “Actually, I’m a member.” Juniper handed Sharlene her member’s card. “I moved here last year to renovate the Doctor’s house. Jack and I are the ones who turned it into the Gothic Inn.”

  “Oh, yes of course. I love that old house and it’s so great that you kept all of the character. Hatti Dustfeather sure does love those old tunnels.”

  “Yes, she certainly does. She kicked up quite the fuss when I first opened the Inn but we’re good friends now. I’m stopping in there next to check on her,” Juniper smiled.

  “Oh yes, of course—such a shame about the loss of her sister. Elsa was one of our best translators. And Hatti, of course, practically runs this place. We do hope she comes back to work soon.”

  “I’ll tell her you said so. Anyway, the reason I’m here is to do with the old mill. I’m renovating it for Pike Hart. Do you know the place I’m talking about?”

  “The old mill? Why certainly! Oh my, that’s one of the oldest properties in Bohemian Lake. It really should be a historical landmark. Is there anything particular you’d like to see today or are you just here for a general visit?” Sharlene asked.

  “I wanted to look at some of the back issues of the Bohemian Lake Press.”

  “I love looking at those old newspapers. I’ll show you where they are.”

  Juniper followed Sharlene into the main section of the historical society, while glancing around at the exhibits. A woman’s portrait captured her attention. Pausing a moment, Juniper looked up at the painting. The subject of the portrait held an uncanny resemblance to the ghost of her manor.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Sharlene stood by Juniper, looking up at the portrait.

  The portrait’s style bore a remarkable likeness to the one she’d first seen of Victoria and her sister hanging in her attic. “Is that the doctor’s wife, Victoria?” Juniper asked.

  Sharlene laughed. “Actually, it’s Victoria’s sister, Marjorie Stone, née Fox.”

  “Marjorie?” Juniper studied the portrait.

  “Yes.”

  “I have a portrait of the sisters with their husbands and Marjorie’s daughters but I’m afraid Marjorie looks much older in mine. She looks so young and carefree here.”

  “I think her sister’s death took a toll on her. Her family owned the mill and her grandfather founded Bohemian Lake. We have an entire section on the Fox family.”

  “Well, she really was lovely…” Juniper turned from the portrait.

  “Looking for anything specific?” Sharlene asked as she led Juniper further into the historical society.

  “I’m looking for information on Doctor Albert Downey, specifically the All Hallow’s Eve incident.”

  Sharlene stopped abruptly and turned to face Juniper. “Oh, how grizzly, the murder-suicide was quite the scandal at the time, from what I’ve been told.”

  Sharlene led Juniper to a table at the rear of the historical society. On it were stacks of oversized books, each containing past issues of the Bohemian Lake Press.

  “I can’t believe the Doctor killed his wife and then himself,” Juniper said as she sat at the table.

  “Why is that so hard for you to believe?” Sharlene sorted through the books looking for the one holding articles on the murder-suicide.

  “I don’t know… just what I’ve heard about him, I guess.”

  “Really? I’ve read all the articles we have on the murder-suicide. Victoria Downey was a beautiful woman and from all accounts he was madly in love with her. But they found her stuffed in a trunk in the attic all the same. Who knows why some people kill their spouses but it’s happened many times in history. If only George McNitt had found them sooner. He’d been planning to drop by but changed his mind. It could have made all the difference.”

  “McNitt?” The name sounded familiar to Juniper.

  “Yes, the man who lived in the house across the street, where Cookies and Corsets is located now. The McNitt family has been in Bohemian Lake since its founding. George’s great grandchildren, the twins, Fern and Jason still live in town.”

  Juniper nodded. “I know them both well.” Jason works for me and Fern is my neighbor.

  Sharlene smiled and went on, “According to the newspaper articles, George heard a bang and crossed to check on his neighbor and saw his bloody corpse through the window. Chilling. Something like that would give me a heart attack.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He ran next door, of course. Almer and Marjorie lived next door. Almer was already outside and unlocked the door. They found Albert crumpled at his desk.

  A bell rang, signifying someone had walked into the historical society.

  “Excuse me, dear, I think this is the book you want.” Sharlene slid one of the large books across the table to Juniper, and then dashed to the front of the historical society to welcome the new visitor.

  Letting out a deep sigh, Juniper thumbed through the book, looking for some mention of the Downeys. It wasn’t until she reached the last newspaper in the book that she found the first article reporting the murder-suicide.

  The newspaper article supported Sharlene’s story. George McNitt had heard gunfire and shortly thereafter they’d discovered the bodies. Authorities were quick to suggest the death a murder-suicide, noting there was no sign of a break in or struggle.

  Juniper closed the book and was about to reach for another, looking for later articles on the story, when her cellphone rang.

  She answered her phone.

  “Hey, babe. Where abouts are you?” Jack sounded frantic.

  “Running errands. What’s wrong?”

  “I just got a phone call. A water pipe broke in the kitchen at the Inn! I’m headed there now to turn off the water, but I’ve got to lock up first.”

  Juniper stood up and grabbed her purse, hurrying to the front door of the historical. “Stay put. I’m right here. It’ll be faster for me to do it.”

  When Juniper returned to the Gothic Inn she found their head chef, Finn, who also happened to be Pike’s boyfriend, mopping up water. He’d already found the shutoff valve. Ava, the Inn’s concierge, had sent him a text after she phoned Jack. Thankfully, he’d been close.

  “Thanks, Finn.” Juniper surveyed the damage. “Sorry you had to come in early to deal with this.”

  “No problem. I was across the road at Pike’s anyway,” Finn explained.

  “I called the plumber. He’s on his way over,” Juniper said.

  “Great. I’m here now anyway, so why don’t you get back to the mill. Pike is so happy you’re renovating it for her and what’s good for Pike is good for me,” Finn said.

  Juniper smiled. “Fair enough.”

  ***

  Yawning, Juniper headed back to the mill. Thankfully, the leak had been an easy fix, and it hadn’t inconvenienced their guests. She’d also talked the plumber into swinging by the mill after he was done to go over the plans for the plumbing. She wanted to take Pike shopping for the appliances soon but she needed to make sure her designs wo
uld work.

  Not a truck remained. Now where had Jack and the crew got to? She hurried up the steps to the porch, fitted her key in the lock, turned it and entered.

  The house greeted her with an eerie silence.

  “Hello? Anyone here?” she called, even though she already knew everyone was gone. Her voice sounded far too soft and tentative, she thought, so she cleared her voice and called out again. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

  Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. She walked through to the staircase and hesitated. Mallory had said she had nothing to fear from Albert but was she right? She took a deep breath and headed up the steps to the second floor.

  She thought she heard movement from below, and she spun around, lightning bolts of terror streaking through her.

  Hello? a voice breathed somewhere in her head.

  She held very still. Nothing happened.

  She continued to wait, holding her breath, for what seemed like forever.

  As she turned back and reached the top step, she felt a warmth settling over her once again and she smelled something sweet—vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. The doctor was leisurely eating his cake by the window. Looking very safe and approachable.

  “You’ve returned?”

  Juniper heard the ghostly man speak, but it seemed to come from a distant place, or maybe she was only hearing it in her mind.

  It took her a minute to catch her breath but she finally managed to eke out a sentence. “You can speak?”

  “I could always speak. It’s just that now you can hear me? Not everyone can.”

  “I see.” Juniper had overheard Mallory’s conversation with him but it had sounded one sided. Admittedly this would be more helpful but it was a little unnerving at the moment.

  “Are you going to help me, Juniper? Your friend said you would.”

  “Y-yes.” Juniper stammered. “That’s where I was. I went to the historical society for you and I found an article written in the local paper. Unfortunately, Jack—”

  “Who’s Jack?”