CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
WHITNEY
Whitney sat on the patio with her two sisters thinking back to the early days of the summer. Everything seemed so peaceful then, so full of hope. Ever since meeting Nick at the cottage, she’d felt empty. Even now, with her sisters chatting happily, she felt alone.
Taylor had arrived and was regaling them with stories of her summer weekends at Cooper’s family summer home on Long Island. “Most of the people were nice; some were spoiled brats. One woman, in particular, was downright mean to me every chance she got. I admit she was gorgeous, but that’s as far as it went.”
“When you work with so many gorgeous women as I have, you soon realize that in real life, looks mean nothing,” said Whitney. “Some of my favorite people were the ones working hard behind the scenes so we on screen could look good.”
“Yes, I agree,” said Taylor. “I love the fact that authors are judged by their words, not their looks.”
“As it should be,” said Dani. “Now, let’s talk about the strange thing that happened at the cottage when Nick was being attacked. Whitney, tell us what you saw.”
Whitney again recounted what happened, feeling as if her real self was set aside, watching from a distance. “Just as Bud aimed his gun at Nick, a shadow appeared behind him as he was firing the shot. He toppled to the ground, then got up and ran away. But it was really spooky. I was in a state of shock, but that’s what I saw.”
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” said Dani. “None of us has seen an actual ghost, but we’ve felt and seen strange things. What do you think about trying to get someone who’s trained to come take a look at the house to see if she can sense anything there? The furniture is arriving soon, and I want the house to be cleared before then.”
“I talked to Crystal about it one time. She has a friend who has special abilities to sensing and hearing things from people in the past. Let’s ask her for the name of her friend,” said Taylor. “I won’t feel comfortable unless we do.”
“Okay, tomorrow we’ll go to breakfast at the café, and we’ll ask her then,” said Dani. “Deal?”
“Deal,” said Whitney. After witnessing the latest incident, she, too, would feel better living at the house after it was rid of the ghost.
###
The next morning the three of them walked to town. It felt comforting to Whitney to have her sisters with her. Especially now that she was on her own after telling Nick she needed space.
The café was as busy as usual, but Crystal waved at them from behind the counter. They selected a table outside on the patio and waited for a waitress to appear.
“I love eating outside here,” said Taylor. “Such a difference from the city. I love it there, too, but the fresh air, friendly people, and cute shops and restaurants here make this a very special place.”
“Agreed,” said Dani. “Oh, look, here comes Nick.”
Nick saw them, waved, and moved on keeping his gaze away from Whitney.
Whitney sighed. Seeing him with his arm in a sling, she knew she was doing the right thing. She needed time and he was giving it to her. Still, it hurt.
A waitress came for their order and filled their cups with coffee.
After she left, Dani leaned forward. “Taylor, go tell Crystal we need to see her when she has a moment to spare.”
Taylor got up and left the table.
Dani leaned forward. “Did you see JoEllen? She came in while you were looking at the menu and now, she’s sitting with Nick.”
Whitney glanced at them and turned away. It wasn’t fair to judge him. He’d told Whitney about getting help for JoEllen, and she knew he wasn’t interested in a romance with her.
Taylor came back to the table as the waitress arrived with their food. “Crystal says she’ll help us. She’ll be out soon.”
They ate quietly and then JoEllen appeared at their table. “Hello. Whitney, I’m sorry you and Nick have broken up. I wanted to tell you that.”
She moved on and Dani said, “Wow! Maybe JoEllen is changing. She told Brad she was getting some help. She didn’t even acknowledge me, which is what I’ve wanted all along. Otherwise, it feels as if she’s spying on me.”
“But, Whitney, you haven’t broken up for real, have you?” said Taylor. “You’re only taking some time apart. Right?”
Whitney shrugged. “We’ll see.” Her lips turned down of their own accord.
They didn’t have time to dwell on it because Crystal appeared.
“Okay, tell me what’s going on with you and the cottage?”
“We want to see if your friend who has what you call ‘special abilities’ can tell us about any spirits at the house,” said Dani.
“We want her to make sure no ghosts are there,” said Taylor bluntly.
“You mean Mrs. Maynard’s ghost?” said Crystal, grinning. Her violet eyes gleamed with intrigue, matching her purple hair almost perfectly.
“Aaron thinks spirits from the past are a possibility, and we want to have the house cleansed of them.”
“I see,” said Crystal. “I’ll call her and let her know.” She turned to Whitney. “Don’t give up on Nick. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Whitney bobbed her head grateful Crystal was leaving the sensitive subject alone.
They finished breakfast, and then Dani said, “You two can linger. I have to get to work.”
After Dani left, Taylor said, “Let’s look in some of the shops for things for the house. Now that the attic has been opened up, we need to make it special.”
“Dani told you about the envelope she found, didn’t she?” Whitney said to her.
“Yes, she did. R. A. Thomas. A name we must remember. There’s a story behind it. I wish I knew where to start.”
They sipped their coffee and watched tourists walk by, getting an early start to the day.
“We’d better go. It’s getting crowded,” said Whitney. She got to her feet, glanced over at Nick’s table, and then quickly looked away.
On the walk home, she and Taylor stopped in several stores to shop and chat with the owners. It was that kind of town.
Weighed down with candles, some serving dishes, and a wall hanging for Taylor’s room, they walked slowly back to their house. The owner was pleased that it wouldn’t be a problem to put the house on the market in early October because she’d decided to move close to her family.
It had been a wise plan, Whitney decided, for the three of them to rent the house together. It gave her a sense of what it might be like to share the cottage from time to time.
###
Later, while Taylor worked on her writing, Whitney drew up a draft of a business plan required for establishing a foundation. Now that she’d put on one short play, she wanted to do more. Again, she’d use Lilac Lake as a testing area. She still liked bringing theater opportunities to some of the summer camps in the area.
Her cell phone rang. She picked it up and clicked onto the call before realizing the screen said: caller unknown.
“Hello?”
“I haven’t forgotten about you. Beware.” The man’s voice was low, threatening.
Whitney ended the call and dropped the phone, feeling as if she was touching something poisonous. Alarmed, her stomach churning, she stood and gazed out at the back lawn and garden, needing something to center her. How had the man gotten her new phone number? Only a few people knew it. Running down the list of those who did, Whitney came to Barbara’s name and stopped.
She immediately called her.
A pleasant male voice answered. “The Griffith Agency.”
“Is Barbara there?” she asked. “It’s Whitney Gilford calling.”
“Hold a moment please,” the man said.
Barbara came on a few moments later. “Hi, girlfriend. How are you?”
“I’m not sure. I just received an ominous phone call on my cell. Very few people have my new number. Who in your office would have access to it?”
“Only Todd and me,” said Barbara.
“Can you do me a favor? Can you go into my records and change my phone number to this number?” Whitney gave her the number of the landline in their rental. “If I get a call on that line, I’ll know it’s Todd. In the meantime, please keep an eye on him. There’s something very wrong with him if he’s the one threatening me. Who knows what else he might be doing? And for heaven’s sake, don’t let him know I suspect him of anything.”
“You’ve really thought this through. I checked him out before I hired him, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hide something from me,” said Barbara. “I’d feel awful if he was causing you to feel threatened.”
“Maybe someone else is putting him up to it. I don’t know. It may be nothing, but when I go through the list of people who have that number, yours is the one that I suspect.”
“Okay, doll, will do. I hope you’re wrong, but I can’t take a chance that you’re not. Talk to you soon. Kiss. Kiss.”
Whitney ended the call and sat back in her chair. Why would someone in Barbara’s office be after her? Was he associated with the Zaniacs? The man who’d answered the phone was as pleasant as one could be.
She let out a sigh. GG liked to say life was one big circle after another. In this case, Whitney hoped to close this one quickly. Her nerves were on edge because of Nick. She didn’t need to add to her distress.