Chapter 1
It was late afternoon when Ella Daniels sat at her desk in her university office correcting papers while her black cat, Raisin, snoozed on the sofa by the windows in a circle of golden sunlight. The office door was open to invite in any students who might have a question to ask and when she heard a knock on the doorframe, Ella looked up to see her brother, Ben, standing at the threshold.
“Hey. Am I interrupting?”
Ella gave him a smile. “Not at all. Come on in.”
Raisin stood and stretched before jumping down to greet Ben.
“How’s the best black cat in the whole country?” Ben scratched the feline behind the ears before taking a seat next to his sister’s desk. He seemed low energy which was out of character for him and Ella wondered what might be bothering him.
“What are you doing here at the university?” Ella asked.
“You know I applied to teach one of the fire science courses in the spring semester?” Ben had worked as a firefighter with the city of Quinsigamond for the past decade. “Well, the department head called and asked me to come in to speak with him. He seems like a good guy. We got along well. I think he’s going to hire me.”
“That’s great.” Ella reached over and hugged Ben. “You’re going to be super busy when the semester starts.”
“I’m looking forward to teaching actually. It’s one more thing to add to my resume.” Ben grinned. In addition to being with the fire department, Ella’s brother was also a blacksmith and he had a great setup in the barn behind his house where he made all kinds of things out of iron and steel… tools, door handles, lanterns, hinges, hooks, gates, railings, light fixtures, and helmets and weapons for historical reenactors.
Ella said, “I hope it works out and they offer you the position.”
“Thanks. Are we still on for tomorrow evening?”
“Kari called me about an hour ago. She’s working on an interesting case. She didn’t give me any details, but she told me she’s looking forward to talking with us about it.”
“Is the ghost dangerous?” Ben asked.
“He’s riled up, but I don’t think he’s dangerous.”
Ella and her family were the owners and part-time employees of Green Hill Investigations, a ghost investigation company. The family members assisted ghosts with crossing over, coming to terms with their new forms, and working things out between a ghost inhabiting a home or a building and the people who currently lived in those places. Ella likened what they did to being counselors. She, her siblings, and other family members often met with other spirit investigators to discuss cases and share ideas. Kari Waltham worked closer to Boston and the North Shore. She was having some problems with a ghost and wanted some input from her friends and colleagues.
“Are you working tonight?” Ella asked.
Ben shook his head. “Ava and I might go see a movie later.” Ben and Ava had been dating for the past five years and frequently endured teasing from the family about when they were going to get married.
Running his hand through his black hair, Ben let out a sigh. “You remember Joe Bigelow?”
“Yeah.” Ella nodded, and fixed her bluish-green eyes on her brother. “He’s an historical reenactor. You got to know him after he asked you to make a sword for him. He owns a restaurant in town, right?”
“That’s him. He’s been coming by the shop sometimes to talk, have a beer. I don’t know him very well, but he’s seemed kind of down lately. I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks so I went by the restaurant. The hostess told me Joe called in and would be out due to illness.”
When Ella cocked her head to the side, her long black hair shifted over her shoulders. “Are you worried about him?”
“I am.” Ben’s eyes held Ella’s gaze. “I don’t know why. I just have a funny feeling about it.”
As a jolt of electricity raced through Ella’s body, Raisin let out a rumbling growl.
“Is Joe married?”
“Divorced.”
“Does he live alone?”
“I’m pretty sure he does. I don’t think he has a girlfriend right now.”
“Did you text him? Call him?”
Ben nodded. “He doesn’t answer.”
Ella tried to be nonchalant about it. “He might have the flu. It’s going around. Lots of people are out in different departments.”
“Yeah. That’s probably it.”
Ella studied her brother’s face. “Do you want to go by Joe’s house?”
“I’d like to, yeah.” Ben hesitated, but then said, “Will you come with me? When will you be done here?”
“I can be done now.” Ella shut down her laptop, placed some student papers into a folder, and slipped it into her briefcase. “Have you been to Joe’s house before?”
“A few times. It’s a nice place over on Poet’s Hill.”
Putting on her jacket, Ella glanced over at her brother. “Should we ask Livvy to meet us there?” At thirty-five, Livvy was the oldest of the Daniels siblings. She owned a coffee shop and gift store in town, was happily married, and had a four-year-old son.
“I don’t want to bother her. She’s probably going to pick up Jack soon and then head home. My worries are most likely nothing at all. I’d just like to see if Joe needs anything.”
Despite the heaviness she was feeling, Ella put on a reassuring smile. “Okay. Let’s go.”
She, Ben, and Raisin left the office and headed out to the parking lot.
“Want to ride with me?” Ben asked. “I can drop you back here to get your car when we’re done.”
The threesome got into Ben’s vehicle and made the short drive to Poet’s hill, a pretty, affluent neighborhood of Quinsigamond consisting of tree-lined streets, older, well-maintained homes, a park, and a central common with a few shops clustered around it.
“Do you know much about Joe?” Ella asked.
“Not a whole lot. He grew up here in the city, owns a few restaurants, owns some houses he rents out along with a couple of office buildings.”
“He must do very well,” Ella noted.
“He’s a regular guy though, down-to-earth, easy-going. He’s close to my age, maybe thirty-five, he was married for about five years, no kids. He’s big into historical reenacting.”
“What time period?”
“Revolutionary War,” Ben said as he turned the car down a quiet lane. The sun was setting and long shadows covered the street.
In the backseat, Raisin growled causing Ella and Ben to exchange looks.
“What’s up, Raisin?” Ella asked.
The black cat let out another low growl.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Ben admitted. “Here’s Joe’s house.”
A huge, sprawling Colonial stood back from the road on a well-landscaped lot of three-quarters of an acre. A tall oak tree stood at the front of the home. There was a red truck parked in front of the carriage house to the right of the home.
“This is beautiful.” Ella admired the fine house. “Is that Joe’s truck?”
“Yeah, it is so he must be home.”
Ella opened the back door of the car to let Raisin out. The cat stood warily eyeing the Colonial.
“I’m going to text Joe before we go to the door,” Ben told his sister. He waited for a response, and when one wasn’t forthcoming, he took in a deep breath. “I hope he isn’t napping. I don’t want to wake him if he’s sick.”
Lamplights placed near the driveway and along the brick walkways lit up the darkness as the siblings walked to the front door where Ben rang the bell. Raisin prowled near the edge of the flower beds that were full of yellow and red mums.
“Joe keeps the place looking really nice,” Ella pointed out.
Ben pressed on the doorbell again, but no one came to see who was ringing. He turned to his sister. “Do you sense anything?”
Ella admitted, “I’ve felt uneasy since you started talking about Joe. You must feel the same way since you wanted to come out and check on him.”
Ben shoved his hands in his pockets. “I think something’s wrong.”
Raisin hissed from the bottom of the granite steps.
“Raisin seems to agree,” Ben said. “Let’s go around back.”
When they reached the rear of the home, Ben rang at the backdoor and got the same results. He looked over to the carriage house. “Why don’t we check Joe’s truck?”
Ben used the flashlight on his phone to light up the interior of the vehicle. “Nothing inside.”
“Joe could have gone away for a few days,” Ella suggested. “Maybe he’s out of town with a friend.”
“But Joe told his restaurant workers that he was sick and staying home.”
“Was he fibbing for some reason?” Ella asked before noticing Raisin near the door to the carriage house and headed over to where she was standing under the light of the overhead lantern. “What are you doing, Cutie Cat?”
The fur on the feline’s back was ruffled up and she had her eyes glued to the door.
“Ben,” Ella’s voice seemed to tremble a little. “This door is slightly ajar.”
Hurrying to his sister’s side, Ben could see the door was open. “I’ll take a look inside.” He put his hand on the door handle and pulled it wider, and using his flashlight, shined it inside the first floor of the carriage house.
When Ben screamed, his sister rushed forward.
Ben wheeled around, placing his hand on Ella’s arm to keep her from advancing. His words caught in his throat. “Don’t go in there. Don’t look inside.”
Ben’s face was deathly pale. His breathing was fast and shallow.
“What is it?” Ella held her brother’s arms. “What did you see?”
Ben was nearly hyperventilating.
“Do you need to sit down?” Ella’s heart raced. “Sit on the ground. Should I call the police?”
Ben coughed several times and he wiped the back of his hand over his forehead. “Joe. It’s Joe.”
Ella took a quick look at the carriage house door. “Does he need help?”
Shaking his head, Ben’s expression was a mix of horror and disbelief. “Joe … he’s … he’s dead. There’s a noose, Ella. Joe’s hanging from one of the beams.”
Chapter 2
Ella made the emergency call and the police showed up within fifteen minutes, and she and her brother were interviewed by officers and a Quinsigamond detective.
“Is Detective Damon back to work yet?” Ella asked the man when his questioning was coming to a close.
“Jonas is working two days a week doing desk work. The docs won’t let him in the field yet.” The detective eyed Ella and recognition passed over his face. “You’re the one who saved Jonas, aren’t you?”
Ella shook her head. “I didn’t save him. I’m just the one who found him.”
“Same thing,” the detective told her.
Detective Jonas Damon had been investigating the murder of a young chef and he’d crossed paths with Ella and her sister who were trying to help the ghost. Initially, Jonas was not receptive to the idea of spirits, but over the course of the investigation, he became more open-minded. Ella suspected something was wrong when Jonas didn’t answer her texts, and she and Raisin found the man in a lawyer’s office stabbed, unconscious, and bleeding.
Ella, Raisin, and Ben stood at the end of the dark driveway watching the crime scene professionals process the scene.
Ella put her hand on her brother’s arm. “How are you doing?”
Ben’s shoulders drooped. “I’m okay. It was a shock finding Joe in the carriage house, but being a firefighter, I have to admit I’ve seen worse … unfortunately.”
“You knew something was wrong.”
The medical examiner’s car pulled into the driveway and parked near the carriage house.
Ben nodded, his eyes pinned on the emergency workers. “I’ve felt off for days. I didn’t connect my feelings to concern for Joe until last night. I realized Joe hadn’t been by recently. He really enjoyed watching me in the blacksmith shop. He asked a ton of questions. I showed him how to make a simple candleholder.”
Holding a flashlight, an athletic young woman with shoulder-length, straight, black hair hurried up the sidewalk to Ben and Ella. “Here you are. Are you okay?” Livvy Daniels Smith zipped up her jacket and looked at her brother and sister with a worried expression.
“We’re okay, just very rattled,” Ella said.
“And the Cutie Cat?” Livvy bent down to scratch Raisin’s cheeks. “Is she okay, too?”
“She’s better than we are,” Ben pointed out. “Raisin knew something was wrong before we did. I’ve felt concern for Joe since yesterday, but I’ve been blowing it off as needless worry.”
“I guess it wasn’t needless.” Livvy took a look around at the people hurrying about the carriage house. “Did you happen to overhear any of the officers? Do you know how long Joe has been dead?”
“We don’t know,” Ben explained. “The coroner just arrived. From my quick look at him, I would guess he hasn’t been gone very long.”
“How well did you know him?” Livvy questioned.
“Not well. Sometimes, he’d come by the shop and watch me work. He was interested in blacksmithing. He did seem down the last time I saw him.”
“Did he say why?”
“He didn’t, and I didn’t ask. I didn’t know Joe well enough to ask him personal questions like that.”
“Are you picking up on anything?” Ella asked her sister.
Livvy took a deep breath and slowly moved her eyes around the shadow-covered grounds of Joe’s property. She knelt down and when she placed her palm on the driveway, her eyes flicked up, gazed at the front door and then focused like lasers on the carriage house. “Did you hear any of the personnel say the word suicide?”
Ben stared at his sister.
“We haven’t overheard anything,” Ella told Livvy before taking another glance at the carriage house. “Oh.”
“Oh, what?” Ben questioned.
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