Chapter 22

I checked to see who was still here. Ricardo and Mia held each other on the couch. Gillian emerged from the kitchen. Brendan helped Samantha into her coat.

“Brendan and Samantha, you guys are welcome to stay if you want to be around people or talk about what just happened.”

Brendan slipped on his jacket. “We’re shocked and tired.” He smiled at Samantha. “But we got the answer we needed. I find it very hard to believe that Darius killed Amelia.” He shook his head. “We really liked him. I welcomed him into my home.”

“I understand. I liked him, too, and was positive he was innocent. But someone reminded me of my own feelings toward my ex, and I realized just how deep the resentment can run. Still, I’m not sure I would have figured it out if he hadn’t sent the flowers.” I exhaled sharply. “You go on. We can talk later.” I saw Brendan and Samantha out. That left Jack, Gillian, Ricardo, Mia, Mina, and myself.

Mina came down the stairs, carrying her two bags. She set the large one by the hall tree and lugged the smaller one into the living room. “Could I have some tea, please?”

“Of course,” Gillian said. A few moments later she emerged with a tray containing a teapot, mugs, bowl of tea bags, cream, and sugar.

“That was fast,” I said.

“Hey, I’m good. Coffee’s brewing, too. I’ll bring munchies. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”

Mina extracted her own tea bag out of a pocket, dropped it in a mug, and poured hot water over it. She settled into a large brown leather armchair by a small plant stand I used as a table. A ceramic lamp with a golden mica shade cast a warm glow over her. She withdrew a small laptop from a quilted bag and downloaded data from the digital recorder. After several minutes, she dug a small butter pat dish and a dainty silver teaspoon out of her bag and set them next to her mug. She dipped the spoon into the mug and lifted the tea bag out, placing it on the small dish.

Watching, fascinated, I wondered if she always came this prepared. So much for judging people by their appearances. I’d felt protective of Darius, and he turned out to be a ruthless killer. I’d assumed Mina knew nothing of the high tech world when she simply lived the way she wanted to, enjoying the elegance of a bygone era and incorporating the parts of the digital age she needed.

Mina looked up, saw me looking at her, and smiled back. “We’ll have digital data in a moment. I have speakers for the tape recorder. We can listen to playback tonight, but I’ll have to take it home to complete my analysis.”

“Look at you. All high tech. Where did you learn all this?” I accepted the mug of coffee Gillian offered me. “Thanks.”

“In a way, it’s your ghost’s fault.”

“Excuse me?” Now we were seven as Doris materialized in her seafoam green dress.

If Doris’ intent had been to discomfit Mina, she failed.

“Doris, dear, now that I know your story, you are more friend than foe. Yes, your first appearance at that long ago séance led me to pursue this interest in determining if ghosts are real and how to interact with them.”

Jack grabbed a beer and moved over to the dining room table. He opened his laptop and typed.

Mina set up small speakers for the recorder.

Gillian carried out sandwiches, crackers and cheese, hummus and pita, and fruit and set it all on the coffee table along with small paper plates. She selected half a tuna sandwich and poured herself some tea.

I pulled a dining room chair over by Mina and picked up a pad and pencil. She pressed play. The recorder picked up more from its position toward the middle of the loft than I’d heard back by my bed. I clearly heard Dave whisper “Knock it off” to Niles when he was acting out. Good for him. I heard Samantha’s gasp. The pop I’d heard with the flash of light sounded like an old-style flash bulb exploding. The sob was clear but not entirely human.

Mina took her own notes. “I’m going to play this back for a few seconds. Listen closely and tell me what you hear.” She hit play.

I might have heard a voice, but it wasn’t clear. I shook my head.

Mia said, “It sounded like ‘he killed me’ to me.”

Ricardo nodded.

Mina raised a hand. “She didn’t say who. Listen again.”

I still couldn’t make out the words, but there was some sound that was barely audible. Jack paused his typing to listen. Ricardo leaned forward.

Mina opened the laptop and set it on her lap. “Give me a minute to find the same spot in the app.”

The sound was clearer in some ways but also different. The tonal quality of the sob was different. I’d been thinking of it as a sob, but it was more of a sigh, like a change in air pressure. When the recording finished, I sat back and let the tension of listening intently flow out of me.

Mina looked around at us. “Did anyone hear anything interesting?”

Mia said, “The murderer was a man.”

Jack said, “That lets you off the hook, Cass.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Mina closed her laptop.

“Mina, what do you do now with the recordings?”

She reached over and patted my hand. “Before you attribute too much technical knowledge to me, I’ll let you in on my secret: Maya and Theda.”

“Our neighbors?”

“The very same. Tomorrow I’ll take these recordings over, and they’ll analyze them for us. They took me through what I needed to do for tonight with the digital recorder. I’ve used a tape recorder for years.”

“Huh. Skills they learned in film school, I’m guessing.”

She nodded. “There are other devices they suggested, but I didn’t think you wanted a bunch of flashing lights and beeping.”

“You’re right about that.” I sat back in the chair. “Okay, guys. What do you think?”

Gillian leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “We all knew that ghosts existed before tonight.”

Doris materialized in the middle of the sandwiches as Ricardo reached for one. He jerked back.

“Thanks for the demo, Doris, now can you let Ricardo eat?” I said.

She flounced out of the food. “Are you interested in what I observed?”

Gillian nodded. “Of course.”

“Amelia was looking at Darius.”

“I didn’t see Amelia.”

“Whether or not you saw her, she was there and then she was gone.”

Mina yawned. “It’s time for me to leave you all. It’s late, and I’m tired. Maya and Theda will do their magic, and we may find out more but it will be tomorrow.” She slipped the small laptop and little bowl into her bag and rose slowly.

“I’ll see you to the door. Thank you so much for your help. I look forward to hearing what Theda and Maya find out.” I walked her to the door, helped her with her things, and let her out. I kept watching until she’d made it safely back to her house and then turned back to the room, shutting the door behind me. “Anything else or should we call it a night?”

“I think we’re still digesting what happened,” Ricardo said as he and Mia exchanged a glance. Ricardo stretched and yawned. “Let us know what you find out.”

“I’m glad the killer is going to jail.” Gillian got up. “I’ll get your cloak.” She returned in a moment with Mia’s velvet cloak. “Got everything?”

“We’re good. Thanks again. We can show ourselves out.”

I turned to Jack. “As for me, I’m angry. What made him think he had the right to kill her?”

He shook his head. “Why does anyone think they have the right to kill another human being?”

“I’ll help you clear up.” Gillian picked up the plates to clear the table.

As I loaded the dishwasher, Doris materialized on the counter next to me with her head down. “It’s nice to be part of the group. To not have to hide all the time.”

“Were you lonely?”

“A bit. It’s hard to be invisible.”

“What about the breeze during the séance? Do you know what caused it?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t feel anything.”

Gillian set a stack of small plates on the counter. “That’s the last of it.” Gillian slipped some of them into the soapy water.

“We’re going to bed,” Jack said, taking Gillian’s hand. “See you in the morning.”

I rinsed the last dish off and placed it in the rack. “I’d better get some sleep, too.” I turned out the lights and climbed the steps up to bed.