CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Amanda blinked twice, gawking at what the rural town of Abandon called a cab. It was a PT Cruiser, painted black, and looked more like a hearse. But the spray-painted image of a gold lamé Elvis Presley on the front hood made this particular cab stand out among all others.

“I suppose we can’t be picky about transportation when we have no other option?”

She hoped her half-humorous comment would put Jake in a better mood. He’d barely said two words since they’d discovered the lacerated tires. He just stood there, his fists tightening while the vein in his neck bulged.

“Jake?”

A long minute passed, and then he finally turned to meet her gaze. “Yeah?”

“You okay? The cab is here.”

As if he hadn’t even seen the spectacle before them, he nodded, said nothing, and reached to open the door for her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

Maybe Jake would feel better once they’d returned to the Abandon Inn.

“Evening, folks,” the driver said. “My name’s JT. I’m your cabbie for the evening. Pearl says y’all need a ride back to the inn.”

He appeared to be in his sixties, wore a plaid shirt and blue jeans, and had the look of someone who’d rather be on a dock fishing for trout.

“Yes,” Amanda said. She slid inside. Immediately noticed the lime-green shag carpet. Shag carpet, in a cab?

“Interesting cab,” she said, trying to spur conversation. She’d heard of bizarre people living across the South, but had never seen such an ugly shade of green. And shag? Wouldn’t it be hard to keep clean?

JT slowly pulled onto the main road. “Oh yeah. Elvis’s Graceland home has a room decked out with the green stuff. Kind of my tribute to the King.”

Jake stared out his window, apparently not wanting to talk or make eye contact.

Amanda cleared her throat. “That explains the spray-painted hood. I take it you’re an Elvis fan?”

“Oh yes, ma’am. I go to Graceland at least four times a year.”

“I’ve never been,” Amanda said.

“Are you kidding me? You have to go!”

She smiled at his insistence. “Maybe someday.”

JT paused before the main road to the Abandon Inn, turned around, and gave a half smile. “I know the shag green carpet in the cab is a bit overkill, but I thought it’d be fun for the locals.”

Amanda nodded. “Definitely memorable.”

JT continued to drone on about Memphis, the sights, and trivia on Elvis that most people never knew. Or would care to know.

Meanwhile, Amanda rested her hand on Jake’s knee. A gesture of checking in.

He glanced at her and gave a polite smile. No reaching for her hand. No other communication.

Was he seriously freaked out about the tire slashing, or was he upset about something else?

Thank goodness the drive to the Abandon Inn wasn’t a long one. When they arrived, Amanda thanked JT, who handed her a brochure titled Southern Elvis Impersonators. She stuck it in her pocket, for a souvenir more than information.

Once she and Jake were in the lobby, Jake turned and said, “We should pack up. Leave tonight.”

“What? I can’t. I mean, I have most of the information I need, but we still need to finish our projects.”

He grasped her hand. “I’m done with mine. I know you’re almost done with yours. So let’s pack up tonight, spend half a day at the park tomorrow, then get out of this forsaken town.”

The enlarged black pupils in his eyes gave away his true emotion: fear. He always seemed so logical, but now he’d become worried, panicked.

“You’re freaked out about the tires. I get it—”

“I need to protect us. I’ve been thinking about what you said. Whoever trashed our car is obviously not happy that we’re investigating the derailment. I have what I need. You’re almost done with your research.”

“And you want to leave?” She thought about the ghosts. About them being stuck at Zephyr Land for another ten years. And worse, the many ways other spirits could taunt her if she didn’t help the ones at the park.

“Don’t you?” Jake asked. “Why stick around if there’s danger and we don’t need any more info?”

“But I do need more,” Amanda said. “At least another full day. You know the deadline for my apprenticeship entry got pushed up. I have photos of all the carousel pieces, but I still need to analyze each one, propose my steps for restoration, and give my suggestions.”

His lips formed into a straight line. “Can you get everything you need with one more day?”

She glanced at the reservation desk, where Pearl stood scribbling into a notebook and pretended not to hear their conversation.

“I don’t know,” Amanda said. “But I will know by the end of tomorrow where things stand.”

He sighed. “We need to stay safe. Some things aren’t worth the trouble.”

A sharp pang struck her heart in that instant. Did he consider his work to be more important than hers? This trip was supposed to help both their career paths. The thought nagged at her, along with what he would say about her once she told him the truth about herself. Would he presume she was not worth the trouble?

“I need some time alone,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Give me a few minutes to gather my thoughts,” she said, using every bit of firmness her voice could muster. “You go on upstairs, get started on your paper. I’ll be up in a little while.”

Jake glanced around the lobby. “You’re just going to hang out here, alone?”

No. I need to talk to a five-year-old little girl who happens to be dead.

“I’ll grab some iced tea and sit in the dining area. Just…please?”

With another concerned gaze, he relented. “Come up soon, okay?”

“I will.”

Once he’d ascended the stairs and was out of earshot, Pearl’s knowing eyes looked over her spectacles. “That was interesting.”

“Yeah, well. He’s spooked about someone slashing our tires.”

“And you’re not?” Pearl set her glasses down on the counter. “Seems like someone doesn’t like you and your boyfriend snooping around. Small towns keep to themselves by default, but in the case of the derailment—”

“I know, but if I leave now, things will be worse. I can feel it.”

“Worse than hauling you to jail or leaving you stranded at Zephyr Land?”

Amanda thought a moment. “You have a good point, but believe me, ghosts can make my life a living hell. If not these ghosts, others will come along.” She sighed. “No, I have to finish what I started. I’m in too deep now.”

“Sounds like you need some sweet tea and a bit of relaxation.”

Amanda smiled. “Maybe for ten minutes, max. I have so much analysis and typing to do for my restoration report.”

Pearl set out the bell on the desk in case anyone needed her assistance, and then she carried two sweet teas into the dining area. “Here we go.”

“Thanks.” Amanda took a sip. “That’s amazing.”

“I add fresh mint sprigs when I’m steeping the tea. Gives it a nice down-home touch.”

Amanda took another few sips, savoring the mint and sweet flavor on her tongue. “I think I need to tell Jake about my gift. I’m sure as hell not looking forward to that conversation.”

Pearl stirred her tea, rattling the ice cubes against the glass. “What made you change your mind, hon?”

“He keeps wanting to be intimate. And we have been before, but afterward…”

Nodding, Pearl said, “Not the same when a secret becomes a brick wall between lovers.”

“Exactly.” Amanda loved how this wacky inn owner seemed to understand so much. How Pearl even managed to survive after both her children died was beyond comprehension. She’d obviously had them after she’d been married quite a few years, and Clive was…a handful.

“How did Sarah die, if you don’t mind me asking? She wasn’t at Zephyr Land, was she?”

Pearl blotted one of her eyes, perhaps to keep tears away. “No, my sister, Opal, wanted to take them both to the park, but Sarah had a fever, so I kept her here that day.”

“Did she die from an illness?”

“We aren’t sure. Opal had been so insistent on spending time with the girls. Thought she could have been a better mother than me, thought I was crazy for raising two youngsters in a bed-and-breakfast inn.”

“It’s not like you were raising them in a dangerous place.”

“Exactly,” Pearl said. “Anyway, I kept Sarah here, but Opal was angry as a pig that was denied mud.”

Yet another strange Southern saying. Amanda smiled to herself. “So when, or how, did Sarah die?”

“Later in the evening. We were packed full of guests that weekend. Everyone having anything to do with the park was here. The press from out of town, architects flown in from Austin, you name it. And I was so frantic.”

Pearl shook her head, blotted away a few hints of tears. “Sarah was resting in one of the rooms. Clive was off at one of his reenactments, so when I went to check on her, she’d stopped breathing. Sam lay on the floor beside the bed…”

The fact that both twins died the same day—one of them not even being at the park—was too unique to be a coincidence.

“Had the fever made her worse? Had she been cut or bruised?” Amanda asked.

Pearl shook her head. “Sarah just lay there peacefully. I didn’t have the heart to have those doctors slice her up in an autopsy, so her death was ruled natural causes since no one found anything.”

“No trace of poison?” Amanda asked. There were a number of substances that could’ve been used, ones no one could detect. And if there were tons of people coming and going in the lobby, it wouldn’t be too difficult to slip in and out.

“No, and she hadn’t eaten much that day anyway. What she did eat, the rest of the guests had eaten too. They were all fine.”

Amanda nodded. “Thanks for the info.”

“So, you said Sarah remains here? Her spirit is in the inn?”

“Yes. Near the umbrella rack is where I see her most often. Becca is at the park, usually by Opal’s side.”

Pearl drank the rest of her tea in several swigs. “You tell both my girls how much I love them. And good luck with your fella.”

“Thanks, and I will. They ask about you all the time, Pearl. You were lucky to have two such beautiful little girls.”

Smiling, Pearl nodded and started to gather their tea glasses. “I miss them every day, but I always thought I could sense little Sarah near the hat rack. Funny thing was, we used to hang coats there. Sarah loved playing hide and seek in the thick coats dangling from the hooks. Guess she still likes the area.”

“Makes sense,” Amanda said. “At least my gift can bring you some comfort. Even if it gets me dumped by Jake. Or worse, committed. He wants me to check myself into the psych hospital when we return to Georgia.”

Pearl reached out, touched Amanda’s hand. “You’re not crazy. A shame folks can’t see that.”

With a resigned sigh, Amanda whispered, “Jake might disagree.”