More movement came from my right. When I looked out into the foyer, I spotted Brannon. I’d learned to recognize the worried expression on his face. More bad news for me? He motioned for me to come over away from the group of nearby guests. Apparently, he had something no one else should hear. We moved to the back of the foyer, trying to get away from the noise of the other room.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Well, obviously, we have to figure out who did this to her.” He ran his hand through his dark hair.
Brannon seemed more stressed than usual. I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around him and just tell him that everything would be okay. I wasn’t sure why at that moment I’d felt such an overwhelming urge to do that. When he was on the job though Brannon was always the professional so he wouldn’t want me to do this. I refrained and kept my hands to myself.
“Do you have any clues about what might have happened to her?” I asked.
“I really need to talk with Tammy,” Brannon said. “She was the only one up there when the murder occurred.”
My eyes widened. “Are you saying you think she had something to do with this?”
He studied my face. “Just try to stay calm, Rip. We just have to cover all the bases. Like I said, she was the only one up there at the time of the murder.”
Other people could have been up there, and we just didn’t know about it. Why didn’t this place have surveillance? Someone had to have seen something.
“This is ridiculous.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“Don’t do that, Rip. I know when you get mad you cross your arms like that,” Brannon said.
I scowled. “I know Tammy had nothing to do with the murder. When I went up there, she was trapped in her dress. Her hands were bound by the fabric. She couldn’t get it over her head. How could she have murdered someone?”
Brannon touched my arms trying to ease my tension. “I know that, Rip. I’m not saying that I’m accusing her of murder, but we just have to go by procedure.”
“Yeah, I know, procedure,” I said less than enthusiastically.
“My boss will have my head on a platter if I don’t question Tammy. Besides, she might provide a clue that she’s just not remembering at the moment. Maybe she heard someone come up there or she’ll remember something she saw.”
“I’m just saying don’t focus all your attention on her,” I said.
“Of course we’re going talk to everybody.”
“I know,” I said around a sigh. “It’s just that this is already traumatic for her. I don’t want her to think that people are accusing her of murder.”
“I’m sure that won’t happen,” Brannon said, touching my arms again.
I eased my tense stance just a bit and unfolded my arms. “So what’s next?”
“We’ll interview everyone.” Brannon glanced over his shoulder. “It’s a fairly large turn out for the wedding. We’ll be here a while.”
“I told everyone to stay in that room.” I pointed. “No, one’s leaving this house without being questioned.”
“Thank you,” Brandon said, holding back a smile. “I’ll talk to Tammy now.”
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked.
“Please don’t get involved in the investigation,” he said.
“It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think? Discovering the body makes me completely involved.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant.”
I had to change the course of this conversation.
“By the way, before you talk to Tammy, I need to tell you something,” I said.
“Can it wait? I need to talk with her while things are still fresh in her mind,” Brannon said.
“I understand, but it’s just that… well, I saw a ghost.”
Brannon’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Where? When?”
“When I first got here the ghost was outside, peeking around the side of the mansion. Then inside, when I was upstairs with Tammy and my mother she came into the room.”
“Did your mother or Tammy see the ghost?” Brannon asked.
“Not at all. They’d probably still be talking about it if they had.” I glanced around Brannon to make sure Tammy wasn’t nearby.
I didn’t want to scare her with talk of ghosts right now. She had enough to deal with after the murder and postponement of her wedding vows.
“What did the ghost look like?” Brannon asked.
“Long white gown with lace and beads around the edges. Oh, and she had dark hair pulled up into an updo with ringlets around her heart shaped face.”
“That’s a lot of detail. From this time period?” he pressed.
I shook my head. “No, I think she was from the 1800s. Maybe she lived her when the mansion was built. Regardless, I think the ghost’s presence has something to do with the murder.”
“Now not only do I have you mixed up in this, but I have a ghost involved too?” Brannon ran his hand through his hair.
“The ghost might be trying to tell me who killed Tabatha,” I said.
“Well, if the ghost has something to say about the murder, I need the ghost to speak up.”
“That’s easier said than done. The good news is I don’t think there’s anything negative with the ghost.”
“At least not yet,” Brannon added.
“Like I said, I think she's trying to tell me something good about the case. maybe if I can get her to speak up, I’ll know what happened to Tabatha.”
“Okay, babe, let me know if you see the ghost again. I’m going to talk to Tammy.” He motioned and then turned to find Tammy.
Although Brannon had asked me to accompany him, I followed behind him anyway like his mini shadow. He’d likely tell me that I couldn’t listen in while he interviewed Tammy, but I’d give it a shot anyway. I wanted to know what she said and what he asked. Maybe she really would recall something more now. Just as we reached the main parlor, Brannon noticed that I was behind him.
“Alone, Rip,” he said with a hint of his sexy smile.
I held my hands up. “Okay, fine. If you don’t want my help, but I’m pretty good at this stuff now.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do I tell you what to do on the ghost tour?”
“Point taken,” I said.
Chapter 6
Just as I figured. Brannon was as stubborn as me. I watched as Brannon moved Tammy out into the foyer where he and I had just had our conversation. As Brannon talked to Tammy, I felt like I should do something.
Rain fell hard now as lightning flashed across the sky. A crack of thunder rattled the house. This weather certainly set a scary tone for the whole affair. A heaviness came over the room. Suddenly the lights flickered. Darkness cloaked just beyond the interior of the mansion. We were stuck inside this house with a ghost and a murder. Plus, a dead body upstairs. Could it get any scarier than that? Oh, yes. It was my experience that things could always get scarier.
No sooner had the thought left my mind when the lights flickered and then the room when completely dark. Somehow a draft had swept through the room at the same time and the candles instantly burned out. Screams echoed around the house from startled guests. They probably wondered if this was some kind of prank or if the killer had planned all of this. To be honest, I had the same worry about if the killer had somehow planned this complete darkness.