Ghost Writer - Pandora Pine Page 0,70
grift. I didn’t find out until it was too late. It doesn’t surprise me that he had a friend with deep pockets to bail him out. I assume now, that I was just the next rich bimbo on his list.”
“I agree. From what I read in his file your husband has made a career of romancing wealthy women. Unfortunately, he’s ramped up his grift with you.” Jude paused, reaching out to take Peg’s hand. “We found out yesterday that your husband was looking to obtain LSD to poison you with.”
Peg burst out laughing. “I’ll give him credit, he’s an asshole, but a smart one. If he kills me, he doesn’t get a penny. Convincing me that I’m insane and having me committed to a mental institution is genius. I would be out of the picture and unable to make my own financial decisions, which means the bulk of my fortune would be in my husband’s hands.”
“Our source at the trailer park didn’t know if your husband was successful in getting the drugs.” Cope hadn’t been expecting Peg’s attitude. Usually women who were hooked up with the lowest common denominator never saw their spouse’s deception coming. It seemed like Peg was prepared for it from day one.
“Is that what you think happened in this house? That I was drugged by my husband and there really isn’t a spirit tormenting me here?” Peg sounded hopeful.
“We think there’s a ghost,” Cope confirmed. “There may even be more than one, if my theory is correct. We have a feeling the spirit who is tormenting you might have a score to settle with members of the LGBT community.”
“I’m not sure I know what to say to that. You really think my affair with Maddie activated this spirit, like some kind of assassin?”
“The one thing I’ve learned over the years with my gifts is that anything is possible, which is why we need to see if Geneva Beecher is trapped in this house too.”
“Where do you think the knocking sounds were coming from?” Jude was out of his seat and seeming to study the back staircase.
“I could hear the sounds from my bedroom, but they weren’t coming from the room itself, if that makes sense.”
“When we were here the first time with your husband, Jude and I visited your bedroom, but now I have a feeling the haunting might be centered on the third floor. Is it possible to see that space?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure. It’s not a place I’ve been since we moved into the house. This is such a big living space and I didn’t really have any need for storage. I can take you up there, if that’s where you want to go.” Peg shivered.
Cope’s eyes narrowed on the young woman. “What were you thinking when you shivered just then?”
“I feel a little ridiculous saying it out loud, but I’m afraid to go up into the attic. In the old days, it was the servants’ quarters, but now it’s considered attic space. I think I’ve always been afraid of going up there, otherwise I would have checked it out when I heard the knocking originally.” Peg wrung her fingers together.
Cope wasn’t exactly looking forward to going up there either, but he would, for Peg’s sake. “Let’s head up there and see what we see.”
Peg took the lead, climbing the back stairs with Cope and Jude following behind her. When they reached the third floor, Peg stopped in front of the nondescript white door. “This is it. The door to the servant’s quarters.” With shaking hands, she reached for the doorknob. It took a couple of yanks before the door sprung open.
Cope led the way. He nearly lost his shit when he walked through sticky cobwebs. He resisted the urge to beat at his hair to make sure there were no creepy crawlies. They were standing in a hallway with a dingy brown carpet running the length of it.
“This can’t be right.” Jude turned around in a complete circle, studying the rooms as he turned.
“The floor plan up here doesn’t match up with the floor plan of the second level. It’s not long enough.” Cope knew enough about architecture to know staircases in Federal Houses were centrally located. “Your bedroom would be over there.” He pointed to the far corner of the hall that would face the backyard. The Beecher House, in typical Federal style, had two windows to the left and to the right of the front door, while