Read Online Ghost Gone Wild (A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel) by Carolyn Hart - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Carolyn Hart
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after the trading post was built. The Strand Shoppe has picked up twenty or thirty dresses discarded by a costume shop in New York, and the dresses will be for rent with a percentage of the rental going to the festival fund. The Chickasaw Nation Dance Troupe will give a special program at the lake amphitheater, and tickets are selling like wildfire. Bud Hotchkiss has a restored stagecoach and he’s going to take groups for rides. Rod Holt, who runs an Old West store, plans to sell replicas of Oklahoma treasure maps. The festival will get a percentage of the profits. And if Nick hadn’t messed everything up, Cole was going to put up a replica of the original trading post, but that’s all off now. Nick’s going to buy the place from Claire Arnold.”
I looked up from my sheet of paper. “How did Nick block the trading post?”
“Money.” Arlene’s tone was dry. “Claire was willing to let Cole set up the trading post, but Nick told her he would buy only if Claire refuses to let Cole come on the land. Nick offered her a lot more than the place is worth, so of course she agreed. Cole’s really upset. Claire told Cole this morning that she’d changed her mind about participating in the festival. It’s really hateful of Nick. It wouldn’t hurt anything to let Cole put up the replica. Nick did it out of spite.”
Jan shrugged. “Nick has the money. If that’s how he wants to spend it, it’s his business. Anyway, I’ll be glad when someone buys that place and fixes it up. It was bad enough when Gabe Arnold was alive, but the shrubbery’s even thicker now. At least the gates aren’t locked anymore and the dogs are gone. Gabe had two German shepherds, and nobody dared ever touch foot inside those walls.” Jan looked toward me. “Mom’s yard is gorgeous, daylilies and roses and grass like velvet. To have that eyesore next door is hideous.”
I was puzzled. “Did Nick grow up there?” I distinctly remember his saying that he’d grown up next door to Jan.
Arlene shook her head. “The Arnold house is on one side,” she pointed over her shoulder. “The Magruder house is on the other side.”
I made quick notes, but losing out on a place to set up a replica of an old trading post didn’t sound like an A-rated motive for murder. I was ready to move on. Sex is a much better motive than a disappointed event planner. I didn’t want to compound Nick’s difficulties with Jan. Perhaps I could give Nick a boost with Jan but get the information I needed. “Mr. Magruder was irritated tonight when a young woman named Lisa showed up uninvited.”
“Lisa Sanford.” Jan paused. “Uninvited?” Her tone was slightly breathless.
“Absolutely. He hadn’t called her and he wasn’t interested in having her at the house. Then her husband arrived. He thought Lisa was involved with Mr. Magruder. I diverted Mr. Sanford by pretending that Mr. Magruder and I were a couple.”
Jan’s eyes scoured me.
I made every effort to appear as inoffensive and sisterly as possible. “Mr. Magruder was offended—”
“You got that right.” Nick strode into the kitchen. He glanced at Arlene. “Front door wasn’t locked. Since I’m a guest, I thought it was okay if I came on in.” He bit off his words. His thin, unshaven face was taut and his eyes had a flinty glint. “Offended puts it a lot nicer than I would. In fact, I am pretty damn pissed off. I’m playing my drums tonight, having fun, and everything goes to hell. You come”—he pointed at me with an accusing finger and not a shade of warmth, which should have been reassuring for Jan, but didn’t augur well for a cooperative effort—“I’ve got blood on my head, Aunt Dee’s screwing with my life, there’s a bullet hole in my wall, Jan rushes off because the town tramp blows in through absolutely”—he glared at Jan—“no fault of mine. Lisa claims I called her on my cell. I didn’t. But,” and he sounded morose, “a little while ago I checked, and damned
I looked up from my sheet of paper. “How did Nick block the trading post?”
“Money.” Arlene’s tone was dry. “Claire was willing to let Cole set up the trading post, but Nick told her he would buy only if Claire refuses to let Cole come on the land. Nick offered her a lot more than the place is worth, so of course she agreed. Cole’s really upset. Claire told Cole this morning that she’d changed her mind about participating in the festival. It’s really hateful of Nick. It wouldn’t hurt anything to let Cole put up the replica. Nick did it out of spite.”
Jan shrugged. “Nick has the money. If that’s how he wants to spend it, it’s his business. Anyway, I’ll be glad when someone buys that place and fixes it up. It was bad enough when Gabe Arnold was alive, but the shrubbery’s even thicker now. At least the gates aren’t locked anymore and the dogs are gone. Gabe had two German shepherds, and nobody dared ever touch foot inside those walls.” Jan looked toward me. “Mom’s yard is gorgeous, daylilies and roses and grass like velvet. To have that eyesore next door is hideous.”
I was puzzled. “Did Nick grow up there?” I distinctly remember his saying that he’d grown up next door to Jan.
Arlene shook her head. “The Arnold house is on one side,” she pointed over her shoulder. “The Magruder house is on the other side.”
I made quick notes, but losing out on a place to set up a replica of an old trading post didn’t sound like an A-rated motive for murder. I was ready to move on. Sex is a much better motive than a disappointed event planner. I didn’t want to compound Nick’s difficulties with Jan. Perhaps I could give Nick a boost with Jan but get the information I needed. “Mr. Magruder was irritated tonight when a young woman named Lisa showed up uninvited.”
“Lisa Sanford.” Jan paused. “Uninvited?” Her tone was slightly breathless.
“Absolutely. He hadn’t called her and he wasn’t interested in having her at the house. Then her husband arrived. He thought Lisa was involved with Mr. Magruder. I diverted Mr. Sanford by pretending that Mr. Magruder and I were a couple.”
Jan’s eyes scoured me.
I made every effort to appear as inoffensive and sisterly as possible. “Mr. Magruder was offended—”
“You got that right.” Nick strode into the kitchen. He glanced at Arlene. “Front door wasn’t locked. Since I’m a guest, I thought it was okay if I came on in.” He bit off his words. His thin, unshaven face was taut and his eyes had a flinty glint. “Offended puts it a lot nicer than I would. In fact, I am pretty damn pissed off. I’m playing my drums tonight, having fun, and everything goes to hell. You come”—he pointed at me with an accusing finger and not a shade of warmth, which should have been reassuring for Jan, but didn’t augur well for a cooperative effort—“I’ve got blood on my head, Aunt Dee’s screwing with my life, there’s a bullet hole in my wall, Jan rushes off because the town tramp blows in through absolutely”—he glared at Jan—“no fault of mine. Lisa claims I called her on my cell. I didn’t. But,” and he sounded morose, “a little while ago I checked, and damned
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