Fixing to Die (A Southern Ladies Mystery, Band 4) - Softcover

James, Miranda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0399584773 ISBN 13: 9780399584770

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

The New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries and Digging Up the Dirt returns with the latest Southern Ladies Mystery...

It’s autumn down south, and An'gel and Dickce Ducote are in Natchez, Mississippi, at the request of Mary Turner Catlin, the granddaughter of an old friend. Mary and her husband, Henry Howard, live in Cliffwood, one of the beautiful antebellum homes for which Natchez is famous.
 
Odd things have been happening in the house for years, and the French Room in particular has become the focal point for spooky sensations. The Ducotes suspect the ghostly goings-on are caused by the living, but when a relative of the Catlins is found dead in the room, An'gel and Dickce must sift through a haunted family history to catch a killer.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Miranda James is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries and the Southern Ladies Mysteries.

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Chapter 1

"Do you mean to sit there and tell me you think Cliffwood really is haunted?" Miss An'gel Ducote regarded her sister with a frown.

Miss Dickce Ducote shrugged. "There've been stories about that house for decades, Sister. Anyway, you know Natchez is supposed to be one of the most haunted towns in the country."

"Yes, I know," An'gel replied with a sniff. "I just don't ever recall hearing that Cliffwood was riddled with ghosts as you put it." Her brow wrinkled as she paused to think. "At least I don't remember hearing Jessamine or her husband, Marshall, ever talk about it."

Dickce snorted. "That old goat. He was too busy running around after women to notice ghosts. How Jessy put up with him for all those years, I'll never know."

"Fifty years ago, women thought they had to put up with it for the sake of their sons," An'gel said. "Not to mention that Jessy would have starved if Marshall had left her for another woman. She was one of the sweetest girls I ever knew, but she could get lost in her own closet. She'd never have kept a job."

"That's a terrible thing to say about an old sorority sister." Dickce snorted with laughter. "Even if it's true." She laughed again.

"At least Marshall had the good sense to die before he threw away all his money; otherwise she'd have had to sell Cliffwood."

"We've wandered away from the subject." Dickce pointed to the letter An'gel held. "Mary Turner and Henry Howard Catlin are asking for our help. Even if we don't quite believe in ghosts, Mary Turner evidently does."

"I know." An'gel laid the letter aside on her desk. "I suppose we could go spend a few days in Natchez and see what's going on. I suspect there's nothing supernatural about it. Someone's playing tricks on them, I'd say."

"You're probably right," Dickce replied. "I'm game to go ghost-hunting, and I'll bet Benjy will get a hoot out of the whole thing."

"No doubt," An'gel said. Their young ward, Benjy Stephens, had a lively intelligence and a healthy curiosity, and he would enjoy seeing the antebellum treasures of Natchez, potential apparitions included. "We can't take that for granted, however, and I wouldn't want him to feel obliged to go if he's uncomfortable with the idea."

"I don't think the idea of ghosts will faze him all that much. Besides, Peanut and Endora can help, too," Dickce said. "Animals are supposed to be sensitive to ghosts. If there are any supernatural presences at Cliffwood, they'll let us know."

"Let's hope they don't run across any tortured spirits that need to be laid to rest." An'gel grimaced. "I'll call Mary Turner and tell her we'll come on Monday. That ought to give you enough time to pack."

Dickce rolled her eyes at her sister. "I'm not the one who has to have a different pair of shoes for every outfit I take."

"If you wore anything other than dark colors in the autumn months, you might see the need." An'gel reached for her cell phone. "Why don't you go tell Benjy about the trip and see what he thinks of the idea of ghost-hunting?"

Dickce nodded and walked out of the study.

An'gel skimmed through Mary Turner's letter again. Given the contents, she wasn't surprised that the young woman had chosen to write a letter, rather than simply calling. An'gel appreciated having the time to think about Mary Turner's story rather than having to respond immediately during a live conversation. She did wonder, however, why Mary Turner hadn't e-mailed her after all. She decided she would ask during the call.

She picked up her cell phone and tapped out the number. After three rings, a high, light voice said, "Hello, Mary Turner Catlin speaking."

An'gel identified herself. "Sister and I were discussing your letter, and of course we'd be happy to help you in any way we can."

Before An'gel could continue, Mary Turner broke in. "Oh, Miss An'gel, bless you and Miss Dickce. Henry Howard and I are about to go stark raving mad, and we didn't know whom else to turn to. Grandmother always said the Ducote sisters never lost their heads in a crisis, no matter what." She paused for a moment. "And if this isn't a crisis, I don't know what is. We're completely booked for Thanksgiving in two weeks, and if word gets out about this, we stand to lose a substantial amount."

An'gel heard a strangled sob. "Your grandmother was a dear friend, and Sister and I will do our best to live up to her confidence in us. I'm sorry that you and Henry Howard are so upset by all this. There's got to be a perfectly rational explanation behind what's happening there."

Mary Turner sobbed again, then choked it off. "I pray every day and night that there is, but we . . ." Her voice trailed off.

An'gel frowned. Had Mary Turner hung up? Or had her darn cell phone dropped the call? She waited a moment for Mary Turner to come back on the line, but when she didn't, An'gel ended the call. After about ten seconds she called again. Mary Turner answered immediately.

"I'm so sorry," the young woman said. "But that's the kind of thing that's always happening. Phone calls get cut off, our e-mails don't go anywhere, all kinds of odd things. That's why I wrote you an actual letter instead of e-mailing you."

"Heavens, this really is a mess," An'gel said, shocked by Mary Turner's words. "I wondered why you chose a letter. I can't remember when I last received an actual handwritten letter from anyone."

Mary Turner sounded grim when she responded. "So far the ghosts haven't been able to stop the post office from working."

"It's no wonder you and Henry Howard are at your wit's end," An'gel said. "Sister and I will be there around lunchtime on Monday, if that's convenient."

"That's wonderful," Mary Turner said. "We'll never be able to thank you enough."

"We're glad to help," An'gel replied. "Now, there is one thing. We'd like to bring our ward, Benjy, with us, along with our dog and cat, Peanut and Endora. Will that be all right?"

"You bring whomever you want," Mary Turner said. "The more help, the better. I've heard that animals are especially sensitive to the supernatural."

"You and Sister," An'gel muttered. Then she spoke so Mary Turner could hear properly. "Thank you, my dear. Help is on the way."

"See you on Monday."

As An'gel laid the phone aside, she reflected that, by the end of the call, Mary Turner had a new note in her voice. She sounded hopeful, An'gel decided.

She was glad she'd managed to make Mary Turner feel better, but she wondered whether she and Dickce had committed themselves to solving a problem that would turn out to be more than they could handle. She figured a real live human being was playing tricks on the Catlins for some unknown purpose, but Cliffwood was an old house. Many sad and unpleasant things had happened there, particularly before, during, and right after the Civil War.

An'gel didn't believe in ghosts-not really-but there had been odd things that happened at Riverhill over the years. Doors closing on their own, the occasional cold spot in a room, small objects moved from their accustomed spots-nothing all that frightening, An'gel reflected, but odd. Definitely odd.

She and Dickce, along with Benjy, would have to keep their wits about them at Cliffwood, she decided. She wouldn't let odd things frighten her away.

...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0399584773
• ISBN 13: 9780399584770
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: preigu; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; 49078; Deutschland