The Ghost and The Haunted Mansion: A Haunted Bookshop Mystery

happened at that house. People reported hearing odd noises, cold spots, ghostly lights, and frightening apparitions.”
    “ That sounds familiar.” I pointed to the papers. “Is there anything in there that shows that symbol on the Todd fence—a pentagram with a fleur-de-lis in the center?”
    Fiona nodded and handed me one of the papers. “It’s the symbol for their order, Pen.”
    I frowned, seeing the design and caption, thinking again of Leo’s dagger.
    “Wexler claimed he had the power to raise spirits of the dead to act as his personal supernatural guides,” Fiona continued.
    “But he operated in New York, right? And then Long Island. What brought him up here?”
    “I’m getting to that—in 1947 his mansion on Long Island burned to the ground.” Fiona flashed a familiar-looking newspaper clipping. “Several of his employees died in the fire, along with a few of the wealthy folks who had joined his group. The fire was deemed suspicious, but Wexler was out of town when it happened and was never charged with a crime.”
    “That’s when he came to Quindicott?”
    “Not directly,” Fiona said. “After the fire, Wexler resettled in Newport—lots of money there, so it was a good location for him to start pulling in rich widows again. He started his Order of the Old Ones up in a town house but it wasn’t big enough. He wanted a fresh location, a big place with lots of grounds and somewhat isolated, much like the house he’d refurbished on Long Island. That’s how he came to purchase the house in Quindicott. He began remodeling it, put up the fence, and made other improvements. But within a year of moving in, he died of a heart attack.”
    “So Gideon Wexler bought Miss Todd’s mansion. But how does Timothea fit in? How did she come to live there? Did they have a relationship? Or did she purchase it after Wexler?”
    “Unfortunately, I don’t know any of that, but my contact is still digging, trying to find a record of the latest deed. As soon as she comes up with any new information, I’ll get it to you.”
    I thanked Fiona and asked Barney to walk me to my car. Then I headed back to the bookshop and locked myself in—glad that Seymour was locked in, too.
    I hated that he was under arrest, but at least I could be sure he’d be safe, for tonight at least. There were a lot of pieces to this ghostly puzzle, and I still couldn’t put it all together.
    “Jack?” I whispered into the dark bedroom air.
    But the air didn’t stir and his voice didn’t answer. I closed my eyes again, disturbed by the image of my PI partner fading into the fog.

CHAPTER 22
     
    Quibbling
     
    Dike was firmly opposed to the granting of contracts and concessions to those who enjoyed political pull.
    —Honest Money , Erle Stanley Gardner, Black Mask , November 1932
     
     
     
     
    THE FOLLOWING EVENING, Bud Napp hadn’t even banged the gavel (or in his case, the ball peen hammer) on the Quindicott Business Owners Association meeting, when the subject of the gathering sauntered in to Buy the Book’s Community Events space. As Bud’s hammer hung in midstrike, I turned and gaped with everyone else at Jim Wolfe’s six-foot-three form striding down the center aisle.
    The contractor wore tight denims, spotless white sneakers, and a beige summer sport jacket over a V-neck black T-shirt. “Hello, everyone,” he said with a friendly smile.
    “Hello, back!” called Joyce Koh, daughter of the local grocer, her voice full of naked flirtation. Sitting next to her, Mr. Koh scowled and whispered something—then they quietly began to argue.
    Jim cleared his throat, continued up to the raised dais, and faced Bud. “I think I have a solution to your problem,” he said loud enough for the entire room to hear.
    “I’ll be happy to hear you out,” Bud replied warily.
    “Councilman Lockhart and I have worked out a plan, but I want to hear your input before it gets implemented.”
    I was surprised to hear that. Previously, Brockton Lockhart had always backed Councilwoman Binder-Smith. Was what passed for a political machine in Quindicott actually breaking down? If so, then Bud’s announced candidacy had already made a difference.
    For the next ten minutes, Jim Wolfe outlined a plan to shift most of his construction fleet to an empty lot owned by Lockhart. “The generators will have to stay,” he warned. “But we’ll park them so they won’t block your entrance. Line them up catty-corner, maybe.”
    “What’s