Wilmington, NC 03 - Murder On The Ghost Walk

by Sara Beth Franks.
    "She's very talented."
    Melanie glanced at the paintings. "They're good. But she's certifiable."
    "She is strange, but she's still talented. I met her this morning and she filled me in on a lot I didn't know."
    Melanie stopped crying and eyed me warily. "Like what?" she asked suspiciously.
    "Well, for one thing, Sara Beth said Reggie was in love with her and they'd been lovers from the time you all were in high school together until he met Mirabelle, and then Mirabelle seduced him. Is that true?"
    "Oh, how would I know?" Melanie replied irritably. "Why is Sara Beth dredging up all this stuff now? It's ancient history. I don't know what Reggie ever saw in her anyway. He was a hunk even then, good look ing and popular, a great sports car, and filthy rich."
    She seemed resentful. Was it possible she'd had a crush on Reggie too? "So it's true then."
    "Well, they dated, that much is true. But as for Reggie being in love with her, I think she made that up. If he was in love with her, why didn't he marry her? Why did he marry Shelby? I think it's all in her head."
    "What happened between him and Mirabelle? Sara Beth said they were lovers."
    "I think he had a fling with her. I was at Chapel Hill at the time, you know, and you were still in junior high, but later when I came home from college and started out in the real estate business, it seems to me Reggie was spending a lot of time in Atlanta with Mirabelle. That's where she lived in the early Nineties."
    "And then Mirabelle dropped him to get married. Married to Joel Fox, Melanie," I pointed out dramatically.
    "Well, they weren't married for very long! Just long enough for Joel to launch her in television in Atlanta. He worked for Ted Turner, you know. When he realized what she was really like, he divorced her and moved out to Hollywood. It was a smart move for him because he hit it really big time in the movie business."
    "And are you two dating?"
    Melanie's smile was smugly satisfied. "Of course, we're dating. We've become very close. He's my new sweetie, if you must know. At first, he was just a hot prospect, but now . . . well, I'm showing him commercial properties in the area, and when we find the right one he's going to develop a resort hotel that will set this little town on its heels. Who knows, this may be the guy who'll get me to settle down." She was practically purring.
    I had heard that one before. "I'm just so upset the police think you had anything to do with Mirabelle's murder."
    "That's nonsense. Nick Yost is not much of a detective if that's the best he can do. It's true, I was at Campbell House that evening. I must have got there right after Mirabelle was stabbed." She rubbed her arms. "It gives me the willies to think I almost walked in on a murder. The murderer might have been there, hiding. He could have killed me, too. I opened the door and shouted your name. When you didn't answer, when all I heard was quiet, I assumed you'd walked down to Riverfest, and that's exactly what you had done. That's the only reason I was there." One corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk. "If I ever decide to kill someone, there won't be witnesses or an obvious motive."
    She got up and went around to her desk chair. "And as for this trumped up lawsuit, all Mirabelle was after was money. My lawyer was already proposing a settlement to her lawyer, but I refused to go along. 'Let her sue,' I told him. I didn't do anything wrong, and she'd have a hard time proving otherwise. The value of houses in the Historic District has escalated."
    "Well, we've got to find a way to convince the police of that. Mel, I think whoever killed Mirabelle also killed Reggie and Shelby."
    She narrowed her eyes and leaned across her desk. "What makes you think that?"
    "I have my reasons." At this point, I didn't intend to tell anyone, not even Melanie, about the key. I had a plan. I was going to find proof there were better suspects than Melanie, then I'd present Nick with an irrefutable argument. He'd have to change his mind about Melanie.
    "I'd still like to know how the cameo brooch got into Shelby's sofa," I said evenly.
    Melanie's face closed up. "I don't want to talk about that brooch. Not now, not ever. Come on. I'm taking you to brunch."

2 6

    Sunday brunch at Elijah's is a Wilmington tradition. Originally a maritime museum, the riverfront building had been converted to a restaurant years ago. Melanie knew everyone who counted, so it was no surprise when the manager