Beach Blanket Homicide (Lucy McGuffin, Psychic Amateur Detective 1)

When a good hour goes by, and I don’t hear from either of them, I decide to take matters into my own hands. I’m about to dial Travis when my cell rings.

“Hello?”

“Lucy? It’s Aurelia Finch, Susan Van Dyke’s cook.”

“Oh! Hi, Aurelia.”

“Anthony and I were wondering how Cornelius was faring. Have you found a permanent home for him yet?”

“I’m pretty confident I can talk my best friend Will into taking him. He’d be terrific with the dog.”

“The sweet little thing has been through so much. I feel better knowing that you’re looking out for his welfare.”

Now that I have Aurelia on the phone, I realize she’s the perfect person to give me some intel. “When Susan was alive, you said that she used to host séances in her home? And that Cornelius assisted?”

“Oh, yes. She couldn’t have done them without him. He’s a very gifted medium.”

“Good to know because he’s going to be participating in another séance soon. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow night. Is there anything I should know about how to prep him? Any special foods or anything?”

“No special prep is needed, but I should warn you. Talking to the dead isn’t a trifling thing. This has to be done correctly, or who knows what might happen. If the environment isn’t carefully monitored, it can turn dangerous for Cornelius.”

Dangerous? It occurs to me that I’m clueless here. “Exactly how does Cornelius whisper to the dead?”

“Cornelius makes contact with the spirit we’re calling to. Then the human medium picks up on Cornelius’s vibrations and communicates those vibrations back to the other members of the séance. If the human medium isn’t talented enough to sense what Cornelius is feeling, then all those thoughts can be trapped inside him and create an unhealthy chi.”

Just as I thought. It’s all a big bunch of hooey. “Got it.”

Aurelia tsks. “I’d already pegged you as a non-believer, but I didn’t know you were also a cynic.”

Oops. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound skeptical.”

“It’s all right. Anthony and I are used to it. Who’s in charge of this séance?”

“The Sunshine Ghost Society, so Madame Gloria will be the, um, human medium.”

“I see.”

It’s not hard to figure out what Aurelia thinks of that. “I know you’re not crazy about Phoebe Van Cleave, but the rest of the group isn’t so bad.”

“Whose spirit will they be talking to?”

“Hopefully, Abby Delgado’s.”

“You know, Lucy, Anthony and I were an integral part of the séances that Susan used to host. Since this is the first séance that Cornelius will be doing without Susan, perhaps we should be there too. For moral support.”

“Sure. Why not? Except…. I have to tell you, we’re using a building without permission.”

“Oh dear.”

I tell her about the conditions Gloria put down for the séance.

“She’s correct. The spirit does tend to linger in places where he or she was last alive.”

“So I’ve been told. I’m really hoping that we can get to the bottom of why Abby’s brother stole Cornelius.” Among other things.

“I take it the brother didn’t confess?”

“Hardly. And since Deborah doesn’t want to press charges, there’s nothing the Whispering Bay police can do about it.”