Кэти Дэйли - The Curse Of Hollister House

“Can I sit with you?”

I whirled around at the sound of a child’s voice.

“I’m sorry. You startled me. I didn’t hear you walk up.”

“I’m Paisley. I live in the big house in the cove just around the bend.”

“Nice to meet you, Paisley. My name is Callie.”

“I know who you are. Gracie talks about her famous niece all the time.”

“You know Gracie?”

“Sure. I come to visit, and we sit and talk. Can I sit with you?”

I moved to the left just a bit to make room. “Sure. Have a seat.”

The girl sat down, and the cat climbed into her lap.

“It seems Alastair likes you,” I commented.

“We’re friends. My grandma is allergic, so I can’t have a cat, but Gracie doesn’t mind if I come to visit hers.”

I tucked my legs up under my body. “You live with your grandmother?”

The girl nodded. “My mom is sick and can’t take care of us, so we live with Grandma.”

“And your dad?”

She shrugged. “I never met him.”

“I’m sorry. I hope your mom feels better soon.”

When she didn’t respond, I asked her if she was here to stay.

She shrugged. “I guess so. At first, I didn’t want to be here. I missed my friends, and there are no other kids living out here at the lake. But then I met Gracie and Alastair and they invited me to come to visit. I guess they are my new friends.” Paisley paused and looked at me. “Gracie told me that you grew up here in the lake house. Were there other kids back then?”

“No. I mean sure, there were other kids who lived in town, but not out here at the lake. There were kids around during the summer when the campground was full, but during the winter, it was just me and Aunt Gracie, and of course Mr. Walden.” I tucked a lock of hair that had blown loose from my hair tie behind my ear.

Paisley pulled Alastair closer to her chest. The poor cat didn’t look all that comfortable, but he didn’t struggle to be let go either.

“Gracie said that you used to spend a lot of time up in her attic playing the piano.”

I nodded. “That’s true. I did spend a lot of time in the attic playing the piano, and it did help me feel less lonely.”

“Gracie said that maybe something like that would help me feel less lonely. Grandma doesn’t have a piano, but Gracie said I could come over and use hers. She said she has two: an old one in the attic and a newer one in her living room she bought after you started playing.”

“She does have two pianos, and I agree that music can be a wonderful companion.”

“That’s what Gracie said.” Paisley adjusted her position just a bit. “I don’t know how to play. Maybe you can teach me. If you aren’t too busy, that is.”

Suddenly, my throat constricted, and my heart began to race. I hadn’t played a single note since the accident. I knew that my limitations would envelop and overwhelm me if I tried to play again. It was best to walk away and leave the past behind.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be here, but Gracie taught me, so maybe she can teach you.”

The girl hung her head. Her smile faded, and she appeared to be totally crushed. “That’s okay, I know you must be busy.” She stood up and set the cat down on the dock. “I should go. It was nice to meet you.”

I felt like the biggest loser in the world as the child walked away, but what could I do? I didn’t want to seem cruel or uncaring, but at this point in my life, I was pretty sure I’d never touch a piano again.

“Don’t look at me that way,” I said to the cat, who actually did seem to be glaring. “You know I can’t teach that girl to play. Maybe I can talk to Gracie about another idea for the two of us. Maybe Paisley would like to play dress-up the way I used to.”

“Meow.”

“Yes, I know I’m a coward, but I’m doing the best I can, and I don’t need you rubbing it in.”

I stood up, turned, and headed toward the house. I’d already dawdled away half the day. Crying over what could have been and should have been was not going to get me anywhere, yet thinking about my career made me want to curl in a ball and die, so instead I’d focus on solving the deaths of three young girls and leave the hard work I’d need to do to get on with my life for another day.

Chapter 7

Friday

I’d spent most of the previous afternoon digging around on the internet, trying to find out what else I could about Hillary and Tracy. I knew in my gut that their deaths had to somehow be related to Stella’s; I just didn’t know how. All three girls had been twelve, all had been walking home from school when they were abducted, all three had fathers who worked in the construction trade, and all were either only children or at least the only child living at home. The only-child thing seemed like a stretch, and I doubted it was relevant, but having several similarities rather than just a few made it seem more like a list.

After looking over everything I could find, I realized that I was going to need help. Professional help. Cass was already working on Tracy’s murder, so it wouldn’t be all that much of a stretch to talk to him about the other two murders as well. He had known Stella, same as me. He must want to find her killer as badly as I did, even after all this time. That would have seemed an impossible task until Tracy. If she had been killed by the same person who killed Stella, that could very well mean that the residents of Foxtail Lake had a vicious killer living among them.

Gracie was sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper when I came downstairs this morning. Alastair followed me into the room and headed directly to his food bowl. I checked to make sure that Gracie had already filled it before pouring my own cup of coffee and joining her at the table.

“It seems that Alastair slept with me again. I hope you don’t mind.”

Gracie looked up. “Not at all, dear. There are times in all our lives when we need a kitty in our bed, and I think right now that you need him more than I do. Would you like some breakfast?”

“Just coffee for now.” I took a sip of the hot brew. Gracie always had made the best coffee. She’d never shared her secret with me, but I thought she must add something to the grounds. Vanilla maybe?

“So, what are your plans today?” Gracie asked.

“I stayed around the house yesterday so I thought I’d go into town today. I need to run by the pharmacy to pick up some more of the cream the doctor has me using for my skin grafts, and I could use some shampoo and stuff. After that, I plan to head over the shelter to talk to Naomi about volunteering. Cass volunteers on Fridays, so I’ll probably stay to work with him. We may go out for pizza afterward, so you probably shouldn’t plan for me to be home for supper.”

“It sounds like you have a full day.”

“That’s the plan. Sitting around and feeling sorry for myself isn’t getting me anywhere.”

Gracie stroked Alastair on the head. “I ran into Paisley when I was out checking on my garden after last night’s rain. She mentioned that she’d asked you about piano lessons, but you told her you were busy.”

“I didn’t say ‘busy.’ I said, ‘not staying long,’” I countered.

“Is that true? Are you not staying long?”

I blew out a breath. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I like Paisley. She seems like a nice kid, and lord knows she has a lot to deal with right now. It’s just that I haven’t touched a piano since the accident, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I’m ready to do it. Maybe I can do something else with her, and you can teach her to play the piano.”

“That’s fine. I understand.” I could see that she didn’t. “I’ll talk to her. The poor dear really does need a friend, however, so if you have time to sit and chat with her, I think she’d enjoy that.”